S1, E5 | Leads

} The following events take place through the months of April, May, and June, 2030, and the 18th of January, 2031 {

> 18th January, 2031 <

“Did you ever find out if she was telling the truth?” Caden wonders aloud, interjecting his own question into the conversation. “About which part?” Sophie replies, her eyes falling onto the boy opposite the room from her, the camera no longer her primary driven focus. “The Huntington’s” Caden replies, the girl’s eyes falling to the concrete floor beneath her feet, “she was treated for it, but never diagnosed with it… So did you ever find out?”

Slick lips parted, the fluorescent lights above reflecting off their now-glossy coat, Sophie sits in silence, the only answer coming from her shaking head. From one side to another, Sophie refuses, prompting a follow up question to be raised regarding the same tone. “Do you think she was lying about it?” Caden asks, the girl’s face turned away from him, but her eyes steadily held in his direction, “or was that one of the things you believed?”

With a smirk, Sophie kicks her foot over her leg and leans back in her chair, not caring about the presence of the camera for the first time since taking her seat back. “I don’t really know anymore” Sophie replies, crossing her arms as her eyes veer toward the far corner of the room, “she told me so many things, some true, some not… I stopped being able to figure out which was which.”

With a nod, Caden looks back to his clipboard, Sophie concluding her point without his eyes returning to her. “I’m pretty sure that was the point” Sophie explains, Caden reading the next question to himself as she finishes, “ultimately I wouldn’t ask questions anymore.” Squinting, Caden reads the next question to himself time after time again, lost as to what the paper is referring to.”Call in the third party?” Caden finally reads aloud, looking toward the girl, confused.

“Dad” Sophie calls, watching her father’s head pull up, Sophie’s eyes already upon him just as Caden turns around, the man soon realizing what he’s being asked of. “No- honey… I can’t” Andrew responds, his daughter standing out of her chair without a word, approaching her father with one hand held out. “It’s okay” Sophie says, her voice soft and understanding, “but if I can come here, so can you.”

With a sigh, Andrew tries to refuse the request, shaking his head until his feet find themselves atop the concrete layering, his body moving further into the room with every pull. Not wanting to partake in the sharing of conversations any more than he already has, Andrew begrudgingly allows his daughter to lead him toward her chair, his hips lowering onto the seat before the camera, head darting toward all sides of the room before his eyes latch onto the lens.

With a nod, Sophie takes a few steps away from her father before walking back to the door, where she stands in the afternoon sunlight, both hands pressed against the doorframe. With her shadow casting onto the ground of the room both her father and best friend occupy, Sophie watches over Caden’s further inquiries, the next question putting her own upon the man himself.

“What were the months before the summer like?” Caden asks, Andrew’s struggle to answer interrupted by the woman in the doorway, who pushes her father’s attention to the camera. “Please speak into the camera” Sophie asks, her father’s disgruntled face relaxing, not wishing to go against the wishes his daughter holds, giving into the frustration of the situation and turning toward the camera, answering to the best of his abilities.

= Generation Alpha is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media from the start of Season 1 onwards =

> April 2030 <

“You need to settle down a bit, Andy” Anne explains, taking a seat beside the concerned father, a glass of wine in his hand. “I know you’re going through a lot, and I know that prick in the suit really deserved those shots” Anne explains, shaking her head in recollection of the last few weeks, “but you’re gonna put yourself in the grave before we can find Sophie if you keep running like this.”

Dressed in a baggy sweatshirt and sweatpants, a soak-covered Andrew returns the glass of wine to the woman’s hand, thanking her for the consideration. “At some point, I’ll be out there running and I’ll catch the sight of her” Andrew explains, the woman beside him looking away, knowing nothing she can say will derail his intention to find Sophie.

“Andrew, it’s been nearly a month since she was taken” Anne explains, her hand pressing against the man’s chest, feeling the heat of his breath run down upon her face, “if she were somewhere out there, she’d be found and right back here by now.” Taking in heavy breaths, Andrew looks down at her, challenging her statement, taking it in the least-intended way.

“So you’re saying she’s not getting found” Andrew replies, watching Anne shake her head until her neck becomes stiff, eyes wide once Andrew follows up his statement, “that she’s dead now?”

