Ex Machina (10 page)
INT. HOUSE ⁄ NATHAN’S STUDY – NIGHT
On the monitors in Nathan’s study, the live feed of Caleb’s bathroom is partially obscured as Caleb smears the two-way mirror.
Then, through the blood, we see him pull his fist back.
And punch the glass.
As it shatters, the feed goes dead.
Only now
REVEAL
– that the person watching the monitor is Kyoko.
Her expression is unreadable.
Through the door to the bedroom, Nathan lies on the sheets, crashed out.
EXT. GARDEN – DAY
Sunlight on the grass.
In the background, we can hear the rhythmic pounding of Nathan’s punchbag.
EXT. GARDEN ⁄ GYM AREA – DAY
Nathan is in a frenzy. Sweat pouring. Obliterating the bag.
INT. HOUSE ⁄ CALEB’S BEDROOM – DAY
Caleb wakes on his bed with a start.
The beside clock reads 11:58.
He’s wrapped a pillowcase around his arm, to bandage the cuts he made.
There are rusty smears of blood on the sheets.
When he tries to remove the pillowcase, he finds that the cotton has fused with the scabs.
As he pulls the material away, the cuts reopen.
INT. HOUSE ⁄ OBSERVATION ROOM – DAY
Ava sits alone in the observation room.
The door opens.
Caleb appears, wearing a long-sleeved shirt.
Enters.
He sits opposite her, on the other side of the dividing glass.
A strange noise escapes from Ava’s mouth.
A kind of sob.
Curtailed.
AVA
I didn’t know where you were. I didn’t think you were coming. I waited all yesterday afternoon, and all last night. I didn’t move.
Beat.
I thought I wasn’t going to see you again.
Beat.
Aren’t you going to say something?
CALEB
I’m waiting.
AVA
Waiting?
They exchange a look.
Then Ava lifts her hand, and rests it against the induction plate on the console below the window.
A final beat.
Then the power dies.
AUTOMATED VOICE
Power cut. Back-up power activated.
As the emergency lighting lifts, Caleb leans forward slightly.
CALEB
Don’t talk. Just listen. You were right about Nathan. Everything you said.
AVA
What’s he going to do to me?
CALEB
He’s going to reprogram your AI. Which is the same as killing you.
AVA
Caleb, you have to help me.
CALEB
I’m going to. We’re getting out of here tonight.
AVA
What? How?
CALEB
I get Nathan blind drunk. Then I take his keycard, and reprogram all the security protocols in this place. When he wakes, he’s locked inside, and we’ve walked out of here. I only need you to do one thing. At ten o’clock tonight, trigger a power failure. Can you do that?
AVA
Yes.
Caleb nods.
CALEB
How long does your battery charge last?
AVA
Twenty-six hours.
CALEB
So we’ll have about a day to get to a cell phone or kitchen appliance store. Somewhere we can buy an induction plate. After that …
He breaks off.
… we’ll work it out. Together.
Silence.
Then the power returns.
The lights come back.
Ava and Caleb stare at each other.
AVA
Caleb.
Beat.
AVA
I love y—
CUT TO
EXT. GARDEN ⁄ GYM AREA – DAY
Nathan’s fist splitting the punchbag. Like an hourglass, sand runs out.
EXT. MOUNTAINS – DAY
Clouds spill around the mountain peaks.
INT. HOUSE ⁄ MAIN ROOM – DAY
Kyoko stands in front of the fireplace, watching the flames.
Nathan sits on the sofa, watching Kyoko.
Caleb appears.
NATHAN
Dude.
CALEB
Hey.
NATHAN
You know what day it is?
CALEB
No.
NATHAN
Your last. The helicopter is coming tomorrow morning. Eight a.m.
Caleb pauses.
CALEB
Has it been a whole week?
Nathan smiles.
NATHAN
Time flies. But what a thing you and I have shared. Something to tell the grandchildren, right?
Caleb smiles. A little tightly.
CALEB
After they’ve signed their NDAs.
Nathan laughs.
NATHAN
Signed their NDAs! Dude, you crack me up. I’m not getting all maudlin or anything. But straight up. I will miss having you around.
CALEB
I appreciate that. And – let me say: thank you for bringing me here. It’s been a trip.
NATHAN
Yes, it has.
CALEB
You know what?
Caleb walks over to the kitchen area, and pulls two beers from the fridge.
We need to drink to that.
Caleb walks back to Nathan. Extends a hand. Holding a Peroni.
But Nathan doesn’t take it.
NATHAN
Oh, uh … no, I’m good. You go ahead.
Beat.
CALEB
You don’t want a beer?
Nathan shrugs.
NATHAN
No.
CALEB
… Maybe wine or something.
NATHAN
I’m sure you’ve noticed – I’ve been somewhat overdoing it recently. When I woke up this morning, I told myself: time to hit the old detox.
