Tech_Episode One

by Merik Martin Pelletier

  CARLA: Jeff, I have a hectic schedule today, this had better be important.

  JEFF: A girl’s gotta eat.

  CARLA: I never eat lunch.

  JEFF: Then have a little cocktail with me.

  CARLA: And I don’t drink during the day. Why am I here?

  JEFF: Did you read the report I sent you?

  CARLA: Ah! Yes... let’s talk about that. That con you played on Frank Owen’s son was on the same level as Machiavelli. I swear to god Jeff if this comes back to me... I’ll fire your ass.

  Jeff gets defensive.

  JEFF: Wait a minute here! Excuse me if I may have tarnished your seemingly flawless reputation. You wanted results, I provided results, and damned good ones I may add.

  She’s still pissed but can't help cracking a smile.

  CARLA: I don’t need more bad publicity. And with the upcoming release of the next "Frame" line, I’ve got enough on my plate. I did look at the report... it’s good.

  JEFF: I told you. And... haven't you heard, there’s no such thing as ‘bad publicity.’ As for Mia... she’s not exactly Snow White. Are we still on for tonight? I’ll bring the Veuve.

  CARLA: Make it Dom.

  She leaves.

  SC20: PRIVATE SCHOOL CORRIDOR

  Mia is walking with two of her friends, Lynn Chang and Greg Hale, who is eating a burrito.

  LYNN: The new guy’s dead sexy!

  MIA: His name is Kyle, and yes... he is.

  GREG: How do you know his name?

  MIA: I met him outside when I was checking on you-know-what.

  Greg is very nervous.

  GREG: You didn’t tell him anything, did you?!

  Mia is offended, how could he think she would be so stupid.

  MIA: Are you crazy?! I just met the guy!

  LYNN: Really! Greg!

  GREG: OK, fine. It’s making me nervous is all. Anyway... there’s something dodgy about that guy.

  MIA: Are you jealous? Look, you and I are just friends... you know that right?

  Mia’s toying with Greg. You can see that he’s slightly humiliated.

  GREG: Your vanity astounds me.

  LYNN: HA! Greggy’s jealous!

  GREG: And Lynn... you're a train-wreck.

  LYNN: Now what, you’ve got a thing for me too?

  They all laugh. Greg throws his finished burrito wrapper at Lynn.

  GREG: Shut up.

  They continue to laugh. But Mia is thinking about what Greg said about Kyle, as they exit she notices Kyle at his locker smiling at her... there is something odd about him.

  SC21: HOSPITAL RECEPTION

  Kim Lee walks to the reception and addresses the nurse.

  KIM: My name is Kim Lee, I am here to see Doctor Hearl. Tell her I represent Alphamind.

  NURSE: One moment, please.

  KIM: She’s expecting me.

  She picks up the phone.

  NURSE: Doctor Hearl, a Mr. Lee from Alphamind is here to see you.

  She hangs up.

  NURSE: She’ll be here in a few minutes. You can have a seat.

  Kim turns around and barely has time to sit when Dr. Hearl enters. She is stunning. The nurse points at Kim. She walks up to him. They shake hands.

  HEARL: I’m Doctor Hearl. Thank you for showing up so promptly. I was about to contact the authorities when you called.

  KIM: There’s no need for that, I can answer all of your questions. Unless there’s something about what happened to Isabelle that I don’t know?

  HEARL: You mean like something irregular?

  He’s concerned, and not for humanitarian reasons.

  KIM: Is there?

  HEARL: Let’s go to my office.

  SC22: HALISON’S MANSION - EARLY EVENING

  The mansion is gorgeous, marble floors with a spiral staircase ascending to the second floor. Mia walks in the front door and rushes for the stairs. Carla hears her come in and hurriedly walks out to greet her.

  CARLA: I was beginning to worry.

  MIA: I went for pizza with my friends. Gaud... it’s not even seven.

  CARLA: You could have called. I had Henry fix your favorite, I thought we could have a nice dinner together.

  Mia rolls her eyes infuriatingly.

  MIA: Did you pick up that line from one of your 80’s soaps, because it sounds dated... and fake?

  CARLA: Why am I always the enemy here Mia? What did I ever did to you?

