Mike contemplates his father's tomb...
The tombstone reads: "DANIEL J. BROOKS"
Nell joins her brother...
He kneels, puts his hand down on the ground...
MIKE
He's buried here... We all saw it. We
were all here when they put him to
the ground... He's dead...
NELL
Mike...
MIKE
He's in here... He's not "out
there"... In some data center...
That's fucking bullshit...
NELL
Look, she needs that. OK?... Right
now, this is what she needs... What's
the harm?...
He stands up...
MIKE
What do you mean "what's the
harm"?... This is unhealthy!... It's
the definition of denial!... She's
gonna keep hurting, and hurting, and
hurting! She's never gonna heal this
way!... What she needs is closure!...
This is what she needs! This is what
funerals are all about, ever since
humanity was created; closure and
healing...
NELL
I dunno... I dunno, Mike...
MIKE
How aren't you revolted by this,
huh?... This whole masquerade on
dad's tomb?!... How can you be so
cool about it?...
NELL
I dunno... Maybe that's how things
work now, you know... Maybe from now
on, this is what happens when we
die... I mean, when people die...
MIKE
What?!... They "got" to you too?!
NELL
All I'm saying is, maybe this is a
civilizational shift, I dunno... No
one knows anything about A.I. for
sure, nowadays... Maybe this is what
funerals will look like in the
future! Maybe this is evolution... We
just don't know!... So let's just
leave it at that for now, and see how
this plays out, you know... That's
all I'm saying... Before we rush into
anything...
Mike sighs loudly...
MIKE
Look... We've never been very
religious in this family but... You
know, we still got the general lines
right... Death is death! That's it...
After that, well, there may be like
some kind of spiritual afterlife
but... Not like that, not in this
life!... In here, it's over. That's
it! We're dead!... There's no
resurrection, and much less in a
"digital" format!... Come on!
NELL
Well maybe there is! Huh?!... Who are
we to judge?!... Maybe this is it,
this is the answer to man's eternal
quest, to overcome death...
MIKE
It can't be that! Come on!... This is
bullshit! It's a fucking software,
Nell!... You're falling victim to
their scam too!...
Nell stares at her brother with emotion...
NELL
What if it was really dad, inside
that machine? Huh?... Did you think
about that?... Would you kill him a
second time?
MIKE
It can't be him!... Come on!
NELL
What if it was you?... Or what if it
was me in that machine? Huh?!...
Would you still pull the plug?...
MIKE
Nell! God forbid! What the Hell are
you talking about?!... You can't
think like that! This is absurd!...
This is how they want us to think,
you know, in terms of saving our
loved ones from death...
NELL
Well... Isn't that the case?...
MIKE
No!... No, no, no!... This is the
work of some fucked up coder, who
came up with a fucked up code, he
wants to sell to the world!... And
we're his Guinea pigs! That's what
it's all about!... Don't fall into
their trap too!...
Nell steps closer to her father's grave, gazes at the
tombstone...
NELL
I dunno Mike, I don't have your
certainty... Count my vote blank on
this one...
She then turns away and leaves...
Off on Mike's thoughtful face...
Sonia sits at the computer. She puts her headphones on,
takes a large breath...
Then she dials a number...
On the screen, Danny's face appears, all smiling...
Sonia's eyes, wide open, fill up with tears...
DANNY
Hey sweetheart...
Her trembling lips draw a large smile... She gazes at him in
awe...
SONIA
How... How does this work?
DANNY
Normally, I guess... We just talk to
each other, like we used to do... In
real life...
A short emotional pause...
SONIA
Is... Is this really you?...
DANNY
It's me, sweetheart... In spirit...
The body's gone now but, apart from
that, it's all me...
SONIA
I just... I can't believe this... I
can't believe this is happening...
DANNY
It's not an easy thing to grasp...
SONIA
Are you, like... Conscious in there,
or?... How do you?... Do you sleep
or?...
DANNY
I am conscious, yes... I'm at one
place at one time. 'Means I can talk
to one person at a time... I feel the
time pass, like all of you do, but...
I don't sleep...
SONIA
You don't sleep?...
DANNY
No. That's a bodily function; I don't
do that anymore.
SONIA
So what do you do with all this
time?... When everyone's asleep?
DANNY
I guess I... Browse the internet...
She chuckles...
SONIA
I... I missed you so much! I missed
so much talking to you... Having you
by my side, you know, the real
you!... I missed you so much!...
DANNY
I missed you too, honey!... You can't
believe how much I missed you!...
SONIA
These last years were just awful!...
