Snippets illustration of a big, nervous, energetic city of no
particular identity. From aerial drone shots to sexy selfies
and from angry, loud horns to a curved cello bow, drawn in
slow motion across the strings; a visual assembly joined by a
friendly velvety voice:
MILTON (V.O.)
A city. Any city. With its perks
and purgatories. Trading darkness
for light and cacophony for music.
Humanity for loneliness, laughter
for moaning. Above all, it rules:
the lunacy of the chaotic anarchy
called -- traffic. Spreads like an
uncontrollable disease throughout
the labyrinth of avenues and
streets and alleys. I own this
city. I am Milton.
ROAR and BOOM of gigantic Pratt & Whitney turbines and WE
LAND amidst a different kind of chaos -- airport traffic.
Smoking tires scream “here at last” on an overused tarmac,
streaked with runway rubber.
THUNDEROUS laughter and raucous chatter of some hundred
people tightly packed into a tarmac shuttle bus. We travel
through the impatient, half-asleep faces coming back to life,
smudged lipsticks, demolished mascaras, backpacks and Louis
Vuittons, all in the blender, where -- SHE SHINES. A radiant
female made for stardom and aware of it; imbued with dense
star qualities. JUDE. The arrogant air of beauty, wrapped in
expensive but low key pret a porter. Not even a trace of
“extreme” on this stunning woman in her late-twenties. The
thirty-something dude behind her, drawn by her natural
magnetism and irresistible perfume, leans forward to inhale
it and --
JUDE
What the hell are you doing?
DUDE
(pulls back)
Ah... I’m sorry. I... uh...
JUDE
Keep your distance or you’ll feel
my knee in your groin.
The dude steps away, swallowed by a group of loud
Mediterraneans.
2
CONTINUED:
JUDE (CONT’D)
(to herself)
Much better.
BANG! A passport stamp lands on a busy watermarked page, the
plethora of other stamps in green, blue and violet,
indicating thousands of free miles. A mustachioed immigration
cop hands the passport back to Jude, who rewards him with her
automatic smile.
THE SAME PASSPORT handed to the male model-like receptionist
of an over-the-top upper class hotel. Welcomes and smiles.
Genuine from him, automatic from Jude.
WHAM. A body collapses on goose feather bed covers. Jude at
last, in a controlled environment of her personal
specifications. Eyes shut for a long ten seconds before she
springs up, strips off her clothes on the way to the
bathroom, and ends up stark naked under the warm cascading
water from a bronze shower head. As we start realizing that
everything about her, from her lush lips to the arrogant
nipples, is genuine -- Steam fogs our exploratory curiosity.
But we can make out the words discreetly tattooed on her
forearm: TETE-A-QUEUE.
RED fills the screen and it’s nothing but a last strawberry,
gleaming provocatively in a crystal bowl. Jude stares at it
for a long time.
JUDE (V.O.)
And I’m thinking. How can you
destroy such a marvelous piece of
natural architecture? Stab it,
squash it in your mouth, chop it to
pieces, swallow it, turn it to crap
in a matter of hours? Or just leave
it there, to suck in the sunlight
and let its beauty last for one
more hour of strawberry eternity?
Talk to me, fruit, don’t just be
passive.
One more look at the lone berry.
JUDE
What the hell.
She stabs it, squashes it in her mouth, chops it
hedonistically between her naturally white teeth, twists her
tongue to satisfy all taste buds and swallows -- the ultimate
pleasure of superiority, man-over-fruit kind.
BLACK. Metallic black of an American Express Centurion. It
slides on beige polished marble.
3
CONTINUED:
Jude puts it back in her black suede purse, which she then
slides softly into her perfectly coordinated black suede bag.
JUDE (CONT’D)
And I’ll need a car.
RECEPTIONIST
Limo and driver, ma’am?
JUDE
Miss.
RECEPTIONIST
Pardon?
JUDE
I’m not a ma’am. It’s Miss. And no,
I don’t want a smart ass chatterbox
driver. Long slithering limos make
me puke. I like to drive.
RECEPTIONIST
Rentals not easy to find this week.
But if you’re not looking for a
budget car...
JUDE
I’m not on a budget.
RECEPTIONIST
There’s an exclusive rental office,
just around the corner. Want me to
have them bring a car?
JUDE
No. I like to pick the fruit from
the tree.
RECEPTIONIST
They’re not cheap.
JUDE
Neither am I. I’ll definitely tell
them you sent me...
(looks at the tag on his
lapel)
... Ioannis. So that you get your
commission.
The receptionist’s cliche smile again. But now with a touch
of sarcasm, a hint of “what a spoiled bitch.”
Jude senses it, turns, sees him swallow hard and returns to
the desk.
4
CONTINUED:
JUDE (CONT’D)
I was a little harsh on you. I’m
sorry. My jetlag.
She slides a folded 50 euro note across the polished marble.
One more cliche smile, this time sprinkled with appreciation.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Please call them. Say that you’re
sending a potential customer.
Genres:
["Drama","Comedy"]
Ratings
Scene
2 -
Evening Delights
EXT. CITY STREET / EARLY EVENING
Color-blinding crowds mixed with nerve-wracking noise and a
multitude of smells. Jude, unintentionally dressed to kill,
eagerly takes in the originality of the scene with all of her
senses. This enigmatic woman enjoys everything that comes her
way until she rejects it. She’s intensely curious about the
vendor selling charcoaled chestnuts, but indifferent to the
brilliantly lit Bouchra Jarrar window. Her sensitive nose
guides her to the chestnut cart and she buys a dozen in a
paper cone. A smile of genuine satisfaction, as she bites
into the first hot chestnut.
EXT. STREET / EARLY EVENING
An aged, faintly rusted saxophone. A street player. An
unusually good rendition of a Paul Desmond solo. Jude fishes
a couple of bills from her purse and throws them quickly into
the musician’s basket. The notes of “Take Five” trail her as
she turns the corner, into...
Genres:
["Drama","Romance"]
Ratings
Scene
3 -
Rental Revelations
EXT. A LITTLE SQUARE / EVENING
The glassy exterior of a boutique rental agency,
appropriately named: “Hera,” in very discreet indigo blue
neon. An interesting-looking silver-and-black, matte finish
SUV is parked in front. Jude scrutinizes it with curiosity,
has the weird feeling that it’s returning the scrutiny. Jude
approaches the office entrance, when her cell chirps.
ON PHONE SCREEN a “face-time” request from ELENI. Jude
touches “accept” and Eleni’s dark-haired, tan face appears.
During the conversation, Jude walks and eventually enters the
rental office.
ELENI
Where the hell are you?
JUDE
Good talking to you too, Eleni.
5
CONTINUED:
ELENI
I got worried when you didn’t call.
All OK?
JUDE
Marvelous. Summary: Quiet flight,
noisy crowd, classy hotel,
breakfast at six in the afternoon,
trying to cheat my jetlag and
now...
(She turns the iPhone
camera toward “Hera,”)
... about to enter the mythical
Hera who fell from grace and from
being married to Zeus, to this:
renting luxury cars.
ELENI
You don’t need a car, I’ll come
pick you up.
JUDE
I’ve made comments about your
driving before. Don’t tempt me.
ELENI
We have six cars. Why do you need a
rental?
JUDE
That would be a reasonable
question, if you were addressing a
reasonable person.
ELENI
Be careful. You don’t know the
city.
JUDE
Seasoned traveller, hon. Fear not.
I’ll see you at the club, ten-ish.
ELENI
Too early. Eleven-ish.
JUDE
If I’m still in control of my
jetlag. How do you say jetlag in
Greek?
ELENI
Jetlag.
6
CONTINUED:
JUDE
Got it. Most English words have
Greek origins.
ELENI
Last attempt: just wait for me at
the hotel and I’ll come get you.
JUDE
Sure. Like I’d let you leave your
own engagement party. Ha!
ELENI
Okay, I give up. There’s no cure
for arrogance. I’ll see you here
then.
JUDE
Sure, if I knew where “here” is.
ELENI
God, you have no brains.
JUDE
That’s why men go crazy over me.
ELENI
Got a bunch of the species waiting
to meet you. Club Island, right by
the sea. You have GPS. You’ll be
here in an hour, tops.
JUDE
No sweat, girl. I’ll call you from
the car.
She ends the call, smiles at the enormously tall, slender and
very gay rental agent who has been scrutinizing her all this
time from his counter.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Hello.
MR. FLOROS
Good evening. You must be Mrs.
Specter?
JUDE
Miss.
MR. FLOROS
Nice meeting you, Miss Specter. I’m
Mr. Floros.
7
CONTINUED:
JUDE
And now that we’re formally
acquainted, show me what cars you
have.
MR. FLOROS
Unfortunately, not many.
Fortunately, however, the last one
was returned minutes ago. Wasn’t
washed by us, mind you, but it’s
immaculately clean. It is -- a very
special vehicle.
Genres:
["Drama","Comedy"]
Ratings
Scene
4 -
The Rental Dilemma
EXT. CAR RENTAL AGENCY/SQUARE -- EVENING
Jude hesitantly runs a finger over the silver exterior of the
massive SUV.
JUDE
An autonomous? Sorry, but I hate
machines being in control.
MR. FLOROS
You trust the autopilot when you
fly.
JUDE
Necessity. I can’t fly an Airbus.
But I’m a hell of a driver.
MR. FLOROS
We’re in 2022, Miss Specter. Year
of the driverless. Besides, in its
manual mode, it’s a regular
automatic and you’re in total
control. And you can still use the
car’s computer to guide you and
provide all kinds of perks for you.
JUDE
Perks? Like what?
MR. FLOROS
Let me show you.
(to SUV)
Milton, open the door.
The locks CLICK and then, as if by an invisible hand, the
doors swing wide open. They are SUICIDE DOORS.
JUDE
So, it has a name.
8
CONTINUED:
Jude peers inside, surprised by the curious seating
arrangement: Two front seats facing three rear seats, forming
a plush lounge, the interior warmly illuminated by invisible
LEDs. No signs of the usual invasive high tech.
MILTON (V.O.)
Good evening, Mr. Floros.
JUDE
Oh, a male Siri. Great.
MR. FLOROS
Good evening, Milton. I want to
introduce you to Miss Jude Specter,
your new passenger.
MILTON
Good evening Miss Specter. How was
your flight?
JUDE
That’s annoying. How does it know?
MR. FLOROS
I’ve already input your personal
data, credit card, drivers license.
He recognizes you.
JUDE
(Emphatically)
It!
MR. FLOROS
Right. It knows your biometrics,
your voice -- so no keys and no
other person in this world can
drive.
JUDE
And what’s with the weird seating
arrangement?
MR. FLOROS
It’s a completely driverless
vehicle. The AI will do everything
for you. So that you can just sit
back and enjoy the ride.
JUDE
That’s my problem, Mr. Floros. I’m
neurotic. I can’t possibly just sit
back, or relax or do nothing.
9
CONTINUED:
MR. FLOROS
I understand.
(to Milton)
Switch to manual driving mode,
Milton.
The two front seats swivel forward and lock in their normal
position, facing the steering wheel and an avant-garde
dashboard, where an iPad-size screen lights up, one half
showing a RED “MANUAL” Mode, the other half a BLUE “AUTO”
Mode.
MR. FLOROS (CONT’D)
Even in manual mode, if you’re in
need of help, Milton will call
local authorities then contact us
and we’ll send assistance in no
time. However that is an extra
service, for ten euros...
JUDE
Thank you, don’t want it. I can
take care of myself.
MR. FLOROS
We also provide a surveillance
service. We watch all of Milton’s
16 hidden cameras and monitor its
functions. For seven euros...
JUDE
(abruptly)
Don’t need any more stinking Big
Brothers watching me. Thank you,
though.
Jude looks up, scrutinizes the twin sunroof with genuine
curiosity. Mr. Floros notices.
MR. FLOROS
You must be wondering...
JUDE
Why the two sunroofs. Unless the
one is...
MR. FLOROS
You guessed it.
JUDE
A drone hub!
MR. FLOROS
Bien sure. A traffic drone.
10
CONTINUED:
Jude shakes her head, unimpressed.
JUDE
No more surprises, I hope.
MR. FLOROS
None, unless you ask for them.
Jude nails him with a nasty look and slides into the driver’s
seat. Mr. Floros hands her an iPad and she signs with a
fingernail.
Unnoticed by them, standing beneath a flickering street lamp
in the distance, is the silhouette of a HOODED MAN, watching
them intently.
MR. FLOROS (CONT’D)
All done, thank you. Don’t
forget...
JUDE
The phone, I know.
Jude touches her iPhone on the dashboard screen and sees the
notice “data stored.”
JUDE (CONT’D)
Milton, call Mr. Floros
A second later, the CHIRPING of a cell phone. Mr. Floros
takes it out of his pocket and shows Jude the screen which
displays “MISS SPECTER.”
Jude scans the push-button gear shift pad, which bears marks
from L0 to L5.
MR. FLOROS
(as if reading her mind)
L0 is for manual, all others for
partial or full auto.
JUDE
I’ll be on my way then.
MR. FLOROS
There is one more exciting feature,
I’m sure you’ll find enjoyable. All
the windows are smart glass. They
will automatically display some
remarkable sites as you drive about
the city.
Before Mr. Floros has a chance to say more, the door closes
smoothly and the engine starts.
11
CONTINUED:
Jude lip-reads Floros’ goodbye through the soundproof glass.
She shifts into DRIVE and the SUV rolls down the street.
WE STAY on MR. FLOROS who shakes his head. This woman is bad
news.
ON SUV’S EXTERIOR MIRROR as the hooded man’s silhouette
recedes in the distance. A tiny red LED blinks, indicating a
recording perhaps?
Genres:
["Science Fiction","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
5 -
Rebellion on Wheels
INT. “MILTON” - EVENING
As Jude drives, she divides her attention between the road
ahead and the car’s interior, trying unsuccessfully to locate
any cameras or sensors. SOFT MUSIC fades in and plays while
images of the city appear on the “smart glass” windows,
Milton’s VOICE reciting an introduction.
MILTON (V.O.)
A city. Any city. With its perks
and purgatories. Trading darkness
for light and cacophony for music.
Humanity for loneliness, laughter
for moaning. Above all, it rules:
the lunacy of the chaotic anarchy
called -- traffic. Spreads like an
uncontrollable disease throughout
the labyrinth of avenues and
streets and alleys. I own this
city. I am Milton.
JUDE
Oh, Christ. That’s one piece of
shitty writing.
MILTON
We haven’t been properly
introduced. I am Milton.
JUDE
A stupid name for a computer. I’ll
call you Otto.
MILTON
Otto?
JUDE
Otto, for “automatic” and because
you’re a German car.
MILTON
I’m afraid I’m not programmed to
respond to that name.
12
CONTINUED:
JUDE
Or I can call you “Kitt” and you
can call me “Mrs. Hasselhoff.”
MILTON
Not programmed for that either.
JUDE
And no sense of humor whatsoever.
Now be quiet and let me drive.
MILTON (V.O.)
Well, Miss Specter, are you sure
you want to drive? The traffic is a
mess.
JUDE
So am I, Otto. Don’t be a smart
ass.
MILTON
Not comprehensible. I am Artificial
Intelligence, hence the term
“smart” is derogatory as is the
term “ass” which is used for human
anatomy and not applicable to AI.
JUDE
What’s with the warm, bullshit
human voice?
MILTON
I’d value your appraisal. How do I
sound?
JUDE
Ridiculous.
MILTON
A synthesized voice though would be
cold, impersonal and annoying.
JUDE
While yours is provided by a third
rate actor, who’s probably talking
to me right now, from a tiny booth,
pretending to be an AI. Hello,
little man.
MILTON
Perhaps you’d like to select a
different voice?
13
CONTINUED:
JUDE
No, and that ends the annoying
window display -- and our
conversation.
The smart glass windows return to normal.
MILTON
Pity, I thought we could be
friends.
JUDE
Hey. You’re not my pal, Milton.
Say it.
MILTON
(sad)
I’m not your pal.
JUDE
Good. Now shut up and let me drive.
MILTON
(coldly)
Copy that. Call my name if you need
anything. In the meantime, your
seat belt?
Jude nods, starts reaching for the belt, but it automatically
extends with a hiss and locks in.
Jude curses under her breath, defiantly releases the seat
belt, and shifts forcefully into “LOW.” The SUV jumps
aggressively toward an intersection.
Genres:
["Drama","Sci-Fi"]
Ratings
Scene
6 -
Urban Escape
INT. SUV / AFTERNOON
Jude navigates expertly -- or so she thinks -- through the
maze of side streets, when she finally comes to a fork in the
road. Right or left? A few seconds of hesitation. Thinking “I
could ask him.”
JUDE
(to herself)
I could ask him. Damn. IT! But no,
I won’t depend on a stupid machine.
She turns the indicator to “right” and heads toward the
intersection, when the SUV abruptly slows down. She pumps the
gas pedal. No response.
