The Matrix Retributions

What follows is a project I have been working
on for some time now, pretty much since before
Reloaded came out. Yeah, a long time. It went
on and off for a while, then I dropped it, then
I picked it back up in late 2003 and started
re-writing it as a screenplay. There was another
long break, and then another period of writing,
and so on a so forth. I have spent alot of time
trying to make it fit in with the whole Matrix
mythology, with as few errors in congruency as
possible, as well as putting forth new ideas for
the mythology. I know it follows the same pattern
as the origional for a while, but it breaks away
pretty soon. I try to incorporate some if the
ideas from MxO, but since this happens somewhere
around 30-35 years after Revolutions, it's kind
of hard. In short, this is my vision of what a
fourth movie in the serise would be : Whole new
crew and new mission. It is also the End of the
Matrix : the retribution of Man against Machine
after all these years. (Oh yeah, here, each period
b/w the comming of the One and the destruction of
Zion is one hundred years.) I treat it more like
an action movie than a parable (not that this
won't have a lot of Philosophy and Techno-babble),
so I do not portray Neo as the Messiah, but as
a Messiah Figure. One of the more daring moves I
made was to introduce religion into the storyline.
Namely Catholicism. It's not that I'm a Catholic,
I'm not, but I am a Christian and I thought it would
be an interesting addition. (I believe that my
decision is justified by the scene of praying soldiers,
Islamic and Christian, in the Second Rennesance, as
well as the use of Ghost's philosophy in Enter the
Matrix, both of which were written by the
Wachowskis.) But don't worry Athiests and Agnostics,
religion does not rule the story and just b/c I'm
a Christian dosn't mean I dont like kick-ass action
scenes. Below is a cast (wish) list and soundtrack.
Enjoy and please review!

(Oh yeah, I've got a whole lot written, so I'l be
posting for a while because of this stupid 1000 word
limit [I'll be posting conservatively])

Bishop : Antonio Banderas
Cable : (unknown)
Cutter : (unknown)
Loki : (unknown)
Angel : Kiera Knightly
Phoenix : (unknown)
Apollo : I'll get back with this one
Nitro : Brad Pitt
Mok : (unknown)
Mace : Will Smith
Shroud : James Spader

Yeah, yeah, I know, there all big name actors. But so what?
This is a wish list. And I didn't make the characters around
the actors, I just thought they would be cool.

Music from and inspired by the motion-picture script.
(subject to minor change)

1. Back Into Hell - Meatloaf
2. Ready Fules - Anberlin
3. My Last Bearth - Evanescence
4. Everything Dies - Type O-
5. Downfall - Trust Company
6. Wake Up, Make A Move - Lostprophets
7. Millionare - Queens of the Stone Age
8. Tribal - P.O.D.
9. Let the Bodies Hit the Floor - Drowning Pool
10. Guerilla Raido - Rage Against the Machine
11. In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth - Cohead and Cambria
12. Army of Me - Bjork
13. Optimissed - Skinnypuppy
14. Session - Linkin Park
15. Clubbed to Death - Rob Dougan
16. Revolutions Main Titles
17. Tea House - Juno Reactor
18. Morbid Mifune - Don Davis
19. Death Dealer Descent - Reholder
20. Tetsujin - Juno Reactor/Don Davis
21. Neodammerung - Don Davis

THE MATRIX RETRIBUTIONS (2005)

by-

Josiah Hutchison

additional concepts by-

Matt White

based on the scripts, "The Matrix",
"The Matrix Reloaded",
and "The Matrix Revolutions"
by the Wachowski Brothers, as well as
"Enter the Matrix,"
"The Matrix Online,"
and "The Animatrix"

"The Matrix" universe and affiliated
characters are owned strictly by the
Wachowski Brothers and Warner Brothers
Inc. All origional characters belong
to me.

FADE IN:

(Soundtrack note = "The Matrix Revolutions Main Titles" - Don Davis)

Black screen. We hear the noise of a loading
modem dial-up. Green scrolling symbols fill
the screen and form the words : "THE MATRIX"
and then, "RETRIBUTIONS". The symbols continue
to drop and form the outline of a city skyline.
The symbols drop then fade out to...

Ext. Hotel Lafayette

Open on a city skyline at nightime.
Everything seems in a shade of green.
A lone woman stands atop the roof of a
dilapidated building. A breeze kicks up
and her shoulder legnth red hair blows
in the wind. She is dressed compleatly in
tight black leather, a jumpsuit and small
waist-up coat. She has beautiful features.
Her name is Phoenix.

