3. The Shift

they catch me first. The night after my first day and next Corpus Max Fullest personal assistant, I tracked down David Truesdale, one of the participants of the first phase of human Trials, and didn't go well. Have you had any more contact with the next quarter You've spoken to Max Fuller since? Yeah? Just Benjamin's Benjamin, Mr Truch. Looking back, that's when all the trouble started. I didn't know who was on to me at the time when I started digging,

so he didn't go unnoticed. Dr Abby Reynolds had tipped me off to Truesdale's whereabouts. She was next Corps physician. Her job was to monitor and track the test subjects during the shot I research similar behaviors, pacing, digging at the bottoms of their cages, and attacking each other. I am terminating this roundup test. The fact that she oversaw faced one of the human trials despite something going horribly wrong with the previous animal tests, and she must have

been instrumental in covering up. The only thing I knew for sure is that she would crack. She wasn't a crypto hold onto a sea Christ much longer. Her moral compass wouldn't allow it. She was too good. I could said a lot about person that way, and if anyone could break her, it was me. I just needed to find her. Let me gome a fast track already. Never today, okay, okay, just hurry up. M oh damn, please let your charge? Christ? What is this kind of one? She's gonna stand there?

Stay on board? Can I help here? May decided for electric You know the gas pumps are on the other side. Recharge complete, Jack, Let's go on, let's considering your side. Let's let's go. Let's go resuming, Chris. Who was that stark out here? I can see the dull glow of some metropolis off in the distance. Highways are for getting from A to B and back rows of what happens in between. My father told me that once it was bullshit. Of course, my father was capable of a massive amount

of bullshit. The truth is he was avoiding major highways because he was on the run and there are less facial recognition cameras on the back roads. My father, when he passed away, he had nothing, no heirlooms, no family possessions. He came from nothing and to nothing he returned. He died alone with twenty five K in a sock drawer my inheritance. That and the pile of video tapes filled with footage of me as a boy. You think that's what because I know that you thought I was going

to give your other hand. I switched it because he thought I was going to do that trick every time. Always watched the hun on. Man. If there's only one thing you learned from your papa, it's how to read people and to always watch the hunt abby, always watch the hands of None of these have ever been digitized by his old penis on the camera still worked. My father didn't believe in digital No social media profiles, no online accounts, no digital footprint at all, which seems impossible

these days. Ship it's almost magic. Him being or nobody to him meant that he could be anybody, anyone he needed to be, depending on the circumstances. That's what it takes to be a professional. Comment. When I was ten, he decided that it was time for me to learn the family business, how to support a sucker and how to pocket their money. Whether they're noble laureates or low life hustlers or fathers cast long shadows. When you were born, each of you, there was a scene in you, deep down,

and this was potential. This could grow into a billion different things. This is doctor Walter Fuller, Max's father, from a commencement speech at Stanford University. More sure when he's exactly, but the doctor seems to be in the fourties dust of silver. These temples, a man in his prime. Family gave you alluring and powerful you needed to get here. You have found and trained a passion long enough for it to get you through one of the most challenging

periods in your life. And what you need to do now is to forget it all. Forget all of it, everything that led you to this moment. Let it go because it isn't real anymore. It isn't real because it no longer exists. It's in the past. The only thing that does exist right now is right now, this present moment, and this this, this is where the future begins. In this moment, you are in the prime of your life and on the edge of a new era of human history.

From this moment, anything is possible. You are the authors of what happens next. You can predict the future by inventing it. Mh predict the future by inventing him when he did. Walter Fuller's contribution to the world of medicine is immeasurable. The millions saved each year as a result of that contribution, the noble prize he won as a consequence Walter fullest work has been widely praised and documented in history books. But Walter fullest personal life was jealously guarded.

