The Zeeman Effect

Screenplay
March 26,2019
ISBN 978-5-00077-863-0

The history of Meryl, Chairman of the Board of Directors of a Pharmaceutical Company, and engineer Tom. Without waiting for help from the FBI and the police, they begin their own operation against an unknown high-tech adversary, who is willing to do whatever it takes to get billions in profits from the sale of counterfeit medicines produced by Meryl's company. Meryl and Tom will have to resolve their disagreements and not only become partners in the fight against combat drones equipped with weapons and a nuclear power unit, but also jointly take the path of the introduction of revolutionary technology developed by Tom to protect the drugs from counterfeits.
The plot of the film is based on the latest developments of artificial intelligence and high tech.

INT. HOTEL CONFERENCE ROOM, LOS ANGELES - MORNING

We see a blonde woman behind the speaker’s stand. Her name is MERYL and she is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of one of the largest US pharmaceutical companies.

MERYL
Welcome to the World Health Organization conference dedicated to the problem of counterfeit drugs.

There is a noise in the room. The CHAIRMAN of the conference taps on his microphone. 

CHAIRMAN
Silence, please!

MERYL
Regardless of their social status in the society, people need treatment. Over the years, humanity has developed many drugs to fight various diseases. Drugs are the main component of healthcare services and their use has increased tremendously.
With the creation of drugs, the largest international pharmaceutical industry was born.

MERYL
The turnover of only three pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer, Novartis and Roche amounts to about 132.8 billion US dollars.

SOMEONE FROM THE AUDIENCE interferes with Meryl’s report.

SOMEONE FROM THE AUDIENCE
What are the pharmaceutical market predictions for 2021?

MERYL
According to our experts, drug counterfeiting has become the largest international underground business, comparable in its scale to the arms trade with just one significant difference. No one is immune to the dangers a fake drug poses, regardless of their social status or income level.
At the same time, for comparison, according to the media, in 2017, Russia sold weapons totaling no more than 15 billion US dollars.


MERYL
It is believed that the export of weapons and military equipment is the key strength of the Russian defense and the entire industry of Russia. Experts predict that by 2021, the global pharmaceutical market will have reached about 1.5 trillion US dollars. At the same time, as per the World Health Organization, the sales volume of counterfeit drugs is increasing, reaching up to 30 billion US dollars a year. So far, no one knows how to solve the issue of counterfeit drugs.

SOMEONE FROM THE AUDIENCE
Could you provide some statistical data about your company?

CHAIRMAN
Maybe we should leave all the questions until after the end of the report.

MERYL
I am done. I am ready for your questions now.

SOMEONE FROM THE AUDIENCE
We’re not just interested in the financial information. We’d really like to hear about the technologies you use to protect your drugs.

MERYL
Counterfeit drugs pose a significant threat to not only the health of people anywhere in the world but they are also a real danger to the economic and social security of any country. My company’s turnover for the previous year amounted to about 40 billion US dollars. Every year, we allocate more than 5 billion of that money for research and development.

SOMEONE FROM THE AUDIENCE
That’s too general.

CHAIRMAN
Silence, please!

MERYL
Counterfeit drugs can be distributed through various channels, such as public and private hospitals, pharmacies or other legal or illegal distributors. In the coming years, drug manufacturers may face the problem of legal and moral responsibility because they are responsible for ensuring the quality and safety of their product. In 2020-2021, we will be introducing a QR-code-based drug protection technology.

SOMEONE FROM THE AUDIENCE
You can’t be serious. The technology you’re talking about can be easily faked on a standard printer. Hell, I can do it in my house. Licensed distributors, pharmacists, health care providers, or patients are not yet able to detect counterfeit and real drugs.

MERYL
I cannot talk about the additional measures that we will be taking in the future to protect our drugs. Not yet. You know you cannot trust your friends with a secret because these friends also have friends. We will be making our decision on the new protection technology in the nearest future. One of the ways to create a reliable chain of drug supply is to develop an automatic, contactless optical and electronic authentication and identification of packages in the drug movement monitoring system based on Blockchain technology.

CHAIRMAN
Please, ask your questions in writing. Meryl, thank you for your report. And thank you for answering the questions.

MERYL
In 2019, I declare war on pharmaceutical fraud.

