Encryption

Three carefree tweens ride their bikes through a quiet suburban neighborhood. Laughing, they drop their bikes in the driveway and wave hello to Johnny, their next-door neighbor. Comforted by the subdivision's family-oriented nature, Johnny's reminded why he chose to rent a house instead of a dingy college apartment. He pops off his hammock and runs inside to grab his laptop. As he enters the hallway he can hear faint typing traveling from his roommate, Penelopes' den. The room is dark, blurred code reflects on her glasses. Johnny leans on the doorway "Yo! I'm heading to the library if you want to emerge from hibernation today." Without looking up, Penelope mumbles, "Yeah, okay, cool." Johnny shrugs and turns to his room just before bumping shoulders with Rajeima. "Hey! Watch out Goldie locks!" Rajeima throws her hands up jokingly, "Running 'round here like someone's after ya." Johnny gives a forced smirk and ducks off into his room. Rajeima yells through his doorway, "Don't forget it's trash day!" Stepping front and center into Penelopes' room, "Hey Einstein, how is that project coming along?" As soon as Penelope opens her mouth to answer, a flashbang crashes through the living room window.

The impact moves like static through their bones and shoots an echo of breaking glass through the house. Penelope is frozen in her chair, ears ringing. Instinct hits Rajeima as she frantically extracts an external chip from Penelope's laptop. Fighting the need to focus on the intense pressure in her chest, she shakenly places the chip into a perfect cut out in a blank little black notebook. Rajeima tucks the notebook into her cargo jacket and grabs Penelope's arm as she runs towards the door. Penelope can barely feel her legs moving by the time they hit the doorway. Before taking off towards the backyard, she sees Johnny stumbling against the living room wall before being pinned down by multiple armed soldiers dressed in black. His laptop hits the floor then is swiftly taken by one of the soldiers. Rajeima lets go of Penelopes' arm and says over her shoulder, "Split up!" before beelining to the neighbors' trash can. Still catching up to the present moment, Penelope stands frozen. Her gaze travels from the floor to a soldier she quickly realizes is making eye contact with her. Simultaneously tensing up and being shaken into reality, she whimpers, "Oh my God." Running in the opposite direction of Rajeima, she knows it's only a matter of time until she meets Johnny's fate. Rajeima watches through a small crack in the fence from her neighbors' yard. She waits until the backyard is clear to push through the same loose plank of wood she traveled through before. Putting her hands up in surrender, she emerges from her backyard. Two of the soldier's approach with their guns pointed at her, "On the ground!" Before she knows it, she is in the back of a cold black van with one pale girl covered in vomit and one angry blonde boy.

After cuffing the final target to the bench in the back, a soldier goes to close the back doors. Just before shutting out the daylight, he slaps on a cap that reads, "FBI." Rajeima mumbles under breath, "Oh sh-" the door slams shut. Johnny whisper yells at the girls, "The FBI!? What is going on! What was that!!?" Rajeima quickly quiets him, "Shh! shut up!" Trying to control his frustration, Johnny snaps back, "I knew y'all were into something shady but, I didn't think it was Federal!" Eyes wide, staring at the metal bench, Penelope almost talking to herself, "It was just supposed to be a typical run-of-the-mill hack... I-I" Rajeima wrinkles her face and stuffs her nose into her shoulder, "Dear God! Talk in the other direction... you know what just don't talk at all." Shaking his head Johnny takes control of the conversation again, "Why Rajeima? How could you be stupid enough to do that!?" Rajeima gives him a condescending look, "You're telling me if you got a transfer of twenty THOUSAND dollars and all you had to do to keep it is disclose a tiny bit of classified data… you wouldn't do it? Come on now." Johnny's expression drops, "No Rajeima! Not from a Federal account! Anyone who is sane would have given it back!" Rajeima rolls her eyes, "You can't just give that back... besides we already spent it." Jonny throws himself back, "Unbelievable. Wha-" Penelope interrupts and finally looks up at them, "We need to get our story straight." Johnny rebuttals, "We?" "Yes. We." Rajeima cuts in. The image of the little black notebook in the neighbor's trash, burning into her memory.