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1 If you are in need of help, you need but ask.... 2 ************************ INSTALLED: 26 FEB 86 ********************** 3 Welcome to BWMS (BackWater Message System) Mike Day System operator 4 ************************************************************ 5 GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION 6 PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM. 7 BWMS was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS is a privately owned 8 and operated system which is currently open for use by the general public. 9 no restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the system is 10 privately owned, I retain thepright to remove any and all messages which 11 I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the system, it will be 12 periodically purged of messages. (only 629 lines of data can be saved) 13 to leave a message, type 'ENTER' and use ctrl/C or break to get out of the 14 ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering the 15 message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to replace 16 The line. To exit from the system, type 'OFF' then hang up. 17 Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system. 18 ************************************************************************* 19 20 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 21 My...I'm....en la cima. It has been a few months, isn't just saying "AT THE 22 TOP" the only requirement of someone there? Yah, I thought so. 23 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar ++++ 26 Feb 86 at 11:11pm +++ 24 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 25 "Eugene!" 26 Farley answered his aging ther from his workshop. "YES?" he called back into 27 the kitchen. 28 "Quit working on that thing this minute. Aren't you supposed to be on 29 vacation, or something? You still haven't told me exactly where u're working 30 now, either. Go play golf, or something. Relax." 31 Farley wiped his hands on a rag as he walked into the kitchen. "You always 32 did impore me to go outside and play, didn't you, mother? Yes, well, I've 33 taken a short leave. The company is a little-known...er...'investigation 34 agency'." 35 "Oh? You're doing detective work again? Does it pay well enough to keep up 36 this house of yours?" With a sudden michevious smile, "Maybe I should hire 37 a maid." 38 Farley smiled back. "If you say so, mom. Look, I'm finishing my work now, 39 so I'll go o'out to play'. All right?" 40 "Fine. Pick up some bread on your way home?" 41 Farley assented then returned to the partially dassembled circuitry. Ten 42 minutes later, it was mounted in a molded plastic case and laying on the 43 passenger side of Farley's pickup. 44 Farley's comlink came to life, hidden in his pocket. After he parked in the 45 lot of the golf course, he punched his access code into it. 46 <Another fine tidbit from: Ian MacHinery> 47 <Meeting, @ HQ conference room 792> 48 <Tuesday next. Ian> 49 <Ok, he's done now.> 50 Farley smireked a moment at the text. The node-definable header/footer was one 51 of NET's recent improvements on their comlink system, and some agents, Farley 52 included, used it to poke a little fun at the management. Ian probably knew 53 about every ddeviant header, but so far had done nothing about them. 54 Farley got out of his truck and took the box. Time to test it without 55 interruptions, Farley thought. 56 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# Farley #$##$##$##$##$# 2/26/86 #$# 57 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\THE DESTROYER\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\45 58 Kerilli stepped in through the oaken door after the first crash. The trap had worked. In the center of the hall 59 stood Master Tremis, cloaked in the form of Void, throwing the young intruder around like a rag doll. Her first sight 60 of the infamous Destroyer was anticlimactic. He looked far too weak and fragile to be the unholy terror rumor had made 61 him out to be. Every time Master Tremis violently threw him against something, it seemed to do him little damage. He 62 continued to futilely try to grab the Master, but there was nothing to grab. His death was assured. Nevertheless, her 63 orders were to take no chances. She drew her sidearm. 64 It was a simple six-shot projectile weapon, the projectiles being cast of mithril silver. Each of the projectiles 65 had been put under a blood-curse of instant death. No power, physical or magical, would protect him from this potent 66 combination, which could break any magical spell in existence. It could even destroy Master Tremis, in his current 67 form. She would have to be very careful. She raised the gun and tried to center her aim on the slim figure of the 68 Destroyer... 69 James tried to breathe and choked on blood instead. His entire body was a giant ball of pain. At least half his 70 ribs were cracked. If not for his power, he would have been splattered by now. As it was, he wouldn't take much more 71 anyway. What breath he had managed was driven out of him as he was slammed into a marble pillar. 72 He had to get loose. He couldn't touch the giant, or make him let go. This was it. He was finally going to die. 73 What surprised him the most was how little it bothered him. What did bother him was that he couldn't keep his promise. 