EXT. MEXICO CITY ROOFTOPS – NIGHT
Humidity clings to the rooftops.
Heavy. Intimate.
Sirens moan somewhere in the distance, swallowed by a city
that never fully sleeps.
Neon reflections ripple across rain-slick pavement —
fractured, flickering, unstable.
A BLACK MOTORCYCLE slices through traffic, threading
impossibly narrow gaps.
MIA (30s) rides with no helmet.
Hair whipping.
Spine straight.
Focused.
Controlled.
There’s a quiet ache behind her eyes — the look of someone
who’s learned how to move without leaving footprints.
She glances at her SIDE MIRROR.
Not checking lanes.
Checking for eyes.
For a fraction of a second, the light in the mirror drags —
like the city itself is a half-beat behind her.
Mia blinks.
It’s gone.
Ahead: an ABANDONED TEXTILE WAREHOUSE looms over a dead
block.
Windows dark.
Doors rusted shut.
She kills the engine early.
Coasts the last stretch.
Melts into shadow.
Dismounts.
Mia pulls out a burner phone.
INSERT – PHONE SCREEN
A single text glows:
PACKAGE INSIDE. TEN MINUTES BEHIND YOU.
BACK TO SCENE
Her pulse tightens — not fear.
Anticipation.
She pockets the phone.
Approaches the doors.
They GROAN open.
Mia slips inside.
Genres:
["Thriller","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
2 -
Ambush in the Warehouse
INT. TEXTILE WAREHOUSE – CONTINUOUS
The space yawns open like an abandoned cathedral.
Old looms.
Fallen beams.
Broken skylights bleed thin ribbons of moonlight through
drifting dust.
Mia pauses just inside the threshold.
Breath low.
Body still.
She isn’t listening for footsteps.
She’s listening for that other thing —
the subtle sensation of the world slipping sideways when it
shouldn’t.
Nothing.
She moves deeper.
MIA
(quiet)
Too easy.
It isn’t reassurance.
It’s a warning.
Measured steps.
Deliberate breathing.
Calm worn like armor.
Ahead — bathed in a lonely shaft of light —
a FIGURE slumped in a chair.
Mia circles.
Maintaining angles.
Never offering her back.
Instinctive movement.
Not just training — survival.
A MAN, mid-40s.
Bruised.
Barely conscious.
A COURIER.
His jacket hangs open.
Sliced.
Taped beneath his ribs, close to the heart —
a thin SILVER DATA DRIVE.
Mia crouches.
Her hands are steady in a way that suggests they weren’t
always.
She slices the tape.
Frees the drive.
The courier stirs.
Eyes swollen.
Searching her face.
COURIER
(hoarse)
You shouldn’t have come alone.
A flicker crosses Mia’s expression.
Not annoyance.
Recognition.
A line she’s heard before.
Another life.
Another voice.
MIA
I never come alone.
Something in the answer escapes her control.
A METALLIC CLICK echoes above.
Mia freezes.
A RED LASER DOT blooms on her shoulder.
Then another.
And another.
Her body moves before fear can surface —
flipping the chair, rolling low as MUZZLE FLASHES erupt from
the catwalks.
Wood splinters.
Rusted metal screams.
Mia hits cover.
Breath sharp —
controlled.
Her eyes flicker with something deeper.
A tremor from a past she thought she buried.
She checks the drive.
Intact.
A SHADOW drops beside her.
MO (30s).
Urgent.
Dangerous charm under adrenaline.
MO
You’re welcome.
MIA
You were supposed to be in L.A.
MO
And you were supposed to wait for
me.
Silence.
History lives there.
Sharp.
Unhealed.
Footsteps converge.
Multiple angles.
MO (CONT'D)
We’re outnumbered.
MIA
We just need a door.
She tracks positions.
Three above.
Two below.
Old rhythm resurfaces.
Not trust.
The muscle memory of trust.
Mia breaks cover —
clean, efficient violence.
A shooter drops.
Mo pivots opposite —
another down.
A ground-level gunman lunges —
Mia dismantles him with brutal precision.
Strike.
Twist.
Collapse.
Mo grabs the fallen weapon.
Covers high angles.
MO
Mia—
MIA
Almost done.
She sprints back to the courier.
Guides his trembling hand toward a shard of BROKEN MIRROR on
the floor.
MIA (CONT'D)
Look.
He blinks.
Disoriented.
MIA (CONT'D)
See your face.
Remember it.
A beat.
MIA (CONT'D)
You’re still alive.
The intimacy of the line lands hard.
Mo feels it —
and it unsettles him.
Footsteps close in.
MO
We’re leaving.
Now.
This time, she doesn’t argue.
They move —
not perfectly in sync,
but in a way that remembers who they once were.
They sprint for the exit.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
3 -
Midnight Escape
EXT. MEXICO CITY STREETS – CONTINUOUS
They burst into the night as bullets chase them.
Mia swings onto the bike.
Mo jumps on behind her —
no question.
She guns the throttle.
The motorcycle tears forward.
Bullets spark off concrete.
Chew into brick.
The city blurs.
Neon and rain smear into color and speed.
In the cracked SIDE MIRROR —
Mia’s reflection tracks true.
Everything behind her lags.
Lights stretch.
Buildings drag.
The world is late catching up.
Her breath hitches.
Mo looks back —
doesn’t see it.
Focused on the chaos shrinking behind them.
MO
Whoever owns that drive…
they won’t stop.
MIA
Neither will I.
She accelerates harder.
The motorcycle becomes a streak of shadow.
Swallowed by the city.
The mirror catches one last fractured glint of her eyes.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
4 -
Protocol Breach and Rising Threats
INT. SAFE-HOUSE – LOS ANGELES – NIGHT
A different city.
Different neon.
Same hour.
A fortified SAFE-HOUSE BASEMENT —
concrete.
Low ceiling.
Folding tables crowded with screens.
Mexico City traffic footage plays back —
thermal overlays.
Static.
Ghost-images.
Mia stands at the table.
