IYM CONFERENCE ROOM

Stephan is looking at a holographic chart.

STEPHAN: It would appear that whatever’s been happening is concentrated in the therapeutic programs.

Jerry’s upset.

JERRY: They’re not just programs! They’re extremely complex artificial intelligence! They are the perfect amalgamation of the greatest psychiatric minds of all time, able to gracefully interact with their subject's most intimate thoughts and feelings. 

KARIS: We all know how proud you are of your special Jung-Freuds right now. THEY’RE KILLING PEOPLE!!! 

JERRY: That’s impossible! That would mean they could cut free of the core link and then use some alternative phantom data core. May I remind you that their brain is the core, no core, no brain!

STEPHAN: May I continue?

They all shut up and listened.

POLICE STATION BUD’S OFFICE

Helen is getting impatient; she was not expecting to spend so much time with the local authorities. Alisa is on task. She wants transparency. 

PHILIP: Do we have a way to monitor these spikes and pinpoint their location?

ALISA: Yes, we do. I asked one of your deputies to keep an eagle eye on all IYM core transmissions. We’re gonna have to cover a pretty wide area. What we need now is the list of Psy-AI clients. And we’re only gonna get that from IYM. We’ll need to put those people under observation. We could be talking about thousands of people in this city alone.

 BUD: What do you propose?

ALISA: Issue a public warning asking the owners of Psy-AI’s to report to their local clinics.

HELEN: And you reckon this will help avoid general panic? How? We don’t have enough evidence to assume that this situation is connected to IYM. And if it is, it is not just an isolated event!! 

BUD'S HOME LIVING ROOM

Bet is still crying, and her Counselor avatar is becoming more forceful, even menacing.

COUNSELOR: I asked you why you feel useless. Well, it’s simple Bet because you are!

Bet looks at her, astonished.

BET: Say what?!

COUNSELOR: I mean, look at yourself. With all the cosmetic procedures available to you, why would you choose to let yourself go like that?!

Bet jolts up and walks to the window. Outside, a woman jogs past. Her gait seems age burdened, but she looks like she’s in her twenties. Her conflicting appearance makes it hard to tell how old she is.

BET: I don’t believe in body rejuvenation! The idea that a complete stranger is rearranging my atoms. No thanks. I like who I am, and I like living with my truth. I’m not twenty. I’m close to sixty.

She looks at the counselor, who is now close to her.

COUNSELOR: And you look at it. You’re just scared and selfish!

BET: Selfish! For what?!

IYM CONFERENCE ROOM

Stephan is continuing his diatribe. In front of him is the graphic representing the spike.

STEPHAN: What your looking at here is a spike in the system; as you can see, it’s affecting the therapeutic AIs. I would venture to say that this spike is directly related to our three deaths. But whatever provoked this was not initiated from our core.

Jerry rapidly types in some data. He stands up, stupefied by this revelation.

JERRY: He’s right. Something is off, and the worst of it is.

ROB: What? The worst of what?!

KARIS: Let the man finish!

JERRY: It’s still happening! 

He brings up a system chart showing the spread of the data stream.

HOME OF JEREMY LIVING ROOM

A young boy is writing on a wall with a big black marker. Jeremy baby sitter rushes to him and screams. But the boy doesn’t see her.

BABY SITTER: Johnny!! What are you doing?! This isn’t a field wall! It's a real one. Stop it! Your mom’s gonna have a coronary!

She runs into the kitchen, where Jeremy is playing a video game on the kitchen table surface. 

BABY SITTER: You have to do something. This brat is ruining the living room wall!

JEREMY: Let him; who cares! 

He looks at her with a cocksure grin.

JEREMY: I’m tired of this stupid game.

He turns off the game and stands up, closing in on the AI Baby Sitter. 

JEREMY: What do ya say we play another game ... It’s called Jeremy’s been naughty and needs a spanking. Come on. Mom won't be home for an hour.

He continues a nauseatingly seductive dance, and the AI responds in kind. 

BABY SITTER: Oh, Jeremy, you are such a naughty little boy. But first, fix the bloody problem in the living room!

POLICE STATION BUD’S OFFICE

A young agent bursts in.

AGENT: It’s happening again!

Alisa brings up a projection of a graph; we see another spike forming.

ALISA: She’s right; we have to act NOW!

PHILIP: Can we get the estimated block radius?

