Drives to his mom's...
On the car speakers, the caller tone beeps several times,
reaching only the voicemail greeting message...
SONIA (O.S.)
This is Sonia Brooks, I'm not
available at the moment, please leave
a message after the tone...
Mike winces...
He hangs up and dials back, while still driving...
The entrance door bursts open, Mike rushes in.
MIKE
Mom?!... Mom?!...
He looks around him; no one...
'Goes to the...
14 BACKYARD14
Sonia sits on a rocking chair, gazes dreamily in the
distance.
MIKE
Mom! Are you OK?!... What
happened?!...
Sonia, as if awakening from a dream.
SONIA
I... I got a phone call...
MIKE
Yea?... Who was it?...
She gazes at him haggardly...
SONIA
It was Danny...
Mike is dumbfounded...
At that moment, Nell rushes in.
NELL
Mom!!... Are you OK?!...
They gaze at Nell, both lost in their thoughts...
15 LIVING ROOM - LATER15
Mike examines the call history on his mom's phone.
The last call, which lasted around 10 seconds, was made from
a "Private Number"...
Sonia is all shaken...
SONIA
How?... How can they do that?...
MIKE
I dunno... Voice altering software,
probably...
NELL
But why?!... What do they want from
us?!...
MIKE
I dunno... But one thing's for sure
though...
(looks at Nell )
They've gone too far this time...
Nell nods knowingly...
View of the police headquarters building...
Mike and Nell sit on two visitors' chairs in front of an
empty desk. They're in a large open-space office.
A female officer (LAURA PEYTON, 30's, pretty), comes over.
She kisses Nell on the cheeks, and shakes Mike's hand...
There's a weird exchange of looks during Mike and Laura's
handshake, like there's a bit of a history there...
Laura then sits at her desk.
NELL
So... The call to mom's phone?...
LAURA
Impossible to trace... It's top notch
encryption, VPN routing, completely
anonymous... Sorry.
NELL
Wow!...
MIKE
And... The Facebook hack?
LAURA
I'll give a call to the Cyber Unit
guys, but they've got their plates
full with... You know, real cases...
MIKE
(half-joking )
OK. So ours is not a "real case"?...
LAURA
Well... There was no actual crime
committed so far. No one died, no one
got robbed... Until now, this looks
more like a bad joke, a tasteless
prank... But there's no serious
offense involved yet...
MIKE
OK... So we'll have to wait for a
criminal offense to be committed
before we get back to you?...
NELL
(scolding )
Mike!!... She's trying to help us!
MIKE
Sorry, I didn't mean...
Laura raises her hand, in a "don't worry" gesture...
LAURA
You're in mourning, it's normal to be
over-sensitive... Look.
(MORE)
LAURA (cont'd)
I'm gonna be very straightforward
with you, guys: you're not exactly
"scam material", if you see what I
mean...
MIKE
Uh huh?...
LAURA
I mean, it's not like Danny has left
you with billions of dollars,
attracting all kinds of crooks and
thieves. Right?... What are they
gonna take, really?... The old
Caddie?... I mean, if I were a
professional scammer, I wouldn't pick
you as my next victim; that would be
a waste of time... No offense...
NELL
None taken...
LAURA
No... To me, this looks more like the
work of... Some bored teenager, you
know, some geek, with too much time
on his hands, and a grudge against
your dad... Hey! Didn't Danny teach
like youngsters, at one point?...
NELL
Yea, he did... Garden City high
school, for several years...
LAURA
There you go!... Maybe he had an
angry and resentful student there,
who majored in computer engineering,
and has now decided to play a trick
on the dead professor's family or
something... Go figure...
MIKE
That would make sense...
LAURA
He's gonna get tired eventually of
this little joke, and he'll probably
stop on his own...
NELL
Well... Let's hope so...
LAURA
Now if he doesn't stop, you tell me,
and then we'll launch a proper
investigation... Cause that would be
harassment in that case; and
harassment is still a crime...