74 Through bloodied lips, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Tariya. I can't-" 75 The giant swung him around and was suddenly flying through the air. He retained enough of his wits to land on his 76 feet and wondered the giant had let go. He looked down and saw that most of the front of his jacket was gone. The 77 giant was holding the remnants in its fist. The fabric had torn under the stress. James smiled. He had a 78 chance. 79 There was a huge bang and something zipped by his head. Painfully he ducked and saw the woman in the doorway with 80 the .38 Special. She fired again, missing by a wider margin. Thankfully she wasn't a crack shot. The giant was the 81 bigger threat. 82 Big but slow. James ran past it, ducking under it's grasp. Now he was back by the table. The occupants were still 83 in the trance, giving no sign that they were aware of him. he jumped the table and stood next to one old man. He 84 grabbed the body, which was like grabbing a window dummy. This guy was out of it. He grabbed the man's head and 85 twisted. Something went pop in the neck and the body went limp. James suddenly felt sick. 86 But the giant staggered and seemed to shrink perceptibly. James knew he was on the right track. They were protected 87 from magical attacks but not physical ones. The giant reached him but he easily eluded its grasp again. He grabbed 88 another body and broke its neck, too. 89 Kerilli was outraged. She watched as he murdered two of the planets leaders and foremost citizens. But she was torn 90 by indecision. That he had loved Tariya there was now no doubt. Why else would he be this determined? Killing him 91 would be betraying her memory. And he thought he was doing the right thing, whether he really was or not. The council 92 was dangerously close to bringing all of civilization down in ruins with this war. But her alliegiences had always 93 been with the council ad her oldest brother Anlak. 94 Unfortunatly, the next body James grabbed was Anlak's. She made her desicion right there. Centering the sights on 95 the center of his chest, she fired. 96 James spun around as the bullet smashed into his right side. He collapsed against a wall but didn't quite fall. 97 With his left hand, he felt the wound. The bullet had gone through clean, missed the lung, and was already healing. 98 But he didn't have the time! The giant was... 99 Right in front of him. 100 He couldn't resist as the huge, nebulous hads grasped him. The giant turned him around and held him by the 101 shoulders, then turned to face the woman with the gun. From out of nowhere, it's voice echoed, "Take no chances. Use 102 the weapon now." 103 "With pleasure." she replied grimly. She centered the gun on his chest again and squeezed slowly, just like her 104 instructor had taught her. 105 "Surprise." James mumbled. The giant had made the mistake of holding him by the jacket again. Gritting his teeth 106 from the pain, he threw his arms up. Gravity did therest, and he slithered out of the jacket. Not completely, but 107 enough. 108 Kerilli didn't notice until too late. The gun bucked and roared in her hands. The bullet passed right by James' 109 left ear and through the jacket into the giant. The power that had been bound to Master Tremis was released very 110 suddenly and violently. 111 James regained conciousness an eternity later. He managed to sit up, but just barely. The entire hall was in ruins. 112 Nothing was intact, including the occupants. A telekinetic shield saved his life, but apparently nobody else had been 113 that lucky. He had fulfilled his vow. 114 He turned at a scraping sound behind him, instantly regretting the sudden move. From out of the shadows in the back 115 of the chamber emerged a huge figure of a woman, dressed in the same finery as the others had been. But he had never 116 seen her before. In a strong, approving voice, she announced, "Well done, very well done. Couldn't have done it better 117 myself." He stared at her for a long minute. Finally, she asked, "Do you know who I am?" 118 He stared at her for several long minutes before he finally spoke. "I knew your daughter." 119 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\THE DESTROYER\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 120 #$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$ 121 The Hell Machine 122 (1) 123 124 GGGRRRRRRRRRRIIIIINNNNNDDD!!! 125 Being a friday, the traffic on the 205 bridge was fairly heavy. Roy Karsten was heading across for Portland in his 126 little four-banger Datsun pickup. It was a warm, half-cloudy September afternoon and he maght have actually enjoyed the 127 ride except for two little problems. One was the leather briefcase that sat on the seat beside him. The other 128 KAA-RRRUUNNNNKKK!!! 129 was the fact that he couldn't get the $%#@&%@@&!! truck into fourth gear. He had the clutch jammed to the floor but 130 every time he tried to slip the gearshift into the notch it adamantly refused to cooperate and instead responded with a 131 clashing of teeth deep in the 132 KAA-RRRUUNNNNKKK... GRRRIIINNNDDD!!! 