A cell phone rings, and she smoothly pulls it
out of a pocket in her jacket. She presses a
switch and the bottom flips down, turned on
and ready for use.She lifts it to her ear.

PHOENIX
Is it ready?

OPERATOR (v.o.)
Yes. He sould be there any second.

PHOENIX
Any agents?

OPERATOR (v.o.)
Not yet, atleast.

PHOENIX
Good.

She hangs up the phone and places it in
her coat. Then she walkes over to the edge
and looks over.

On the street floor we see three figures,
one male, two female, all dressed in black.
They walk into a nightclub with a neon
sign that reads "TECH NOIR" in flashing
green.

As soon as they are inside and the street
is clean, Phoenix takes a deep breath, flips
her arms out almost as wings, and jumps
over the side of the building.

EXT. City streets

Slow-mo shot of her smashing onto the street
floor in a crouched postion, and shock
waves splash outwards.

She stands up perfectly unharmed, and
straightens a loose strand of hair that
had come slightly out of place.

INT. Tech Noir nightclub

(Soundtrack note = select clips from "Army of Me" - Bjork)

Loud, ambient music assults our senses.
Hundreds of people are packed into the tiny
little space, all dressed in black clothing,
many of the girls in skimpy, revealing outfits.
All are rave dancing.

A young teenager breaks away from the dance
floor and walks over to the bar. He has on a
"Famous Stars and Straps" teeshirt, and
his hair is spiked with red tips. He looks no more
than 18. Probably too young to be in there.
His name is LOKI.

He slaps a handshake with the bartender,
a huge black man in his early fourties.
This is SHAWN.

LOKI
Hey whats up Shawn?!

SHAWN
Aww, nothin much James. What's go'in
on dog?

LOKI
Why don't you get me a beer and we
can talk for a while.

Shawn pulls a beer out from the rack behind him.

SHAWN
You goanna get me arrested one of
these days, man. Your about 3 years too
young for this stuff.

He twists off the cap and hands the beer
to Loki.

LOKI
Hey, it's no problem.

SHAWN
Maybe not for you.

The two of them laugh. and Loki takes
a long swig. Another coustomer
appears a few feet away and Shawn moves
off to help him. Loki is left alone. He
takes another swig.We hear that the music
in the club has changed.

Another teenager, about his age, walks up
to the bar. He is dressed very similar to Loki,
with neo-gothic clothes and spikey hair. His
name is KNOX. Another hacker.

KONX
Hey Loki. You got it?

LOKI
Right here dude.

Loki reaches into his back pocket and pulls
out a small floppy disc, handing it to Knox.

KNOX
Good man. By tomorrow afternoon we'll
both be about 50,000 dollars richer.

LOKI
Hell yes!

The two of them slap a high five.

LOKI
Now remember, release it from one of your
laptops while logged in to their database.
The program will transfer the funds to your
other computer, just make sure their linked.

KNOX
Yeah, I know. But dude, me and some of the
others are gonna hang tonight. You wanna join?

Knox opens up his coat to put the disc in one of
the inside pockets, and as he does so, Loki sees
a bunch of syringes full of mescaline and other
liquid drugs. Knox hands him a large wad of bills.
Loki takes this and slips it into his pocket.

LOKI
No thanks. I got work tomorrow.

KNOX
Whatever. I'll catch up to you later.

He slips away from the bar and in to the crowd of
people, heading for the door. A group of 5 other hackers
are waiting for him at the entrance, and when he
catches up to them they all turn and walk out.

Only seconds later we see Phoenix enter the club
and walk toward him. Loki sees this as well,
and leans back against the bar, checking her
out. She dosn't look to bad. A little older.

She walks right up to him.

PHOENIX
Hello Loki.

Loki is taken aback. Not many people besides
Knox and a few others know him by his hacker name.
He hopes not, atleast, he's commited more than a
dozen different computer crimes, and all more than once.

LOKI
I don't know what you are talking about.

He shrugs and begins to turn away.

PHOENIX
Listen to me.

Loki is struck by the power in her voice.

PHOENIX
I don't have much time. And neither
do you. The're looking for you.

LOKI (puzzeled).
What? Who is looking for me? Who are
you?

PHOENIX (ignoring his questions)
The time has come for you to make your
choice.

She leans close to him so that only he can hear.

PHOENIX (whispering)
I know about the virus you just sold to Knox.
I also know what your searching for. And I know
the question. The question that compells you
to do everything you have done for the past 3 years.

LOKI
' What is the Matrix? '

PHOENIX
The truth is out there, Loki.
All you have to do is embrace it,
just like I did. It is almost time.

