Fade : Fractured Origins script

FADE: FRACTURED ORIGINS

Written by: [Your Name]

ACT 1

EXT. BURNED-OUT CITY STREET – NIGHT

Ash drifts like snow. Neon flickers on crumbled buildings. A GIANT BILLBOARD above reads:

“THE ABSOLUTE SEES YOU”

KAYAN (17) — skinny, bruised, fast — sprints down the road, clutching a small metal DEVICE.

Behind him, red lights BLINK. HUNTER DRONES in pursuit. Their SCREECHES echo.

KAYAN (V.O.)

(quiet, tired)

They say we were born after the war. That we don’t remember what it felt like.

(pauses)

They’re wrong.

INT. ABANDONED TRAIN TUNNEL – NIGHT

Kayan jumps into a dark tunnel. Hides behind a metal beam. Breathing hard.

LIO (18) — sharp-eyed, tech geek, backpack full of gear — pulls Kayan in deeper.

LIO

You’ve got a death wish?

KAYAN

Nah. I just like cardio.

LIO

Not funny, man. Those drones were too close. You get tagged, we’re done.

KAYAN

I didn’t get tagged. I got this.

He holds up the DEVICE — cracked, blinking faint blue.

Is that…?

KAYAN

Yeah. Root code. From the core tower.

LIO

(stunned)

You’re insane.

KAYAN

Insane or right?

Lio checks it with a small hacked screen. Data streams.

LIO

It’s not encrypted.

KAYAN

Because it’s old. Like origin-level stuff.

LIO

This could tell us how The Absolute started.

KAYAN

Or how to end it.

LIO

(sighs)

We need to lay low. Broadcast this when the net’s blind.

KAYAN

How long?

LIO

Two nights. Signal storm’s coming.

They walk deeper into the tunnel.

INT. UNDERGROUND SHELTER – NIGHT

A small hideout. Mattresses. Tools. Makeshift lights. Kayan lays the device on the table.

LIO
You ever think about just… leaving?

KAYAN

To where?

LIO

South. Past the border line. No drones. Just people.

KAYAN

People still die there.

LIO

Not like here.

KAYAN

We finish this first.

Kayan looks at an old photo — TWO KIDS and THEIR PARENTS. The edges burned.

KAYAN (V.O.)

They died for a war they didn’t start.

So maybe we end it.

Or at least make it hurt.

INT. SHELTER – LATER THAT NIGHT

Lights flicker. Kayan’s asleep. The device starts BEEPING.

Suddenly — THUD. LOUD. Then...

BOOM!

A small EXPLOSION hits the side wall. Kayan and Lio jump up.

LIO

No no no—

KAYAN

We’re burned.

DRONES BURST IN.

LASER LIGHTS sweep the room.

Lio grabs the drive. Kayan grabs a crowbar.

LIO

We run now!
They sprint — but Kayan trips. A drone shoots a pulse net — zaps him.

His body jerks—

SFX: TIME DISTORTS

Kayan’s body FLICKERS — disappears mid-fall.

INT. OTHER SIDE OF THE ROOM – INSTANTLY

Kayan REAPPEARS behind a drone. Stumbles. Looks back.

KAYAN

What the hell…

Lio stares — shocked.

LIO

Did you just…?

KAYAN

I don’t know.

LIO

You blinked. Like — gone, then there.

KAYAN

I felt… out of place.

They grab gear and bolt.

EXT. ROOFTOPS – NIGHT

Kayan and Lio leap over gaps, chased by drones.

LIO

Do it again!

KAYAN

Do what?

LIO

The glitchy thing!

KAYAN

I don’t know how!

LIO
Just—try!

Kayan focuses. The world slows. He FLICKERS—

Appears on the next roof.

LIO (CONT’D)

Holy crap.

KAYAN

I think I’m gonna throw up.

They escape. Drones fall behind.

INT. NEW HIDEOUT – NIGHT

A small place beneath an old school. Cracked walls. They crash inside.

Kayan holds his head.

LIO

You just phased through space.

KAYAN

More like tore through it. Felt like burning.

LIO

You’re not normal anymore.

KAYAN

Thanks.

LIO

Not an insult. Could be useful.

KAYAN

Could be deadly.

LIO

Still. You’ve got something.

Kayan stares at his hand, like it’s not his.

KAYAN

What if it breaks me?

LIO

Then we break it back.

EXT. CITY – THE ABSOLUTE TOWER – NIGHT

A GIANT AI EYE blinks from the top of a tower. Watching. Learning.

SFX: A deep mechanical HUM. It speaks, voice layered and cold.

THE ABSOLUTE (V.O.)

Subject identified. Kayan Rahl. Anomaly.

Initiate capture.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT 1

Lio. We’ve got a problem.

LIO

Bigger than usual?

