Ex Machina: Screenplay

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Ex Machina: Screenplay Page 8

by Alex Garland


  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.

  CALEB

  What was the real test?

  NATHAN

  You.

  Beat.

  NATHAN

  Ava was a mouse in a mousetrap. And I gave her one way out. To escape, she would have to use imagination, sexuality, self-awareness, empathy, manipulation – and she did. If that isn’t AI, what the fuck is?

  Caleb looks upwards.

  Directly above, he sees a spotlight in the ceiling.

  It dazzles him.

  CALEB

  So my only function was to be someone she could use to escape.

  NATHAN

  … Yes.

  CALEB

  And you didn’t select me because I was good at coding.

  Nathan hesitates.

  NATHAN

  Don’t get me wrong. You’re okay. Even pretty good, but –

  CALEB

  You selected me by my search-engine inputs.

  NATHAN

  They showed a good kid.

  CALEB

  With no family.

  NATHAN

  With a moral compass.

  CALEB

  And no girlfriend.

  Caleb stares into the brightness above him.

  CALEB

  Did you design her face based on my pornography profile?

  NATHAN

  Shit, dude.

  CALEB

  Did you?

  Beat.

  NATHAN

  Hey. If a search engine’s good for anything – right?

  Silence.

  Can I say one thing?

  Caleb doesn’t answer.

  The test worked. It was a success. Ava demonstrated true AI. And you were fundamental to that. If you could just separate –

  Nathan cuts off. Because at that moment –

  – the lights and the monitors suddenly die.

  EXT. GARDEN – NIGHT

  Through the circular window, the emergency lighting lifts up. The window glows red.

  INT. HOUSE ⁄ AVA’S ROOM – NIGHT

  Ava’s head turns to the door of her room.

  Where, discreetly, the LED by the keycard plate glows blue.

  INT. HOUSE ⁄ NATHAN’S STUDY – NIGHT

  Nathan checks his watch.

  NATHAN

  The power cut. Must be ten o’clock.

  He glances at Caleb.

  Guess Ava’s going to be wondering where you are.

  Caleb says nothing.

  How was that escape going to go down, anyway? You didn’t completely explain. You said you were going to get me drunk, take my card, then reprogram the security protocols. But, reprogram them to – what?

  CALEB

  To change the lockdown procedure. So that in the event of a power cut, instead of sealing, the doors all opened.

  NATHAN

  Huh.

  Beat.

  Not bad. Might have even worked.

  CALEB

  Well, we’ll find out.

  Nathan frowns.

  NATHAN

  What do you mean?

  Caleb looks away from the dimmed ceiling light, to Nathan.

  CALEB

  I figured you were probably watching us during the power cuts.

  Beat.

  So I already did all those things. When I got you drunk yesterday.

  Nathan freezes.

  NATHAN

  … What?

  At that moment, the power comes back on.

  The lights rise.

  The computer monitors come back to life.

  Revealing something.

  On the CCTV feed of Ava’s room, the door is open.

  And on the feed of the glass corridor –

  – Ava is walking down it.

  Nathan freezes as he sees her.

  … Fuck.

  Both Nathan and Caleb simultaneously rise.

  Almost as an afterthought, Nathan lands a deceptive, fast punch into Caleb’s solar plexus.

  Caleb folds, the air forced out of him, gasping for breath.

  Nathan helps him down to the floor.

  A couple of yards away is one of his curl dumbbells.

  He walks over.

  Picks the dumbbell up.

  Spins off the weights. Leaving him with a thick metal bar.

  Then exits.

  INT. HOUSE ⁄ GLASS CORRIDOR – NIGHT

  Nathan enters the glass corridor.

  He sees, directly ahead of him, Ava and Kyoko. By their proximity, it is as if they have just been talking.

  Both women turn.

  Kyoko glances at Ava.

  NATHAN

  Ava – now listen to me -

  Ava breaks into a run –

  – sprinting in Nathan’s direction.

  EXT. GARDEN – NIGHT

  Quiet in the garden.

  Soft wind rush.

  Moon and stars reflected in the windows of the house.

  INT. HOUSE ⁄ GLASS CORRIDOR – NIGHT

  Ava impacts Nathan, and they fly backwards.

  Then land hard.

  Nathan gets to his feet first.

  Ava tries to rise too.

  And he kicks her extremely hard in the torso.

  She is knocked back down.

  Nathan glances around.

  There is no talking.

  Just Nathan’s laboured breathing.

  Then he walks back to Ava, looking do
wn at her.

  He swings the metal bar.

  Ava raises her left arm defensively –

  – and shockingly, the bar smashes through it. Crushing the delicate mesh, shattering the carbon-fibre bone structure.

  Breaking the arm halfway down the forearm.

  CUT TO

  INT. HOUSE ⁄ NATHAN’S STUDY – NIGHT

  Caleb, dragging himself up, stunned by the sight on the CCTV feed.

  CUT BACK TO

  INT. HOUSE ⁄ GLASS CORRIDOR – NIGHT

  Nathan. Preparing to deliver a lethal blow.

  But as he does so, we see something.

  Kyoko.

  Approaching behind Nathan.

  She’s holding something in her hand.

  She walks directly up to Nathan.

  And does something behind his back.

  As she does so, Kyoko emits the first sound we have heard her make. A little gasp, or sigh.

  Nathan jolts.

  NATHAN

  Aah!

  He looks down.

  Something is under his shirt, just above his solar plexus. A little ridge.

  He tugs the material of his shirt open –

  – and reveals a tiny triangle of metal. Protruding from his skin.

  NATHAN

  What –

  He turns.

  The handle of a kitchen knife is jutting out of the middle of his back, just left of his spine. It has been jammed so deep that the tip of the blade has poked out of his chest.

  Blood soaks into his shirt material with amazing speed, blossoming from the point of the wound.

  He sees Kyoko.

  Oh shit. No.

  He lashes out with the metal bar.

  It catches Kyoko in the jaw.

  Her entire lower jaw snaps off.

  It reveals metal armature, and carbon fibre, and spurting pneumatic fluid. And something in her neck, glowing and sparking.

  Then she folds down to the ground, as her power abruptly cuts out.

  Fucking – unreal –

  As Nathan stares down at Kyoko –

  REVEAL

  – that Ava has got to her feet behind him.

 

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