Jacket off.
A bruise darkens along her collarbone.
The SILVER DRIVE rests between her and SHANNON (30s) —
sharp.
Sleepless.
More guardian than handler.
The BOSS (50s), suit too polished for this room, taps the
drive with a pen.
BOSS
You went in early.
No visual confirmation.
A beat.
BOSS (CONT'D)
That’s not protocol.
MIA
Protocol got us killed in Juárez.
Silence.
No one argues.
No one agrees.
Shannon watches Mia.
Not angry.
Worried.
SHANNON
You were flanked within thirty
seconds.
They knew you were coming.
Mo leans in the doorway.
Arms crossed.
A fresh bandage under his shirt.
MO
Or they knew the drive was moving.
And we got there first.
The Boss turns the drive over in his hand.
BOSS
Either way — congratulations.
He slides a thin file toward Mia.
She doesn’t touch it.
BOSS (CONT'D)
You just told them exactly
who has it now.
A beat.
BOSS (CONT'D)
Preliminary tags match a name
we’ve seen before.
Another beat.
BOSS (CONT'D)
Balout.
Mia’s jaw tightens.
MIA
I thought Balout was a myth.
Shannon answers quietly.
SHANNON
So were you.
A beat.
SHANNON (CONT'D)
Until you weren’t.
A look passes between them.
History.
Resentment.
Care.
The Boss closes the file.
BOSS
Until we know what’s on that drive,
you don’t breathe without someone watching.
To Shannon:
BOSS (CONT'D)
You’re her shadow.
Twenty-four seven.
To Mo:
BOSS (CONT'D)
You’re grounded
until I decide if Mexico was initiative…
or insubordination.
Mo almost smiles.
MO
You’ll come around.
The Boss ignores him.
Turns to Mia.
BOSS
You brought the war to our
doorstep.
A beat.
BOSS (CONT'D)
Try not to make that a habit.
He exits.
Silence.
Server hum.
Distant traffic.
Mia stares at the drive.
MIA
If Balout’s real…
this doesn’t stay contained.
Shannon studies her.
Sees more than Mia wants.
SHANNON
That’s why you’re not leaving this
city
without me.
Their eyes lock.
Promise.
Threat.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Crime"]
Ratings
Scene
5 -
Welcome Back to Fear
INT. MIA’S APARTMENT – LATER THAT NIGHT
A small, sparse apartment.
Temporary.
Nothing that can’t be abandoned.
Mia enters.
Drops her keys.
Shrugs off her jacket —
winces at the bruise.
City light leaks through half-drawn blinds.
Her phone lights up on the counter.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
WELCOME BACK.
She freezes.
No thread.
No context.
Just the glow.
She flips the phone face down.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
6 -
Reflections of Doubt
INT. BATHROOM – CONTINUOUS
Water splashes her face.
She looks up.
Her reflection stares back.
Wet hair.
Tired eyes.
Normal.
Then —
a tiny stutter.
Her reflected hand lags a fraction of a beat behind the real
one.
So small it could be nothing.
Or everything.
Mia stills.
Closes her eyes.
Counts one breath.
Opens them.
The mirror behaves.
She flicks the light off.
Then on.
Still normal.
She leaves the bathroom light on when she exits.
A quiet concession.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
7 -
Fragments of Memory
INT. BEDROOM – CONTINUOUS
She opens the closet.
Top shelf —
a plain SHOEBOX.
She hesitates.
Takes it down.
Inside:
A folded scarf.
A worn photo — her mother on a Tehran rooftop.
CRACKED GLASSES.
Mia lifts the glasses carefully.
Through the fractured lens, the city smears —
Wind.
Satellite dishes.
Distant calls.
A rooftop, half a world away.
Her mother’s voice —
not words.
Just warmth.
Mia blinks.
The apartment returns.
Her phone vibrates in the other room.
She ignores it.
Sits on the bed.
Traces the crack in the lens with her thumb.
MIA
(soft)
I’m still here, Maman.
The city hums outside.
Indifferent.
We move in on the cracked glass —
MATCH CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
8 -
Through the Cracked Lens
EXT. TEHRAN ROOFTOP – RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT – NIGHT
Wind sweeps across the rooftops.
Metal satellite dishes tremble.
Neon and sodium lights flicker across concrete and brick.
A YOUNG MIA (10) stands near the railing, clutching the
cracked glasses.
Tehran hums below.
Restless.
Alive.
Unknowable.
Her MOTHER (40s) kneels in front of her.
Smooths Mia’s hair like she’s preparing her for a photograph
the world will never see.
She lifts the glasses.
MOTHER
These?
A beat.
MOTHER (CONT'D)
They’re not for looking at the
world.
She taps the bent frame.
MOTHER (CONT'D)
They’re for seeing yourself in it.
Young Mia raises the glasses.
The city splits.
Doubled.
Unstable.
Chaotic.
Beautiful.
Frightening.
MOTHER (CONT'D)
When it feels like you can’t
choose…
Footsteps echo from the stairwell below.
Male voices.
Urgent.
Young Mia freezes.
Her mother doesn’t.
MOTHER (CONT'D)
(low)
Give them to me.
Mia hesitates.
Fear tightens her grip.
The footsteps rush closer.
Her mother cups Mia’s face.
Soft.
Fierce.
Devastating.
MOTHER (CONT'D)
Truth isn’t loud, Mia.
She nudges Mia behind a rusted WATER TANK.
MOTHER (CONT'D)
It survives in silence.
Mia squeezes into shadow.
Clutches the glasses so tightly the frame bites into her
palm.
The rooftop door SLAMS open.
Two MEN burst out.
Scanning.
MAN #1
Where is it?
The mother stands alone.
Exposed.
A long, brave beat.
MOTHER
Gone.
A hand grabs her arm.
Young Mia’s breath disappears.
Her mother looks once toward Mia’s hiding place.
Not panic.
Not pleading.
Only:
Live.
They drag her toward the stairwell.
She doesn’t fight.
