Sutton, wearing new clothes, sits on the floor in the backroom with Fox and Wolf, each of them holding tablets and pens. Sutton is drawing something, looking concentrated, they then hold it up for the girls to see, smiling. The girls squint at it, trying to puzzle it out, they then go to write on their boards. Fox holds hers up, reading 'bed' in scraggly writing, then Wolf holds up hers, reading 'nife.' Sutton deflates.
Sutton: [lowering their tablet] It's a car.
Frogger: Oooh...
Sutton: Knife is spelt with a k at the beginning.
Wolf: [frowning] That's stupid.
Fox: Have I ever seen a car?
Sutton: [reconsidering] Maybe this isn't the best game...
Frogger enters the backroom, drawing the three's attention.
Sutton: Oh, hey!
Frogger: [lil surprised to see Sutton] Hi. [tilting head] Have you been home?
Sutton: [looking away] Uh, no.
Frogger: [folding arms, but, like, amused] Should I worried?
Sutton: [frown, almost a pout] No, I'm just spending time with the girls.
Fox: [reaching over to grab Sutton's tablet] We're playing charades with pictures. [holding up Sutton's bad car drawing] You should play!
Frogger: [amused] Maybe later.
The elevator dings and Reed steps out.
Reed: Yo, Frog Legs, just the man I wanted to see.
Frogger: You have the chip?
Reed: Ah, no, Pixie Sticks came and got it. She set up shop five months ago, right?
Frogger: Why did you tell me-- [exasperated sigh, hand to temple] Yes.
Reed: [leaning on the arm of the couch] And the first case of plague was...[points at Sutton] What, four months ago?
Sutton: [kinda caught off guard] Uh, yeah, four months ago.
Reed: [pointing at Frogger, expectant] Smell fishy to you?
Frogger: [pauses] ...Yes, but I might just be standing too close.
Frogger takes a pointed step away from Reed, who throws...idk, some nonlethal, conveniently placed item at him. Wolf snorts in amusement. Al can be seen entering the room through door near the elevator.
Reed: I'm trying to make a point here. Impetus knows something about the plague.
Frogger: Obviously.
Sutton: [frowning] ...They knew before it happened.
Reed: [makes some kinda 'bingo' gesture] Exactly. [to Frogger] I think they did it.
Frogger: Really?
Reed kinda tsks and rolls his eyes. Al is messing with boxes.
Reed: Come on, they're saying we could have an international catastrophe within months, tell me this whole thing doesn't scream bioweapon.
Frogger: [considers] ...Can't say you're wrong. [stopping Reed's 'there you go' gesture] But why? Why now? What could they possibly gain from this? Most importantly, why are they testing vaccines?
YOU ARE READING
Splice (first draft)
Science FictionSPLICE verb (used with object), spliced, splic·ing. Genetics. to join (segments of DNA or RNA) together. A college intern gets in over their head when they pick up a couple of strays, and a weary information broker may have bitten off more than he...