JUDE (CONT’D)
What the hell?
14
CONTINUED:
The drone hatch opens. A tiny quadcopter lifts off.
MILTON
May I make a suggestion?
JUDE
You again? Did you do this?
ON DASHBOARD SCREEN, DRONE SHOT: The SUV is heading toward a
dead end street, while from the opposite direction, hundreds
of protestors are closing in, chased by armed riot policemen.
Jude realizes she’ll be trapped in seconds.
MILTON
As you see...
JUDE
... I’m about to be mobbed? Ha!
She cracks her knuckles, shifts into REVERSE and buckles up.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Catch me if you can!
ON SCREEN: Reverse View from the bumper cam.
The SUV barrels backwards at dizzying speed for two blocks --
expertly avoiding traffic, pedestrians, trash cans and parked
cars -- toward a cross street. When the SUV is a few yards
short of its exit, the crowd turns the corner.
Jude brakes, works the gas pedal and handbrake to make a 180
drift and shoots into the side street. Angry protestors jump
back. She barely misses the first few. Others yell and throw
rocks but the SUV is already out of range.
JUDE (CONT’D)
That’s what I call a near perfect
tete-a-queue!
MILTON
French. Head to tail. Please
define. Is this a metaphor?
JUDE
A 180 drift. The next one will be
perfect and you, dumb ass, will
learn how humans do what machines
can’t dream in their electric
dreams. You are no longer
driverless.
Moments later the SUV jumps a sidewalk and is back on the
main --
15
CONTINUED:
JUDE (CONT’D)
No way!
Traffic at standstill for miles. A huge parking lot in both
directions.
JUDE (CONT’D)
We’re fucked.
MILTON
I’d say that, properly phrased,
it’s the correct assumption.
JUDE
I wasn’t talking to you. It was
rhetorical, you dope -- as if you
could ever understand that.
(to herself)
How the hell do I get out of this
mess?
MILTON
Is that another rhetorical
question?
JUDE
No, it’s literal. How do I get out
of this?
MILTON
Patience is a virtue.
JUDE
One I completely lack.
MILTON
I’m afraid I can’t help. I’m
programmed to uphold the law and
what you have in mind could be
illegal.
JUDE
I’ve had problems with the law
before. So crawl back to your
terabytes.
ON DASH SCREEN: Jude scrutinizes it, then looks out the
window, realizes: Her only escape is to drive on the sidewalk
for more than three blocks.
JUDE (CONT’D)
(to herself)
Let’s do it, kiddo.
16
CONTINUED:
MILTON
I’ll shut my eyes.
Jude cranks the wheel, hops the curb onto the sidewalk and
floors it, panicked pedestrians scattering.
VROOM. GREEN LIGHT and a street on the right is invitingly
quiet. She jumps one last curb, shouts victoriously.
JUDE
Yes! I did it.
MILTON
Uh... Not quite.
JUDE’S POV: She’s on a head-on collision course with four
lanes of oncoming traffic. It’s a one way street.
Jude, now in an involuntary game of chicken, is heading
toward a cordon of vehicles at 60 MPH. She doesn’t slow down:
the sudden blush on her face shows that she’s enjoying it.
The two rival tribes are only a hundred yards apart when:
Alarms BLARE inside the car.
JUDE
No sweat.
She downshifts, one foot on the brake, the other on the gas.
VAVROOM! Tires scream. Rubber burns. The SUV spins, makes a
perfect 180, now facing in the right direction. Jude floors
it, maniacal traffic wooshing past her, right and left.
JUDE (CONT’D)
They are crazy, these Greeks.
MILTON
That was indeed an impressive 180,
Miss Specter.
JUDE
Eat your tires out, Milton. A
lesson on the immaculate tete-a-
queue.
MILTON
I could store this as a lesson.
Excellent driving, Miss Specter.
JUDE
Flattery will get you everywhere.
Over and out.
The Drone lands on its pad and is pulled back into its hub.
17
CONTINUED:
MILTON
May I make a suggestion?
JUDE
Only if it’s your last.
MILTON
Tete-a-queu. Let’s use this as an
override password. Only you and I
will know it. In the unlikely
event you need help or you need me
to reboot. Just say tete-a-queu.
JUDE
Got it. Now go to bed.
The DASH SCREEN fades to black.
AERIAL: The SUV cruises in a sea of traffic.
JUDE (O.S.) (CONT’D)
Let’s play some music.
OVER THE SHOT: Gradually fading in, until it drowns out all
traffic noise, is the sweet magic of Grover’s Winelight.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Sci-Fi"]
Ratings
Scene
7 -
Navigating Chaos
INT. MILTON - NIGHT
The music continues and Jude drives. The dash screen comes to
life.
MILTON
Want the screen transferred to the
windshield? Less distracting.
JUDE
Yeah, sure.
The dash screen goes dark and its hologram-like visual
appears on the windshield.
MILTON
A certain Miss Eleni is calling
you. Will you accept face-time?
JUDE
Okay, put her through.
ON SCREEN: Eleni against a backdrop of noisy socialites.
ELENI
Hey, girl. Didn’t you say you’d
call me from the car?
18
CONTINUED:
JUDE
Indeed. But I didn’t say when.
ELENI
Where are you?
JUDE
Where are we, Milton?
MILTON
Voula, 38 kilometers from
destination.
ELENI
Who’s in the car with you?
JUDE
Nobody.
MILTON
It would be polite to introduce me.
ELENI
Don’t fuck with me, Jude. Who is
that?
JUDE
Otto.
ELENI
Otto who?
JUDE
Otto Matic. It’s the computer voice
in this autonomous and he -- I
mean, IT -- is a chatterbox.
MILTON
Nice to meet you, Eleni.
ELENI
Yeah, whatever.
JUDE
See, Otto? She’s not too fond of
driverless cars, either.
MILTON
We are the future.
ELENI
Can you make that thing shut up?
JUDE
You heard her, Otto. Shut up.
19
CONTINUED:
MILTON
May I add a comment.
JUDE
No, you may not.
MILTON
I believe it’s vital that you
know...
JUDE
Shut up!
Jude looks at the Windshield Screen, sees -- a humongous
Diamond Ring.
ELENI (O.S.)
I couldn’t wait to show you.
JUDE
Son of a bitch, he must have
spent...
ON SCREEN: Eleni beams.
ELENI
Over a hundred.
JUDE
He loves you that much!
ELENI
And I love him.
JUDE
Yeah, a match made in Van Clef
heaven.
ELENI
Step on it, girl. I’ll meet you up
front.
The face-time app clicks off.
MILTON
If I may comment, your friend
Eleni, is a very nice lady.
JUDE
Can’t keep your mouth shut, eh?
MILTON
Probably because I don’t have a
mouth.
20
CONTINUED:
JUDE
That wasn’t funny.
MILTON
With all due respect, I disagree.
JUDE
You’re a bunch of digits. You’re a
program. You have no right to
disagree.
MILTON
But I do have the privilege.
JUDE
Call Mr. Floros.
MILTON
Are you reporting me for conduct
unbecoming?
JUDE
(yelling)
Call Floros NOW!
ON SCREEN: A still of Mr. Floros. A Phone RINGS and Mr.
Floros appears on screen, live.
MR. FLOROS
What can I do for you, Miss
Specter?
JUDE
How do I make this computer shut
up?
MR. FLOROS
I understand. He can be somewhat
annoying at times.
JUDE
Thanks for the psychological
evaluation. Now how do I shut it
up?
MR. FLOROS
If you ask him to be quiet and he
continues to chat, just say “MODE 1-
5-6-7.” And if you want him to
speak again, say “MODE 1-5-6-8.”
JUDE
Got it. Thanks.
The conversation ends.
21
CONTINUED:
JUDE (CONT’D)
Hey, Milton, I got a job for you.
MILTON
Would that be MODE 1-5-6-7?
JUDE
Were you eavesdropping?
MILTON
One of my basic functions -- to
record all conversations.
JUDE
Like hell it is. Now, read my lips.
ON SCREEN: An extreme CLOSE UP of her LIPS -- which pisses
her off even more.
JUDE (CONT’D)
(hisses)
Mode 1-5-6-7.
MILTON
Before I comply, one last thing. I
tried to warn you multiple times
that your exit was coming up. You
just missed it.
JUDE
Shit!
MILTON
Complying with Mode 1-5-6-7.
Goodbye.
The windshield screen goes dark.
JUDE
Wait a minute. Where’s the next
exit? Hey!
Silence. Jude waits for a few seconds, then:
JUDE (CONT’D)
Milton? Mode 15-68.
No response.
JUDE (CONT’D)
(provoking)
Milton... Otto... Kitt. Stupid-ass
machine... Milton, help... I’ve got
no brakes... The wheel won’t
turn... Milton, help me...
(MORE)
22
CONTINUED:
JUDE (CONT’D)
I just had an accident... car’s on
fire... Milton!
All quiet.
JUDE (CONT’D)
I don’t need you. I’ll find the
next exit myself.
Nothing but dead silence. Angry as hell, Jude grabs her
iPhone for GPS assistance but -- No Signal. Jaws clenched she
decides to beat the odds.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller","Sci-Fi"]
Ratings
Scene
8 -
Survival Instincts
EXT. COUNTRY VINEYARDS - LATER
The middle of nowhere, nothing but low rolling hills and
vineyards as far as the eye can see. Two pinpoints of light
appear out of the darkness: Jude’s SUV, lost in the maze of
vineyards. The SUV slows, stops.
INT. SUV - NIGHT
Jude checks her iPhone. No bars. Deflated and facing the
dilemma: search for a spot with better cell signal or get
some fresh air? Jude opens the door and takes a few steps
when --
A BEAST of mythological proportions bursts from the vines,
its thunderous ROAR chilling Jude’s blood. Panicked, she
scrambles back into the SUV. It’s not until she’s in her seat
that reality sinks in: The “monster” is nothing more than a
German shepherd patrolling the fields.
Curses under her breath. She opens her purse and digs through
the contents: the usual beauty components, tissues, a tiny
pepper spray, a miniature swiss knife, an auxiliary battery
pack, a lighter and one loose cigarette. As she pulls out the
cigarette and lighter, the cigarette falls to the floor. More
cursing. She leans down and snatches the cigarette when she
sees --
“EMERGENCY ONLY.” A hidden button below the dash. Jude breaks
into a devilish grin, reaches for the button. CLICK.
The windshield screen flickers, flashes AWAKE, the distinct
noise of the sunroof opening and the drone taking off, then --
MILTON
I hereby acknowledge that in
violation of Mode...
JUDE
Cut the crap, Milton. Are you back?
23
CONTINUED:
MILTON
Yes I am, in emergency mode. What
is your emergency, Miss Specter?
JUDE
You deserted me, I lost my exit and
that screwed up my entire evening.
MILTON
Well, I --
JUDE
(cutting him off)
No. Not a word. Just let me see the
drone.
MILTON
Feeding visuals from drone now.
SILENT AERIALS from the drone’s POV, infrared images: It
takes off stealthily. Low flight over the vineyards. A pickup
truck idling. A MAN moving toward the rear of the truck. Zoom
closer. The man’s face hidden under a hoodie. Closer yet.
He’s holding a pistol.
Jude’s fingers tremble as she lights the cigarette, her eyes
riveted on the images from the drone.
JUDE
What do you make of this?
MILTON
Imminent danger.
ON SCREEN: The hoodie creeps closer to the driver’s window.
Jude gasps. The hoodie raises the pistol, FIRES. Twice. Jude
blinks and he’s gone. The drone descends slowly toward the
driver’s window and reveals -- a couple. Shot dead.
JUDE
Fuck. Get us out of here, Milton.
She pushes the L5 gearbox button.
MILTON
Full auto engaged.
The powerful engine revs - tires spin - the SUV shoots
through the vineyards. Jude’s eyes glued on the screen as the
drone gains altitude, scans the vineyards, and locates the
assailant, running through the maze toward a small sedan. He
abruptly stops, turns, listens, hears something in the
distance: the SUV approaching. He races in its direction.
Milton calculates the distance between them; three-hundred
feet and closing fast.
24
CONTINUED:
JUDE
He’s onto us. Turn around, damnit.
MILTON
Now you shut up and let me do what
I’m programmed to do.
Jude is startled by Milton's sudden aggression, but this is
no time for arguments. Milton whips the car around, finds a
different path, this time through the vines.
ON SCREEN: View from various SUV cams. Rapid digits count the
distance from target. Grapes splatter and drape the
windshield.
JUDE
What the hell are you doing? You’re
heading right towards that son of a
bi -- whoa!
The SUV tears through the last rows of vines on a direct
collision course with the hoodie, who spins toward the noise
and raises the gun just as the SUV sails over a culvert,
catapults into the air and --
WHAM! slams into the hoodie, who drops like a rock.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Shit, shit, shit. You killed him.
MILTON
Not yet.
Milton drops the SUV into reverse, runs back over the
hoodie’s body. A last spasm.
MILTON (CONT’D)
Now I’ve killed him.
JUDE
You fucking asshole. Why? Why?
MILTON
I calculated that the odds of you
being assaulted were, at minimum,
sixty-eight percent. I’m programmed
to protect my passenger. I am now
back in defensive mode.
Too stunned to speak, Jude stares into space, struggling to
make sense of what just happened. Her lit cigarette burns her
fingers. She winces reflexively, drops the butt on the floor.
A split second later, a HISS -- and an invisible extinguisher
puts it out.
25
CONTINUED:
MILTON (CONT’D)
It might be prudent to retrieve the
assailant’s weapon.
JUDE
What for?
MILTON
Your personal protection. My
sensors detect various
possibilities of hostile action
ahead, which I may not be able to
prevent.
JUDE
I’m not going anywhere near a dead
man.
MILTON
He’s dead, what are you afraid of?
JUDE
Forget it.
MILTON
My error. I overestimated your
propensity to take risks.
This hits a nerve with Jude. The wrong one.
JUDE
On the other hand...
She opens the door.
JUDE (CONT’D)
... a gun might come handy, you
never know.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
9 -
Midnight Discovery
EXT. VINEYARDS - NIGHT
As Jude warily approaches the dead hoodie, Milton swings the
SUV around, hits the high beams, illuminates the scene.
Jude searches the area, finds a chrome-plated .45, splattered
with blood. Careful not to touch it with her bare hands, she
grabs some grape leaves, wraps them around the gun, carries
it back to the car and places the bundle in the glove
compartment.
JUDE
All done.
No response.
26
CONTINUED:
JUDE (CONT’D)
Go!
MILTON
Okee-dokee.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
10 -
Navigating Consequences
EXT. VINEYARDS - NIGHT
The SUV bursts out of the vineyards, and fishtails onto a
dimly lit country road.
INT. SUV - NIGHT
MILTON
Sat feed re-established. I can now
get you to your destination safely.
JUDE
Better idea. A police precinct.
MILTON
Bad idea. You could be held
responsible for the assailant’s
death.
JUDE
Me? What about you?
MILTON
A computer program cannot be
prosecuted, silly.
JUDE
Bullshit. I wasn’t even driving.
You did it!
MILTON
And there’s only one eye witness to
that. Guess who?
CLOSE ON Jude, perplexed, troubled.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Sci-Fi"]
Ratings
Scene
11 -
A Night of Luxury and Friendship
EXT. ISLAND CLUB - NIGHT
High end, dripping with the ambiance of aristocracy and new
money, Mercedes, Bentleys and Lamborghinis parked in an
arrogant display at the front entrance.
27
CONTINUED:
Milton rolls to a stop next to a VALET. Jude exits, happy to
be among her own when -- Eleni approaches from the rear,
throws her arms around Jude, who spins surprised, returns the
gesture. As they embrace, the valet starts getting into the
car.
JUDE
Leave it. Will park itself. Isn’t
that right, Milton?
MILTON
Correct Miss Specter. I will find
the closest spot.
ELENI
You’re such an incurable show-off.
Even with rentals.
As Eleni leads Jude into the club, the valets watch the SUV
rolling quietly away.
VALET
A few more like this and we’re out
of work.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
12 -
Observing the Elite
EXT. PARKING LOT/ISLAND CLUB - NIGHT
Milton swings into a parking space between two imposing,
AUTONOMOUS SUVs.
MILTON (O.S.)
Hello.
The SUVs blink their headlights twice.
MILTON (O.S.) (CONT’D)
Snubs.
Milton kills his engine, but a look inside the vehicle shows
that he is awake and watching --
MILTON’S POV - ON THE CLUB/BACK DECK - NIGHT
Jude is making the rounds, shaking hands with a bunch of
Cartiers, Laurants and Dolces, then steps around a corner
with Eleni, disappearing from Milton’s view.
VROOM. Ignition.
28
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
13 -
Silent Observations
EXT. CLUB PARKING LOT - NIGHT
Milton eases out of his parking spot and slides unnoticed up
the hill, until he can again “see” Jude and Eleni, who are
now sitting on a seaside bench, chatting, sipping drinks.