The rooftop feels enormous now.
Too quiet.
Too still.
Young Mia steps out from behind the tank.
Wind lifts her hair.
She looks down at the cracked glasses.
Slowly, she lifts them.
Puts them on.
The fractured city sharpens into something she can bear.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
9 -
Unspoken Bonds
INT. SAFE-HOUSE – BASEMENT – NIGHT
Low light.
Medical supplies.
Cable clutter.
Servers hum like a nervous system that never rests.
Mia sits on a metal stool as Mo cleans a cut near her temple.
Silence thickens.
Not empty.
Weighted.
MO
Hold still.
MIA
I am still.
He gives her a look.
Old.
Familiar.
MO
You took a hit tonight.
MIA
You weren’t supposed to be there.
MO
And yet…
He tapes the wound.
Steps back.
MO (CONT'D)
You’re slipping.
She stands.
Creates distance.
MIA
Why were you really in Mexico?
A fracture crosses Mo’s face.
Tiny.
Real.
MO
Because the people who want that
drive
don’t want you alive.
He holds her gaze.
MO (CONT'D)
And you don’t wait for backup.
Not when it matters.
Something sharp lodges in her chest.
MIA
Balout’s involved.
Mo nods.
His eyes harden.
MO
Then this is only the beginning.
He grabs his jacket.
Moves toward the door.
MIA
Mo.
He stops.
Doesn’t turn.
MIA (CONT'D)
Why do you care?
He turns just enough to let the truth slip.
MO
I don’t like losing people.
He exits.
Mia stands alone.
Shaken —
not by danger,
but by how deeply that answer landed.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
10 -
Tension at Dawn
EXT. VASQUEZ ROCKS – TRAINING RANGE – DAY
Dawn cuts across jagged red stone.
Desert wind carries dust.
Quiet.
Mia fires controlled rounds into a steel target.
Perfect grouping.
Too perfect.
Mo approaches behind her.
MO
Your stance is tight.
A beat.
MO (CONT'D)
But your focus is split.
MIA
I’m fine.
MO
You’re thinking about last night.
MIA
I’m thinking about decryptions,
chain-of-custody issues,
and why you followed me halfway around the world.
MO
(soft)
You’re thinking about the text.
She stiffens.
MIA
You read my phone now?
MO
No.
A beat.
MO (CONT'D)
You flinch when something matters.
I remember that.
Mo steps closer.
Anchoring.
MO (CONT'D)
Tell me the truth.
A beat.
MO (CONT'D)
Is the mirror glitch back?
She freezes.
Doesn’t answer.
Mo studies her eyes.
MO (CONT'D)
Mia…
that’s not normal.
MIA
Nothing about my life is normal.
He exhales.
Frustration wrapped in fear.
MO
If something’s wrong,
I need to know.
MIA
Why?
He opens his mouth.
Closes it.
Locks the truth away.
MO
Because I have your back.
A beat.
MO (CONT'D)
Even when you don’t want me to.
She turns.
Fires again.
Rounds too tight.
Too rigid.
Mo watches her.
Caught between warning her —
and protecting her.
In the distance, a storm cloud gathers.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
11 -
Betrayal and Resolve
INT. INTELLIGENCE BRIEFING ROOM – NIGHT
Sterile.
Windowless.
Cold light washes over wall-to-wall screens.
Shannon stands at a tactical display.
The Boss enters.
Mia follows one beat behind.
BOSS
The drive decrypted thirty percent.
A beat.
BOSS (CONT'D)
What we’ve seen so far…
isn’t good.
A web of names, shell companies, off-grid labs blooms into
view.
BOSS (CONT'D)
Balout’s network spans six
countries.
Another beat.
BOSS (CONT'D)
And someone inside our system
is helping him stay invisible.
SHANNON
We shouldn’t put Mia on this.
The Boss looks at her.
Then Mia.
BOSS
Mia is the only one Balout
won’t anticipate.
The compliment cuts.
MIA
What aren’t you telling me?
Shannon finally meets her eyes.
Fear.
Guilt.
SHANNON
The Mexico ambush wasn’t a leak.
A beat.
SHANNON (CONT'D)
It was a prediction.
Mia’s breathing shifts.
Barely.
SHANNON (CONT'D)
Someone knew you’d be there.
A beat.
SHANNON (CONT'D)
Someone who knows how you move.
The Boss closes the file.
BOSS
Your next step is Malibu.
SHANNON
You don’t have to do this.
Mia holds her gaze.
Steady.
MIA
I’m already in it.
Shannon breaks eye contact first.
Genres:
["Thriller","Espionage","Action"]
Ratings
Scene
12 -
Echoes of Dread
EXT. PARKING GARAGE – DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – NIGHT
A dim, echoing structure.
Fluorescent lights flicker like failing nerves.
Mia walks alone.
Spine taut.
Footsteps measured.
A car window catches her reflection.
It’s wrong.
Her reflection’s breath is out of sync.
Her pulse spikes.
A PHONE BUZZES.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
SEE CLEARLY.
Another buzz.
GO TO MALIBU.
Behind her — movement.
Gone before she fully turns.
Mia stills her breathing.
Calm.
Controlled.
She walks toward her car.
Storm inside.
Steel outside.
In the rear window —
Her reflection lingers.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
13 -
The Edge of Commitment
EXT. MALIBU OVERLOOK – PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY – NIGHT
An SUV idles at the edge of a cliff.
Below — Malibu glows gold.
Glass mansions stare back like unblinking eyes.
Mia steps into the wind.
Lets it strip her clean.
Shannon joins her.
SHANNON
Once you go in…
A beat.
SHANNON (CONT'D)
There’s no shadow team.
No Mo.
No net.
Mia studies the coastline.
Fractured reflections break across the water.
MIA
Balout wants someone inside.
SHANNON
He wants you inside.
The wind rises.
Her mother’s voice drifts in — memory.
MOTHER (V.O.)
Look clearly first…
Mia breathes.
The breath you take before stepping off something high.
