The Following Ficlet Takes Place Between 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM (04:17:23 PM)
“Randall!â? his mother called from the top of the stairs. “Arnold is here to see you.â?
“Don’t turn on the light!â? Randall shouted. His mother flipped a switch and the basement went dark once more, save for the light from the computer monitors.
“I don’t know why you don’t just go play outside. You’ll go blind sitting in the dark all day.â?
Randall shook his head and muttered, “Division…â?
Arnold ambled down the stairs, each step groaning under his feet.
“Edgar,â? Randall chided him, “you’re late.â?
“I told you,â? Arnold retorted, “I’m Milo, not Edgar.â?
“You’re too fat to be Milo.â?
“And you’re too stupid to be Tony.â? Arnold plopped down in front of one of the computers. “Where’s Jack?â?
“He was following a lead on the Sarin gas,â? Randall said, “but he hasn’t checked in yet.â?
Randall leaned over Arnold’s shoulder and put in a few keystrokes, bringing up Jason’s Twitter page. The last message was four hours old. “That’s not like him,â? Randall said, “and I’m getting hungry.â?