INT. — THE KIDDERMAN FOYER — NOON
Hannah, Leo, Rich, and Mr. Kidderman follow Shelly into the quiet foyer of her family home. Shelly shuts the door behind them, and the bolt rings as loud as a bell when it slides into place.
SHELLY
(making her excuses)
Mom and dad are gone to some weird sort
of Halloweenish thing for the FOP.
Everyone is quiet, almost nervous, and Mr. Kidderman shakes his head in acknowledgment. Shelly awkwardly makes her way to the front of the group and starts up the stairs.
SHELLY
Up here, it’s in Dirk’s room. I’ll plug it in.
Hannah’s eyes widen with suspicion and shock. She steps up quickly after Shelly, and the others follow.
CUT TO:
INT. DIRK’S ROOM — NOON
Everyone stands awkwardly around Dirk’s old possessions, as if they are afraid to disturb artifacts in a delicately ancient tomb. Mr. Kidderman, Hannah, Leo, and Rich bend themselves to get a good view of Shelly, who leans over Leo’s computer.
Shelly kneels to plug the computer power cord into a power outlet under the desk, and Rich flinches.
RICH
Hold your horses. What if we get caught?
HANNAH
Don’t get your boxers in a bunch. We’re fine
as long as we’re not connected to the web.
SHELLY
And besides, I’ve been doing this for weeks.
If they’re gone, they’re gone.
Shelly looks around the room, perhaps as one last faux show of searching for approval before taking the bull by the horns.
LEO
I say you go for it.
Shelly shakes her head. She grabs the power cord and plugs the computer in.
The fans of the computer hum as they pick up speed, and the blue ring of light around the power button starts to flash. It blinks in the same familiar way as Shelly stands. She points to the light accusingly.
SHELLY
See…?
But it does not seem like the others understand. At the least, they most definitely do not understand the importance of the flashing button the way Shelly thinks she does. Hannah looks confused, like she’s trying to solve a difficult math problem that has crept unexpectedly into an end-of-semester test, and Rich’s face folds angrily over itself.
RICH
You mean you’ve been plugging in
Leo’s old computer all this time
just for something stupid like —
MR. KIDDERMAN
(cutting in uncontrollably)
But maybe —
does anybody have a pen and paper?
Mr. Kidderman, whose face is the only one in the bunch to bear a single mark of recognition, suddenly smiles. He starts to pat around his jacket for something. The others watch him, thoroughly confused.
MR. KIDDERMAN
Nobody, then? I think I’ve got one…
Mr. Kidderman pulls a miniature anti-gravity pen, the type that you buy at the gift shop of a science museum, and a small pad of paper from some invisible pocket in the inner lining of his coat.
MR. KIDDERMAN (CONT’D)
…here.
With pen and paper in hand, Mr. Kidderman steps around Rich and leans down to examine the flashing light on the computer.
The electric-blue light blinks quickly and slowly, quickly and slowly. One second passes, then two, and then Mr. Kidderman turns around.
MR. KIDDERMAN (CONT’D)
(whiplashing into
excitement, turning back,
and starting to scribble)
I think your light is blinking in morse code.
CUT TO:
Missed MitcHELL the first time around? Read or reread the first half of the story here:
