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INT. HIGH TECH CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY

Harry sits on one side of the table, facing Rosalie, Joe, and Ernie. Harry is leafing through a dossier and looking generally displeased.

HARRY

And so over the last month this creature has downloaded terabytes worth of information off the Internet…

ERNIE

There’s some evidence that it is “listening in” on terrestrial radio as well.

HARRY

Any independent evidence of intelligence?

ROSALIE

Certainly…

JOE

Of a sort.

HARRY

Such as?

ERNIE

It’s been uploading material into our virtual space. For example, it seems to have somehow produced a sound file that resembles a radio show.

HARRY

Really?

Rosalie clicks something. On a video screen at the end of the table appears an oscilloscope-like graphic that moves as the voice below plays.

RADIO SHOW VOICE

…all these immigrants pouring into the country, taking jobs away from real Americans, spreading their diseases, and the libtards in Washington don’t want to do anything to protect your rights. Now, I’m not advocating any violence here, but the Founding Fathers in their wisdom gave us the Second Amendment for a reason…

Harry makes a throat-cutting gesture. Rosalie promptly clicks the radio show off.

HARRY

So we’ve spent how much money to create a new right-wing radio host?

ERNIE

The creature has also uploaded a text into virtual space.

Harry raises an eyebrow.

ERNIE

It’s a four hundred and fifty thousand word defense of the thesis that William Shakespeare wrote the New Testament.

ROSALIE

And there’s the graphic novel it sent us.

HARRY

(looking down at his dossier)

I don’t see anything about that here.

ROSALIE

We thought you might find it distasteful.

JOE

“Vore University.” The touching story of a group of coeds who enroll in a program in which they are socialized into wanting to be meat.

Harry sighs and closes his dossier.

HARRY

Lady and gentlemen, we’re a drug company. We don’t do animal psychology research here.

ROSALIE

If this is about the government…

HARRY

I realize the government wants this creature, but it was found on company property and our lawyers can tie them up for years if we need to. No, the issue is our investors, who are getting increasingly anxious about how much this project costs. So we have to shut down. The creature goes to the government, who are interested in it.

ROSALIE

(alarmed)

Who will do what with him?

HARRY

Military weapons research, most likely. It won’t be our problem any more.

ROSALIE

But Harry…

HARRY

(firmly)

The decision has been made, Dr. Quisp.

(looking up toward Ernie and Joe)

Gentlemen.

Ernie, Joe, and Rosalie rise and begin to file out of the conference room.

HARRY

Dr. Quisp, a word with you please.

Rosalie turns to face Harry.

HARRY

Rosalie, I want you to know that you weren’t wrong to advocate for this project. It’s just that sometimes things don’t work out. Everything here costs money, and we need to respect the wishes of those whose money it is. Otherwise, there is no OIKOS GALENOU L-L-C.

ROSALIE

I understand.

HARRY

I want you to know that even if it didn’t work out, my trust in you is unimpaired.

ROSALIE

Thank you.

HARRY

Take the weekend off. Do some self-care, and we’ll see you back in the lab on Monday, okay?

ROSALIE

Yes, Dr. Lal.

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