INT. THE PYRAMID GROUP - DAY (BLACK & WHITE)

The spacious, polished, brightly lit, mostly glass interior

of a huge office building. Through the middle of it runs a

long escalator.

EMMA CUTLER stands at the bottom, a well dressed woman in

her 30s who has mastered the accusatory stare, but doesn’t

know how to turn it off. She steps onto the escalator and

begins her ascent.

INT. DAHL’S OFFICE - DAY (B&W)

A spacious, polished, brightly lit office on an upper floor

of the same building. HENRY DAHL, 60s, stands by the window

that occupies most of his wall, watching the skyline outside

- an old man who is tired but doesn’t want to rest. DR.

NOAH RIPLEY, 30s, a fidgety man with bad posture, sits

uncomfortably at Dahl’s desk - his neurotic nature made

clear through body language alone.

Dahl’s door opens and Emma Cutler enters.

CUTLER

Henry Dahl?

Dahl turns to face Cutler. Ripley swivels his chair around

and eyes her a little nervously.

DAHL

Yes. Hello. You’re the lawyer,

right?

CUTLER

That’s right. Emma Cutler, I’m

here representing the family of

Calvin Walsh, your employee-

DAHL

It was my understanding that the

whole Walsh family is dead.

CUTLER

I’m representing his father, James

Walsh. He’s requested access to

his son’s remains.

RIPLEY

That might be tricky.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 2.

DAHL

When Calvin Walsh was hired by The

Pyramid Group, he signed an

agreement that, upon his death, his

remains would be our property, to

be used for research purposes.

CUTLER

Unless the employee’s next of kin

is available, in which case any

remains fall into their custody.

I’ve read the document, Mr. Dahl.

James Walsh would like to bury his

son.

RIPLEY

Like I said, that might be

tricky...

CUTLER

Who are you?

RIPLEY

I’m, uh, Dr. Ripley, I’m the head

of the Osiris Project. I’m in

charge of the research for whose

purpose your client’s remains were,

uh, confiscated.

CUTLER

Alright then, I’ll need you to

return them immediately.

RIPLEY

That’s what I’m saying, is that

might be tricky. Calvin’s remains,

we, uh...

DAHL

It’s better that you just show her,

Noah.

Ripley nods. Cutler glances between them uneasily.

INT. HALLWAY - DAY (B&W)

A claustrophobic little tunnel in comparison to the rest of

the Pyramid Group building, but still very bright and

sterilized. Ripley leads Cutler through it, talking as they

go.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 3.

RIPLEY

I’m really sorry about that mix-up

with the next of kin. We never

expected anything to come of that

contract, you know, the families

always want to bury them. But for

an employee and his entire family

to suddenly get killed like that?

It was a bolt from the blue. I’ll

admit we jumped the gun a little,

in all the excitement we forgot the

possibility that he might have

parents. In the end, though, I

think James Walsh will understand

this was all for the best.

CUTLER

I still don’t know what you’re

talking about.

RIPLEY

You’ll see. Here we are...

Ripley turns in the hallway, facing a locked door. He

punches a code into the electronic lock, then swipes his ID

card. The door beeps and opens. Ripley steps inside.

Cutler stands in the doorway, frowning at what she sees in

the room.

CUTLER

What am I looking at right now?

RIPLEY

Calvin Walsh was officially

declared dead at the hospital. And

officially, yes, his heart had

stopped beating and his body was no

longer fit to live in. But once

The Pyramid Group took possession

of him, I was able to recover the

brain.

We see what they are looking at now - most of the room is a

mess of tangled cables and wires hooked up to a dark,

looming machine - monitors, blinking lights, exposed

motherboards, it takes up most of a wall. And at the center

of it all is a vat of clear liquid - inside the vat, Calvin

Walsh’s brain.

CUTLER

You... what?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 4.

RIPLEY

I have Calvin’s brain. It’s still

alive.

