Digital Shadows

Episode 3

Ben's phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out, rolling his eyes as he saw his little sister's name on the screen. "Uh oh," he muttered.

Putting the phone to his ear, he heard a high-pitched, demanding voice. "Ben! Don't you even think about coming home without ice cream! Chocolate chip cookie dough, the kind with the big chunks, or else!"

Ben winced. "Okay, okay, chill out, little monster. Ice cream it is." He hung up, shaking his head with a smile.

Ben shoved his phone back in his pocket, a grimace on his face. "Ugh, gotta go guys," he mumbled, already shuffling towards the door.

Leo, with a suspiciously wide grin, chimed in, "Ice cream run, huh? Don't worry, your little dictator's reign of terror won't last long."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "How'd you...?" he trailed off, realizing Leo must have caught the tail end of the call.

Leo just shrugged, his grin widening further. "Lucky guess? Besides, everyone deserves a hero who brings chocolate chip cookie dough with the big chunks."

Discouraged, Ben left the restaurant with a sigh. As the mood seemed to dampen, Alex chimed in, "Maybe I should head out too. We can always have a sleepover another day."

Leo, caught off guard, blurted, "A sleepover?"

Maya explained, "Millie got scared after the horror movie, so we thought about having a sleepover at our place."

Alex suggested to Maya that she can still have a girls' night in with Millie.

The idea of a "girly sleepover" appealed to both Maya and Millie, and a smile crept onto their faces. With that, everyone started leaving the restaurant.

Millie, Alex, Maya, and Leo all sat in the metro, waiting for their stop, everyone was using their phones.

There is a very popular mobile company named ConnectR which makes very affordable phones, due to which most of the people use ConnectR phones.

(The train screeches to a halt. People jostle for position.)

Millie: Ughh, this train is packed!

Maya: (Doesn't look up from her phone) Have you seen this?

Millie: See what? The kid who vomited inside the train?

Maya: No, the ConnectR app! Everyone's freaking out!

Millie: (scoff) Freaking out? What about it? Did it finally explode and fry everyone's brains?

Maya: Not exactly. Look! (Holds up her phone) it just... appeared.

Millie: (Peers over) "ConnectR Link: App in Progress." That's it? No icon, no features, just a stupid message?

Maya: Exactly! And it's on everyone's phone who uses ConnectR! Twitter is going nuts. People are speculating, complaining, freaking out!

Leo: (Raises an eyebrow) Hype for what? Another useless social media platform?

Millie: (Smirks) Don't act so superior, Mr. Fancy Phone. At least ConnectR comes with your budget blaster.

Leo: (Pats his expensive phone) At least mine comes with apps that actually work. (Gesture towards Maya) No offense, Maya.

Alex: This is bizarre. Why would ConnectR install a half-baked app on everyone's phone? What are they even planning?

Cut to: A montage of social media post.

Tweet 1: Woke up this morning to a new app called ConnectR Link. It literally just says "App in progress." Is ConnectR spying on us Or something? #ConnectRSpyware #UninstallingConnectR

Instagram Post: Seriously, ConnectR? This blank app is taking up precious storage space! Get it together!
#ConnectRFail #FixTheApp

YouTube Video (Thumbnail: Frustrated Tech Reviewer): ConnectR's new app? A TOTAL JOKE! (Clickbait title, but the content is genuinely concerned)

Cut back to Maya, Millie, Alex and Leo.

Millie: Maybe it's a marketing strategy? Build hype for some revolutionary new feature?

Maya: Could be. But ConnectR isn't known for its subtlety. Remember the time they rolled out those rainbow phone cases that chipped after a week?

Millie: True... This feels more... sinister. Like they're upto something.

Suddenly, a notification pops up on both their phones. It's the ConnectR Link app.

Millie: (Whispers) Did that app just....?