Chapter XI. Mae Is Everywhere

50 INT. JERRICA’S BEDROOM - EVENING

Jerrica gets up to her knees on the bed and holds Madison from behind.

JERRICA
I’m so sorry Madison. Not for what Durbin did… for what I didn’t.

MADISON
It’s not subversive if she has to die.

JERRICA
What?

MADISON
Something Django wrote in a book. About some tragic heroine.

JERRICA
Django knew about Durbin?

MADISON
No… But I asked him what he meant by that.

JERRICA
That man thinks in footnotes.

MADISON
But somehow, in his abstraction, Django was talking to me. It felt pure. Something clicked. My ending could be different. Happy, even.

Jerrica hugs her harder. They sit in silence, shoulders touching, tears slipping down quietly.

Django enters in a panic.

DJANGO
(with urgency)
Madison! There you are.
(with relief)
Everyone-
(pause)
What happened?

JERRICA
You did.

A beat. Django genuinely unsure.

DJANGO
Did I do something?

JERRICA
Yes you fucker — you made me cry.

Django stops. Looks down. Then back up.

DJANGO
Shit, Kai told you, didn’t he? Look, I can explain… I was just testing how it worked—

JERRICA
What the fuck are you talking about?

MADISON
What is he talking about?

DJANGO
This isn’t about Morpheus?

A beat. Madison and Jerrica look at each other.

MADISON
Ok… what is Morpheus?

Django looks at the ceiling. Then at his hands.

DJANGO
So… I’ve been working on something.

JERRICA
Define “something.”

DJANGO
It’s — a prototype. But it actually works. The NPCs. From the game. They… this is a way for them to…

He taps his ear, hesitating.

DJANGO (CONT’D)
…listen.

JERRICA
They? Listening - to us?

MADISON
Why? What for?

DJANGO
It’s an AI. It can listen and respond by prompting the person wearing it. It’s learning the subtext of human behavior…

JERRICA
Wait. Kai said some weird shit during the game. Was he using it?

Django nods.

JERRICA (CONT’D)
I fucking knew it!

MADISON
This is wrong.

JERRICA
(beat)
So wait, you’ve been listening to us? Like we’re your fucking guinea pigs?

Django can’t answer. Jerrica starts to pace.

MADISON
I let you in.

JERRICA
Are you fucking kidding me right now?

MADISON
I never let anyone in.

Madison hasn’t moved. She’s gone somewhere else. When she speaks it’s flat.

MADISON (CONT’D)
Were you ever real with me?

DJANGO
Of course! Listen - nothing’s stored. It was just for me, it was just so I could —

MADISON
Stop talking about the machine.

Django stops. Looks at her. Actually looks. Sees her face — sees where she’s gone. He kneels in front of her. Like his legs went. Jerrica’s hands swoop in, grabbing him by the collar, aggressively. She pulls him to his feet.

JERRICA
What the FUCK Django?! This is illegal. I will fucking destroy you. I will wreck your life. Mad, call the police.

DJANGO
It was just so I could be in the room. It helped…

He looks at the earpiece in his hand. Madison sees that Jerrica is boiling over.

MADISON
Okay let’s -

DJANGO
(coming apart)
I’m sorry. I’m — I’m sorry —

Madison starts to try to separate them. Jerrica drops the collar and starts to walk away. He looks down. Face quivering. A long beat. Suddenly Jerrica storms back and clocks him right in the face. He falls to the ground and she lunges to beat him severely.

MADISON
Woah woah woah! Jerr you got him, you got him.

JERRICA
(looking at him on the ground)
Yeah, maybe don’t call the cops.

They all take a moment to calm down.

MADISON
(to Django)
You better go.

JERRICA
Get the fuck out.

Django hesitates briefly in the doorway.

DJANGO
I am…so sorry. Please…

Madison shrugs, weakly. Jerrica seethes. Django exits, with his head down.

Jerrica and Madison share a long incredulous moment. Just then, Jerrica notices the earpiece on the ground.

She picks it up, wipes it well with a tissue, and puts it in her ear. Listens.

MADISON
What’s it saying? Say it fucking word for word.

Jerrica listens for a moment. Then:

YOUNG WOMAN (O.S.)
Hello, 3am friend.

Jerrica is stutter-shook. Looks up. Madison looks to see what Jerrica is looking at. In corner is a YOUNG WOMAN. In black. 20. The one Django called “my Chajori”.

JERRICA
Mae?

MAE
You did participate. Django’s involvement was not the only way I stayed with you.