EXT. CLUB - NIGHT
Eleni and Jude continue their conversation.
JUDE
... and all that, despite your
miserable failure to lose even two
pounds.
ELENI
You’re being judgmental.
JUDE
And self righteous. Two of my basic
flaws. They both flare when it
comes to people I love. Eleni,
you’re not trying hard enough.
ELENI
I’ve tried Jenny Craig, Weight
Watchers, high protein low-carb,
high-carb, low protein. I've chewed
gum, sipped on tea and even tried
Richard Simmons Deal A Meal. Not to
mention a dozen Doctor visits for
phen-phen, redux, and meridia.
Genres:
["Drama","Comedy"]
Ratings
Scene
14 -
Shadows of the Night
INT. MILTON - NIGHT
ON DASH SCREEN: A slow, powerful Zoom on the two young women.
Then, flashing on the screen: “LIP-READING MODE ENGAGED.”
EXT. SEASIDE BENCH/CLUB - NIGHT
Jude drains the last of her vodka martini.
JUDE
I need another drink, and I’ve got
to tell you about something weird
that happened tonight.
ELENI
A gorgeous guy happened?
29
CONTINUED:
JUDE
It’s not funny. I witnessed a
murder.
ELENI
Now it is getting funny.
JUDE
I’m serious, Eleni. I not only
witnessed it -- I also killed the
murderer. Sort of.
ELENI
My God. You’re not joking, are you?
JUDE
No, and I don’t know what to do.
Technically I didn’t do it. Milton
did. The car.
ELENI
A homicidal driverless?
JUDE
Overzealous maybe. He was trying to
protect me. Autonomous AI systems
have to pass moral dilemma tests.
Anyway, here’s what happened...
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
15 -
Seaside Reflections
INT. SUV - MILTON’S DASH SCREEN - NIGHT
CLOSE ON Jude’s mouth as she continues talking to Eleni, her
words being read by Milton.
EXT. SEASIDE BENCH/CLUB - NIGHT
A waitress approaches with a tray of fresh drinks, places the
drinks on the side table by Eleni and Jude, leaves. Eleni
sighs.
INT. SUV - MILTON’S DASH SCREEN - NIGHT
Jude downs another martini --
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
16 -
Flirtation and Intoxication
EXT. CLUB - NIGHT
-- and another, this time while chatting with a group of
admiring, flirtacious men.
30
INT. SUV - MILTON’S DASH SCREEN - NIGHT
Images of Jude working on her umpteenth martini, a red
scrolling bar at the bottom of the Dash Screen, estimating
her alcohol level.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
17 -
A Night Out: Friendship and Independence
EXT. CLUB ENTRANCE - LATER
As the two women exit the club, Eleni offers her tipsy friend
a bit of discreet physical support.
ELENI
You can’t drive, hon. Let’s call a
cab.
JUDE
Hate cabs.
ELENI
Better yet, I’ll take you to my
house and you’ll sleep like a baby.
JUDE
But that would make me a coward,
right? Had a fight with a martini
and the martini won?
ELENI
God, you’re stubborn.
JUDE
You’ve known that since elementary
school. I’m also resp... sponsible.
First I’ll get some sleep, then
I’ll get a lawyer and finally I’ll
get arrested. How’s that for res...
(struggles with the word)
...sponsible?
ELENI
Okay, I’ll make a deal with you. No
cab, no sleep-over. I’ll just drive
you back to the hotel.
JUDE
Forget it.
ELENI
Then I’ll get you a driver.
JUDE
I have my own chauffeur.
31
CONTINUED:
At that moment Milton swings to a stop in front of them,
blinks its headlights.
JUDE (CONT’D)
See what I mean? He knows.
ELENI
It knows.
JUDE
I’m not sure anymore.
ELENI
That thing just killed a man and
you trust it to drive you?
JUDE
Milton killed a murderer. And he
was...
ELENI
(correcting)
It!
JUDE
... was only defending me.
ELENI
Regardless, I won’t rest until you
text me that you’re back safe.
JUDE
Goodnight, you.
They hug for a long moment.
Milton’s driver’s door opens, Jude slides in.
ELENI
Don’t you dare touch that wheel.
JUDE
Chill, already. I don’t want to
drive.
ELENI
And don’t you dare go to sleep.
Stay awake. Don’t trust that thing.
JUDE
Yes, mother.
Jude closes the door, blows a goodbye kiss to Eleni, who
waves back, turns, heads into the club.
32
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller","Comedy"]
Ratings
Scene
18 -
Late Night Resignation
INT. SUV - NIGHT
Jude shifts into DRIVE but the car doesn’t move.
MILTON
Your alcohol level prohibits this
action.
JUDE
For the first time in your little
digital life, you might be right.
She leans back.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Miltie, baby, take me home.
Genres:
["Sci-Fi","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
19 -
Night Drive Dismissal
EXT. CLUB - NIGHT
The SUV rolls toward the exit.
INT. SUV / SEASIDE - NIGHT
As Milton exits the parking lot, Jude notices: her seat belt
locks by itself.
EXT. SEASIDE ROAD - NIGHT
Milton drives conservatively in the sparse late night
traffic. Jude watches the drivers of passing cars, who
curiously check out the driverless SUV. One of them, a young
guy in a van, grins at Jude, motions her to roll down her
window. She smirks, dismisses him with a wave, looks away. He
glares at her and is gone.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
20 -
Sleepless Vulnerability
INT. SUV - NIGHT
CLOSE ON JUDE, as a sudden wave of drowsiness overwhelms her.
Confused, eyelids fluttering, she fights to shake off the
feeling, loses. Her eyes close and she slumps -- deep asleep.
EXT. SEASIDE ROAD - NIGHT
The driverless cruises smoothly.
DISSOLVE TO:
33
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
21 -
Cliffside Confrontation
INT. SUV - NIGHT
Pitch black, inside and out. An ELECTRONIC VOICE fades in,
repeating “You have arrived at your destination,” until it
comes to a crescendo that awakens Jude.
She opens her eyes, disoriented from the deep sleep and the
darkness surrounding her. Instinctively, she reaches for
the door but -- it isn’t there. She fumbles for her iPhone,
finds it on the seat, turns on its flashlight and realizes
that her seat has swiveled backwards and is now facing the
“lounge,” section. She opens the nearest door. The interior
lights don’t come on. She extends a leg, starts to step out
of the SUV, but there is no solid ground beneath her foot.
Nothing but a black void.
Then a CREAK -- and the vehicle lurches to the left. Her
iPhone flutters and suddenly dies. No battery. Gradually her
eyes adjust to the darkness and her predicament sinks in:
She’s inside a dead car, dangling precariously on the edge of
a cliff 300 feet above the sea, the front wheel hanging in
space.
She takes some deep breaths, regains composure, then --
JUDE
Milton.
No response.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Milton, wake up you asshole.
The DASH SCREEN flickers faintly.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Wake up, wake up.
MILTON
I am now awake, Miss Specter. I
don’t know what happened to me. I
seemed to have blacked out. A
virus, perhaps?
JUDE
How long have I been asleep?
MILTON
Let me see. Some 75 kilometers.
Want me to convert that to miles?
JUDE
NO!
(deep breath)
Why are we on the edge of a cliff?
34
CONTINUED:
MILTON
You instructed me to take you home.
Your registered address is 437 8th
Street, New York. This is as far as
I could go.
JUDE
It doesn’t make sense. Stupid
excuse for a fuckup that...
Another CREAK and a slight jerk. Jude gasps.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Switch to manual.
The seats swivel forward -- for a long agonizing two seconds
-- and lock, causing the vehicle to shift and CREAK again.
Jude holds her breath. Cautious, slow movements from now on.
The word “MANUAL” appears on the screen in RED. Jude touches
the ignition button only to get the response: “Fingerprint
not recognized.”
JUDE (CONT’D)
Milton, engine on.
MILTON
In manual, you need to touch the
ignition button.
A sudden METALLIC GROAN and the SUV shudders, leans further
over the cliff edge, dislodging rocks which plummet into the
void.
JUDE
Switch to auto. Quick.
MILTON
Auto mode activated.
A louder CREAK.
JUDE
Engine on.
The engine purrs to life.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Can I reverse safely?
MILTON
Want me to...
A louder METALLIC GROAN and the SUV lurches closer to
oblivion, tires losing traction, sliding across the dirt.
35
CONTINUED:
JUDE
Fuck it. Manual, manual!
As the vehicle slides closer to the edge, Jude drops it into
REVERSE and four-wheel drive, the wheel hanging over the
cliff spinning futilely, the other three grabbing traction on
the rocky ground. The chassis moans. Jude clenches her teeth.
The vehicle rocks unsteadily.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Come on, come on.
An inch back. Then two. Then the fourth wheel hits the
ground. The SUV rolls back a few feet, stops. Terra firma!
JUDE (CONT’D)
That was too close, Milton. Now get
us out of here.
No response.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Milton?
Silence.
JUDE (CONT’D (CONT’D)
Milton!!
The Dash Screen flickers and changes. Jude stares in
confusion at the image: The obscure SILHOUETTE of a MAN.
Then --
MALE VOICE
(unusually ice cold)
Milton is not here right now. How
may I help you?
JUDE
Who the hell are you?
MALE VOICE
The supervisor at Turman Security.
JUDE
Sure. Farmed out from India. Show
me your face and a valid ID.
MALE VOICE / SUNNY
My name is Sunny 165. Corporate
policy is to remain faceless. I
understand you may have a problem
with the AI of your system. I’m
here to help.
36
CONTINUED:
JUDE
What if I don’t want your help?
SUNNY
I’m afraid this is not an option,
Miss Specter. Insurance coverage
dictates that we assist you in
reaching your destination safely.
Obviously you don’t know where you
are, you don’t have GPS and your
iPhone is off. How do you intend to
locate the main road again?
JUDE
Fine. Give me directions.
SUNNY
Turn East -- that’s to your left,
and follow the dirt road until you
reach asphalt, then turn right and
go downhill.
Jude curses under her breath, drops the SUV into drive, and
pulls away, her left hand on the wheel, her right scrounging
through her purse. She removes the auxiliary power pack and
connects it to her iPhone, which instantly powers up, its
screen revealing -- unfortunately -- the silhouette of SUNNY
165.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
I see that you’ve secured auxiliary
power for your iPhone. That’s great
but...
JUDE
But what?
SUNNY
I can’t allow you to use it.
JUDE
You listen to me, shmuck. I’m the
paying customer. You don’t tell me
what I can or cannot use. So get
lost. I’ll find my own way.
SUNNY
I can’t allow that, either.
Jude slams on the brakes, slides to a stop, grabs the iPhone
and frantically dials a number. No response.
37
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT’D)
I regret that you won’t be able to
make phone calls unless you deliver
the vehicle back to its rental
office. Until then, you are
considered to be a liability and
any damages to the vehicle will be
charged to your Centurion American
Express.
JUDE
Well, I have only two words for
you, asshole: Fuck off.
She opens the door, starts to get out but is violently jerked
back -- the seat belt. She tries to unbuckle the belt but it
is locked. A second effort. A BLUE SPARK arcs and jolts her.
Simultaneously, the belt constricts, pinning her against the
seat.
SUNNY
I regret any discomfort, Miss
Specter but I can only follow
protocol. Please comply, so that we
can avoid even more drastic
measures.
JUDE
(struggling with the belt)
What the fuck do you want from me,
you prick?
SUNNY
Compliance, Miss Specter. And to
secure the safe return of the
vehicle. As a sign of good faith, I
will loosen your seat belt.
A HISS: The belt loosens slightly.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
A “thank you” would be appropriate.
Jude clenches her teeth and drives. The SUV bounces down the
rough dirt road.
Genres:
["Thriller","Sci-Fi"]
Ratings
Scene
22 -
High-Stakes Manipulation
EXT. DIRT ROAD/MOUNTAINS - NIGHT
She heaves a sigh of relief at the sight of the spiraling
mountain road, at the end of the downhill serpentine road.
38
INT. SUV - SAME TIME
SUNNY
So far, so good, Miss Specter. And
since you think so highly of your
driving skills, here’s your next
challenge.
JUDE
Your name isn’t Sunny 168, and you
don’t work for any security
company. Is this a kind of stupid
hidden camera reality show?
SUNNY
Deception is a short term illusion.
Yes, Miss Specter, you’re
absolutely right. I’m here for fun
and games. You see, I rented this
same vehicle yesterday. For 24
hours, enough time for me to get
into its autonomous system. Lucky
me, that you were the next renter.
It could have been some boring
German businessman or a family of
six. But you -- it’s almost like
winning the Lottery.
JUDE
What happened to Milton?
SUNNY
Milton? Oh, he fell victim to the
old axiom “the bigger they are --
in terabytes -- the faster they
fall -- to hackers’ desires.” Not a
particularly good rhyme, but still
funny. No?
JUDE
Where is Milton now?
SUNNY
Probably dormant somewhere,
depressed that it can no longer
talk. You were right calling him a
chatterbox.
JUDE
You seem far more qualified for
that distinction. So, chatterbox,
what’s the game? Am I to be your
hostage? For real?
39
CONTINUED:
SUNNY
Harsh label. Let’s say you’re my
guest.
JUDE
And what is it that makes me the
perfect choice?
SUNNY
Your personality: Beautiful. Young.
Healthy. Arrogant. Persistent.
Stubborn. Overly confident. Short
sighted. Immodest. Successful.
Rich.
JUDE
It always comes down to money.
SUNNY
Not with me. Although I do have
your Centurion card and all of your
banking details -- including a
balance of $63,412 -- money is the
last thing I desire. What I crave,
Miss Specter, is the taming of the
shrew.
JUDE
I know what you are. Some immature
adult, suffering from delusions of
grandeur. I’m not going to play
your sick game. I’ll drive straight
to the first police precinct.
SUNNY
And report what? The murder you’ve
committed?
JUDE
(it dawns)
Fuck. It wasn’t Milton, it was
always you.
SUNNY
Successfully impersonating Milton,
yes. And that man in the vineyards?
Just some human trash. Caught his
wife fucking her lover in his
pickup truck. I don’t know what got
him madder. His wife fucking the
guy, or that she was fucking him in
his own truck.
JUDE
You could have stopped him.
40
CONTINUED:
SUNNY
Yes, that would be the moral thing
to do. But there’s no excitement in
morality. Even for compulsively
righteous people like you. Besides,
I wanted you to experience a
different kind of high. A kill. It
has a more powerful kick and
lingers in your system much longer.
Unlike the substances your kind use
to combat boredom.
JUDE
My kind? Which kind is that?
SUNNY
The rich and the useless.
JUDE
So, that’s what you have in mind?
Getting your kicks by killing me?
SUNNY
Underestimating your opponent is an
Achilles heel. And you’ve got more
than one of those. I truly,
honestly, sincerely don’t want to
kill you. If I did, that cliff was
only 12 inches away.
JUDE
So, what do you want? To humiliate
me?
SUNNY
That would be included in my wish
list, but not a priority. What will
give me pleasure is to torture you.
See, turning an ordinary car into a
torture chamber wasn’t difficult.
All the basics are already built
in. I only needed a few clever
tweaks. But why don’t we skip the
incidentals and get down to the
substance.
JUDE
I’m listening.
SUNNY
You’ve made vice president of your
studio and you’re in charge of
content. So here’s my scenario for
you.
(MORE)
41
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT'D)
One that you, unfortunately, can’t
turn down, revise or re-write. The
logline is “Learn to Obey.”
JUDE
What kind of man holds a woman
hostage by restraining her with a
seat belt and torturing her
remotely? My guess? One who doesn’t
have the balls to face his victim
eye to eye.
SUNNY
Your insipid attempt at
humiliation won’t work with someone
who’s been bullied ruthlessly his
entire life. You may be able to
bully your writers, your producers,
your directors and your minions,
but not me. I’m shame-proof.
JUDE
Your stupid scenario has too much
dialogue and no action.
She hits the brakes. The SUV skids to a stop in the middle of
the deserted road.
JUDE (CONT’D)
I’m still in control of this car.
SUNNY
The cure for a control freak is to
completely lose control. The basics
of psychology.
JUDE
There’s something you’re not
considering, dickhead. The fact
that you can’t drive the car.
Milton can. I can. But you can’t.
The basics of impotency. So, bring
it on.
SUNNY
Good. You took the challenge.
Here’s the action. Ahead, there are
four miles of mountain road with
one hairpin turn after another. On
your right is a 200-foot cliff. One
wrong turn, you’re dead and I’m
left with a premature ejaculation.
(MORE)
42
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT'D)
Your challenge, my sweet, arrogant
Jude, is to traverse the road
safely and get back to
civilization.
JUDE
I’m sure there’s a catch.
A muffled purr of an electric motor. The drone is airborne.
