CLARK approaches holding a small sack made of rough linen in one hand a thermos of coffee in the other. He takes a sip of the coffee and shakes the bag up and down a few times, creating an enticing rattle.
CLARK
Come and get it, Ladies!
Excited squawking can be heard from inside the henhouse moments before four hens come scurrying down the plank. HENRIETTA, GERTRUDE, MILLICENT, and SYLVIA (collectively known as THE LADIES) gather around CLARK’s feet. GERTRUDE, a lean and lanky Plymouth Rock, stretches her neck up to peck at the sack hopefully.
CLARK
Oh, just wait a second, Gertie. Honestly,
have I ever let you girls go hungry? Huh?
Have I?
CLARK scatters some cracked corn onto the ground from inside the sack. THE LADIES immediately begin squawking and pecking in a scramble to consume as many kernels as they can. CLARK smirks.
CLARK
Didn’t think so. Well, I’ve officially become a
criminal, you’ll be happy to know.
MILLICENT and SYLVIA, two large Brahma hens, raise their heads to look at CLARK before resuming pecking and scratching.
CLARK
Well, okay, I guess I was a criminal already
after breaking into that HPG station. And, uh,
aiding and abetting Alex and his friend in their
espionage attempts. And sheltering members of an
invading force in my house as a national manhunt
for them is taken underway.
CLARK pauses and frowns as he says this. THE LADIES have finished gathering their first round of kernels, and GERTRUDE reaches up to peck eagerly at CLARK’s hand for more. CLARK jumps, his reverie broken.
CLARK
Ouch! Okay, okay, you vicious beasts. Here.
I guess I just never stopped to realize how deep
into this thing I’d gotten before just now. Maybe
that’s cause I haven’t gotten any pushback from the
Word just yet. That might change soon.
CLARK scatters another handful of corn kernels. HENRIETTA the Rhode Island Red is clearly at the top of the pecking order, putting the other LADIES in their places with the occasional authoritative peck. CLARK watches for another few seconds, then resumes speaking.
CLARK
I helped them break into the police station. I guess
I didn’t do much, just listened and equipped and sat
outside. That’s all I was supposed to do, anyway. How
was I supposed to know their computer system would
ACTUALLY need fixing? When Alex told me that Simon and
David actually needed us to come in and work, I’m not
going to lie. I practically turned chicken right there and ran.
CLARK’s last sentence finishes just as THE LADIES polish off the last of the corn kernels. They are immediately back on him, fluttering and squawking.
CLARK
Whoa, hey! No offense, Ladies! Okay, it was
a poor choice of words. I admit it. Thankfully, all
I had to do was show up and press a button. I guess
Shin must have made a pretty great distraction - I could
hear him from all the way back in the van! Plus, he walked
the entire way back out to the farm after the police released
him from his, uh, disorderly conduct holding. I guess he
didn’t get charged with anything...which is probably just as well.
Simon managed to get another dump of data. I don’t know what
we’re going to do with it. Okay, okay, one more.
CLARK dips his hand into the bag once more and comes out with a large handful of kernels, which he spills about with a flourish. THE LADIES immediately disperse to begin pecking.
CLARK
Funny, isn’t it? You Ladies can find a corn kernel in the
tall grass in seconds, but the Word still hasn’t managed to
find our...houseguests, even with Shin’s mech. It was only
a matter of time, though. The files we got from the police
station proved they were still looking for the Case White
survivors, and they were stepping up their search. Shin had
to get rid of the thing, I put my foot down on that. No help
to anyone if we’re all arrested, or dead. He agreed to hide it
way up in the mountains, but I guess prepping a mech for long-
term storage isn’t easy, ‘cause they had to stay out there
for about two weeks!
HENRIETTA chases MILLICENT just in front of CLARK’s feet, squawking indignantly.
CLARK
Yeah, it was pretty unbelievable Fortunately they managed it,
and it sounds like they took care of the only people who saw
them. What will we do now, though? I can’t just sit around
and wait. To be honest, I’m going kinda stir-crazy with all these
armed guys sitting around my house. I’m worried about the bio-
weapon they’re working on in Montana. Bio-weapons usually end
up killing a lot of civilians, and I can’t let that happen if I could stop it.
Can I stop it, though?
CLARK’S POV - All four of THE LADIES finish scrounging for corn and gather back at CLARK’s feet. They look up at him, trusting, not knowing the trouble he faces.
BACK TO EXT. HENHOUSE - CLARK laughs.
CLARK
I guess I have to try.
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