133 transmission that set his own teeth on edge. The speedometer was down to 45 now and slowly dropping. This was the last 134 thing he needed now. Earlier he had called the group at the research center with his findings. After a lot of arguing 135 he managed to get Frank to hold the experiment at least until he could get there and show them the figures on paper. He 136 was convinced he was right. If the Genesis machine worked, they could all be in serious trouble. Roy suspected his 137 calculations showed only a fraction of the machine's true potential. 138 WHAM! WHAM! 139 The truck shook every time the gears clashed. Roy had a sneaking hunch that the transmission, and probably the whole 140 truck, was nearing the end of its useful life. The transmission had been giving him problems lately, but nothing like 141 this. He didn't have the foggiest what was wrong. He was a mathmetician, not a mechanic. The needle quivered just below 142 forty. At the rate he was going, he wouldn't even make it halfway across the bridge. Roy slammed his foot on the clutch 143 hard, put both hands on the gearshift knob, gritted his teeth, and jerked the lever into the notch as hard as he 144 could. 145 GGGGGGGRRRRRRRR... KA-WHAAAMMM!!! 146 The tiny truck shuddered like a bomb had gone off in the bed, but the $%#&*! lever finally slipped into the fourth 147 gear slot. In fact, Roy discovered, it now went into all the slots easily. Even after he let up on the clutch. When he 148 pressed the accelerator, the engine raced freely. Uh-oh. 149 The needle now eased down past thirty. Some creep in a Camaro shot around him at seventy, blasting on the horn. 150 After wearing out every carnal verb in his vocabulary, Roy decided he's better get this heap into the breakdown lane 151 before it stopped completely. Fortunately he was facing downhill and had enough momentum to ease it all the way over to 152 the right. He heard gravel crunch under his tires as he pulled over and it finally occurred to him that he should turn 153 on the four-way flashers. Since he had no parking brake, he grabbed the knob and put it it in reverse so it wouldn't 154 roll downhill. He stared in astonishment as the lever came loose in his hand. Smoke drifted up from the hole in the 155 transmission hump. The truck was still slowly moving so he had only one choice. He eased the wheel slightly to the 156 right, gritting his teeth as first the right fender, then the whole side of the truck, ground against the concrete 157 barrier. He was ready to jump out if the barrier showed any sign of breaking, but finally the truck stopped. 158 He got out and slammed the door, still holding the gearshift lever. Cars were zooming by uncomfortably close in the 159 next lane. Still cursing a blue streak, Roy stomped around to the front of the truck and kicked it hard enough to break 160 the plastic grille. Jesus, what else could go wrong? He noticed the lever in his hand for the first time and flung it 161 out over the barrier. It flew in a long graceful curve, catching splinters of sunlight, before splashing in the water 162 one hundred thirty feet below. 163 Enough temper tantrums, he told himself. First priority was getting those papers to the lab. Pressing up against the 164 body of the truck to present as small a target as possible to oncoming traffic, he edged his way back to the cab. He 165 retrieved his case through the open window and made his way forward again. He put his thumb out and began walking down 166 the road, more than a little concious of the barrier beside him. Not even waist high, it was the only thing 167 "protecting" him from a thirteen story drop. 168 Forty minutes later, he was still walking. Nobody had even slowed down. Most of the cars had Oregon plates, which 169 explained a lot. Oregon drivers were the most inconsiderate in the entire country. At least Frank was holding the 170 experiment, or so he hoped. If they fired that thing up... 171 He caught a movement out of the corner of one eye. There was something happening in the east. 172 They hadn't waited. There was no logical basis for this assumption but he knew it to be true all the same. It was 173 the only explanation for what he was watching. The briefcase fell from nerveless fingers. 174 A certain well-known landmark in the east had just... disappeared. In its place was a huge grey-black dome rising 175 for the sky. The very clouds were being pulled in towards it. He didn't know exactly what had happened, but he could 176 make a darn good guess. The entire tableau was taking place in hellish silence, but he would hear it soon enough. It 177 about three and a half minutes, if he guaged the distance correctly. Traffic was still speeding by, but a few vehicles 178 were slowing down as they noticed what was happening. He knew he was in mortal danger, but there was nowhere to run, 179 nowhere to hide. He should have stayed with the truck. 180 Besides, he wasn't nearly as concerned for his own safety as he was for the safety of the world. 181 182 (To Be Continued...) 183 #$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$# J.D. SILVERMAN $#$#$#$#$#$ 184 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp 185 Struggling, like the silver flash of a hooked fish, the piper was being 186 drawn to the body beneath him. The silver cord pulled slowly and steadily, 187 drawing the piper to return to the body that normally housed him. With the 188 pull came memory -- memory of pain so intense that the piper writhed trying 189 to remain in this state, this state of peaceful floating. 