DARKNESS FALLS "BLUE" BY BETH MAYO FIRST DRAFT INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT JONATHAN is asleep at his computer. It scrolls through code while he sleeps. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT The camera moves through maze-like hallways fast, jerkily, and seemingly at random. The color is a little off, suggesting that these scenes are not real. A girl is seen in the hallway. The camera runs up to her and around her, shakily. The girl is BLUE. She holds her hand out to the camera. BLUE Welcome to the Wired... INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT JONATHAN wakes up slowly, looking strangely at his computer. It is still scrolling through code. JONATHAN sits up and opens a program. He begins writing code and is apparently very nervous about what he is doing. He glances at the time on his computer. It is the middle of the night. JONATHAN They shouldn't be watching it now... INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT The camera moves through the hallways, like it's searching for something. Suddenly a closed door appears. On it is marked "THE CRYPT". INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT JONATHAN types furiously, like he's trying to finish as quickly as possible. Suddenly his computer makes a warning noise and windows begin opening. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT The camera turns and sees LAWRENCE; a man dressed in black. It quickly turns around and begins heading the other way. INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT JONATHAN Damn it! He almost freaks out but controls himself. He begins closing all the windows and getting rid of the code he was writing as fast as possible. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT The camera gets out of the hallways and goes outside of the building. It slows and eventually stops moving, focusing on a lamppost. INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT Finally JONATHAN'S screen goes blank. He sighs in relief. The phone RINGS. Jonathan jumps and then answers it. JONATHAN Hello? BECKETT How's the job? JONATHAN Oh, Beckett. Well, I've been really busy lately... BECKETT You have? Doing what? JONATHAN (laughs nervously) Well, working at my other job... You know how it is... BECKETT You need to finish it. We're going to the Wired in two days and if you don't have the code ready... JONATHAN I know. I'll get right on it. BECKETT Good. We don't tolerate people who slow us down. JONATHAN Yeah... BECKETT hangs up and the phone goes dead. Jonathan stares at it and then hangs up. He turns off his computer and goes over to his bed. He pulls a gun out from under his pillow and checks to make sure it is loaded. He sets it next to his bed and then goes to sleep. EXT. BUILDING - NIGHT JONATHAN is standing under the lamppost from before. He goes into a nearby building and begins wandering through the halls. He comes to a door marked "THE CRYPT". JONATHAN tries the door but it is locked. BLUE walks down the hallway towards Jonathan. He doesn't notice her because he is staring at the door. BLUE Welcome to the Wired... JONATHAN whirls around and stares at BLUE. She is holding out her hand, and in it is a key. Jonathan stares at it and then back at the door. He looks suspiciously at Blue and then takes the key from her. He uses it to open the marked door. On the other side of the door stand BECKETT and LAWRENCE. JONATHAN stares at them in disbelief and then turns and runs. BLUE looks after him like she is confused. She then looks over to where Beckett and Lawrence were standing. The door is closed and there is no one there. INT. APARTMENT - DAY The alarm clock BEEPS loudly. JONATHAN rolls over and gets up to turn it off. He turns on his computer and then goes into the bathroom. BLUE enters the room. She sits on Jonathan's bed. Jonathan comes back dressed in work attire (khakis with a shirt and tie). He sits down at his computer and starts running programs and checking his email. BLUE walks over and looks over his shoulder, but he doesn't notice her at all. JONATHAN opens up a screen full of code. He scrolls through it but doesn't write anything. BLUE The Crypt... JONATHAN The Crypt... If only I had the key... BLUE You could erase everything. JONATHAN They could never find me. BLUE To them, you would cease to exist. JONATHAN If I can just keep Beckett from finding out. BLUE They want to go to the Wired. But they need you to get there. Are you going with them? JONATHAN I wish I didn't have them looking over my shoulder anymore. BLUE looks hurt and backs away. She sits down on the bed and watches Jonathan. JONATHAN suddenly looks at the time on his computer. JONATHAN Damn it! He puts his computer back to scrolling through code and then gets the gun from beside his bed. He grabs a few more things and then leaves the apartment. EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - MORNING JONATHAN is seen walking through the parking lot towards his car. BLUE is standing on the curb watching Jonathan. He notices her and then pretends not to. Jonathan