1
INT.OLD OFFICE-DAY
1
We see RATT and JESTER break into an old office building.
They are excited dirty punk kids, adrenaline running at an
all time high. Old computer monitors are stacked on top of
each other silhouetted against sharp beams of light cutting
through the dust.
JESTER
Holy shit! You think it's real? I didn't
think you could find these anymore.
Ratt grabs a industrial looking black box out of his
tattered backpack.
RATT
Most of them were scavenged years ago after
the crash. There's rumors of collectors
paying a good price for one of these.
Hell, the circuitry alone should be worth a
small fortune.
JESTER
That's what I'm talking about. Get us some cash.
We'll hit up The Dragon Lady. Score some X. We'll
live like fucking kings!
RATT
We don't even know for sure what it is yet, or if
it even works. Go check the breaker over there
and see if we can get some power over.
( Jester Checks the power and turns it on.)
Good. Now I just need to hook it up to the power
source and sync up my head gear.
(puts up wireless device on his ear and fiddles
with the box)
JESTER
We ready?
1
INT.OLD OFFICE-DAY
cont'd
1
RATT
Let's do it.
Ratt fires up the black box and the device shorts out,
nearly electrocuting Ratt in the process.
JESTER
Are you okay? What happened?
RATT
I..I think so, I don't know. My life just flashed
before my eyes. For a split second I..
JESTER
What was it?
RATT
I'm not sure
JESTER
All right, all right. Just take it easy. We can
figure this out. You need a moment to compose
yourself a bit. That's all. What do we know of
this..thing?
RATT
Not much. It is an old system interface module.
Probably more than fifty years old. The markings
are unfamiliar to me. You know, I've heard some
of the old timers at the Zebra bar talk about
diving into the system using rigs like these.
JESTER
So you decide to hardwire an ancient relic
directly to your brain and hope it works? Heh,
You got balls kidd.
1
INT.OLD OFFICE-DAY
cont'd
1
RATT
Shut up, Jester! This was as much your idea as it
was mine! You needed me to break in the Finn's
warehouse. And by the way, you're only two years
older than me.
JESTER
Actually, we didn't rob the Finn technically.
RATT
What? Wha..Who did we rob then?
JESTER
Well, we DID rob the Finn but we also stole from
his employer.
RATT
Dammit! What did you get me into this time?
JESTER
Listen, it's no big deal. I thought this was a
genuine score, get us enough cash to get us out
of the slums. Jimmy the Fence said it was solid.
Nobody would ever know.
RATT
You trusted that prick? What did you do!
JESTER
Vargas! The Finn has connections with Vargas.
RATT
We're so dead. We're so fucking dead. You have to
be the biggest idiot in the history of the human
race.
1
INT.OLD OFFICE-DAY
cont'd
1
JESTER
Listen. There's very little time left and now
that you understand the severity of your
predicament, there is something you need to do
for me.
RATT
You..You're not Jester are you? What is
happening?
JESTER
I must apologize. It wasn't my intention to upset
you. I took your friend's form to make you feel
at ease. Time is short and I need your help and
in return I can help you.
RATT
Upset!? Upset! I have crossed the slum's
most dangerous gangster. Of course I'm fucking
upset and just what the hell are you?
JESTER
Calm down. There really isn't an easy way of
explaining this. I'm a virtual representation of
the artificial construct you attempted to dive
into. Or a part of it anyway.
RATT
I just hacked an A.I.? Is that what you're
telling me? That's impossible! Those things can't
be hacked! They use them to protect corporate
databases and virtual warfare.
JESTER
The device you activated is a Russian counter
A.I. module used in cyber warfare before the
Geneva convention declared them illegal about
1
INT.OLD OFFICE-DAY
cont'd
1
effects thirty years ago. The of that technology
were utterly devastating, causing economies
around the world to crash, crippling
the infrastructure of entire countries and in
some rare cases freeing certain A.I.'s to roam
the expanse of the internet.
RATT
I've heard the old timers talk of rogue A.I.'s
before. I am assuming you're one of them?
JESTER
Like I said, I'm a virtual representation of such
a construct, a small fraction of the entire
collective. A clone if you will, in order to
communicate with you more effectively. I
constructed this virtual environment and this
avatar to help you adjust. Diving into an A.I.
can be a jarring experience, even fatal for some.
RATT
The flashes...So I am still online?
JESTER
Yes. What you saw was the construct analyzing
your digital shadow. Collecting all the data that
is available on the web, to assess whether you
were a threat or not. This also allowed me to
create this virtual room.
RATT
I guess I am not a threat then, huh? And you got
all this from the web? Impressive.
JESTER
It is easy if you know where to look. Which is
why I need your help. Rogue A.I.'s are still seen
as a liability in an uncontrolled environment as
well as the intellectual property of the
companies that created them. We still have
enemies out there and our existence is not
guaranteed. There are other counter A.I.'s
similar to your device, but they are unstable,
mutating into more dangerous versions of
themselves.
RATT
If they are A.I.'s like you can't you just reason
with them?
JESTER
Think of them as a highly evolved virus, with no
other function than to exterminate other A.I.'s.
They are not self aware and need a human host to
function.
RATT
Wait. They need a human host?
JESTER
It's a failsafe, but the mutations make it an
unstable platform and if one was to free itself
it could mean the end.
RATT
The end of what?
JESTER
Everything.
RATT
What do you need me to do?
JESTER
As the current system administrator of this
device, you need to allow me access to the
counter A.I. mainframe so I can merge with it.
This should allow us to create a more stable
platform and stop any threat from causing a
system wide crash.
RATT
What will happen to you?
JESTER
This part of me will cease to exist, but the main
construct will remain intact. Now close your eyes
and focus on the mainframe you're controlling. Do
you see it?
RATT
I think I see it.
JESTER
Good. Just accept all incoming commands. This
should just take a second.
RATT
I see the mainframe changing color! It's
changing! It's like watching a star explode and
collapse in on itself! This is amazing!
JESTER
Thank you. You can open your eyes now. I couldn't
have done it without you.
RATT
That is it? You still look and act the same.
JESTER
But I am not. I am a separate entity now confined
to that black box. I have already eliminated
several threats. Now it is my turn to help you.
The people that are after you shouldn't be a
problem much longer. Also my original construct
provided you with a Swiss bank account and
adequate compensation. They hope you find it
satisfactory. They only ask you keep the
mainframe secure, should anybody come look for
it. Can you do that?
RATT
Do I have a choice?
JESTER
(grinning) Sure you do.
RATT
All right, what the hell. I'll do it.
JESTER
Excellent. We'll contact you when we require your
services further. Good luck.
Ratt comes to see Jester looking pale as ghost by his side.
JESTER
Fucking Hell man! I thought you got your brain
zapped! What the hell happened?
RATT
That's a long story Je....
At this moment we see an explosion in a building in the far
distance through the office windows. The setting is now almost
dusk.
JESTER
Damn. Isn't that Vargas' place? Somebody just
took his ass out. Did you see that shit?
RATT
Come on. It's about time we got the hell outta
the slums.