NELL
OK... Thanks a lot, Laura!
MIKE
Thanks!...
LAURA
Sure...
Mike sits at the wheel, the car turned off. He types a
message on his phone.
It's addressed to Laura: "Hey, thanks a lot for everything!"
He adds: "You wanna go grab a coffee some time?"...
He ponders for a moment...
Then he scratches the last sentence, replaces it with a more
neutral: "See you soon, take care".
He sends it...
Right then, he gets a phone call from an unknown number...
He answers...
MIKE
Hello?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
Hello?... Mister Michael Brooks?
A man's voice.
MIKE
Yes, speaking... Who's this?
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
How are you, Sir?... I'm doctor Divit
Sharma, from the Persephone A.I.
company...
MIKE
The what?!...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
Persephone A.I. ... Your father had
enrolled in our latest program...
MIKE
Oh! Are you calling about the
hacking?... You're from Facebook,
right?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
No... There was no hacking, Sir...
It's a big misunderstanding, you see.
If you have like an hour to spare,
I'd really like to buy you a cup of
coffee, and discuss this whole...
MIKE
What are you talking about?...
Someone has hacked into my father's
account, my father who has just
passed!... They're freaking messaging
people from it...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
If you allow me, Sir, there was no
hacking!... No one hacked anything,
that it precisely what I wanna talk
to you about, and...
MIKE
What do you call it then? Huh?...
Hey! Are you doing this?... Are you
the one using his account?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
Sir, this is too complicated to talk
over the phone, I really need to see
you in person to...
MIKE
I'm not sure I wanna see you!... I
mean, seriously! Using a dead man's
profile! What are you thinking?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
Your father's not dead...
A heavy silence...
MIKE
What did you just say?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
In a manner of speaking, he's
still... Listen, I really need to see
you in person to talk about this.
It's a really sensitive matter, we
can't... Please...
MIKE
Um... OK, OK... Where do you wanna
meet?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
You live in Hempstead.... Right?
MIKE
Yea. How?... How did you know that?
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
It's in the file... Look, just bear
with me here... I have actually good
news for you... Great news, even...
MIKE
"Great" news?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
I'll tell you everything in a little
while... Look, let's meet at the
Starbucks on Hofstra boulevard in...
Let's say an hour?...
MIKE
An hour... OK...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
OK great, see you there!
He hangs up...
On Mike's face, it takes a moment to sink in...
Seated in a couch, Sonia shuffles through old family albums.
She stops at one portrait of Danny, gazes at it for a moment
with teary eyes...
Her phone suddenly rings...
She peeks at the screen; it's "NELL"...
She ignores her daughter's call, and keeps shuffling
nostalgically through the pages...
Mike, who got there a bit early, has a cup of coffee while
waiting for the mysterious caller. He gazes distractedly out
of the window...
Meanwhile, a man heads his way...
Dr. DIVIT SHARMA (50's, brainy type, of Indian descent)
comes over, carrying a small leather suitcase...
DR. SHARMA
Mr. Michael Brooks?...
Mike stands up. They shake hands... Coldly...
MIKE
Yes?...
DR. SHARMA
I'm Dr. Divit Sharma... We spoke
earlier on the phone... May I?...
Mike signals him, "please do"...
They both sit down... There's a short awkward silence...
DR. SHARMA (cont'd)
I'm not sure where to start...
MIKE
Listen, I'm gonna be very frank with
you, doctor um...
DR. SHARMA
Sharma...
MIKE
Dr. Sharma... You told me something
on the phone back there... Something
very specific, and very disturbing...
You see what I'm talking about,
right?...
DR. SHARMA
— ③
INT./EXT. MIKE'S CAR - DAY12
Drives to his mom's...
On the car speakers, the caller tone beeps several times,
reaching only the voicemail greeting message...
SONIA (O.S.)
This is Sonia Brooks, I'm not
available at the moment, please leave
a message after the tone...
Mike winces...
He hangs up and dials back, while still driving...
INT. BROOKS'S RESIDENCE - DAY13
The entrance door bursts open, Mike rushes in.
MIKE
Mom?!... Mom?!...
He looks around him; no one...
'Goes to the...
14 BACKYARD14
Sonia sits on a rocking chair, gazes dreamily in the
distance.
MIKE
Mom! Are you OK?!... What
happened?!...
Sonia, as if awakening from a dream.
SONIA
I... I got a phone call...
MIKE
Yea?... Who was it?...
She gazes at him haggardly...
SONIA
It was Danny...
Mike is dumbfounded...
At that moment, Nell rushes in.
NELL
Mom!!... Are you OK?!...
They gaze at Nell, both lost in their thoughts...
15 LIVING ROOM - LATER15
Mike examines the call history on his mom's phone.
The last call, which lasted around 10 seconds, was made from
a "Private Number"...
Sonia is all shaken...
SONIA
How?... How can they do that?...
MIKE
I dunno... Voice altering software,
probably...
NELL
But why?!... What do they want from
us?!...
MIKE
I dunno... But one thing's for sure
though...
(looks at Nell )
They've gone too far this time...
Nell nods knowingly...
EXT. N.Y.P.D. HEADQUARTERS - DAY16
View of the police headquarters building...
INT. POLICE STATION, OPEN SPACE - DAY17
Mike and Nell sit on two visitors' chairs in front of an
empty desk. They're in a large open-space office.
A female officer (LAURA PEYTON, 30's, pretty), comes over.
She kisses Nell on the cheeks, and shakes Mike's hand...
There's a weird exchange of looks during Mike and Laura's
handshake, like there's a bit of a history there...
Laura then sits at her desk.
NELL
So... The call to mom's phone?...
LAURA
Impossible to trace... It's top notch
encryption, VPN routing, completely
anonymous... Sorry.
NELL
Wow!...
MIKE
And... The Facebook hack?
LAURA
I'll give a call to the Cyber Unit
guys, but they've got their plates
full with... You know, real cases...
MIKE
(half-joking )
OK. So ours is not a "real case"?...
LAURA
Well... There was no actual crime
committed so far. No one died, no one
got robbed... Until now, this looks
more like a bad joke, a tasteless
prank... But there's no serious
offense involved yet...
MIKE
OK... So we'll have to wait for a
criminal offense to be committed
before we get back to you?...
NELL
(scolding )
Mike!!... She's trying to help us!
MIKE
Sorry, I didn't mean...
Laura raises her hand, in a "don't worry" gesture...
LAURA
You're in mourning, it's normal to be
over-sensitive... Look.
(MORE)
LAURA (cont'd)
I'm gonna be very straightforward
with you, guys: you're not exactly
"scam material", if you see what I
mean...
MIKE
Uh huh?...
LAURA
I mean, it's not like Danny has left
you with billions of dollars,
attracting all kinds of crooks and
thieves. Right?... What are they
gonna take, really?... The old
Caddie?... I mean, if I were a
professional scammer, I wouldn't pick
you as my next victim; that would be
a waste of time... No offense...
NELL
None taken...
LAURA
No... To me, this looks more like the
work of... Some bored teenager, you
know, some geek, with too much time
on his hands, and a grudge against
your dad... Hey! Didn't Danny teach
like youngsters, at one point?...
NELL
Yea, he did... Garden City high
school, for several years...
LAURA
There you go!... Maybe he had an
angry and resentful student there,
who majored in computer engineering,
and has now decided to play a trick
on the dead professor's family or
something... Go figure...
MIKE
That would make sense...
LAURA
He's gonna get tired eventually of
this little joke, and he'll probably
stop on his own...
NELL
Well... Let's hope so...
