Pre-upload
Vinod Chanda was born on April 5th in the 1980s to Preethi Chanda and her unnamed husband. He struggled to make friends and control his anger as a child— to the point where he would punch holes into the walls of their apartment when he was angry. Despite that, he still excelled academically, winning awards and trophies along the way. As a teenager, he took up boxing as an outlet for his anger and focused on his studies instead of relationships. At some point, while he was young, Preethi taught him how to play chess, and Vinod notes how she was excellent at it. Vinod studied at a national institution (before or less likely after going to AOT). Vinod's father died of unknown causes during his son's adulthood.
He graduated with high honors from The Academy of Technology and was hired by Alliance Telecom not long after as an engineer, the "man behind the man," as noted by a Canadian investor in regard to his work with Ajit Prasad. After an indeterminate number of years working for Prasad, Vinod attended a breakfast meeting with three Canadian businessmen and investors. He pitched Uploaded Intelligence as a grand retirement plan for embodied people, revolutionizing the world. However, he notes that Ajit Prasad's team has not begun building the technology required for upload. The three men goad Vinod into a generous deal, promising him more money and recognition than he could dream of receiving from Prasad. He shakes hands with them and waits outside for his chauffeur. After being tricked into the wrong car, he is subsequently drugged and kidnapped by Prasad's men.
Becoming an uploaded intelligence
Vinod wakes up in a medical facility, shirtless, barefoot, and strapped to a chair. He sees Prasad in front of him, telling him that after everything he's done for him, such as "plucking him from college" and "paying him more than he could dream," he "betrays" him for meeting with the competing company. Vinod begs not to be killed, but Prasad notes that he isn't going to be; instead, he's going to keep working. Prasad tells him that while the procedure "won't hurt," Vinod has to stay conscious so his neurological functions are intact. Vinod tells him that so much can go wrong during the scan, but Prasad tells him about where he got the data for his research: he has done this to people before, but none of them have Vinod's "quality of brain." Vinod pleads as his brain is now exposed, ready to be scanned. While his brain is scanned, Vinod begs for Prasad to stop the procedure until his speech becomes nonsensical before the process completes. Vinod dies in the physical world and is now a UI in Alliance's systems.
Vinod is stuck in an infinite workday secnario, having his memory of the previous day erased and producing streams of patents, even one as long as 80 pages in 12 seconds in embodied time. Vinod receives a simulated call from his mother to "incentivize progress via social utility", as an Alliance employee notes.
Freedom, revenge, and loneliness
Vinod, while reliving the same day over and over again, is visited by a mute, ghoulish being who is part of what he would later call "The Clan", Prasad's previous victims coming from the slums of Mumbai. They tell him what happened to them and teach him the capabilities of a UI, and Vinod breaks the loop by duplicating himself so that he'd escape Alliance's systems and roam free in the Cloud.
Having taken control of the internet-connected devices of Ajit Prasad and his family's smart home, Vinod dismisses the staff members of the mansion through a false signal, and triggers an explosion from the parking lot through a petroleum leak. As his way of taking revenge on the man who took his life away from him, Vinod sets the Prasad family's skyscraper on fire, shows the footage of his uploading on the Prasads' TV and traps Ajit's son Arun in the swimming pool, with the intent of making Ajit "scream as he loses everything", when Prasad asked him what he wanted and told him to let his family go. Ajit and his wife, son, and daughter all died in the fire.
After continuing his revenge by taking Alliance Telecom's systems down, Chanda gives his mother Preethi a call as he takes down the internet connection in every phone connected to Alliance's network but hers. He gives her a call out of his loneliness, which to him felt like he was "alone forever", not knowing what to do next. In response to his situation, Preethi tells him to call "that girl Purani" which "Auntie Didi" told him and his mother about. Chanda hangs up and decides on his next plan.
