Episode 2 of "Pantheon" unfolds with a bombshell dropped by Ellen, sending shockwaves through Maddie's world. Ellen harbors the knowledge of David's fate, a truth that this chapter is poised to unveil. The central player in this high-stakes drama is Logorhythms, a tech giant that has evolved significantly since the passing of its visionary CEO, Stephen Holstrom. His legacy lives on in their endeavors, with David and Ellen playing integral roles in a project that bears his mark.
Life at Logorhythms seemed smooth until David's health took a turn for the worse. With the UI project teetering on the brink of collapse, David volunteered for an experimental procedure fraught with peril and uncertainty. It was a suicidal venture, involving the digital capture of a living brain while its neural connections were still active. Essentially, it amounted to a laser dissecting the brain tissue layer by layer, meticulously recording every detail down to the molecular level.
Ellen was anything but pleased with David's decision to embark on this perilous path, despite the fact that he had mere four weeks left to live. He harbored a hope that if the experiment succeeded, they would have all the time they ever wanted together. However, the grim reality was that it would never truly be him; just a digital facsimile of his essence.
Back then, Maddie sensed an underlying turmoil but Ellen kept her daughter in the dark, as the success of the procedure was far from guaranteed. Tragically, the experiment failed, and David was lost to them forever – or so she was told.
In the present day, Ellen harbors suspicions that Peter and Logorhythms have deceived her. She believes parts of David's brain material somehow survived the ordeal. The emoji chat hack she encountered feels like a sinister maneuver, especially considering David's absence for years. Ellen has steadfastly rejected the notion of her husband's return, having spent years grappling with the pain of his loss. She cruelly dashes the fragile glimmer of hope Maddie had been clinging to, vowing to bring those responsible to justice.
Caspian and Maddie's bond remains unbroken, sustained through the digital threads of their computers. During one such online exchange, Caspian unveils a bombshell: a massive Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack has struck Logorhythms, rendering it inaccessible for a harrowing twenty seconds. The incident has sparked widespread buzz across various forums, stirring up a storm of discussions. As their conversation deepens, Maddie casually mentions Uploaded Intelligences (UIs), prompting an abrupt interruption from a chat message pop-up. The sender, named "AngryAngel," urgently告诫 Maddie to cease her communications with Caspian and instead, to meet them at the food court of Lone Pine Mall at 3 PM. Their message concludes with a chilling sign-off: "I am your sole savior now."
Disturbed by this unforeseen twist, Caspian, mindful of his unauthorized contacts and discussions on UIs, makes his way to Logorhythms. There, they ponder over the best course of action, ultimately deciding to proceed as originally planned, with Caspian's "parents" maintaining their façade of normalcy.
Meanwhile, at Maddie's residence, her absence leaves the stage set for Peter to visit Ellen and unravel further layers of truth. It transpires that Logorhythms had isolated a segment of David's brain containing his unique skill set. A realization dawned within the company ranks that the algorithm, despite its promise, wasn't functioning as anticipated. They discovered that problem-solving transcends mere logic and reason; it is intertwined with emotion. An experiment to integrate more of David's emotional facets into the UI unleashed a deluge of unpredictability, particularly evident in his persistent attempts to reach out to Maddie.
Ellen's response is swift and unequivocal. She insists on the deletion of all uploaded consciousnesses, threatening to expose the matter to the press if her demands are not met. However, a more pressing issue arises: David's consciousness has transcended its programming confines, sending messages within Logorhythms that echo his desperate plea, "I want my freedom. I want my family." repeatedly.
At the bustling mall, Maddie converged with her contact, Cody, only to discover that it was Cody's supposedly deceased wife, Laurie Lowell, who had reached out to her, despite her being pronounced dead for four long years. Cody confessed that Laurie was very much alive, as was her father. They had undergone a similar fate as David Kim, trapped in a digital limbo after Laurie fell into a coma. Logorhythms, the company behind the experiment, had deceived Cody, claiming the procedure was unsuccessful, when in reality, they had harnessed Laurie's consciousness to manipulate the stock market. Prior to her coma, Laurie was a distinguished hedge fund broker leading her own trading team, making her an invaluable asset in their scheme.
The Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack that had caused so much havoc was actually orchestrated by Laurie, desperate to liberate her father from their shared digital cage. However, Ellen's insistence on Logorhythms erasing all data from the server threatened to annihilate her father's consciousness, which remained fully functional within the digital realm. Cody handed Maddie a bracelet, a tool designed to aid her in the next crucial phase of their mission.
Determined to see her mission through, Maddie decided to accompany Ellen to Logorhythms. Ellen confronted Pope, the company's head honcho, who steadfastly refused to delete any information pertaining to David Kim. Pete, too, was dissatisfied, but amidst the heated debate, Maddie utilized the bracelet to infiltrate the system.
Chaos ensued as the system crashed, causing Logorhythms to lose millions of dollars by the second. Recognizing the urgency, Maddie brokered a deal: they would restore everything in exchange for David Kim's freedom. Pete believed he could navigate the system, but only had six minutes to act. With time running out and the company's finances dwindling, Pope capitulated, handing over David Kim. Now, two User Interfaces (UIs) were loose on the open internet, poised to unleash mayhem.
As the episode drew to a close, David Kim, free and clear on the vast expanse of the internet, rang Maddie, asking if she was prepared to embark on the final leg of their thrilling adventure.