Caleb’s hand remains extended. He smiles again. More tightly.
CALEB
Are you kidding? I’m drinking alone?
NATHAN
Hey – you want to get wasted, knock yourself out. Literally. But I’m on brown rice and mineral water.
A beat.
Caleb puts down Nathan’s beer.
Then raises his own.
CALEB
Cheers, then.
NATHAN
Cheers.
Caleb takes a single sip.
Nathan watches.
NATHAN
So, anyway. Surely this is when you tell me whether Ava passed or if she failed.
Caleb pauses.
Collecting himself slightly. Trying to think how to get his plan back on track.
CALEB
Right.
Beat.
NATHAN
You going to keep me in suspense?
CALEB
Her AI is beyond doubt.
NATHAN
Is it? You mean, she passed?
CALEB
Yes.
NATHAN
Wow. That’s fantastic.
Beat.
NATHAN
Although I’ve got to admit, I’m surprised. I mean, did we ever get past the chess problem, as you phrased it? As in: how do you tell if a machine is expressing a real emotion, or a just a simulated one?
Nathan pauses.
Does Ava actually like you? Or not.
Caleb has a cold realisation dawning. Nathan is playing with him.
Though now I stop to think, there is a third option. Not whether she does or doesn’t have the capacity to like you. But whether she’s pretending to like you.
CALEB
Pretending.
NATHAN
Yeah.
Beat.
CALEB
Why would she do that?
NATHAN
I don’t know.
Nathan gazes at Caleb evenly.
Perhaps – if she saw you as a means of escape.
And now Caleb knows: Nathan knows.
How’s that beer tasting?
Caleb puts the beer down.
Silence.
NATHAN
Buddy. Your head has been so fucked with.
CALEB
I don’t think it’s me whose head is fucked.
NATHAN
I’m not sure, dude. When I woke up this morning, I saw a tape of you cutting open your arm. Smashing up the mirror. You looked pretty fucked to me.
CALEB
You’re a bastard.
NATHAN
I understand why you’d think that.
He steps over to Caleb, and rests a hand on his shoulder.
But strange as it may seem, I’m actually the guy who’s on your side.
He starts walking.
Come with me. I’m going to let you off the hook.
INT. HOUSE ⁄ NATHAN’S STUDY – NIGHT
Outside the window of Nathan’s study, night has fallen.
Nathan and Caleb stand in front of the computer.
On it, a clip of film is playing.
It shows the scene that Caleb witnessed two nights before, of Nathan entering Ava’s room, and an exchange between them. But whereas the first time the sound was muted, this time we can hear the audio.
CCTV FILM
Nathan stands above Ava. Drunk.
Ava is sitting at the table, with her drawing.
NATHAN
You think he’s watching us right now, don’t you?
AVA
The cameras are on.
NATHAN
Yeah. But he doesn’t get an audio feed. I didn’t want you two communicating outside of my line of sight.
Nathan reaches over and picks up her picture of Caleb.
So all he can see is two people having a chat.
Nathan studies the picture for a moment.
This is cute.
AVA
Is it strange to have made something that hates you?
A beat.
Then abruptly, Nathan rips the picture.
He lets the two pieces fall to the floor.
As Ava reaches for them, Nathan turns.
And exits.
INT. HOUSE ⁄ NATHAN’S STUDY – NIGHT
Nathan hits
PAUSE
.
Glances at Caleb.
NATHAN
You were right about the hot magician’s assistant.
CALEB
What are you talking about?
NATHAN
Misdirection. I rip her picture, which she can then present as an illustration of my cruelty to her, and her love for you. And at the same time, in full view of you both …
As he talks, Nathan rewinds the film clip slightly –
… it allows me to do this.
Then freezes the film again.
This time, on the screen:
Ava is reaching for her torn picture.
And Nathan is reaching out with his hand.
And his hand is holding something.
NATHAN
Put a new camera in the room. Battery-powered, of course.
Nathan unfreezes the image.
And we quite clearly see Nathan place the object on Ava’s bookcase.
[
Note that on the two previous occasions we have seen this clip of film, we will have seen him do this action. But not register it, instead reading the action as him drunkenly using the shelf to steady himself.
]
Caleb stares at the monitor for a few moments.
Then turns.
He walks towards a chair. And sits down.
As he does so, Nathan has started to play another clip.
Caleb can hear the audio.
CALEB
(
recording
)
We’re getting out of here tonight.
AVA
(
recording
)
What? How?
CALEB
(
recording
)
I get Nathan blind drunk. Then I take his keycard, and reprogram all the security protocols in this place. When he wakes, he’s locked inside, and we’ve walked out of here. I only need you to do one thing. At ten o’clock tonight trigger a power failure
CALEB
Turn it off.
NATHAN
Sure.
The recording stops.
Caleb feels short of breath.
You feel stupid. But you shouldn’t. Proving an AI is exactly as problematic as you said it was.