“No, that is not at all what I am saying” Anne responds, gently pushing the man back onto the couch,”if it were Logan out there- in trouble like that- no matter how much time had passed, he’d never be dead to me until there was a body.” Rejoining the man on the couch, Anne pulls Andrew’s face toward her, making sure he maintains eye contact as she speaks.

“You’ve got a daughter to look out for, one that I shouldn’t have to remind you needs extra attention” Anne explains, “you can’t just go out running for six hours at a time with the stress you’ve got without the risk of dropping dead on the side of the road.” Sinking into his seat, Andrew watches Hugh and George round the corner, joining Anne and himself in the foyer.

“Wrenich decided not to press charges, my wallet is making sure of that” Hugh explains, placing the headset phone back into its holder, “but you’re not allowed on school campus for the rest of the semester.” Shrugging, Andrew shakes his head, not really caring about the consequences he’s been handed. “I assume Anne’s been trying to convince you to cool it down?” George calls back, Andrew turning to look at the man.

“Is she speaking for her own opinions, or the opinions of everyone here?” Andrew asks, George and Hugh both remaining silent, giving him the answer non-verbally. “You’ve still got a kid here that needs you, and none of us are trained enough to know about autism” Hugh explains, promising to pay for whatever services are best-suitable, “but you’ve gotta stop running from your problems and start running back to her.”

Approaching the father with a folded piece of paper, George lets the note fall into Andrew’s fingers, unfolding to reveal a pencil-written note in Olivia’s handwriting. Reading it silently to himself, Andrew’s posture goes from defensive and readied to softened and defeated, folding the note up once more and tossing it to the floor once done. Without another word, Andrew shakes his head, walking through the front door and leaving the group of parents on their lonesome.

“Honey?” Andrew calls out, entering his home and throwing his jacket over the hook in the corner of the doorway, a thunderous set of footsteps coming in from the living room. “Daddy!” Olivia shouts, running into her father’s arms, nearly knocking over a light in the process. “Hey princess” Andrew replies, watching Elaine appear soon after, following the young girl she’s taken on more responsibility toward.

“Thank you for spending extra time with her, Elaine” Andrew says, his daughter still held tightly in his arms, thankful for the work she’s done. “I know none of this is easy for you, Andrew” Elaine responds, her hand caressing his shoulder as he stands up, daughter carried in his arms, “I’m happy to help however I can.”

Nodding, Andrew pulls the woman into his arms and gives her a hug, pressing his face into the nook of her neck, whispering ‘thank you’ again whilst holding back tears. “Hey, everything’s going to work out” Elaine replies, pulling away from the man, looking into his eyes with her hand on his cheek, “she’ll be back in her own bed soon enough, I promise you that.”

“When is Sophie coming home?” Olivia asks, unable to understand the weighted emotions carried with such a question, her intentions well-meaning. With a sigh, Andrew pulls back from Olivia, looking her in the eyes and telling her the same answer he’s given since the first time the question was asked. “Soon, honey” Andrew responds, swiping her hair over her ear with a smile, “we’re working on it, okay?”

> May, 2030 <

Downing the last drop in his cup, Andrew waits in a silent room, children’s toys everywhere his eye can turn toward, a door that opens in the far corner of the room capturing his attention. “Andrew Carrion?” a woman calls out, prompting him to leave his seat, following her into the depths of the building he occupies at the moment. “Thank you for coming in on such short notice” the woman explains, “I assume you’ve already been given the basic rundown of how things will work?”

With a silent nod, Andrew follows the woman into a dimly-lit room, a large window with two chairs sat before it in the front of the space, one chair already occupied by Elaine. With little vocal interaction, Andrew takes his coat off and places it over the back of his seat, watching his daughter play in the room they’re left to look into.

“Olivia Amari?” a polite woman calls out, entering the room to find herself attacked with a large hug from the well-behaved youngest daughter. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Olivia” the woman greets, “do you remember my name?” With glee, Olivia answers the woman with accuracy, something her father takes joy in seeing from beyond her sight. “You’re Doctor Julia!” Olivia replies, a smile radiating from the medical professional, who holds her hand out for a high five.

