Jay stared at the stark wording on the screen. He kept hoping that somehow against all odds, the result would be different. Yet there the simple words appeared again:
Could not connect to smtp.host (Connection refused)
He had already retried the application three times. Yet in desparation, he pressed "connect" once again.
Still, the same forlorn results: Connection refused.
So much of society had become automated and interwired with electronic connections. It had been so since the end of the Twentieth Century. Jay had heard stories of what life was like before all this modern technology. Old-timers, if given a chance, would regale the unsuspecting with tall tales of deprivation and great inconvenience in the era before instant communications.
But now!
Jay slapped the desk in frustration.
The interconnectivity has become increasingly sporadic. Those in charge of the connections all pointed to a vague and mysterious threat that grew in complexity and depth, tying up the online connections thus multiplying the time it took to make a connection. If a connection was made at all.
He had to get this information through to his reporting agency. They were all counting on a timely brief of the situation under his care. He looked at the clock. He had five minutes before the information was due.
Again in desperation he pressed "connect" one more time.
Again the dispassionate wording came back on the screen: Connection refused.
Finally he pressed "print" then walked to the lone printer in his office. Printers were a vestige of an ancient technology. Nearly nothing was printed any more. Everything was read on screens or electronic tablets or projected onto the field of vision within special interconnected glasses. Printing anything was considered bad form, bad manners, and bad environmentally.
Yet, the nonconnectivity left him with no other choice.
He picked the paper up from the output tray then walked across the hallway to the reporting agency office with a minute to spare.
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