MIA
I’m going in.
Shannon doesn’t argue.
Doesn’t breathe.
She just hopes Mia comes back.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
14 -
Reflections of Dread
INT. SUV – MOVING – NIGHT
The SUV winds down a narrow cliff road.
Light streaks slide across Mia’s face.
Long.
Fractured.
Rhythmic.
Her phone BUZZES.
UNKNOWN NUMBER:
WELCOME TO THE MIRROR.
She deletes it.
Jaw tight.
Outside the glass —
Her reflection exhales late.
She closes her eyes.
Counts.
One.
Two.
Three.
Opens them.
The reflection aligns.
For now.
Ahead —
A massive MALIBU GATE rises.
Lit like a ritual threshold.
The SUV stops.
Mia steps out.
In the rear window —
Her reflection lingers one beat too long…
Then dissolves into darkness.
END OF ACT I
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Action"]
Ratings
Scene
15 -
Threshold of Mystery
EXT. MALIBU SECURITY GATE – NIGHT
A coastal fortress disguised as a home.
The drive curves toward a towering ARMORED SECURITY GATE —
steel panels humming with embedded surveillance.
Mia steps out of the SUV.
Event attire — sleek, minimal.
Weaponized elegance.
Two GUARDS approach.
One scans her invitation.
The other sweeps a wand across her body —
not searching for metal.
Searching for biometric anomalies.
Behind them, the glossy guard booth reflects Mia.
Her reflection stutters —
one frame late.
Mia’s breath catches —
then vanishes behind her face.
The scanner BEEPS.
GUARD
You’re expected.
The gate unlocks with a hydraulic sigh.
As Mia steps through, overhead lights throw her shadow across
stone —
It splits.
Two shadows.
One heartbeat.
Then one.
Mia doesn’t slow.
She keeps walking.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
16 -
Reflections of Tension
EXT. MALIBU VILLA – COURTYARD – NIGHT
A villa carved into the cliff —
glass, lantern glow, curated opulence.
Guests drift through the courtyard like masks pretending to
be human.
Mia moves among them effortlessly.
Scanning.
No visible cameras.
Which means there are thousands.
A SERVER offers champagne.
Mia declines without looking —
a reflex forged in rooms like this.
High above, on a balcony rail —
a lone SILHOUETTE stands.
Still.
Intent.
Balout’s outline.
Or someone performing his myth.
Pressure builds in Mia’s chest —
the kind that comes from standing near a truth you’re not
ready to touch.
She passes a polished column.
In the reflection —
her image turns left
while she turns right.
Mia stops.
Looks again.
The reflection behaves.
Her pulse doesn’t.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Action"]
Ratings
Scene
17 -
Reflections of Tension
INT. PRIVATE BAR – CONTINUOUS
Low amber light.
Warm shadows.
Silence framed as luxury.
Mo stands at the counter.
A drink untouched.
He turns as Mia enters —
not surprised.
Relieved.
MO
You made it.
MIA
You shouldn’t be here.
MO
And yet…
She moves past him, eyes flicking to mirrors, exits, angles.
MO (CONT'D)
Mia.
Look at me.
She does.
He studies her the way only someone who once knew her
heartbeat can.
MO (CONT'D)
You’re shaking.
MIA
I’m not.
MO
Not your hands.
Your focus.
A beat.
Her guard thins.
MIA
Why did you really follow me to
Mexico?
Mo sets the glass down gently —
as if the truth might spill.
MO
Because I know what happens
when you walk into danger
with ghosts on your shoulders.
Her throat tightens.
MIA
I’m not the one seeing ghosts.
Mo steps closer.
MO
No?
Then why won’t you look
at the mirror behind you?
She freezes.
Then turns.
Slow.
Her reflection is there.
But its eyes feel… early.
Waiting.
Mia’s breath shortens —
involuntary.
MO (CONT'D)
This place is wrong for you.
MIA
This place is why I came.
Footsteps approach outside.
Mo tenses.
MO
Mia—
But she’s already moving.
Toward the balcony.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Suspense"]
Ratings
Scene
18 -
Shadows of Concern
EXT. BALCONY – CONTINUOUS
Malibu glittering below.
The Pacific stretching into black.
Shannon steps out of shadow, adjusting her earpiece.
She didn’t come as backup.
She came because she’s afraid of what this house does to Mia.
SHANNON
You’re late checking in.
MIA
It isn’t that kind of party.
Shannon studies her —
really studies her.
SHANNON
You’re pale.
MIA
I’m fine.
SHANNON
And you’re lying.
Mia glances at the glass.
In the reflection —
Shannon is staring at something just over Mia’s shoulder.
Mia turns sharply.
Nothing.
Shannon grabs her wrist —
urgent, intimate.
SHANNON (CONT'D)
Comm’s malfunctioning.
Switching channels.
Mia pulls free.
MIA
Don’t babysit me.
SHANNON
I’m not.
(beat)
I’m surviving you.
Inside, the party shifts.
Applause.
An announcement.
Energy changing shape.
Something is beginning.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
19 -
Reflections of Distress
INT. VILLA CORRIDOR – CONTINUOUS
A narrow corridor —
polished marble, gold sconces.
Walls gleam like liquid.
Mia walks alone.
Heels steady.
Posture precise.
Until—
Her reflection’s footsteps echo off-rhythm.
Half a beat late.
Then a full beat.
Mia slows.
Her reflection doesn’t.
It keeps walking.
Past her.
Past the mirror’s frame.
Mia freezes —
panic clean and surgical.
Distant LAUGHTER bleeds down the corridor —
warped, underwater, wrong.
She reaches for the wall.
Grounds herself.
Ahead —
her reflection, now three steps forward,
turns its head back.
Its eyes are not hers.
Mia closes her eyes.
Breath races.
Lights flicker —
once
twice
A hard reset.
She opens her eyes.
The reflection is back.
Aligned.
Obedient.
False.
Mia forces herself forward.
Because whatever’s ahead…
it’s expecting her.
