BLACK SCREEN:
Phone rings. Answering machine picks up.
NICOLE (V.O)
Hey, this is Nicole. Leave a message.
FATHER
Hi Nicole, it's your dad, in case
you've forgotten. Give me a call back.
FADE IN:
INT. NICOLE'S APARTMENT, ALTERNATE - DAY
Zoom in slowly to a picture of Nicole and her mother. Phone rings again.
NICOLE (V.O)
Hey, this is Nicole. Leave a message.
FATHER
Umm, there is so much we need to talk
about and time is running out. This is
not how your mother would've wanted
things to be between us. Nicole, I...
I miss you.
FADE TO BLACK. :
INT. NICOLE'S APARTMENT - DAY
NICOLE enters her apartment with a stack of mail in her hands. She drops it carelessly on the counter top and they scatter.
She puts her phone down as well and goes to grab something from the fridge which is pretty much empty.
Her phone starts to vibrate. She looks at it, but doesn't answer. It stops vibrating and pings as she receives a message.
She grabs an ice-cream bowl from the freezer and hits the voicemail number on her phone.
VOICEMAIL
You have 3 new messages and 5 old
messages. First new message.
FATHER
Hi Nicole, It's your dad, in case
you've forgotten. I have been trying
to reach you...
Nicole hits the delete button.
VOICEMAIL
Message deleted. Next new message
FATHER
Nicole...
Nicole hits the delete button.
VOICEMAIL
Message deleted. Next new message
NURSE
Hi Nicole, my name is Jamie. I'm your
father's nurse. We've been trying to
reach you for a while. I'm afraid that
your father's condition has gotten
worse. There is not a lot of time.
Please call us. We think that you
should be here.
Nicole zones out.
EXT. FATHER'S HOUSE - DAY
Nicole stands there hesitant. She rings the bell and then turns away taking a deep breath preparing herself for what is to come. She hears the door open and when she turns around she sees the ROBOT standing there. The ROBOT is a foot taller than Nicole and its pupils glow GREEN. The robot startles her.
The robot steps to the side to let her in, revealing the NURSE coming towards Nicole.
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, BED ROOM - DAY
Nicole and the Nurse walk into the house towards the father's room.
NURSE
Thank you for coming. This way please.
Nicole and the Nurse stand outside the room where Nicole's FATHER is lying on a hospital bed, surrounded by different machines. One notable machine is the heartbeat monitor. It shows a steady heartbeat.
NURSE (cont'd)
Your father is a remarkable man. His
achievements in engineering...
The robot walks and stands a distance away. Both Nicole and the Nurse look at it.
NURSE (cont'd)
Well, they speak for themselves. You
should be proud of you father. He did
so much for humanity.
Nicole's expression shows that she's not impressed. As if to say, "yeah for humanity but not for me". She looks at her father and the Nurse's voice seem to become more and more distant.
NURSE (cont'd)
The doctors have him on a combination
of antibiotics to stabilize his
condition. But the prognosis isn't
great. I know this can't be easy for
you but I'm glad you came.
The Nurse gives Nicole a card and leaves Nicole standing there staring at her father.
The Robot walks quietly and stands beside Nicole, facing the father.
It takes Nicole a moment to realize he is there. She looks at him somewhat disgusted and walks away.
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, WORKSHOP - DAY
Nicole enters her father's workshop. It's full of equipment, books, computer screens, and many other items scattered everywhere. It appears her father is a very messy worker.
There is a screen that seems to be playing a scene over and over again. It's of her father and her younger self dancing. The audio is faint. Nicole turns it off.
NICOLE
What am I going to do with all this?
Nicole walks to a bench and looks through some of the items with not much interest.
She grabs a box and starts packing stuff.
The robot walks in and stands at the end of the work bench.
Nicole looks up at him.
NICOLE (cont'd)
So this is where you were born, huh?
The fortunate child.
The robot places his hands on the bench and starts tapping his index finger in a slow and rhythmic manner as if to an unheard tune.
Nicole looks at him.
NICOLE (cont'd)
I wonder how much I can get for you on
ebay.
The Robot stops tapping. Nicole is not sure if he understood her, but then dismisses the idea and continues packing.
She walks to the only cleanly organized shelf and looks at it. Then she sees an old music record. She picks it up and walks back to the shelf and opens the case. There is recognition in her eyes. A myriad of emotions play on her face, from nostalgia, to sadness.
Nicole puts the record on the bench, picks up the box in a hurry as if wanting to leave this memory behind and spins around. In the process she knocks the record off the table. She looks on in helplessness as it tumbles to the ground, but the Robot catches it in mid air and gives it back to her. Nicole takes the record from it hesitantly. She's clearly thankful yet confused by the Robot. She puts it back on the table and walks out with the box.
