“In her digital fortress, a software engineer becomes an unsung hero, racing against time to expose a deadly cyber conspiracy.”
Watch the original version of The Net
Prologue
In the labyrinthine realm of ones and zeros, Angela Bennett had found her sanctuary. A renowned freelance software engineer, she had chosen a life of virtual solitude, ensconced in the captivating world of algorithms and codes. Her nimble fingers danced over the illuminated keys, like a seasoned pianist striking a sonata on a grand piano. Within the silence of the binary abyss, she would often lose hours, days even, ensnared in the intricate web she wove. Such was her world, limited to her computer screens and an indigo-lit room with windows veiled behind dark curtains.
Her social life was equally digital, her interactions mostly limited to faceless yet familiar usernames that populated her computer screen. One such cyber associate, who went by the moniker Proteus, had been a constant in myriad debugging sessions. His request on an ordinary Wednesday didn’t seem out of the blue. He had been developing a new, immersive game and needed Bennett’s expertise to debug it. Oblivious to the precipice she was about to step onto, Angela accepted the task with a click of a mouse button.
Chapter 1: “Cyberspace Sanctuary”
As the codes of the game loaded onto her screen, Angela felt a familiar thrill course through her veins. Debugging was an art, a puzzle that required the right balance of logic, expertise, and intuition. Angela Bennett was a maestro in this realm. Scrutinizing the cascading lines of code, she quickly detected a seemingly imperceptible anomaly. A strange, unexplainable chunk of code nestled within the otherwise well-structured programming.
Intrigued, she dived into the digital enigma. The labyrinth of letters and numbers revealed a mysterious design, intriguing yet alarming. The woven threads of this electronic tapestry hinted at powerful repercussions, those that could extend beyond the realm of the game. Could this be a gateway to something ominously grander, something that dabbled in the undercurrents of the dark web?
Working tirelessly through the endless night, Bennett picked at the peculiar code, her expert touch revealing patterns and trails that led to a chilling conclusion. What she initially deemed an innocent programming glitch was, in reality, a meticulously designed virus, one capable of not just tampering with the game, but hijacking a person’s virtual identity.
Before she could digest the revelation, her computer screen glitched. The pixels distorted, and lines of code reshuffled inexplicably. Then, an eerie silence. Her screens turned blank, plunging the room into an unsettling darkness. The humming servers fell ominously quiet. A chill of dread ran down her spine. The tranquility of her digital sanctuary was shattered.
When her system rebooted, Angela Bennett ceased to exist in the virtual world. In her place, ‘Ruth Marx’, a notorious cyber-criminal known in the darkest corners of the web, had taken residence. Bennett’s digital life, replete with her career accomplishments and personal memories, vanished, replaced by a fabricated cyber presence that screamed ‘felon’.
The familiar comfort of her apartment felt alien. An unserved warrant for Ruth Marx blinked ominously on her screen, casting an eerie glow in the dimly lit room. As she grappled with her newfound identity, a chilling realization crept over her. She was no longer a mere programmer navigating through lines of code. She was now an outlaw, a pawn in a sinister scheme she wished she had never unearthed.
Even in the sanctuary of her home, she felt a shiver of unease. She wasn’t alone. A malevolent entity had pierced the veil of her solitude. Observing her every move, lurking in shadows she couldn’t even see. An invisible threat was moulding her world into a nerve-racking, live-action rendition of a thriller game, one where she was the inadvertent protagonist. And the odds were stacked heavily against her.
As the seamless fabric of her life started to unravel, stitched together by threads of fear and uncertainty, Angela Bennett braced herself for the storm that was brewing ahead. She had inadvertently stepped into the underbelly of the cyber world, drawn into a conspiracy that threatened to consume her life. Little did she know, she was on a collision course with real-world peril, and her every move was leading her closer to an assassination she wasn’t even aware was coming. A game began, where she was both the player and the hunted. The only way out was to uncover the rules and beat the invisible enemy at their own game.
But time was running out.
Chapter 2: “The Unseen Web”
Angela Bennett had always found solace in the comforting hum of her computer, the illuminated screen serving as her personal lighthouse in the endless sea of codes. But as she stared at her reflection in the darkened screen, she felt an unsettling chill creep up her spine. That line of unfamiliar code from Proteus’ game hadn’t been just a bug – it was a meticulously crafted virus, possibly a Trojan horse.
