Author’s Note: So…I’ve got no idea how script writing works, but I’ve always envisioned one of my projects, Shift, as an anime. I feel like it wouldn’t work any other way. I’m going to test the waters here and write a pilot episode or something and see what happens. Here i go

(Actual script writers, please have mercy. I know I butchered the formatting.)

FADE IN:

EXT: HYACINTH is sitting on top of a grimy concrete roof with row after row of lights on the roof of a vast underground city. The walls of the city are made of a black wall with faintly glowing white lines moving up it in a pattern of a circuit board. The style is a mix of brutalism with cyberpunk decay. An ornate katana is planted into the concrete nearby him. He takes a moment to admire the scenery, then gets a holo-call from BARRETT AND PIXEL.

PIXEL: Just finished my recon. Barrett, Hyacinth, we are green to go.

BARRETT: Great. Pixel, I’m trusting you with Hyacinth’s life. Do not take this lightly.

PIXEL: Sure thing, Grand Admiral. (BARRETT sighs.)

BARRETT: Pixel.

PIXEL: What? You trust me, right? (To HYACINTH)

HYACINTH: Yep!

PIXEL: See? (BARRETT groans.)

BARRETT: If you two weren't so damn good at what you do, I would have fired you a long time ago.

PIXEL: Well, I’ll guess we’ll take the compliment. Now, come on, Hyacinth. We’ve got a job to do.

BARRETT: Godspeed. (BARRETT leaves the call.)

Light drum and bass starts to play as HYACINTH pulls his sword out, sheathes it, then jumps off the building, landing in a roll to a run. HYACINTH then parkours through the city, seemingly taking joy in finding tricky ways to navigate. Meanwhile, he talks with PIXEL.

PIXEL: Sooo…what’s the word with you and Ashling?

HYACINTH: I dunno…it’s been three days since she’s texted me. I’m starting to think I didn’t respond enough.

PIXEL: Didn’t respond enough? I mean…given you, that makes sense, but I wouldn’t worry. She’s probably doing something. (PIXEL puts a stick of gum into her mouth in the call window.)

HYACINTH: But what if she isn’t? She could be seeing that jackass Tommy, or maybe she doesn’t want to date an android anymore. I mean…I wouldn’t blame her. I don’t even have a thing.

PIXEL: Remind me what Tommy we’re talking about here?

HYAINCTH: You know…the Tommy that rapes children and tears their heads off once he’s done.

PIXEL: Ooohhh! That Tommy! Man, I feel kinda bad for forgetting someone so distinctly awful. I think my brain’s been ruined from endless sims. (Moment of pause.) But you’ve told me a bit about Ashling before. She seems too smart to go for someone like Tommy. Actually, I don’t think anyone would ever want to go with Tommy, but you would not believe the amount of xsims starring him. I guess insecure, dumb girls go for assholes. Now, Ashling, she seems insecure, but too smart for him. And I don’t think she wants to be his…what did you say Tommy called her?

HYACINTH: “Personal meat hole?”

PIXEL: Yep. Man, every time I remember something about Tommy, the horribleness of it comes back. It’s like eating a rat taco. It tastes like shit going down, and tastes like shit coming back up.

HYACINTH: That’s…a metaphor. (Note: Yes, I know Pixel is actually using a simile, but everyone confuses them all the time anyway, and metaphor sounds funnier.)

PIXEL: Thank you. Thank you. But I wouldn’t worry. She’s going through a lot, and so I’d just give her some grace. (HYACINTH says nothing.) You don’t believe me, do you?

HYACINTH: I want to, but I care about her so much! I don’t want to lose her. I’m scared.

PIXEL: Either she’s a cold hearted bitch, or she’s just as scared as you are.

HYACINTH: That doesn’t really help.

PIXEL: Well, I tried. Maybe kicking some corpo ass will help.

HYACINTH: Killing hapless victims of circumstance in a sea of blood and metal doesn’t sound like it will help.