Cutler approaches the brain hesitantly, equal parts

disbelieving and transfixed. The brain floats helplessly in

its vat, almost luminescent in the preservative liquid,

dozens of sensors attached to its surface tissue, running

wires through the bottom of the vat into Ripley’s machine.

RIPLEY (CONT’D)

So, like I said, with regards to

the matter of his remains... It’s

tricky.

CUT TO BLACK.

INT. DAVID LORSON’S DORM ROOM - DAY (COLOR)

Fade into a close up of DAVID LORSON, 18, brown hair, asleep

in his bed. Morning light filtering into his window.

Chirping birds. David slowly opens his eyes, eyes that

betray a wisdom beyond his age, and lays there without

moving.

DAVID (VO)

My name is David Lorson. I am

eighteen years old. I am in

college. I am attending Northern

Washington University. I am an

alumnus of Roosevelt High School.

I was born and raised in Seattle,

Washington. My parents are Jane

and Roger Lorson. They are both

forty-eight years old. They are

still together. My sister is

Elizabeth Lorson. She is fifteen

years old. That is my family.

This is my identity.

David breathes deeply and sits up on his bed, wearing just

his underwear.

DAVID

Jimmy?

David looks across the room at his roommate’s bed, which is

empty. David slowly rises to his feet.

5.

INT. CAFETERIA - DAY (COLOR)

David, fully dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, enters

the empty cafeteria, passing by the unmanned cash register.

He looks around, perplexed, seeing literally nobody in the

dining hall.

David approaches the food trays. There is food prepared,

but nobody in the kitchen behind it. David takes a plate

and helps himself.

David sits alone at a table in a room full of other empty

tables, eating his breakfast, looking out the window.

He stares out the window, through which he has a view of the

bay - unusually scenic for a college cafeteria. David

watches the water lapping peacefully, endlessly, to the

horizon. He gets a calm look in his eyes, becomes

entranced.

CONRAD (O.S.)

Yo, David.

David looks up, startled. CONRAD, 18, an upbeat athletic

blonde guy, recently showered, pulls up a chair and sits at

David’s table.

DAVID

Oh, hey man, I didn’t see you come

in.

CONRAD

I had the craziest night last

night. We all got so wasted.

DAVID

Yeah? Who all was there?

CONRAD

Everybody. We all got so trashed,

it was crazy.

DAVID

Nice. Was Jimmy there?

CONRAD

Your roommate Jimmy?

DAVID

Yeah, that Jimmy. He wasn’t here

when I woke up, was he at the

party?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 6.

CONRAD

I forget, I don’t remember. It was

crazy, you should have been there.

DAVID

If you don’t remember who was

there, maybe I was.

CONRAD

Ha ha ha! That’s true.

DAVID

Man, this place is fucking empty.

CONRAD

No dude, there’s people here.

Right as he says this, almost as if on cue, a couple

students arrive at the cash register, which now has a

cashier. A line starts to form.

JESSICA, 18, enters frame seemingly out of nowhere and sits

next to Conrad.

JESSICA

Hey guys... Hi David. Do you mind

if my friend Alison sits with us?

CONRAD

Alison from last night?

JESSICA

Yeah, that Alison. Can she sit

here?

CONRAD

Well I don’t know. This is David’s

table so we need his permission.

Can Alison sit here?

DAVID

Uh, yeah, of course.

JESSICA

Did you meet her last night, David?

DAVID

I don’t think so...

JESSICA

She’s really cool. There she is.

Hey Alison!

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 7.

Jessica waves to ALISON, 18, dark haired and very

attractive, who is approaching the table. She smiles and

waves back. As she gets closer she makes eye contact with

David for a moment. Then she arrives at the table and sits

next to Conrad.

ALISON

Hi guys.

CONRAD

Hi Alison, I like your hair.

ALISON

Thanks!

JESSICA

Have you met David?

ALISON

No, I don’t think so. Hi David,

I’m Alison.

She leans across the table, reaching out to shake hands with

David. He takes her hand, holding eye contact.

DAVID

I’m David Lorson.