In an instant, her cyber sanctuary had turned malevolent, a twist that she had not anticipated. She was no longer Angela Bennett, the freelance software engineer. She was Ruth Marx, a moniker populated across the police databases as a notorious cybercriminal.
The world around her spun. Each of her multiple screens portrayed a different aspect of her new identity. A warped mirror reflecting a life she didn’t recognize. Background checks, criminal records, even a detailed dossier – every digital fingerprint pointed towards a life of illegality. She was a wanted figure, the protagonist of a dark cyber narrative she’d never written.
Fighting the rising panic, Angela began a frantic exploration. Sifting through the polluted data streams, she felt like a white-hat hacker swimming against a fierce current of misinformation. Her vision blurred, the glowing lines of code merging into a neon river of disinformation. She was lost in her own matrix, her life turned into a virtual game of cat and mouse.
A soft ping broke her concentration. A message popped on her screen – a shipping confirmation for a ticket to Los Angeles, booked under Ruth Marx. Heart pounding loudly in her ears, she realized that her identity theft wasn’t limited to the virtual world — it was bleeding into reality. She hadn’t ordered any tickets.
As Angela grappled with the implications, her senses heightened to an almost paranoid state. The usual hum of her servers sounded more like a sinister whisper now. The blinking cursor wasn’t just a tool, but an enemy agent transmitting her every move to the faceless puppeteer. She was surrounded, yet utterly alone.
Suddenly, her quiet apartment was alive with looming threats. She could hear the distant echo of traffic, the ticking of her wall clock – sounds she had tuned out long ago, now taking center stage in her escalating anxiety. Then, her cellphone buzzed – a private number. The call she had been dreading finally came. On the other end was a voice laced with frosty malice, a chilling affirmation of her fears. She was being watched.
Angela was caught in an unseen web of cyber conspiracy, her life spiraling down a rabbit hole of confusion and terror. Her digital retreat had been invaded, a silent assailant intruding on her solitude. Her life had been hijacked, and she was the involuntary passenger on a runaway train with no stops in sight.
As the cloak of night descended, Angela Bennett, wrapped in a thick layer of apprehension, realized that the invisible digital empire she loved so dearly had turned against her. The hum of her servers no longer evoked comfort. Instead, it sung a haunting tune of a life derailed, her digital footprint mutated into a ticking time bomb.
Her world had tipped, spinning her into a vortex of uncertainty. The mysterious figure that masterminded her identity theft was still hidden in the vast expanse of the digital realm. He was the unseen phantom, pulling the puppet strings from a safe distance. The faceless antagonist of her real-life thriller.
The circuits that once guided her through problems now generated a complex web of questions. Who was Ruth Marx? Why was her identity stolen? Who wanted her dead? Each query tugged her deeper into the cyber labyrinth, a maze with no apparent exit.
The second chapter of Angela Bennett’s life had opened with her caught in an unseen web of deceit. Little did she know that the unseen strands of this web were just the precursor to the full impact of the storm — a storm that threatened to uproot her life entirely, casting her adrift in the complex sea of the cyberspace. It was a perverse game; a game where Angela Bennett was both the hunted and the accused — a player in a deadly digital riddle she hadn’t signed up for.
And yet, amidst the swirling chaos, Angela Bennett found a flicker of determination. She wasn’t just a victim; she was a fighter. Her battleground was the omnipresent cyberspace, her weapons — lines of code. The unseen web had ensnared her, true, but it was in this web she would fight back, reclaiming her life byte by byte. As the walls of her apartment whispered stories of upcoming battles, the cyberspace lay ahead, an unpredictable battlefield teeming with unseen foes and unforeseen challenges.
Chapter 3: “Murky Waters”
In the stillness of the night, Angela Bennett found herself alone and targeted. The buzz of the servers that once felt like a lullaby now echoed ominously in the engulfing silence. Her own corner of comfort in the world of ones and zeroes had suddenly become a hunting ground. She could feel eyes on her every move – both offline and online. The familiar hum of her computer breathed an unfamiliar threat.
A chill ran through her as she realized that her earlier encounter that day was not a coincidence. She replayed the evening in her mind. The sudden power outage, the mysterious car following her, leaving her with a racing pulse and a chill down her spine. Then, the cyber attack. The attempt to erase her — all of her. It wasn’t merely a cybercrime; it was a planned assassination.
Her thoughts spiraled, recreating the events that started as a seemingly harmless debugging task but quickly turned sinister. Her keen eyes missed no detail: the intricate encryption, the slippery maneuvers of the virus, the intentional deletion of her existence. It was an attack. A personal one. And, she was the target.
In the cyber world, anonymity was common; faceless friends were a norm. Trust was pegged on pseudonyms. But this—this was faceless enmity. An invisible foe lurking in the maze of code, using her only weapon against her. Yet, Angela stood persistent. Her life might have turned into a mystery game, but she was no easy prey.
Her mind raced, trying to make sense of the invisible web she was involuntarily tangled in. Each keystroke felt heavy, each click a potential trap as she traversed through the enigma of coded threats. Her every action was watched, tracked, recorded. Emails, web history, playlists, keystrokes — every digital footprint was scrutinized thoroughly, blurring the boundary between her screen and reality.
Her trusty screens now projected the grim reflection of her state — targeted, terrified, yet tenacious. The world she loved was now an unknown battleground, her passion turned poison. The software that she breathed day in and day out was now an intricate weapon aimed at her. The lurking eyes of the enemy were locked onto her, transforming her solitude into solitude no more.
As the invisible enemy cast its shadow over her, Angela’s world contracted. Each familiar icon on her desktop carried an undertone of threat. Emails turned into concealed weapons; the quiet cursor blinking on the screen resembled a ticking time bomb. Pixels danced into grim patterns — the ones she never created. She was trapped in her own creation, in her own sanctuary.
Angela’s mind shifted rapidly between the fear of being murdered and the determination to unravel the mystery that had consumed her life. The transformation of the woman with a casual yet passionate interest in code to a woman fighting for her life in a puzzling web of deceit was underway. Her fingers flew over the keys, following a rhythm only she knew — the rhythm of defiance.
The world outside her apartment, once a backdrop to her cyber existence, now loomed with danger. Incognito figures, suspicious glances, lingering shadows — all seemed to be whispering threats. Every ring of her phone made her heart skip a beat, every knock on the door a potential assassin.
The murkiness of her predicament didn’t deter her. She was entangled in a menacing dance between life and death. Her once serene world of encoded letters and numbers had become a deceptive minefield. But Bennett was not the type to back down. Instead, she braced herself to face her invisible enemy, ready to dive deeper into the murky waters, only to rise out of it stronger.
Chapter 4: “Invisible Enemy”
Angela Bennett, a woman whose life had been contained within the lines of code and pixels of her computer screen, now found herself confronted with the brutal, tangible reality of her situation. Her life as she knew it had been overwritten, and she was far from the sanctuary of cyberspace, trapped within a chilling real-world thriller of her own life. Against an enemy she couldn’t see, she was a pawn in a game of cyber warfare. An invisible opponent was controlling the narrative, and she had been cast as the notorious cyber-criminal.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she navigated the dark alleys of the internet. Each keystroke, each search, each trace of her presence on the net was a potential clue leading her relentless hunters straight to her. The line between her digital self and her physical self had blurred. Yet, she had no choice but to trust her instinct and use her extensive knowledge of the digital terrain to uncover the root of the conspiracy.
Bennett delved deep into the heart of the digital underworld – the dark web. Here, behind multiple layers of encryption and hidden behind virtual walls, she hoped to find answers. Each layer she peeled back was a step further into a lawless realm of hackers, cyber mercenaries and information brokers.
Her fingers danced across the keyboard, her mind raced to keep up with the numerous threads of investigation she was pulling at. She had to be cautious, yet swift – time was of the essence. This was not like debugging a new game. The stakes were real, the danger palpable. Her every move was counteracted by her invisible enemy, a grand master in this game of cyber chess.
The evidence was chilling. She discovered countless instances of cyber espionage, identity thefts, financial frauds – all linking back to a shadowy collective. Moreover, each piece of evidence pointed back to her falsely fabricated online persona. It was a flawless frame-up; she had to admit, the plot was cunningly crafted. But by whom, she was yet to discover.
As she delved deeper, one operation stuck out – ‘Neptune’. It was coded in a method she had seen before. She remembered the strange line of code she found while debugging – it was the same cryptic pattern. ‘Neptune’ was more than just a cyber-crime operation. It was a weaponized digital program, designed to infiltrate, manipulate and potentially sabotage national security systems.