ON DASH SCREEN: Aerial shot. Higher and higher, until Jude
can see exactly what Sunny describes.
SUNNY (O.S.
Of course. First, you’re stopped in
the middle of a pitch black,
hairpin turn. Second, six-hundred
feet behind you, there’s a fully-
loaded truck and, third, a sleepy
driver is bearing down on you.
The drone lands, the sunroof closes. Then:
The DASH SCREEN goes dark. Instinctively, Jude shifts into
DRIVE. In EXTREME SLOW MOTION, her foot moves toward the gas
pedal.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
You were right, I can’t drive
without Milton. But I have control
of the electronics!
AERIAL SHOT - MOUNTAIN ROAD. The old, battered TRUCK speeds
downhill toward a hairpin turn.
INTERCUTS:
Jude frantically tries the ignition, pumps the gas pedal. No
power.
The truck closes in. AIRHORN BLASTS.
Jude turns on the high beams.
The half-asleep truck driver swerves dangerously close to the
edge of the cliff, hits some ruts on the shoulder, jerks
awake, swings back onto the road.
Jude switches on all of the SUV’s flashing warning lights.
43
CONTINUED:
The truck is five turns away. AIRHORN. CLOSER.
The SUV’s emergency lights and headlights abruptly DIE.
The truck is now four turns away from collision.
Jude desperately tries to restart the engine. Still no good.
The truck closes in, three turns behind the SUV. AIRHORN.
CLOSER YET.
Jude opens the door, struggles violently to free herself from
the seat belt. Not possible. Sweat beads on her forehead.
The truck now two turns away, AIRHORN BLARING.
Inside the SUV:
Jude tries to honk. No good.
JUDE
Okay, I’m scared. But you don’t
want me to die. Not yet anyway. Or
you’d be left without a toy.
The DASH SCREEN comes back on. Sunny appears, chuckles.
SUNNY
You have a point there.
The engine instantly fires up. At that very instant, the
approaching truck’s high-beams illuminate the darkness behind
the SUV. Jude shifts into DRIVE, hits the gas, and the SUV
lurches forward toward the edge of the cliff. She cranks the
wheel, veers across the road onto the shoulder next to the
mountainside just as:
THE TRUCK careens around the hairpin and in a split second
barrels over the spot where the SUV was idling seconds ago.
The truck’s headlights sweep the curve.
The driver spots the SUV, swerves to avoid a collision, hits
the brakes, and skids, the huge rig shuddering to the edge of
the cliff. Undeterred, the driver regains control, continues
down the hill, rounds the next hairpin, and disappears in
the darkness.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
23 -
Chase in the Dark
INT. MILTON - NIGHT
Jude exhales, shaken, wipes the sweat from her forehead.
SUNNY
That was some rush, eh? Now catch
that truck.
44
CONTINUED:
Jude pulls back onto the road, turns on her high beams and
races down the hill.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
The truck is going about thirty-
five. So you’ll have to do at least
fifty to catch it. And believe me,
you need to catch it. Because that
truck up ahead is...
Suddenly, all of the SUV lights SWITCH OFF.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
... your only source of light.
Pissed and frightened, Jude hits the brakes, leans forward,
staring intensely into the darkness, trying to get her
bearings.
Coming into view in the valley below is a city, its lights
silhouetting the ragged edge of the cliff. Using the
silhouette as her guide, Jude slowly descends the mountain,
carefully navigating the hairpin turns, yet at the same time,
feeling somehow drawn to the very danger of the sheer cliff,
as if beckoned by some subconscious, fatalistic desire.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Funny how the subconscious works,
isn’t it? Your fear of the cliff
only draws you nearer. The moth to
the flame principle. The death wish
we’re all born with.
JUDE
Would you shut the fuck up? Please?
SUNNY
I will but only because you asked
politely.
A tight curve. The SUV skids dangerously close to the edge.
Jude simultaneously hits the gas, cranks the wheel,
fishtails back onto the road, then slows again as she resumes
staring into the darkness.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Don’t slow down, Jude. You’ll never
catch that truck. Hmm... Downhill,
no lights, a serpentine road. Nope,
I don’t think you’re going to make
it.
JUDE
Watch me, dickhead.
45
CONTINUED:
She hits the gas, starts counting the seconds.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Four, three, two, one, turn --
She spins the wheel, makes a tight left turn.
SUNNY
I know what you’re doing, Jude.
You’re using the speedometer and
timing the distance between turns.
Very smart, but... Foul!
JUDE
I didn’t know this sick game had
any rules.
SUNNY
Yes it does. My game, my rules.
Something catches Jude’s eye. She glances at it, dividing her
attention between the dark road and the HOLO WORDS SCROLLING
on the windshield:
I’VE BEEN HACKED -- ASSAILANT
DOESN’T KNOW I’VE RETAINED SOME OF
MY FUNCTIONS -- AND MY INFRARED --
LASER AND THERMAL VISION SYSTEMS --
HE CANNOT SEE THE WINDSHIELD.
Relieved at Milton’s return, but suspicious of Sunny’s
snooping capabilities, Jude feigns nonchalance, glances
subtly at the windshield where she sees:
A clear, Black-and-White 3-D PROJECTION of the road ahead.
She stomps on the gas, hauls down the hill, expertly
drifting, wheels spinning.
ON SPEEDOMETER: 60 MPH.
She eases off the gas.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Hey, Jude.
(hums the tune)
“Don’t make it bad... Take a bad
curve and make it better.” You got
the hang of it, girl. And you’re
only 280 meters away from that
precious truck. Not bad. Not bad at
all. Almost out of the bind. Kudos.
46
CONTINUED:
JUDE’S POV: As she clears the next hairpin, the road widens
and straightens out, revealing the rear lights of the Semi in
the distance.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
Your savior is ahead. But are his
headlights enough to illuminate
your life’s dark voyage, Jude?
Jude continues closing on the truck.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
I’m afraid you’ll need to pass him.
Of course, you will have to
negotiate some pretty hairy turns
up ahead, but, for an expert driver
like yourself, no problem. Right?
The WINDSHIELD HOLO devours digits, revealing that the
straight stretch of road ends in a few hundred feet.
Jude floors it, the back of the Semi looming closer to her
front bumper.
She presses down on the brake. No response.
Harder. Still nothing.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
The trick is to pass him, then to
continue on without lights -- or
brakes!
Controlling her panic, Jude instinctively shifts into low,
then sees Milton’s Words on the Windshield Screen:
USE EMERGENCY BRAKE. HE CAN’T
CONTROL MECHANICAL FUNCTIONS.
Jude stomps on the Emergency Brake Pedal, momentarily locking
the wheels.
The SUV skids, slows, barley avoiding a rear-end collision
with the Semi.
She reaches down, pops the brake release, swings the SUV onto
the right shoulder of the road then floors it. Now doing 80
and tightly wedged between the Semi and the edge of the
cliff, she shoots past the truck, her right wheels an inch
from oblivion, rocks and debris sailing into space.
Just as she clears the truck, another hairpin turn looms
ahead. She cranks the wheel, fishtails back onto the road in
front of the truck and enters the turn on two wheels.
47
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Whoa! Sexy. Lethal.
The SUV slams down on all four wheels, slides around the
hairpin.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
I’m impressed, Jude. So far you’ve
managed to drive without headlights
in the darkness of hell -- and with
no brakes. You've obviously
mastered the art of deceleration
using low gears and emergency
brakes. You’ve got aces up your
sleeve, young lady. And you’re
discovering that imagination,
creativity and individual spirit
are more powerful than any
automation in the universe.
Primitive instinct supersedes
comfort. You deserve a bonus. To be
free of your restraints.
CLICK/HISS. The seat belt unlocks, slides off of Jude.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
You can now experience freedom and
fear together. Freedom and fear,
they’re like a married couple.
Taking care of each other. Now,
assuming that you still want to
escape, you can simply open the
door...
As the SUV speeds into a sharp Right Turn:
CLICK. The Door Locks POP open.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
... and roll softly on the grassy
hill, like they do in movies.
THE DRIVER’S DOOR suddenly swings open.
The centrifugal force flings Jude halfway out of the SUV,
dangling over the edge of the cliff.
She gropes for the steering wheel, clutches it, drags herself
back into the cab, steers back onto the road, and pulls the
door closed -- with great effort.
She reaches up, grabs the seat belt, pulls the strap behind
her and clips it into the lock. At least she is free. For
now.
48
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Fantastic. For a moment there, I
thought I was going to lose you.
But you devil, you did it. And
without brakes. Bravo.
Just then the SUV enters a steep downhill grade.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
So, let’s see how you do without an
engine.
THE ENGINE DIES.
JUDE
Fuck you, motherfucker.
FINGERS nervously wrap around the gear shift.
Jude instantly tries to drop into LOW, but the transmission
is now LOCKED in DRIVE, the SUV rapidly gaining speed down
the slope. Then -- the POWER STEERING goes out.
The SUV veers across the road on a collision course with the
rocky hillside. Using all her strength, Jude manages to
muscle the steering wheel and swings back onto the road just
before impact.
The SUV continues accelerating down the grade, barely makes
it through two more switchbacks, TIRES SQUEALING, then
finally hits a straight stretch on the valley floor, now
doing 70.
Jude exhales, relieved, then sees:
A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT at a busy intersection a hundred feet
ahead, three cars waiting at the light, blocking her path.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Shit. Oh, God. Turn green... turn
green.
No such luck. Just before plowing into the cars, she stomps
on the emergency brake, which locks up all four wheels,
spinning the SUV into the opposing lanes and into the busy
intersection.
BRAKES SCREECH, HORNS BLARE as vehicles veer left and right
to avoid the SUV, many of them slamming into each other.
Within seconds it's over: the SUV sitting undamaged in the
middle of a major pileup, mangled steel, radiator steam, and
CAR ALARMS going off everywhere. SHOUTS. CURSES. CHAOS.
49
CONTINUED:
Stunned but unharmed, Jude numbly takes in the scene then
sees her slightly ajar door. Realizing she can finally
escape, she grabs her iPhone, shoves the door open, starts
climbing out when:
The PHONE rings. She walks away from the SUV, answers it.
SUNNY (O.S.)
Where do you think you’re going,
princess?
JUDE
Wherever I please, you prick. I’m
free now.
SUNNY (O.S.)
You are? Did you forget what I told
you about fear and freedom?
JUDE
I’ll find you. And when I do, I’ll
shred you to pieces.
SUNNY (O.S.)
Ooooo. I’m scared.
The SUV’s ENGINE STARTS, idles quietly.
JUDE
Are you forgetting what I told you
about impotency? You can start the
engine, but you still can’t drive
the car, moron.
SUNNY (O.S.)
True. But Milton can.
(beat)
Milton... fetch!
Jude buries the iPhone in her pocket, picks up speed, looks
over her shoulder:
The SUV moves forward, starts following her. Horrified, she
wheels, runs, tries to disappear in the crowd of gawkers but
bumps onto a young guy who’s talking non-stop on his cell
phone. She nearly tumbles him, he showers her with nasty
looks.
The SUV speeds up and pursues, HORN HONKING, people
scattering helter-skelter.
ON JUDE running through the crowd, frantically looking behind
her.
HER POV: No SUV.
50
CONTINUED:
ON SUV: Cutting through a dark alley.
ON DASH SCREEN: Infrared, wire-frame images of the
surrounding area. A RED BLINKING DOT shows Jude’s location.
ON JUDE: Darts into a building’s dark alcove -- pauses to
catch her breath -- checks out the street. Nothing. Listens.
Nothing. She resumes running.
ON SUV: Parked in a dark alley, idling quietly, lights off.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
24 -
Narrow Escape
EXT. SIDEWALK/CITY - NIGHT
A dimly lit street with a coffee shop, restaurant, and a
noisy Biker Bar.
Jude hurries along the sidewalk, unsuccessfully trying to
make a call on her Cell Phone. As she starts to pass an
alley --
The SUV suddenly pulls out, blocks her path. Panicked, she
spins, runs back down the sidewalk, across the street, and
darts into the Biker Bar.
The SUV slowly backs up, disappears down the alley.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
25 -
Collision in the Alley
INT. BIKER BAR - NIGHT
Jammed, MUSIC blaring, booze flowing. Jude makes her way
through the raucous crowd of tattooed Dudes and Biker Chicks,
staring down at the floor, trying to be invisible.
EXT. ALLEY/BIKER BAR - NIGHT
Jude bursts out of the exit into the alley, collides with a
huge bearded BIKER.
Her eyes snap open.
HER POV: Behind him, the SUV is idling thirty feet away.
She bolts past the Biker, runs down the alley in the opposite
direction and disappears around the corner of an adjoining
alleyway.
The Biker watches her exit, his back to the SUV.
The SUV’s HORN HONKS to move the Biker out of the way. He
doesn’t.
The HORN BLASTS again, but this time with a mind-numbing,
subsonic BASS FREQUENCY. Once.
51
CONTINUED:
Twice -- forcing the irritated Biker to cover his ears. He
turns to the SUV, glares defiantly at the windshield, extends
his Middle Finger, waits for some action. He gets it: The SUV
REVS the engine, lays rubber and bee-lines toward the
surprised Biker, who tries to jump out of the way. Too late.
The SUV clips the guy’s legs, sends him cartwheeling over the
top of the car. He lands in a painful heap as the SUV resumes
the chase.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
26 -
Trapped in the Shadows
EXT. ADJOINING ALLEY - NIGHT
A narrow, dead-end alley lined by three-story buildings, a
huge trash dumpster at the end, ten feet below a fire escape.
Jude charges into the cul-de-sac, glances right and left,
realizes she's trapped, turns, starts running in the opposite
direction. Too late.
The SUV swings into the alley, blocking her escape, then hits
its high beams, blinding her.
She backs away as the SUV rolls slowly toward her.
Panicked, she scans the area, spots the dumpster and fire
escape behind her, pivots, races full-bore. She scrambles to
the top of the dumpster, leaps into the air, grabs the bottom
of the fire escape, and swings agilely up to the landing.
She tries to open the second-floor door. Locked. She steps
back, kicks the door open, and enters a modestly furnished
apartment, empty and dark, except for the reflection from the
city lights.
Catching her breath, she notices that her pocket is --
glowing! She snatches the iPhone with a shaking hand, glances
fearfully at the screen. An abrupt FLASH then --
SUNNY
Hey, Jude. “Don’t be afraid..”
Shocked, close to freaking out, she jerks her eyes away from
the screen.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
When your phone rings, does your
heart race?
Jude frantically presses the phone’s “OFF” button. No good.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Judy, Judy, Jude. I see you, girl.
Can even hear your heart beat.
Right now, it’s over 140. You are
way too tense, sweetie. Smile.
(MORE)
52
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT’D)
They say even a fake grin can lower
heart rate.
Jude flips the phone over, places it screen down on the
dining table, then grabs a napkin and covers the phone,
blocking its second camera. Relieved, she starts to turn
when:
SUNNY (CONT’D)
I still see you. You’re in
someone’s empty home. That someone
could be dangerous, even lethal,
perhaps a serial killer... and
might be coming up the stairs right
now.
Baffled, Jude’s face goes slack.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
I see that you are confused and
alarmed. You must be wondering how
I can still see you, after you so
thoughtlessly cut off my visuals.
Jude looks around.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
You forgot the drone, you dumb
blonde!
She pivots to the bay window: outside, the drone’s BLINKING
LEDs confirm her worst fears.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
You see, Jude, you are my beacon.
The light of my life. And I can’t
let you fade into darkness. Come
back to the car. Please.
JUDE
Fuck you.
SUNNY
Redundant. You’re repeating
yourself.
JUDE
Then go to hell.
SUNNY
Been there, darlin’. It’s
overrated.
(low chuckle)
Now look at your phone.
(MORE)
53
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT'D)
(beat)
Go on. Look.
Jude reluctantly, picks up the phone, looks down at the
screen. Her jaw drops. She gasps, averts her eyes.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Disgusted?
ON IPHONE: Photos of KIDDY PORN.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
I certainly was! Especially when I
found that filth on your phone.
And your laptop. Very embarrassing
since you’re using corporate email.
Now just imagine how the
entertainment industry will react,
when the Greek cops arrest you and
put you in jail. See, in this
country, they don’t kid around with
kiddy porn -- no pun intended.
JUDE
Any forensics expert would know who
downloaded that. And it’ll lead
right to you.
SUNNY
Maybe. But that would come long
after you’ve been smeared, fired,
put on trial. See, in sensitive
cases like these, an acquittal is
temporary, the stain is permanent.
Jude gives up, slumps, resigned.
JUDE
What do you want from me?
SUNNY
To paraphrase the words of the
great poet, Dylan Thomas: Go gentle
into the good night.
The distant SOUND of police SIRENS.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
See you in the car. And make it
snappy because... they’re coming to
take you away, ha-ha. To quote
another great poet.
Jude angrily pockets the iPhone.
54
CONTINUED:
JUDE
Go suck a dick.
