FROM BEYOND

BROOKS'S RESIDENCE

DAY38

The bell rings. Sonia gets the door...

It's CATHERINE PARKER (60's, average looking next-door

neighbor), holding an aluminum wrapped tray.

SONIA

Hi Catherine!

MRS PARKER

Hey Sonia, how are you doing,

dear?...

She comes in, kisses Sonia on the cheeks...

SONIA

Good, good, and you?...

MRS PARKER

I brought you some chocolate cake;

it's fresh out of the oven...

SONIA

Thanks!... You wanna cup o' tea?...

MRS PARKER

Yea, sure...

39 LIVING ROOM - LATER39

They sit in front of each other.

MRS PARKER

So... How are you holding up, dear?

SONIA

Good... I'm actually good...

MRS PARKER

Are you sure about that?...

SONIA

Yes... Why?...

MRS PARKER

I mean, don't repress your tears, my

dear... 'Better let them out, just

let them all out!... Don't keep that

silent sorrow in your heart, dear...

That's poisonous...

SONIA

No, I'm really good... I'm beyond

that now... It's OK. I'm OK...

MRS PARKER

Well, you shouldn't be... I mean...

It's too soon for that, dear... When

I lost my Frank, at first, I did not

wanna believe it either, I just... I

couldn't accept the fact that the

Lord would take him away from me...

I... I held my tears in, and it took

me a really long time to heal from

that...

SONIA

No, I assure you, I'm OK, I'm fine...

My situation, it's... It's not

comparable...

MRS PARKER

Why is it not comparable?... You just

lost the father of your children!...

Just like I did...

SONIA

Well, the thing is... You see...

He's... Um... Danny... He's not quite

gone yet...

Catherine is baffled...

MRS PARKER

I beg your pardon?...

SONIA

Ah... Damn it!... I promised my kids

not to tell anyone, but... The thing

is, Catherine... There was... There

was like an experiment...

MRS PARKER

An experiment?...

SONIA

Danny took part in a program, before

the sickness got too advanced in his

head... Essentially, his mind was,

like... Downloaded into a computer or

something... I'm not sure I got all

the details right, but... The fact

is: now, he lives on, through those

computers... I can talk to him

whenever I want... But only through

the internet...

Catherine gazes at Sonia, wide-eyed from bewilderment...

MRS PARKER

What?... What on Earth are you

talking about?...

SONIA

It's true!... It may seem hard to

believe at first... Hell, it sounds

like science-fiction, I know, but...

It's true! He's alive!... I talk to

him every day... We can call him

right now, if you don't believe me...

Catherine jumps up from the couch, all shocked...

MRS PARKER

Jesus Christ!... What have they done

to you?!...

SONIA

No one did anything to me... What?...

What are you?...

MRS PARKER

Do you realize what you're saying,

Sonia?!... Are you hearing

yourself?!...

SONIA

What?!...

MRS PARKER

There's no such thing!... They're

playing you! They're mocking you!...

SONIA

I beg to differ, Catherine... First

of all, you have no idea what you're

talking about! You have no idea!...

You're just rejecting, without

even... You...

(MORE)

SONIA (cont'd)

You haven't talked to him yourself,

so you cannot possibly know, can

you?!... Well I have... And I'm

telling you for sure, it's him, he's

alive!...

MRS PARKER

God forbid, Sonia!... This is

blasphemy!...

SONIA

Oh... I never should have told you...

Catherine remains haggard for a moment...

MRS PARKER

I... I think I'd better go now...

She turns away, heads for the door...

/EXT. BROOKS'S RESIDENCE, ENTRANCE PORCH

DAY40

Catherine opens the door and leaves angrily...

Sonia gets to the door, watches her leave, then shouts...

SONIA

Sorry we're not on the same boat,

Catherine!...

Catherine turns around for a second, throws her an angry

glance, then goes on her way...

Sonia slowly closes her door...

LAW FIRM, MEETING ROOM

DAY41

Mike sits with Mr GOLDMAN (50's, sharp looking lawyer),

another EMPLOYEE, and a YOUNG INTERN (20's, nerdy looking

young man) in a prestigious meeting room.