In the room, we see a MAN IN BLACK. He’s wearing a black tie on a black shirt and black shoes. He’s carefully recording on his iPhone everything that Meryl is saying. He’s also taking pictures of her and sending them to an unknown web user. He speaks into his iPhone.

MAN IN BLACK
They are planning to use something new to protect their drugs. This will hurt our business.

Meryl leaves the room. She looks at her watch and takes the elevator down to the underground parking garage. In the garage, we see Meryl's car. A strange man is quickly walking away from it. Meryl searches through the contacts on her iPhone and calls her SECRETARY.


INT. HOTEL UNDERGROUND PARKING GARAGE - DAY

SECRETARY
Meryl, I am listening.

She approaches the door of her car.

MERYL
When is the company's board meeting tomorrow?

SECRETARY
It’s at 11:00 am. Do I have to prepare anything for your report?

MERYL
I’m gonna need the numbers on the sales for the last quarter of this year.

SECRETARY
Ok.

MERYL
Also, tell the guys from the marketing department to make a few slides and write them on a flash drive.

SECRETARY
Is that all?

MERYL
No, I need the development department to prepare a brief information on the Russian state information system for monitoring the movement of goods from the manufacturer to the end consumer, using check symbols.

SECRETARY
Russians, huh?

MERYL
Yes. Their president wants to create and introduce mandatory product labeling with means of identification in Russia, starting January 1, 2019. This way, Putin intends to stop the spread of counterfeit and fraudulent products in Russia.

SECRETARY
When do you think you’re gonna be back in San Francisco?

MERYL
I think that I'll be home by 11:00 pm. God, I really love driving!

Meryl opens the door of her Lexus RX 350 with a remote key. She takes off her heels and puts on a pair of sneakers. Starts the car and turns on the speakerphone.

INT. MERYL’S CAR - EVENING

MERYL
I’m on speaker. Can you hear me?

SECRETARY
Yes, I can hear you just fine.

MERYL
Could you please come by my place and feed my cat?

SECRETARY
What did it do? 

MERYL
"Pirate" somehow learned to open the fridge and steal sausage.
And besides, he drinks water from the fish tank and hunts my fish.

SECRETARY
I’ll buy some food and feed him.

MERYL
You don’t have to buy it, there’s plenty in the pantry.

MERYL
I'm ending the call now. I am entering the highway and turning on my favorite music.

SECRETARY
Safe travels!

Meryl turns on the music. It’s loud. The car leaves the underground garage and drives at high speed out of the city.

MERYL
(singing-along)
We don't need no education.
We don't need no thought control.

MERYL
No dark sarcasm in the classroom.
Teachers, leave those kids alone.
Hey, Teacher, leave those kids alone!
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall. 

Lightning flashes in the sky, it starts raining.

MERYL
Damn this weather! Must hurry or I am gonna be caught in the rain. Shit, it’s really pouring down.

A big jeep is driving right behind Meryl’s car. Inside, we see the DRIVER and the drone OPERATOR.

INT. JEEP INTERIOR - EVENING

OPERATOR
(to the driver)
Don't get too close.

DRIVER
Don't worry. I can always get away.

OPERATOR
At this speed, we’ll get in our oil ourselves. You won’t be able to keep the car in control.

DRIVER
Couldn’t you come up with something less complicated?

OPERATOR
It’s not my plan. A car crash will look natural. No one will suspect anything. The rain will wash the oil off the highway.

INT. TOM’S LABORATORY - EVENING

We see TOM in the laboratory. He’s wearing a white coat and goggles. He’s conducting an experiment on the synthesis of a new type of substance with new physical principles that are not yet known to mankind. Tom's iPhone starts ringing. He sees the caller’s name (“DOCTOR”) on the screen. Presses the green “Accept” button and turns on the speaker.

DOCTOR
Hello, Tom.

TOM
Hey, Doc.

DOCTOR
How’s it going?

TOM
All good. Actually, I’m in the middle of an experiment with Charlie the mouse.

DOCTOR
Would you like to grab a drink in our bar today?

TOM
(looks through the electron microscope)
Let me guess. You wanna order a glass of wine and sit in a languid and slightly intimate setting. Am I right?

DOCTOR
Come on. I'll tell you about some of my new patients. Quite the babes!

