"Some people are born to lead. Some are born to follow. Me ? I was born to panic at the first sign of trouble, snack aggressively and open files i absolutely should not. But somehow, today... I became humanity's biggest medical experiment. With WI-FI."
INT. NEOGENEX BIOTECH HUB- FUTURE ZONE
Welcome to NeoGeneX Biotechnologies , home of gene mapping, protein synthesis , and overpriced vending machine coffee.
The automatic doors hiss open. Zeke Carter , age 17, GPA 4.7 , chronic anxiety level 11 out of 10 walks in like someone expecting to be fired from an unpaid internship.His lab coat three sizes too big, his hoodie poking out of the sleeves like he dressed in a hurry (because he did). On his back he had a solar-powered backpack and in his ear , a sarcastic AI named LEXI.
ZEKE: "NeoGeneX. California's elite gene tech lab. Where geniuses design viruses that cure stuff and interns are strictly told not to breathe on anything expensive. It's like NASA but with more DNA and worse WI-FI.
A massive touchscreen near cryo-vault flashes:
WELCOME ,ZEKE CARTER. INTERN LEVEL;1.5. DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING.
ZEKE: "Touch nothing. Got it. Just here to count vitals and pretend i belong."
LEXI(AI): "Please define 'touch'. Is staring at forbidden data considered foreplay?"
ZEKE: "Don't make this weird, LEXI"
Zeke walks into the Virus Simulation Chamber, where he's supposed to run basic code-checks on old flu strains. He's just started to whistling the Star wars cantina theme when he sees it:
A red folder. Floating on the screen like a digital pomegranate of doom. TOP SECRET: ZO-1 PROTOCOL. Access restricted. Eyes only!
So of course...
ZEKE: "well , technically,my eyes are only my eyes."
LEXI: "You are about to make a regrettable life choice... confirm?"
And like that Zeke clicked on it.
INITIATING SIMULATION... A swirling 3D virus bursts from the console like a data-driven jellyfish. Lights flicker.DNA strands curl around his head like fireflies .
ZEKE:"okay. Pretty. Also illegal-looking."
LEXI:"That's not a screensaver, Zeke. That's a weaponized smart-virus with real-time mutation protocols. Run! now!
But before Zeke could panic properly ...ACHOO!!!...He sneezed. Right into the simulation.
The virus pulses, surges - and a single glowing strand zips into his chest like a shot of expresso. He stumbles back and blinks.
Suddenly every light in the room brightens. The temperature drops, and Zeke's vision zooms in like a camera lens. He can see dust particles, hear the ticking of a server three floors below, and feel every atom in the air.
ZEKE(V.O): (gasping) "what just happened?"
LEXI: well, looks like you sneezed on a smart virus and it downloaded into your bloodstream. Congratulations ! you just performed the world's first nasal software installation.
Then the alarms and red sirens started. Then came a terrifying voice:" FACILITY ALERT! CONTAMINATION DETECTED. PLEASE STAY CALM WHILE WE DEPLOY FLAMETHROWERS."
LEXI: "stop being a pussy and run !"
Zeke bolts down the hallway, dodging robot arms, confused interns, and one very judgmental janitor.
ZEKE(V.O): "this isn't what I signed up for! I just wanted college credit and maybe free lunch!"
LEXI(AI): "you'll be lucky if you get a court date."
He dives through the emergency exit. The lab seals behind him.
Zeke stumbles out into the California sun. He's sweaty, shaky and..different. He blinks and every phone screen nearby lights up. Drones flying overhead pause mid air. A streetlamps flickers morse code. Zeke Carter is now, somehow, connected to the world's tech grid.
ZEKE(V.O):" So...i may have just become the internet's favorite viral post. Expect i am the virus."
Across every screen in town, the news hits:BREAKING NEWS!!! "UNKNOWN CONTAGION TRACED TO LOCAL INTERN. 'PATIENT ZERO' CONFIRMED. And on the biggest digital billboard overlooking Venice beach...is Zeke's face.
ZEKE(V.O): "well, crap."
Okay, so I glowed once. Maybe twice. That doesn't make me a superhero. Super anxious? Yes. Super confused? Absolutely."
—Zeke Carter, reluctant viral anomaly
INT. ZEKE'S BEDROOM – HIS MOM'S HOUSE – SAN FERNANDO VALLEY – 3:13 A.M.
Zeke is wide awake. Not because he's afraid but because his phone just exploded.Not like boom, but kapow-emoji-glitched-screen-glowing-blue exploded.He sits up. Everything electronic around him is freaking out: LED strip lights strobe, Alexa screams, and his smartwatch is now speaking in ancient Greek.
ZEKE(V.O): "Okay...definitely not normal."
LEXI(AI): "Your vital signs suggest heightened synaptic conductivity, erratic glucose absorption , and mild craving for cold pizza."
ZEKE(V.O): "That's just being a teenage, Lexi!"
Zeke blinks and suddenly sees text messages inside people's phones.He sneezes near his toaster and accidentally livestreams to a Chinese tech convention.Touches a vending machine and dispenses snacks with a thought. Jackpot!
Zeke thought to himself,"This is like Spider-Man. If Spider-Man's powers were mostly tech support."
In the hallway, he brushes his hand against a wall socket. Boom! power surge. Street lights outside flicker like strobe lights at a rave.
His mom shouts from her bedroom:
MOM:"Zeke if you're downloading illegal movies again, i swear-!"
Zeke's mind search around. He learnt new things. He can 'hear' data. WI-FI , bluetooth, encrypted codes....they all sing to him like hummingbirds on Red bull.He absorbs tech. One time he hugged a Nintendo Switch and beat Zelda using his brain.
His emotions affect electronics. Panic? Lights flicker. Excitement? TVs turn on. Embarrassment? Every nearby speaker starts playing "Never Gonna Give You Up."
LEXI:"Congratulations. You are officially the world's first emo-compatible operating system."
ZEKE:"I'm a virus with feelings. Great."
Nothing says 'normal' like algebra II. Zeke walks into West Valley High, head down, hoodie up. The metal detector buzzes even though he's not carrying anything.Every vending machine he passes starts throwing chips at kids like Oprah in snack mode.
Ms. Delgado, the science teacher, taps the projector. It fries instantly.Coach Ramirez's smart watch catches fire.
COACH:"Who the heck brought EMP grenades to gym class?!"
Zeke slinks away. In the hallway mirror, his reflection glitches like a bad Zoom call. His eyes flash digital blue.
ZEKE:"Okay. Definitely not normal-normal. Definitely not gonna survive lunchtime."
That night, Zeke dreams in code, Binary stars, Floating firewall dragons.He sees a symbol: the same one from NeoGeneX's top-secret folder. In his dream, a mysterious voice spoke to him.
MYSTERIOUS VOICE (V.O.):"You were never meant to open the file, Zeke. But now that you have... the system must adapt. Or be deleted."
He wakes up screaming and records a video on his glitchy phone:
ZEKE (to camera):"If you're seeing this, it means I haven't been arrested, exploded, or turned into a walking router. Yet.I don't know what's happening to me, but I think it's bigger than me.Maybe I was infected for a reason. Maybe I'm meant to fight back.Or maybe… I'm just a bug in their system."
The screen glitches. Then goes black.