The realization hit Bennett like a bolt of lightning. She was not just dealing with petty cyber criminals or identity thieves; she was up against a group that threatened national security. The unnerving truth was that they were using her as their unsuspecting scapegoat. It was clear why they wanted her eliminated – dead men tell no tales, but then, neither do the falsely accused.
Bennett knew she was walking a tightrope, in a dangerous performance with an audience that was both invisible and lethal. She was the star of a shadowy spectacle, manipulated by puppeteers who watched her struggle from the dark recesses of the web. However, they had underestimated her. She might be a novice in this real-world cloak-and-dagger game, but she was a veteran in the digital realm.
Her fingers brushed over the keys with newfound determination. She had to pit her wits against this ‘invisible enemy’. Bennett, the one-time recluse and peace-loving techie, was now an unwilling yet determined warrior in a digital battleground, fighting for her life, her identity, and justice.
The battle was far from over, the enemy far from visible, but Angela Bennett was ready. Her eyes reflected the glow of the computer screen, mirroring her resolve. She wouldn’t be the pawn in this game anymore. She was geared to turn the tables on her invisible enemy. Her past, present, and future hinged on this battle – she could afford nothing less than victory.
As she continued her quest, the lines between reality and virtuality seemed to blur further. Her pulse synchronized with the rhythmic click-clacking of her keyboard. Angela Bennett, once a quiet software engineer, was now at the heart of a conspiracy. The irony wasn’t lost on her—the same technology she had dedicated her life to was now threatening to end it. But she was far from ready to give up. After all, the most remarkable stories are those with the most unexpected heroes, and Bennett was ready to pen her own narrative, debug her own life. The invisible enemy had just met its match….
TO BE CONTINUED…
Chapter 5: “Pandora’s Code”
Lying under the cover of the dusty cobweb-adorned corner, Angela Bennett, our solitary techno-geek, finally got the chance to gulp in a breath of the cold, damp air. She was on the run, her heart pounded in her chest like a fierce drummer against the silence of the night. The ominous ticking of the time – in the real world and that of the virtual, echoed, making her feel even more desperate.
She despised the idea of being a fugitive, but she found herself in an impossible situation, her digital identity doctored, painting her as a cyber-criminal to the world. The relentless pursuit of an unknown nemesis had forced her into the disheveled state – hiding in the shadows, desperate for safety.
With her laptop cradled in her arm like a shield, Bennett retreated into a quiet corner of the warehouse she had sought refuge in, attempting to blend with the shadows. Her fingers danced on the keyboard, the only light in the dark, gloomy interior. She was determined to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy that had stolen her life and made her a target.
The ‘Pandora’s Code,’ a term she had come across while diving deep into the murky waters of the dark web, kept circling in her mind. The name was intriguing and invoked a sense of foreboding.
It was a file with layers of encryption that would make any hacker sweat. Despite her harrowing circumstances, Bennett felt a spark of excitement, a testament to her inherent love for coding puzzles. She began methodically peeling back the layers like a complex digital onion, with the heavy realization that there was no turning back.
After endless hours of cracking and decrypting, she finally managed to unlock the final layer of encryption. There it was – a vast network of digital tendrils snaking into every corner of the country’s security infrastructure. The code was designed to exploit zero-day vulnerabilities, and it had been deployed into the system’s arteries, silently delivering payloads of debilitating viruses.
The enormity of the situation was overwhelming. This was not just a mere digital crime; ‘Pandora’s Code’ was a full-blown cyber warfare operation, threatening national security. A wave of chilling understanding washed over her, she was in the middle of something far bigger and more dangerous than she’d ever imagined.
This was the information that was meant to be erased, buried deep within an innocent-looking game. She realized then, it was not her who was the criminal, but rather, she was the scapegoat being used to cover up the traces of the biggest cyber conspiracy the world might ever see. Her identity theft, the assassination attempt – everything was part of an elaborately staged plan to silence her forever, whilst the real culprits lurked in the unknown.
Fuelled by a wave of fierce determination, Angela was not ready to be a pawn in anyone’s game. She would expose the truth, prove her innocence, and bring the culprits to justice.