LAURA
Now if he doesn't stop, you tell me,
and then we'll launch a proper
investigation... Cause that would be
harassment in that case; and
harassment is still a crime...
NELL
OK... Thanks a lot, Laura!
MIKE
Thanks!...
LAURA
Sure...
INT./EXT. MIKE'S CAR - DAY18
Mike sits at the wheel, the car turned off. He types a
message on his phone.
It's addressed to Laura: "Hey, thanks a lot for everything!"
He adds: "You wanna go grab a coffee some time?"...
He ponders for a moment...
Then he scratches the last sentence, replaces it with a more
neutral: "See you soon, take care".
He sends it...
Right then, he gets a phone call from an unknown number...
He answers...
MIKE
Hello?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
Hello?... Mister Michael Brooks?
A man's voice.
MIKE
Yes, speaking... Who's this?
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
How are you, Sir?... I'm doctor Divit
Sharma, from the Persephone A.I.
company...
MIKE
The what?!...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
Persephone A.I. ... Your father had
enrolled in our latest program...
MIKE
Oh! Are you calling about the
hacking?... You're from Facebook,
right?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
No... There was no hacking, Sir...
It's a big misunderstanding, you see.
If you have like an hour to spare,
I'd really like to buy you a cup of
coffee, and discuss this whole...
MIKE
What are you talking about?...
Someone has hacked into my father's
account, my father who has just
passed!... They're freaking messaging
people from it...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
If you allow me, Sir, there was no
hacking!... No one hacked anything,
that it precisely what I wanna talk
to you about, and...
MIKE
What do you call it then? Huh?...
Hey! Are you doing this?... Are you
the one using his account?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
Sir, this is too complicated to talk
over the phone, I really need to see
you in person to...
MIKE
I'm not sure I wanna see you!... I
mean, seriously! Using a dead man's
profile! What are you thinking?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
Your father's not dead...
A heavy silence...
MIKE
What did you just say?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
In a manner of speaking, he's
still... Listen, I really need to see
you in person to talk about this.
It's a really sensitive matter, we
can't... Please...
MIKE
Um... OK, OK... Where do you wanna
meet?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
You live in Hempstead.... Right?
MIKE
Yea. How?... How did you know that?
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
It's in the file... Look, just bear
with me here... I have actually good
news for you... Great news, even...
MIKE
"Great" news?...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
I'll tell you everything in a little
while... Look, let's meet at the
Starbucks on Hofstra boulevard in...
Let's say an hour?...
MIKE
An hour... OK...
DR. SHARMA (O.S.)
OK great, see you there!
He hangs up...
On Mike's face, it takes a moment to sink in...
INT. BROOKS'S RESIDENCE - DAY19
Seated in a couch, Sonia shuffles through old family albums.
She stops at one portrait of Danny, gazes at it for a moment
with teary eyes...
Her phone suddenly rings...
She peeks at the screen; it's "NELL"...
She ignores her daughter's call, and keeps shuffling
nostalgically through the pages...
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY20
Mike, who got there a bit early, has a cup of coffee while
waiting for the mysterious caller. He gazes distractedly out
of the window...
Meanwhile, a man heads his way...
Dr. DIVIT SHARMA (50's, brainy type, of Indian descent)
comes over, carrying a small leather suitcase...
DR. SHARMA
Mr. Michael Brooks?...
Mike stands up. They shake hands... Coldly...
MIKE
Yes?...
DR. SHARMA
I'm Dr. Divit Sharma... We spoke
earlier on the phone... May I?...
Mike signals him, "please do"...
They both sit down... There's a short awkward silence...
DR. SHARMA (cont'd)
I'm not sure where to start...
MIKE
Listen, I'm gonna be very frank with
you, doctor um...
DR. SHARMA
Sharma...
MIKE
Dr. Sharma... You told me something
on the phone back there... Something
very specific, and very disturbing...
You see what I'm talking about,
right?...
DR. SHARMA