gets into his car. He checks the mirror and sees that Blue is still watching him. JONATHAN Who is that? She looks familiar... Is she following me? Jonathan turns on the car and peels out of the lot. Blue stands and watches him leave. INT. OFFICE BUILDING - DAY JONATHAN is seated at a desk, talking on the phone. He cannot be heard but is obviously hassled, punching buttons on the phone and looking up stuff on a computer. Finally he hangs up the phone and sighs in relief. NEAL, one of Jonathan's co-workers, approaches. NEAL Rough day? Jonathan is visibly startled and reaches for the bag where he stuffed his gun that morning. Then he recognizes Neal. JONATHAN Neal... I didn't see you coming... NEAL Come on. Let's go and get some lunch. My treat. You look like you could use some down time. JONATHAN Sure... Jonathan grabs his bag and the two leave the building. INT. RESTAURANT - DAY NEAL and JONATHAN sit, just having finished eating. They are both drinking coffee. NEAL So what's bothering you? You getting to hate tech support that much? JONATHAN No, it's not that. My other job is giving me some problems. NEAL You still working for Beckett? JONATHAN Yeah. But not for much longer, if I can help it. NEAL So that's it. You're trying to get out. I'd be really careful if I were you. JONATHAN No kidding. I mean, I could walk out whenever. But they'd come after me. NEAL So what are you going to do? JONATHAN If I can break into the Crypt, and erase all of the info they have on me... It'd be like I never existed. NEAL You think you can get in? Into the Crypt? JONATHAN Yeah, but I've got a deadline. Some people enter the restaurant. BLUE comes in behind them and stands by the door. NEAL Why? JONATHAN Because... Tomorrow Beckett and Lawrence are going to try and get into the Wired. But they need my code to get there. NEAL The Wired? JONATHAN Yeah, whatever that is. All I have to do is write the code that'll get them into the Wired. Then I can erase myself from The Crypt, and they won't be able to track me down. But I think Beckett is getting suspicious... Jonathan looks around the restaurant suspiciously. Suddenly he sees Blue standing by the door. JONATHAN Oh no... NEAL What? JONATHAN It's that girl... I saw her this morning. I think she works for Beckett. NEAL What girl? JONATHAN The girl by the door! I gotta go. Thanks for lunch. Jonathan grabs his bag and leaves. NEAL I don't see any girl... Blue is still standing by the door. She walks over to Neal, who doesn't see her. NEAL Whatever. EXT. APARTMENT - EVENING JONATHAN pulls up in his car and then goes up to his apartment. INT. APARTMENT - EVENING Jonathan puts dinner in the microwave and then checks his computer. He then goes into the bathroom and running water is heard. The microwave BEEPS loudly. Jonathan emerges from the bathroom, hair wet and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. He gets his dinner and then sits in front of the computer eating. Jonathan eventually opens a window with code and he starts writing. INT. BUILDING - NIGHT The camera moves quickly and shakily through hallways. It keeps going past BLUE but never seems to notice her. INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT Jonathan has fallen asleep at his computer. The code scrolls on without him. INT. BUILDING - NIGHT Jonathan wanders through hallways. He comes upon the door to THE CRYPT. He stands staring at it for a while. Suddenly he turns and sees BLUE. JONATHAN You! Jonathan runs from Blue. He gets out of the building and is standing on the steps when Blue walks up to him. He turns and tries to get back into the building but the door has locked behind him. Blue walks up the steps towards Jonathan. JONATHAN What do you want? Blue faces Jonathan and stares at him, silently. JONATHAN I know you work for Beckett. BLUE They are going to the Wired. JONATHAN And then what? After I get them to the Wired, then what? What is the Wired anyway? BLUE They need you to get there. JONATHAN I know! What do you want?! BLUE Are you going with them? JONATHAN What? BLUE Are you taking them with you? To the Wired? JONATHAN Who are you? Blue smiles and gestures at their surroundings. BLUE I am Blue. Welcome to the Wired. INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT Jonathan is asleep at his computer. There is a loud KNOCK at the door. Jonathan wakes up and looks at his computer. There is another KNOCK. Jonathan stands groggily and opens the door. BECKETT and LAWRENCE, two men in black, stand there. JONATHAN Beckett... BECKETT Hello, Jonathan. Just thought we'd stop by. BECKETT walks into the apartment, leaving Lawrence outside to stand guard. Jonathan closes the door. JONATHAN Sorry about the mess. If I had know you were coming, I'd - BECKETT cuts him off. BECKETT You know this isn't just a little friendly visit. So you can can the small talk. JONATHAN Okay. So what's up? BECKETT There's been some strange activity near the Crypt recently. Now, both Lawrence and I know it couldn't be you. Because we know you're hard at work writing that code for us. JONATHAN Yeah... BECKETT But I