190 Gritting his teeth (did he have teeth in this state? No matter, he gritted 191 what felt like teeth.), he reached down to the silver cord that stretched 192 between his navel and the body below, grasped the wrist-thick cord with 193 both hands and pulled *away* from his body. 194 Between his hands, the cord thinned, stretched, dropping in size from the 195 thickness of one of his wrists to that of his thumb, his fingers, smaller, 196 to the thickness of a small string, to thread. Alarmed, he stopped, looked, 197 and found himself in a far, far distant place than that of the recumbent 198 body that had called him. 199 He seemed to be floating in a space filled with clouds, above a vast plane 200 of clouds, beneath a sky hidden in mists. A slight haze filled the space 201 between, hiding the details of the distance in an opalescent glow. The 202 silver cord that tethered him was vanishingly small, disappearing into the 203 distance scant inches from his navel. Suddenly the enclosed space rang, 204 a deep, pervasive vibration like the chimes of a world-sized gong, the tolling 205 of the hours of a clock that ticked off eternities as its seconds. 206 The entire scene vibrated, shimmered, and distorted as though it were seen 207 through water suddenly disturbed. Shimmered, distorted, *flowed*, and 208 reformed into a different scene... 209 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp 210 O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+ 211 Looks like the start of a good disk. 212 O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+ POPPING IN O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+ 213 214 PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP 215 PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSi 216 217 "Bard, my friend, your emotion clouds your vision. The signs are there, but 218 you refuse to see. Perhaps it is my fault forgetting that not all have the 219 vision of truth I am sometimes allowed to observe. Piper, in his mind, if not 220 his soul, has made his wishes known. We must not interfere. Milchar has made 221 a big mistake with the healing. He did not heed my words. Bard, you are right 222 in one respect. We must let Piper decide. In order to do that, we must leave 223 nature unhindered..." 224 A pounding interrupted Cragmore. Bard went to investigate the sound. 225 Cragmore bent down and looked at Piper's face. Eyes can not see what transpires 226 in the mind, nor what the soul endures, but psi replaces iris, cone, rod, lens, 227 and optical nerve, and opens a whole new world of sight. Cragmore could see, 228 through his power, a glimpse of what the spirit of Piper was now witnessing. 229 "Piper... Piper " Cragmore whispered, "let go if you must. Return if you 230 will. Judge with your heart and your head what to do. Your friends fight for 231 your life, not knowing what is wrong from what is right. I strive to 232 understand, but I can't make others understand. I will protect your state as 233 much as I can, but I can not promise. You, who helped Trainor, who helped 234 Innkeeper, who helped others I have only head tales about, you, must be the 235 one." 236 There was no way of knowing whether or not Piper received and understoof 237 (d) the message. Cragmore could only hope its course was straight and true and 238 Piper was able to comprehend its source and its meaning. Just then, another 239 voice caused Cragmore to do a quick about-face. 240 "Cragmore! I thought I recognized your robes. How did you get here?" 241 The Innkeeper, looking slightly the worse for wear, stood next to Bard. The 242 pounding had been the kindly Innkeep wishing to get in from out of the cold. 243 Bard smiled. "Just look at what the cat brought in, Cragmore." Then Bard's 244 smile quickly dissipated. "How is Piper? Any changes?" 245 "He's still alive if that's what you mean. But I must insist that you don't 246 touch him. This is a very delicate time." 247 "So he can die?" Bard's face revealed feeling rarely seen in the songmaster. 248 "What?" Innkeeper broke in. "Piper, dying? What's going on here?" 249 "It's a long story," Bard replied, "but basically Piper followed you into 250 this alternate local, and of course, didn't fare very well in the atmosphere. I 251 found him and brought him into my ship. He was bleeding internally. Milchar 252 arrived," Bard pointed to the exhausted mage asleep on one of the ship's 253 couches, "and started a healing process. Then Cragmore arrived..." 254 "I was following Milchar," interrupted Cragmore, "and stumbled onto the 255 ship. And..." 256 Bard broke in again, "...and Cragmore says that Piper wants to die. And I 257 am quite puzzled and more than a little dismayed at that sentiment." 258 Innkeeper shifted his gaze from Bard, to Cragmore, to the prone figure of 259 Piper lying on the medical couch, but before he could say anything, Cragmore 260 spoke again. 261 "Speaking of which, Innkeeper, how are you able to be roaming about in this 262 most inhospitable environment? I don't see any breathing apparatus under your 263 apron" 264 "That's what I'd like to know too." continued Bard. 265 "That friends, is another long story. But it can wait. What are we going 266 to do about Piper?" 