PIXEL: Uggh. This again? They’re not people. They’re corporate swine.

HYACINTH: They are. Imagine how many of them have kids. Families. Friends.

PIXEL: Yeah, and guess who destroyed the bonds of family and friendship? The corpos. (HYACINTH is silent.) If it was up to me, we would be free from the oppression of people like Tommy without a single drop of blood being spilled. But this is war, Hyacinth. We have to kill some probably innocent people to liberate the vast majority. And I know you know this. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here. (HYACINTH is silent.) So steel your nerve and think of the future. It’ll be here before you know it.

CUT

EXT: HYACINTH is looking down at a non-descript one story concrete building with the logo of one Optical Corp. on the front. The building seems abandoned.

HYACINTH: Are you sure this is the place?

PIXEL: Would you hide the core of the world's most extensive surveillance apparatus by putting it in a giant tower with search lights?

HYACINTH: I mean…yeah. It would work better at deterring bad behavior.

PIXEL: But then everyone would know about it, and god forbid a centralized power is spying on them. I’d rather have my corporate overlords spy on me, thanks. Because they have my best interests at heart.

HYACINTH: I guess.

PIXEL: Anyway, it doesn’t matter, because we’re going to blow the motherfucker sky high. Smash, and smash some more. We’ve already got all the intel we need, thanks to yours truly. (HYACINTH smiles faintly, then jumps down and approaches the building.) I really wish there was a better way we could have gotten you in there, but even with the info you got, I couldn’t forge a biometric ID. They really want to keep this BIG BROTHER thing under wraps.

HYACINTH: Why do you think they called it that?

PIXEL: Let me check…apparently it’s a reference to an ancient book called 1984, which was considered the classic dystopian novel right up until…well…I guess until people stopped reading. Huh. I’ll have to read it sometime.

HYACINTH: As will I. (The inside of the building is a stark concrete with a bare waiting room and a human secretary behind a desk.)

SECRETARY: (SECRETARY: Initially smiles and waves) Hello! Wel- (SECRETARY suddenly freezes up and looks straight ahead.) ERROR. UNABLE TO DETECT BID. REBOOTING SENSORS. ERROR. UNA- (HYACINTH pulls out a wire from the nape of his neck and jacks it into a socket at the nape of SECRETARY’s neck. SECRETARY’s eyes glaze over and they slump down.)

PIXEL: And…I have read permissions across their subnet. They really shouldn’t have given a reprogrammed Pleasure Model access. Oh well. Sucks to suck. Sending you a vaild BID…now. (The corner of HYACINTH’s eyes light up slightly, indicating the arrival of the BID.) And…oh no…

HYACINTH: Pixel? (He pulls his wire out of SECRETARY’s neck.)

PIXEL: You-you’ll have to see for yourself. I…it’s too awful. I can’t. (Hyacinth remains as inscrutable as ever.)

SECRETARY: BOOT COMPLETE. (SECRETARY then becomes seductive.) Hey there, good looking. Congratulations on your purchase of me, the Fuckmatic 9000, latest from Devilish Delights. (SECRETARY moves very close to HYACINTH. HYACINTH looks very uncomfortable.)

PIXEL: Did…did you revert this to factory settings?

SECRETARY: What’s the matter, hot shot? Can’t handle a girl like me? (SECRETARY starts touching HYACINTH. HYACINTH is even more uncomfortable.)

HYACINTH: I umm…I don’t really know what I did. I just ran the code you told me to.

PIXEL: Apparently not, but you can just jack back in. (HYACINTH complies, and SECRETARY becomes limp.) Fortunately, you didn’t disconnect this bot from the net, so it won’t raise any alarms, but…(PIXEL stifles a laugh.) Wow. Ok. Damn.

HYACINTH: What is it?

PIXEL: This poor bot’s been reset and fucked in more ways then I have holes.