also know that since you're so good, maybe you finished the code already. Have you, Jonathan? JONATHAN No, actually... I've been working on it nonstop when I'm not at my day job. But I'm not finished with it. BECKETT So obviously it couldn't be you that's been hanging around at the Crypt. JONATHAN Yeah... BECKETT Good. Just wanted to make that clear. JONATHAN So when do you want it by? BECKETT What? JONATHAN The code. When do you want it by? BECKETT Lawrence will meet you tomorrow at 5. At the usual place. JONATHAN Okay. BECKETT Well, then I'll be going. Have a nice night, Jonathan. Beckett walks over to the door and opens it. He goes through and then turns around. BECKETT So stay away from the Crypt. Or you will join the others that rest there. LAWRENCE and BECKETT leave. JONATHAN closes the door behind them and sinks to the floor, head in his hands. JONATHAN Oh god... I have to get out of here. Jonathan pulls himself together and goes into his room. He turns off his computer, puts the gun into his bag, and then leaves the apartment. EXT. CAMPUS PATH - NIGHT Jonathan is walking slowly along the path, obviously enjoying being away from his computer. However, he is still tense and reaches for the gun in his bag several times. He approaches a lamppost along the path. Suddenly he notices that BLUE is standing by the lamppost. Jonathan freezes. JONATHAN You... What do you want? BLUE begins walking slowly towards Jonathan. JONATHAN reaches slowly for the gun in his bag. BLUE Are you going to the Wired? JONATHAN I know you work for Beckett. I'm almost done with the code, I'm just out taking a break! What do you want? BLUE Do you want to go to the Wired? JONATHAN Stop it! Jonathan pulls the gun from his bag and aims it at Blue. She seems unperturbed. BLUE I can take you to the Wired. JONATHAN Leave me alone! I'll shoot! BLUE They're going to the Wired. Are you going with them? JONATHAN Shut up! He fires several shots at Blue. She doesn't even seem to be hit, though it would be almost impossible for Jonathan to miss since she is so close. JONATHAN drops the gun in disbelief. JONATHAN What are you? The screen goes black. INT. APARTMENT - MORNING JONATHAN slowly awakes in his bed. He looks around groggily, and then remembers what happened. He jumps out of bed, finds his bag, and digs out his gun which he makes sure is loaded. Jonathan goes through his apartment, gun drawn. He doesn't find anyone. He looks around the living room. JONATHAN Was I dreaming? I must be going crazy... He goes back to his room only to discover BLUE sitting at his computer. Jonathan aims the gun at her. JONATHAN Get out! Get out or I'll shoot! BLUE That didn't work last time. Remember? Jonathan stares at her in disbelief. He sits down on his bed, still holding the gun. JONATHAN What do you want? I'm not finished with the code. Tell Beckett I'll give it to Lawrence tonight. BLUE I never said I worked for Beckett. JONATHAN Then who do you work for? Lawrence? BLUE Wrong again. JONATHAN Then who the hell are you? BLUE I told you. I'm Blue. JONATHAN And what the hell is that supposed to mean? Look, just leave me alone! I've gotta finish that code. BLUE So they can get into the Wired. And once they're gone, you can erase your info from the Crypt. Jonathan visibly gets scared. JONATHAN How do you know that? Did Neal tell you? BLUE I heard it on the Wired. JONATHAN What is it anyway? The Wired? BLUE It's where I live. Because I'm dead. JONATHAN What are you saying? BLUE It's the other world. The digital world. You can live in the Wired just like you live here, in this world. There was just never a way to get to the digital world before. Except maybe in a dream... Jonathan is really scared and is trying to logically explain what Blue is saying. JONATHAN You mean like the internet? But you can't live there. You can go on the web, but you're always still here. Sitting in your chair. BLUE Not true. She pauses. Jonathan is at a loss for words. BLUE I used to work for Beckett. JONATHAN Used to? How did you get out? You erased your info from the Crypt, right? BLUE No. I helped Beckett build the Crypt. And I built the gate to the Wired that is in the Crypt. And so Beckett decided that I knew too much. So he had Lawrence kill me. But they never erased my info. Which is why I'm still around, I guess. JONATHAN You're a ghost? BLUE You could call it that. I'm a voice that got lost in the void. A ghost in the machine. JONATHAN You're who Beckett was talking about. The person buried in The Crypt. So are you haunting me or what? BLUE I'm trying to help you. JONATHAN Help me? How? BLUE I built the Crypt. I know the passwords. I'll help you erase your info if you'll erase mine. JONATHAN Why? Can't you do it from the Wired? BLUE It doesn't work that way. In the Wired, I'm nothing more than [techno babble]. I can only travel in the Wired. Not change it. Just like this world. They really aren't that different. JONATHAN But what's so important about erasing your info from the Crypt? It shouldn't matter if you're dead. BLUE I think that somehow my spirit got caught up in