Chapter 5: Stupid Internet

A/N: I'm back with another one-shot. This one's based on the troubles I've been having with my Internet lately, and I thought it would be a good idea for Aubree to have the same trouble. So, here goes.

"Gah, stupid Internet!" I snarled. I had been trying to log onto the Internet so that I could e-mail a report to the Chief about one of my cases. Every time I tried to do it, it would kick me off. I tried to take a deep breath and started it up again. It logged on just fine, and I clicked the icon for my homepage. It loaded slowly and then came up with the response, "Internet Explorer cannot display webpage." I checked my Internet USB, and it was lighting up like I got disconnected. I checked the Internet icon and saw that I was still connected. How could that happen?

"Having trouble?" a voice asked me.

I whirled around to see Leo staring at me. "Yes, I am," I said. "This damn thing won't work for me. I've tried so many times, and I can't seem to log on."

"Do you want me to call Donnie over here?" he asked. "Maybe he'll know what's wrong."

"Yeah, do that," I said. I was determined to get this report to Chief so I didn't get my ass handed to me.

So Leo called Donnie and told him what was up. Twenty minutes later, Don came to my window and saw what was wrong.

"Hmm, that's odd," he said. "Your computer shouldn't do that. Maybe you should shut it down, unplug your Internet USB, and unplug the computer. Then re-plug everything in and try again. Sometimes I have to do that, too."

So, I did as Don said and booted up again. I connected to the Internet and booted up my homepage, but the same response kept coming up. Don asked me to do it again, and I did. This time when I booted up, everything was fine. How weird was that?

"That was weird," I said. "What do you make of it, Don?"

"I honestly don't know," Don said. "Maybe they're having problems with the signal or something. If this happens again, you know what to do. And if it doesn't work, just call me, okay?"

"You got it, Don," I said. "Thanks."

I clicked on my e-mail and sent my report to Chief, hoping it would get there in time. Then I got off the computer and watched a movie with Leo and Don. As I did so, I managed to calm down and not lose my cool. Both of them were fun to be around, and I really liked spending time with them.

The next day, Chief called me into his office. I entered and could see that he wasn't happy with me about something, though I wasn't sure what it was. I figured maybe he was just having one of those days and that he was taking it out on everyone in the precinct today.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" I asked.

"Yeah, I never got your report, Hennigan," he said.

"How can that be?" I asked. "I sent it yesterday."

"I don't know, but it's not here," he said.

"I had a friend help me with my computer," I told him. "I was having problems yesterday, and he helped me fix it. When I sent the e-mail, it stated that it had been sent to you."

"Well, it never got through," Chief said.

"Great," I moaned. "Well, I can try and send it from here if you want."

"Yeah, you do that," Chief said.

So, I went to one of the computers and tried to load it up. Just as I thought it would work that stupid message, "Internet Explorer cannot display webpage" came up. Releasing a growl, I clicked out and tried again, but it didn't work.

"Chief, this isn't working," I said. "The computer must be down."

Brad came by then. "Yeah, they're down for now," he said. "We're bringing someone in to look at them, but it looks like they'll be down for a while."

"Stupid Internet," I muttered.

"Don't worry about it, Hennigan," Chief said. "Just get that report to me whenever you can. We all have our fair share of problems with the Internet. Sometimes it's a blessing, and sometimes it's a curse."

"Thanks, Chief," I said. "Sometimes, I just hate the Internet."

As it turned out, the computers were down for four days, and my laptop at home continued to act weird for one more day. Then, on the third day, I managed to get it working again and sent my report. I got a reply from Chief saying that he'd received it, which made me glad. I guess I'll just never understand the complexities of the Internet and why it doesn't work sometimes. One thing's for sure, I really hate it when it doesn't work the way it's supposed to. It just makes me pissed off.

Stupid Internet.

A/N: Yeah, maybe not the longest one-shot, but I was feeling frustrated with what was happening to me. I have a laptop and a USB type Internet connection, and it was pretty much doing what Aubree's was doing. So, that's why I wrote this. If it keeps on doing this, I'm going to scream. I mean it. Hopefully things will be resolved though. I think it's because we keep having high winds here, and maybe that's affecting the towers around here. However, it still sucks. Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day!