Nevada's sudden and complete attention to the situation that she had described to him was on the one hand reassuring to Ms. McGill. She had found someone to help, someone who didn't think she was loony. Someone who might be able to explain the meaning of the disturbing dreams she'd been having. On the other hand, it also meant that her fear that the world was in immediate danger from malevolent beings from another world could actually be real. It meant that the bizarre and unthinkable thoughts she had been having could be true - that aliens with superior technology and superior intelligence who were determined to destroy and/or take over our planet, killing or enslaving all of humanity in the process, were controlling her father's brain in order to facilitate their evil plans. That part sucked.
***
“I have to call Carl right away,” Nevada said as he and Ms. McGill disembarked from the train. “Can I use your phone?”
“Well, of course, but don't you have one? I mean, shouldn't you?”
“Yes, Ms. McGill, I have one but it's old and the service is limited and won't usually work outside the metro Philly area. I'm what's known as 'slow-tech', which is of endless fascination to my clients for some reason.”
“Slow-tech? I'm afraid I don't know what that is. You mean low-tech?”
“No. It means I don't, or rather won't, upgrade. I have a cell phone, a computer, a television, but all vintage machines, as it were. I resist the latest generations, the newest software enhancements and so forth. A fact that many people find incongruous with my line of work, but I find just the opposite. I'm not quite Amish, although I do enjoy a nice buggy ride. Did you not notice my digital watch with the green, segmented LED numbers?”
“I did, actually, but I just thought it was some sort of retro fashion statement.”
“Ah, good! Retro-tech! Maybe I'll use that term to describe my relationship to technology instead of 'slow-tech'. A better connotation, I think. In any case, we need to get together with Carl as soon as possible. He's in Baltimore. I believe he can be very helpful to us.”
All Content Copyright Ⓒ 2013 EK Gillcoan
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