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
There is a time lapse as more boxes are piled up. time lapse shows as a few days pass. have the sunlight scan through the room as if Days are passing Nicole sleeps on the couch. The Robot walks across the living room and stops to look at her. A moment passes in silence. Nicole stirs. The robot walks away as if not wanting to disturb her. (Another option is to have Nicole play guitar)
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, FRONT ENTRANCE - DAY
Nicole carries one final box to the front . She passes her father's room and quickly looks away trying to avoid any emotions that he could conjure up. As she approaches the pile of boxes, she sees the Robot going through one of the boxes.
NICOLE
Hey, what are you doing?
The robot doesn't pay attention but takes something out that Nicole doesn't see and walks off.
NICOLE (cont'd)
Hey. Stop.
The Robot doesn't stop, but continues on its mission. Nicole puts down the box she's carrying and walks after him.
NICOLE (cont'd)
Annoying can opener.
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, BED ROOM - DAY
Nicole follows the Robot as he enters her father's room. She stops outside and doesn't enter.
She watches him as he puts what he has taken out of the box on a dresser beside her comatose father. It's a picture of her and her dad, smiling at the Camera.
It takes a moment for the anger on Nicole's face to dissipate as the finality of the situation dawns on her. A tear rolls down her face.
The robot looks at her, unmoving. She returns the look as if to say "What are you looking at" (Do this shot with the actual dialogue as well) Nicole wipes away her tears and walks off.
The robot remains there silent.
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, KITCHEN - DAY
Nicole turns on the kettle and looks for a cup. While she does the Robot walks and stands by the middle counter, silently. She doesn't notice him, until she turns with a cup in her hand. She's startled and drops the cup. It breaks.
NICOLE
Stop sneaking up on me like this.
Nicole looks at the broken cup in frustration.
NICOLE (cont'd)
Are you just gonna stand there. Pick
up this mess.
The Robot doesn't move.
NICOLE (cont'd)
He spent all those years building you.
Every waking moment invested in your
design. It's like he didn't care that
mom had just died or that I was there
when it all happened or that I still
existed. And what does he have to show
for it?
Nicole points at the robot begrudgingly. The robot just continues looking at Nicole, tapping its finger on the middle counter.
NICOLE (cont'd)
Stop that incessant tapping. What am I
doing talking to a machine. I must be
losing it. Did he teach you anything
else? This is hopeless.
Nicole bends over to pick up the broken cup in frustration and cuts herself. She reacts to the moment.
She holds her hand over the sink and runs water over the wound.
Nicole loses track of the Robot up until it comes and gently attempts to take her hand.
At first Nicole resists, but then the robots shows her the bandage. She lets him bandage her hand.
Nicole looks at the robot unable to decide her feelings towards it.
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, BED ROOM - DAY
Nicole stands outside her father's room. The heart monitor seems to be going a lot slower now. She hesitantly takes a step forward and reaches for the knob with her bandaged hand, but then stops and walks away.
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - DAY
Nicole climbs down the stairs and looks at some of the pictures hung on the wall. She walks into the living room and looks at some old family pictures arranged above the fire place. There is a vintage record player. She looks at it and runs her hands on it nostalgically.
The robot walks to the record player and puts the record that she almost dropped earlier in the record player and plays it.
The robot starts to dance in a non-fluid manner, but it makes Nicole smile
NICOLE
How did you learn to do that?
The robot extends his hand to Nicole. She hesitates for a second but then takes it and starts dancing with him.
For the first time she laughs.
POV: NICOLE LOOKS AT THE ROBOT, BUT INSTEAD OF THE ROBOT SHE SEES HER FATHER DANCING, AND SMILING AT HER.
BACK TO THE BEDROOM
CLOSE-UP: FATHER'S HAND MOVES SLIGHTLY
The heartbeat monitor shows an irregular heartbeat.
BACK TO THE LIVING ROOM
Nicole and the Robot continue to dance.
BACK TO THE BEDROOM
The heart monitor slows down.
BACK TO THE LIVING ROOM
Nicole and the Robot slow down and stop. Nicole looks at the Robot with some realization.
NICOLE (cont'd)
Dad?
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, BED ROOM - DAY
The heartbeat monitor sounds an alarm.
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM - DAY
The robot looks at Nicole almost lovingly, although there are no expressions on its face.
The robot reaches for Nicole's hair and moves it backward. The robot's pupils flicker and then change color to a blue glow. The robot stands like a statue.
The heartbeat monitor continues to sound the alarm.
Nicole looks at the robot as the floodgates for her emotions open.
NICOLE
No.
Nicole runs away.
INT. FATHER'S HOUSE, BED ROOM - DAY
Nicole runs into her father's room and sits beside her dad's bed, and holds his hand. He squeezes her hands ever so slightly.
NICOLE
Dad. Don't leave.
But the heartbeat monitor flat lines. The dad's hand relaxes.
Nicole continues holding her father's hand, emotional.
The robot walks and stands outside the room, looking on with its blue glowing eyes.
FADE TO BLACK.: