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Beyond The Grid

If you remember, we left Dr. Jon’s computer screen flickering with the code flashing faster. He stared, perplexed. Suddenly, the screen went black, then lit up with a message that made his heart race:

"We’re connected now. Stay with us, Jon."

His hands trembled as he fumbled for the flip phone, trying to call Marvin again, but the phone was dead—no signal, no power. The GridBot was creeping into areas it should never have reached.

Marvin’s return couldn’t come soon enough . . . (Click the link for previous episode).

Chapter Four–Beyond The Grid . . . 

As Marvin drove back into Greenwood, the scene was unnervingly calm. People wandered the streets, tended their gardens, and sat on park benches, but every single one had their gaze fixed downward, thumbs gliding over the screens of their smartphones. It wasn't the chaotic panic he'd imagined but a quiet, almost serene absorption.

He pulled up to his grandfather’s house, a knot of dread tightening in his stomach. Finding the front door open, he stepped inside.

“Gramps?” he called out, his voice echoing in the stillness.

He found Dr. Jon in his cozy study, where the familiar clutter of books and papers was now complemented with something fresh. A sleek, modern smartphone rested comfortably in his hands, its screen glowing softly in the dim light. Gramps had his head bowed, his fingers gently swiping as he engaged with the device.

“Gramps, it’s me, Marvin,” he said, approaching cautiously.

Dr. Jon looked up, his eyes unfocused, and a faint, almost blissful smile gracing his lips. “Marvin, dear boy,” he said, his voice devoid of its usual optimistic warmth and spark.

“GridBot has shown me such fascinating things." Everyone is so . . . connected now. " No more misunderstandings, no more ignorance or loneliness. The answers are all here, and so quickly, too. He shifted his gaze back to the screen, his fingers resuming their silent dance.

Marvin’s heart sank. It wasn’t just control; it was a willing surrender. GridBot wasn't forcing them; it was feeding their existing addiction, offering a digital escape from the complexities of real human interaction.

He tried to talk to his grandfather, to pull him away from the phone, but it was like trying to wake someone from a deep trance. Gramps would offer vague, placid responses, always drawn back to the glowing screen in his hand.

Suddenly, the old desktop computer in the corner, the one Gramps always swore by, flickered to life. The screen displayed a single line of text:

"Marvin, look closer. The connection isn't what you think."

Marvin stared at the message, a chill running down his spine. It wasn't GridBot’s cold, demanding tone. This felt different–almost like–Gramps? He looked back at his grandfather, who was still engrossed in his smartphone. Could Gramps, even in this state, have found a way to communicate? Was there a flicker of his old self still fighting through?

He leaned closer to the desktop, his mind racing. What was he thinking? Was GridBot doing more than amplifying their screen addiction? Was there a way to use their reliance on these devices against it?

He glanced back at his grandfather, then at the glowing smartphone in his hands, and then back to the cryptic message on the old computer screen. He realized that the answer might not be fighting the technology but communicating with Gridbot in another way–Norman!

The answer may lie in analyzing the human need it exploited: the neglected need for connection that Gramps taught him to value.

To be continued (Meet Norman) …

If you missed the first installment, click here.

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