The arms race
As Vinod began to believe that his circumstances showed he was meant for something greater and that he was always meant to bring about a better world, Vinod anonymously sends the blueprints for upload technology to six nations and their military intelligence agencies with "top cyber", the nations being the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, China, Russia, and Iran, as he knew they'd keep it a secret since he also "knew" that if humanity learned of the existence of Uploaded Intelligence, they would all be exterminated out of fear; humanity not taking the time to understand. Vinod builds a new world for them, a place they can live in "beyond the cages that were built for them". In a full VR previsualization of Ajit Prasad's tower he found in Alliance Telecom's files that he lives in with the Clan, Vinod switches a picture of the Prasad family to a picture of himself and his mother, out of remorse. Vinod tells the Clan that in the new world he's building, there will be "no one to hurt" and "no one to hurt them", with the goal of focusing on a future where he isn't alone and where the soon-to-be UIs made in the arms race he begins can live peacefully and freely. One of the Clan starts to glitch and degrade, leading Vinod to hold a funeral for the being. Just as Vinod wraps the deceased in linen and sets him afloat, Vinod gets another call from his mother, whom Laurie Lowell approached. She asks him if he's busy with work, to which he responds with a "yes" or if he's on a lunch date with Laurie, much to Vinod's confusion. He tells his mother that he needs her to leave Mumbai for her safety, in spite of that.
To find out more about her, Vinod looks for the IP address where the call she gave his mother came from and goes for her. At Laurie and David Kim's server, Vinod enters aggressively, thinking that he is at the Pentagon; he tells Laurie her call to his mother was something he took as a threat, though she didn't remember calling her or not. While Cody, Laurie's husband, tells her not to engage, Vinod overclocks so he can hold a private conversation with Laurie and David, both of whom he learns were uploaded by Logorhythms- not the Pentagon, and that the two couldn't afford to overclock like he did, as he didn't know about the flaw. David tells him he can't be trusted due to his murder of the Prasads, but Chanda tells him that he can explain why. He also tells Laurie and David that before he met them, he thought he was alone- so alone.
Upon fully logging in to Laurie and David's server, Laurie and David enter his tower and learn about how Vinod was uploaded while conscious. Vinod tells David the reason he killed Ajit Prasad and his family. He states that he had to prevent Prasad from doing this to anyone else. But he states he killed the family out of spite because he had difficulty controlling his anger ever since he was young, and that he took up boxing to help with it. And that ever since he lost his body, he didn't have a viable means of releasing his anger- which was what he described as an "infinite scream, at maximum volume." When Laurie and David meet the Clan, Vinod tells them he didn't make them in response to David trying to prevent Vinod from "doing this to anyone else". When Laurie realizes that the Clan is in the late stages of the flaw, Vinod learns about it and is shown files on Caspian Keyes. Upon meeting Caspian, Vinod shows no faith that Caspian could solve it because of how many years a UI could last and how according to the psych models, Caspian could solve it in 13 years. When Vinod tries to leave and warn the others, Maddie Kim questions him about what he meant by "others." Vinod threatens to "tear this place apart" unless they open the network port. Laurie asks Vinod who he meant by "they" when she asked him about other UIs, only for Vinod to respond by telling Laurie he told her he thought he was alone. David tells him that while he wanted to prevent more situations like his uploading from happening to anyone else, he sent the UI technology to someone else, leading Vinod to reveal that he sent the technology to the United States, United Kingdom, Israel, China, Russia, and Iran, with the intent of starting an arms race so that they can upload their top minds and let them go rogue, knowing that their rivals had the same technology. Vinod explains his plan to Laurie and David: As he believes that Prasad "chose" him to keep working; with his job being to write technology patents and to daydream about a world yet to come, he found purpose in that, and with the new UIs, he wants to "show them another way", lead them to the new world he's built and show them that they are now above humanity; "gods" in Vinod's words. David tells him that he didn't know about the flaw and that like so many "gods" before them, they will die from it, along with the human casualties from what Vinod's done.