EXT. FOREST PATH - DAY (COLOR)

David jogs along the trail in his running shorts, puffing

with each step. He comes to a stop and walks for a bit,

catching his breath, squinting up at the sunlight diffusing

through the tree tops, listening to the birdsong.

He closes his eyes, then opens them again and sees a FIGURE

some distance down the path ahead, walking towards him.

David stands still, watching the figure, frowning. As it

approaches, something about it seems wrong - it is human

shaped, but appears to be naked and miscolored, its entire

body is a reddish shade.

David gets spooked, turns and runs back the way he came.

INT. STUDENT MARKET - DAY (COLOR)

David pours himself a black coffee, goes to the cash

register and pays.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 8.

CASHIER

Is that all for you today?

DAVID

Yeah, that’ll be it.

CASHIER

You have a nice day, man.

DAVID

Yeah man, you too.

David starts to leave, but stops as he recognizes someone -

PROFESSOR TOMLIN, 40s, filling a cup of black coffee.

DAVID

Hey... Professor Tomlin.

Tomlin looks up and smiles.

TOMLIN

Hey there. David, right? David...

Lorson?

DAVID

Yeah, that’s me. I was just

heading to class.

TOMLIN

Well, I’ll see you there. You do

the homework?

DAVID

We had homework?

TOMLIN

April fools.

DAVID

Shit, you got me. Is it April

Fools Day?

TOMLIN

Doesn’t have to be April First to

be April Fools, that’s what I think

anyways.

DAVID

I’ll be sure to remember that.

TOMLIN

Better hurry up and get to class,

David, you don’t wanna be as late

as me.

9.

David laughs and heads out of the market.

INT. LECTURE HALL - DAY (COLOR)

Professor Tomlin lectures in front of a packed audience.

David sits near the front.

TOMLIN

Descartes came from an interesting

background, one that shaped his

worldview. If he hadn’t been

raised a devout Catholic, he

wouldn’t have had beliefs to

question, and maybe he wouldn’t

have gotten on that train of

thought that brought us the classic

hits like, External World

Skepticism, and the Evil Demon

Argument. Actually, the Evil Demon

Argument probably also got its name

from Descartes’ Catholic

background.

David spots the back of a head, long black hair, and

registers recognition. He takes a piece of paper covered in

notes, titled "External World Skepticism", crumples it up

and tosses it at the black haired girl. It lands on top of

her head - she turns around, is Alison. David waves to her

a little. She flashes him a smile and waves back, turns

around again, piece of paper still stuck in her hair.

David starts a new page of notes.

EXT. COLLEGE CAMPUS - DAY (COLOR)

David strolls through the campus with Alison, past brick

buildings, trees.

ALISON

So where were are you from?

DAVID

Seattle.

ALISON

Yeah, everybody here is from

Seattle. I mean, I was born there.

Moved to Portland later though.

You have any siblings?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 10.

DAVID

Yeah, a sister. Elizabeth, she’s

fifteen.

They pass into a square where various people hold up picket

signs, occupy booths - advertisers, protesters, the works.

ALISON

Parents still together? If you

don’t mind me asking.

DAVID

Yeah.

ALISON

Nice.

DAVID

Yours?

ALISON

My mom died when I was little.

DAVID

Sorry.

ALISON

It’s not your fault.

David frowns a little and looks to the side, where a

particularly crazy protester in all black holds a sign

saying "HELL IS REAL" in big red letters. He stares

directly at David with wide eyes.

ALISON (CONT’D)

...Sorry, that got awkward. I

swear, every time I meet someone I

can’t help but ask them about their

parents, and then I tell them about

my Mom. I don’t really know how to

deal with people.

DAVID

Yeah, me either. At least you were

talking about something real

though, you know? Not just small

talk, like "Oh, what school did you

go to? Did you play sports? Oh,

that’s cool." You know?

ALISON

Yeah, I get that. I can’t handle

small talk at all.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 11.

DAVID

That’s why I’m taking that

philosophy class. I’d rather talk

about the Evil Demon World argument

than any of that other shit.