TOM
I think this time we should go to my bar. I recently discovered this great place in Los Banos. They have an amazing menu, very diverse. You can simply get lost in their cocktails section but the waitress will always come to the rescue. And the portions are really well arranged. They have dishes that are served in a pan. They taste great, I’m telling you. Just for the likes of us, who won’t eat just anything. And the portions are also quite good, sizewise.

TOM
But that’s not even the best part. The staff will do everything to entertain their guests. You will be surprised the lengths they’ll go to keep a client happy and not be bored. They sang a song for my friend and gave her a present. I swear we did not ask for any birthday discounts or attention. They just somehow found out, sang the song, wished her a happy birthday and hugged her! Anyway. When it’s raining outside, some nice music and a friendly, cheerful waiter, some delicious food and a good welcome sound… well, good.

DOCTOR
Beautifully said. Let’s check out that bar of yours. Call me when you’re ready.
TOM
I’ll get back to you in an hour.

Using the forceps, Tom adds some chemicals into a tube, puts it into a small carousel machine. Turns it on. It starts rotating rapidly with the tube still inside.
TOM
Let’s say I get the result I want. Then what? Just another substance no one needs.

Looks glumly at the carousel machine. Suddenly turns on his iPhone and finds the weather forecast for today on YouTube. The weather woman talks about the weather.

WEATHER WOMAN
On Friday, cloudy weather is expected. It will be raining heavily over most of California...

Tom pulls out the tube from the machine. He mixes the contents of the tube with saline, then uses a thin needle to draw the resulting solution into a syringe.

He approaches the dissection table. There’s а mouse lying on it. It’s under sedation. A small black plate can be seen in its abdominal cavity. The plate is connected to a computer. Tom injects the solution into the mouse.

TOM
Damn, I forgot! I need to get us a table at the bar.

He dials SIRI on the iPhone.

 SIRI
Hello, Tom.

TOM
Hi.

SIRI
How can I help you?

TOM
Can you help me at my age?

SIRI
I will give you a strange answer in the form of an advice: measure your life not by the years lived but by your actions.


TOM
Looks like Apple developers are already using artificial intelligence for iPhone.

SIRI
Is that a question?

TOM
Just thinking out loud. Call Jessie's Bar.

SIRI
St, Los Banos, CA 93635?

TOM
Yes.

SIRI
+1 209-826-4395

The lights go out and the connection is interrupted.



INT. SECRET LABORATORY - MORNING

We see a laboratory where they make expensive counterfeit drugs used in the treatment of cancer. All laboratory personnel are wearing white coats and googles.

In a separate office, a deal is being struck on the sale and purchase of already manufactured fake drugs. On the table, we see a big bag with money. In the corner, are boxes with packed drugs. The man in black is counting the money with the counting machine. The DEALER is taking pictures of the drug boxes on his iPhone.

DEALER
We want to increase the purchase volume.

MAN IN BLACK
We have two new labs. I think that this year, we will raise our annual turnover to 1 billion US dollars.

DEALER
Today, we buy your product at our own expense and in bulk. We sell the drugs at retail price or in small batches to doctors and pharmacies in the United States. We are ready to make an advance payment to increase the purchases.

MAN IN BLACK
You are not our only wholesale buyer. However, I am ready to consider getting an advance.
DEALER
While the state does not understand the scale of the drug market and the pharmaceutical behemoths ignore people like you, we will be making money for years.

MAN IN BLACK
Yes, while the FDA is busy releasing paper reports and the
World Health Organization is holding conferences one after another, we will be entering the global market, including countries such as Ukraine, Poland and Russia.

DEALER
Give us these countries. We’ll reach our full potential there. They have no medicine there and we can buy all the officials and pharmacies. They have no inventory.

MAN IN BLACK
I’ll think about it. As long as their government officials steal, there’s no use in fighting counterfeit drugs – that’s fertile ground for us. To expand our business, we’ve bought the Global Express XRS long-haul business aircraft. It has a range of 6.150 nautical miles and can easily transport boxes of drugs across the Atlantic and provide unsurpassed comfort at that. Its luggage is simply fantastic. With a range of 7000 miles and a cruising speed of 560 m/h, it will allow us to deliver our product even to Russia.

Suddenly, the alarm goes off on the man in black’s iPhone.

