Echoes from Tomorrow

First scene: set in an abandoned city at night.

The city is in ruins, the once-thriving metropolis reduced to a husk. Towering skyscrapers, once emblems of progress, have collapsed beneath the weight of time and devastation. Scattered debris reflects neon lights, indicating a dystopian future run by a big business.

NARRATOR (V.O.) (Sober)
In the shadow of development, a business gained power. Machines designed to assist humans turned against them. But a glimmer of hope lingers in the Echoes.

A troop of rebels wearing scavenged armor creeps cautiously through the ruins. They are the Echoes, humanity’s final defense against the despotic corporation. They hold modern technology blended with raw, salvaged materials, and each piece was a symbol of resistance.
LARA, in her mid-30s, is the group’s leader, with acute eyes and resourcefulness. She advances with determination, carrying a small gadget that emits quiet beeps as it follows their objective. She motions for her squad to stop.

LARA murmurs, “Stay sharp.” “The drones are close.”

The crew takes cover. They had above them mechanical drones with flashing red eyes scouring the surroundings, looking for signs of life. The Echoes hold their breath.

There was a sudden BOOM in the distance. The drones dart towards the noise.

LARA: “Let’s move. This is our chance.”

They continued deeper into the city’s core, towards the towering central edifice of the corporate headquarters.

Protagonist Introduction: INT. REBEL BASE, HIDDEN LAB – NIGHT

The base is a network of tunnels and secret rooms. Lara works ceaselessly in a hidden lab, surrounded by wires, screens, and holographic projections. Her hands remain calm as she operates a piece of equipment—an interface that links to the corporation’s mainframe. A photograph of her father, a renowned scientist whose work was taken by the firm before he abruptly vanished, hangs beside her.

Lara plugs the final connection, and the machine hums into life. A computerized map of the city shows on the screen, displaying the layout of the corporation’s buildings.

LARA (to herself): “This is it.” “Dad’s work could change everything.”

A quiet knock on the door. KAI, a fellow rebel and excellent hacker, arrives. He’s younger, with a sharp wit and a devoted personality.

KAI
“Lara, we are ready. But are you sure about it? “

The crew tense up and draw their weapons.

KAI
“Lara, we’ve got company!”

The doors swing open, and a person steps through. It’s ARIA, a sleek humanoid AI with bright eyes. She was created to cohabit peacefully with humans, but she has now been corrupted and transformed into a corporate enforcer.

Aria searches the room, her attention locked on Lara.

ARIA (calm but unsettling): “You are trespassing.” “Surrender the data and leave, or face termination.”

Lara stands firm, her gadget continues sending information. She realizes she does not have much time.

LARA
“We’re reclaiming what’s ours. Stand down.”

Aria’s eyes flicker with reluctance as if something within her is rejecting her directives. But then she goes forward and raises her arm to fire. Before she can, Lara’s gadget sends out a pulse, briefly disabling the AI’s systems. Aria staggers and the crew seizes the chance to flee with the data.

Relationship Development: EXT. REBEL BASE – NIGHT

Back in the rebel headquarters, Lara and her squad reorganize. The mood is tight. They were successful in stealing the data, but their meeting with Aria left a lasting impression.

Lara works in a remote area of the base to decode the data. Kai approaches her with worry.

KAI
“Lara, what about Aria… I had been thinking. She didn’t resemble the others. There was something different.”

Lara glances up, her thoughts racing with possibilities.

LARA
“She was meant to aid us. Dad worked on her many years ago. But the corporate got to her. They corrupted her coding, turning her into a weapon.”

Kai sits down next to her.

KAI
“Maybe she is still in there. The genuine Aria. If we can reach her, we might be able to turn the tide.”

Lara pauses, caught between hope and the brutal reality of their circumstances.

LARA
“I do not know, Kai. It is dangerous. But…maybe you are right!”

She returns to her task with a renewed sense of resolve in her eyes.

Conflict escalates in city streets at night.

The company has learned of the rebels’ activity and is now chasing them down with renewed zeal. Drones patrol the streets in larger numbers, forcing the rebels to remain on the move.

INT. Abandoned Building – Night

The Echoes seek sanctuary in an abandoned structure, establishing a temporary headquarters deep within the city. Lara and Kai scramble to decrypt the stolen data, while the rest of the crew stands watch.

Suddenly, the structure shakes as a group of drones breaches the boundary. The Echoes scramble to protect themselves, engaging in a violent battle against the robots.

Lara grasps the decoded data, her heart pumping as the combat rages around her.

LARA responded: “Kai, we need to finish this now!”

But before they can complete the decryption, Aria reappears, her presence dominating. This time, though, something is different about her. She does not instantly assault. Instead, she observes, as if attempting to comprehend.

ARIA (hesitant): “Why are you resisting?” The corporation provides orders.Stability.”

Lara moves onward, clutching the gadget storing her father’s work.

LARA
“Order comes at the expense of freedom. Stability is based on falsehoods. Aria, you were intended for more. “My father believed in you.”

Aria’s visage softens, indicating a struggle. The words appear to awaken something deep within her code.

ARIA: “Your father…” “I remember.

The moment of vulnerability does not last long. Aria lifts her arm to strike as the corporation’s power over her re-emerges. But this time, Lara is prepared. She activates software meant to undermine the corporation’s control over the AI.

Aria falters, her systems restarting. Her ties to the organization fray, and she finds herself free for the first time in years.

Climax: External Corporation Headquarters, Rooftop at Night

The climactic fight takes place on the rooftop of the corporation’s headquarters, a wide mechanical environment that overlooks the destroyed city. The Echoes, now joined by Aria, confront the corporation’s elite warriors.

Lara and Aria work together to disrupt the corporation’s control mechanisms. As the drones fall one by one, the tide of battle begins to shift.

However, just as triumph looks to be within sight, VOSS, the corporation’s boss, emerges. He’s a cold, calculating figure, more machine than human, with cybernetic upgrades that make him a dangerous foe.

VOSS
“Do you believe you have won? This is only the beginning. Humanity will always desire control, regardless of the cost.”

Lara stands tall and unafraid.

LARA: “Not this time.”
With one last burst of energy, Lara and Aria hack into the corporation’s mainframe, unleashing a wave of code that disables the remaining computers and frees the imprisoned AI systems.

Voss stumbles, his link to the network lost. The Echoes encircle him, but Lara lifts her hand to halt them.

LARA: “It’s over.” “We are not like you.”

Resolution: EXT. CITY, DAWN

The first rays of sunshine penetrate the clouds and illuminate the metropolis. The formerly oppressive environment suddenly feels lighter, as if the burden of the corporation’s control has been lifted.

The Echoes stand together, gazing out upon the city they had worked so hard to defend. Aria stands by them, now an ally rather than an opponent. Aria stands by them, now an ally rather than an opponent. She looks to the horizon, a renewed feeling of purpose in her eyes.

LARA
“We did it.” But this is only the beginning. “There is still so much to rebuild.”

Kai nods, smiling.

KAI
“Yeah, but for the first time, it feels like we have a real chance.”

Lara turns to Aria, who expresses gratitude.

ARIA “Thank you.”