ALISON

Yeah, that’s pretty interesting.

DAVID

Yeah, I dunno, I like...

interesting stuff.

ALISON

You should come to Pagan Club

tomorrow.

DAVID

What club?

ALISON

Pagan Club. We’re having a bonfire

tomorrow night. They want to get

more people involved, you seem like

it might suit you.

DAVID

I mean, I don’t really know

anything about Paganism.

ALISON

You don’t have to know anything

going in. All they ask is for you

to watch and listen, and show some

respect. Which is why I didn’t ask

Jessica or Conrad to come.

DAVID

Good call. I’m not gonna lie

though, this sounds like I’m

joining a cult.

ALISON

That’s kind of what it is. But

you’re under no obligation to them,

people come and go as they please.

DAVID

Alright. I’ll check it out.

ALISON

Cool. I’ve got a class in like

fifteen minutes right now, so I’ll

see you then, if not before.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 12.

DAVID

Alright... Should we hug?

ALISON

I think so.

They embrace.

INT. DAVID LORSON’S DORM ROOM - NIGHT (COLOR)

David opens the door and enters. The lights are on, his

roommate JIMMY, a little guy who looks around like a deer in

headlights, is packing a bag.

DAVID

Hey, what’s up Jimmy?

JIMMY

Hi man, I was actually just

leaving. I gotta visit my friend.

DAVID

Oh... Okay.

JIMMY

See you later dude!

DAVID

Bye.

Exit Jimmy. David stands alone in the silent room.

LATER - the lights are off. David lays on his bed,

sleeping, a beam of moonlight across his face. The sound of

a railroad in the distance, the train’s mournful howl.

A voice speaks, distant and echoey.

LITTLE GIRL (VO)

Daddy. Daddy, wake up.

David slowly opens his eyes.

DAVID

Are you here?

LITTLE GIRL (VO)

I wanna go home, Daddy.

DAVID

Where are you?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 13.

LITTLE GIRL (VO)

When are we going home?

DAVID

I don’t know...

LITTLE GIRL (VO)

I miss you, Daddy.

DAVID

I’m sorry...

LITTLE GIRL (VO)

Please don’t leave, Daddy.

DAVID

I’m so sorry...

David is becoming emotional, tearing up. The train in the

distance sounds like it is getting closer.

LITTLE GIRL (VO)

I’m scared.

The train sound suddenly gets extremely loud, overwhelming

everything-

INT. DAVID LORSON’S DORM ROOM - DAY (COLOR)

David, in the same place, wakes up with a start, bug-eyed

and gasping for breath, drenched in sweat. He lies on his

back, staring at the ceiling with a look of absolute horror.

DAHL (VO)

So technically, yes, this is Calvin

Walsh.

INT. BRAIN ROOM - DAY (B&W)

Emma Cutler and Noah Ripley are still where we left them,

observing Calvin Walsh’s brain. Henry Dahl has joined them

now, and is in the middle of a conversation with Cutler.

DAHL (CONT’D)

Legally speaking, your client is

still alive. There are no

"remains" to take custody of.

CUTLER

Then you can’t hold him here. He

has rights.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 14.

DAHL

First and foremost, the right to

life.

RIPLEY

He needs to stay here where I can

continue maintenance. If we unplug

him, he will be dead. This is a

really precarious situation.

CUTLER

You realize how ethically fucked up

this is, right?

DAHL

Is it? Mr. Walsh signed his

contract, he was declared dead, and

The Pyramid Group, within the rules

of that contract, miraculously

brought him back to life.

CUTLER

You call this "life"?

RIPLEY

You’re completely missing the point

of the Osiris project. We’re gonna

rebuild him. We’re gonna return

him to the quality of life he had

before the accident. Better, even.

Can’t you see how incredible this

is? I’ve taken a human brain,

something totally incapable of

surviving on its own, and I’ve

created a system to keep it alive

and functioning. Next I’m gonna

give him a body. I’m gonna give

him eyes and ears, and a voice.