MAN IN BLACK
We have guests.

He turns on the “defense” mode on the iPhone.

There are FBI agents outside. They are discussing the lab raid on their comms. Suddenly, they lose all communication. The agents cannot understand why their comms and personal phones are not working.

We see the Man in black in his office. He’s holding a signal interceptor that allows him to listen in to the police and the FBI agents.
The man in black is making an announcement on loudspeaker.

MAN IN BLACK
Attention, evacuate immediately!

DEALER
Trouble?

MAN IN BLACK
(laughs)
No trouble at all. We have plenty of time to get away.

The man in black turns on the electronic jamming equipment. Turns on the "attack" mode on his iPhone.
The SUPERVISORY AGENT and the other FBI agents look up and see several drones above their heads. One drone indicates the targets. The other is a strike drone. The strike drone starts firing at the agents.

EXT. STREET IN FRONT OF THE SECRET LABORATORY - MORNING
SUPERVISORY AGENT
What the hell is that? Are we in the midst of a Hollywood movie? 

The JUNIOR AGENT and the FBI agents start firing at the drones from their service weapons. However, the forces are not equal. Suddenly, a group of drones flies from the roof of the lab and they too start firing at the FBI agents.

JUNIOR AGENT
Sir, this is not a movie. These things are shooting at us. For real.


SUPERVISORY AGENT
How can we stop them?
JUNIOR AGENT
We can’t reach the base. Looks like they are using jamming equipment.

SUPERVISORY AGENT
Throw a brick in the air. As high as you can.

The junior agent throws a brick high in the air and the supervisory agent shoots it. The fragments of the brick scatter in different directions and damage one of the drones. The drone crashes to the ground.

SUPERVISORY AGENT
We need to get it. Our lab needs to examine it.

The FBI agents hear loud music coming from the SPEAKER on the roof of the laboratory. It’s Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick In the Wall”.

SPEAKER
Daddy's gone across the ocean,
Leaving just a memory,
A snapshot in the family album.
Daddy, what else did you leave for me?
Daddy, what you leave behind for me?
All in all it was just a brick in the wall.
All in all it was just the bricks in the wall

INT. UNDERGROUND TUNNEL - MORNING

At the same time, we see the employees of the secret laboratory evacuate through an underground tunnel.

In the tunnel, we see a big flow of water. On the surface, there’s a miniature submarine. The few secret lab employees are boarding it.

DEALER
I admire your technological achievements. How long is the tunnel?

MAN IN BLACK
We ordered the construction team a small two-mile-long underground tunnel with access to the Los Angeles River.

DEALER
Didn’t the authorities or the construction workers ask why you needed a tunnel?

MAN IN BLACK
No. We have learned well to fake not only drugs but also all kinds of documents and permits. Besides, we explained that the inhabitants of the Aquarium of the Pacific required additional water intake.
MAN IN BLACK
You know, it’s not bad when your enemy is smart but it is bad when your friend is a fool.

DEALER
That’s an original solution.

MAN IN BLACK
(to the laboratory personnel)
I hope we took all the money?

DEALER
What about the boxes with the fake drugs?

MAN IN BLACK
Don’t worry! We will ship them to you from another warehouse.

The FBI agents storm into the secret lab but there’s an explosion.
All the equipment used for the making of counterfeit drugs is destroyed.

The drones fly away in an unknown direction.

EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT

Meryl is driving at high speed. It is raining heavily. Meryl sees a WORKER. He’s wearing a yellow rain coat and setting up a detour sign.

WORKER
Hey, lady, slow down! Dangerous road ahead!

Meryl jams on the breaks and opens the window.

MERYL
(shouts)
What happened?

WORKER
Road repairs!

MERYL
And you think now’s a good time to do it? Damn it!

Meryl's iPhone starts ringing. She connects it to the car's speakerphone.

INT. MERYL’S CAR - NIGHT

SECRETARY
Meryl, how is the road?

MERYL
Weather is just awful! And now I’ll have to take a detour due to the damn road construction.

SECRETARY
Where are you?

MERYL
I was at 65 West Side Fwy. The Shell gas station was on my right. I’ll turn on the GPS and then I’ll know.

Meryl turns on the navigator, sets San Francisco as the arrival point. The VOICE GUIDE of the navigator asks to select the state.

