Trancendence
PUNK ROCKER (O.S.) That’s fucked up.
Max spins to find a drunk PUNK ROCKER squinting at him. Max pins him against the wall with the bloody shiv.
MAX
Give me your clothes.
I/E. SEDAN – NIGHT
Lance drives. Bree studies the GPS signals on a laptop.
LANCE He’s not here.
BREE
Yes he is. He’s right-
She points and looks up at the PUNK ROCKER, in Max’s suit, giving his report to POLICE. Realizing they’ve lost Max, Lance BASHES the steering wheel in frustration. Bree, impressed with Max, gets a little smile.
EXT. ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
Max slinks along the shadows. Making sure he’s alone, he hurries to KNOCK on the door.
MAX
Evelyn? It’s Max. Let me in!
The door opens an inch. Max FORCES himself inside and-
INT. ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
Stops short, shocked by what he sees. Evelyn looks terrible. Unwashed, tense and exhausted. Behind her, the machine continues broadcasting the irregular gibberish.
Printed pages of the anomalous text cover every inch of the space. Scribbles, highlights, and diagrams cover them. Evelyn has been searching for patterns.
EVELYN (His punk outfit) Did you join a band?
Max takes in the madness all around him. Evelyn fidgets, embarrassed by the evidence of her obsession.
EVELYN (CONT’D)
I tried cryptography. Language processing. I’ve written more code in the past few weeks than I have my entire life. I can’t figure it out. I just can’t figure it out … You were right. Will is gone.
MAX
I know. It’s okay.
Max moves to her. Embraces her. She holds him, comforted. She notices he’s changed. It’s more than his weight-loss.
EVELYN What happened to you?
Max, safe in her arms, doesn’t want to think about it.
MAX
It doesn’t matter.
EVELYN
I’m done. I need to say goodbye.
Max nods.
INT. ABANDONED BUILDING – NIGHT
Max stands next to the utility line. Evelyn’s at the machine, staring at the nonsensical text.
EVELYN
will. I don’t know if you can hear me ..• No. I know you can’t ..•
The data shifts to a new set of meaningless symbols.
EVELYN (CONTTD)
You told me not to lose myself to this .•.
A new data set. We move closer on the endless stream of text.
EVELYN (CONT’D)
And I don’t know what I’m going to do without you ..•
We’re close enough to read the mash of letters and numbers.
EVELYN (CONT’D) But I need to let you go.
A string of letters stands out, hidden among a million others. It is a thought. It reads: “IS THERE ANYONE THERE?”
The words are lost in the vast field of nonsense around it. Evelyn, who has no hope of seeing them, nods to Max. Max cuts the power. The message disappears as the machine goes inert.
Evelyn and Max stand in silent tribute. will’s true funeral.
EVELYN (CONT’D)
I don’t know how to do this ••• To be a widow ••• I don’t know how
to •.. Grieve.
He helps her on with her coat. She looks at the lifeless machine. She looks to the utility line.
Max uses a gentle hand to escort her to the door. She looks back at the machine.
MAX What is it?
EVELYN
We can’t leave it like this.
Evelyn moves back to the utility line.
EVELYN (CONT’D)
We have to wipe the hard drives.
She reconnects the patching cable. As power floods back into the machine, she sits at the console. Brings up a function. She’s about to hit ENTER, when-
Four words appear on the monitor in front of her:
“IS THERE ANYONE THERE?”
Evelyn cannot comprehend what she’s reading before-
The screen goes blank. Evelyn blinks: Did she just see that?
New text appears: “CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?”
Evelyn’s eyes go wide. She SCREAMS in shock and joy. Max hurries over as she rushes to type: “I’M HEREl I’M RIGHT HERE, WILL!”
The screen goes blank. Evelyn and Max wait, breathless.
The computer responds with: “EVELYN?”
Evelyn SCREAMS. LAUGHS. And SCREAMS again. Max stares in awe.
New text reads: “I CAN’T SEE. I CAN’T HEAR. PLEASE HELP ME.”
Evelyn stills. Reads the plea. She jumps into motion. She plugs a MICROPHONE into a port. SPEAKERS. She grabs a small VIDEO CAMERA and sets it above the keyboard.
Max watches her execute drivers. She takes a moment to gather herself. She leans into the mic and, in a IIthis is a test” voice, says-
EVELYN (CONT’D) Will? Can you hear me?
INT. WILL’S CONSCIOUSNESS – TIMELESS
We are floating in a black void. The digital darkness fills with the ambient noise of the building and the voice of-
EVELYN (O.S.) Will? Can you hear me?
Will’s voice comes from the darkness all around us. It’s diffuse, interlaced with static. He sounds groggy. Confused.
WILL IN THE MACHINE
I can hear you. What’s happening? I can’t see.
EVELYN ( 0 . S. )
Just a second. Let me connect the camera. Can you see that?
Far off in the void, what looks like a faint star glimmers into existence. Will’s consciousness FLIES to it, as fast as the speed of light, arriving at-
A rectangular VIDEO FEED, floating in the nothingness. We move closer, so it fills our field of view. In it: Evelyn leans into the camera. Max stands behind her, unsure.
WILL IN THE MACHINE I can see you.
The video image remains fixed. Static.
WILL IN THE MACHINE (CONT’D) Why can’t I move?
Max’s expression is unnerving.
MAX
will?
Evelyn leans into frame.
EVELYN