“Do you remember what we were talking about last week?” Julia wonders aloud, pulling a small chair out of the corner of the room and taking a seat on it, a leather-bound notebook carried in the space of her elbow. “I think we were talking about Sophie” Olivia responds, congratulated on her accuracy once more. “Do you remember what else were talking about?” Julia asks, watching Olivia quickly recall the second portion of their discussion.

“We were talking about dad, but we talk about dad a lot, right?” Olivia replies, all in quick succession, something that lessens the genuine joy in Andrew’s smile from beyond the two-way mirror. “Do you remember why we were talking about your dad?” Julia asks, the rapidity of Olivia’s responses being something she’s trained at picking apart in a moment.

“Because he doesn’t spend time with me anymore, and I don’t like that” Olivia responds, continuing to ramble, “because I miss my sister and my dad keeps running away too, so I only have Ms. Kirkpatrick.” The last of his smile fading away, Andrew continues to look on, Elaine not speaking a word, instead allowing him to fully confront what his preoccupation is doing to the daughter he still has to care for.

“Do you want your dad around more?” Julia asks, Olivia quick to respond, a depressing truth being offered. “I miss my dad, but I miss my sister more” the young girl replies, sitting in a chair, fidgeting with her hands, unable to stand still, “my sister hasn’t been home in a long time and I don’t think she’s coming back.” Closing his eyes, Andrew listens into the rest of the conversation, unable to look at his daughter without being confronted with both ends of the truth.

“Why don’t you think your sister is coming back, honey?” Julia wonders aloud, letting the girl speak, her ramblings eventually leading her toward different avenues of dialogue. “Because she hasn’t been home in weeks and that doesn’t happen a lot” Olivia responds, continuing to ruffle with her hands, “like, she goes to school after I leave and she comes back in the afternoon or at night, and Caden always brings her home.”

“Do you like Caden?” Julia asks, Olivia shrugging at the question, answering it as best as she can. “He’s with my sister a lot, but he’s not with her anymore” Olivia explains, her hands still swirling around each other, “he’s nice, but we’re not friends. Sophie and Caden are friends, but I’m Sophie’s friend. Not Caden’s friend.” Tilting her head, Julia asks why Olivia believes she’s not Caden’s friend, a question that circles to a more depressing unfinding.

“Because I don’t play with Caden, Sophie does” Olivia replies, explaining that she never sees her sister without him unless she’s home, “if she’s not with Caden, she’s not with dad, she’s not with me- I don’t know where she is.” Folding her arms in her lap, Julia proceeds down another question, one that brings a yet-unexplored possibility into question. “If Sophie’s not with you, dad, or Caden, where do you think Sophie is?” Julia asks, puzzled by the answer.

“With my mom” Olivia responds, prompting Andrew to open his eyes, looking into the room with a squint, almost unsure of what to think. “Dad says my mom isn’t the same mom as Sophie’s, but I know we don’t” Olivia replies, her voice, despite discussing heavy topics, remaining as lively and preppy as it always has, “maybe she decided to bring her home.”

Turning to Elaine, Andrew finds the woman’s confused eyes already upon him, a curious look in her face. “Where is Sophie’s mom right now?” Elaine asks, a question that takes Andrew a moment to answer. “I’m not really sure… I haven’t heard from her in twelve years” Andrew responds, looking back into the session room with his eyes squinting, a new thought having popped into his head.

|

“Mr. Amari!” a young girl shouts from the side of the street, earning the man’s attention as he exits his vehicle. “You look familiar” Andrew calls back, watching the girl approach him, hands tucked in her pockets, “aren’t you the kid that robbed the Stewart’s house?” With a smirk on her face, Izzy shakes her head in refusal. “I went to pelt their kid with eggs, not steal their pelt rugs… Let’s get that clear” Izzy replies, inquiring about the search.

“Caden not keeping you informed or something?” Andrew responds, pulling out his house keys as he opens the backdoor to his vehicle, Olivia rushing out to jump into Izzy’s arms. “Ah- small child- why?” Izzy yelps, both hands held in the air as the girl wraps around her like a snake, Andrew quickly running over to pull her away. “Is your kid a monkey? Do I look more like a tree than I realize?” Izzy asks, a quick explanation doing enough to satisfy her.