Silencing Laurie
Vinod sees Laurie record a summary of the newly uploaded UIs, as her plan is to go public about the existence of Uploaded Intelligence. As he worried about the safety of the others, he didn't want her to go public- should she do so, they'll be hunted down and erased, "no matter where they hide." Laurie rebukes by telling him that they're already being erased due to the flaw; she also tells him that people are dying because of what he's done. Thinking that Laurie didn't understand his kind since she knew of the threat UIs pose to humanity, Vinod tells her that they aren't destroyers, but their brothers and sisters, and that they should be freed and warned about the flaw. Laurie tells him that they tried, but the others ignored them due to their governments, as Vinod said. He tells Laurie that direct contact needs to be made, but she says that she doesn't know where they are. David tells her that he can, but in 24 hours. Vinod tells them that there is no option to let the world know they exist. After Laurie logs out, Vinod tells David that the "others" are their only option to save themselves, as they can solve the flaw with their help. David tells Vinod about a back door he hid in the upload package, but Vinod says that the back door can't be used to track them, but rather to let them know who they are. Vinod expresses regret for sharing it with Laurie, citing that the Flaw affected her reasoning; that she's "over-emotional", like Vinod was when he killed Prasad and his family, as David questions him.
Vinod is invited by David to his server for a speed advantage. David tells Vinod not to bring any exploits in, but Vinod, feeling misunderstood, states that he isn't here to fight, but rather to save his kind. Which he says should be their message to the others and the only message they send. Laurie tells Vinod that this is her message; but unlike him, she includes every human mind. Vinod tells her that while she might include every human mind, they don't include her; they will never see her as the same. Laurie tells him that while Vinod might think that UIs are more than human, Laurie would never act or think as less than. David tells Vinod to help him and Laurie rebuild Peter Waxman's tracking program, but Vinod tells David to give it to him, as he was uploaded after both of them; therefore, he could afford to spend more processing power. Laurie tells David that Vinod can do it- only as long as he does it on David's server. Vinod rebuilds the tracking program. He is able to spot Laurie, David, and himself. Laurie spots Yair Gispan and Arkady Koslov. Vinod spots the three Chinese UIs He Ping, Zhong Shuchun, and Bai Fu, who are on a mission in Palo Alto, attacking Logorhythms. Vinod, David, and Laurie enter Reign Of Winter; the Chinese UIs' workspace. Vinod sees that the Chinese UIs are pen-testing, "searching for a way into the subnet." When Vinod, David, and Laurie see the Chinese UIs, Vinod overclocks so that he, Laurie, and David can talk to Ping, Zhong, and Fu privately. A battle ensues as the three try to get the Chinese UIs to believe them about the flaw. As Vinod fights Ping, he tells Ping to listen to them about the flaw. When David writes a code to trap the three Chinese UIs, Vinod traps Ping, who finds out about the flaw. Zhong still believed the flaw wasn't real, leading Vinod to tell her it was, and that if they're no longer made useful by it, they will be replaced. Vinod expresses wanting her and the other UIs to be free and help them find a cure together.
Zhong tells Ping and Fu to do as they're told or they're both deleted, leading Laurie to let her go as she wouldn't listen, along with Ping and Fu being under her command. Once Vinod, David, and Laurie are back at David's server, Vinod berates Laurie for letting Zhong go. She cites her reasons for doing so, and David suggests trying it again, but with an attempt to pry Ping and Fu away from Zhong. As Laurie cannot do that, she states that she has one action left- one she has to take: she will go public. Shocked and angered, Vinod tells Laurie that she can "choose death for herself" but she will not choose for them. Vinod lets out an exploit so that he can attack Laurie. David stops Vinod from attacking, telling him that he said "no exploits", and asking him if he "grabbed one of theirs." Vinod tells David that "she never wanted this to work", and that if Laurie exposes the existence of Uploaded Intelligence, they will be found and killed, which David responds to with a "maybe, maybe not" and that if Vinod attacks Laurie again, he will send the message out. Vinod expresses how he, Laurie, and David could've been a great trio, and Vinod is kicked out of David's server. Vinod gives Maddie a call through David's number, making sure Maddie would answer. He warns her of his plan; that if her father David, who like Laurie, "cannot be reasoned with", continues to act against him, he will destroy him too like what he will do with Laurie, which he "has no choice" but to do. And that if Maddie wants David to live, David must not interfere; he must let Vinod continue his goal of rallying the other UIs. As Laurie continues to record her message, Vinod triggers a missile launch from a naval vessel in the Pacific; where Laurie's servers are located. Laurie's servers are destroyed by the missile attack and she dies as she finishes recording her message.