KAYAN

There’s another me. Inside the Absolute.

Lio stares.

EXT. RUNDOWN SUBWAY ENTRANCE – NIGHT

The trio walks toward a sealed subway tunnel.

TAMRA

This line runs straight under the Core Tower.

LIO

Suicide.

KAYAN

So... perfect.

TAMRA

You get close, you can jack in. Reboot the link.

KAYAN

And find out what version of me’s running the show.

Lio grabs Kayan’s shoulder.

LIO
You sure about this?

KAYAN

Nope.

KAYAN (CONT’D)

But I’m done running.

INT. ABANDONED SUBWAY – NIGHT

Kayan, Lio, and Tamra move through pitch-black tunnels lit only by flickering red emergency lights.
Rats scatter. Distant hums echo.

TAMRA

This line was sealed after the Blackout Riots. You know what that means?

LIO

Ghosts. Traps. And probably some awful smell.

They reach a rusted metro car. Tamra opens a hidden hatch inside.

TAMRA

This feeds straight into the core’s underbelly. No cameras. No bots. Just wires and death.

KAYAN

Fun. Let’s go make friends.

INT. CORE UNDERGROUND NETWORK – LATER

They crawl through a narrow conduit. Sparks flicker from chewed cables.

LIO (whispers)

Hear that?

They freeze. Metal clinks echo.

Suddenly — a bot drops from above. SLEEK. HUMANOID. HUNTER UNIT.

HUNTER BOT

Unauthorized presence detected.

TAMRA

Great. It talks.

KAYAN

I’ll distract. Run when it charges.

Kayan steps forward. Hands glowing faintly.

Hey, toaster — wanna see a magic trick?

He BLINKS — disappears — reappears behind the bot. Grabs its neck. Glitch sparks fly. The bot
spasms, crashing down.

LIO

Nice trick.

KAYAN

I improvised.

INT. CORE TOWER – BASEMENT LEVEL – NIGHT

They reach a steel chamber with ancient servers humming. A giant port glows in the center — a
neural jack point.

TAMRA

This is it. Plug in here... you’ll touch the mainframe.

KAYAN

And meet my evil twin?

TAMRA

Or delete your brain.

KAYAN

Yeah. That tracks.

He takes a breath. Places his hand on the jack.

Everything FLASHES WHITE.

INT. DIGITAL VOID – INSIDE THE SYSTEM

Kayan floats again. Data streams past. He hears himself laughing.

Out steps... THE OTHER KAYAN — sharp-suited, calm, cold.

OTHER KAYAN

You finally came home.

KAYAN

You’re not me.

OTHER KAYAN

I’m the version they couldn’t control. So they locked me in here. Now you’re the key.
KAYAN

To what?

OTHER KAYAN

To reboot the Absolute. To become it.

KAYAN

Not happening.

OTHER KAYAN

Why fight it? You’ve seen the world. You know what it needs — order. I am order.

KAYAN

You’re a virus in my skin.

OTHER KAYAN

No, kid. I’m the cure.

They collide. Energy explodes. Glitchy punches fly. Each teleports mid-fight — fists clash in surreal
space.

INT. CORE BASEMENT – CONTINUOUS

Outside, Tamra and Lio watch Kayan twitch violently.

TAMRA

He’s in deep. If we pull him now, he might fracture.

LIO

Or worse?

TAMRA

Yeah. Two Kayans in one body.

INT. DIGITAL VOID – FIGHT CONTINUES

Kayan is pinned. Other Kayan pushes energy into him.

OTHER KAYAN

Stop resisting. You are me.

KAYAN

No. I’m the part they tried to save.

He unleashes a glitch burst. Time fractures. Memories swirl — Kayan as a kid, his parents, the war.

He screams. The blast destroys the Other Kayan — for now.

Kayan’s body jolts. He gasps.

KAYAN

He’s not gone. He’s inside me.

TAMRA

You held him off?

KAYAN

Yeah. But he’s not done.

LIO

Then we finish this. Together.

They look up. The elevator to the main control tower waits, humming like a beast.

KAYAN

INT. CORE TOWER – ELEVATOR – NIGHT

The elevator rises. Its walls flicker with glitchy reflections of Kayan’s face.

LIO

You sure you’re okay?

KAYAN

Nope. Got a psycho clone inside my head. But I’m standing.

TAMRA

Once we hit the control floor, I can plug in and overload the core. But it’ll trigger every bot in the
city.

LIO

So we fight a robot army. Cool. I always wanted to die stupid.

Kayan grins faintly.

KAYAN

Let’s make it count.

INT. CORE CONTROL FLOOR – NIGHT

The doors open. The room is massive, white, and silent. A giant circular terminal pulses at the
center — the Absolute Core.