You know, it's astonishing that a public figure like Walter Fuller was able to keep details of his private life secret in this day and age. I guess that's one thing he had in common with my father. Even though my father had no public identity at all. Like me, Max's father was mostly absent from his life it's one thing we have in common. Yet you know, they told

us to see the world very differently. My father taught me to track patterns and be an observer, Trust no one, and never take your eyes off the hands, because everything in if it's a con and everyone is always on the take. Max's father taught him to repress the past, live only for the future, and that nothing else matters. So we came from very different backgrounds. Max and I we had did nothing common for me to be able

to earn his trust. He took a shine to me because I made myself the protegee that he wanted, brilliant and wounded someone like himself. I keep thinking about the first time I saw it the other side of Max Fuller. It was almost midnight on December, the night he disappeared. The entire team was working over time preparing for TES, the International Consumer Electronic Show. This was to be the

proving ground for Next Corps New Mind apps. When I leaned into Max's office, I heard him talking to someone. It was he, but when I opened the door, I would not just stand me. There was no one else in the room. Jack, No, No, it's fine. I was actually just having a drink just Max, Would you like one? I think so. I want to let you know that across the table. But to see yes, innovation awards off the yaquina. Oh that's excellent. Is there anything else for tonight?

I have a seen Jack? Please, I insist? Okay, sure, how's your mother? Jack? I'm sorry forgiving me. You don't have to answer that. I know it's personal. It's just that I was thinking about her, About my mother. Yeah, yes, it's not lost to me what you must be going through. She isn't verbal anymore. It's really hard when they get to that point. There you go. Thanks. You know I still call her, you know, doctors save my voice calmed her? Which is you know? You know that that that makes sense.

Your mother is one of the last humans on earth of the primal brain. You and I we grew up with smartphones. Because of that, our brains are wired completely differently. The massive amount of screen time is forced completely different neural connections. For us. Our ability to recognize faces and voices is nowhere near to that of our parents. You know, my biggest regret not spending more time with her, If that's sure? I mean, do any of us ever really

have enough? Time with the people we love. But no, she always had the best advice. Yeah, any girl outdated. My mother always knew exactly how long it would last. When I listened to my mother, my life was better. She was wise. Now all that wisdom has gone. It's just con Are you the only one taking care of her? Yeah? Just me now, all alone with her here now. Yeah. I had had a brother, but he's gone. Huh. I thought you said you didn't have any siblings. He was

a he was a soldier, a soldier. Huh. I'm sorry. I didn't know we had so much in common. M my apologies. I really don't mean to be invasive. I've been told I lack a certain social etiquette. It's difficult for me to decipher what's appropriate when it comes to personal matters. So you're so, what about your brother? What about him? You still miss him? Ah Um, I'm sorry, maxxive, Now I'm being too forward. No, no, no, no, you're not. It's okay, okay. And that's when it happened. My father

used to call it the shift. The moment of sucker makes the choice to trust you. For most people, to shift happens right away. Well, that's if the coin is good. I'm gonna be honest. Max Filler what no Stocker. I've been working on shifting him for months. They just kept studying me like a fucking spider. I never broke them. And then it happened, right then Max's gaze transformed. He went from observing me too m to trust in me. No, I don't miss him. It's not like that. What should like.

It's been over thirty years now, and there's still an ache sometimes a little tightening in the chest, you know, But like anything, it's just sort of fulled up into the rest of your life eventually. I guess you, of all people would know that, all right, Jack, Oh, they live on inside us, in our thoughts and our dreams. What do you mean? What I mean is our thoughts are shaped differently for having known them, and these thoughts take form in our actions, and our actions eventually become

cemented into habits. So we look at ourselves in the mirror. You can see our brothers just reflected back. That was cheesy. Sorry, it's poetic, actually, no, or maybe you know, maybe it's more like what am I trying to say? We're haunted by them. Trauma is the Achilles heel. It can be our saving grace, but it can also be our downfall. It's a design flaw design for him. He was my father's favorite, you know, my brother Benjamin, his favorite son. That my father would have never said that. I'm sure