the code for the Crypt. I tried to make it to the Wired but Lawrence killed me before I could. Which is why I'm still around. So perhaps if I'm erased from the digital world... JONATHAN You'll cease to exist in this one. BLUE Just like you're trying to do. Cease to exist by erasing all the information. JONATHAN But what about Beckett? I still have to write the code to get him and Lawrence to the Wired. I don't have time to do that and hack into the Crypt. BLUE I'll help you. I built the Crypt, remember? I know all the passwords. I hold all the keys. Blue and Jonathan look at each other for a moment. Then they both speak at once. BLUE AND JONATHAN Will you help me? BLUE smiles. BLUE Let's get started. INT. OFFICE BUILDING - DAY NEAL is looking through a sheaf of papers while he walks to the desk where Jonathan works. NEAL Hey, Jonathan? Neal looks up and sees that the chair is empty. Jonathan isn't there. Neal looks around. NEAL I wonder where he is? Neal walks away. There is a shot of the computer and the empty chair. INT. APARTMENT - DAY JONATHAN is seated at his computer. Blue stands looking over his shoulder. Jonathan opens a screen full of code. JONATHAN This is what I've worked out so far. But every time I try to hack in, Lawrence finds me. BLUE You can't go in through [techno babble - the front way] anymore. Beckett and Lawrence have put up so many [techno babble - traps] that it's impossible. Even I don't know the passwords. JONATHAN So how do we get in then? BLUE When I built the Crypt, I left a [techno babble - back door]. Like a back door. JONATHAN So how do we get there? BLUE [techno babble] JONATHAN Got it. He begins typing code while Blue looks on. INT. BUILDING - NIGHT The camera moves through hallways and comes upon the door marked "THE CRYPT". It pauses and then continues down the hallway. Eventually it reaches another, smaller door. INT. APARTMENT - DAY JONATHAN What's the password? BLUE Beckett. JONATHAN Beckett? BLUE I figured if they found the door, the password would be so obvious they'd never guess it. JONATHAN But couldn't they just [techno babble - get around the password]? BLUE No. I programmed a [techno babble] so they couldn't. INT. BUILDING - NIGHT The door opens and the camera goes through. It travels through more hallways and a few stairwells. The camera comes upon a very large double door. It opens and blackness is beyond. INT. APARTMENT - AFTERNOON Jonathan is still typing while Blue looks on. Suddenly a window opens and code begins scrolling past very quickly. JONATHAN Got it! We're in! INT. RESTAURANT - AFTERNOON LAWRENCE is seated at a table, alone. He continuously looks at his watch. BECKETT enters and approaches the table. Lawrence looks up and smiles when he sees Beckett. BECKETT He got into the Crypt. Let's go. LAWRENCE Do you think he finished the code so we can get to the Wired? BECKETT We'll find out when we get there. The two leave the restaurant. INT. APARTMENT - AFTERNOON JONATHAN is typing and deleting stuff furiously, a huge grin on his face. He finishes and sits back in his chair, relieved. JONATHAN I'm done. It's all deleted. BLUE Congratulations. You're dead. JONATHAN smiles uncertainly, not sure how to take the comment. JONATHAN Well, I couldn't have done it without you. Oh! That's right. I'll erase your stuff too. EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - EVENING A car pulls up to the apartment building. BECKETT and LAWRENCE get out. INT. APARTMENT - EVENING BLUE Too late. JONATHAN What? There is a loud BANG from the direction of the door. BECKETT Jonathan... JONATHAN Oh, god. I was supposed to meet Lawrence and give him the code at five! BECKETT Jonathan, we know you're in there. JONATHAN I'm dead anyway. I'll erase your info now. He turns to the computer. BLUE They want to go to the Wired. But they need you to get there. JONATHAN I know, that's why they're gonna kill me! There is another BANG on the door. BLUE But you're already dead. There is a gate to the Wired in the Crypt. I put it there. JONATHAN You mean? BLUE They want to go to the Wired. Are you taking them with you? There is a substantial pause. JONATHAN No. I'm going by myself. EXT. APARTMENT - EVENING LAWRENCE kicks down the door to Jonathan's apartment. BECKETT and LAWRENCE enter, guns drawn. BECKETT Jonathan. All we want is the code. LAWRENCE (under his breath) And you splattered on the wall... Lawrence kicks down the door to Jonathan's room. The computer is running, code scrolling madly down the screen. Jonathan and Blue are not in the room. LAWRENCE Not in here... Lawrence checks the rest of the apartment while Beckett stares at the computer. Suddenly it clicks off and the screen goes black. Lawrence comes back into the room. LAWRENCE He's not here. He sees Beckett staring at the computer. LAWRENCE Hey, wasn't that on? Did you turn it off? Beckett simply stares at the empty chair. INT. BUILDING - NIGHT The screen is black. Then a door opens and blinding light comes in. The camera moves outside and focuses on the sky. BLUE Jonathan... Welcome to the Wired. FADE TO BLACK. THE END.