  Mia glares at Carla, she’s filled with rage but doesn’t reply and runs up the stairs. Jeff emerges from the living room holding a bottle of champagne.

  JEFF: She sure is a firecracker.

  CARLA: What’s her problem!?

  JEFF: She blames you for the death of her parents.

  Carla turns around, she’s hurt.

  CARLA: How can she hold me responsible?

  Her father and I were married years after Emily’s death.

  JEFF: She’s sixteen, at that age the world is your enemy, especially the ones closest to you.

  CARLA: We aren't exactly close.

  JEFF: Proximity darling. There’s a fine line between love and hate.

  Jeff touched a sensitive cord.

  SC23: ALPHAMIND ISABELLE’S LAB - EVENING

  Brian is showing Kim Lee examples and schematics of Isabelle’s test on a big monitor.

  BRIAN: The device works by frequency, matching with brain waves, sending information which it interprets as auditory, visual and other sensory experiences.

  KIM: I’m well aware of what the device does.

  BRIAN: The point is that if the device is misaligned with the hosts’ brain frequency, a discharge of energy occurs.

  KIM: What? Like a short?

  BRIAN: You could say that. For most people, the side effect would be nothing more than a mild headache, but for a person with a preexisting cerebral condition, it would appear that results can be fatal.

  KIM: Isabelle had a cerebral aneurysm. I know this because her smoking hot Doctor told me.

  Brian is still shocked by Lee’s lack of compassion. Lee notices this and is amused.

  KIM: What? She’s stunning.

  BRIAN: Anyway.

  KIM: Can we fix this?

  BRIAN: I’m not a brain surgeon…

  KIM: Not her idiot, the device.

  BRIAN: Yes, in fact, what we now know from Isabelle’s... accident... and based on further analysis, I think I can program a buffer allowing the device to sync while protecting the host brain.

  Kim Lee is happy with Brian’s answer and slaps him on the back.

  KIM: Good job. You’re getting a bonus.

  Brian forces a smile, but he is not comfortable.

  KIM: Now... did you get all of the info we need on her background?

  BRIAN: Yes. She’s an only child, father unknown, mother raised her. Most recently she was living with a roommate, no boyfriend…

  KIM: For how long?

  BRIAN: How long what?

  KIM: For a genius, you’re not very quick! How long has she been living with her ‘roommate,’ a woman I presume?

  BRIAN: I don’t know.

  KIM: We'll, find out. The longer they were living together, the more they know about each other.

  SC24: MIA’S ROOM - EVENING

  It’s a pleasant room, not too girly, but you can still feel the little girl in it. Mia is at her desk searching on the internet for information on Kyle. She enters his full name, Kyle Harrington, into the search engine, but the result brings nothing of relevance.

  MIA: Come on man, you’re not from another planet, you must have a facebook account... or something…

  She has an idea.

  MIA: He hacked the school’s system. That takes mad skills.

  She enters Young hackers 2010 to 2012 in the search engine. Several results come up, she clicks on ‘images,’ sure enough, he has darker hair and glasses, but we see that it’s Kyle.

  MIA: Gotcha! Let’s see what you’ve been up to.

  SC25: DR. HEARL’S OFFIC
E - NIGHT

  Doctor Hearl is looking at Isabelle’s charts on her computer when her phone rings.

  HEARL: Doctor Hearl.

  NURSE WILEY: There’s a crazy woman here saying that she’s ‘Jane Doe’s’ lover and is asking to see you.

  HEARL: Are you referring to Isabelle Lawson?

  NURSE WILEY: Yes... her.

  HEARL: Send her to my office, and by the way nurse Wiley, this woman has a name and an identity.

  She hangs up.

  CHAPTER THREE

  SC26: CARLA’S ROOM - NIGHT

  An expansive room with fireplace, richly furnished with a canopy bed as the central piece. Jeff and Carla have obviously just finished having sex. He has a satisfied grin on his face, her brow is furrowed with worry.

  JEFF: You’re a goddess.

  CARLA: Cut the crap.

  Jeff sits up. He’s annoyed.

  JEFF: Maybe I’m just too young for you.

  She looks up at him and starts to laugh.

  CARLA: You don’t hear me complaining.

  JEFF: Your wishes, my lady, are my command.

  She frowns.