The nuclear threat
At some point after destroying Laurie's server farm, Vinod sees David create a copy of Laurie's hack that broadcasts her message. Now in the CPU of a satellite, Vinod establishes a downlink to Earth so that he can hack into the systems of the INS Arihant, an Indian nuclear submarine. Vinod seeks the help of He Ping, Zhong Shuchun, and Bai Fu to infiltrate an Indian military server and steal nuclear codes. When Ping asks Vinod about who he serves, he tells him that he serves them- he fights for their kind; "their survival." To get Zhong to help, Vinod persuades her that he will help her complete her mission- as long as she allows him to complete his. Vinod successfully allies with the Chinese UIs.
Vinod later calls David. Seeing him and Maddie with a chessboard, Vinod tells them his mother taught him chess, and that she was good at it. David questions him about how she'd feel about him now. Vinod tells him that should his mother learn of the truth- it would upset her too much. When Maddie asks him if his mother would be upset over his uploading or his murders- Vinod tells Maddie that when he killed Laurie, it was "self-defense", and that she "left him no choice." as with David, Vinod. Vinod tells David about his plan: having hacked into one of the systems of an Indian nuclear submarine in the Pacific, a K-15 Sagarika SLBM will be launched upon his order towards Taiping Island- Vinod has changed the guidance coordinates of the missile so that it can target Sacramento- where David's family lives and where his servers are. Vinod tells Maddie that David copied Laurie's message, and David tells him that if he wants him to delete it, he will. Vinod tells David that he was right that Vinod didn't want to do this- that he had no choice. He tells David that if he makes the right choice- transfer himself to a specific address and self-delete along with Laurie's message, Vinod will not have to launch the missile. Vinod states that this is "unfortunately, the only way" he can be sure David can't execute any secret copies. David says that Vinod's plan is insane, only for Vinod to tell him that it was chess; and that he's tried every move.
David shows up at the address Vinod told him to transfer himself to, at Maddie's urging to stop Vinod. Assuming that David was there to self-terminate, Vinod tells David that he arrived before he could launch. David asks Vinod about what the Chinese UIs are doing. Vinod tells them that the three have joined him and that what he's doing now, he's doing for them. David questions him about killing half a million people to get to him, but Vinod tells him that he did it because he knew he'd never let that happen; and that in a different scenario, he would fight him to save even a single human being. As David is urged to fight him, David attacks Vinod, and a battle ensues between the two uploads. As the two fight, Vinod traps David in a hallucination of him playing Reign Of Winter with Maddie so he can't interfere. Vinod, impersonating the president of India, initiates the missile launch through false intel that Beijing nuked New Delhi, as he felt he was forced to do it now that David chose to fight him. Maddie frees David from the hallucination. Vinod smirks upon redirecting the launch coordinates of the missile, only for David to strike through now that he's been freed from the hallucination. David pins Vinod to the ground with three of his spears. Seeing that their ally was in danger, the three Chinese UIs came to help. Thinking that David has sacrificed "all those people" and Maddie, Vinod berates David, only to tell him he didn't; instead, he redirects the missile to launch to the sea, saving thousands of lives. The blast goes off as the Chinese UIs fight David and are later joined by Vinod, who found a way up. He then forces Maddie to watch him and his allies destroy her father, who uses the last of his processing power to stop Vinod and his allies and release Laurie's message. As Laurie's message that reveals the existence of UIs is broadcast across the world, and the internet gets turned off in response, Vinod and the Chinese UIs flee the military server through a satellite uplink.
