Day 4 of 21
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Milo: Ah, shit.
Allie: I know.
Milo: This is the worst luck!!
Allie: I really don’t know what to do now. I have such an important meeting in the morning, and I’ve lied and told them I had everything ready. But some of it is on my phone.
Milo: I hear you, Allie! Ironic, but shit’s going badly over here and I need a couple things from my phone for work. Thought I had it all locked in, but I’m big-time messing up without them. Such a pain in the ass . . . Feel like I’m getting my karma for the divine intervention smugness!! ??
Allie: Sorry for the delay there. I had to speak to my friend. Need all the advice I can get.
Milo: No worries.
Allie: Perhaps we can safely help each other. There must be a way.
Milo: Could we?
Allie: Mm. I don’t even know what I mean really.
This whole thing is really difficult. I’ve spoken to my phone company and they’re helping me recover my cloud info, but they can’t tell me how long it might take, due to security and so on.
They say it could be days. Really thought I had the whole two-factor security stuff sewn up, too, but it turns out I definitely am not as tech-savvy or organised as I thought.
Milo: Oh man. Ditto, if that’s a comfort!! So what can we do here?? I’m actually up a mountain right now!!
Allie: Gosh, really?
Allie: Hm. What if we could ascertain that we’re genuine and send what each other needs? Is that quite insane? It is, isn’t it? I just really don’t know what else to do.
Milo: You have my whole-hearted word that I’m genuine!! But hey, I feel the same. This is weird and kinda unnerving if I’m honest!
Allie: Agreed.
Milo: So, OK, you’re saying we’d send each other things from each other’s phones? Is that right?
Allie: Yes. Swap PINs. Bloody hell! That’s nuts, isn’t it?
Milo: Yeah. Shit. I guess we’d have to though?! Jeez, I don’t know.
Allie: What if we traded information, and confirmed we are who we say we are?
We could cross-check using Google if information exists about you online (i.e.
social media) and then video call each other?
Does this sound like something that would work?
I admit, apart from this, I have no other ideas.
Video call would help me feel a lot more comfortable.
If we felt safe and OK after speaking, we could go from there.
Milo: I think that could work. And yeah, info about me does exist online!
Allie: Me too.
Milo: But also, this feels pretty crazy, Allie. Even for me, haha ??
Allie: I know. It does seem a little less so when approached from an odds perspective, though, which helps.
Milo: Odds perspective??
Allie: Well, the odds of me losing research data and jeopardising funding are higher than the odds of you not only being a world-class phone scammer, but one who has orchestrated a real digital outage/planted another phone for so far unknown reasons.
Milo: Hahaha, wow OK, that’s true. And sort of somehow reassuring . . .
Allie: My friend Iris said we should have some trust in humanity.
Milo: I love that. I’m all about that!
Allie: My sister says we could secure insurance from each other that could destroy one another’s lives should we decide to use the access to each other’s phones for evil.
Milo: Well, shit. That’s dark!
Allie: I know. And anyway, surely the insurance is, destroy mine and I’ll destroy yours?
Milo: I guess you’re right! But again. Dark?!
Allie:
Milo: So . . . Are we definitely gonna do this, then? ??
Allie: Currently out of other ideas, so, yes. Why don’t we gauge how comfortable we feel after the video call?
Milo: Deal.
Allie: Suddenly very nervous . . .
Milo: Same. Super weird feeling right? OK so, I’ll start I guess? My name is definitely Milo.
Allie: My name is definitely Allie.
Milo: I’m 30.
Allie: I’m 31. I’m a scientist.
Milo: Seriously? I’m an actor.
Allie: Interesting. Known?
Milo: Ummm, yeah! At least I hope to some!!
Allie: Ah. Is that why you can’t tell me where you are?
Milo: Yeah. NDA! Filming right now. Top director. New writer trying to make a mark. Pretty intense.
Allie: I see. That makes a lot of sense. The apprehension, the weirdness, etc.
Milo: Yeah, the weirdness will just be my organic state, Allie ??
Allie: Ha. And what’s your full name? Mine’s Allie Lake.
Milo: It’s Milo Ford ??
Allie: OK. I’ve not heard of you.
Milo: How many times can a dude say ouch in one week? And why did I use such a smug emoji? Regrets. But, yeah, that’s me. I do mostly movies, some TV.
Allie: Well, it shouldn’t be read into. I don’t watch a lot of TV or films. And if we’re doing specifics, I’m a biologist. I do mostly seabirds.
Milo: Oh, whoa, cute shit! Love birds. So, do you mean you care for seabirds?
Allie: No, I work at a university. I work in conservation.
Milo: So you’re out there saving the planet for us assholes and I’m jabbering about ‘cute shit’!?! I apologise!
Allie: Some of the time, it definitely is ‘cute shit’.
Allie: Anyway, I think we should google each other now, then video call to confirm identity. Are you able to do that?
Milo: Yup, got a laptop. I need to be clear though, Allie, that I still can’t tell you where I am, I’m sorry.
Allie: Understood. Googling now.
Milo: Feel you should also know Google Images is a wasteland of every cursed pic ever taken of me. Can’t get those things removed either ??
Allie: Done.
Milo: Done over here too!! Found your university profile. You sound like a genius.
Allie: Ha. Thanks. When are you available to video call?
Milo: Right now? Sooner I can get my stuff, the better! My call time’s in an hour and then I’ve gotta run, but I have Zoom if that works??
Allie: OK to Zoom. Just trying to log in. Meantime, a question of my own, if I may?
Milo: Sure!
Allie: Do you have a trailer? Or is that just a Hollywood myth?
Milo: Hahaha, not a myth, you totally do get trailers! Gotta be special enough, though . . .
Allie: Ah.
Allie: Sending username now.
Milo: I sounded like an asshole, reading that back.
Allie: Ready to call when you are.