  JEFF: What?

  CARLA: I’ve gotta ask you something. Did you have anything to do with the missing search engine code that materialized in our system?

  JEFF: What are you talking about?

  He regards her very seriously.

  CARLA: Our developers have been killing themselves trying to write the missing-link code, and it miraculously appeared in Quanta’s system.

  JEFF: And... this is a bad thing?

  CARLA: It could be, yeah... if I can't find the source.

  JEFF: It’s my style... but no, it wasn’t me. Satisfied?

  Carla opts to believe him

  CARLA: I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it.

  JEFF: Word.

  CARLA: Don’t you have a deal going in LA? When’s your flight?

  JEFF: Job’s done. I thought I'd stick around here for a while. I need a new challenge.

  He grabs her by the shoulders and kisses her hard.

  JEFF: And your just the ticket.

  SC27: DR. HEARL’S OFFICE

  Aria Louis is hysterical, demanding to see Isabelle. Dr. Hearl is trying to reason with her.

  ARIA: We’ve been together for ten years!

  HEARL: I get it, but by law, you have to be a family member for us to divulge any patient information.

  ARIA: I’m the closest thing to family she has. Her mother’s a useless drunk.

  Dr. Hearl is touched and knows that she has to do something.

  HEARL: First, you have to calm down if you want me to help you out here.

  Aria realizes that she’s right and calms down.

  HEARL: Are you aware of any medical conditions Isabelle might have?

  ARIA: Conditions? No. I mean she gets mad headaches sometimes.

  HEARL: What kinds of stress?

  ARIA: Mostly work related. They have her working crazy hours.

  HEARL: What exactly does she do?

  ARIA: She works in a prototype lab, testing, you know, future technology.

  HEARL; What’s her expertise?

  ARIA: She studied engineering and neuroscience at Columbia.

  Dr. Hearl sits upright in her chair.

  HEARL: And she develops new technology?

  ARIA: Yeah. She’s a genius. When can I see her?

  HEARL: She’s in ICU, I’ll take you there. I have to warn you, she’s comatose and on life support.

  Aria is in shock.

  ARIA: Oh my god! Is she gonna be okay? Is she going to come out of this... right?

  HEARL: It’s too early to tell. She’s young and healthy, and with the proper medical attention, she could very well come out of this, yes.

  Aria begins to gush tears.

  HEARL: I’ve talked with Mr. Lee, and they are covering all of her medical expenses.

  Aria looks at her with rage.

  ARIA: What business is it of theirs?

  HEARL: Isabelle signed an affidavit with Alphamind, it states that they are her emergency contact and that they are to intervene in any work-related injuries pending proof of the incident.

  ARIA: They couldn’t give a damn about her! Isabelle hates Kim Lee, she says he’s a cold-hearted bastard.

  What Aria said strikes a chord with Dr. Hearl.

  SC28: QUANTA DEVELOPERS LAB - NIGHT

  A prominent computer lab, multiple screen prototypes, the walls are covered with whiteboards with scribbled schematics. Jeff is working with five techs trying to figure out how the mystery code landed in their system.

  HARRY: If we don’t have an answer for Carla by tomorrow AM we’re all looking for a new job.

  The team looks at him terrified.

  DEVELOPER 1: We’ve looked everywhere, we’ve asked everyone, no one knows how this algorithm got here.

  DEVELOPER 2: Who cares, it works!

  HARRY: She cares!!!

  DEVELOPER 3: I did it, Okay! I did it, and I was too afraid to say anything in case it didn’t work! Okay?!

  Harry is exhausted, he knows that the tech is lying, but at this point, who cares.

  HARRY: Then tomorrow you better have a damned good explanation for her!

  He gets closer to the man who is now shaking.

  HARRY: Do you understand?!

  DEVELOPER 3: Yeah... uh huh.

  SC29: LISA OWEN’S HOME LIVING ROOM

  A large room with a massive fireplace. Carved wood paneling and classic art hang on the walls. Lisa is sitting in her favorite armchair reading the newspaper. Frank walks in.

  LISA: Nice of you to pay me a visit. How was your day?

  FRANK OWEN: Like you don’t know.

  LISA: How should I know, I don’t work at your office.

  FRANK OWEN: You’re telling me you haven't talked to Aidan?