LAWYER

Yea... Laura told me about this

case... Evidently, this is completely

unprecedented, in terms of

jurisprudence...

MIKE

Yea, I suppose...

LAWYER

It would be an extremely interesting

case to work on, intellectually

speaking...

MIKE

OK... So, you're in?...

LAWYER

Well... There's one thing you seem to

be forgetting, Mr Brooks... And

that's who your enemy is... I dunno

if you read about them?...

MIKE

A little bit, online...

LAWYER

Persephone A.I. is a subsidiary of

Styx Co, the multi-billion dollar

software giant... These types of

companies, Mr Brooks, usually dispose

of an army of lawyers, ready to eat

alive anyone who manifests the

smallest sign of legal hostility...

MIKE

Yeah, I imagine... And that's

precisely why I need your help...

LAWYER

That's very flattering but, their

legal department is probably at least

the size of this building... They

would sink a law firm ten times the

size of ours in a heartbeat... To be

completely frank with you, I'm not

sure I wanna venture into that

battle... I prefer to pick battles I

have at least a chance of winning...

MIKE

So?... What?... What are you saying?

LAWYER

I'm sorry to sound harsh Mr. Brooks

but... This is evidently lost in

advance... I can't represent you...

Mike breathes worriedly.

MIKE

I see... So... What do you think I

should do?...

LAWYER

I would recommend that you stick to

whatever's stipulated in the contract

your father signed with them...

You're not gonna win in any other

way, in my opinion... Also, what's

the harm, really?... Just ignore it!

MIKE

Sorry?... What?...

LAWYER

The AI... Just consider it like...

Siri or Alexa, but with your father's

voice instead, that's all... Just

don't pay attention to it. That's all

you gotta do, really...

Mike ponders for a short moment...

MIKE

OK... Um... Thanks, I guess... How

much do I?...

LAWYER

Nah... Nothing at all, consider it a

favor... And say "hi" to Laura for

me, will you?...

MIKE

'Sure do!...

Mike picks up his things, greets everyone with a sign of the

hand, and heads for the door...

The young intern gazes at him closely as he leaves...

OUTSIDE LAW FIRM

DAY42

Mike gets out the building...

The intern comes out in turn, discretely follows him for a

few steps, then calls him up...

INTERN

Mr. Brooks?...

Mike turns around.

MIKE

Yes?...

INTERN

I was in the meeting with you and Mr.

Goldman...

MIKE

Yea, yea, I remember... What do you

need?...

INTERN

Well... There may be a way to fight

them back, but... It's not exactly...

Um... Legal...

Mike thinks for a moment.

MIKE

I'm listening...

The intern looks out around him...

INTERN

Let's go somewhere else...

COFFEE SHOP

DAY43

Mike and the intern sit at a table.

INTERN

You've ever heard of the collective

Anon?...

MIKE

Anon?... The hackers group?...

INTERN

Yep...

MIKE

Um... Yea, I think so. I read about

them somewhere... But... These guys

are like hardcore criminals,

right?...

INTERN

Yup... On the government's most

wanted list...

MIKE

Uh-huh, I see... And... Do you think

they can help?...

INTERN

I think they're the only ones with

the sufficient know-how and the

sufficient guts to attack a company

like Persephone... Plus, they've had

it in their scope for years, so...

MIKE

OK... And... How much do you think

they'd charge for something like

that?...

INTERN

Oh nothing at all!... If they ever

decide to help you at all, it will be

out of conviction... You see, these

people, they're like activists,

vigilantes, and Styx Co is the type

of corporate entities they absolutely

abhor...

MIKE

I see... And how do I contact them?

INTERN

You don't. They'll contact you... You

can only post a request through an

open chat room, and they'll get back

to you eventually...

MIKE

What chat room?...

INTERN

A discord channel. Here, I'll write

down the address for you...

He scribbles something on a post-it note, and hands it to

Mike.

MIKE

"Gamerz Unite"?... Is this a joke?

INTERN

Absolutely not; it's a secret

hackers' hangout spot!... Oh, and you

must spell gamerz with "Z", at the

— ⑧

The Algorithm of Grief

The Algorithm of Grief