She begins to walk off.

LOKI
Wait!

She stops and turn around.

LOKI
What's your name?

PHOENIX
Phoenix.

With that she dissapears into the crowd.
Loki is left at the bar to ponder her words.
He takes another swig from his beer and
turns away.

EXT. Street outside nightclub

Phoenix pushes open the glass doors of
the nightclub and walks over to the shadows
on the other end of the street. She pulls
out her cell phone and presses 'Send'.
We hear a number being dialed. The same
man picks up from before.

OPERATOR (v.o.)
Operator.

PHOENIX
I need an exit.

OPERATOR (v.o.)
I got one ready for ya. Its at the corner
of Smith and Holmes on 94th.

PHOENIX
Any agent activity?

OPERATOR (v.o.)
Still nothing.

PHOENIX
Very strange.

She closes her phone and drops it back
in her pocket. She starts off on a quick
but steady walk as to not attract attention,
careful not to meet anyone's eyes.

INT. Tech Noir nightclub

Loki finishes his drink and prepaires to
leave. Nodding a goodbye to some of his
friends who are sitting at a table, he heads
for the door.

EXT. Street outside nightclub

Loki leaves the nightclub and starts off
home, turning a corner. He hops over a
chain link fence and into an alley, humming
a tune to himself.

EXT. City streets

Phoenix comes to the end of a street and
turns, eagerly seeing the telephone hardline
a block away, on the other side of the street.
She begins to jog. Suddenly we hear a
CRASH behind her.

Phoenix closes her eyes in frustration, already
knowing what it was.

AGENT BROWN (v.o.)
Ms. Brewster.

Phoenix slowly turns around to face her
adversary. An agent dressed in a black suit
is standing twenty feet behind her. Even in
the middle of the night he is wearing bulky
black sunglasses. Behind them we hear the
hardline ringing.

AGENT BROWN
Why are you leaving us so soon?

They stare eachother down for only a
second before Phoenix turns around and
bolts for the hardline. A bullet explodes
the parking toll stand right next to her,
spraying change everywhere. Phoenix
ducks out of the way. Two more bullets
rush by her, barely missing her head.

Phoenix runs sideways and jumps up,
in slow motion, bouncing off the brick wall
of an old building for momentum and leaps
into the middle of the street. She is almost
to the phone booth. There is a rush of wind
and the Agent jumps right in front of her in slow
motion, smashing a parked car into a pretzel
and using the momentum he created to bodily
tackle Phoenix to the ground. As they hit
the concrete, his gun scatters away.

Phoenix groans as she is slammed into the
hard pavement. We hear the crack of her ribs.
A thin line of blood is trickling out of the
side of her mouth. She rolls over and throws
the agent off of her, he lands just a foot away.
Immeaditly he is on his feet again. He
launches a kick at her that she dodges
by rolling to the side. As she does so she
pulls out the small pistol from her jacket
and fires off ten shots, all of which the agent
dodges in a blur of lightning fast movements.
On her last shot she nails the agent in the
arm, knocking him off ballance, giving
her the time she needs.

She jumps to her feet and makes for the
phone booth as fast as she can. She is only
a dozen feet away.By now the agent has
gotten up and is chasing after her. She
smashes through the glass doors and lunges
for the ringing receiver. She places it to her
ear just as the agents hand smashes
through the glass to grab her throat.
There is a shower of broken glass and as
it falls away we see that his clenched fist
has grabbed nothing. Phoenix has vanished.

He tightens his jaw as he pulls out his arm
from the both and calmly walks away, the
target escaped.

EXT. City streets

Loki continues along home. A slight
rain begins. He pulles his jacket
tighter around him and quickens his
pace.

EXT. City streets-outside Tabernacle

Loki turns a corner and comes within sight
of his home, the TABERNACLE. It is nestled
in between an abandoned raido station and
a half-built skyscraper, both in a state of
heavy decomposition. The Tabnernacle is
a four story brick building, and very old by the
looks of it. There are three windows on
each level, all dark except for one on the
highest level. A set of about 10-15 concrete
stairs lead up to the wooden door.

Loki jogs the last few meters to the stairs.

EXT. Tabernacle stairs

Loki leaps up the stairs in a hurry to get out
of the rain, and as he does so, the door opens
and a tall man dressed in all black and with
combat boots walks out. Holding his hand is
a little girl, of about nine years old. She is
dressed like a Catholic-school youngster, with
a white shirt and blue jumper. She hides
her face as Loki passes them. The man nods
a gretting to Loki, who does the same.
Loki is confused, but quickly opens the door
and walks inside.