CUT TO BLACK.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
20 -
The Descent into Shadows
INT. STUDY – NIGHT
Curated wealth.
Curated silence.
Every object placed with intention.
Every shadow softened just enough to feel watched.
Mia steps inside.
The door seals behind her with a near-silent magnetic lock.
A BIOMETRIC PANEL awakens —
surface rippling like liquid glass.
Mia approaches.
It scans:
retina
micro-muscle tension
pulse dilation
facial symmetry deviations
The system reacts.
Not to the drive.
To her.
The wall SIGHS open —
a narrow corridor descending into muted silver light.
Mia hesitates.
A flicker of memory —
rooftop wind, her mother’s hand,
a choice that still echoes.
Then she steps forward.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
21 -
Reflections of Suspense
INT. VAULT ANTECHAMBER – CONTINUOUS
Mirrors —
but not reflective.
Refractive.
Glass that bends reality instead of returning it.
At the center: a timeworn PEDESTAL —
a slot too small for the Mexico drive.
The mini-drive pedestal.
Mia approaches, slow, deliberate.
The mirrors ripple like disturbed water.
One reflection blinks.
She doesn’t.
A hairline fracture in her breath.
She slots the Mexico drive into a secondary console.
Instant response.
Light waves cascade.
Reflections stagger out of sync.
A HOLOGRAPHIC INTERFACE blooms:
GLITCHED IMAGE
UNRECOGNIZED USER
ENCODED MEMORY FILES
PATTERN MATCH: MIA GHAFOURI
Then:
HELLO, MIA.
Her pulse spikes.
More text flickers:
I KNEW YOU WOULD COME ALONE.
A figure appears behind her in the mirror —
tall, still, watching.
Mia spins.
No one.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Sci-Fi"]
Ratings
Scene
22 -
Confrontation in the Study
INT. STUDY – MOMENTS LATER
Mia emerges —
pulse tight, throat locked.
She’s not alone.
BALOUT stands by the window, silhouette calm.
Loose posture.
Immovable presence.
He doesn’t turn.
BALOUT
Your mother would have hated
how far you’ve drifted
from who you are.
The words hit like blunt force.
MIA
Say her name.
Balout turns.
Unreadable.
The calm of someone who’s seen the inside of every secret.
BALOUT
Names are noise.
Choices are truth.
Mia circles him.
MIA
Did you put those images on the
drive?
BALOUT
I didn’t place anything.
(beat)
I revealed what was already inside
you.
Her jaw flexes —
fear and fury tightening into one.
MIA
You’re manipulating perception.
Balout’s smile is faint.
Surgical.
BALOUT
I’m clearing the mirror.
You’ve spent years fighting
your own reflection.
Her breath stutters —
involuntary.
He steps closer,
gentle as a surgeon.
BALOUT (CONT'D)
Tell me…
When did your reflection
stop obeying you?
A distant ALARM pulses.
Mo’s voice echoes faintly:
MO (O.S.)
Mia! Move!
Balout steps back,
hands open.
BALOUT
When you’re ready
to stop fighting the wrong enemy…
come back.
Mia bolts.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Psychological Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
23 -
Night Escape
EXT. GARDEN TERRACES – NIGHT
Mia bursts into terraced gardens —
lanterns whipping in the wind.
Mo barrels out from another exit —
blood darkening his shirt.
MO
You were supposed to wait!
MIA
You followed me in!
Security swarms from multiple levels —
descending steps,
crossing glass walkways,
closing angles.
Mia drags Mo behind a hedge.
Gunfire tears the air.
Glass above EXPLODES.
They sprint down stone stairs —
footsteps syncing by instinct,
despite everything broken between them.
A SECURITY DRONE drops overhead —
spotlight blasting white.
Mia vaults a low wall.
Mo follows a half-beat behind.
They hit gravel hard.
MO
Down the cliff path!
MIA
Too exposed.
MO
Everything here is exposed!
A guard attacks from the blind side —
Mia dismantles him in three brutal movements.
Mo finishes the takedown.
Their eyes lock —
old rhythm resurfaces for a single breath.
Then more guards flood the terrace.
They run.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
24 -
Cliffside Confrontation
EXT. LOWER GROUNDS – NIGHT
A narrow service path carved along the cliff.
Wind howls like a warning.
Mia stops.
Mo nearly collides with her.
MO
What are you doing? Move!
She turns —
eyes wild with fear and something worse:
unraveling.
MIA
You shouldn’t be here.
MO
I saved your life.
MIA
I didn’t ask you to.
He steps closer —
anger threaded with terror.
MO
Stop shutting me out—
MIA
You don’t get to see me like this.
The confession detonates.
Mo reaches for her arm —
gentle, grounding.
Her instinct explodes.
She slams him against the cliff wall,
forearm to his throat.
MO
(strained)
Mia—
Her hand trembles.
Because for one terrifying second —
she doesn’t recognize him.
Her reflection fractures in his eyes.
Mo sees the fear beneath the violence.
MO (CONT'D)
I’m not your enemy.
Her grip loosens.
Gunfire erupts above.
Survival snaps back into place.
Mo catches her wrist as she turns.
MO (CONT'D)
Whatever’s happening to you—
you’re not facing it alone.
She pulls free.
MIA
I already am.
She sprints down the path.
Mo follows —
not because she wants him to,
but because he refuses not to.
CUT TO BLACK.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
25 -
Desperate Leap
EXT. MALIBU CLIFF EDGE – NIGHT
Wind tears across the cliff like a living thing.
Below —
the Pacific thrashes,
black water devouring moonlight.
Mia sprints down the narrow service path —
precise, desperate, hunted.
Loose rock skids beneath her heels.
Security lights rake the cliff above.
Mo limps after her —
wounded, breath shredded.
MO
Mia— don’t—
She reaches the end.
A jagged stone ledge.
A sheer plunge.
For one suspended beat —
she is perfectly still.
Hair whipping.
Pulse splintered.
Mo reaches her, grabs her arm.