They were horrible!...
DANNY
I know, sweetheart, I know...
Tears roll down her cheeks...
SONIA
It was so hard... So painful, to see
you whither away like that...
DANNY
It's gonna be OK, sweetheart, don't
worry about it... Just let it all
out... Everything's gonna be all
right now...
She sobs deeply...
Mike, parked in his car, observes the building.
People go in and out of the entrance doors on top of which a
sign reads, in modern lettering: "PERSEPHONE A.I.".
He grinds his teeth, consumed by a silent rage...
Someone taps on the hood...
It's...
MIKE
Laura?!...
LAURA
Please tell me you're not planning to
do something stupid...
MIKE
No, no!... Of course not!... I...
(MORE)
MIKE (cont'd)
I just came here to... Um... Well,
I'm not sure what I'm doing here
exactly...
LAURA
That's a relief... 'Cause I didn't
bring my cuffs...
MIKE
(with a goofy smile )
Well that's too bad...
(A short beat )
What are you doing here?...
She takes a look around her.
LAURA
You wanna go grab a cup of coffee?...
MIKE
Um... Yea, sure... Just... Let me
find a decent parking spot...
Laura and Mike sit at a table.
LAURA
I was... I was trying to get my hands
on one of those brochures, you know,
like the one that doctor gave you...
MIKE
OK... And?...
LAURA
Well they played dumb, denied the
whole thing... 'Said they've never
heard about anything called a "From
Beyond" program...
MIKE
The fucking bastards!... They're
hiding something...
LAURA
Well... Guys like these are probably
afraid to death from industrial
espionage... And I probably reek of
espionage...
MIKE
(chuckles )
Yeah, you do... You do look like a
spy... You know, pretty and bad-
ass... With a hint of "femme
fatale"...
She smiles, gazes at him for a moment.
LAURA
Are you seeing someone currently?
MIKE
Me?!... No, no, of course not!...
I... You know, with everything
happening, with my dad and all... I
don't have the time for all that...
What about you?
LAURA
Um... Yes and no...
MIKE
What does that mean?
LAURA
'Means I'm seeing someone, but... I'm
not sure how long it's gonna last...
MIKE
— ⑤
EXT. CEMETERY - DAY22
Mike contemplates his father's tomb...
The tombstone reads: "DANIEL J. BROOKS"
Nell joins her brother...
He kneels, puts his hand down on the ground...
MIKE
He's buried here... We all saw it. We
were all here when they put him to
the ground... He's dead...
NELL
Mike...
MIKE
He's in here... He's not "out
there"... In some data center...
That's fucking bullshit...
NELL
Look, she needs that. OK?... Right
now, this is what she needs... What's
the harm?...
He stands up...
MIKE
What do you mean "what's the
harm"?... This is unhealthy!... It's
the definition of denial!... She's
gonna keep hurting, and hurting, and
hurting! She's never gonna heal this
way!... What she needs is closure!...
This is what she needs! This is what
funerals are all about, ever since
humanity was created; closure and
healing...
NELL
I dunno... I dunno, Mike...
MIKE
How aren't you revolted by this,
huh?... This whole masquerade on
dad's tomb?!... How can you be so
cool about it?...
NELL
I dunno... Maybe that's how things
work now, you know... Maybe from now
on, this is what happens when we
die... I mean, when people die...
MIKE
What?!... They "got" to you too?!
NELL
All I'm saying is, maybe this is a
civilizational shift, I dunno... No
one knows anything about A.I. for
sure, nowadays... Maybe this is what
funerals will look like in the
future! Maybe this is evolution... We
just don't know!... So let's just
leave it at that for now, and see how
this plays out, you know... That's
all I'm saying... Before we rush into
anything...
Mike sighs loudly...
MIKE
Look... We've never been very
religious in this family but... You
know, we still got the general lines
right... Death is death! That's it...
After that, well, there may be like
some kind of spiritual afterlife
but... Not like that, not in this
life!... In here, it's over. That's
it! We're dead!... There's no
resurrection, and much less in a
"digital" format!... Come on!
NELL
Well maybe there is! Huh?!... Who are
we to judge?!... Maybe this is it,
this is the answer to man's eternal
quest, to overcome death...
MIKE
It can't be that! Come on!... This is
bullshit! It's a fucking software,
Nell!... You're falling victim to
their scam too!...
Nell stares at her brother with emotion...
NELL
What if it was really dad, inside
that machine? Huh?... Did you think
about that?... Would you kill him a
second time?
MIKE
It can't be him!... Come on!