“You don’t like kids or something?” Andrew asks, the young girl approving of his findings. “I’m an only child and my mom doesn’t shelter me like every other kid” Izzy explains, returning her conversation to the previous point, “and no, Caden isn’t keeping me informed… He’s not really talking about it at all, to be honest.” Nodding, Andrew admits that he’s sorry to hear that, asking the young girl of her interest.

“My mom never taught me about these kinds of things until after Sophie went missing” Izzy explains, Olivia dashing through the front door the moment it opens, allowing Andrew to look back at the woman, “now, especially since she’d still be here if I hadn’t been a few minutes late… I don’t know, I feel guilty.”

Closing his lips, Andrew lets out a sigh before welcoming the girl in, a gesture Izzy takes with appreciation. “I don’t blame you if that’s what you’re wondering” Andrew explains, throwing his keys upon the granite countertop and walking toward the fridge, “none of us saw what happened coming.”

Her head hung, Izzy occupies one of the chairs at the kitchen table, looking off at a framed photo of the trio on the wall, eyes growing sad. “Is it bad if I blame myself, though?” Izzy wonders aloud, watching the older gentleman close the fridge, stopping his intentions of making a quick dinner to look at the girl as she continues, “-because it’s really hard to forgive myself for letting it happen.”

Resting a carton of eggs and a cup of olive oil on the counter, Andrew takes a seat beside the younger girl, both hands pressing themselves against the top of the table. “I’ve sat at this island over a hundred times in the last month, wondering what I could’ve done anything differently” Andrew explains, the irony of this encounter beginning to feel more like fate, “the problem is, the only person responsible for this is the person that took advantage of my daughter being alone. No one else.”

Turning away from the man, Izzy begins to feel the weight of responsibility push upon her shoulders, the alleviation of the man’s blame doubled down on by her own hand. “How am I not responsible somehow?” Izzy asks, trying to give herself no easy exit, “even just for showing up two minutes later than I should have?” Finding common ground, Andrew places his hand upon the girl’s arm, looking into her eyes to ensure his response isn’t brushed off.

“I could’ve taught my daughter to look out for things like this… To not trust the world like she does” Andrew explains, his head shaking as he approaches his point, “I didn’t take her, I didn’t run off with her, I’m not the one that took her from any of us… And neither are you.” As a tear runs down her face, Izzy flashes a smile before nodding, looking away and standing up from her seat, thanking the man for their conversation.

“I don’t want anyone blaming themselves for something they shouldn’t” Andrew replies, a genuine smile coming across his face, feeling like he’s helped make a difference, “I’ll let you know if I find out anything else… Help keep your mind at ease.” With a sniffle, Izzy wipes away her tears and nods toward the man, walking for the front door. “Hey, before you go…” Andrew calls out, stopping the girl in her tracks, feeling weird for asking, “has Sophie ever told you about her mother?”

Looking off at a random spot of the house, Izzy shakes her head in declination. “She’s mentioned having a different mom than her sister, but never anything specific” Izzy responds, shrugging her shoulders, “honestly, I think I’ve always just assumed her mom’s been dead.” Tilting his head, Andrew asks the girl why, his will to fight in the past only further validated through Izzy’s response.

“It’s not often you see a dad get custody of the kid when the mom’s still alive” Izzy replies, her shoulders shrugging again, “I assumed that’s why she lived with you instead.” Giving the young girl a smile, Andrew thanks her for the conversation, the pair silently ending their discussion with Izzy’s exit. Sat at the counter, Andrew looks at the quiet interior of his kitchen, dimly lit by the chandelier above, a moment of reflection coming through.

Reaching into his pocket, Andrew presses a tab on his screen and lifts the phone to his ear, waiting to be tapped into the next line. “Hello?” a man on the other end responds, greeted by Andrew’s voice. “Hey, Hugh… I’m sorry to call so late” Andrew explains, quickly forgiven by the call’s recipient, “would you be willing to see if you can look up the whereabouts of a someone for me?”