that wasn't the case. I think he loved Ben's brashness. I mean, kid was the first out of the womb. He's the first to walk. Like I said, he was a lot more like my mom. And when he died, it was as if he took the last of her with him. And so Dad threw himself into work full force. He took all of the energy he would have taken into raising us and plowed into the future without me. What do you do? What did I do? I went to boarding schools. What I did when when I came

home from school. I didn't notice a change in him because he was always sort of distant with me. He didn't notice a change in himself because he was too focused on the work and too vain to admit to himself that he was slipping. It was his assistant, Marie who finally came to me. They could have stopped it, but he was already so diminished. It was too late for any of his drugs to really save him, and they hadn't figured out yet how to reverse it. Marie

had been too afraid to say anything. God, what I'm getting at is there's a danger in surrounding yourself with people who regard you too highly. Jack Hm, that's why you were here. That wasn't why I was Damn. That was three months into my time at Next Corporate, and I'd spent most of that time when I was in photo of Max around as a perfect persige, digging into his company's secrets, trying to take him down. And I hadn't made much progress to that end until that night.

Something happened that changed everything. I needed to find Next Corps Achilles Hill. I need to find Abbie Reynolds. And now it was the night I finally cool a break. I needed to find Abbie Reynolds. And that was the night I finally cool a break. I have this video of my father of his final hours. Sometimes I watch it to remind myself. It was the only time my father told me that he was proud of me. It was like a fleeting moment of clarity. Any time, I'll

be right back. He was going for a few minutes, Can I hurt it? Another voice? Just like before, But there was someone else in the barthroom with Max. So I stood up and slowly approached the barroom door so they could cast some v in my hidden mic. What the hell? Who is that? No? H? I slipped back into my seat. And when he came out, and it's gonna be hard to explain. When he came back from the bar froom, something was different. He stood there studying me, smiling.

Now he had shifted to something new, something dark, His eyes intense. He seemed almost wild. He had on the gone to some kind of transformation. Is everything okay with you? I want you to see it? Wa just wait, wait and watch hey that Yeah, it's me Dad. I need my glasses. I can't. I can't find it. Where am I? Goddamn class? Here? The right here? That I got? Oh? Okay? Then turned my hand, I got got hand. Okay, it's you. Yeah, it's it's me. Okay, Ketto, Where are your baby? Ketto?

Where have you been? Dinner was two hours ago? It was two hours ago? Okay, okay, okay, no wait wait wait that's not right. That's not right. God, damn it, that's not right. I'm I'm sorry. I am not really myself these days, these things get a little. It's okay, I get fuzzy. No, I know, bodies get old. You know, it's it's criminal. Oh how are your studies? Have you? Have you done your readings? Have you completed that? Sir? Yes, sir? You have speak up son? Have you? Yes? Sir, yes, sir,

I have good that's good. Good. No, that's yeah, that's good for you, good for you. Have you taken your medicine? Dad? Fran Scene said you're being difficult. What what did you say? She said that? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, excuse me. I'm not being difficult. I'm not. That bitch keeps coming into my goddamn house, into my room. She comes out, and she tells me what I can do. It's my goddamn she know, she just cannot tell me

what to do with my goddamn dad. Calm down, don't she's not even here right now, your hands, Dad, I'm trying to help you. Right off me. Get the funk off me. Dad. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. No, it's no, don't apologize. I'm I'm sorry to It's okay. Just h I I've been I've been a little modeled lately. It's I think it's the work. It's just been too much. I get it. It's it's look at you. Look at you. You are a good boy. You have always been special, and I am so sorry that I have never really

said it. But it's true. I have always known that you would do great things. As much as much as I have hopefully accomplished, as hard as I've worked, and as as far as I may have raised the bar, I have got nothing on you, son. I've got nothing on you. You are going to change the world in ways I can't even imagine. Do you hear me? Yeah, it's true. Thank you so much, Dad, thank you, thank you. It's true. Benjamin, what did you call me? Jesus? It's recent, Benny?