MERYL
California. Does it look like I’m in Paris?

VOICE GUIDE
The route is built. Arrival time in San Francisco is 23 hours and 50 minutes.

MERYL
How accurate! I cannot even see where I am on the damn screen!

VOICE GUIDE
You left 65 West Side Fwy. Turn right.

MERYL
Yes, sir!

VOICE GUIDE
Speed limit is 40 m/h.

MERYL
(looks in the rearview mirror)
Someone is following me. Turned on the distance light to blind me. What an asshole! Gotta go faster to lose him.

Suddenly, Meryl loses control of the car. She sees a drone behind the windshield. It is shining a laser beam into her eyes.

MERYL
What the hell is this?

INT. JEEP INTERIOR - EVENING

OPERATOR
(to the driver)
Do not get close!

DRIVER
Launch the drone!

OPERATOR
(holding a remote control for the drone)
Now I am gonna make him “hover” in front of her windshield and turn on the laser.

DRIVER
What for?

OPERATOR
I am gonna blind that blondie behind the wheel. Ok, I see her face on the screen. She’s quite good looking!

DRIVER
Ha, you look at a woman and you see what you think she’s like.

DRIVER
You know it won’t be easy to keep the car steady after you pour the oil from the container attached to the drone.

OPERATOR
(shouts)
Done! Stop! I blinded her with my laser and spilled the oil on the road. There’s a brick wall ahead!

DRIVER
(rapidly slows down the jeep and stops)
I would not want to be her. That’s a terrible way to go!

Using the remote control, the operator returns the drone to the back of the jeep.

OPERATOR
It’s done. I landed the drone in the back. Let's go to the nearest cafe.

DRIVER
(lighting a cigarette)
Call him.

OPERATOR
(with the iPhone in his hand)
Boss, she’s no longer a threat.
everything like I said?

OPERATOR
Yes.

There is a thunderclap. In a flash of lightning, we see Meryl's frightened face. The car crashes into a brick wall. The airbags are deployed and Meryl loses consciousness from the impact. Gasoline flows from the gas tank. The jeep drives away in an unknown direction.

INT. PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY PLANT - MORNING

We see a big building of the pharmaceutical company.

In one of the plants, the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR instructs the ENGINEER how to prepare for the expansion of the site for the production of drugs.

The engineer follows the executive director, who is waving his hands while he walks.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The main feature is the ability to focus on a wide audience of consumers and the constant demand for the pharmaceutical product, which can be adjusted with the help of both the range of the manufactured product and the pricing policy.

ENGINEER
The construction of such a facility will require an area of about 5300 square feet. In view of the fact that the production will contain departments hazardous to health, we need to comply with the necessary construction standards in this aspect.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
What are they?

ENGINEER
Well, for example, the plant should be at a distance of at least 1.5 miles from the residential areas of the city.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
That’s not my problem. Let Meryl handle it. She can do it better than anyone. God gave a man two ears and one mouth to listen more and speak less.

ENGINEER
You bet. We do not want it - that's the reason. We cannot do it – is just an excuse. She is the main shareholder and the actual owner of the company.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
This does not concern us. She pays us on time and a lot. She got the company from her husband, whom I knew very well. I worked with him for many years.

INT. PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY BOARDROOM - MORNING

We see the members of the board of the company sitting at a big, round table. The CEO, the FINANCIAL DIRECTOR and the HEAD OF SECURITY are drinking coffee by the window.
 
CEO
We cannot start the meeting because Meryl’s not here. She’s the main shareholder and the Chairman of the Board.

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR
Do you know where she is? It’s Saturday and I would like to finish this meeting early.

CEO
(through the intercom)
Did Meryl call?

SECRETARY
No, the last time I spoke to her was Friday night.

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR
Many of our customers are worried that the drugs we supply are not enough. All of them are asking to increase the volume of production. They are ready to make a preliminary payment.

CEO
(to the secretary)
And why didn’t she take the company car? We must look for Meryl. We cannot hold the meeting without her.

SECRETARY
She likes driving.

HEAD OF SECURITY
I would like to inform the members of the board that my department has found counterfeit drugs in pharmacies in major US cities. They are our analogues.

CEO
Not analogues. Fakes! Do you have an estimate of the volume of fake drugs? Meryl likes facts and accuracy in numbers!