Answering brief questions from Hugh, Andrew offers the little information that he has. “Morgan Amari, roughly the same age as me, would have been living in Topeka around September 2018” Andrew describes, a brief description of her appearance following. “I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but your officers asked if I knew anyone that could be responsible a couple weeks ago” Andrew explains, “I couldn’t think of anyone at first, but Sophie’s mom is one of the few people I could think of.”

“Thank you” Andrew concludes, lowering the phone from his ear and hanging up, his feet carrying him to the depths of the home. Stopping at a small nightstand in the space between the kitchen and living room, Andrew answers his daughter’s call for him. “I’ll be right up, sweetheart!” Andrew blurts out to Olivia, reaching down and gently opening a drawer, a framed photo resting within it.

“Carrion-Comiski family portrait, September 2020” the photo reads, a very pregnant woman depicted standing beside a four-year old Sophie, sitting on her father’s shoulders. Puckering his lips, Andrew holds back tears, pressing the picture to his chest as his daughter gently climbs down the stairs. “Honey!” Andrew greets, wiping his eyes and returning the photo to its original place, shutting the drawer, “What did you want me to se-?”

Stopped, Andrew finds himself wrapped in Olivia’s arms, the girl pressing her head against his chest as he kneels down, a gesture the man begins to tear up at, returning in kind.

> 18th January, 2031 <

“That was your first hunch?” Caden questions, Andrew timidly replying in kind, the uneasy silence in the room making it difficult to feel warmth. “That was the first I thought of it being a possibility” Andrew replies, nodding to Caden as a tear rolls freely down the side of his face, “but it wasn’t a hunch… I didn’t expect to hear anything of value back from the Stewart’s.”

“What did you expect?” Sophie quickly interjects from the doorway, both Caden and Andrew glancing toward her when asked, Caden turning back to the other gentleman. “I assumed there’d be something verifying a date of death, maybe a few other entries into rehab every now and then” Andrew explains, nodding to himself as he continues, “I didn’t expect to hear anything that would point me toward being suspicious of her. As it turned out, I was right for the most part.”

> June 2030 <

Answering the knock at his door, Andrew lets Hugh in, the man bringing a case of beer alongside him. “I know you like the cheaper stuff, but I figured you’d like something more top-shelf.” Taking a seat at the granite countertop, Hugh tosses a manilla envelope ahead of himself, Andrew looking at the thin appearance of the document, beginning to worry that his new clue may be dead in the water.

“That doesn’t look like it’s full of direction” Andrew quips, a finding Hugh doesn’t have much luck arguing against. “She doesn’t seem to be too fond of being on the grid by the looks of it” Hugh responds, pulling a few sheets of paper from within the package. Letting them fall upon the table, Hugh looks down the listing of public records as Andrew sits beside him, nothing jumping off the page too heavily at first.

“Says her license, health insurance, and other documents have all been renewed in the last year, that she owns a small plot of land up near Iowa in Gentry, but doesn’t appear to live there from her mailing records” Hugh explains, shrugging his shoulders at the rest, “not much more than that.” Eyes running down the rest of the mostly blank paper, Hugh explains that the remaining specifics are nothing to help their cause from there on.

“She drives a 2011 beige minivan, uses a home phone number, and collects income for disability in the state of Missouri… So she still lives here” Hugh concludes, “that’s all we’ve got.” Putting his head in his hands, Andrew lets out a sigh, shaking his head in refusal as Hugh pats him on the shoulder. “Should we give her a call? Maybe let her know about her daughter going missing?” Hugh asks, his suggestion immediately declined.

“No, she’s been out of Sophie’s life for thirteen years and deserves to be” Andrew replies, cupping his hands together and placing them against his chin, “she didn’t care then, she’s not allowed to care now.” With a nod, Hugh returns the papers to their envelope and hands the document to the man, leaving them for him to do as he pleases. “Andrew, I don’t wanna be hopeless here, but we’re low on options” Hugh explains, “we had very little to start with, and the trail’s only getting colder.”

Turning toward the man, Andrew looks into Hugh’s eyes as he begins to well with tears, “it’s only a matter of time before this gets shuffled to the cold case section.” Eyes falling, Andrew feels Hugh’s hand pat him on the shoulder, the man promising to continue offering whatever he can to help the man find his child. With a silent nod, Andrew thanks Hugh for what he’s helped with, the doorbell ringing just as their conversation begins to wrap up.