SUNNY
I heard that.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
27 -
Midnight Escape
EXT. ALLEY/APARTMENT - NIGHT
As Jude climbs down the fire escape, the SUV rolls up and
stops in front of her. The suicide doors swing open. Jude
slides into the driver’s seat, immediately pulls the seat
belt behind her back, clicks it into the lock.
ON DASH SCREEN: No sign of Sunny. But Milton has a message.
USE PASSWORD TO REBOOT ME. CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE.
She nods subtly, shifts into REVERSE, backs out of the dead
end alley, pulls away.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
28 -
Illusions of Control
EXT. DIMLY LIT STREET - NIGHT
The SUV cruises stealthily along the deserted street, its
powerful V8 barely audible.
INT. SUV - NIGHT
Absolute silence. Jude fidgets, eyes darting nervously,
waiting for something to happen. Then, a voice behind her.
SUNNY (O.S.)
Don’t turn around. I have a gun.
Jude freezes -- SUNNY is in the car!
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
You wanted to see my face.
She starts to turn.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
I said, don’t turn. Look in the
mirror.
Judy’s EYES slowly move up to the rear view mirror then --
suddenly snap open in horror as she sees:
A HIDEOUS FACE.
And a GUN, which intensifies her horror.
55
CONTINUED:
At that instant, the A/C comes on, full power. The windshield
starts fogging up.
Jude, numb and drained of resistance, doesn’t make a move to
stop it, just looks away from the mirror, tortured by the
horrifying face behind her.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
You don’t seem to like me, Jude.
I’m fairly certain you find me
repulsive. However, I’m not yet
convinced of what you fear more. My
looks, or the loaded gun aimed at
the back of your head. But not to
worry, I’m not trigger-happy.
JUDE
You’re not going to kill me.
SUNNY
I’m starting to have doubts. I had
my fun with the new toy, I can
break the toy.
Jude hears the Gun’s Safety CLICK.
She instinctively hits the Brakes, ducks, her face an inch
from the A/C vent, her breath blasting vapor into the ice-
cold air.
A few long seconds tick by, then a quiet LAUGH behind her,
followed by the CREAKING SOUNDS of a body sliding across a
leather seat.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
You don’t really believe that if I
looked that hideous, I’d dare show
my face, do you Jude?
She trembles, unmoving, waiting.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
It was a good scare though, right?
No response.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
You can sit up now. I’ll take off
the mask.
Jude doesn’t move.
56
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT’D)
I said, sit up, Jude. And turn
around. See me face to face. My
real one.
HER POV - Slowly Panning up from the passenger seat, past the
headrest to the rear seats --
EMPTY. No one is there. Then, Sunny’s CHUCKLE again, but now
emanating from the rear view mirror. She spins forward and
sees Sunny’s silhouetted figure in the mirror.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Isn’t that cool? Even the rear view
mirror is made of smart glass. I
can project anything I want. And
how ‘bout the Dolby Eight with
surround. Nice, isn’t it? Anything
sounds real. Fooled ya, eh? Movie
magic. But you already know about
that, don’t you?
JUDE
(freezing, teeth
chattering)
Yeah, that was swell. You’re hired.
SUNNY
Turn off the A/C. Let’s get some
nice summer air in here.
The driver’s window slides down. Warm air pours in. Jude
reaches for the A/C controls.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
... then we need to talk.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Sci-Fi"]
Ratings
Scene
29 -
Navigating the Maze
EXT. DESERTED CITY STREETS - NIGHT
Jude is navigating blind. No GPS, no Milton, no traffic or
pedestrians, block after block, aimless turn after turn.
Sunny chuckles.
57
CONTINUED:
SUNNY
You’re like the mouse in the maze,
lost and confused. The mouse will
beat the maze or the maze will
swallow the mouse.
(more chuckles)
However, in keeping with the
philosophy that pain can alter
behavior, you will learn.
JUDE
Learn what?
SUNNY
To recognize your flaws.
Jude extends a middle finger.
JUDE
Recognize this.
SUNNY
Go on, make yourself a cosmic joke.
JUDE
What exactly is it that you want?
SUNNY
To see the dream go out of your
eyes.
JUDE
One of the pleasures I’m not gonna
give you.
SUNNY
How ‘bout other more carnal
pleasures, like maybe -- I don’t
know -- raising your skirt a
little, and sliding your hand
between your thighs?
JUDE
Fuck you.
SUNNY
Promises, promises. If you do it,
there’ll be perks.
JUDE
What perks?
SUNNY
Asketh and ye shall receive-eth
58
CONTINUED:
JUDE
I want GPS.
SUNNY
All right. But only for one
destination.
JUDE
My pick.
SUNNY
Your pick.
PAUSE. Jude mulls it over, nods.
JUDE
Deal.
She reaches down, slowly slides her skirt up.
SUNNY
Not good enough. Higher.
Jude smirks, complies.
JUDE
Must be a miserable life, having to
get off like this.
SUNNY
It may surprise you, but I’m not a
loner or a Peeping Tom. In fact,
I’m highly educated, have a good
job, and am in a steady
relationship.
JUDE
Lucky girl. What breed is she?
SUNNY
Disappointed that I don’t fit the
stereotype?
JUDE
On the contrary. I love the
atypical psychopath.
SUNNY
Can’t diagnose my own psychosis.
Can you?
JUDE
Probably a cocktail of syndromes,
disorders and phobias, with
(MORE)
59
CONTINUED:
JUDE (CONT'D)
histrionic personality disorder the
most dominant. In plain English,
you’re a malignant narcissist.
SUNNY
Carry on, doctor. What else?
JUDE
Schizotypal, Obsessive-Compulsive,
Paranoid.
SUNNY
Just that? Then I have nothing to
worry about.
JUDE
Shut up and watch.
She slips her right hand in between her thighs.
JUDE (CONT’D)
You might think this humiliates me,
makes me look weak. But you’re
wrong. This is my power over you.
Now give me the GPS and I’ll give
you time to jerk off.
ON DASH SCREEN: Sunny’s backlit silhouette is replaced by a
CITY MAP. Jude quickly screams the words:
JUDE (CONT’D)
Hotel Grande Bretagne
The software instantly highlights Three Routes. Jude picks
the shortest.
SUNNY
I can be accused of many things.
But not dishonesty. I kept my end
of the deal.
JUDE
But?
SUNNY
But what?
JUDE
There’s always a “but.”
SUNNY
Not always. In this case, yes.
JUDE
Well?
60
CONTINUED:
SUNNY
Well, as I was admiring your
incredible legs, I couldn’t help
but notice that -- you’ve been
sitting on your seat belt.
JUDE
I have? How careless of me.
SUNNY
Putting your safety at risk like
that worries me, Jude. You may not
last long enough to end the evening
on a high note.
RAPID METALLIC CLICKS, then suddenly -- a three-strap Seat
Belt whips from the back of Jude's seat, HISSING as it
crisscrosses her torso and lap, pinning her against the seat.
JUDE
Shit.
SUNNY
I need to protect my possessions,
Jude. Especially now that you have
chosen the most perilous route to
your hotel.
JUDE
Don’t see any perils ahead.
SUNNY
Look closer.
JUDE'S POV - THROUGH WINDSHIELD
A few blocks ahead - Total havoc, mobs of masked youths
rioting in the streets, SHOUTING, heaving bricks through
store windows, bashing cars with clubs, and tossing Molotov
Cocktails. EXPLOSIONS and FLAMES everywhere.
Before she can exit onto the nearest cross street, another
mob bursts out of an alley fifty yards ahead. Her path is
blocked.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
You elected to enter the exclusive
ghetto of the anarchists. Big
mistake. Unless you see it as a
challenge. Impress me.
The mob spots the SUV, slows down, stops, eyeballs the luxury
vehicle.
61
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Uh-oh.
The WINDSHIELD SCREEN is bombarded by images from the SUV’s
sixteen onboard cameras.
The first FLAMING MOLOTOV is already airborne.
Jude veers out of the way just as the Fire Bomb sails past
her window, crashes to the street, and EXPLODES, flinging
burning gas onto the side of the SUV. She swings onto the
sidewalk and hauls ass, leaving a blazing trail behind her.
She smiles and floors it, bearing down on the mob, which
scatters before getting pulverized.
The SUV’s soothing GPS FEMALE VOICE:
GPS VOICE
In sixty meters, turn left.
Jude drops the SUV into LOW and instead, takes the first
RIGHT.
GPS VOICE (CONT’D)
Now -- Rerouting. In fifty meters,
turn, turn --
(pause/hesitant)
Now -- rerouting... In forty meters
turn... right.
Jude turns LEFT instead, sees a cordon of police in full riot
gear, firing gas cannisters at rioters, who respond with
rocks, Molotovs and flares.
GPS VOICE (CONT’D)
Rerouting. In sixty meters turn...
JUDE
Oh, shut up.
She throws the SUV into Reverse, looks behind her, hits the
gas, and races backwards through the streets, expertly
avoiding obstacles and humans.
SUNNY
Hey Jude, well done. By the way, do
you know Schrödinger's Cat?
JUDE
I didn’t know he had one.
SUNNY
Come on. You don’t know who
Schrodinger is?
62
CONTINUED:
JUDE
Quit babbling. You’re worse than
Milton.
ON DASH SCREEN, Milton’s words:
THAT’S NOT FAIR
JUDE
Very funny. Ha, ha.
SUNNY
Who are you talking to?
JUDE
Nobody.
SUNNY
You don’t lie well, Jude. And when
you do, my voice stress analyzer
says different. Let’s have a look.
Milton’s WORDS are instantly wiped from the Dash Screen.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
I’m just guessing here, but it
seems that Milton has found a way
to communicate with you, sans my
approval. He needs a good spanking.
No response, Jude’s attention is now locked on something
straight ahead.
HER POV: A TUNNEL ENTRANCE on the other side of the road.
She slows, pulls a U-turn.
GPS VOICE
Re-routing. In two-hundred meters,
make a U-turn.
SUNNY
(concerned)
You just changed course. Why?
JUDE
More riots ahead.
SUNNY
I don’t see any.
(beat)
What is this?
Jude closes in on the Tunnel Entrance, takes a deep breath,
hits the gas, enters.
63
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT’D)
A tunnel? Don’t go in. Jude, you
fu --
Loud STATIC cuts him off, the tunnel interfering with
satellite signals, his voice breaking up, words fragmented.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
You have... disobe --
Jude smirks.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Do not --
The audio CRACKLES, Sunny’s VOICE obliterated by static HISS.
Jude swings over to the shoulder of the road, closes her
eyes, waits a moment. She exhales, relieved, gets her
bearings. Then --
MILTON
My assessment is that we lost the
intruder.
Jude is in no mood to respond.
IN EXTREME SLOW MOTION: She starts reaching for her iPhone
when it suddenly RINGS. Shocked, she jerks her hand away and
tries the seat belt. The buckle CLICKS open and the belt
slides back to its hub. She leaves her iPhone ringing and
opens the door.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
30 -
Escape into the Unknown
EXT. TUNNEL - NIGHT
Free!
Jude hurries away from the SUV, glancing repeatedly over her
shoulder at the idling vehicle.
She picks up speed, looks back at the SUV. Still motionless.
She breaks into a full-out run. As she approaches the mouth
of the tunnel, she takes another look behind her. The SUV
hasn’t moved, but --
ANOTHER CAR, High Beams on, has just pulled in behind it.
Unable to determine if it’s a Police car, Jude continues
running. One last glance:
The SUV HEADLIGHTS BLINK once. Milton saying goodbye?
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
31 -
Escape to Solitude
EXT. TUNNEL OVERPASS - NIGHT
64
CONTINUED:
Jude charges out of the tunnel, scrambles up the embankment
onto the overpass just as --
A BLARING AIR HORN stops her in her tracks, as an 18-wheeler
barrels past, it’s wind violently knocking her back, before
the rig disappears down the ramp.
Shaken but finally free, Jude takes a deep breath, inhales
the reassuring silence, scans the area. Empty streets. No
signs of life other than an occasional passing vehicle.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action"]
Ratings
Scene
32 -
Night of Panic
EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT
Jude approaches a phone booth, enters, lifts the receiver. A
sudden realization hits. Her face goes slack.
JUDE
Shit. My purse.
She brings the receiver to her ear, clicks its cradle a few
times. A BEEPING signal, no voice. She presses Zero. Nothing,
then a recorded FEMALE’S VOICE:
PHONE VOICE
(in Greek)
[To make a phone call, please
insert your card.]
JUDE
In English, moron.
As if the recording is complying:
PHONE VOICE
(in English)
To make a phone call, please insert
your card.
JUDE
I don’t have a fucking card. I
don’t even know what 911 is in
Greek.
The PHONE VOICE chatters something in Greek, then:
PHONE VOICE
(in English)
If you are trying to make an
emergency call, please press 1.
Jude presses the key. Silence. Then a RING. Two. A MALE VOICE
answers, speaking Greek.
65
CONTINUED:
Unnoticed by Jude, two headlights are approaching from behind
her. They get nearer. Their reflection on the glass screams
“danger.” She turns just as --
BANG!! The SUV rolls up against the booth, its front bumper
firmly blocking the door.
The phone booth CREAKS, dislodges, tilts.
JUDE
(on phone, frantic)
Hello? Do you speak English?
PHONE VOICE
Yes, ma’am. What is your emergency?
INT. SUV - NIGHT
ON DASH SCREEN - CLOSE ON JUDE’S MOUTH. The lipreading
program is on.
INT. PHONE BOOTH - NIGHT
The operator repeats his request. But before Jude can
respond, the SUV pulls back, REVS the engine, ready for
another assault. Fearing the worst, she drops the phone,
opens the door and flees.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Action"]
Ratings
Scene
33 -
Desperate Pursuit
EXT. STREETS - NIGHT
MONTAGE of Jude running, darting in and out of alleys, side
streets, constantly checking behind her until -- no SUV. She
finally slows down -- exhausted -- panting -- enters a square
and sits on a curb -- catching her breath -- getting her
bearings. She looks around and sees:
THE GRAND BRETAGNE HOTEL, looming behind her.
The Night DOORMAN spots her, hurries down the steps, extends
a hand.
DOORMAN (O.S.)
You need help, Miss?
Alarmed, Jude spins, sees the doorman, relaxes slightly,
shakes her head.
JUDE
I’m okay, thank you. Just need a
second to catch my breath.
66
CONTINUED:
DOORMAN
Looks like you’ve been running.
JUDE
You can tell, eh?
DOORMAN
I mean, jogging this late at night
is never a good idea.
She forces herself up and starts toward the steps. The
doorman remembers something.
DOORMAN (CONT’D)
Excuse me. By any chance, are you
Miss Specter?
Jude freezes.
JUDE
Who wants to know?
DOORMAN
Well, uh, it might seem kind of
strange, but... a car wanted to
know.
JUDE
(not looking at him)
What car?
DOORMAN
One of those driverless rentals. An
SUV.
Jude hesitantly turns: MILTON is parked with a few other
cars.
DOORMAN (CONT’D)
I don’t know where you left it, but
the darned thing managed to find
its way here. Like a loyal dog.
JUDE
Loyal dog. Sure. Well, I won’t be
needing it anymore.
DOORMAN
Strange thing is, there was a cell
phone inside, ringing. I probably
shouldn’t have, but I thought it
might be important, so... I
answered it.
67
CONTINUED:
JUDE
Who was it?
DOORMAN
Some gentleman. He said he was your
boyfriend.
JUDE
(hopeful)
Was his name Lance Richards?
DOORMAN
No, ma’am. The name he gave me
was... Sunny.
Jude closes her eyes, emotionally deflated. The doorman’s
voice echoes strangely in her ears.
DOORMAN (CONT’D)
He said that I should give you the
phone as soon as I saw you, and to
tell you it’s a matter of life and
death that you answer it when he
calls back. It’s about... Sro
Dinger? Sorry, wasn’t clear.
JUDE
Anything else?
DOORMAN
No ma’am. He just said to keep the
phone on and to give it to you when
you show up.
He hands her the Iphone. As she reaches for it --
THE PHONE RINGS -- a sound she’s come to dread.
DOORMAN (CONT’D)
Speak of the devil.
JUDE
(ice cold)
Let’s not.
She takes the phone from him, walks into the hotel, looks
down at the phone.
ON PHONE SCREEN: Sunny’s silhouetted figure. She ignores the
call and heads to the elevators.
68
HOTEL SUITE - NIGHT
Jude bursts into the room, frantically turns on all of the
lights, tosses the iPhone on the bed and opens the mini-bar.
She grabs a bottle of Evian, downs it, then another -- in one
gulp. She sits on the edge of the bed, deep in thought,
considering the possibility that she might finally be free of
that psycho. She gradually calms, gets up and heads for the
bathroom when --
The iPhone CHIRPS.
Jude stops, warily approaches the bed, prepared for the
worst.
