Layer 10

Layer:10 - Love is the tenth episode of the anime series Serial Experiments Lain. The episode was written by Chiaki J. Konaka and directed by Ryūtarō Nakamura. It was broadcast in Japan on September 7, 1998.

Summary
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Synopsis
A close up view of Lain's eye. "The one truth…God," she says to herself. She is facing the visage of Masami Eiri. He is the self proclaimed God in the Wired, Deus. He says, "Yes it is me Lain." Lain just looks at him.

Flashback to the Yamanote Line rail track 13. This is where Masami Eiri was killed by a train.

Lain asks Masami, "Are you God?" He replies, "Yes, I'm God." He verbalizes the questions flooding her mind, "How can you be a God? I don't understand. Aren't you already dead as a human? You can't be a God." Lain replies, "I understand that the flesh is not necessary. Death is only a means to abandon the flesh." Masami seems surprised that she is so matter of fact about the subject. He says, "This is about Chisa."

Flashback to Chisa's death. The floating text words appear, "I… don't need to be here."

Lain confirms his statement, "It is… yes…. But I improved the Protocol that rules the Wired." Masami smiles, "Yes, you did. But the Protocol is only an agreement." Lain agrees, "Yes. But I programmed a code that will function in a higher phase." Masami rebukes her, "So what?" Lain looks up at him and says, "I programmed some compressed information into the Protocol as a code." Masami asks, "What kind of information?" Lain replies, "A human's memory…. All the thoughts, problems, memories, and emotions of myself," then she lets him know she is aware of his true identity, "Masami Eiri." Masami asks, "What does it mean?" Lain says, "I can live forever in the Wired as an anonymous existence, and rule there by information."

"What should you be called," Masami asks of her. Lain replies, "God." Masami cautions, "There is no God." Lain is unfazed by his remark, "Even if I could be a common existence in the Wired and affect it, I can't be a God without believers." Masami says, "But there are. No, you created them." Lain replies, "Knights." Masami and Lain stare at each other. Masami ends the stare down and disappears. He does not leave without a few parting words, "You don't need your flesh Lain." Lain gets an angry look on her face. "No. You're lying," she emphatically declares. Thus concludes their first "in person" meeting.

Lain walks into her classroom. Her classmates are giggling and talking amongst themselves. Lain watches as Alice and Reika hang out with Juri at Juri's desk. The three girls seem to be deeply engrossed in their conversation. Lain walks to the front row towards her desk. She becomes alarmed as she realizes her desk is missing. She stands dumbfounded in the space it once occupied. The teacher walks in and the class representative commands the class, " Stand up! Bow!" Lain remains motionless. The teacher instructs her class, "Now put away your textbooks." The teacher starts to hand out a test. When she gets to Lain's row, she hands the test right past Lain, as though she cannot see her. Lain's hands are set in a position indicating she is ready to receive the test. She is stunned that the teacher is unaware of her presence. Lain looks down at her empty hands and says, "I…I'm real…. I'm alive….I'm here…. Why have things come to this? Did I do something wrong? I've always tried not to do so. I've always tried not to say something wrong…. Is it true? I really might not have flesh?" Lain turns to look for Alice, her protector, her friend. Alice says, "You're right Lain. You are no longer needed in the real World." Lain's eyes widen. Alice is quietly completing her quiz. She has said nothing in reality. Lain looks as if her life is spinning out of control. Her classmates continue to take their exam, unaware of her.

Lain is walking home. Her shadow seems to be full of energy. Lain's house is very dark. She enters and announces, "I'm home." No one responds. Lain begins to check each room. They are all devoid of any human presence. Her parents room is unoccupied, its beds stripped. It almost seems as though the house was quickly abandoned. The refrigerator door was left open. Plants have died on the window sill from lack of care. Mika's room is messy and minus Mika. Clothes and personal effects are strewn on the floor.