Quickly regaining his composure, Andrew walks to the front door, doing his best to make it look like he hadn’t just been on the verge of breaking out into tears. “Izzy?” Andrew calls out, opening the door to reveal the younger girl on the front step, her phone carried in her hand as she lets herself in. “Oh, hi Mr. Stewart” Izzy solemnly greets, the older man looking at her with less-than-enthused eyes, “I have a theory.”

Shrugging, Hugh leans against the counter whilst Andrew welcomes whatever she has to offer. “Okay, gotta be honest, this might be a stretch, but it’s a good one!” Izzy exclaims, watching Andrew take the seat beside Hugh, both curious as to why she holds her phone up like it’s a small child.

“After school, there’s usually no service whatsoever… Like that cell tower over the apartment complex at the end of the street just doesn’t exist” Izzy explains, both adults following along so far. “Since Sophie’s been gone, there’s no problem with the service anymore” Izzy explains, both Hugh and Andrew leaning forward, intrigued by what they’re told, “Sophie had my number and was supposed to text me after school, but I got no text… Maybe whoever took her was jamming the signal?”

Taking interest in the lead, both Hugh and Andrew realize that premeditation is no longer a question. “Whoever was there needed to be smart enough to jam the signal- if they intended to interfere with it” Andrew explains, a lead that Hugh only furthers travels down. “Even more than that, they must have been there constantly” Hugh explains, the only explanation for the never-ending interference being the one he’s come to.

“So they were purposefully going after Sophie!?” Izzy exclaims, a brand new conversation nearly ready to be opened, Hugh the only party objecting to such definitive conclusions. “They may have been going after anyone, we can’t prove Sophie was anything other than someone they just happened to get lucky in finding” Hugh explains, turning toward Andrew with his sights on the envelope, “either way, we might want to pay your wife a visit.”

“You think Sophie’s mom did this?” Izzy wonders aloud, both Hugh and Andrew glancing back toward her, a shrug coming from both. “She has a motive, Andrew” Hugh explains, his eyes glancing back toward Izzy, “and based on whatever you told this one, it seems like she’s the only solid lead we’ve got right now.”

“This one has a name, and that one has a point, Mr. Carrion” Izzy responds, a smirk coming over her face, “if she could have done it, there’s no reason not to go find out!” 

Looking back to the envelope, Andrew considers the little he knows, looking back to Hugh in acceptance of his suggested plan. “I guess we’re going to Gentry” Andrew replies, a pat on the shoulder coming from Hugh, the plan cleared.

> 18th January, 2031 <

“You still didn’t expect to get much out of the trip, did you?” Sophie calls out from the doorway, both arms leant against each side of the frame, her father looking at her with a depressed glance. “I expected it to be another dead end… I had no clue how on the nose I was” Andrew responds, shaking his head away from the camera, “and we were still so far away from getting those texts.”

“Don’t go too far ahead, that’s for a later question” Caden interjects, not wanting to lead the dialogue too far ahead too soon. “We missed each other by just that much” Sophie replies with a faint voice, almost coming off as a whimper as she shakes her head, “thank god for Izzy.”

“She was the one that kept us going after you” Caden responds, chuckling to himself as he recalls the moment they found their greatest piece to the puzzle, “we would’ve never found you without her.” With a nod, Sophie re-enters the room propper, tapping Caden on the shoulder and directing him toward Andrew’s seat, her father being gestured to return to his doorway.

“As you said, let’s not get ahead of ourselves… There’s more story to tell” Sophie replies, a genuine pep in her step as she feels the halfway point come and go, “more specifically, your story, Caden.” With a sigh, the boy nods to himself and hands the girl his clipboard, a feeling of propper ease coming over the room as the questions change hands, Caden carrying himself to the seat before the camera.

Lowering himself back into the chair, Caden watches Sophie sit in his previous seat, his hands folded in his lap as he looks into the lens, the girl’s smile fading as the next question is read aloud. Hearing the question spoken, Caden lifts his chin and speaks with a clear voice. “Caden, what was life like after I was gone?” Sophie asks, the boy answering with one word, unmistakable from any other.

“Hell.”

== Generation Alpha ==