MO (CONT'D)
Stop.
You’re not jumping.
MIA
They won’t follow us down.
MO
That’s not a plan.
MIA
It’s the only one we have.
A spotlight locks onto them.
Gunfire chews into rock at their feet.
Mo tightens his grip.
MO
You’re not thinking clearly—
MIA
I’m thinking exactly clearly.
She looks at him —
eyes wide,
haunted,
unyielding.
MIA (CONT'D)
Don’t fight me.
MO
I’m not letting you—
She yanks him forward.
And pulls them both into nothing.
Gravity rips them down.
Wind screams.
Mo wraps around her instinctively—
The ocean slams into them like a wall.
Darkness swallows everything.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
26 -
Confronting the Past
INT. SAFE-HOUSE – NIGHT
A darker, unofficial safe-house.
Boarded windows.
Old heating pipes CLANK behind the walls.
Rain hammers the roof like accusation.
Mia sits wrapped in a towel —
bruised, shaking, hollowed.
Mo paces —
anger colliding with terror.
MO
You could’ve died.
MIA
I didn’t.
MO
That’s not the point.
She doesn’t answer.
Her eyes are locked on the mini-drive in Shannon’s hands —
treated like a volatile chemical.
Shannon stands at a monitor,
wet hair plastered to her face.
SHANNON
The drive survived the fall.
(beat)
We’re about to see what’s on it.
Static.
Flicker.
Data struggles to cohere.
Images resolve:
— a rooftop
— a woman
— cracked glasses
Mia’s body locks.
MO
Is that— you?
Shannon’s answer is quiet.
SHANNON
It’s her mother.
The footage doubles —
memory colliding with itself.
Then words crawl across the screen:
SEE CLEARLY.
Mia’s breathing fractures.
SHANNON
There’s more.
But the file’s unstable.
Mia steps closer —
almost touching the screen.
Young Mia appears.
Terrified.
Clutching the glasses.
Her mother dragged away.
The moment everything broke.
Mo watches Mia —
sees her splitting.
MO
We can stop this—
MIA
No.
(beat)
Play everything.
Shannon hesitates.
Then commits.
Light warps.
Memory collapses inward.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
27 -
A Father's Warning
EXT. TEHRAN STREET – DAY (FLASHBACK)
Heat ripples off asphalt.
Young Mia — twelve —
runs barefoot through a narrow alley.
Her scarf trails like a wound.
In one hand: the cracked glasses.
In the other: a blood-stained scrap of fabric.
Men shout behind her.
She ducks into a doorway, trembling.
A shadow covers her.
She flinches—
Then recognizes him.
Her FATHER.
Weathered.
Exhausted.
Eyes carrying the same fear she now owns.
FATHER
Mia—
look at me.
She does.
FATHER (CONT'D)
The world will lie to you.
Bend you.
Break you.
While convincing you
it’s keeping you safe.
He kneels,
hands shaking as they frame her face.
FATHER (CONT'D)
You must learn to see clearly—
even when it hurts.
She grips the glasses harder.
FATHER (CONT'D)
You are not what they take from
you.
You are what you keep.
Heavy footsteps approach.
He stands.
Steps into the alley —
placing himself between her and danger.
FATHER (CONT'D)
Run.
Young Mia runs.
Tears streak her face.
The glasses bite into her palm.
The memory distorts —
colors bleed,
shadows fracture,
truth bends.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
28 -
Fractured Truths
INT. PARKING GARAGE – NIGHT
The same echoing garage as before —
a familiar purgatory.
Shannon snaps the laptop shut.
The last image of Mia’s father lingers in the dark.
Mia walks away like she might shatter everything she touches.
SHANNON
Mia—
you need to slow down.
Mia turns — sharp.
MIA
Why was that footage on Balout’s
drive?
SHANNON
We don’t know yet.
MIA
Someone does.
Her voice trembles —
grief balanced on rage.
MIA (CONT'D)
And you knew something.
You didn’t tell me.
Shannon blinks —
hurt breaking through.
SHANNON
If I had known, I would’ve—
MIA
You always say that.
(beat)
But I never see it.
Shannon steps forward,
palms open.
SHANNON
I’m trying to protect you.
MIA
From what?
Myself?
A long beat.
SHANNON
From the truth.
Because I’ve watched
what it does to you.
Mia recoils —
as if honesty is the sharpest weapon here.
MIA
I don’t need protection.
I need answers.
SHANNON
And I need you alive.
The space between them becomes a canyon.
Mia turns away.
Shannon watches her go —
eyes full of the thing she’ll never say aloud.
I can’t lose you too.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
29 -
The Inevitable Confrontation
INT. SAFE-HOUSE – NIGHT
Dim.
Rain claws down the windows.
The drive sits at the center of the table —
small, harmless, lethal.
Mo stands guard beside it —
arms folded, jaw set.
Shannon works a console —
encryption collapsing layer by layer.
Coordinates lock into place.
Cold blue.
BERLIN
INTERLINK FACILITY
Mo steps closer.
MO
If these logs are right…
Balout’s not hiding.
He’s building something.
SHANNON
And he wants Mia to see it.
Mia emerges from shadow —
hair still wet,
eyes hollow and burning.
MIA
Then Berlin is next.
Shannon looks afraid.
Mo looks resigned.
Mia looks inevitable.
She steps toward the glowing coordinates —
their light reflected in her eyes.
MIA (CONT'D)
He wants me to see clearly.
(beat)
Fine.
I will.
Rain intensifies.
In the window behind her —
Mia’s reflection
does not move.
At all.
CUT TO BLACK.
Genres:
["Thriller","Mystery","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
30 -
Confronting the Past
INT. MEMORY INTERFACE SPHERE — CONTINUOUS
Darkness.
A heartbeat.
Too loud.
Light begins to pulse along the interior walls —
not illumination.
Cognition.
Mia floats, suspended.
Breath shallow.
Unanchored.
Her mother’s voice arrives —
reconstructed.
Careful.
MOTHER (V.O.)