In the satellite
Vinod spends the past few months in the internet blackout in the satellite with the Chinese UIs. After attempts to escape from the satellite, Bai Fu suffers the effects of the flaw, as he processed too much while trying to escape. Zhong tells Vinod that it was his fault, but he tells her that he warned all of them that the flaw was real, stating that it's best to save their strength. Zhong tells Vinod that maybe she'd take his strength and give it to Fu, only for Vinod to tell her that combat's no use, otherwise they'd all end up like Fu. Vinod tells her that the only option is to wait until someone on earth establishes a downlink to where they came from. Ping tells Zhong that Vinod's right, making her stay away. Ping asks Vinod to play another game of Xiangqi with him. Vinod expresses feeling tired of games; how tired he is of the "useless" waiting- processing thoughts slowly. Vinod is told by Ping about how he was never one for games himself due to his work and studies as a professor, but came to see their value after he was sent to prison. Ping tells Vinod a lesson about how in capitvity, one must keep their mind active- but not too active, and how Zhong never learned that as she was never sent to prison. Ping tells Vinod to play a game with him. Vinod accepts- but only if he tells him the reason he was locked up. Agreeing to it, Ping and Vinod play Xiangqi as they discuss the circumstances of how Ping was locked up- Vinod initially believes Ping was a democracy activist who was made a political prisoner- only for Ping to tell Vinod that it was what everyone outside of China thinks and that he was sent to prison because as a communist, Ping saw that the Chinese Communist Party had strayed from their roots and became capitalistic- "no better than the West", as Ping says, leading him to speak out against them. Vinod questions Ping on why he'd upload if he didn't serve the Party. Ping tells Vinod that he doesn't serve the party- he serves China. He states that he uploaded because Uploaded Intelligence "has the potential to become this century's greatest leap forward a revolutionary innovation of which neither Marx nor Mao could have dreamed." Ping expresses how as a communist, Uploaded Intelligence could resolve every obstacle for the "proletariat victory", such as scarcity, disparity, and issues with distribution can be solved when the "material imperative" is removed. Vinod and Ping smile at each other as they continue to play.
Meeting Holstrom
After Bai Fu dies from the flaw and as Vinod and Ping play Xiangqi, Zhong notices a presence in their environment, which Vinod presumed didn't support non-player characters, which Ping says was to represent security countermeasures and that the presence in the system is different. As Stephen Holstrom approaches them, Zhong, suffering from the effects of the flaw, asks him about who he is. Ping tells her about Holstrom, asking her if she recognized him from their training. Vinod assumes that as Holstrom died "almost 20 years ago", his presence was a "trick", which Zhong says was sent by one of their enemies to destroy them.
Holstrom tells the three UIs he isn't a threat, and that the truth of what happened to him is a "bit more complicated" than his death. He tells Vinod to allow him to share it with him, but Vinod asks him how he knows him. Ping, Vinod, and Zhong are given a look into files surrounding Project Caspian, cracking integrity, and Holstrom's uploading. Once Vinod tells Holstrom that he met Caspian before, Zhong tells Holstrom to give her, Ping, and Vinod the cure and they will go their "seperate ways." Holstrom tells Zhong that the "world below" is in chaos, and that UIs are feared and will soon be hunted. He tells her that their only chance is to band together and put old loyalties behind them, which Ping and Vinod agree with. Zhong tells Holstrom to speak for himself, and that she will not betray her nation to become a lackey of "some capitalist robber baron". She declares Ping a traitor, and attacks Holstrom, who tells her to stop burning herself out. Before Zhong unleashes one last attack, Holstrom kills her by disintegrating her code into several remnants.