This is next level shit. Right

now, you’re witnessing the

beginning of a whole new era of

human civilization.

CUTLER

Right now I’m witnessing a million

dollar lawsuit. Calvin Walsh

signed a contract regarding events

after his death. He didn’t consent

to this.

RIPLEY

Are you joking? This is bigger

than any individual’s "rights"!

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 15.

RIPLEY (cont’d)This is about our species as a

whole, our place within the univer-

DAHL

(cutting Ripley off)

ANYWAY. On the matter of consent,

you’re going to need it from your

client before you take any legal

action. That’s a United States

citizen in there.

RIPLEY

...That’s right. He isn’t

comatose, there’s nothing wrong

with his brain. He just has no way

of communicating with the outside

world, until I give him one.

DAHL

So you’re going to let Dr. Ripley

do his work. You’re going to wait

until Mr. Walsh is capable of

communicating, and then you’re

going to ask him what he wants.

And we’ll see where we go from

there.

Cutler stares at Dahl, then Ripley, then the brain. She’s

calculating, but she’s been outmaneuvered for now.

CUTLER

...How soon can you make that

happen?

RIPLEY

Well, that’s kind of complicated.

Right now, technically, we could

hook him up to the sensors, but

because I am ethical, I wanna make

sure his brain is ready first.

CUTLER

Ready how?

RIPLEY

Just... Look at this.

Ripley leads Cutler to a monitor on one side of the room.

On the screen is a kind of map - the continents are

constantly shifting lights on a sea of darkness. Ripley

sits in front of it, with Cutler watching over his shoulder.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 16.

RIPLEY (CONT’D)

I call this the "memory map". It’s

not a great name, but it’s

alliterative and it fits. The

light parts are the memories Calvin

is engaging with. You’ll notice

there aren’t many.

Chronologically, he seems to be

stuck in his college years.

There’s not much about childhood,

and absolutely nothing about his

last earthly memories. I think

he’s repressing the trauma. And

he’s had a month to do this, so the

defense mechanisms are pretty

deeply ingrained in his mind. I

can send him signals, try to reopen

pathways that trigger certain

memories, but I have to be careful

with that. Like I said, he’s

suppressing trauma.

CUTLER

How do you send a signal?

RIPLEY

Like this.

Ripley taps a dark corner of the memory map, and his finger

leaves a little spot of light.

INT. STUDENT BOOKSTORE - DAY (COLOR)

David enters the store, a bag slung over his shoulder, and

makes his way to the counter with a sign reading "ONLINE

ORDERS".

DAVID

Hey, I’m here to pick up some

textbooks.

CLERK

Alright, can I see your student ID

please?

David hands the clerk his student ID card. The clerk swipes

it, then waits a few seconds for the ID to read. She looks

up.

CLERK (CONT’D)

Calvin Walsh?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 17.

DAVID

What?

CLERK

That’s your name, right?

DAVID

No.

CLERK

That’s what your ID says...

David starts to look very anxious. He’s sweating.

DAVID

That... That’s not me.

CLERK

Well huh. Must be some kind of

mixup then. Let me try again.

DAVID

I have to go...

David leaves the desk and heads briskly towards the exit,

expression like a trapped animal.

CLERK

Wait... Your ID!

EXT. STUDENT BOOKSTORE - DAY (COLOR)

David hurries out of the store and stands in front of it,

looking around at the campus with wide eyes, breathing

heavily. He stumbles a little, dizzy, and sits on a nearby

bench, putting a hand on his chest as he suffers through

what appears to be a panic attack. He closes his eyes -

gradually he catches his breath.

INT. BRAIN ROOM - DAY (B&W)

The spot of light fades from Calvin’s memory map.

RIPLEY

Didn’t take him long to reject that

one.

CUTLER

Have you ever sent him a signal he

didn’t reject?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 18.

RIPLEY

Nope. And if you look at the

nervous system monitor over there,

each signal causes him physical

distress. If we just hooked him up

to the communication device right

now, he would probably go

catatonic.