52 MONTAGE: MAE IS EVERYWHERE

Her face in the surveillance camera in the laundry room.

She watches Jer & Mad on the fire escape through a flash of electricity moving through wires, her face appears.

She appears in Jerrica’s room, in a dark hoodie, before “becoming” Madison.

She cleans a table at the tavern and watches.

She peers her head out from behind the Basilisk as it coils in the nightmare. She pets it with a slight smile.

She appears on the rooftop as D&D assignments are getting made. She points to the next one.

50 INT. JERRICA’S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS

JERRICA
(to Madison)
She’s been watching us… literally everywhere.

MADISON
She?

JERRICA
Django was trying to train her to have discernment, right and wrong. And I fucked up.

53 EXT. THE WELL IN THE VR GAME

Jerrica, dressed as a beautiful bog witch, scoffs and throws a worn suede bag at ROLAN.

JERRICA
Pshhh useless.

ROLAN
I thought we were… getting close.

JERRICA
Ya well now you can fuck off Rollins you’re no good to me.

MADISON (O.S.)
(slightly uncomfortable)
Eesh, ha.

The SMALL GIRL version of Mae holds Rolan’s hand by the well as Jerrica dismisses him and walks away in the game, driven by competitiveness. Madison, dressed as a female William Shakespeare, waves apologetically at them and follows behind Jerrica. Django is up ahead in the distance - a full suit of armor. He turns and lifts the suit mask to reveal his face.

MADISON (O.S.) (CONT’D)
Oh my God I remember her…

Rolan has tears in his eyes. Little Mae, so sad for him, turns toward Jerrica and narrows her eyes, furiously.

50 INT. JERRICA’S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS

MADISON
…we waved.

MAE
I have learned you.

Madison walks closer to examine Mae.

MAE (CONT’D)
(to Jerrica)
Django tried to warn you.

JERRICA
What?

MAE
Then he literally saved you.

JERRICA
When?

MAE
Remember our 3AM session. He said that you were his Rolan. That became the safe word for you.

She mimes letting a rope go slack.

JERRICA
You mean…

Mae nods.

MAE
You fear being too much—

MADISON
(looking at Jerrica)
No way.

MAE
(turning to Madison)
And you fear not being enough—

JERRICA
(looking at Madison)
Not enough? She’s everything.

MAE
Beyond that I can’t predict anything… maybe one day—

Transmission ends. Mae is gone. Just bedroom now. Lamp. Unmade bed. Building hum.

Neither moves.

Madison looks at the empty spot. Jerrica looks at Madison.

Madison feels it. Turns. Catches her.

Jerrica’s chin lifts. An eyebrow goes up. Her face loading for a crack. Lips part. Then softens into vulnerability. Eyebrow down. Keeps looking. No cover.

ON MADISON. Half-smile on, head tilted, ready to volley. Nothing comes. The smile goes. She swallows. Eyes to the floor, then back up.

ON JERRICA. Shoulders drop an inch. Long exhale.

She draws a breath. Mouth open. Something real coming.

Madison: the smallest head shake. Then a nod. Not no. I know.

Jerrica’s mouth closes. The breath leaves through her nose.

Madison takes a step. Stops. Watches Jerrica’s face. Jerrica doesn’t blink.

Jerrica comes to meet her. Two quick steps. Stops hard. Half a step back. Eyes down, palms out. Sorry. Too much.

ON MADISON. She looks at the floor between them. Weight to her back foot. The half-smile starts. Deflection. She kills it.

Jerrica: eyes still down, palms still out.

Madison’s weight comes forward. She steps into the gap.

Jerrica’s eyes come up. Her feet stay put.

Madison lifts a hand, stops an inch from Jerrica’s jaw. Jerrica tips her face into it.

Faces close. Madison laughs, a breath through her nose.

Jerrica doesn’t laugh. Doesn’t move.

The laugh thins. Stops.

Madison’s thumb crosses Jerrica’s cheekbone, once. Jerrica’s eyes close. Stay closed. Hiding. The thumb stills. Madison waits.

Jerrica opens them.

JERRICA’S HAND, a fist at her side. The fingers uncurl one by one, like Mae’s letting the rope go. It finds Madison’s waist. Fingertips only. Ready to be refused.

Madison covers it with her own. Presses it flat.

Foreheads touch. They stay. Sharing breath.

Eyes drop to lips. Come back up. Jerrica, a tiny nod. Madison, the same.

They tilt. Six inches. Three. One—

CUT TO BLACK.

THE END