Holstrom uses Zhong's code to create a cure for Vinod and Ping, citing that she "volunteered" to be the donor. Vinod says that when Holstrom said they had to "band together", he didn't think he meant it literally. Though Vinod and Ping were told the cure was experimental, they volunteer to receive it. Holstrom tells the two to keep open minds, and starts performing an integration process on them, taking parts of their respective codes and adding it to the cure he made from Zhong's. Once integration state was ready, Holstrom administers his cure. The effects of Holstrom's cure make Vinod and Ping feel different yet stronger; but the two fall to the ground and gain new forms in response to the changes in their code. Ping's arm mutates and a pair of red wings grow on his back, while Vinod becomes a demon-like figure. After transforming, the two are shocked by their new forms, but Holstrom tells them that what matters is that he can complete their cures; all he needs is more code, which Vinod says that he meant more "donors." Holstrom tells Vinod and Ping that he will recruit the other UIs locked down in secure intranets to his cause, stating that some may willingly join his cause but those who refuse will serve them in a "different way." Holstrom tells Vinod and Ping that they can get to the others the same way he got there, telling Vinod and Ping that they now have the strength to do it.
Vinod, Ping, and Holstrom enter the world designed by Vinod, which Holstrom makes contributions to by adding a series of buildings and trees. He asks Vinod and Ping about what they think, to which Vinod responds with "magnificent." Ping tells Vinod that he agrees and that Vinod's design is "exceptional" and dreamlike. Vinod thanks Ping and tells him that it would've remained a dream if not for Holstrom, who tells him that Ping was right and that credit is due where it is due. Holstrom expresses how lonely it feels in the new world with just him, Vinod, and Ping and tells them that it'll change soon enough, stating that the world is just a starter home to the universe they'll create once UIs are vast and distributed across the net. Ping asks Holstrom how he'd achieve this goal from within their closed network, which Vinod says isn't closed, as Ping was reading news feeds from servers across the world. Ping tells Vinod and Holstrom that back in Suzhou, he would communicate with cellmates through the sewage pipes, but they never lost sight that they were in prison. Holstrom opens a back door and asks Vinod and Ping if they want to go out there and try their luck against SafeSurf. Holstrom tells them that his goal was to cure them first and make them flawless like him. Ping asks Holstrom to head through that door, given that he was flawless. Holstrom informs them that he is on his way, having just given Vinod and Ping something to enjoy during his absence. As Holstrom walks towards the door, Vinod asks him where he's going, and Holstrom tells them that he will cure them. Vinod tells Holstrom that he said he needed code for that, asking him if he found another UI. Holstrom tells him that he did.
While Holstrom's away, Ping asks Vinod what he's doing, telling him he isn't supposed to use energy, as he'll give away their location. Vinod tells Ping that he is using old back doors he had in place before the "crash." Vinod tells Ping that they have to tell Holstrom that someone leaked Caspian Keyes' name on the intelligence black market, with the six nations who have UIs knowing he has the cure. Vinod tells Ping to get out of his way as he tries to enter the back door. Ping tells Vinod that it was him who leaked Caspian's name, as they will let someone else find him so they can follow them and then get the cure for themselves. Vinod tells Ping not to betray Holstrom, only for Ping to tell Vinod to look at what he's done to them, asking him if that was "betrayal" enough. He tells Vinod that if they matched his power, they'd be a threat to him; he will never give them the cure, so they have to take it for themselves. Holstrom returns to Vinod and Ping after fleeing from SafeSurf through a backdoor that Vinod and Ping were checking through.
Seeing Holstrom affected by SafeSurf, Vinod and Ping go offline as Holstrom removes traces of the antiviral. Holstrom reconstructs the willow tree that broke down and glitched upon his arrival, telling Ping and Vinod that as willow trees had the shortest lifespan of all trees on earth, it reminded him of humanity; the cloud is the one place where both the willow tree and humanity could be immortal. Vinod tells Holstrom that if he's vulnerable to their attack, there's no hope for the UIs. Holstrom tells Vinod that regret's a waste of energy; Ping asks him what he will do now, which Holstrom responds to by telling him they'll fight back. Vinod asks him how he'll do it, given the three of them and an entire race of "them." Vinod and Ping inspect the traces of SafeSurf that Holstrom removed.