She knew the path wouldn’t be easy; the stakes had escalated beyond her personal dilemma. But Bennett was not just a software engineer; she was a formidable woman, ready to challenge the might of the shadowy figures trying to manipulate the web of the digital world. She would fight tooth and nail, coding herself out of the darkest corners until the world knew the truth about ‘Pandora’s Code.’ The fierce game of cat and mouse had just begun.
Chapter 6: “Race Against Time”
Swirling in the vortex of the digital abyss, Angela Bennett, the intrepid software engineer trapped in a devilish frame-up was losing track of time. The wallpaper on her computer flickered, the neon digits of the clock reflected in her wide eyes as she understood the urgency of her situation. She was running out of time and needed to act fast before they traced her physical location.
The air in her apartment was rife with anticipation, the hum of her machines pulsating in rhythm with her heartbeat. Digitized fragments of her potential innocence floated around her, a binary puzzle waiting to be solved. She had been forced into a vicious techno-crime labyrinth, her every keystroke a desperate plea echoing into the web of deceit.
Every tick of the clock was a reminder of the impending danger. Tossing aside her fear, Bennett dove deeper into the murky cyber waters, utilizing her profound expertise to navigate through the adversarial network architectures. Her fingers danced on the keyboard, executing command lines as she attempted to infiltrate the malicious system that had puppeteered the chaos.
On her screen, encrypted firewalls rose like insurmountable skyscrapers. Bennett’s eyes reflected their ominous glow, but determination burned brighter within her. She worked relentlessly, her mind pulsing with complex algorithms, every subroutine she executed, every syntax she debugged brought her a step closer to the truth.
Bennett’s routine began to change. Sleep was a forgotten luxury; her dreams replaced by lines of cryptic codes. Her diet subsisted of coffee and dry sandwiches, an afterthought amidst the digital warfare. Her apartment became her fortress, the dim-lit room radiating the cool light of her numerous screens.
She found anomalies, hidden backdoors within the deep layers of the digital underworld. She uncovered concealed data packets, exposing breadcrumbs of information about the people who had stolen her identity and implicated her in a dangerous conspiracy. Her digital assailants were no amateurs; they were ghostlike entities, moving across the mainframes in stealth, leaving behind traces of their wrongdoing in the most unexpected corners of the cyberterrain.
As the days blurred into nights, Bennett started to piece together her findings. She realized she was dealing with a sophisticated group of cyber mercenaries, hired to silence her and mask their treacherous Pandora’s Code operation. Her name was a digital sacrificial lamb, a diversion to keep the authorities engaged while the real culprits operated in impunity.
But the clock was still ticking, the neon digits a constant nudge. Her pursuers were gaining ground, their digital shadow looming closer. Paranoia whispered in Bennett’s ear; every sudden noise, every unfamiliar face on the street a potential hazard. It was a race against time, a survival game where her life was the coveted prize.
Bennett held her breath, her fingers paused on the keyboard. She had outsmarted the digital predators so far with her skills but knew the real battle was still ahead. She had to find the elusive mastermind, expose the conspiracy, and reclaim her identity before her location got compromised.
With renewed vigor, Bennett dove back into the cyber maze. The clandestine battlefield of code and encryption was her arena, and she was ready to fight. She fortified her digital defenses, set traps in her system, baiting her pursuers. She injected deceptive codes into their network, causing confusion in their ranks, buying her precious time.
As everything hung in the balance, Bennett took the final plunge into uncovering the true culprits, working feverishly against the ever-ticking clock. The air in her apartment was thick with tension, her every move critical in the grand scheme of the plot. The game had reached its zenith, the finale whispered in the whirring of the machines.
The race against time was a perilous journey through the dark tunnels of the cyber world for Angela Bennett. Every second was a dangerous brush with her digital demons, a fight that seemed increasingly treacherous as each hour passed. But with determination etched on her face and defiance in her every keystroke, Bennett was ready to reclaim her life and identity and expose the massive conspiracy that had upended her world.
Chapter 7: The Final Stand
Angela Bennett’s heart pounded in her chest as she sat at her computer, the soft glow of the screen casting long shadows across her disheveled apartment. The darkness that had engulfed her life during this relentless cyber chase was starting to seep into the room.
She had been reduced to a ghost in her own life, her existence wiped from the digital universe, and replaced with that of a notorious criminal. Ruth Marx, the name that had taken over her life, was a feared cyber-terrorist. The ironic twist was not lost on her. The woman who once breathed binary codes and lived in the cyber world was now its most vulnerable victim.