Would you turn up the thermostat said? Then he too is where I like it. I don't know why she likes it so God damn Colt. He was so far gone that he didn't know who's talking to The one time he expressed pride in his son, Max, and I thought it was a lucid moment. I believe, deep down, despite the years of guilt I felt from my part of my brother's death and my fear that my father despised me for killing his favorite son, that maybe he

was actually accepting of me, proud of me. He thought I was Benjamin still alive, because because that was my father's fantasy after all, his secret wish that my brother ben had lived and that I had been the one who died that day in the ice. It was never me he would be proud of. Do you know why it is that we do what we do so that people do not to suffer? No, this video goes on.

I won't trouble you further with it, but in ten minutes he ships himself in fift as I'm trying to clean the ship off the legs and ass of a nobel laureate, the single strongest man I've ever known, whose work changed the entire course of modern medicine as we know it. Do you know what he does? He starts to pray our father, who weren't in heaven out of nowhere.

This lifelong committed atheist who felt nothing but sustained towards religion, who called it a weakness, railed against the political system that prompted up this fucking titan who beat it into my damn skull that we don't beg for help from the great, almighty, invisible thing called God. Have the goal. While I was wiping his frankles to he was sick. He was sick, and he was confused. And that, my little friend, is why we do what we do to help. Yeah, sure, sure,

we want to help to help. That sounds noble, Yeah good, We are very noble people. But there is nothing, nothing more disgusting in this world, more hateful and insidious than frailty. And I can smell it. I can smell it, just like I can smell it on my father, on my pathetic muling, praying father. And Jack, you want to know what it smell? It is like, it smells like shit. We don't do what we do simply because we love humanity.

It's because we detest the weakness in them. I can trust you, right, Jack, That's why you're here to earn my trust, of course. Yeah. And he's delivered this for me. Why'd you He gave me an umvelove addressed to Abby Reynolds. That was the last night any of us alms for a while. The next morning he would disappear. M the boy hears his father's voice. It's echoing from across the snow covered hill buff lake, carried by the wind. Who knows how long it had taken his father to register

his children's absence. When did it occur to the father that he had not encountered his children since early that morning? And the father's voice draws nearer, It's winded and filled with terror, It calls out. The boy strains to turn his head, and he could see his father stumbling towards him in the snow. He'd been discovered at last, and

soon he surely would be rescued. Soon he would be safe and warm in his father's strong arms, and his father would hold him tighter than he had since he'd been born, And the boy would look into his father's weeping eyes, and he would see his father remembering, remembering how precious the boy was to him, how deeply he

loved the boy. And that is the last thought the boy has before before the ice break, before he slips beneath the surface of the frozen leg and comes face to face with the mirror image of himself, his dead brother.

Benjamin Tomorrow's Monsters starring John Boyega as Jack Locke, Darren Chris as Max Fuller, Marley Shelton as Cass Berkeley, Clark Gregg as Walter Fuller, saw and Guja as David Truesdale, Nicholas Takoski as Finn Connolly, Claire Bronson as dr Abbie Reynolds, David Chen as Michael Corbin, Suhila Eltar as Jenna, Victor Rivera as Eddie Binder, Robert Pralgo as Agent Batty, Steve Coulter as Senator Berkeley, wrote A Griffiths as Rainy Webb,

with additional performances by Helen Abel, Jason Williams, my Chel Anthony, Robin Bloodworth, and Teresa Davis. Our first assistant director is Michael Monty. Our second assistant director is Sarah Klein. Sound and music by Ben Lovett. Additional sound design and editing by Benjamin Belcolm, Justin Riboski and Mike Reagan. Casting by Jessica Fox Thick Pen. Our executive producers are Scott Shelton, Shelby Thomas, Alexander Williams, and Matthew Frederick. Written by Dan

Bush and Nicholas Takoski. Created by Dan Bush and Conald Byrne. Directed by Dan Bush, Produced by both Flint dan Bush and John Boyega. Tomorrow's Monsters is a production of Higheart Radio, Flynn Picture Company, Psychopia Pictures, and Upper Room Productions. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.