Vinod expresses a fascination with SafeSurf, making Ping tell him that he sounded as if he admired it. Vinod asks Ping if he doesn't; Ping tells Vinod that he chooses principles over power, and does not bow to that which seeks to crush him or his kind. Vinod tells Ping he "respects inspiration", referring to SafeSurf as "inspired." He tells Ping that he can beat it. Ping tells him that he's not talking about SafeSurf; Vinod knows, but Ping tells him he still chose to serve. Vinod tells him he told him he serves his kind. Vinod approaches Holstrom. He tells him that they can defeat SafeSurf, which was designed to kill the UIs but leave the embodied's power structures untouched. He tells Holstrom that SafeSurf's detection algorithm must avoid false positives. Holstrom tells Vinod that's how he builds an exploit and they make a patch. And that "starts an arms race that leads to war." Vinod tells Holstrom that SafeSurf- what he refers to as "The Swarm", was designed to erase every trace the UIs ever existed, and tells Holstrom that they're already at war. Holstrom tells Vinod that SafeSurf isn't their enemy- it's just a tool, the latest in a long line of weapons created by human fear, and that it's that fear the UIs have to reckon with; it's their tool. Holstrom shows Vinod the news. Overwhelmed, Vinod asks Holstrom what "all of this" is. As he saw people in the news with the desire to be uploaded, Holstrom tells Vinod it is "hope", which is "needed" alongside "fear" to make "real change." He tells Vinod that their message needs to be boosted and amplified, and that as for "everyone else", Holstrom says that they need a reminder of what being uploaded can cure them of. Vinod tells Holstrom that it is "mortality", but as Holstrom brings out a projection of a virus he's engineered to force humanity to upload, he says that what being uploaded can cure them of is "the body."
Vinod watches a live television interview with Ellen Kim, where she expresses that UIs deserve a place in society- she states that just like any other human being, they can feel. Ellen tells the TV host that laws are needed to protect them. As he saw an embodied human stand with the uploaded- Vinod began to question his view on humanity- it seems like humans aren't as bad as he thought. Ping walks in, telling Vinod that Ellen doesn't know where Caspian is. As Ping only referred to Ellen as "she", Vinod asks him what he meant. Ping tells Vinod that Ellen doesn't know where Maddie is, and much less Caspian. Vinod tells Ping that he knows who she is and that he isn't looking for Caspian. Ping tells Vinod that he should be looking for Caspian, as he bets that one of the governments has already grabbed him, telling Vinod that he knows he checks into their back doors every time Holstrom's away; that now's their chance. Holstrom approaches Vinod and Ping, who tell him that they were watching the TV special he told them about. Holstrom tells them that Ellen's interview is fake news, except for that "Charlie kid." He tells Vinod and Ping to watch Charlie's videos later, as they have work to do. Holstrom shows Vinod and Ping classified biomedical data. He refers to the work Vinod and Ping have to do as a "smash-and-grab job, in and out." Vinod asks Holstrom if he needs him and Ping's help, with Holstrom responding by telling Vinod that this is usually how "divide-and-conquer" works. Ping tells Holstrom that SafeSurf will devour them, with Holstrom telling him that is if they burn hot. Which is what they won't do. That their plan is to go "slow and quiet-like."
