TechnoStorm
Written by Sheryl Hosler
"And that was the Cyber Bugs with their new hit 'Thumbdrive,' the No. 1 hit for the month of March,'" the metallic voice on my brain implant radio announced. "And now the weather for Happy Valley -". "106.9," I said, changing the station impatiently with my verbal command. Who cares about the weather? Who cares about anything outside? Everything I need is within my four windowless, shiny, silver dorm walls. Soothing, pounding rock music surged into my brain directly from my radio microchip, and I redirected my attention to my facial computer mask. In those three wasted seconds I'd received six e-mails, 18 IM messages and 24 Facebook posts, not to mention 12 text messages, three voice mails, eight pictures and one calendar update reminding me my favorite TV show would be on in one minute.
I switched on the TV and flipped up one side of my digital multi-media mask. I called Jodi back, and began IM-ing Ralf and Jodi and replying to Catie's e-mail. My mind buzzed euphorically with the barrage of electronic stimuli. I was in my element. Everything was going just fine, like normal, until the lights flickered. I hardly noticed, until the TV flickered, too, and then the feed to my digital mask. This was enough to grab my attention, and I was annoyed. More than annoyed; my brain flickered, too, because of the interruption in the flow of digital signals. Everything flickered again, fitfully, and then suddenly, everything went out.
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