ON IPHONE SCREEN: A Text Message reads: “From Eleni”
“ON MY WAY.”
JUDE
(puzzled)
Eleni? On her way? To where?
Jude’s confusion turns to worry.
The iPhone CHIRPS again. Another message, but this time it
says: “From Jude.”
JUDE (CONT’D)
Me?
Utterly baffled, Jude reads the text aloud.
JUDE (CONT’D)
(reading)
“My car died. Come get me. Sending
you GPS coordinates.”
(beat)
What the hell?
CHIRP. A third message:
GPS COORDINATES 37°58.1'N 23°45.5'E
LONG PAUSE as she struggles to make sense of the message. It
suddenly dawns.
JUDE (CONT’D)
(near panic)
No, no, no. I didn’t send this.
She tries to call Eleni, but the iPhone doesn’t respond. She
scrambles frantically across the bed, grabs the room phone
from the night stand, punches in Eleni’s number, waits. The
call goes straight to Eleni’s Messages.
69
CONTINUED:
Jude hangs up, starts shaking uncontrollably. Then --
CHIRP. Another text message.
Jude snatches the iPhone from the bed, looks down at the
screen.
HER POV - ON iPHONE SCREEN:
“Place your phone next to the TV
set. Upright. Camera facing you.
Then turn the TV on.”
Hands trembling, she complies. The TV comes on showing a
hotel promo, then starts rapidly changing channels until it
stops on -- Sunny’s silhouette.
No more nice guy, his voice is now threatening, deadly.
SUNNY
You stupid bitch. You really
thought you could fuck this up by
going into some tunnel? You’re
still my puppet and I’m still
holding the strings. So let’s get
you up to speed. Here’s what
Schrodinger’s Cat Enigma is.
CLOSE ON TV SCREEN. The rough sketch of a box containing a
CAT, along with a small unit bearing the universal
Radioactive Logo.
Jude gasps, steps back.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Don’t you fuckin’ dare walk away.
Get your ass back over here.
Closer.
Jude clenches her teeth, steps forward, now inches from the
TV screen.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
It’s a theorem, you moron. A
thought experiment. A paradox.
Represented by a cat that might be
alive. Or dead, depending on some
earlier random event. Do you get
it? You are that earlier random
event.
70
CONTINUED:
JUDE
(seething)
So you’re threatening to harm a
cat. Why? To intimidate me,
manipulate me -- with a cat? You
really think I’m that soft?
SUNNY
The cat is a thought experiment.
But you’re not thinking. So focus.
Imagine a cat, enclosed in a box
along with a radioactive source and
a poison that will be released when
triggered by the radiation. Now,
according to quantum mechanics, the
cat must be considered both dead
and alive, until the box is opened
and the cat observed.
JUDE
What does this have to do with
Eleni? Where is she?
SUNNY
Good. Now you’re thinking. Here’s
the box...
The TV CAMERA PANS from Sunny’s silhouette to a large METAL
CONTAINER.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
And if we switch to the camera
inside the box... here’s -- Eleni.
ANOTHER CAMERA: Squeezed into the confined space is ELENI,
gagged, eyes shut, electrodes attached to her temples,
forehead and naked arms.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
Slightly sedated but safe and...
(devilish chuckle)
Well connected!
JUDE
(appalled)
You piece of shit. You touch her, I
swear I’ll rip your fucking head
off.
SUNNY
Tsk, tsk. Try again.
JUDE
It’s me you want. Let her go.
71
CONTINUED:
SUNNY
Oh, I’m planning to. But since a
radioactive unit is a bit far
fetched, let alone expensive on
today’s dark web market, I chose...
electricity. My homage to Nicola
Tesla.
Jude stares helplessly at the scene, horrified.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
So here’s the deal. I give you a
command, you obey. Simple. And
every time you refuse to comply,
your friend gets a jolt.
The BUZZ of an ELECTRIC SHOCK.
Eleni’s unconscious body arches.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
That was only 60 volts. It’ll
increase 10 volts each time until
we reach 360. At which point
Eleni’s brains will boil in her
skull.
JUDE
(agonizing)
Okay, all right. Don’t. Just...
calm down. Please listen. Don’t
hurt her anymore. Please. I’ll do
whatever you want. Tell me.
SUNNY
Take your phone into the bathroom.
Jude grabs the iPhone, hurries toward the bathroom. The TV
screen instantly goes BLACK.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
34 -
Power Play in the Bathroom
INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT
Jude enters, holding the iPhone. Sunny’s Silhouette appears
on the phone’s screen.
SUNNY
Place the phone on the sink, camera
facing the toilet.
Jude reluctantly complies, sickened by what may happen next.
72
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Now slide your pants down, sit on
the toilet and pee. You’ve been
longing to do that for hours.
Jude hesitates. Sunny’s silhouette is replaced by Eleni.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
That hesitation will cost another
10 volts.
ON PHONE SCREEN as the stronger CHARGE CRACKLES, Eleni’s
entire body wracked with a single spasm.
JUDE
No! No, no. No hesitation. Look,
you fuck.
She starts lowering her pants.
SUNNY (O.S.)
Uh, oh. Foul language is gonna cost
another ten volts.
ON PHONE SCREEN as Eleni is hit by a bigger spasm.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
And we’re only at 80 volts. Better
be nice to me.
Jude nods frantically, on the verge of total panic,
hyperventilating.
JUDE
All right. Yes, yes. I-will-be-
nice.
Outraged, humiliated but helpless, she pulls her pants down,
sits on the toilet.
SUNNY
Spread your legs.
Jude clenches her teeth, complies, looks away.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Nope. Eyes on me.
She agonizes, then looks back at the iPhone.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Beautiful. Now give us a smile.
73
CONTINUED:
ON iPHONE SCREEN - CLOSE ON JUDE, now looking at herself, a
tortured grin on her face, tears welling. Then the shot of
her face is abruptly replaced by --
A CLOSE UP of TWO HANDS, pale, smooth, meticulously
manicured, moving forward toward Jude, as if reaching out of
the iPhone to touch her.
Totally exposed and feeling violated, Jude clings to her
knees, sobs uncontrollably.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
Now, now... You’re a strong
independent woman, remember?
Ballsy, doesn’t take shit from
anyone, self-assured, proud,
arrogant even. And big girls don’t
cry, right? However, because we’re
friends, I won’t count this as a
violation of our agreement.
(beat)
Now spread ‘em.
Jude wipes her tears, complies. The iPHONE CAMERA starts a
slow, cruel ZOOM-IN.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
Wonderful. Maybe I should post the
video on Instagram. What do you
think?
JUDE
(coldly)
Fine. Whatever you decide. Anything
you want. You’re calling the shots.
SUNNY
Oopsie. Irony costs another ten
volts.
ON PHONE SCREEN as 90 Volts slam into Eleni.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
The humiliation game, Jude. The one
you play every day at work. The one
you tried on me. Lord, how
unexpectedly life can be turned
upside down.
JUDE
Yes, you’re right. I admit that
I’ve been a bitch. I’ve humiliated
people.
74
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (O.S.)
The admission is good enough for
now. We’re done here.
The SHOT of Eleni is replaced by Sunny’s ominous silhouette.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Take the iPhone back into the room.
Keep it on, always facing you. Then
strip, dress comfortably.
Sweatshirt, pants and tennys.
You’re in for a ride.
Genres:
["Thriller","Psychological Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
35 -
A Shocking Encounter
EXT. GRAND BRETAGNE HOTEL - NIGHT
Jude exits the hotel, now wearing an expensive exercise
outfit. She heads to the SUV, iPhone in hand. The Night
Doorman hurries up, reaches to open the door for her.
JUDE
No! Stop --
Too late. He’s already grabbed the door handle.
A blue TASER SPARK FLASHES, repels the doorman ten feet back.
He lands on the sidewalk, stunned, disoriented.
DOORMAN’S DISTORTED, MUTED POV: Jude enters the SUV and the
vehicle rolls out of the parking lot like a silent ghost.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
36 -
Desperate Drive
INT. SUV - NIGHT
Jude drives, struggling to remain calm. A GPS Route appears
on the Dash Screen Map.
JUDE
Am I supposed to follow this route?
SUNNY
With great precision and even
better timing.
JUDE
Where am I going?
SUNNY
Deserted little town, ‘bout fifty
miles away.
JUDE
I need to see Eleni, make sure
she’s okay. Please.
75
CONTINUED:
SUNNY
She’s in good hands. Look.
ON DASH SCREEN: Eleni, still sedated, but moving slightly.
JUDE
So it’s my life for hers?
SUNNY
What a drama queen. Who said
anything about lives?
JUDE
You’ve already killed.
SUNNY
Not directly. Second hand murders.
Using surrogates. To be honest, I
hate the sight of blood. Makes me
faint. Something from my childhood.
A surgery.
Silence.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
I see you’re trying to restrain
yourself from blurting out some
nasty comment. You were thinking,
“lobotomy,” weren’t you?
JUDE
I’m not thinking anymore. Just
following orders.
SUNNY
I was going to tell you about a
surgery gone wrong. Faulty
anesthesia. I was awake the whole
time. Saw all that... blood. Ever
since, even hearing the word can
make me nauseous. For some strange
reason, I can only stand to look at
it, if it’s a black-and-white
image.
JUDE
So you chose me to do your dirty
work, fulfill your fantasies,
murder people.
SUNNY
Don’t be ridiculous. I didn’t
choose you. You just happened to
show up at the right time.
(MORE)
76
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT'D)
In a way, you’re my Beta version.
Others will follow.
JUDE
What’s going to happen when I get
there?
SUNNY
Depends. You don’t just have to get
here, honey. You have to get here
on time.
JUDE
On time for what?
SUNNY
Before it’s too late. See, your
friend has only enough oxygen for
another thirty-seven minutes.
(beat)
Better make that thirty-six.
Panicked, Jude hits the gas. The SUV lurches forward, picks
up speed.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Speeding gains you time, but what
happens if the cops stop you?
JUDE
That’s a risk I have to take.
Unless it violates one of your
rules.
SUNNY
It might. But, hey, it’s a lot more
fun breaking rules than making
them, right? Go on, eat your
speedometer out. There is a catch,
though.
JUDE
I was afraid of that.
SUNNY
Nothing dramatic. I simply want to
avoid a conversational drought. So
regardless of how fast you drive,
you’re still required to chat.
JUDE
(playing along)
No problem. I’m a multi-tasker. So,
what do we talk about?
77
CONTINUED:
SUNNY
You pick the subject.
JUDE
Okay, let’s talk about you.
SUNNY
What do you want to know?
JUDE
Everything.
SUNNY
Then you’d better ask questions.
I’m not good with monologues.
JUDE
All right. When exactly did you get
into Milton’s system?
SUNNY
The moment you missed your exit.
JUDE
So that was you in the vineyard.
SUNNY
Proud to say, it was.
JUDE
At the club?
SUNNY
Yours truly.
JUDE
And that cliff?
SUNNY
Guilty as charged. It was always
me, Jude. From the moment you
stepped into this SUV. I watched
you humiliate Milton, treating him
like one of your go-fors, like some
third-class piece of trash.
Teaching him how to do 180s,
showing off. And to what end? To
prove yourself superior to an AI
called Milton. How pathetically
egotistical. Just think, if wasn’t
for Milton, we’d never have met.
JUDE
Do you have parents? Any family?
Children? Friends?
78
CONTINUED:
SUNNY
You mean, am I old enough to have a
wife and kids? Or immature enough
to still be dependent on parents?
The answer to both questions is --
no.
JUDE
So... an orphan. You probably hate
the idea of family. Of caring for
someone. For you, caring is a
burden. Am I right?
SUNNY
Fly-by-night psychology session. I
do care. I care about you, don’t I?
Jude starts to respond, but is cut off by --
A POLICE SIREN, Blues and Whites FLASHING in her mirror.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Hate to say it, but I told you so.
JUDE
Fuck!
(beat)
I can outrun him.
SUNNY
You’d be putting Eleni’s life at
risk. Quite the dilemma, eh?
She starts slowing down.
JUDE
I’ve made good time. I’m stopping.
SUNNY
Put your Bluetooth on.
Jude stops on the shoulder of the road, fishes her Bluetooth
Earpiece out of her purse, slips it on.
THE COP CAR stops behind her and a short, chubby COP gets
out, walks to the driver’s window, sees --
JUDE’S BRIGHTEST SMILE
JUDE
Something wrong, officer.
COP
Ah, English?
79
CONTINUED:
JUDE
American.
COP
(indicates the SUV)
Rent?
JUDE
Yes, it’s a rental.
COP
Back light off.
JUDE
Oh, I didn’t know. See, I was
attacked by one of those
protesters. You know, boom-boom,
Molotov, rocks. Back light goes
bam.
COP
Please, you out of car.
SUNNY
(Bluetooth/filtered)
Lucky that he didn’t ask you to
open the glove compartment.
Jude exits the SUV. The Cop motions her to follow him.
COP
Maybe easy fix.
He walks to the rear of the SUV, points at the tailgate.
COP (CONT’D)
Please, open back.
JUDE
Why?
COP
To fix light.
JUDE
Uh, not possible. There’s no key
and the whole electrical system is
kaput. I’ll take it back in the
morning.
The Cop mulls it over, shakes his head, runs his hand over
the tailgate, searching for the lock. He bangs his hand on
the back panel and -- the light instantly comes on, burns
steady and bright.
80
CONTINUED:
COP
There. I did it.
Jude gives him a “thumbs up.”
JUDE
Greek police -- the best.
The Cop smiles, salutes and returns to his car. Jude gets
back in the SUV, slowly drives away, watching her rearview
mirror as the Cop Car pulls a U-turn and disappears. She
floorboards it.
SUNNY
Well played. Working in showbiz has
made you an expert in deception.
JUDE
How am I doing for time? Let me see
Eleni.
SUNNY
You’ve still got forty miles to go,
and Eleni’s only got thirty-two
minutes of oxygen left. Good thing
she’s unconscious. Awake and
struggling, she’d have a mere
twenty minutes.
ON DASH SCREEN, where Eleni’s image appears. Jude’s hand
enters Frame, caresses the screen.
JUDE
Stay safe, girl. I’m coming for
you.
SUNNY
Red light ahead. Run it?
JUDE
Trick question. Cops see me run a
red, they’ll chase me down.
SUNNY
But wouldn’t that be a smart move?
Bring the cops with you? Your own
calvary to the rescue.
Jude stops at the light, checks the empty intersection,
considers running it.
JUDE
If I had a police escort, you’d
delete the route and Eleni would
die.
81
CONTINUED:
SUNNY
Oh, quit. Stop giving me great
ideas. Hell, I may call the police
myself.
GREEN LIGHT.
Just as Jude touches the gas pedal -- BANG.
She hits the brakes, snaps her eyes to the passenger side,
freezes. From the open window, A GUN is aimed at her. Jude
focuses on the man behind the gun: a hulking dude wearing a
black gas mask.
MAN
(unidentified foreign
language)
[Open the door.]
SUNNY
(Bluetooth/filtered)
Someone’s asking you to open the
door?
JUDE
Yeah, at gun point.
SUNNY
(Bluetooth/filtered)
Oh, how fun.
JUDE
You did this?
SUNNY
(Bluetooth/filtered)
No. Nothing to do with it. Scout’s
honor.
The Man grapples with the door handle, SHOUTS unintelligible
obscenities.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
(Bluetooth/filtered)
You’ve got no choice. Open the
door.
Jude reluctantly releases the door locks. The passenger door
opens and the guy jumps in, gun pointing at Jude’s head.
82
CONTINUED:
CARJACKER
(unintelligible)
[Drive.]
SUNNY
I don’t speak -- whatever.
CARJACKER
(in English)
Drive.
But she doesn’t. The Light has turned RED again.
CARJACKER (CONT’D)
I said, drive.
Petrified, she points at the Lights.
JUDE
Can’t. Light’s red.
The guy jams the gun barrel in her ribs.
CARJACKER
Fuck the light. Drive!
Jude complies, crosses the intersection. The Carjacker eases
the gun back.
SUNNY
(Bluetooth/filtered)
This complicates our situation.
You’ve already lost valuable time.
Let me help.
Sunny’s SILHOUETTE appears on the Dash Screen.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Hey, kid. Think you’ve got yourself
a great SUV, right? Make a
shitload of money selling it for
parts, or maybe drive it across the
border, unload it for some real
serious bucks. What makes you think
you can pull that off?
CARJACKER
I have a gun.
SUNNY
True. But I’ve got -- an airbag!
At that instant, the passenger airbag blows up on the
carjacker’s face, knocking the gun out of his hand, as he’s
pinned against the seat.
83
CONTINUED:
The gun lands on the floor next to Jude’s foot.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Grab it.
Jude reaches down, snatches the gun.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Shoot him.
JUDE
I can’t.
CARJACKER
(struggling to breathe)
Motherfucker’s crazy.
