Tilda Swinton credited as playing...
Mason
- Mason: Order is the barrier that holds back the flood of death. We must all of us on this train of life remain in our allotted station. We must each of us occupy our preordained particular position. Would you wear a shoe on your head? Of course you wouldn't wear a shoe on your head. A shoe doesn't belong on your head. A shoe belongs on your foot. A hat belongs on your head. I am a hat. You are a shoe. I belong on the head. You belong on the foot. Yes? So it is. In the beginning, order was proscribed by your ticket: First Class, Economy, and freeloaders like you. Eternal order is prescribed by the sacred engine: all things flow from the sacred engine, all things in their place, all passengers in their section, all water flowing. all heat rising, pays homage to the sacred engine, in its own particular preordained position. So it is. Now, as in the beginning, I belong to the front. You belong to the tail. When the foot seeks the place of the head, the sacred line is crossed. Know your place. Keep your place. Be a shoe.
- Mason: [as sushi is prepared] You people are very lucky. This is only served twice in a year. In January and July.
- Tanya: Why? Not enough fish?
- Mason: Oh, enough is not the criterion. Balance. You see, this aquarium is a closed ecological system. And, um, the number of individual units must be very closely, precisely controlled. In order to maintain the proper sustainable balance.
- [as they eat, Curtis knocks Mason's chopsticks out of her hands and offers a protein block]
- Curtis: No. You eat this. You know what that's made of? Dig in.
- Mason: He won't come here. He won't leave his engine.
- Curtis: We're gonna rip you into little pieces. He still won't come? Well, we control the water. We turn that off, he'll have to come.
- Mason: Turn off the water? Well, you'll only be condemning your own people. The water comes from the front. The nose of the train, it breaks up the snow and ice and-and turns it into water. It's like an elephant's trunk. The water comes in the mouth. Not in the bum, Curtis.
- [seeing him react]
- Mason: Yes, Wilford knows you well, Mr. Curtis Everett. He's been watching you. And we know you won't harm your own people. Too bad you couldn't save your second in command. What was his name? Edgar?
- Curtis: [threateningly] Shut the fuck up!
- Mason: Curtis, Curtis, I can help you.
- Curtis: You can fucking die is what you can do.