Character Relationship Map: Alien Code

Characters

• Alex (played by Kyle Gallner) — protagonist

  Alex is the central protagonist, a cryptographer recruited by Rebecca to decipher an encrypted message for A.R.I.S.T. His work reveals a dangerous machine and a warning of global catastrophe, after wh...

• Beth (played by Azura Skye) — protagonist

  Beth is a dying cryptographer who experiences the same disturbing visions and physical consequences as Alex. She finds him, warns that the encrypted message has been misunderstood, and helps develop a...

• Rebecca (played by Mary McCormack) — supporting

  Rebecca works for A.R.I.S.T., a private company operating under contract with the NSA, and recruits Alex for the dangerous decryption assignment. She offers him a large payment in exchange for a non-d...

• Dr. Miles Driskoll (played by Richard Schiff) — supporting

  Dr. Miles Driskoll is one of A.R.I.S.T.’s founders and the mysterious figure who communicates with Beth through a computer. He helps Beth and Alex create a virus, explains the machine’s possible effec...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Rebecca → Alex (Professional Recruiter) — Rebecca recruits Alex for A.R.I.S.T.'s secret decryption assignment.

  Rebecca approaches Alex on behalf of A.R.I.S.T. and offers him a large payment to sign a non-disclosure agreement and decipher an encrypted message.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Dr. Miles Driskoll → Alex (Narrative Guide) — Miles becomes Alex's principal guide to the machine's danger and the required countermeasure.

  Miles explains the message's effects and directs Alex to erase the machine's blueprints from A.R.I.S.T.'s server.

• Beth → Dr. Miles Driskoll (Alliance Secret Collaborator) — Beth works covertly with Miles on the technical response to the machine.

  Beth communicates with Dr. Miles Driskoll through a computer, and says he helped them communicate and create the virus.

• Alex → Beth (Alliance Investigation Partner) — Alex and Beth cooperate to undermine the machine and uncover the truth.

  Alex and Beth work together with the mysterious communicator to develop a virus intended to exploit the machine's vulnerabilities.

Story Analysis

A paid decryption job exposes Alex and Beth to a reality-altering machine whose future activation may already have reshaped the world.

Plot Progression

1. The Paid Secret — Rebecca recruits Alex to decode an encrypted message for A.R.I.S.T. His work reveals incomplete machine blueprints and a warning about a coming world war.
2. Silence and Symptoms — After finishing the assignment, Alex is sedated, surveilled, and ordered to remain silent. His illness and altered perception make the project increasingly terrifying.
3. The Cryptographer's Warning — Beth finds Alex and reveals that she shares his visions. Together they investigate the computer messages and create a virus aimed at the machine.
4. The Hidden Founder — Beth identifies the mysterious communicator as Dr. Miles Driskoll, an A.R.I.S.T. founder. She warns that the organization has detected their actions and that time ripples are worsening.
5. A Future Already Changed — Miles offers a theory that the machine alters perception and may already have been activated in the future. He sends Alex and Beth toward A.R.I.S.T.'s server to erase the blueprints.