CHATBOT: EXT. ROOFTOP GARDEN - DAY Marcel Messier (30s, scrawny, unkempt) sits on a lawn chair in a colorful rooftop garden. The sun is high in the sky, casting long shadows over the various plants and wildflowers. He's wearing an oversized sun hat, oversized sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt as he takes a sip from his ceramic coffee mug. Marcel looks through a pair of binoculars at a building across the street. Concrete dust fills the air. Alienor Cuillerier (20s, chic, suspicious) approaches from behind. ALIENOR (speaking loudly) Marcel, what are you DOING? MARCEL (squinting) Shhh! Alienor, you're going to give away our position. Alienor rolls her eyes and sits beside him. ALIENOR (gently teasing) You mean our very inconspicuous rooftop hideout? MARCEL (proudly) Exactly. Marcel continues to scan the building. Suddenly, his gaze stops on a man inside, a suited figure with a large camera. Without warning, he SCREAMS in agony and longingly. MARCEL AH! Do you... ALIENOR (concerned) Do I what? MARCEL (convulsing) ...ENJOY TACOS? ALIENOR (laughing nervously) What? Suddenly, Marcel and Alienor's eyes lock - a momentary exchange of consciousness occurs. In a split second, they're back to themselves. They both shake off the dizziness it caused. ALIENOR (unsure) Did you just... do that thing you told me about? MARCEL You should know, you were me for a moment. ALIENOR (hesitant) I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe it was just a mild earthquake or something. Marcel narrows his eyes at her, suspicious. Then, he pulls a digital handheld recorder from his pocket, hoping he had captured the man with the camera. The camera settings had been set to video mode and now Marcel anxiously watches. The VIDEO is just an awkward, shaky 10-second clip of Alienor laughing. MARCEL (angry) Alienor, you were supposed to film that man in the building! ALIENOR (sarcastic) Well, I'm sorry my first response to an unexpected episode of magical brain-switching wasn't to record the all-important mystery man. MARCEL But... They hear a commotion in the building below. Basil Bends (50s, brutish) and Percival Gleswick (40s, sadistic charm) are exiting the building. Marcel pushes the binoculars into Alienor's hands. MARCEL (whispering) Quick, look at those men down there! Bends and Gleswick! What're they doing? ALIENOR (passive) I saw them earlier. They had a meeting with someone. I think it was just business. Marcel doesn't take her word for it, grabs the binoculars back to see for himself. Alien...

CHATBOT: Title: The Hidden Exchange INT. MARCEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Marcel Messier pours over a pile of newspaper clippings and documents littering his disorganized kitchen table. A barely audible, eerie tune plays in the background as the camera lingers on Marcel's face, deep furrows forming on his brow. ALIENOR CUILLERIER (O.S.) (Voice echoing) Marcel, have you found any connection between the victims yet? As Marcel's lips move, the camera pans to Alienor, standing behind him. MARCEL (Whispering) I think we're onto something, Alienor. All of these people had connections to government-sanctioned experiments. (Pauses) Wait, did you hear that? ALIENOR Hear what? MARCEL It was like... a whisper. Nevermind, it must be my imagination. Close-up of Marcel's face as he suddenly catches a glimpse of a shadowy figure moving past the window. An uneasy feeling creeps in as Marcel and Alienor exchange tense glances. MARCEL (Whispers) Stay here. I'll check it out. EXT. MARCEL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Marcel cautiously steps outside, looking left and right while the eerie tune intensifies. A sudden gust of wind sends newspapers flying around him, making Marcel shiver with trepidation. He takes a deep breath and unintentionally makes eye contact with Alienor, who peers out from the apartment. Their gazes lock, and their consciousnesses suddenly exchange - a blur of harrowing scenes and unknown memories flash across the screen, throwing both characters into disarray. INT. MARCEL'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS Marcel tries to hide the effects of their connection, leaving Alienor uncertain whether anything has happened at all. Distressed, she stumbles back against the wall, urgently grasping at her head. ALIENOR (Whispering) What... what just happened? Marcel avoids eye contact, trying to piece together the newly acquired memories and conceal his astonishment. MARCEL I don't know. It must have been... nothing. Now is not the time to worry; we need to focus on the task at hand. Alienor, unable to make sense of her fluctuating memories, relents and distracts herself by digging through the documents spread out before her. DISSOLVE TO: INT. ABANDONED WAREHOUSE - NIGHT Marcel and Alienor, armed only with flashlights, search the eerie, dimly-lit warehouse. The walls are lined with peculiar artifacts, some marked with unknown symbols. A laugh echoes through the shadows, and Alienor sees a fleeting glimpse of the brutish Commissioner Basil Bends. ALIENOR (Whispering) There he is... Bends. MARCEL Does ...