Trancendence
MAX
In artificial intelligence?
Joseph nods. Will, Evelyn and Max process the information.
MAX (CONT’D) You’re working with the FBI?
JOSEPH
They’ve brought me on as an advisor. Because of my background. And because I know one of the suspects. My project at the Department of Defense was the first attack. Two days ago a colleague …
Joseph holds up an ID CARD PHOTO of Lance, all smiles.
JOSEPH (CONT’D)
Brought a birthday cake into the lab. It was laced with dioxin. Within an hour my team was dead … They were good people.
EVELYN I’m so sorry.
JOSEPH
He’s part of a larger group. They call themselves the RIFT. Have you ever heard of them?
Will, Evelyn and Max shake their heads. Joseph sets down a document titled: REVOLUTIONARY INDEPENDENCE FROM TECHNOLOGY.
JOSEPH (CONT’D)
All we have is their manifesto. It appeared on a public server in Amsterdam. We can’t trace it beyond that.
Max picks up the manifesto. Joseph sums it up with-
JOSEPH (CONT’D)
They believe the Singularity is about to happen. They’re convinced it would be an apocalyptic event.
Joseph takes the three of them in.
JOSEPH (CONT’D)
I could count on my hands the people in this country who might be able to wake up a Strong AI. Myself, the three of you and ••• the six others are dead.
Joseph makes eye contact, making sure they understand-
JOSEPH (CONT’D)
You are all in very great danger.
Joseph watches them. As the news settles, he leans in-
JOSEPH (CONT’D) Can I meet your machine?
INT. PROJECT PINN, MAIN LAB – DAY
A line of state-of-the-art, custom-built towers make the supercomputer called PINN. Throughout the laboratory, FLATSCREENS map PINN’s network. Joseph steps toward the machine.
PINN
Your work in self-evolving algorithms inspired a great deal of my functionality, Dr. Tagger.
JOSEPH
That’s encouraging. Tell me a little about yourself.
PINN
I am PINN. A Physically Independent Neural Network, invented by-
JOSEPH
That’s great. Can you prove that you’re self-aware?
PINN
That’s a difficult challenge. Can you prove that you are?
Joseph blinks at PINN for a second. He glances at Will.
JOSEPH
It has your sense of humor.
Will, a little pale, smiles.
Evelyn opens one of PINN’s processing towers. It’s not like anything you’ve seen. The modular core is grey and crystalline, encased in a transparent shell. Joseph beams with pride at will, Evelyn and Max.
JOSEPH (CONT’D)
Look at what you’ve done. This is amazing. Evelyn was all of sixteen when I first taught you.
EVELYN
It’s not self-aware, but it’s learning.
WILL We’ll get there.
Max continues a decade-long debate with-
MAX
We can’t program a machine to be self-aware because we have no idea how our own consciousness works.
will’s about to argue, but Evelyn shoots him a look. Will, looking feverish, chooses uncomfortable diplomacy with-
WILL
We agreed to disagree.
MAX
We agreed we’d be satisfied with PINN’S medical applications.
Evelyn and Joseph share a glance. They’re both familiar with Max and Will’s rival posturing. Joseph turns to Max.
JOSEPH
Mike Lacy thought he found a way around the self-awareness
question … They killed him before he could publish.
Max, doubtful, glances at Will – who looks increasingly ill.
MAX
You okay?
WILL
Yeah. A little nausea.
MAX
It could be the shock. You could be coming down with the flu. Either way, you’re going home to rest.
EXT. WILL AND EVELYN’S GARDEN – DAY
will flips through documents. Evelyn TAPS the keyboard on her laptop. It’s not responding.
WILL
This is interesting.
EVELYN
What?
WILL
Mike Lacy was working on-
Evelyn SWATS her keyboard in frustration.
WILL (CONT’D) What’s wrong?
EVELYN
I just have to reboot.
Evelyn resets her machine. Waiting for her computer, she glances at will. He’s ashen, sheened in sweat, and trembling.
EVELYN (CONT’D) Want to lay down for a while?
will gives a weak nod.
INT. WILL AND EVELYN’S BEDROOM/BATHROOM – NIGHT
Evelyn wakes up to an empty bed. At the sound of RETCHING, she moves to the light of the bathroom door. Inside, will VOMITS. He looks at her, scared, and VOMITS again.
She puts a soothing hand on him. He keeps RETCHING.
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – DAY
Will, very sick, lays in bed. Evelyn strokes his hair. Max reviews the LAB REPORTS with DOCTOR STRAUSS.
DOCTOR STRAUSS Negative for dioxin. Negative for anthrax. Negative for-
MAX
Why is his white blood cell count under three thousand?