Lain has a flashback of Mika. Mika is saying, "Pee pee. Gaaa…." Lain bends down and starts to collect her sister's belongings. She hears a noise from behind her. Lain turns and sees her dad is standing in the doorway. She puts the items down and stands up to greet him, "Papa?" Her dad says, "It is now time for us to say goodbye, Lain." Lain looks puzzled. He continues, "Didn't you notice? Our job is over. Although it was a short time, I couldn't do enough for you. Now you are free. You can do whatever you wish." Lain continues to stand and look at her father with a blank look on her face. Lain's dad says, "No, you have been free since the beginning. Although I was not allowed to tell you goodbye, I loved you." Lain is still motionless and speechless. Her dad adds, "I didn't enjoy pretending to be a family. But I think that I did envy you. Bye." He turns and leaves the room. Lain stares at the spot he vacated. She collects herself and yells, "Wait," then runs after him. He is walking down the stairs when he hears her. Lain yells down to him, "Don't leave me alone!" Without turning to look at her he replies, "Alone? You are not alone." Lain gasps. Her dad continues, "When you connect to the Wired, you will always be welcomed. That is the reason you were born." He continues his exit from the household they shared. Lain stands confused and afraid at the top of the stairs. Her family, if that's who they really were, is gone.

A scene of the city. A light mist rolls across the streets. Lain says, "I am not alone." Digital Lain is in the Wired. Shadowy figures walk by her. Energy passes through the circuit wires. A female voice asks her, "Do you want to do something Lain? This is your world, Lain." Digital Lain looks up and asks, "Who are the Knights? They may have created a false me." A male voice answers, "I don't agree." Another male voice interjects, "It's possible. It seems that the Knights of Eastern Calculus originated with the temple Knights. They have used 'the group of the unconscious' before the appearance of the Wired. 'The group of the unconscious' is an invisible network between humans." The female voice asks, "What do you want to know Lain?" Digital Lain now seems to be standing in the cityscape with the light mist. Her question is, "Knights…. Who are the Knights?" The female voice replies, "Do you want to know, Lain?" Digital Lain says, "God in the Wired can be God because there are believers of God." Everything fades to black around Digital Lain. She gasps in surprise as huge amounts of energy seem to blast through the Wired.

An outside view of the Cyberia Café and Club. The club is empty save for Taro, Masayuki, and Myu Myu. Masayuki says, "Taro, shall we go to another place? Don't you feel bored?" Taro is preoccupied with his pocket Navi. Myu Myu agrees, "How about going to my house?" Myu Myu looks at Masayuki and says, "Masayuki, you don't need to come." Masayuki is clueless, "What are you saying?" Myu Myu answers, "Taro will not keep you company. You are still a child." Masayuki grimaces and says, "What are you saying? You're also a child, Myu Myu." Taro is still staring at his Navi, oblivious to their conversation. The screen displays the words, "Knights of the Eastern Calculus." Images of the Knights and their names appear under the banner. The image of the businessman, and the housewife/mother of Syo appear, along with their names. Taro's eyes widen. He is concerned with the implications of this information. Myu Myu says, "I'm a girl. Younger is always better for girls. Right, Taro?" Taro ignores the both of them and continues to watch as the secret membership of the Knights became public knowledge. Masayuki asks him, "What does the Net News say?" Taro can only respond with, "List." Myu Myu asks, "What list?" She and Masayuki try to peer over Taro's shoulder. Taro says, "Why is there a list of the members of Knights on the Net News?" Myu Myu and Masayuki look at each other with puzzled looks on their faces. They don't grasp the gravity of the situation and resume peeking over Taro's shoulder.

The businessman's name is Takuyoshi Masuoka. He is in his office and is horrified to see his name and image posted on the Net News. He rolls his chair away from his Navi. He begins to shove papers and disks into a briefcase. Panic spreads across his features. There is a knock on his door. "Y..yes…" he asks? In walk the men in black, Carl and the shorter guy. They stop in front of Takuyoshi's desk. The shorter man says, "Don't say a thing." Takuyoshi backs away from them. His back is pressed to a huge window, which overlooks the city. Carl moves closer and says, "Take your responsibility." Carl them muffles Takuyoshi's mouth with one hand and injects a liquid into the stunned man's neck with his other hand. Takuyoshi falls to the floor. A lightning bolt punctuates the moment.

The secretary of Takuyoshi Masuoka softly knocks on her boss's door. He does not respond. She opens the door and gasps as she sees her boss slumped over in his chair with his head on his desk, dead.