267 268 PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsI CRAGMORE pSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIp 269 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 270 Destroyer, could you answer a few questions 271 for me? How come the automatic death bullets 272 didn't affect you? How come you are beat up 273 so much but it never really hurts you? How 274 come you write so much about the pain but 275 it never slows you down? How can you be 276 jumping around dodging monsters with a bunch 277 of broken ribs? Have you ever had broken 278 ribs? How come you put yourself into one 279 impossible situation after another but 280 always seem to get out with ease? And how 281 come I have no doubt about the ending of 282 this story???????????????? 283 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SOLI 284 ______________________________JD 2446489.4218______________________________ 285 PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP 286 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 287 SLOI: In answer to some of your questions: 288 Had he been an ordinary mortal, James would be long dead by now. His power, 289 which is an intimate part of his being (unlike some here) can be used both 290 conciously and unconciously. When he is injured, but still must take physical 291 action, his power will take over, artificially keeping his going after his 292 last episode, he was using his limited energy like crazy, draining himself 293 badly. Maybe he got out with relative ease (more a matter of limited writing 294 space that anything else. I can't make it too complicated for that reason) 295 but there is a price to pay. As for the death bullets, well, maybe I fudge a 296 little there, but my theory is that he did not take a lethal hit, and so 297 survived. He has survived lethat wounds before, but had the bullet struck home, 298 he would not have survived that one. 299 My fault, I should have perhaps made the point clearer. 300 I don't know why you think you know how the story's going to end, but I would 301 be very interested in hearing what you think will happen. I doubt very much 302 you know all of it, yet. But go ahead and tell me, please. 303 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\marking along\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 304 305 the destroyer is a fine writer... the critics accuse him of lengthening 306 his writings past his welcome... and of lengthening the lifespan of his main 307 character to the point of lunacy... they are right... to them... 308 the rest of us... those who like his writings do not think they have 309 overstayed their welcome... and think the main character has every right to 310 be omnipotent if the author wants... let him write in peace... ignore what he 311 writes and let us enjoy it... 312 now to let an otherwise perfect disk go on... good afternoon... 313 314 ########################################################################## 315 Piper Dying? No! That can't be! And he did it trying to save me. I feel 316 guilty somehow. My stupidity and clumsiness has caused this. Isn't there 317 anything that can be done? #There is nothing. The body is whole, but the 318 mind is unstable. We can only wait. There is nothing anyone can do. He 319 must heal himself. We can offer him our support and confidence. It *is* felt, 320 but we cannot force it.# I echoed to the others what my new found "friend" 321 said. "We must wait, offer our support, but let him work it out. The body 322 is whole, it will survive as long as Piper wants to live. Pray my friends, 323 let him know you care. He can hear you if you really do care." 324 <cough> <hack> <cough> All the talking caused me to go into convulsions. 325 I was coughing up streems of yellowish green fluid. #Don't worry about it, 326 we just have to clean out the cloroxide converters from your lungs now that 327 you are in an oxigen atmosphere. It will be over in a few minutes.# 328 <cough> <hack> <hack> <cough>. The coughing was intense and painful. So 329 much so that I fell to the floor holding my arms around my chest trying 330 to squeeze out the pain. "It hurts", I managed to gasp between fits. 331 ########################### The Innkeeper ############################### 332 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 333 Milchar's eyes fluttered open, and he took in the scene without moving his 334 head. At first he stared blankly, then by degrees he remembered what had 335 happened. The Innkeeper's presence surprised him. And wasn't that Cragmore? 336 Milchar's eyes refused to focus properly, and little bits of his body 337 complained about the cold to which it hdad been subjected. Long hours would 338 be spent, later, to recover his magic power reserve. Overall, he placed his 339 condition into the category of 'poor, but stable'. 340 Piper, however, was not even stable. Milchar had worked hard with what 341 knowledge he had, but only a little time for Piper was purchased with his coin. 342 A strong will to live might enable him to recover completely, even now. 343 "Has Piper's codition changed?" Milchar asked, somehow managing to make 344 himself heard over the Innkeeper's sudden violent coughing. 