INT. Tabernacle 1st floor

The old door creaks open and Loki enters.
It is dark and moldy, almost creepy. A broken
chandiler hangs from the ceiling. Through a door to
his right, we see an old dining room.
A tall china cabnet sits empty, it's contents
looted decades ago. One of the glass doors
hangs open, but all the glass has been
shattered. A decaying white table cloth covers
and old table. Loki takes off his jacket and
throws it on one of the chairs.

Loki passes by the door and walks right to the
achient staircase and starts heading upstairs,
holding the handrail. He passes up two more
flights of stairs . Both the second and third
floors are empty and decrepid, everything is
covered in dust. Finally he comes to the fourth
floor. It is a hallway with only two doors. The door
to his left is open just a crack, but we can see
a golden-yellow light streaming out into the dark
hall. Loki walks over and opens the door, entering.

INT. Tabernacle - Temple of Zion

The room is very bright, awash with a golden
light emmiting from hundreds of candles. Loki has
to raise his hand to shade his eyes. Incense sticks
burn in little saucers at various points in the room. As
for the structure of the room, it is large yet very simple.
The walls are bare and the yellowed paint is peeling.
There is only one window, at the far wall.There is a small
bed in the far corner. The only decoration in the entire
room is a large banner with a strange symbol crafted on
it. We recognize it as a piece of Matrix codeing from the
opening sequence. It is in the shape and likeness of a
Z for Zion.

In the middle of the floor, sitting on an achient-looking
Chinese meditation chair, is an old Asian man with
stringy gray hair that flows past his shoulders. His legs
are crossed in an indian style position and his eyes are
closed as he meditates. This is NICODEMUS. On the
ground next to him is an old walking stick, intricately
carved with hundreds of figures. He has his back to Loki.
Without opening his eyes, he breathes out a long heavy
sigh, comming out of his intense meditaion. He does
not turn around though.

NICODEMUS
Hello Jamie. Welcome back.

He has a horse, raspy voice that is full of wisdom.

LOKI (a little suprised)
Oh, hey. How do you always know when it's
me, anyway?

He raises one of his eyebrows suspiciously.
Nicodemus turns around slowly and opens his
eyes.

NICODEMUS
Why do you always ask?

Loki laughes off the question. Nicodemus
rarely gives him a straight answer.

LOKI
Who was that guy anyway?

He motions behind him with his thumb, indicating
the stranger he passed on the stairs.

NICODEMUS
Ah, an old friend. But you need not worry
yourself with him. You know I always have visitors.

LOKI
Well, whatever; I'm hitting it. I've got work
in the morning.

Loki tirns around and walks to the door, shutting
it behind him.

NICODEMUS (softly)
The time is comming, Loki. Your time.

As he returns to his meditation, all the candle
flames in the room begin to bow in the same
direction, in complete synchronization, like a
wind was blowing.

INT. Tabernacle - Loki's room

Loki flips on the light switch next to the door
as he enters his room, but it emits only a little
light from a single bulb on the ceiling. We can
tell that, while still shabby and old, this is the
best kept room in the house. Posters of metal
bands and all sorts of other things adorn the walls.
On a sturdy wooden table are three computers:
one Mac, two PC, as well as a printer, a phone,
and a tiny desk light. All the computers are on sleep
mode, and they are humming softly. Loki presses
a few buttons and they all come to life, casting a
green glow on Loki's face as he sits down and
begins to type, going back and fourth between all
three computers. Dozens of cheap floppy discs
are stacked up on the table next to him, all home-
made viruses and programs. He pulls on some
headphones and goes to work.

CUT TO :

INT. Tabernacle - Loki's room

Loki is typing away when suddenly all three
of his computers suddenly freeze then go dark.
Then tiny green letters type themselves onto
his screens.

TEXT
Hello Loki. My name is EON.

LOKI
What the hell?

Loki tries to hit the escape key, then control - alt -
delete, but nothing happens.

Text continues to spread.

EON (text)
I am downloading a virus onto
your A: drive. Do not be alarmed.
I made it for you. You will know
when you must use it. But for now you
must hide it. You will hear from me again.

And then all the computers simutaniously
shut down. Loki stares in disbelief at the
screen. After a beat, he reaches out his
hand ejects a floppy disc frim the center
computer. The virus. He stares astonished,
for the words "Bowls of Wrath" have been
neatly typed on the label. Loki shakes
his head.

LOKI
This is too weird.

He shoves the virus in a plastic bag and
throws it into his backpack, along with
the cash he got from Knox and a few other
discs. He then switches of the lamp on his
desk.