Mia…
can you hear me?
Mia swallows.
MIA
Maman?
Fragments drift around her —
rooftop wind,
the cracked glasses,
the alley,
her father’s back as he turns away.
A YOUNGER MIA (10) appears.
Still.
Watching.
YOUNG MIA
Why did you leave me?
The question lands clean.
Unsoftened.
Mia struggles for air.
MIA
I didn’t.
I never left you.
The child doesn’t argue.
YOUNG MIA
Then why did you abandon me
every time you remembered us?
A beat.
That one cuts deeper.
MIA
Because if I stayed with you…
I wouldn’t have survived.
The child steps closer.
Not accusing.
Understanding.
YOUNG MIA
I’m not the part that died.
I’m the part that lived.
The chamber brightens —
as if something inside it agrees.
Genres:
["Drama","Psychological"]
Ratings
Scene
31 -
Confronting the Past
INT. MEMORY SPHERE — TEHRAN RECONSTRUCTION
A Tehran rooftop resolves —
warmer, clearer than memory allowed.
Mia’s mother stands at the railing.
Composed.
Certain.
MIA
This isn’t how I remember it.
Her mother turns.
MOTHER (HOLOGRAM)
You remember it
the way you needed to.
The memory shifts.
Her mother conceals a device
before the men arrive.
Mia sees it now.
MIA
She chose this.
Her father appears —
steady.
Grounded.
FATHER (HOLOGRAM)
You ran when it mattered.
Not judgment.
Permission.
The rooftop stabilizes.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
32 -
Confronting the Sphere
INT. SPHERE CONTROL ROOM — SAME TIME
Alarms escalate.
The sphere glows —
too bright.
Too fast.
SHANNON
She’s exceeding safe cognitive
limits.
MO
Then shut it down.
SHANNON
I can’t.
If I interrupt now…
she fractures permanently.
Mo turns on the Architect.
MO
You’re killing her.
The Architect doesn’t blink.
ARCHITECT
She’s finally confronting herself.
Shannon grips Mo’s arm —
afraid.
Certain.
SHANNON
She has to finish.
Mo looks back at the sphere.
Helpless.
Genres:
["Thriller","Sci-Fi","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
33 -
Embracing Clarity
INT. MEMORY SPHERE — INNER PROJECTION
The rooftop collapses into fragments.
A final image forms:
Young Mia hiding.
Her mother looks back.
And smiles.
Not fear.
Intention.
MOTHER (HOLOGRAM)
I didn’t die to save you.
I died so you wouldn’t have to live afraid.
Reflections surround Mia —
broken,
furious,
whole.
They speak together.
REFLECTIONS
You are all of us.
Young Mia steps forward.
Places the cracked glasses into her hands.
YOUNG MIA
You didn’t lose yourself.
You protected me.
Mia puts the glasses on.
The noise stops.
Her mother appears —
no longer guiding.
Only witnessing.
MOTHER
You’re not afraid anymore.
MIA
I am.
But it doesn’t control me.
The glasses dissolve into light —
absorbed.
Reality slams back.
The pod opens.
Mo catches her.
MIA (CONT'D)
I know what he wants.
A beat.
MIA (CONT'D)
And I know why it won’t work.
Genres:
["Sci-Fi","Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
35 -
Thresholds of Truth
INT. SPHERE CONTROL ROOM — MOMENTS LATER
Systems reroute.
The Architect steps forward.
ARCHITECT
You crossed the threshold.
MIA
No.
I stopped running from it.
He studies her —
recalibrating.
ARCHITECT
Come find me.
He vanishes.
Not retreating.
Inviting.
INT. INTERLINK LOWER LEVELS — CONTINUOUS
Industrial corridors stretch and buckle.
ARCHITECT (V.O.)
Truth doesn’t liberate.
It replaces one prison with another.
Mia keeps moving.
MIA
Only if you’re afraid
of who you are without it.
Mo watches her.
Something has shifted.
Genres:
["Thriller","Sci-Fi","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
36 -
Confrontation in the Core
INT. CORE REFRACTION CHAMBER — CONTINUOUS
Prismatic walls.
A central dais.
Mother projections bloom —
overwhelming.
ARCHITECT
You see her everywhere
because you never let her go.
Mia steps off the dais.
MIA
I didn’t let her go.
I let myself come back.
For the first time —
The Architect’s confidence wavers.
Genres:
["Thriller","Psychological Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
37 -
Defiance in the Prism Chamber
INT. PRISM CHAMBER — CONTINUOUS
The chamber rotates.
Memories attack.
Mo reaches for Mia —
his image splinters.
ARCHITECT
Truth is whatever breaks you.
Mia closes her eyes.
Silence.
She opens them.
MIA
No.
Truth is what remains
after breaking stops.
The illusions stutter.
INT. PRISM CHAMBER — MOMENTS LATER
Cracks race across the walls.
The Architect lunges.
Mo intercepts him —
raw, desperate.
MO
Not today.
Mia rips the emergency conduit free.
Energy screams.
INT. COLLAPSING INTERLINK CORRIDOR — NIGHT
The Prism Chamber detonates behind them.
MIA
Don’t look at the mirrors.
They’re trying to finish the lie.
They run.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Sci-Fi"]
Ratings
Scene
38 -
Confronting the Past
INT. EMERGENCY SHAFT — CONTINUOUS
Darkness.
Mia slips.
Mo catches her.
MO
I’ve got you.
She looks at him —
fully present.
MIA
I know.
They descend.
INT. LOWER LEVEL — EXIT CORRIDOR — CONTINUOUS
Broken mirrors everywhere.
Illusions surge.
MIA
This isn’t prophecy.
It’s memory without context.
The reflections collapse.
A clear path opens.
EXT. INTERLINK AIRFIELD — NIGHT
They burst into open air.
The structure implodes behind them.
Mia watches.
Not victorious.
Finished.
EXT. BRIDGE OUTSIDE BERLIN — LATER
Fog.
Silence.
Mo joins her.