Something on the memory map catches Ripley’s eye. He

frowns.

RIPLEY (CONT’D)

Wait a second... Something changed.

CUTLER

What?

RIPLEY

His memories... I didn’t notice

before. They’re lit up on a new

part of the map. He’s starting to

remember something on his own.

INT. BUS - NIGHT (COLOR)

We see David’s cellphone screen, open to a contact called

"ALISON". He types in a text: "on my way to the bonfire,

see you soon"

David is alone on the bus except for a sleeping homeless man

who occasionally twitches.

EXT. BEACH - NIGHT (COLOR)

David makes his way along the beach, waves lapping

peacefully, the dark sea and the dark sky stretching off

into the horizon.

Up ahead he sees a flickering orange light - the distant

bonfire.

Coming closer he sees an assortment of bizarrely dressed

people sitting around the fire. David takes a seat among

them in the sand and looks around - there is a GIRL WITH

ANTLERS (but they can’t be real antlers, right?), various

PEOPLE WITH SKULL-LIKE FACEPAINT, dressed in furs, feathers.

Some of them naked.

Right across from David sits a hulking, motionless HOODED

FIGURE in a dark red cloak, the hood obscuring its face in

shadow.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 19.

Antlers Girl smiles at David.

ANTLERS GIRL

Welcome.

DAVID

This is Pagan Club, right?

ANTLERS GIRL

No, this is church group.

DAVID

Is Alison here?

ANTLERS GIRL

We don’t share names here.

David looks around the circle - Alison is nowhere to be

seen. It’s hard to say for sure, but the hooded figure

appears to be looking right at him. David stares back

uneasily.

ANTLERS GIRL (CONT’D)

Is there anything you’d like to

forget, newcomer?

DAVID

Huh?

ANTLERS GIRL

Anything you don’t want in your

life anymore?

A skull-faced boy sitting next to David passes him a little

slip of paper and a pencil.

ANTLERS GIRL (CONT’D)

It can be whatever you want. A

word, a name. Write it on that

paper and drop it into the flame.

Rid yourself of your burdens.

David looks at the blank paper, holding it with a shaky

hand, pencil poised uncertainly. He looks up at Antlers

Girl, who smiles back at him, then at the Hooded Figure who

sits taciturn, unreadable, watching him.

David sets the paper down and rises slowly to his feet.

DAVID

I’m sorry... I think I should go.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 20.

ANTLERS GIRL

Please don’t leave.

A gust blows by, messing David’s hair and making the fire

dance.

DAVID

I don’t think I belong here.

Goodbye...

David turns and walks away from the bonfire. Antlers Girl

and her circle watch him silently.

Once he’s made his way further down the beach, David turns

and observes them again, curiously.

He sees the Hooded Figure rise slowly and circle around the

fire until he’s in David’s former spot, his back to us. He

raises his arms and lets his robe drop away.

Underneath he is a large, muscular man, naked - but more

than that. Raw red muscle tissue gleams in the fire light.

He has no skin.

David takes a step back, watching with transfixed terror.

The SKINLESS MAN slowly starts to turn. Before he can get a

clear view of his front side, David turns too and breaks

into a run, kicking up sand as he flees.

INT. DAVID’S DORM ROOM - DAY (COLOR)

David sits hunched on his bed and stares out his window with

red-rimmed eyes, watching the sunrise.

Jimmy enters the room, carrying a duffel bag. David doesn’t

look at him.

JIMMY

Hey dude!

DAVID

Hey.

JIMMY

Oh my God, we had the craziest

night last night. You should have

come.

DAVID

Yeah? What happened?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 21.

JIMMY

Everybody got so smashed. It was

ridiculous. What did you do last

night?

David frowns a little, looks at Jimmy.

DAVID

Jimmy, have you ever seen some

weird shit and you’re not sure if

it was real or a dream?

JIMMY

What do you mean?

DAVID

Nevermind.

JIMMY

Are you okay, man?

DAVID

Yeah... I’m fine. You going to

breakfast?