NEURAL ASHES - SYNOPSIS (UK VERSION)

 London, 2035. Hellen, a 45 year old neuroengineer, lives in an apartment together with her 14 year old daughter Liz, who is paralysed except for eye movements. Liz can talk via a Brain Computer Interface (BCI) that Hellen has built her.

Jenkins and 3 other mobsters bring a broken android (Gareth) into her basement, and force her to fix him. Jenkins says she owes it to them. If she won’t cooperate, they will come after her and her daughter.

In a first flashback we see a car accident with Hellen sitting at the wheel, her husband Carl and her daughter Liz. The car slips off the road.

A few days after Gareth was brought in, he wakes up for the first time. Liz can feel him inside her head. Gareth is very confused about who and what he is. Part of his mind seems to be mafia capo Alemano, who was recently killed. He keeps mentioning a secret vault. Hellen and Liz remotely follow a conversation between Gareth and Jenkins, and the picture becomes clearer.

When Hellen lies in her bed, a second flashback begins. A New Year’s Eve where Hellen and her colleague Gail are introduced by Carl to Alemano and Jenkins. At that time she doesn’t know that Alemano is a gangster. Carl mentions that Alemano will fund a new brain research centre that is attached to Datchet Hospital where Carl is CFO.

Her mind goes back to what happened after the car accident. She, Liz and Carl were taken to the hospital in Datchet. Carl is dead, Liz is in the intensive care at Neurosurgery, in an operation that lasts many hours. Triggered by previous claims from Gail that the mafia is stealing human brains from the mortuary, she goes therere to have a look. She finds out that Carl’s body has disappeared.

Early morning, she goes to the hospital’s restaurant, waiting for news about Liz’s operation. Not knowing what to do, she calls Gail to come over. Half an hour later 2 police officers appear, questioning her about the claim that dead bodies disappear from the hospital, and asking questions about Gail and Carl. Hellen gets suspicious and ends the conversation.

Finally Hellen gets a phonecall from a nurse saying that Liz has woken up. Hellen asks the doctor when she can expect to take Liz home, but he avoids the subject.

Gail tells Hellen that maybe the mafia, the dcotor and even the police are in this together.

Gail helps Hellen to steal neurological equipment from the Brain Research Centre, and they kidnap Liz. In her own apartment Hellen starts taking care of Liz, and prepare neurological treatments.

End of the flashback.

Hellen resumes contact with Gail, whom she hasn’t spoken for years. Gail introduces her to Neuro Ethics, a group of cyber vigilantes, that critically follows scientific development. Gail introduces her to her colleague Black Hat Kat (BHK), a computer nerd who also seems to be Gail’s lover.

Hellen receives an alarm message from Liz. She and Gail rush back to Hellen’s apartment, and find Gareth standing in Liz’s room, staring at her. Liz and Gareth communicate silently, via thought transfer. Gareth doesn’t harm anybody, he goes back to the basement.

A few days later, when Gareth is asleep, Hellen downloads software she received from Gail, and tries to redesign the value base of Gareth’s cyber brain.

At that moment Jenkins breaks into the apartment with 3 other mobsters. Jenkins says he doesn’t trust Hellen. They will take Gareth with them and then take care of Hellen and Liz.

Gareth jumps up, screaming “no, not Liz”. They fight. Gareth kills one guy and knocks down Jenkins and the other two. Hellen gets Jenkins’s gun.

Gareth runs to Liz’s room, picks her up and wants to leave the apartment. Meanwhile, Hellen has locked the basement and points the gun at Gareth. But Liz says in her voice over that they can trust Gareth.

They run into the street. Hellen calls Gail, and she comes with BHK to pick them up in BHK’s car. They drive to the Neuro Ethics office.

Gareth keeps repeating that they need to go to the vault. BHK thinks that he has deciphered the geographic coordinates. Gail and Liz stay behind at Neuro Ethics. Hellen, BHK and Gareth drive to somewhere near Datchet, following the coordinates.

They find the vault, where they see brains floating in fluids, and dozens of androids in glass cages, resembling Gareth. Hellen sees that one of brains was Carl’s, her husband.

Gareth’s mind is now alternating between mafia boss Alemano and his own android brain. When he sees a severely damaged brain in the vault that belonged to Alemano, he says the vault must be destroyed. Hellen and BHK agree. They find a hose, and fill it with gas from a nearby fuel pump.

Gareth receives a thougt transfer from Liz, saying that she and Gail are in danger. He tells Hellen and BHK to go back ASAP. He will take care of the vault.

BHK and Hellen race back to Neuro Ethics, while Gareth burns down the vault, with himself inside.

At Neuro Ethics, Jenkins and Hill have found Gail. They kill her. Liz is hidden in Gail’s office behind a sofa.

BHK and Hellen, holding the shotgun she picked up at the vault, enter Neuro Ethics. In Gail’s office they find her dead body. BHK sinks down on his knees and cries. Hellen goes to kitchen where she sees a faint light. Holding her shotgun, she slings open the kitchen door where Jenkins and Hill sit. She kills them.

Back in Gail’s office they see a message on a screen from Liz, telling them where to find her.

Hellen en Liz drive home with BHK’s car.

Next day, BHK passes by. Hellen gives them their passports and asks BHK if he knows someone to get them fake French passports. BHK says it’s OK, but he will ask a favour in return.

Next day BHK returns with the new French passports. He reminds Hellen that he needs a favour.

He takes Hellen to Neuro Ethics and shows her Gail’s body, lying on a table in her old office. He explains that Gail’s brain must be uploaded into cyberspace to fight the mob brains that were uploaded before the vault was destroyed. Reluctantly, Hellen starts the brain surgery. Working all night, with help from BHK and his colleague Shirley, Hellen manages to upload Gail’s brain. Shirley takes Gail’s body away. Then they wait. Several hours later, a message appears on BHK’s screen. It’s Gail, who makes contact from somewhere in cyberspace. They are able to communicate verbally.

Hellen goes back to her apartment, where Liz is also contacted by Gail. She tells Liz that she needs help from Hellen.

We see Gail as an avatar in a cyberworld that looks very realistic. Gail’s avatar wears a military uniform, but she is wounded and says she can’t break into Alemano’s fortress, which is protected by firewalls and uploads of mobster brains. Hellen decides to upload herself.

Hellen’s and Gail’s avatar join forces. They break through the firewall and find Alemano’s avatar is a sort of Gothic cathedral. They attack Alemano but he forces them to the ground. Then Carl’s avatar appears. He fuses with Hellen’s and Gail’s, and togehter they destroy Alemano.

That night, Hellen and Liz take the ferry to France.

A few years later, with a hand-held camera Hellen films Liz who is picking lavender, dressed in a fancy exoskeleton that exists of gloves, a bodysuit and boots.

Then Hellen is filmed by Liz. She tells that she doesn’t want to hide any more, and is starting up an international “technology that heals” movement.

Liz gives the camera back to Hellen. She does a cartwheel.

We hear the voice overs of Carl, Gail and BHK saying “Bravo Liz! Bravo!”