Disorder
"Internet Addiction Disorder"
"Social Media Dependency"
"Techno-disorders and Treatment Options"
X out. Close tab. Scoff.
Didn't they realize that it wasn't a dependency? It was a life line. Survival.
At least an online post had an emoticon to tell you what the poster was feeling. No facial ticks to decipher. No voice tones to figure out. And if he still got it wrong, then it wasn't his fault. They should have articulated their thoughts more clearly.
Blueprints. Designs. Diagrams. Manuals. Easy to read and parse. Clear. Clean. No mess except oil and steel shavings.
No tears. No crying. No goodbyes.
Machines do not get upset. They may break, but a quick repair and a replacement part and they worked as good as new.
He knew every junk yard, every "old tech" drop off point, every recycle center and every shop that didn't use a decent security system. He could repurpose disparate parts into working wholes. And now with the unlimited resources that wealth and success brought?
Cold fusion? He'd worked the math and an Israeli firm was busy with the practical side.
Recycling? Worked to less than a 3% loss as everything was salvaged, repurposed or used for fuel.
Clean energy? Currently licensed and monetized. You're welcome. What's next?
The quiet, antiseptic hum of a well-ordered lab.
The quiet of a groundfloor workspace all to himself.
The quiet of only his own breath and heartbeat.
there were days where he fell asleep on his workbench and dreamed of the hardship of the lair and twisting wires salvaged from ancient forgotten tunnels and brought dim light to his siblings and the quiet mornings he spent in the same room as Leonardo as they read side by side in comfortable companionship and the long afternoons working on an engine with Raphael with their hands covered in motor oil and grease and even the nights of movie marathons with Michelangelo often beneath the same blanket to huddle in fear with eyes wide as saucers as the monster crept in from the darkness
His phone beeped. The screen lit with the welcoming text inviting him out. A movie. Dinner. The park.
Anything.
This afternoon. Or tomorrow. Or.
He turned off the phone.
The arguments had been years ago.
Still too fresh.
He had work to do.