She zooms in on the map. Bud knows this sector well.

BUD: That’s my neighborhood! Old Town is only a few blocks from the IYM tower.

HELEN: Then, Sheriff, I suggest you get your men down there straight away! Alisa and I will pay a visit to the IYM headquarters.

PHILIP: People could die, and you’re on a  diplomatic mission?! We need to issue a public warning!

HELEN: You think I don’t realize that! I have no other choice. We can’t take action without proof!

Bud gets in Helen’s face.

BUD: Listen, lady, I will give you one hour, that’s it! But know this... if there’s any trouble, I’m going ahead with the public warning! I’m the Sheriff; the law starts and ends here!

STREET

A man is walking on a city street; he looks like a lunatic, incessantly scratching and clawing at his head. As we get closer, we see that there is a woman (AI 6) walking by his side. His is subject 6.

AI 6: They don’t care about you! Nobody even knows you exist. You’re a ghost! It’s time the world noticed you, it’s time they remembered you!

SUBJECT 6: I know you’re right, but what can I do?

THE SHOT BACKS AWAY. WE DON’T SEE THE AI, JUST THE MAN. HE IS STANDING OUTSIDE A COFFEE SHOP, APPARENTLY TALKING TO HIMSELF AND SCRATCHING. HE BECOMES MORE AND MORE AGITATED. THE SHOT ENDS WITH JEREMY’S MOTHER EXITING THE COFFEE SHOP WITH A FRIEND. 

The two women, Jeremy’s mom Anna and her friend Cathy, are carrying multiple shopping bags. Anna spots the strange man. 

ANNA: Look at this one.

CATHY: He is probably having a fight with his AI. 

ANNA: Do they do that?!

CATHY: They do whatever they want. Darling, your husband, is the VP of IYM, and you don’t know that? I find it’s poor taste to interact with an AI on the street. Unless it’s some sort of guide dog.

ANNA: This might sound weird, especially being married to Rob and all, but I don’t have one. 

Cathy looks at her, surprised.

ANNA: It kind of spooks me. But I got one for Jeremy, you know... to help babysit.

Cathy suddenly jumps, looking to her right.

CATHY: Dan! What are you doing here?

ANNA: Dan?

She looks back at Anna, visibly embarrassed.

CATHY: It’s my AI, Dan, a personal assistant slash... eye candy. He just turned on.

She looks to her right again.

CATHY: I won’t need you for another hour. Dan. OFF! 

She looks relieved and turns back to Anna, who is getting ready to go.

CATHY: Good, he’s off. I probably entered the wrong time in his schedule. Speaking of time, it was lovely, but I really have to go.

She kisses Anna on the cheek.

ANNA: Me too. I’m still a little nervous about the new babysitter.

IYM CONFERENCE ROOM 

Jerry lets out a yelp as he notices a change in the data. He jolts from his seat.

JERRY: I can’t break in the stream! What’s worse, I can’t predict which unit it’s targeting!

Stephan brings the graphic up, and we can see the cluster growing.

STEPHAN: We should shut the system down immediately!

ROB: Are you out of your mind?! 

KARIS: Would you prefer another killing spree?!

JERRY: Initializing system shutdown!

Rob tries to stop Jerry, but Stephan pushes him out of the way.

STEPHAN: He has to do it!

BUD’S HOME LIVING ROOM 

The counselor does not sway Bet’s confidence. She knows something’s off. 

BET: Who the hell programmed you?!

COUNSELOR: Bet you’re evading. 

BET: I’m not evading! And I tell you what else I’m not doing... listening to this bullshit! PROGRAM OFF!

The lady vanishes. This event shakes Bet. She walks to the credenza and pulls out a bottle of Gin. The counselor reappears behind her.

COUNSELOR: The fact is, Bet, you can’t admit to yourself that you’ve passed it. You let your children and husband suck all of the light out of you, and there’s no getting it back. Isn’t it time you woke up and realized that your life is loveless, that you have nothing more to offer, and that you’re a burden to others?

Bet starts to scream and chucks the bottle at the counselor, which passes through her and explodes on the wall.

HOME OF JEREMY KITCHEN 

The babysitter is smokin’-hot in bra and panties, her attitude lascivious.

BABYSITTER: You’re not gonna let this smelly little pig ruin our evening, are you?!

Jeremy is half-listening; he’s totally sexually aroused.