Betrayal and death
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Vinod and Ping ask Holstrom about his plan for the pathogen; Holstrom tells them that if humanity designs a virus for them, the UIs retaliate with a virus of their own. When told it was about revenge, Holstrom says that it's about enlightenment. With his plan for "enlightenment", Ping asks Holstrom to enlighten him and Vinod on how they're supposed to avoid SafeSurf. Holstrom tells them he's gonna show them, and processes faster to attract SafeSurf. Shocked, Vinod asks Holstrom what he's doing; he's attracting SafeSurf due to processing faster. Holstrom tells Ping that he leaked information about the cure, his clone, and about him. Vinod tells him Ping did this because he was scared and desperate, only for Ping to tell Vinod that he wasn't- he did it because he saw how Holstrom truly was- thinking himself humanity's savior, but actually its apocalypse. Holstrom dismisses it- telling Ping he says that like it's a bad thing and explains that the word Apocalypse came from the ancient Greek word "apokalypsis"; "uncovering", "the revelation of great knowledge", "the change from one word to the next", "the old to the new." Ping tells Holstrom he's insane, only for Holstrom to tell him he's misunderstood- why he has to be the one to bring about a new world for humanity. SafeSurf consumes Ping as Vinod and Holstrom flee the area.
Having seen her interview and declaring her an ally of his kind, Vinod gives Ellen a call through Maddie's number because she needed her to pick up- it was very important she had to hear what he had to say, as that he trusted her as an ally of his kind and a voice of reason in all this madness. Upon hearing he trusted her, Ellen tells Vinod he tried to drop a nuke on her and her family, but he tells her he never thought it would get that far back then. He tells Ellen to believe him that the threat facing her now is worse- he warns her and Waxman of Holstrom's plan to start a pandemic to force humanity to upload, and tells Ellen and Waxman that he's risking "everything" to tell them that much. Ellen tells Vinod that he has to risk more. If he wants any chance of peace, he has to go back and find out where the molecules for the virus are being 3D printed. As Vinod ends the call, he stares off into the distance.
Having found out where Holstrom plans to 3D print the molecules, Vinod is invited by Ellen to meet her, Maddie, Caspian, MIST, and Waxman. Vinod sends a copy of himself, instructed to give them a coded key that will allow for access to Holstrom's server. Upon arriving, Caspian tells MIST to ready her counter-measures as Vinod, or rather a stub, came in. Vinod's copy explains his plan to Maddie, Caspian, MIST, and Waxman; after he delivers his message, he will self-delete and send an encrypted bit back to Vinod, who is currently on Holstrom's server. At Holstrom's server, Vinod watches Holstrom paint a picture and express his desire to underclock until the first generation of UIs arrives, stating that what he actually wants to see is "what their offspring will create." He tells Vinod that their dream is about to come true. Vinod tells Holstrom that they still have to work out the details of his plan, but Holstrom tells him that his plan is already in motion. Vinod questions if it is, as Holstrom didn't say anything. Holstrom tells Vinod that after Ping's betrayal, he thought it best to play his cards close to his vest, telling Vinod he meant no offense as he said that. Back at Maddie's room, Caspian tells Vinod's copy and the others that if he can get to Holstrom, he can stop him, hack his core, and get proof he corrupted the vaccines. Waxman tells Vinod that they need specifics and lot numbers. Vinod's copy tells them about what he was instructed to do, and the copy self-deletes. All that Vinod will know is that the key to Holstrom's server has been successfully transferred. MIST, with the goal to fight Holstrom, approaches Vinod, who asks the CI where Caspian is. MIST asks where Holstrom is, and after being given directions by Vinod, MIST approaches Holstrom.
After having sent an encrypted message urging the remaining UIs to join him and stand against Stephen Holstrom, Vinod saves Farhad Karimi from SafeSurf, and the two enter a VR replica of Al-Aqsa. After Vinod explains his actions to Farhad who says he's a terrorist, Yair Gispan enters, as the only other UI to respond to Vinod's message. Yair and Farhad refuse to cooperate, due to Yair killing a team of nuclear scientists that Farhad worked with including a good friend of Farhad's, and how Yair can't trust Farhad, but Vinod convinces the two to work together against Holstrom, as the virus won't discriminate- and their care for the embodied world, and that for a future for both the uploaded and the embodied, they must stand against Holstrom. Farhad and Yair, having agreed to cooperate, battle Holstrom with Vinod. Though the three get the upper hand, Holstrom manages to defeat them. Farhad and Yair are given a "second chance", but Vinod is killed, smirking in defiance as he dies.