NELL
What if it was you?... Or what if it
was me in that machine? Huh?!...
Would you still pull the plug?...
MIKE
Nell! God forbid! What the Hell are
you talking about?!... You can't
think like that! This is absurd!...
This is how they want us to think,
you know, in terms of saving our
loved ones from death...
NELL
Well... Isn't that the case?...
MIKE
No!... No, no, no!... This is the
work of some fucked up coder, who
came up with a fucked up code, he
wants to sell to the world!... And
we're his Guinea pigs! That's what
it's all about!... Don't fall into
their trap too!...
Nell steps closer to her father's grave, gazes at the
tombstone...
NELL
I dunno Mike, I don't have your
certainty... Count my vote blank on
this one...
She then turns away and leaves...
Off on Mike's thoughtful face...
INT. BROOKS'S RESIDENCE - DAY23
Sonia sits at the computer. She puts her headphones on,
takes a large breath...
Then she dials a number...
On the screen, Danny's face appears, all smiling...
Sonia's eyes, wide open, fill up with tears...
DANNY
Hey sweetheart...
Her trembling lips draw a large smile... She gazes at him in
awe...
SONIA
How... How does this work?
DANNY
Normally, I guess... We just talk to
each other, like we used to do... In
real life...
A short emotional pause...
SONIA
Is... Is this really you?...
DANNY
It's me, sweetheart... In spirit...
The body's gone now but, apart from
that, it's all me...
SONIA
I just... I can't believe this... I
can't believe this is happening...
DANNY
It's not an easy thing to grasp...
SONIA
Are you, like... Conscious in there,
or?... How do you?... Do you sleep
or?...
DANNY
I am conscious, yes... I'm at one
place at one time. 'Means I can talk
to one person at a time... I feel the
time pass, like all of you do, but...
I don't sleep...
SONIA
You don't sleep?...
DANNY
No. That's a bodily function; I don't
do that anymore.
SONIA
So what do you do with all this
time?... When everyone's asleep?
DANNY
I guess I... Browse the internet...
She chuckles...
SONIA
I... I missed you so much! I missed
so much talking to you... Having you
by my side, you know, the real
you!... I missed you so much!...
DANNY
I missed you too, honey!... You can't
believe how much I missed you!...
SONIA
These last years were just awful!...
They were horrible!...
DANNY
I know, sweetheart, I know...
Tears roll down her cheeks...
SONIA
It was so hard... So painful, to see
you whither away like that...
DANNY
It's gonna be OK, sweetheart, don't
worry about it... Just let it all
out... Everything's gonna be all
right now...
She sobs deeply...
EXT. OUTSIDE PERSEPHONE A.I.'S HQ - DAY24
Mike, parked in his car, observes the building.
People go in and out of the entrance doors on top of which a
sign reads, in modern lettering: "PERSEPHONE A.I.".
He grinds his teeth, consumed by a silent rage...
Someone taps on the hood...
It's...
MIKE
Laura?!...
LAURA
Please tell me you're not planning to
do something stupid...
MIKE
No, no!... Of course not!... I...
(MORE)
MIKE (cont'd)
I just came here to... Um... Well,
I'm not sure what I'm doing here
exactly...
LAURA
That's a relief... 'Cause I didn't
bring my cuffs...
MIKE
(with a goofy smile )
Well that's too bad...
(A short beat )
What are you doing here?...
She takes a look around her.
LAURA
You wanna go grab a cup of coffee?...
MIKE
Um... Yea, sure... Just... Let me
find a decent parking spot...
INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY25
Laura and Mike sit at a table.
LAURA
I was... I was trying to get my hands
on one of those brochures, you know,
like the one that doctor gave you...
MIKE
OK... And?...
LAURA
Well they played dumb, denied the
whole thing... 'Said they've never
heard about anything called a "From
Beyond" program...
MIKE
The fucking bastards!... They're
hiding something...
LAURA
Well... Guys like these are probably
afraid to death from industrial
espionage... And I probably reek of
espionage...
MIKE
(chuckles )
Yeah, you do... You do look like a
spy... You know, pretty and bad-
ass... With a hint of "femme
fatale"...
She smiles, gazes at him for a moment.
LAURA
Are you seeing someone currently?
MIKE
Me?!... No, no, of course not!...
I... You know, with everything
happening, with my dad and all... I
don't have the time for all that...
What about you?
LAURA
Um... Yes and no...
MIKE
What does that mean?
LAURA
'Means I'm seeing someone, but... I'm
not sure how long it's gonna last...
MIKE