ERROR: 410

by Joey To

Short Film
Email: [email protected]

A short piece about the dangers of hacking.

 

 

 

 

ERROR: 410

 

by Joey To

 

 

 

 

© Joey To 2013
Email: [email protected]

 

E  R  R  O  R  :     4  1  0

 

FADE IN:

 

  1. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT

Slow pan around the bedroom, barely lit by the MOONLIGHT through the windows. The bed is MESSY. The walls are lined with POSTERS.

At the DESK is a COMPUTER. A teenage boy is sitting behind the desk, his back towards frame. This is RYAN. The screen is a THIN PIECE OF GLASS showing MANY LINES OF CODE.

Ryan is wearing a SLEEK HEADSET, apparently having an online conversation. On this desk is a VISOR with a CYLINDRICAL EYEPIECE attached in front. A muffled masculine voice can be heard through Ryan's headset. This is JAMES. RYAN is FRANTICALLY TYPING code as he speaks.

RYAN
Yeah, I hear ya.

JAMES
(V.O. through earphones)
No, I don't think you hear me. It's not a smart thing to do. And it is technically against the law.

RYAN
Not that I'll get in trouble, even if the cops manage to trace it to me. I would like to think they have better things to do.

JAMES
(V.O. through earphones) There's that. But still, youshouldn't.

RYAN
It's the challenge.

JAMES
(V.O. through earphones)
Oh, and you're gonna be a total champion if you pull this off. Yes, the world will adore you.

 

RYAN
But it sounds interesting enough... to try to find it and get in.

JAMES
(V.O. through earphones) "Interesting?" Oh please, we bothknow why you're attempting thisstunt.
(beat)
You realize people do get hurt tryingto hack into these kinds of domains.

RYAN
Well, I think one would find out what kind of protective measures a system has before they try to hack in.

JAMES
(V.O. through earphones)
That idiot Fred got his brain friedtrying to hack into the DefenseDepartment via a neural connection.

RYAN
Dude, I'm not hacking into the Defense Department.

JAMES
(V.O. through earphones)
Fine, fine. Have it your way. Anyway,see you tomorrow. I won't bother visiting you if you require brain surgery.

Ryan hits a button on his keyboard which ends the call.

He then COMPILES HIS PROGRAM. He brings up a NEW CONSOLE ON HIS SCREEN in which he runs his program; LINES OF CODE STREAM THROUGH, the last line reads:

1145f.2412f.0982d.1571a... CONNECTED.

Ryan is mildly surprised.

RYAN
Well, the general area exists. Now, let's see if we can go further in.

Hitting several more keys, he RUNS ANOTHER PROGRAM. Suddenly, the PROGRAM TERMINATES with a default beep.

 

RYAN
What the...?

His screen goes blank except for the following text:
24X CHAT ROOM RYAN
Right. Let's go then.

Ryan hits another key and a LOGIN AND PASSWORD PROMPT POPS UP. He bypasses the security. Several seconds pass... then:

NEURAL CONNECTION READY

Ryan picks up the VISOR on his desk and ATTACHES IT ONTO HIS HEADSET. It CLICKS into place. He TWISTS the cylindrical eyepiece to activate and a RED LIGHT appears which STREAKS INTO HIS LEFT EYE.

On his screen, the text blinks:

NEURAL CONNECTION ACTIVE

 

FLASH TO:

 

  1. INT. HOTEL LOBBY

Ryan's P.O.V.: He walks through what appears to be a five-star hotel lobby. The architecture is OSTENTATIOUS. The lighting is DIM. The place is EMPTY.

Ryan makes his way towards the STAIRS which lead up to the MEZZANINE. Suddenly, a FAINT SHUFFLING can be heard. Pan around the lobby. NOTHING.

He continues towards the stairs when the entire lobby seems to RIPPLE AND DISTORT momentarily.

Wide shot of the lobby as Ryan is clearly AFRAID but remains calm and looks around.

RYAN
Hi. Err... aren't guests meant to be greeted at the door?

Ryan makes his way up the steps and...

 

INT. HOTEL MEZZANINE -- CONTINUOUS

...LOOKS LEFT, then LOOKS RIGHT. There are NUMEROUS CLOSED
DOORS but the place is DEAD.

The floors and walls RIPPLE momentarily again. Ryan tries a door but it is LOCKED.

FAINT CHAOTIC WHISPERS can be intermittently heard, comprised of MANY VOICES. Some voices standout as Ryan walks along the mezzanine.

DISTORTED MALE VOICE (O.S.)
Welcome, please proceed to the secondfloor.

DISTORTED FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
Come downstairs and-

TEENAGE BOY 1 (O.S.)
Yes, more! Yes-

Ryan tries another door but is LOCKED.

DISTORTED MALE VOICE (O.S.)
The second floor. The second floor.

TEENAGE BOY 2 (O.S.)
May I have-

DISTORTED FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
Downstairs.

MAN (O.S.)
...are amazing! You-

DISTORTED MALE VOICE (O.S.)
Not this floor. No, not this floor-

TEENAGE BOY 2 (O.S.)
...out of here!

By now, Ryan is clearly WORRIED.

 

DISTORTED FEMALE VOICE (O.S.)
...back downstairs.

Ryan, in FEAR AND CONFUSION, BOLTS towards the stairs, except the stairs RIPPLE AND MUTATE TO A SOLID FLOOR. Just as he PANICS, the entire mezzanine RIPPLES AND DISSOLVES INTO CHAOTIC FLASHES accompanied by a HIGH-PITCHED TONE.

 

CUT TO:

 

  1. INT. BEDROOM

Ryan is CONVULSING in his chair. His eyes are ROLLING AND TWITCHING RAPIDLY. He reaches for the keyboard but has little control.

The computer ALARMS, the red text flashes on his screen:

NEURAL INPUT OVERLOAD

Below the warning are BRAINWAVE PLOTS AND GRAPHS, all in the RED ZONE. Then another warning appears on his screen, the red text flashes:

WARNING: STAGE 1 SAFETY CUT-OFF OVERRIDDEN

Ryan's CONVULSIONS INTENSIFY and he almost falls off the chair.

On his screen, red text flashes:

STAGE 2 SAFETY CUT-OFF ACTIVATED

The screen then goes BLANK for a few seconds before the following message appears:

ERROR: 410 LOCATION NOT FOUND

The RED LIGHT on the cylindrical eyepiece FADES, Ryan stops shaking, his HEAD IS AWKWARDLY ARCHED BACK OVER THE BACK OF
HIS CHAIR, his eyes remain WIDE OPEN and his NOSE BLEEDS. On his screen, plain text appears word-by-word:
DEAR RYAN,

DID YOU HAVE A NICE FIT?

 

PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO HACK INTO CYBER BROTHELS, ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM TRYING TO UPDATE SECURITY SOFTWARE DOWNSTAIRS.

WHEN YOU WAKE UP AND HAVE WIPED YOURSELF OFF, COME DOWNSTAIRS. I MADE HASH COOKIES.

LOVE,
AUNTIE ANGIE

One-shot of a motionless Ryan, except his MOUTH IS FROTHING WITH WHITE FOAM.

 

CUT TO:

 

NOISE, DISTORTION AND FLICKERING.

End Credits.

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