HYACINTH: Pixel… (HYACINTH looks uncomfortable.)

PIXEL: Sorry, sorry. But that’s good. At least a reset won’t look weird. (SECRETARY comes back to life.)

SECRETARY: Hello, CEO Hader! (SECRETARY bows.) To what do I owe the honor of such a visit?

PIXEL: Go big or go home, am I right?

HYACINTH: It’s nothing, truly.

SECRETARY: (Bows again.) Thank you, CEO Hader. Your humbleness is only surpassed by your vision and intelligence. Let me open the door for you. (SECRETARY presses their hand along a palm reader, and a door at the end of the room opens. HYACINTH enters. SECRETARY then enters into a non-descript office space at the end of the hallway. SECRETARY then presses her hand to the wall, it dissolves, revealing a cargo elevator. HYACINTH steps onto it.) Have a profitable day. (SECRETARY bows, and the elevator starts.)

PIXEL: Hyacinth, prepare yourself. (The doors open to reveal a underground complex. It’s filled with row after row of bald, naked men and women submerged in some sort of tank, with their eyes closed and various wires connected to them. The facility has only a few people who check terminals in front of each pod, and a guards look out over the scene.)

HYACINTH: What…what is that?

PIXEL: They’re netrunners, forced to surveil people. They don’t age, they don’t need to eat, drink, or sleep. And their consciousness is trapped in the metaverse, where they’re forced to preform whatever tasks the central hub wants. Forever. It’s a fate worse then death. (A guard approaches Hyacinth.)

GUARD 1: Hey…you don’t look like the CEO. How did you get in here?

HYACINTH: Surrender now, and no one gets hurt.

GUARD 1: Oh fuck! You’re-you’re the terrorist! (GUARD 2 approaches.)

GUARD 2: What are you waiting for? Shoot him!

GUARD 1: He’s not attacking us! And I don’t want to die!

GUARD 2: But if we don’t shoot him, then he’ll kill us!

GUARD 1: I-I don’t know, ok? We’re not getting paid en-

GUARD 2: Quit your waffling and-(Before GUARD 2 can react, HYACINTH cuts off his head.)

HYACINTH: Drop your weapons. (GUARD 1 and a few others drop their weapons, but the rest point them at HYACINTH.) So that’s how it is, then. Such unnecessary death… 

PIXEL: Save the eulogy for after. I’ve locked down the subnet and fried their runner, but you’ve got about seven minutes until Stigma shows up. (HYACINTH nods.)

(HYACINTH dispatches the guards in a epic fight scene, then goes to the central control center. People cower in fear upon his approach. He jacks in.)

PIXEL: If it’s not too much to ask, could you inject this code into the netrunners? I know it’s naive to expect them to have any other fate then being brought back here, or something equally horrible, but I want to try.

HYACINTH: What happened to smash and smash?

PIXEL: Oh, fuck you. (PIXEL exhales heavily.) Just…please do it for me.

HYACINTH: But what about destroying the facility? And where will they go afterward?

PIXEL: I…I don’t know. Just…please. I need to do this.

HYACINTH: Alright. (HYACINTH’s eyes flash, and the code is uploaded. The pods open, and the wires detach Matrix style. People’s eyes open and they stagger to the ground. Some of them cry. Others scream. Most hit the ground and lay still, twitching. HYACINTH then injects another line of code, and a warning appears on the terminal: DANGER! COMPLETE DATA CORRUPTION IMMINENT! SYSTEM STAUS CRITICI- It then cuts out, and is replaced with a black screen reading: 

ERROR: 0x000EESD 

The server you are trying to reach is not available. Contact your SysAdmin for assistance. 

Then a chorus of screams emerges from the main floor. The netrunners are writing in pain, blood pouring from every facet of their body as the floor runs red.)

PIXEL: Hyacinth…what did you do?