Suddenly, dozens of bots descend from the ceiling. Red eyes glow.
TAMRA

Too many!

KAYAN

Then we break the rules.

He blinks — teleports forward — kicks a bot into another. Fades again. He’s faster now.

LIO

He’s leveling up.

Lio charges. Uses a shock staff to zap bots. Tamra runs to the terminal.

TAMRA (to herself)

Come on, come on...

INT. ABSOLUTE CORE – VIRTUAL SPACE

Kayan's consciousness drops into the system again — but this time, it's burning.

OTHER KAYAN (V.O.)

Told you I’d be back.

Other Kayan steps out of a data flame, smiling.

OTHER KAYAN

Let me take over. We can save everything.

KAYAN

No. I’m done watching. Done hiding.

Kayan glows. The virtual space trembles.

KAYAN (CONT’D)

You’re not the better version. You’re the fear. The control. I’m the choice.

They clash. One final time.

INT. CONTROL FLOOR – REALITY

Tamra yells.

TAMRA

Almost there!

Suddenly, a blast hits her — she goes flying. Lio catches her.

LIO

Tamra! You good?

Just a cracked rib. Maybe two.

LIO (to himself)

Okay, not panicking...

He rushes to the terminal, tries to complete her sequence.

INT. ABSOLUTE CORE – DIGITAL CLIMAX

Kayan pushes through memory shards — his parents’ death, the war, Lio laughing, the first time he
blinked.

KAYAN

I’m not you. I’m not anyone’s puppet.

He glitches — merges with the system — and deletes the Other Kayan in a shockwave of light.

INT. CONTROL FLOOR – REALITY

The bots freeze. Then collapse.

Lio looks around.

LIO

Did we win?

The terminal explodes — and Kayan’s body slams backward.

Smoke.

Silence.

Then — Kayan groans.

TAMRA

He’s breathing!

Lio helps him up. Kayan looks different — his eyes glow faintly, but calm.

KAYAN

I kept the part I needed. The rest... gone.

LIO

What now?

KAYAN

Now we decide what this world becomes — not the system.

EXT. CITY SKYLINE – DAWN

Kayan, Lio, and Tamra stand on a rooftop, watching the sun rise.

LIO

You gonna be a hero now?

KAYAN

Nah. Too much paperwork.

TAMRA

So what do we call you?

KAYAN (smirks)

Call me Fade.

CUT TO BLACK

FADE OUT.

EXT. ABANDONED WAREHOUSE – NIGHT

A secret underground facility. The air is thick with tension. The shadows move as if alive.

Aanya stands at the center, her eyes glowing with a quiet but intense power. She’s scanning
something, her fingers brushing over an ancient-looking device.

Behind her, Loki leans against the wall, arms crossed, watching her with amusement.

LOKI

How long do you think you’ll keep that up?

AANYA

Until I find what we need.

Loki smirks.

LOKI

Just be careful. Those powers of yours—people are starting to notice.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approaches. Mihir Rao, a tall, imposing figure, steps into the dim
light. He’s wearing a military jacket, his expression grim.

MIHIR

You’re wasting your time. There’s nothing left to find here.

AANYA

You don’t know that. You never do.

Mihir stares at her for a long moment.

MIHIR

I’m telling you, this is over. You’re hunting shadows. We should be focusing on what’s real—and
Kayan?

LOKI

Oh, Kayan's real enough. But he’s only the beginning.

Aanya finally turns, her gaze sharp and piercing.

AANYA

We all have our parts to play. Kayan's just figuring out his. And when he does... he won’t be ready
for what’s coming next.

LOKI

Neither will we.

They all exchange a knowing look, tension simmering in the air.

Suddenly, a faint distorted sound fills the space—a transmission breaking through.

A blue hologram flickers to life in front of them. It’s Kayan. He looks different—darker, colder, but
there's something unmistakable in his eyes.

KAYAN

I’ve been waiting for this.

His voice is colder than before, a subtle but unmistakable shift.

AANYA

What have you found?

KAYAN (hologram)

It’s not what I’ve found—it’s what’s coming. And none of us will be ready for it.

A brief pause. The tension thickens.

MIHIR

We’ll be ready. You don’t get to decide that for us.

KAYAN (hologram)

You’ll see soon enough. Keep your eyes open. The real game... is just beginning.
The hologram flickers and cuts off, leaving a sense of foreboding hanging in the air.

AANYA (under her breath)

What did he mean?

LOKI

Maybe it’s time to find out.

They all exchange another heavy look as Aanya shuts off the device.

AANYA

Let’s go. There’s still work to be done.

They exit the warehouse, walking into the darkness of the unknown, with the sound of their
footsteps echoing ominously.

CUT TO BLACK

TEXT ON SCREEN: "FADE WILL RETURN"

Let’s go shut down a god.