Get ready for a thrilling ride into a future where robots and humans clash for control in RoboNomics, the updated and refreshed version of the 2013 sci-fi classic.
In Toronto, elementary school teacher Andrea Anderson's world crumbles when she's rep...
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The wait in line takes hours.
When we finally shuffle into the doors of the shelter, we enter a room cordoned off into a line that snakes back and forth as if we're waiting to get onto a theme park ride.
An automated sign segments us off into several rooms for sleeping. The room that Austin and I are assigned is little more than a gymnasium: a holding tank with a dirty floor completely covered with cots.
Austin and I follow the crowd until we arrive at two empty side by side cots. It's already midnight, and by the time the room fills and people settle, we're already tucked under our own blankets.
The lights go out not long after.
The sound of shuffling echoes off the walls. Adjacent to where I lie, someone begins to snore. A few rows over, a whispered conversation goes on and on.
I turned to examine Austin's dark form on the cot beside me.
"Austin," I whisper. "You awake?"
"Kind of," he says dozily. "Can't sleep?"
"Not really. I was thinking maybe you could contact your parents."
"What, now?"
"We need a plan, Austin. We can't stay here." When he lets out a sigh of exasperation, I add. "Plus, don't you want to know that they're okay?"
"Fine," he concedes. When he goes quiet, I can't quite tell whether he's logged onto his I-yes. But when the silence stretches out, I log onto mine.
I immediately sense that there's something wrong. Many of my digital haunts are inaccessible, much of my chat history is gone.
But then I notice that Henri's online.
I enter a chat space and immediately ping him.
"This is really weird," I start to say. "Are you having trouble accessing stuff?"
"Andrea, I've been trying to contact you for days!"
"I know," I say. "And I'm sorry. A lot has been happening...and I haven't been online much," I lie.
"You could come see me."
"I know, but I didn't want to bother you at home." It's a lame excuse.
"Yeah, well. You've missed a lot, Andrea. Bad stuff has gone down."
"What's wrong? Is it Miriam?" I ask as my stomach drops. "Did something happen to Elizabeth?"
"No, it's not them, Andrea. It's you."
"Me?"
"We're your friends, Andrea. We're the ones who were always there for you. But you took off. Probably having a great time with Chris while the rest of us..."
