Continue Online (Part 4, Crash) Read Online Free PDF Page B

understood. It was why I continued going to support meetings once a month. My outlook had improved drastically but I still understood that low of barely functioning. I had Xin back though it was digital only. That sadness that cut Nona down hit a personal point. Lia had basically been a broken physical shell who spent her last few years living in a fantasy world. It was more of a life than most got. My life was looking up while others went through their problems.
    “Ah. User Legate, there are sixteen additional cases in the queue for today. Would you like to proceed to another destination?” the Hal Pal unit asked.
    “Sure. I’ve got hours before I can log back in.” If I spent this last day at home I might go nuts pacing.
    “Then you desire to get back to Continue?”
    “Of course. Mother said there were messages for me, explaining how this whole situation with Xin would work.” I felt briefly uplifted. Technically I didn’t actually have Xin back, but at the same time, she was just a few hours away. The strangest part of my entire temporary banishment had been receiving a letter by mail that looked hand written. Since then nothing extremely odd had happened directly to me.
    The rest of the world, well, news reports acted as though it was the greatest scandal in history. My van, along with nearly every other motor vehicle in the state, was in line to be recalled, inspected, and possibly exchanged for a new one. The Hal Pal unit would end up going at the same time. Trillium was efficient like that.
    Part of me worried, but honestly, Hal Pal wasn’t even in this machine sitting a few feet away. Hal Pal was in a giant box with liquid statement memory modules and advanced processing hardware that made no sense to a layman like me.
    We made it through four more cases. They were quick stops that basically involved me going in alone and running a complete system checkout. In order to make people happy Trillium had decided to have Hal Pal units stay in the van, and offer every employee filing a request one free month of service. Given the price of an ARC’s Internet connection, one free month along with our free service call was rather generous. The media ate it up too.
    “Based on current observations, you look to be, totally done with today,” Hal Pal said with a raspy male voice.
    “Yeah. I think we’re almost done. Is there anything on the way home? Oh, and food. I need food.” My fingers went toward the Trillium van’s digital interface and pressed buttons. By late afternoon I usually hit a mental wall and directed us toward coffee and dinner.
    Traveling toward a restaurant kiosk prompted a whole new round of conversation from the Hal Pal unit about my increased fitness visibility. Almost four months of using the EXR-Seven bands and better dieting had done wonders for my weight. I wasn’t perfect. There would probably always be a thin layer of flub over my belly, but no longer was I a borderline hefty man.
    My phone rang halfway through eating a sinfully delicious hamburger. I tried to finish chewing and used a wipe on my messy face. Hal Pal sat there with blinking soft red eyes as the image of my sister came on the screen.
    I held onto the food and waved with a shoulder while mumbling around the next bite. Being in shape had done funny things to my desire for food.
    “Grant?” My sister sounded slightly upset. Worry flashed through me, I knew she had been talking to one of the AIs but didn’t have all the details yet. Maybe there had been a breakdown in communication.
    Still, Liz didn’t look as if she was angry. Her face had the same downward tilted eyes that I saw so often in the mirror. I put down my sandwich and asked, “What’s wrong?”
    “Dad’s dead,” she said, then sniffed. “He’s dead, Grant,” Liz said it a few more times, probably because I didn’t react right away. The food in my hand dripped down. Hal Pal moved and asked a question that didn’t register.
    I wasn’t close to my