But Angela was prepared to change that. With her skills, she had managed to isolate the mastermind’s network hub, a dark web forum called ‘Arcadia’. The plan was simple – infiltrate Arcadia, expose the real villain, and clear her name. Still, it was the execution that was terrifying her.
With every tap on the keyboard, she ventured deeper into Arcadia. Her fingers danced across the keys, drawing on years of experience to maneuver through firewalls and bypass security measures. Every step she took was a step closer to danger – but also a step closer to her destination.
Suddenly, a cryptic message flashed on her screen. It was Proteus, her online friend, who had unknowingly set this downfall into motion. “Bennett, I just heard about your situation. I’m sorry.”
Angela replied, her message a mix of hope and desperation. “Proteus, I need your help. I need you to distract them.” Her plea hung in the air, an uncertain lifeline. Proteus agreed, providing her with the distraction needed to break into the main server.
Inside the Arcadia mainframe, Angela found ‘Pandora’s Code’ – an encrypted mass of data capable of triggering security breaches across national networks. Angela’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she began to record evidence, her heart pounding in rhythm with her keystrokes. Simultaneously, she devised a trap to expose the real culprit.
Sensing her intrusion, the unseen enemy retaliated with a swarm of bugs launched to corrupt her system. Streams of data, strings of deadly code, shot towards her like missiles.
But Angela was ready. She launched ‘the Trojan Shield’, a reverse-engineered code she had designed. In the climax of this cyber war, her shield began to absorb the incoming data, mirroring the enemy’s IP address back to themselves. She was not only defending herself but also throwing the enemy’s own weapons at them.
In the midst of the chaos, Angela started a live stream on Arcadia, revealing the mastermind’s digital footprint to users worldwide. She initiated an all-out data purge, aiming to erase any trace of Ruth Marx from her life.
As the Trojan Shield resisted the final attacks, Angela sent an anonymous tip to the authorities, revealing the location of Arcadia’s service and the identity of the real villain. The digital battlefield began to crumble, the Arcadia fortress imploding under the weight of its own deceit.
In the end, it was as if time stood still. The screen in front of Angela blinked, indicating the end of the cyber-battle. She slumped back into her chair, the weight of her ordeal finally catching up to her.
But in the silence of her apartment, one thing was clear. Angela Bennett was no longer Ruth Marx. She was a survivor of a brutal cyber war, a woman who had reclaimed her identity, and a hero who had exposed a massive cyber conspiracy.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, a single line of code reflecting on the screen — a soft testament to her journey. “Game over,” Angela whispered to the empty room. The adventure was over, and Angela Bennett was back, no longer a ghost but a defender in the world of technology.
Some scenes from the movie The Net written by A.I.
Scene 1
FADE IN:
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – EVENING
The room is bathed in the dim glow of multiple computer screens. We see ANGELA BENNETT, late 30s, engrossed in her work. She’s an introvert but brilliant. Her fingers dance on the keyboard.
Suddenly, a message blinks on one of the screens. It’s from PROTEUS, an online acquaintance.
ON SCREEN: “Need help debugging a new game. Can you help?”
ANGLE ON: Angela, she reserves a smirk and starts typing.
ANGELA
(voice-over)
“Always up for a challenge.”
She opens up the game’s code, her eyes scanning the complex lines.
INSERT: A strange, foreign line of code. Her eyebrows furrow.
ANGLE ON: Angela, she bites her lower lip, intrigued. She probes further.
EXT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
An ominous FIGURE watches Angela’s apartment from across the street. He talks into a device, his voice sinister.
FIGURE
“She has the code.”
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Angela manipulates the strange line of code, and suddenly, her screen goes black. She stares in shock as an unfamiliar cyber-criminal’s profile replaces hers.
FADE OUT:
TO BE CONTINUED…
FADE IN: ON CHAPTER TWO
Scene 2
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Angela is hunched over her computer, analyzing the strange code. The glow of the computer screen illuminates her shuttered apartment. The monotonous hum of her overworked servers echoes in the background.
ANGLE ON COMPUTER SCREEN
The numbers and letters seem to squirm as she uncovers the virus.
Suddenly, her screen flickers, and her normal coding interface transforms into a file labeled, “RUTH MARX.”
