(Occurring in simultaneity with the chicken drumstick conversation) Narrator: The following takes place between 2:57 PM and 3:03 PM at an old abandoned farmhouse outside Washington, D.C. Events occur in real time. (Setting: An old abandoned farmhouse. Time: 2:57 PM)
(A 2005 Beige Toyota Corolla pulls up and before the two people step out, one of them mutters) Person: I hate the Internet. It gives me headaches. (The rain starts to come down and the thunder strikes) (From out of the car step out the FBI N00bs sent by Skinner to give Scully and Muldar the day off. From the driver side comes Agent Betty Cooper played by Lili Reinhart and from the passenger side comes Agent Veronica Lodge played by Camila Mendes) (The rain quiets enough so we can hear them talk, as they leave the old car behind and begin to approach the perimeter of the farmhouse) ABC: All these radio waves are zipping through the air and all the tech companies know about it and they're not doing anything, really. Plus, you know, locking everything down lately into walled gardens. Subscription models and such. (AVL leans down to look at the old fence of the farmhouse and then looks up and grins at ABC) AVL: I'll tell you one. Have you heard about this YouTube video that kills you when you watch it? (Time: 2:58 PM) ABC: What? What do you mean? A YouTube Video? What's it about? AVL: I dunno, an ordinary YouTube Video. (They walk along the perimeter) AVL: Anyway, you start watching it. And it's like somebody's nightmare. All sorts of strange images. Uncanny stuff and all. Deepfakes. And then, a woman gazes into the camera. Seeing you through the screen. Then, the video ends and your cell phone beeps with a notification. Someone knows you've watched it. And what they say is - ABC: "You will die in seven days." AVL: And exactly seven days later... ABC: Where'd you hear about that? AVL: Betty, it's just some stupid Reddit rumor. (Time: 2:59 PM) ABC: Where'd you hear? AVL: Just talk amongst the folks over coffee in the break room. But how'd you know what the notification on the person's phone was? ABC: Last week, Agent Andrews and Agent Jones and I. Skinner sent us up into the mountains. We were at an old inn. AVL: You were with Archie and Jughead at an inn in the mountains? ABC: Listen! The WiFi was bad. Really bad. And we were looking into it. Conspiracy theories. We decided to take a rest and took Cabin 12. Anyway, Agent Andrews dared me to put in random IP addresses, thinking we could find a bootleg football game. And we did! And so, I recorded it to my computer and we waited and had some lunch and took a rest. And then when we woke up, it was done and we played it back. But it wasn't the football game... AVL: What was it? (They begin walking up the driveway to the farmhouse)
ABC: "It was something else." (They reach the porch of the farmhouse and approach the front door) ABC: That was a week ago. A week ago today. AVL: Betty, it's just a rumor. (Betty's phone starts ringing and she pulls it out and looks at the time as it rings) (Time: 3:00 PM) (Betty looks at Veronica) AVL: There really is a tape. (The phone continues ringing and Betty hands it to Veronica) ABC: Would you answer? AVL: For you? ABC: Please. (The rain gets harder and the thunder booms) (Veronica takes the phone from Betty and then looks at her) ABC: Please, Veronica. AVL: This is stupid. (Veronica picks up the phone) AVL: Agent Veronica Lodge speaking on behalf of Agent Betty Cooper. (Veronica listens for a moment and a look of horror comes across her face. She hands the phone back to Betty) ABC: Hello? (Betty listens for a moment and then glares at Veronica and says into the phone) ABC: Hi, Mom. (AVL starts to walk away to examine the perimeter of the farmhouse and says yelling over the rain) AVL: Your mom's a total surveillance nut! Ask her if there's any vicodin in this old farmhouse! (AVL wanders off to investigate and Betty sits down in an old chair) ABC: Yeah, that was Veronica. Skinner set us to investigate some Reddit rumor and we're out in the middle of nowhere. What's up? (Betty listens) ABC: A barbecue? I mean, I guess? When is it? (Betty listens) ABC: Yeah, I'll bring everyone. That's fine. (Betty listens) ABC: Mulder and Scully, too? I mean, I could ask but they're always pretty busy and all. Bye, Mom.
(Betty hangs up the phone and is about to follow Veronica when she notices the front door open slightly. She approaches the front door, holding her gun on her hip and puts her phone away. She opens the old front door which creaks, poorly greased and abandoned, and she steps inside and looks around. The inside is covered in dust, largely long forgotten. And she begins to look around. In the living room is an old CRT television, plugged into the wall. She looks at it and it turns on. She's alarmed and rushes over to it and unplugs it and turns it off. And then in the reflection, she notices some sort of presence which passes through the room behind her and she turns around to see nothing.) ABC: Veronica! Veronica? (No answer. She gets up and looks around. In one room she sees an oval mirror on the wall, which subtly reminds her of something. She turns around and wanders to the stairs leading to the second floor and quickly rushes up, holding her gun on her hip. She reaches the top of the stairs and sees a door leading to one of the bedrooms. The door is closed and there is a puddle of water on the floor. For some reason, she doesn't turn away but proceeds to the door. From inside, she can hear a little girl singing and a strange song, which again reminds her of something she can't place. She steps into the puddle of water in her boots and the puddle ripples outward.)
(Outside, the rainstops and it's silent, except for the little girl singing and the song. Betty closes her eyes in the silence, a tear falling down her cheeks. And she breathes and opens the door and then -)
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