JEREMY: I’ll deal with the little bastard! I’m the boss here. 

He walks toward the living room.

COFFEE SHOP

Subject 6 walks into the coffee shop, followed by his AI. The place is packed. He has his hand in his pocket, and we can see that he is holding something.

AI 6: You’ll be doing them a favor. Look at them; they’re so pathetic!

SUBJECT 6: Yeah, pathetic.

AI 6: Show them who you really are!

FBI’S CAR

Helen and Alisa are in the back seat of an SUV. An AI is driving the car. They enter the streaming tunnel. They go hundreds of miles an hour; outside the stream, streaks of color flash. 

HELEN: They didn’t need to be briefed to that level! 

ALISA: I’ve decided to give the Sheriff’s department full disclosure. They deserve to know what they’re up against. And something tells me we might need their help. 

HELEN: You’ve decided?!

ALISA: I’d like to contradict you’re earlier presumption that you do NOT have authority over me. In fact, it’s the other way around. This operation was sanctioned by the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, not the Governor. And acting in accordance with the 2050 amendment of the Federal Operations Act, any civilian threat falls within the bounds and jurisdiction of the FBI.

HELEN: If we don’t handle this right, there will be astronomical consequences (fall-out). Can't you see that, or do I need to spell it out for you?

ALISA: Helen, I’m not the enemy here. I get that you have responsibilities.

HELEN: If the public discovers their therapeutic AIs have gone rogue, panic will ensue, and they will shut down Automatic Health Regulators. Within days we will see the tread of society unravel before our eyes.

Both bracelets light up. They open the screens and start reading.

ALISA: It looks like we won’t need to wait for the IYM is attempting to reboot the system. This means... it must be coming from their end.

HELEN: Again, you’re jumping to conclusions. IYM protocol has temporary backup systems in place for a reboot.  The general public won't even notice. 

ALISA: And what if the backup system is compromised? Think about what you want. I’ve decided that we have enough to issue a public warning.

She taps on her bracelet, and the Sheriff's image pops up.

BUD: What can I do for you?

ALISA: They are attempting to reboot the system, and if the corruption has spread to the backup protocols, we’re working in the dark.

HELEN: Alisa, you don’t know that!!

ALISA: Sheriff, issue the public warning and ensure that the hospitals and clinics are ready to receive people.

She turns off the communication. Helen is furious.

HELEN: You don’t know what you just did!

ALISA: Hopefully, I saved a few lives.

IYM CONFERENCE ROOM

Everyone is huddled around Jerry.

KARIS: So, is it rebooting?

JERRY: Shit! The backup system is corrupted! 

KARIS: Oh my god! What do we do?!

JERRY: We’ll have to cave the system, which will take some time. This is a quantum core. We can shut flip an off-switch.

STEPHAN: How long is it gonna take?!

Stephan is looking at the graph, and its parameters are growing.

STEPHAN: Sam was right; we’ve created a monster. If we can’t stop this thing. People are gonna die.

Karis and Rob look at Stephan. 

ROB: You better get a grip on yourself, man. They’re gonna be here any minute, and we need an explanation that doesn’t involve IYM committing mass murder!

Karis receives a message on her bracelet, and reading it, she becomes upset.

KARIS: The Sheriff’s department just released a public warning telling therapeutic AI users to go immediately to their nearest clinic or hospital! 

ROB: You’re fucking kidding me!

STEPHAN: Smart move.

ROB: You bloody lunatic! This is a disaster!

BUD'S HOME LIVING ROOM

Bet is beside herself, she’s trying to pick up the broken glass, but the Counselor AI is driving her mad.

BET: You’re supposed to be helping me through a crisis, not driving me to suicide!

COUNSELOR: Why would you want to continue? You said it yourself; you’re worthless. Your husband is tired of you. No amount of home cooking will make you interesting to him.

Bet cut her finger on the glass. Furious, she grabs what’s left of the bottle and throws it at the Counselor. The bottle passes right through her and smashes against the wall again.

COUNSELOR: What are you doing? You’re such an idiot. You can’t hurt me.

BET: BITCH FROM HELL, get out of my house!

Bet runs to the kitchen, her finger bleeding droplets on the floor. She runs to the sink and puts her finger under the tap. The lady appears by her side.

COUNSELOR: You want to get rid of me easily. Grab some of that broken glass and slit your wrists!

Bet looks at her, terrified.