Carol sat in her office, typing up a report. This was not her office, it belonged to a friend of her mother, so that Carol could continue her work. She would soon have a chance to speak with her mysterious rescuer. She had many questions for him. Little did she suspect that, soon, she would have a lot more answers than she would have wanted.
The radio was tuned to a soft rock station. Carol did not like rap, or heavy metal. She'd have preferred a clasical music station, but they had no such thing like that in Lincoln.
Suddenly, the announcer interrupted the song that was playing. The man on the radio was quite upset. Carol reached over on her desk and turned up the volume.
" And many lives..many countless lives were lost today in the now totally devastated city of Los Angeles."
Oh my God! Carol thought to herself. All those people! Then she remembered... her brother Ray lives there! Or lived there. Was he okay? Was he alive? He did not live in the city per se; rather, on the very outskirts. She reached for her cell to call him.
That was when her cell phone rang. It startled her so that she jumped.
" Hello?" she answered, very distracted now.
"Carol, dear, it's Mom! I saw something terrible on tv....."
" I know, Mom! I just heard it on the radio a moment or so ago, myself!"
" You haven't heard from your brother yet? I tried to call him."
" I was about to call him when the phone rang. But, Mom, that doesn't mean anything. Most likely, phone service is gone there. He has a cell phone, if it's at all possible, he'll call." Carol tried to reassure her mother. She had to fight to keep the tears back. Her older sister, Sue, had just died only 6 months ago..and now this.
Carol and her mother talked for many minutes, then agreed to keep their lines clear in case Ray was trying to call.
Carol was about to head home for the day when she looked at the clock. It was almost time to meet the man....
or, rather, the robot who had saved her life about an hour ago.
She quickly pressed the save file button on the computer
and watched as her work was being printed up.
It seemed as though it took forever!
Finally, it was done. She turned everything off, put the papers into her briefcase, and headed out the door.
People were visibly upset. Apparently, they, too, had all heard the news. It was a small town. Bad news and gossip spread fast there.
It only took her five minutes to walk to McDonalds from the office building. That was the only thing she liked about this small town... how quickly one could get from point A to point B.
She thought about her 10 year old nephew, Greg. He was her sister's only child. The poor boy! First, his father died 2 years ago....and then, his mother..her sister, Sue, died just last spring.
Now, the boy was living with the mean asshole of a man whom Sue had married in great haste less than 3 months after her husband, Gary had died of cancer. Sue had been coming home from work one evening when a Greyhound bus had lost control and T boned her car, killing her instantly. Greg, her son was walking down the street and saw it happen. Carol wanted to take Greg away from his stepfather, Russ.. who beat the boy often...but Russ threatened to kill her if she tried it.
She pushed her long, beautiful blonde hair away from her eyes, and saw a girl with dark hair staggering towards
her.
" I require your immediate assistance.. I am almost out of power, Carol!" the girl told her in an urgent tone.
Right away, Carol knew it was Darmo, and that he was in trouble!