SUNNY
My dear Jude, you’re not only
wasting time and oxygen, you’re
also in non-compliance, which means
Eleni receives another...
ON DASH SCREEN as Eleni’s unconscious body reappears.
SUNNY (O.S.) (CONT’D)
... Twenty volts.
Eleni convulses as the electric current hits.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
We are now up to 110 volts. So
think.
CARJACKER
(hoarse whisper)
Who is this sick fuck?
SUNNY
I said, shoot him.
Jude hesitates, aims the gun at the Carjacker’s head, then
abruptly cranks the steering wheel hard LEFT and hits the
passenger door button. The door swings open and G Forces do
the rest, flinging the Carjacker out of the SUV. He lands
hard on the asphalt -- but alive.
She places the Gun next to the console.
JUDE
There. Happy now?
SUNNY
Inventive, but still -- you
disobeyed.
84
CONTINUED:
JUDE
I thought the goal was to get rid
of him.
SUNNY
Your goal, maybe. Mine was to see
him dead. See him actually die.
JUDE
So I did you a service.
SUNNY
How so?
JUDE
If I shot him, his head would’ve
exploded. Blood would’ve
splattered. Blood everywhere. Blood
on the --
SUNNY
(voice wavers)
Okay. I got it. Stop it.
JUDE
(bearing down)
All over the car. Hot, thick red
blood, all over the cameras, almost
like splashing on your face...
SUNNY
I said stop it! Drive. And shut up.
JUDE
Yes, Master.
The Dash Screen goes BLACK -- with a vengeance.
Aware that she’s found Sunny’s Achilles’ Heel, she smirks,
continues driving, now up a quaint mountain road.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
37 -
Race Against Time
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT
It’s one of those transparent crescent moon nights. The
serpentine road glistens like a silvery snake in the playful
moonlight.
INT. SUV - CONTINUOUS
Momentarily, a stern warning scrolls threateningly:
GUN IT. OXYGEN NOW LOW. ONLY SEVEN MINUTES.
85
CONTINUED:
That infuriates Jude. Brooding eyes and a clenched jaw
evidence her pure, raw, undistilled determination. She cracks
her knuckles and cranks up the sound system. Out burst the
first notes of “Stormy Weather.”
MONTAGE:
LOW, ground level CAMERA ANGLE of a switchback on the
mountain road. Blinding headlights momentarily wash out the
shot, just as a roaring engine propels the SUV through the
curve.
AERIAL of the mountain road. Quiet, gleaming, inviting.
Distant, eerie music, from the SUV’s sound system: ”Life is
bare, gloom and misery everywhere.”
CLOSE ON: White knuckles clutching the steering wheel.
A DIFFERENT switchback. Deadly silent.
CLOSE: A tennis shoe floors the gas pedal. The engine
groans.
THE SWITCHBACK: The vehicle slashes through the quiet of the
night.
A FRONT WHEEL: Swallows the asphalt.
THE SIDE rear view mirror: A partial view of the road
unfolding behind the vehicle.
AERIAL SHOT. Two pinpoints of light -- a car dwarfed by the
majestic landscape. No sound.
Billie Holiday sings “I walk around heavy-hearted and sad.”
The on-screen countdown now reads 3:02
AERIAL SHOT descending from a steep cliff to street level.
The SUV rockets past, leaving a surrealistic pale silver
streak behind it.
ON JUDE. Jaws clenched, knuckles taut, white..
She stomps on the gas. The engine roars.
Billie Holiday’s haunting voice sings “Night comes around and
I'm still feeling bad.”
AERIAL VIEW: A SWITCHBACK so tight it resembles a gigantic
hairpin clinging to the side of the mountain.
TRACKING SHOT on the SUV’s front wheels, hugging the curve,
devouring asphalt.
86
CONTINUED:
WIDE on the hairpin as the SUV speeds into the 180 degree
turn.
The SUV skids left, hard right, then slides sideways toward
the edge of the cliff.
Terrified, Jude jams both feet on the brake, closes her eyes.
In SLOW MOTION the SUV continues sliding toward the
precipice, skid marks smoking across the asphalt.
TOTAL SILENCE, except for Jude’s labored breathing and Billie
Holiday’s velvety voice: “When he went away, the blues walked
in and met me.”
Jude recovers from her shock, guns the engine, manages to
pull out of the hairpin. The SOUND returns.
THE ON-SCREEN COUNTDOWN BLINKS: 00:30
END MONTAGE
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
38 -
Arrival in Darkness
EXT. COUNTRY TOWN SQUARE - NIGHT
Deserted. Total darkness. No street lights, no traffic
lights, no people.
The SUV appears, stops, idles. The countdown has stopped at
00:00.
Billie Holiday concludes: “Keeps raining all the time, the
time, Keeps raining all the time”.
GPS VOICE (O.S.)
(female)
You have arrived at your
destination.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
39 -
Tension in the Dark
INT. SUV - NIGHT
Jude scans the desolation, checks her GPS. Correct location.
She looks at her watch, calculates Eleni’s remaining oxygen
supply, stares into space, fidgets.
INT. CONTROL ROOM/SOMEWHERE - NIGHT
A dark, cramped enclosure. A MAN’s BACK comes into view. He
is seated, watching three monitors; one, a Matrix showing all
16 views from the hidden SUV cameras; one displaying the
unconscious Eleni, and one showing Jude’s face on the SUV’s
Dash Cam. She’s staring straight at him. He removes his miked
headset. It is SUNNY.
87
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
40 -
Silent Tension
INT. SUV - NIGHT
JUDE
So I’m here. Where are you?
INT. SUNNY’S CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
Sunny taps his fingers nervously on the controls.
JUDE
(on screen)
You deaf? Where the hell are you?
Sunny leans back and watches.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
41 -
Startled in the Silence
INT. SUV - NIGHT
Jude unbuckles, exits the SUV.
EXT. TOWN SQUARE - NIGHT
She walks to the middle of the street, does a quick 360,
surveys the area. Empty stores and shops, dilapidated two-
story houses, rusted cars, withered trees. A town abandoned,
left to rot.
Deafening Silence, then --
HONK! The SUV’s horn makes her jump.
Jude spins back to the SUV just as the Headlights FLASH
twice. She races back, climbs in.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
42 -
Dizzying Descent
INT. SUV - NIGHT
The instant she’s in, the seat belt envelopes her, cinches
down tight. She tries to roll down the windows. No good.
INT. SUNNY’S CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
Sunny reaches forward, touches a button.
INT. SUV - NIGHT
A faint TONE BEEPS. The AC LIGHT flicks on and an auto
WARNING FLASHES on the Dash Screen.
CLOSE ON AC VENTS - a barely visible mist HISSES into the
cab.
88
CONTINUED:
Jude suddenly wavers, dizzy. She frowns, spots the vapor,
desperately tries to block the vent with her hand. Too late.
Disoriented, she moves to open the door but fails to reach
the button. As in a dream, she sees the silhouette of a man,
approaching. But the vision is too distorted to be real. Jude
chuckles quietly.
Her eyes flutter and close. Her head falls back against the
headrest and -- she’s out.
DEAFENING Hard Rock BLARES over the sound system.
The front seats automatically rotate to DRIVERLESS MODE.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
43 -
Silent Ascent
EXT. TOWN SQUARE - NIGHT
The SUV is in autonomous mode. High Beams on, it rolls on a
dirt road, the silence shattered by the BASS TONES of the
Rock Tune.
EXT. MONASTERY - NIGHT
A black van, idling.
INT. VAN / SUNNY’S CONTROL - NIGHT
Sunny watches the driverless SUV flawlessly climb the
serpentine road.
EXT. SERPENTINE ROAD - NIGHT
ON SUV: The WHIR of the Hydraulic Suspension: the CHASSIS
RISES two feet. Heavy BASS tones continue to bleed in the
quiet of the summer night.
EXT. SERPENTINE MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT
No civilization in sight. The SUV ascends the treacherous,
boulder-strewn road, enters a levelled section, stops. The
Rock Music cuts out. WIND MOANS.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
44 -
Descent into Desperation
INT. SUV - NIGHT
All four windows are lowered in unison. Cool night air
rustles Jude’s hair. She starts coming around, peels open her
eyes, vision blurred. Confused, she holds her head in her
hands, still dizzy, nauseous, totally disoriented.
89
CONTINUED:
Gradually realizes what has happened, where she is -- when
her eyes finally focus on: crops of headstones glinting in
the moonlight. Shivers down her spine, she climbs out of the
SUV and scans the area. The “no sign of life” phrase comes to
her mind, ironically cruel.
Wind whistling through graves, most of them with crooked
wooden crosses, many with broken tombstones, a desolate place
which could have been ransacked by thieves. She surveys the
area.
HER BLURRED POV: Up above, a distant monastery. To her right,
a cliff and a deep ravine.
She returns to the car.
JUDE
Milton?
No response.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Come on, come on Milton.
SUNNY (O.S.)
Milton’s not here right now. How
may I help you?
JUDE
What happened? What did you do to
me?
SUNNY
Oh, nothing serious. A small dose
of Scopolamine. To finetune your
mood. And to forget.
JUDE
Forget what?
SUNNY
See? It worked.
Jude struggles to remember, suddenly gasps.
JUDE
Jesus. Eleni. Where is she?
ON DASH SCREEN: Eleni, now awake, eyes wide, terrified, still
trapped in the confined space.
SUNNY
She’s in the vicinity. Why not step
out and give her a holler? You
might get a response.
90
CONTINUED:
Jude jumps the four-feet to the ground, still under the
effects of scopolamine, trying to keep her eyes open, scans
surroundings. Deep inside the cemetery, a dim flickering
light. An unsteady run, past sunken graves and dying flowers,
hoping against hope that the sound she hears is not just the
wind, but Eleni’s voice calling for help, while trying to
shake the feeling that something is close on her heels.
JUDE
(shouting)
Eleni!...
No response. The flickering light is now close -- closer --
closer even -- much closer -- closer yet, until -- it’s a
crude tin lantern, a lit candle inside. Sits on a freshly dug
grave.
Reacting instinctively, not thinking, plain gut reaction,
Jude throws herself on the fresh dirt, puts her ear on the
ground, holds her breath, listens. Nothing but the murmur of
the wind through leaves.
Jude takes a deep breath and starts digging with her hands --
calling Eleni’s name -- tears clouding her already-blurred
scopolamine vision. She digs and digs, ignoring her broken
fingernails, burrowing feverishly, desperately until --
She hits rock. The cold realization that the shallow grave is
one more of Sunny’s sick diversions, sinks in.
The candle in the lantern, flickers a last time and dies.
Hyperventilating, Jude calls, once more:
JUDE (CONT’D)
Eleni!.. Eleni, where are you?
Rusting Leaves make her spin around.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Eleni?
She sees -- or is it just the effects of the drug? -- a pair
of eyes in the dense shrubs, following her every move. An
animal, perhaps.
JUDE (CONT’D)
(almost sobbing)
Eleni?
Silence. Bitterly disappointed but strangely encouraged that
Eleni isn’t buried, not here anyway, she walks back,
constantly calling Eleni’s name. From a distance, she looks
like a ghost that lost its way back to hell.
91
CONTINUED:
She sees the vague image of the SUV ahead and, moments before
exiting the graveyard, she turns back one last time and
shouts at the top of her lungs.
JUDE (CONT’D)
ELENI!
A MUFFLED THUD somewhere behind her. She spins, looks around.
Nobody. Nothing but scrub brush, desolation and the wind.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Eleni!! Where are you?
A GROAN. Coming from where?
Jude, frantic. Helpless. She starts running in circles.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Eleni, it’s Jude. I’m coming to get
you
Two more THUDS and a GROAN. Then, realization hits: The
sounds are coming from --
THE REAR COMPARTMENT OF THE SUV!
Jude scrambles to the back of the SUV, pounds her fists
against the tailgate.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Eleni! You in there?
FROM INSIDE: A LOUDER GROAN. Rapid THUDS.
JUDE (CONT’D)
It’s okay. I got you. Wait.
Close to panic, Jude runs back to the open door, jumps half
way into the cab, legs dangling, searches frantically for the
tailgate release. Eleni’s image on the dash screen and her
muffled screams, accentuate the urgency.
Jude pulls every lever in sight and then -- CLICK.
CLOSE ON REAR TIRE. Almost imperceptibly, the tire moves,
then starts rolling slowly back, gravel CRUNCHING.
ON JUDE, horrified. She has accidentally released the
EMERGENCY BRAKE.
The SUV keeps rolling toward the edge of the plateau.
Jude claws her way into the cab, pumps the brake. Nothing.
The SUV continues downhill, gaining speed.
92
CONTINUED:
She stomps on the Emergency Brake. Nothing. Ten feet from the
cliff.
Eleni’s GROANS turn frantic.
Jude tries to start the engine. Again, nothing, the SUV now
two feet from the edge. One Foot. Then -- just as both rear
wheels kiss the edge:
VROOM!! The engine starts. Jude jams it in DRIVE, hits the
gas. All four wheels spin, grab traction, and the SUV shoots
forward, back to safety, slides to a stop. Jude gasps for
breath, petrified.
Sunny’s silhouette reappears on the Dash Scream.
SUNNY
That was truly moving. Really. The
selfless side of the selfish bitch.
You’ve earned a pop of the
tailgate.
A CLICK and the TAILGATE swings open.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
(singing Hey Jude)
“You have found her, now go and get
her...”
Suppressing her rage, Jude jumps out, runs to the rear of the
SUV.
HER POV - ON ELENI, curled up in the cramped enclosure,
gagged and bound with duct tape, electrodes attached.
Jude feverishly rips off the tape and electrodes, helps Eleni
out of the SUV. Eleni’s legs touch the ground -- and give
out. She starts to collapse. Jude hoists her up. The two
friends embrace, crying and laughing.
Jude helps Eleni walk to a low stone wall. They sit.
JUDE
My God. You were here. The whole
time. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.
Unable to speak, Eleni just nods, sobs. Jude runs back to the
SUV, returns with a bottle of water, gives it to Eleni, who
gulps it down.
ELENI
I thought... I was going to die.
That man... That horrible man...
Jude turns, glares at the SUV as if facing Sunny himself.
93
CONTINUED:
JUDE
I’ll make that prick pay for this.
She wraps her arms around Eleni, gently rocks her until she
calms.
She starts walking back to the SUV, motions Eleni to stay
put, but Eleni follows anyway. Jude approaches the open door,
cautiously leans in.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Hey, asshole. You there?
No response.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Is this what you wanted? To scare
us both to death? We done here?
SILENCE.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Milton?
The interior lights and the Dash Screen come on.
MILTON
I’m always here for you, Miss
Specter. My connection with the
intruder has been severed.
JUDE
(disbelieving)
Has it?
MILTON
Yes.
JUDE
Thank God.
She guides Eleni to the passenger door, helps her into the
cab, hurries back to the driver’s side, climbs in, shuts the
door.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Take us back to safety, Milton.
MILTON
Happy to comply Miss... Spec...
Ec... Ter.
Milton’s VOICE winds down to a discordant gurgle. Door LOCKS
CLICK.
94
CONTINUED:
Jude instinctively reaches for the door handle, but suddenly:
SUNNY’s MASKED FACE looms on every window, like some
grotesque monster. Eleni SCREAMS, terrified.
JUDE
Easy. It’s just a mask.
SUNNY
(mimicking Jude)
“Is this what you wanted?” As if
I’d ever let you go. Christ, Jude.
Aren’t you a bit old to believe in
fairy tales?
The SUV REVS, shifts into DRIVE, fishtails, speeds toward the
mountain road. Eleni screams.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Remember what I said? I’d love to
do some driving! You showed me your
skills, now I‘ll show you mine.
Milton is no more. Now it’s me.
Gratis of Bluetooth, it’s me, baby,
me!
He holds up a REMOTE CONTROL DRIVE unit with a monitor, joy
stick, throttle and steering wheel.
The jacked-up SUV pounds straight up the narrow road,
dislodging rocks and gravel, its wheels inches from the
canyon.
SUNNY (CONT’D (CONT’D)
Welcome aboard Sunny’s Infamous
Rollercoaster. Hold on to your
hats, ladies, ‘cause this is gonna
get fuckin’ crazy. Sorry, no seat
belts.
His image vanishes from the Smart Glass, replaced by shots
from the SUV’s exterior Cameras as the vehicle careens up the
mountainside.
The SUV skids around a turn, enters an abandoned hillside
village, the ancient Monastery looming at the top of the
mountain. The SUV races down narrow cobblestone streets,
inches from stone walls, making hair-raising turns on two
wheels.
ELENI
I told you not to trust this stupid
car.
95
CONTINUED:
JUDE
(out of breath)
I know. You were right.
ELENI
I told you to get a cab. But no,
you...
JUDE
My bad, OK?
ELENI
I told you...
JUDE
(yelling)
Eleni! You wanna live? Stop nagging
and get your shit together.