HEAD OF SECURITY
Yes, the volume of counterfeit drugs for the year amounted to more than 1 billion US dollars. And that’s just in the ballpark. They are not entirely accurate.

CEO
This is the profit that we lost. It is important for us that many foreign drugs existing in this market can be replaced by domestic equivalents. In addition, production is able to provide not only the finished product market but also supply active substances. And the flexibility of the manufacturing processes can quickly change the product line, in case certain products become irrelevant.

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR
There is no point in discussing anything without Meryl!

CEO
(to the head of security)
You have to find her!

HEAD OF SECURITY
We’ll start the search in one hour. I will bring in my friends from the FBI.

EXT. TOM’S FRONT YARD - NIGHT

Tom exits the house. He’s wearing a yellow raincoat and has a flashlight in his hand. Outside, he sees a car that crashed into the brick wall of the transformer substation. Tom walks over to the car. Through the window, he sees the blonde woman’s face resting on the airbag. Tom tries to open the door but it is blocked. Gasoline is flowing from the tank.

ТОМ
(yells)
Open the door! Do you hear me? Damn! Looks like she’s unconscious!

Tom runs to the garage and takes the crowbar. He runs back to the car and pries the door open, pulls out the woman. 

TOM
(mutters)
That’s what I get instead of a bottle of Italian sparkling wine. A blonde in distress! Looks like the doctor will be spending the evening all alone.

Tom carries the woman to the door of his house. He hears an explosion – the gasoline in the tank tore the car apart.

TOM
Well, it's good that it's raining! A fire extinguisher will be of no help here.

INT. TOM’S GUEST ROOM - NIGHT

Tom puts the woman on the big white leather couch, removes the sneakers from her feet and covers her with a warm blanket. Goes to the bedroom and brings a big pillow. Lifts the woman’s head and places it the pillow under it.

TOM
Damn, the weather is really something today! I need to dry her hair. These people call themselves “weather forecasters” but they cannot forecast the weather in California.

He goes to the cabinet and pulls out a candlestick with candles. He lights the candles with a lighter, puts them on the small table by the couch with the beautiful stranger, who is still unconscious.

MERYL
Where am I?

TOM
Hi. You’re in my house.

MERYL
Hi. I got that part. What happened to me?

TOM
You were in an accident. Your car caught fire. I pulled you out. Looks like you passed out when you hit the wall.

MERYL
Are you a doctor?

TOM
No, I’m not. Take this towel, your hair is all wet.

MERYL
(takes the towel)
Why is it dark? Why candles? Do you live without electricity? Is this some sort of date by candlelight?


TOM
Nah. Not everything is as romantic as you imagine. Your car crashed into my transformer substation.

MERYL
So that’s what this is? A purely technical misunderstanding?

TOM
I’ll go and turn on the switch. And there will be light again.

MERYL
Are we alone in the house?

TOM
Yeah.

MERYL
And you’re not some serial killer? Sex offender?

TOM
No. I can see now that your head is fine.

Tom goes out into the yard and approaches the transformer substation. He walks inside and presses the automatic switch that turned off due to the impact from Meryl's car. A light comes on in the house. Meryl's car is slowly burning under heavy rain near the wall of the transformer substation. Tom returns to his house.

INT. TOM’S GUEST ROOM - NIGHT

TOM
You need to change or you could catch a cold.

He goes into the bedroom and takes out a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts from the wardrobe.

MERYL
No, I’m not taking your clothes.
TOM
Well, yours are wet. They must be washed and dried. I have nothing else for you to wear.

MERYL
There’s a bag with some clothes in my car. Could you bring it to me?

TOM
Both the car and the bag are gone in the explosion.
MERYL
Well, if so, then I will have to put on your sad clothes.

TOM
Why sad?

MERYL
A man's as miserable as he thinks he is. Turn away!

She changes, throws her wet clothes on the floor.

MERYL
Would you have a cup of coffee for me?

TOM
I would. It’s Tom, by the way.

MERYL
Nothing personal. I’m Meryl.

Tom goes to the kitchen and turns on the coffee maker. Returns to the couch, picks up Meryl's wet clothes from the floor, takes them to the washing machine.

MERYL
Have you seen my phone?
.....