No Service

The screen is completely black.  Words come on the screen saying:

Marcus is a technologically skilled, nerdy teen, who skipped school in favor of playing Harajuku Fun Madness on September eighteenth, 2001.  On that day, terrorists attacked the Bay Bridge in San Francisco.  Marcus was abducted and thrown in an unmarked military-type car and had a bag thrown over his head.  He is then removed from the car after a short drive and put in a chair.  And that is wear our story begins…

The bag is lifted off Marcus’ head.  We see everything through his eyes.  He is in a dimly lit room with a table and two chairs.  The walls are a bland, pasty color and there is a long mirror (presumably a two-way mirror).  Marcus is confused and tired.  There is a lady with a severe haircut sitting in the chair across from him.  She has a stern look on her face.  In front of him, on the table, sits his phone.

Scene 1:
Severe Haircut Lady:  “Marcus, I’m going to need you to unlock your cell phone.”
Marcus:  “What?  Where am I?  Why am I here?”
Severe Haircut Lady:  “I need you to unlock your phone!” (her voice escalates)
You hear Marcus’ thoughts as the camera zooms in on his face, “I can’t be here for hacking into my school.  This has to have something to do with the bridge.  But they can’t just force my to unlock my phone.  Fuck this.”
Marcus:  “No.”

Severe Haircut Lady:  “What do you mean no?  Do you understand that if you don’t cooperate you will be here for a very long time?”

Marcus:  “I do.  Do your worst.”

Severe Haircut Lady:  “As you wish”

A guard comes to take Marcus to his cell, violently grabbing his elbow and leading him through the door.  The scene cuts to the guard pushing Marcus into his cell from a distance in a very dark hallway.  Multiple cuts show that a significant amount of time passes but the exact amount is unknown.  There is a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling in the cell.  There is a bed, toilet, and sink.  It is no bigger than a janitor’s closet.  After the time has passed a guard comes.

Scene 2:
Guard:  “Get up.  Come with me.”
Marcus follows the guard through the same dark hallway but enters into a different room.  The camera continues moving to the left as Marcus walks through the door.  Severe Haircut Lady and an anonymous colleague of hers stands beside her, looking through a two-way mirror.  The camera is at a side angle so it cannot see what is happening in the room. 

Marcus: (Screaming throughout the scene)

Colleague:  “Do you really think he has something to do with this?”

Severe Haircut Lady:  “I don’t know.  My gut says no, but the fact that he won’t open his phone makes me feel like something is going on.”

Colleague:  “C’mon.  He’s an American teenager.  He has no ties to any sort of terrorist organization.  He just has made a few mildly suspicious hacks on his computer.  He was probably just trying to get out of school or something.”

Severe Haircut Lady:  “If he unlocks his phone, and there is nothing on it connecting him to the terrorist attacks, he can leave.  And he knows that.”

Scene 3:
The scene cuts to a series of Marcus being sat down in the interrogation room.  Every time the camera is focused on the chair and Marcus comes into the screen and sits down and says, “No.”  This happens about six times, showing that an extended period of time has passed and Marcus is continuing to not cooperate.

Scene 4:
The camera is in the upper corner of Marcus’ cell looking down at him.  The lighting is the same.  The camera slowly moves toward him.  He is visibly smaller and weaker.  There are a few empty plates on the ground.  He is sitting against the wall with his legs up against his chest.  His cell door opens, and Severe Haircut Lady walks in the room.  She no longer has that intimidating look on her face.  It’s obvious this is not an interrogation.

Severe Haircut Lady:  “Why are you doing this?”

Marcus looks at her with an empty stare.  He remains silent.

Severe Haircut Lady:  “Listen.  I don’t think you have anything to do with this.  We haven’t found anything directly linking you to the attacks.  All you need to do is unlock your phone.”

Marcus:  “This isn’t about whether I’m innocent or not.  I know I’m innocent.  It’s you that’s guilty.”

Severe Haircut Lady:  “Me?”

Marcus:  “You as in whatever this place is.  I assume you are some sort of government agency.  The purpose of government is to protect the rights of its citizens.  That’s why this country is what it is today.  But this…this isn’t America.  I’ll die before I unlock that phone.”

Severe Haircut Lady:  “Our job is to protect our people… (Marcus cuts her off)”

Marcus:  “At what cost?!”

Severe Haircut Lady pauses and leaves the room.

Scene 5:
Severe Haircut Lady is lying in her bed, wide-awake.  The camera is directly overhead and she is starring directly into it.  The camera slowly moves toward her face until it encompasses the entire screen.

Scene 6:
The camera is in the same position as it was when Marcus was being tortured (side-view in the hallway).  But this time another authority figure is there instead of Severe Haircut Lady.  The door opens and a guard walks out almost dragging a battered and beaten Marcus.  From around the corner Severe Haircut Lady comes and begins speaking to the guard.

Severe Haircut Lady:  “I’ll take him.”

Guard:  “Mam, I am supposed to take the prisoner directly to his cell.”

Severe Haircut Lady:  “That is exactly what I’m going to do.  I just want to speak with him in private on the way there.”

The guard obliges and Severe Haircut Lady hastily brings Marcus down the hall.  The camera keeps pace.  The turn a corner and while the walk Severe Haircut Lady speaks to Marcus.

Severe Haircut Lady:  “You are leaving.  When you get out, you tell anyone and everyone what has happened here.  Do you understand me?”

Marcus, unable to speak following his beating nods.   Eventually they begin to run due to a guard notice them pass the cells.  There is gunfire behind them and the alarms go off right as they reach the door.  The camera view switches to the outside of the door as it opens.  It is a large grey stone building, very rundown and uninviting.  They run to a military hummer.  As they approach, Severe Haircut Lady falls.  She is shot.  She immediately hands Marcus the keys and says the last words Marcus hears from her.

Severe Haircut Lady:  “Go.  Remember what I said.”

Marcus, without hesitation grabs the keys and drives off.  The camera remains stationary as it watches the Hummer drive away.

Scene 6:

Marcus pulls over at a gas station.  The camera is at a diagonal angle from the door, the car also in view.  Marcus walks in and speaks to the old hillbilly cashier.

Marcus:  “I need to use your phone.”

The End