The scene shifts to the apartment of red headband man. He is laying spread-eagled on his bed, dead. A small reading lamp is pointed down at his mouth. The light illuminates the fact that his mouth will remain frozen open in silent protest.

The scene shifts to the home of the housewife/mom. The jet fighter game is once again being played by her son, Syo. Syo informs his mom, "Mom, I lost." So engrossed in his game is he that Syo does not notice his mother is slumped at the kitchen table, her Navi before her. Syo says, "Earth to mom." An overheard view of her at the table confirms she is not only slumped at the table, but that she is dead. A pool of what appears to be blood, seeps from her head. Syo continues to talk with her, "It's your turn. If you won't play I'll continue it." Her Navi is still on. The last name Graver scrolls on the screen. It is followed by the name Janet Ginger. Syo says, "Mom, I'll beat you."

A news reporter announces, "Many people killed themselves all over the world today. The information agency and the police in each country started to investigate the cases." The screen shows the lifeless forms of some of the deceased. "All of them were concerned with network service. Informed sources says that they were members of a group called 'Knights'." The screen shows the symbol of the Knights. The news is turned off.

Lain is sitting in front of her Navi. Her eyes are half shut. Some type of instrument is clipped to her lower lip. A cord is wrapped all around her body. Her multiple Navi screens flash with different messages behind her. Lain looks exhausted. Two pairs of feet are going upstairs to Lain's room. It is the men in black, Carl and the shorter guy. They open the door to her room. Carl enters first. The shorter man chuckles. Lain asks them, "Why did you do it?" Carl answers, "It was a request from our client. You found out the members of Knights all over the world. Now we are killing them all over the world." Lain says, "But that's…" She is interrupted by Carl. He continues, "The Wired must not be a special world. It must only help the real world." Lain says, "But…" Now she is interrupted by the shorter man, "You also must not exist in the Wired. But you are still alive." He chuckles before finishing his thought, "You may have the protection of God," and chuckles again. Carl says, "Soon, the remaining ghost of Masami Eiri in the Wired will be disinfected. Our client is now working to rewrite all of Protocol 7." Lain does not reply so Carl says, "We don't need God." The shorter man adds, "In the Wired or in the real World." He chuckles and leaves the room. Carl stares at Lain. He removes his visor and says, "We still can't even understand what you are." Lain remains unresponsive. Carl adds, "But I love you. Love is a strange emotion, isn't it?" Carl leaves the room. He walks past his still chuckling partner. Lain closes her eyes.

Digital Lain is in the Wired. Her image has returned to the location where she first met Masami Eiri. Digital Lain asks, "What will you do?" Masami Eiri appears. He repeats the question, "Well, what shall I do?" Digital Lain says, "You have no believers left." Wind whips by both Digital Lain and Masami. He says, "If so, I can't remain God. But there's one believer left. If there is one believer I'm still God." Digital Lain asks, "Who?" Masami chides her, "Don't say that! It's you Lain." When she does not respond he continues, "You can be you, because of me. You were born in the Wired. You were a legend in the Wired and a fairy tale heroine in the Wired." Digital Lain says, "A lie." Masami responds, "Iwakura Lain in the real World is only a hologram of it. You are a homologous by artificial ribosome. You have never had a true body." At this, Digital Lain turns her head to look at Masami. She again says, "A lie."

Scene shift to another part of the city. Masami says, "False family, false friends…everything was false." Digital Lain says, "A lie" and her eyes brim up with tears. Then she yells, "No, that's not true!" Masami is holding Digital Lain's hair. He says, "I pity you, Lain. You are completely alone now. But I am with you. I love you. You'll love me, the one who sent you to this world." Tears freely fall from Digital Lain's eyes. Masami says, "I am your creator." He nuzzles his face into her hair then says, "Love me…please, Lain."

Digital Lain says, "Another." Masami looks a little worried and asks, "What?" Digital Lain pulls away from him and says, "Another me." Masami says, "Not another you. It's the real you." He puts his hand on Digital Lain's shoulder. She quickly shrugs it off and turns to look at him. She angrily says, "It doesn't matter which it is!" Her words seem to ripple with power. Masami is literally almost blown away by them. He chuckles. Power lines snap around Digital Lain and fall to her feet. She is left standing alone.

Characters Introduced

 * Masami Eiri (Deus)