MO
You didn’t outrun it.
MIA
No.
She breathes.
Slow.
Steady.
MIA (CONT'D)
I let it catch up.
The city waits.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
39 -
A Calm Arrival
EXT. LAX PRIVATE ARRIVALS — MORNING
Thin sun through runway haze.
Muted gold across the tarmac.
A small plane taxis to a stop.
Los Angeles waking up.
Mia steps down the stairs —
hood up, eyes forward.
Her posture is different now.
Not defensive.
Centered.
Shannon briefs two agents nearby —
clipped, efficient —
but her eyes return to Mia.
Not checking.
Recognizing.
Mo lingers a few steps back.
He doesn’t follow.
Doesn’t hover.
He lets her arrive.
Mia pauses at the bottom of the stairs.
Breath in.
Steady.
For once.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
40 -
A Moment of Release
INT. SAFE-HOUSE — OPERATIONS ROOM — DAY
A room Mia has lived in for years.
Sterile.
Bright.
Too small now.
A city map floats midair —
red nodes marking Balout’s remaining sites.
SHANNON
Berlin destabilized him.
He’s scattered.
Not gone.
Mia studies the map.
No adrenaline.
No urgency.
Just information.
SHANNON (CONT'D)
Your report can wait.
Your debrief can wait.
You don’t need to prove anything today.
Mia looks at her.
MIA
I’m not proving anything.
A beat.
MIA (CONT'D)
Not anymore.
Something in Shannon loosens.
SHANNON
Then what do you need?
Silence.
MIA
To go home.
Shannon nods.
SHANNON
Then go.
Not an order.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
41 -
Reflections of Self
INT. MIA’S APARTMENT — LATE MORNING
Unchanged.
Quiet.
Temporary.
Mia stands in the doorway longer than necessary.
Then —
The bathroom mirror.
Her reflection waits.
No lag.
No fracture.
It simply is.
Mia approaches.
Raises her hand.
Perfect sync.
She exhales.
MIA (WHISPERED)
I see you.
She turns away.
Genres:
["Drama","Mystery"]
Ratings
Scene
42 -
Letting Go
INT. MIA’S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS
The shoebox on the top shelf.
She pulls it down.
Sits with it.
Opens the lid.
Inside:
the scarf
the photo
the cracked glasses
She lifts the glasses.
Her hands are steady.
Curtains move softly.
Her mother’s voice —
not grief,
not distortion.
Just memory.
MOTHER (V.O.)
Truth isn’t loud.
It survives in silence.
A tear falls.
Not breaking her.
Letting go.
Mia wipes it herself.
Sets the glasses on the bed.
Not hiding them.
Not wearing them.
Leaving them where they belong.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
43 -
Facing the Future
EXT. MIA’S APARTMENT ROOFTOP — SUNSET
Sky burning orange and rose.
Palm trees in silhouette.
Not Tehran.
But close enough.
Mia stands at the edge.
Wind in her hair.
Mo appears behind her.
Keeps space.
MO
I figured you’d be up here.
MIA
I used to come here
to run away from everything inside me.
MO
And now?
She turns.
Open.
MIA
Now I’m not running.
Mo steps closer.
MO
Berlin didn’t break you.
MIA
No.
A beat.
MIA (CONT'D)
It reminded me
who I was
before I started hiding.
Mo nods.
MO
So what happens next?
Mia looks toward the horizon.
MIA
I don’t know.
Then —
MIA (CONT'D)
But I’m ready
to see it clearly.
Mo offers his hand.
Not urgent.
An invitation.
Mia takes it.
Choice.
SMASH CUT TO BLACK.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
44 -
A Farewell Reflection
EXT. TEHRAN HOUSE (CURRENT OWNER) — EARLY MORNING
A modest house.
Quiet street.
The OWNER opens the door.
She sees Mia.
OWNER
You look like her.
Even now.
MIA
I won’t stay long.
I just wanted to see it again.
The owner steps aside.
OWNER
You’re welcome here.
INT. MOTHER’S BEDROOM — CONTINUOUS
Soft light.
Still air.
Mia stands before the mirror.
No hesitation.
Her reflection meets her gaze.
Whole.
For a breath —
her mother appears behind her.
Peaceful.
Mia doesn’t turn.
MIA
Thank you
for who you taught me to be.
The reflection returns to normal.
Mia closes her eyes.
Goodbye.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
45 -
A Moment of Reflection
INT. LIVING ROOM — MOMENTS LATER
Tea between them.
OWNER
She talked about you.
Before Tehran.
Mia stills.
OWNER (CONT'D)
She said you were brave.
Not because you weren’t afraid —
but because you didn’t let the world
change your heart.
Mia absorbs it.
MIA
I’m trying to live like that.
OWNER
You already are.
A beat.
OWNER (CONT'D)
You just forgot for a while.
The owner touches Mia’s hand.
OWNER (CONT'D)
Go live a life
she would recognize.
Mia nods.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
46 -
Reflections of Autonomy
EXT. TEHRAN HOUSE — FRONT WALKWAY — LATER
Morning light.
Mo waits by the car.
MO
Did it help?
Mia considers.
MIA
Yes.
And no.
Then —
MIA (CONT'D)
But I’m not afraid of either
anymore.
MO
Where to now?
MIA
Wherever I choose
for the right reasons.
MO
Then let’s go.
They walk.
Mia stops.
Across the street —
a store window.
Glass.
Her reflection.
Perfectly aligned.
She holds it.
Nods.
Moves on.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
47 -
Embracing Imperfection
EXT. LOS ANGELES HILLSIDE — SUNSET (FINAL SHOT)
Mia overlooks L.A.
City glowing below.
She holds the cracked glasses.
Not burdened.
She lifts them toward the sun.
Light fractures into color.
Beautiful.
Imperfect.
MIA (V.O.)
Clarity isn’t what the world shows
you.
It’s what you choose to see
when the lens breaks.
She lowers the glasses.
Steps forward.
A woman defined by choice.
FADE OUT.
END.