ANGLE ON ANGELA
A look of confusion draws over her face, swiftly replaced by horror as her identity gets rewritten.
ANGELA
(whispering to herself)
What the hell…
CUT TO BLACK.
Suddenly, the sound of a FOOTSTEP.
ANGLE ON APARTMENT DOOR
A Shadowy Figure’s silhouette becomes visible through the frosted glass – someone is here.
CUT TO ANGELA
Her eyes widen. She reaches for her phone but freezes – it’s DEAD. She gulps, realizing her every move is being watched.
ANGLE ON SHADOWY FIGURE
Pressing something into the door lock. A digital LOCK PICK.
Suddenly, the apartment lights go off, plunging the entire space into darkness. Angela is alone, trapped, and her nightmare is just beginning.
FADE OUT.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Scene 3
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Angela, sitting at her computer, eyes darting back and forth as she watches her screen fill with repeated unauthorized access attempts.
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING – NIGHT
A HOODED FIGURE, obscured in darkness, watching from across the street. He’s on a call.
HOODED FIGURE
(into phone)
She’s online, probably noticed our intrusion.
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Angela starts working on isolating her system. Sweat trickles down her forehead, despite the cold room.
Suddenly, her apartment door CREAKS. She freezes.
INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY – NIGHT
A glove-covered hand slowly turns the doorknob of Angela’s apartment.
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Angela quietly reaches for a letter opener on her desk, slightly shaking. Her heart THUNDERS in her chest as the door opens.
She springs up, swinging the letter opener as the door opens fully. Nobody’s there.
Suddenly, a GUNSHOT shatters the quietness. A bullet SMASHES her computer screen.
Angela drops, quickly crawling behind her couch as more SHOTS echo. She dials 911 on her cell.
ANGELA
(into phone, whispering)
Shots fired… I need help…
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING – NIGHT
The Hooded Figure tosses his phone into a trash bin, walking rapidly away as SIRENS blare in the distance.
FADE OUT.
Scene 4
FADE IN:
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
The computer flashes with code, illuminating ANGELA BENNETT, mid-thirties, reclusive but resilient, as she frantically keys into the dark web.
ANGLE ON – COMPUTER SCREEN
The display FILLS our VIEW with moving lines of CODE, a digital maze of danger and secrecy.
CUT TO:
EXT. CITY STREETS – NIGHT
The pulse of the city conceals the terror Angela is facing. Rampant lights flicker, painting a stark contrast to her world.
CUT BACK TO:
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Angela, tense, with a bead of perspiration trickling down her temple, peers into the screen, eyes barely blinking.
Suddenly, a CHAT WINDOW pops up. A message appears – ‘You’re treading on thin ice, Bennett.’
She grimaces, types quickly.
ANGELA
(into screen)
Who are you?
The room fills with a chilling silence, broken only by the TAPPING of keys. Suddenly, her computer CRASHES, screen going dark.
ANGLE ON – ANGELA
Terrified, she catches her breath, casting a glance at her dark, silent room – her safe haven now an eerie, threatening entity.
FADE OUT
Scene 5
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Angela, a cup of coffee in her hand, stares at her computer screen. The room is filled with the eerie glow of the screen.
ON SCREEN: “PANDORA’S CODE”
She clenches her jaw, determination sparkling in her eyes. She types rapidly, her fingers a blur on the keyboard.
FLASHBACK:
INT. CAFÉ – DAY
Angela and PROTEUS are chatting over coffee.
PROTEUS
(whispering)
Ever heard of Pandora’s Code?
BACK TO:
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Angela’s fingers freeze over the keys. She’s made the connection. She draws in a shuddering breath.
CLOSE UP on her face, realization dawning.
ANGELA
(to herself)
The assassination. The identity switch…it was all to cover this…
She quickly navigates through encrypted pages. Information on sabotaging national security fills the screen.
The magnitude of the situation sinks in. She starts pacing, her mind racing.
CUT AWAY to a feed of surveillance footage; an UNKNOWN FIGURE watches Angela.
UNKNOWN FIGURE
(into a device)
She knows.
BACK TO:
INT. ANGELA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT
Suddenly, Angela stops pacing. A determined look crosses her face.
ANGELA
(to herself)
They wanted to bury this, frame me…It’s time they found out who they’re messing with.
FADE OUT.