345 Bard, startled, answered the mage that he had thought was comatose. "No. 346 He still breathes, buthe blood has stopped." 347 "You should not have tried to heal him," Cragmore said. 348 Anger flared within the mage. Anyone watching except a psi talent would not 349 have noticed, so tight was Milchar's control on it. He merely said in a calm 350 voice, "I will do whatever is necessary to save the life of a friend." 351 Bard interrupted. "Cragmore says Piper wishes to die." 352 Milchar considered this. "If so, I wish to hear it from his lips, and to be 353 able to say goodbye." 354 An awkward silence decended upon five (even the Innkeeper's coughing had 355 subsided), as if each held his breath in anticipation. 356 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar ++++++++++++++ 27 Feb 86 at 10:58pm 357 Hello, I like the Destroyers story too,but I was confused about the death 358 bullet myself.He admitted himself that it should have been made a bit more 359 clear. 360 Oops almost forgot my name: Madwand 361 ....And the sun shines gaily on the mountain tops..I took a trip on a sailin' ship and when I reached Jamaica I made a 362 top... The words floated lazily along the white sand, across tables of wondrous eyed tourists, chatting irreverently 363 , uncaring of tradition, of the steel drums, of the romance of the island, impressed more by the tiny paper umbrellas 364 that garnished drinks they could not ask for by name. They were tolerated. They spent tourist dollars and gawked at 365 whatever they had never seen in Des Moines or Sheboyagan. Naitive Jamaicans insulted them at every opportunity; they 366 ate it up. Unknowing...naive... 367 The sun sets slowly in the Caribbean, treating the islanders to a magnificent spectacle of which they never tire. 368 The tourists glance, "nice sunset.."; and go back to talk of home, and who's minding the hardware store back in Omaha. 369 They gather together for inexplicable reasons and they always say-"Your'e American? Why so are we! Isn't it a small 370 world?" I'm Jerry, and this is my wife Anna. We're from Vincennes, Indiana. The balding man puffs his chest out as 371 he proudly informs his new captive audience that he owns Taylors Dry Cleaning and Tailoring, and that they have been 372 married for seven thousand years... 373 374 The man in the ever blase', ever acceptable Panama suit had heard it a hundred times before. No stranger to the Islands. 375 He looked at his watch again-it was almost time. Signaling to the tablewaiter for another Scotch, he then took from 376 his jacket pocket, a hand held transciever. 377 He pushed the transmit button with his thumb, and spoke:"com-link access echo bravo three delta three foxtrot three 378 operation overlook sierra whiskey niner niner seven." 379 Unseen by the glib tourists, immersed in their long awaited vacations, un noticed by the musicians, the native dancers 380 a Boeing DC-3 Dakota was circling above at flight level 34. 381 The transmission from the ground was relayed via Comsat III to a group of anxious men in a small room in Alaska. 382 383 At the end of the message, Lou punched a key on one of the IBM PC's, and paper spewed from a printer. Delta Five spoke: 384 "OK, gentlemen, we all know what our next move is. It's time to get moving..." 385 [*=*] [*=*] [*==] DELTA FIVE [*=*] [*=*] [*=*] 386 387 Delphi -- Think of a ton of bricks looming above your head -- Is that 388 what you need -- Or can you leave well enough alone? 389 390 Why don't you say specifically what you mean, and who (or what) you are? If that is supposed to be a threat, then 391 name the time and place. 392 WE CANT IGNORE WHAT WE ARE SUBJECTED TO DISKLY. 393 WE HAVE AS MUCH RIGHT TO COMPLAIN AS YOU HAVE TO 394 PRAISE. AT LEAST OUR WEARINESS OF THE STORY WILL 395 HOPEFULLY SOON BE ALLEVIATED. 396 MADWAND. 397 .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.EmuLurk 398 HELP ME! I'M TRAPPED INSIDE THIS BULLETIN BOARD........................ 399 400 O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+ 401 Above: The epitome of a STUPID one-line cutsie. 402 Destroyer: As unpopular as it may seem on this board, I enjoy your 403 entries particularly when you seem to know where your story is headed. 404 Although I don't read all the stories on this board, I'll read those 405 that get my attention. Suffice it to say that I've read several of your 406 entries and have enjoyed many of them. I welcome all those who try to write 407 something here besides one-line cutsies and other such nonsense. 408 I have contributed little literary-wise (so far) and respect those who have 409 the time and patience to churn out entry after entry. The tale I am working 410 on is coming along slowly and I am hesitant to put up a single entry until 411 the work is completed. I suppose this is a matter of taste as well as style. 412 Anyway, though the end of your story is nearing, I encourage you to keep 413 writing. For writing is a skilled art and like any art requires practice to 414 acquire proficiency. 415 O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+O+ POPPING IN O+O+ 2/28 2:15 pm O+O+O+ 416 417 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\why are my markers being deleted?