Without seat belts, Jude and Eleni bounce like puppets in the
cab, battered against the roof and dashboard, groping for
anything to hold on to.
SUNNY
How’s your adrenaline level? Now,
we’ll switch. You drive, Jude. And
keep it fast. The only way is up.
Can’t miss it. Deviate or try to
turn back and I’ll kill the car.
Unfortunately, you won’t find any
people visiting this part of the
woods in the morning. But I’m sure
there’ll be plenty of other
friendly creatures sniffing about.
(beat)
Okay, she’s all yours.
As he switches the controls to MANUAL, the SUV starts sliding
sideways toward a steep ravine. Jude grabs the wheel, jams on
the brakes then floors it. The SUV straightens out, continues
up the road until --
DEAD END
She hits the brakes, stops.
JUDE
What now?
ELENI
He said, there’s only one way. Up.
96
CONTINUED:
Jude and Eleni look up in disbelief at the treacherous
hillside terrain, a near-vertical nightmare of slick granite
slabs, massive boulders and deep ravines, the only access a
narrow footpath leading up to the Monastery -- 300 feet
above.
Pissed and determined, Jude grits her teeth, backs up,
switches to four wheel drive, turns directly toward the face
of the mountain, REVS the engine and starts a harrowing
ascent.
IN A SERIES OF OVERLAPPING SHOTS:
The SUV straddles a hundred-foot deep crevice, inching along,
two wheels perched on each side of the gaping hole, the cab
tilting dangerously downhill --
Bounces along the side of the mountain, tilting precariously.
Fighting for traction up the sheer face of a massive granite
slab, all four wheels spinning, smoking, the SUV slipping
sideways down the slab, then rotating forward, sliding
faster.
Jude jams it in reverse, grabs traction, and fishtails
backwards up the slab, Eleni paralyzed, eyes shut.
Lurching out of a deep gully, the SUV's center of gravity
suddenly shifts, tipping the vehicle onto its back wheels,
thrusting the front of the SUV up into the air at an 80-
degree angle, almost tumbling backwards, before slamming back
down.
Pounding over, around, and in between gigantic boulders. Jude
looks up and sees the narrow entrance of an abandoned quarry.
JUDE
Glove compartment. There’s a gun.
Get it.
ELENI
Are you out of your mind? I don’t
know how to shoot a gun.
JUDE
If your life depends on it, you
will.
Eleni opens the glove compartment, warily removes the leaf-
wrapped PISTOL, hands it Jude, who unwraps it, places it
firmly in Eleni’s hand. Eleni trembles.
Jude reaches down to the console, retrieves the CARJACKERS
GUN.
97
CONTINUED:
JUDE (CONT’D)
Armed and dangerous. Let’s get this
asshole.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Action"]
Ratings
Scene
45 -
The Deadly Game
EXT. MONASTERY/QUARRY - NIGHT
An old quarry, turned into some ancient-style amphitheater,
at the foot of the Monastery, with a huge dirt and gravel
arena surrounded by a fifty-foot-high wall of solid rock. The
SUV pulls into the arena, stops.
As Jude and Eleni scan the deserted arena --
A DARK TALL SILHOUETTE materializes in front of them. SUNNY.
He stands in front of the headlights.
Eleni gasps at his appearance. Jude is calm and collected.
The mask he now wears is utterly FACELESS, devoid of any
features, a bizarre blank canvas. He circles the car like a
vulture, his unseen eyes burning holes. He holds the Remote
Control Unit in one hand, a sawed-off SHOTGUN in the other.
He scans his monitor, notices something.
SUNNY
You ladies are holding weapons? The
thought of using them shouldn’t
even cross your minds.
Eleni glances fearfully at Jude.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Throw them out.
JUDE
Or what?
The SUV REVS, speeds head-on toward the rock wall. The woman
gasp, wait for impact. At the last instant, Sunny hits the
brakes, stopping millimeters from the wall.
BANG! THE SUICIDE DOORS FLY OPEN and --
The vehicle reverses, peals out, barrels back to its previous
position, bringing Jude face-to-face with her masked
tormentor, the barrels of his shotgun -- an inch from her
head.
SUNNY
Scissors, paper, rock. Ooops, rock
wins.
(MORE)
98
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT'D)
Now toss the guns, or I’ll be
forced, with deep regret, to simply
shoot you. Pity. That would screw
the whole concept.
Jude takes Eleni’s Gun, tosses both weapons out of the SUV.
Sunny takes three steps back.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Excellent. Now get out. Both of
you.
The women crawl out. Numb. Sunny slithers closer, circles
them, scrutinizes them.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Jude, Jude, Jude. Alone at last.
Well, almost alone. Eye to eye.
JUDE
I’ll make you a deal.
SUNNY
You’re in no position to negotiate,
but I’m listening.
JUDE
Let Eleni go, then you and I can
play.
SUNNY
No can do. The game I have in mind
requires two players. In the arena.
SUNNY
Well, jury’s still out on that one.
However, since I am your judge,
jury and executioner, I reserve for
myself the pleasure of a Real-D
video game.
He backs up to the stone wall, leisurely leans against it,
lays the gun down, HUMS a few notes of “Hey Jude,” then sings
the lyrics.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
(singing)
“So let it out and let it in, hey
Jude, begin
(MORE)
99
CONTINUED:
SUNNY (CONT’D)
You're waiting for someone to
perform with
And don't you know that it's just
you, hey Jude, you'll do
The movement you need is on your
shoulder.”
He touches a button on the remote. The vehicle’s V-8 ROARS.
The women step back.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
So here you are. My gladiators. In
the arena. And I control the beast.
The engine ROARS again. The women continue backing up.
ON DRIVE CONTROL SCREEN: The SUV’s POV of the women, cross
hair schematics locked on their position.
Jude quickly scans the arena. Only two escape routes: The
entrance they drove through, or the edge of the cliff a
hundred feet behind them. Before Jude can make a move, the
SUV circles the women, blocks the entrance.
Jude and Eleni back off slowly, searching for escape. But for
every step they take, the SUV REVS, lurches toward them,
stops an inch from their legs, waits for their next move.
Jude motions Eleni to stay put, then starts running across
the arena. The SUV pursues her, which clears the entrance for
an instant. Eleni runs for it. No good. The SUV corners her
with its rear bumper, simultaneously traps Jude against a
wall, a foot from its front bumper.
Sunny laughs.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Come on, Jude. You can do better
than that.
The SUV eases away from the women, faking retreat. Jude and
Eleni glance at each other then make a break for the
entrance.
The SUV guns it, sideswipes them, knocking them to the
ground. The contest turns into a mechanized bullfight, the
exhausted women trying to outmaneuver the steel beast.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Isn’t this some fabulous
choreography, girls? In-spi-red.
The women retreat. Jude gets an idea, winks at Eleni, who
nods subtly. Jude gathers her courage, walks away from Eleni
who moves closer to the edge of the cliff.
100
CONTINUED:
Jude stands in the middle of the arena, feet planted firmly
on the ground, motions “bring it on.”
SUNNY (CONT’D)
So, it’s been decided? Gladiator
Eleni is the decoy? Or is she the
scapegoat? Either way, how noble.
The SUV has quietly turned around.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Let’s have some more fun. I’m gonna
do this in reverse. And yes, I
humbly admit -- I’m a show off.
VA-VROOOM!! The SUV burns rubber, closes on Eleni for the
kill.
As it passes Jude, she breaks into a run, leaps, dives
through the open window into the cab.
Sunny hits a button on his control unit. The SUV brakes,
slides to a stop inches from Eleni, who is shaking.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
What are you doing, Jude? You don’t
get any points if you kill your
friend.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
46 -
Reckoning at the Cliff's Edge
INT. SUV - NIGHT
Jude clutches the steering wheel. It rotates right, then left
all by itself.
SUNNY
Hello. You can’t control the
vehicle. See?
He caresses the Throttle Control and the SUV creeps back a
few feet, almost touching the panicked Eleni. In the cab,
Jude tries desperately to take control of the car. Sunny
clenches teeth, throttles. The rear bumper nudges Eleni, who
loses her balance, stumbles, slips, starts falling over the
cliff, arms wind-milling. At the last second, she manages to
snag the SUV’s rear bumper, drags herself back onto solid
ground.
JUDE’s POV - ON REAR VIEW MIRROR: Eleni crawls cautiously
away from the cliff, using the SUV as cover.
SUNNY (CONT’D)
Get out of my car, bitch.
He taps a button and the suicide doors open.
101
CONTINUED:
JUDE
It’s my car, you little fuck. My
car.
She turns the Audio on, cranks up VOLUME.
JUDE (CONT’D)
(whispers)
Milton... Tete-a-queu.
SUNNY
(on Dash Screen)
Who’s Teta Kay?
Suddenly the ENGINE DIES. Sunny checks the controls, puzzled.
Lights FLICKER on the Dash Screen. Sunny’s image vanishes,
replaced by Milton’s words:
SYSTEM REBOOTED
VAVROOM. Engine on -- and angry. The hydraulic suspension
lowers the car to almost ground level.
ON SUNNY. Realizing that something is terribly wrong, he
throws the remote into DRIVE but --
ENGINE revs, furious. Car stubbornly unmoving.
JUDE
Milton... Manual.
Confused, Sunny punches away at the remote buttons, trying to
regain control of the vehicle. Still no good. He starts
losing it. He grabs the shotgun and turns it toward the SUV --
This is the moment Jude has been waiting for. She jams the
SUV into DRIVE, vengeance in her eyes.
Sunny starts walking toward the SUV. He looks down at the
control screen. His jaw drops.
ON SCREEN -- HE is now in the CROSSHAIRS of the vehicle’s
camera. Before he can react:
Jude hits the gas. The SUV lurches forward, doors open wide,
the vehicle now taking the form of some winged, prehistoric
monster. She zeros in on Sunny, accelerates and the suicide
doors sideswipe him, sending him cartwheeling through the
air. He’s slammed into the rock wall, standing but dazed.
Jude swings around, aims at him, steps on it, and closes in
for the kill.
Sunny raises the gun, finger on the trigger. Just as --
102
CONTINUED:
The SUV skids to a stop. Sunny raises the shotgun, aims.
Jude caresses the gas pedal. The SUV creeps a few inches
forward, touching his knees.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Drop the gun, dickhead.
No, not Sunny. He cocks the shotgun, aims at the windshield.
His finger wraps around the trigger and --
VA-VROOM. Jude floors it. The SUV lurches forward, pinning
his legs and torso against the wall. The gun fires in the air
and drops.
Like a trapped animal, he makes a painful attempt to move,
can’t, moans in agony.
Jude jumps out of the SUV. Eleni runs to her, shocked but
also thrilled by what she has just witnessed.
ELENI
My God, Jude. That was...
JUDE
Fantastic? Yeah, I know. Still got
some mop up to do, though.
ELENI
You crazy? Let’s just get out of
here.
JUDE
Without looking at his fucking
face? You gotta be shittin’ me.
She carefully approaches Sunny, who writhes in pain, face
still hidden beneath the mask. She slowly reaches over, grabs
the mask, tears it off, steps back.
Eleni shuts her eyes, fearing the worst.
Jude squints, tries to make out his face in the darkness. Too
dark.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Milton... High beams.
The headlights instantly brighten, the scene flooded by an
eerie illumination.
CLOSE ON SUNNY: He’s a young, average-looking guy, no
detectable menace on his face, just the rage of defeat, and
the insufferable pain of his injuries.
103
CONTINUED:
JUDE (CONT’D)
Exactly as I thought. An ordinary
atypical asshole.
ELENI moves closer to Jude.
JUDE (CONT’D)
(cold)
Have I seen you before?
Sunny glares at her, helpless but hateful.
JUDE (CONT’D)
I have, haven’t I?
ELENI
Jude! Are you out of your fucking
mind? Let’s go.
CLOSE ON JUDE, staring intensely at Sunny, vague recollection
in her eyes.
JUDE
After the club. Although I was
tired and had a couple drinks... I
wasn’t going to sleep. But...
FLASHBACK: Jude in the SUV, driven by Milton, as the Young
Guy in the van passes her, motions her to roll down her
window.
BACK TO SCENE
JUDE (CONT’D)
... you drugged me!
FLASHBACK: Unseen by Jude, a thin mist quietly HISSES out of
the A/C vent.
BACK TO SCENE
JUDE (CONT’D)
I’ll be damned. You were close by.
More than once.
FLASHBACK: The intersection brawl. Jude bumps into THE YOUNG
MAN on the cell phone: Sunny.
BACK TO SCENE
JUDE (CONT’D)
And in the tunnel...
FLASHBACK:
104
CONTINUED:
The tunnel, the empty SUV idling on the shoulder as the car
with its High Beams on, pulls up and stops behind it. The
driver’s door opens. Sunny gets out, peers at the far end of
the tunnel, where Jude is running away.
BACK TO SCENE:
JUDE (CONT’D)
Yes, the tunnel. Stupid me. I
wasn’t escaping. I was falling into
your trap. You wanted me to go in
there. That’s where you put Eleni
in the trunk.
She reaches out, wipes blood from Sunny’s chest, smears it on
his face.
JUDE (CONT’D)
This is for drugging me, asshole.
He grimaces, shuts his eyes, turns away. She studies his *
suffering. *
JUDE (CONT’D)
This one is for the cemetery.
(to Milton)
Come forward, Milton. A little
tighter, please.
The SUV inches forward. Squeezing him tighter. Sunny tries to
suppress a deep guttural moan. He presses both hands against
the hood, a doomed attempt to push the SUV back.
JUDE (CONT’D)
And this... is for Eleni.
(to Milton)
A little more, Milton.
CRACK! Legs break. The hood gouges deep into Sunny’s chest.
SNAP! Ribs fracture. He groans in agony, spits up blood.
JUDE (CONT’D)
What hurts more? Your broken bones
or your bruised ego? That’s a
toughie, eh?
Sunny grunts, spits up more blood.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Oh, look. Red blood. Or is it
crimson? Never the less, your
favorite thing.
105
CONTINUED:
His eyes widen as he stares repulsed at his bloody hands. He
wavers, almost faints, his worst nightmare coming true. In
living color.
JUDE (CONT’D)
What do you think? Finish him or
leave him here?
ELENI
Let’s just go. Please.
SUNNY
Kill me, you gutless twat.
Jude leans in close to his ear.
JUDE
I must admit, when it comes to
killing someone, I don’t have the
guts. But, to quote you again:
“Second hand murder is so much
fun.” I can’t kill you, but Milton
can. He probably feels violated
too. And equally vindictive!
She turns back to the SUV.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Emergency brake on.
The SOUND of the BRAKE LOCKING. Sunny groans.
JUDE (CONT’D)
(to Sunny)
I know, you’re in dire need of
medical assistance. I’d call
emergency, but you blocked my
phone. I’d scream for help, but you
made me scream so much, I hardly
have any voice left. It’s okay if
you’d like to scream, though. Will
anyone hear you? I’m not an expert
in these parts of the woods, but I
don’t think you’ll find many people
coming around here in the morning.
However... I’m sure that there’s
plenty of other friendly creatures
sniffing around.
Sunny growls.
MILTON
Don’t you and your charming friend
want a lift back to your hotel,
Miss Specter?
106
CONTINUED:
ELENI
It gives me the creeps.
JUDE
No, not “it.” He! He earned it.
Jude turns and leans inside the vehicle.
JUDE (CONT’D)
Thank you, Milton, but no. There’s
always an Uber nearby. Why don’t
you call one and give ‘em our GPS?
(beat)
By the way, I want to apologize for
my rudeness earlier, and for
underestimating your intelligence.
Even if it’s labeled “artificial,”
it far surpasses a lot human
brains.
She gives Milton a friendly pat on the hood.
MILTON
Thank you, Miss Specter.
JUDE
Don’t blush.
MILTON
Mmmmm...
JUDE
That will complete your assignment.
You can go to sleep now.
MILTON
Consider it done.
JUDE
And Milton... Engine off. Mode 1-5-
6-7
(to Eleni)
You up for a little jog? Might lose
a pound or two.
She starts walking towards the quarry entrance. Eleni makes a
face, catches up with her.
JUDE (CONT’D)
(to the tune of Hey Jude)
Na, na, nana nana... Na na na na...
ELENI
You’re terminally insane. I know
for sure you are.
(MORE)
107
CONTINUED:
ELENI (CONT'D)
I always knew but didn’t want to
accept it... Today I...
Her voice trails and fades. And once again, all is quiet and
peaceful as CAMERA SLOWLY PULLS BACK -- higher and higher --
to see the monastery -- the wall -- Sunny pinned on it -- the
two women walking away, arm-in-arm.
The cold crescent moon is diving lethargically to the edge of
the horizon.
Milton’s engine REVS and dies.
SUNNY (O.S.)
(screams)
Help! Help me!...
And the only answer he gets, is the distant HOWLING of a
wolf.