HYACINTH: I…I don’t know…

PIXEL: You bungled my code. I thought it was idiot proof but…oh god. I’m sorry. I should have known…I…(She starts to cry.) I’m so sorry… (HYACINTH is standing stock still, attempting to comprehend what he just did, when the elevator door opens and TOMMY and his goon squad enter.) Oh god. It’s Tommy.

TOMMY: What…what the fuck is this? I mean…this is fucking sick, but like…damn. That’s hardcore. (He smirks as he crushes the skull of a screaming netrunner.) Oh, there you are. (Looks at HYACINTH.) Did you do this?

HYACINTH: I…(HYACINTH is having a hard time maintaining his composure.)

TOMMY: Oh, you so did this. Wow. I mean…I thought you were a giant pussy, but you just so proved me wrong. We really have a lot more in common then I thought, you and I. Now, don’t get me wrong; I’m still going to fuck you in the asshole like the bitch you are, but you just earned a hell of a lot of respect.

HYACINTH: No. Fuck no. I’m nothing like you.

TOMMY: Are you? Are you really? At the end of the day, dead is dead.

HYACINTH: You kill, and you rape, and you steal. I might make mistakes, but I am nothing like you. And I will never be anything like you. (He draws his katana.)

TOMMY: (He shakes his head.) Hyacinth, you’ve got a lot to learn. Too bad you’ll be dead before then. (He draws his weapons.)

PIXEL: Hyacinth, you’ve got to go. You don’t need to fight him. The mission is over. (HYACINTH charges.)

(The two of them have an epic fight scene that takes them up the elevator and out onto the street. At the end of it, HYACINTH slips up and gets shot into a wall. Error messages are flashing all over HYACINTH’s FOV, and their android self comes to the surface from intense wounds.)

TOMMY: You’re…an android? Huh. I wonder if you’ll dream of electric sheep in android hell. (He levels his weapon at HYACINTH, but HYACINTH gets his second wind, and knocks TOMMY off balance.)

PIXEL: GODAMN IT, HYACINTH! YOU NEED TO FUCKING GO RIGHT NOW, OR SO HELP ME GOD, I WILL TEAR OUT WHATEVER PASSES FOR A HEART WITH YOU AND INCINERATE IT! (HYACINTH looks over at TOMMY, who is smirking, arms crossed. HYACINTH feints an attack at TOMMY, then runs away.)

TOMMY: You can’t run away from me forever… 

(HYACINTH climbs up a building, and after running far enough, sits down in a secluded place. He punches a wall, then collapses and puts his head in his hands. But no tears come out, and so he gets up, punches the wall again, and screams.)

CUT

(HYACINTH is wearing clothes that cover him head to toe, and he steps off of a bullet train and into a dingy city where the only sources of light are the neon signs and advertisements, which cause buildings to cast weird, colorful shadows on the megastructure wall.)

PIXEL: I’m sorry. (HYACINTH says nothing, and continues to walk through the streets, head hanging down.) I haven’t told Barrett anything yet, but it seems, for now, the Board has managed to censor what happened down there. I guess they don’t want anyone knowing about Big Brother, but if that got out…that would be it.

HYACINTH: For me. Not for you.

PIXEL: Well…yeah. You’re right. (She sighs.) I’m just so sorry.

HYACINTH: Sorry won’t change anything. We’ve just got to move on.

PIXEL: No! Not only did I kill those people, I made you kill them. I…I can’t just move on from that! How can you?

HYACINTH: You said we would have to kill some innocent people to liberate the vast majority. And we did just that.

PIXEL: I-but-that’s different! They didn’t have to die.

HYACINTH: No one has to die, Pixel, but everyone does. Despite the best efforts of the corpos, life has to end. And it’s not like they were living much of a life to begin with.

PIXEL: Yeah…I guess you’re right. Still… (HYACINTH looks up at the sky, and a faint sense of peace crosses his face as the camera pans upward to the skyline.)

FIN