\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 418 If it takes 2,000 pink ribbons to make an elephant a pair of pajamas, how far 419 do you have to drop a lima beam to split a shingle? 420 exit 421 opps, now what do I do? 422 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\because we are sick of seeing them, that's why\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 423 THE ABOVE ONE-LINE CUTSIE CURTESY OF PORTLAND GENERAL ELECTRIC AND YOUR OREGON PUBLIC 424 BROADCAST SYSTEMS. 425 exit 426 please donat 427 #$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$# 428 I, personally, shall be ecstatic to see THE DESTROYER go his way, on the 429 Blue Parrot as well as here. 430 No offense... 431 #$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#JD#$#$#$ 432 ______________________________JD 2446490.5865______________________________ 433 hi 434 ???????????????????????? 435 J.D Silverman-hi ya! 436 like the new story! 437 PIPER:WE DON'T WANT 438 YOU TO DIE!.......... 439 morrissey 440 ?????????????????????? 441 442 ? 443 444 445 446 447 Is there ever anything worth 448 while on this thing. 449 I get tired of wasting my 450 time! 451 end 452 e 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 bbb 462 463 q 464 stop 465 Please organize this crazy s 466 :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:( 467 Personally, i have been disapointet with the amout of activity 468 on this board in the last couple weeks or so. has everybody come 469 down with a flu of the imagination or what? at least the entries 470 currently on the board have shown a consistantly high quality 471 with only one glaring exceptiot which i will not mention. 472 come on, let's see some good stuff out there! 473 :(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(freddy:( 474 I'd like to know if the message above that started 'Delphi' and ended 'MADWAND' 475 was to me or not. I can't tell.And if it is I don't under stand it. 476 #$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$# Madwand #$# 477 --------------- 478 You could think of a "cutesie one-liner" as a pin, and a large entry as a balloon. 479 Possibly filled with lots of hot air. Looks big and significant, but is really 480 small and insignificant. Takes a lot of time to enter. Then along comes the 481 one-liner, and pops the balloon. Bang! Naturally, the person who put in the 482 longer entry is embarrassed. He's been exposed. 483 --------------- 484 *************************************************************************** 485 above: since you didn't bother to let us know whom is speaking, then in my 486 mind, no-one said anything. what's it like to be ignored? 487 **********************************kathyD************************************** 488 p.s. adventure people, read Piper's last entry carefully again. All kinds 489 of excellent info is contained there. 490 *****************************************kD********************************** 491 492 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 493 From Prometheus; Awaited 494 It is amazing to see the number of names people an get for themselves. I 495 am willing to bet each of us has at least four spread over the archives. When 496 the number of these are disclosed, it is amazing to learn. This person said 497 this about that, and hates this person, and lusts after this other person. 498 If the owners of the one line cutsies were to be known, I am sure it would 499 be more amazing than even that. This person is a jerk, did her have to say 500 that about that person, what an idiot, I wish I could write like he does, and 501 a lot of other reactions could result. 502 While I enjoy shifting names and even the personification of each name, the 503 one line cutsies are never much fun. They are glaring insults and this is what 504 I propose we do to abolish them forever. 505 Our friendly neighborhood system operator might declare that all entries 506 have signatures of one kind or another. This policy would be ignored by some, 507 it is obvious. IFf stuck to though, it might create a nasty feeling of being 508 a deviant, and someone would feel rightfully guilty for it. Eventually, there 509 would probably be a lot less one liners around. 510 So, does anyone else think we should ask for signatures on all entries? 511 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 512 513 no 514 515 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 516 Signatures? How? I doubt very much Mikey has the time to enforce such a 517 policy. 518 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 519 "Signatures"? I think you are missing the idea-of what Backwater is all about. 520 To above: The 'delphi' entry was addressed to me by some juvenile mind whose IQ 521 is equal to the number of keys on his Commodore. If he (it) does not like 522 what I write, then he should not read same. It always amuses me that small 523 minds imply anonymously, criticisms when they can't think of anything con- 524 structive to say, or interesting to write. Backwater has always had, and 525 will always have, such creeps. I have found that a dose of Nunchuka liberally 526 applied to the back of the head teaches them some mnners. [*=*] DELTA FIVE [*=* 527 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 528 Delta V: IQ=no. of keys on his 64? Ouch, that hurt. Hope you don't 529 mean the rest of the 64 owners out there (including myself) who are too 530 impoverished to purchase anything more expensive (implied: 'better'). 