  She smiles. Frank stands in front of the fireplace.

  LISA: What happened?

  FRANK OWEN: We had lunch at the club. He’s still stubborn as ever.

  This time she is angry.

  LISA: Have you turned on our son?

  Owen knows that this is one of those moments when he won't have the upper hand.

  FRANK OWEN: Lisa, I love him as much as you do. But I’m not going to baby him. I’ll figure out a way to help him out.

  LISA: Really because the last time you ‘helped him out,’ he left for six years.

  Frank turns to face her. She stands up.

  LISA: I’ve had it with your tyrannical attitude... for forty years!

  He looks at her and sees that she’s serious.

  FRANK OWEN: So, what... now your gonna start schooling me on how to treat our son?

  LISA: No, I will tell you... that if you don’t rehire Aiden, it will be all too clear who’s really at the head of this company.

  This hits hard on Frank.

  FRANK MARTIN: What are you saying?

  LISA: You heard me! Zenotech is a Rutherford company you're just CEO.

  She leaves the room and him speechless.

  SC30: PRIVATE SCHOOL - MORNING

  The kids are on their way back to class, Mia’s on the look-out for Kyle, she wants to confront him. Lynn and Greg join her.

  LYNN: Waiting for someone?

  MIA: Not really.

  GREG: You are, or you’re not…

  Mia’s irritated, she doesn’t want to tell them what she found out about Kyle.

  MIA: Okay, I was waiting for Kyle. Are you both satisfied now?!

  LYNN: Chill. It’s just not your thing to be here so early.

  Lynn grabs Greg by the arm.

  LYNN: Come on rock star, this is our cue to leave.

  They leave. A few seconds later Kyle shows up. He’s pleased to see that Mia was waiting for him.

  KYLE: Waiting for someone? Me, for instance.

  MIA: Vain much? I was waiting for Lynn and Greg.

  KYLE: Really, that’s why they just went in without you?

 
; He gives her a big grin.

  MIA: God you are cocky? Fine... I was waiting for you. Can we talk at the break... Across the street in the park?

  KYLE: Yeah. You got something special in mind?

  MIA: You could say that, but it’s probably not what you have in mind.

  She leaves for class, he waits for a beat, thinking about what she may be implying.

  MIA: Are you coming or what?

  He follows her inside.

  SC31: MRI RESULT ROOM HOSPITAL - MORNING

  Dr. Hearl is with an MRI technician looking at Isabelle’s results on a screen.

  MRI TECHNICIAN: As you can see, she had an aneurysm.

  HEARL: What do you think ruptured it?

  MRI TECHNICIAN: It’s hard to determine the cause. There is, however, some other small brain tissue fissures. Right here, on the frontal lobe.

  She gets closer for a look.

  HEARL: What are those?!

  MRI TECHNICIAN: I have no idea.

  HEARL: Do you think they’re related to the rupture?

  MRI TECHNICIAN: At this point, maybe. I still have to determine ‘what’ they are.

  SC32: QUANTA OFFICES CARLA SECRETARY DESK

  Gloria is at her post and very busy, the phone lines are buzzing, Carla walks in, immediately Gloria drops everything and goes to greet her holding her ‘Frame’ slate.

  GLORIA: The development team is ready for a meeting.

  CARLA: Did they solve the mystery of the magical algorithm?

  GLORIA: Yes. But I’ll let them present the details to you. When do you want to see them?

  CARLA: In my office in 20 minutes.

  Carla walks into her office. Right away Gloria runs to her desk and calls Harry.

  GLORIA: I hope you’re ready! Be here with your team in 20 minutes.

  SC33: ZENOTECH BARRY HALE’S OFFICE

  Barry Hale is looking at the search engine’s latest release interface when Andrew walks in, he’s freaking out.

  ANDREW: We have a major problem!

  BARRY HALE: What are you talking about?

  Andrews runs to Barry’s computer and takes it over, bringing up a press release.

  ANDREW: We had a significant breach, somebody stole the algorithm and published it as open source!

  Barry looks at the screen, we see a detailed article about the code.

  BARRY HALE: What!!! How does something like this happen?!! How did someone have time to get an open source license.

  Andrew looks at him, white as a sheet.