531 Going to print out & re-read Piper's entry. 532 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 01 Mar 86 ++ 533 Milchar: No, not at all. Only children like the jerk that likes to fill the disk with garbage, as was above. (Thanks 534 Mikey) For some reason that person (?) does not like me. Wish I knew (for sure) who it is. I would give them a REAL 535 reason not to like me. How's school? How would you like to be reminded that finals week is before us.Sorry, that was 536 mean, but some nice guy on the Parrot just reminded me...so I thought... [*=*] DELTA FIVE [*=*\ 537 538 Delphi -- I do not please myself by insulting you -- I rather enjoy you forays 539 into the world of arrogant intrigue -- I do not like the way you have hunted 540 and persecuted McKane -- Stop -- He is no longer there -- It is like beating 541 a dead horse -- with a broken leg, so to speak -- Good day 542 543 ln 538 -- ch /you f/your f/ 544 545 PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP 546 ______________________________JD 2446491.8292______________________________ 547 To above: I don't give a ---- what you like or don't like. Are you the jerk (jerk in lieu of stronger words) that 548 s been filling the disks with garbage? If so, read the mail I left for you on the board you suggested.And please don't 549 continue to use up space with garbage. It doesn't hurt me, but it does cause inconvenience to other users, as well 550 as taking Mikey's time to delete it. I love this BBS and am very loyal to it, and have no use for people who abuse it. 551 Go somewhere else if you want to act like a four year old, or take me up on the offer I made you on the other BBS 552 If you have the guts...I do. [*=*] DELTA FIVE [*=*] 553 554 Delphi -- I am not the one you want -- Do you have a history of holding 555 grudges? -- I do not own a 64 -- I never tested my IQ -- Sorry to disappoint 556 557 Yes, indeed, I "hold grudges". I get mad *and* I get even. It's how I am. McKane has caused me irreparable grief, 558 and I am out to get him. You can join forces with us and wear a white hat, or you can just sit back and observe. 559 "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing " Victor Hugo, I think... 560 561 My name is K.Wiseman and I'm the sysop 562 for the HOBBY SHOP, 665-xxxx.I received 563 a note from a user called DELTA FIVE 564 saying his handle was being abused 565 on your board with buffer dumps from 566 my board.Celestial,233-xxxx has had 567 the same problem with this user.I 568 hope that if you get any information 569 as to is doing this you will share it 570 with us.Mike Shannon also found it 571 distressing, and called my attention 572 to the fact it was his handle being 573 abused.Anyway let me know if it goes 574 on any more.Thankyou,K.Wiseman,sysop, 575 Hobby Shop BBS. 576 577 578 579 580 exit 581 582 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 583 Ah, I never thought that Enter Only would look so good. 584 +_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_ 585 Hello,I was wondering what you folks were talking about intill I got zapped 586 by 'the bbs busters' it was reeel crude.I was the one asking about the 587 'delphi' thing cuz I saw my 'name' in it.Hope somebody finds them in a 588 dark alley in the industrial area.Read you ALL later. 589 #$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$#$##$#$#$##$#$#$## Madwand #$#$#$#$#$#$ 590 591 592 593 594 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ (?) 595 I thought that the battle had been won. Because there was a time for recove 596 I had the idea everything would work out. Was I wrong in thinking so? Did 597 really cause such grief in a what I thought was a simple gesture? Oh, the w 598 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ---the Guardian (63:06) 599 ch /recove/recovery/ ch /Did/Did I/ ch /the w/the woe!/ stinkin' margin 600 601 When you've lost all your senses/arguments/intelligence(if you've got any), 602 and got tired of scratching each other's back. 603 Resort to: 604 / / name calling 605 / / issue a warning of bodily harm like a wrestler at 606 Portland Arena 607 / / quote a long dead person 608 / / insult everybody who own 8-bit computer 609 610 Send you entries to 611 Mutual Admiration Society 612 c/o your local Sysop 613 ***************************************************************************** 614 Hmmm, to Prometheus: Gawd I hope I spelled that right, I agree with you 615 in theory. In practical terms I don't think it would work too well. If 616 the "faithful/loyal" users would start ignoring all messages that were not 617 signed (myself included) it might cut down on the frustration a bit. Ill 618 give it a try, from now on no response to any unsigned message. Perhaps 619 the "disrupters" would feel ignored and leave for "dirtier" pastures. 620 what do you think? 621 ******************************************kathyD**************************** 622 goodd! 623 the disrupter ---- 624 is a twit! Pastures smastures, I prefer ham and eggs myself, 625 green that is, green eggs and ham. TOTAL NUMBER OF LINES = 625