In Cyberspace, No One Can Hear You Bleed A Forever Knight Round Robin Pt. 1 - SIGN ON -- SusanG2522@aol.com The first thing Natalie saw when she entered Nick's loft apartment was a trail of boxes. "Nick?" Still looking around, she walked into the kitchen and put the brown paper sack on the counter, then walked into his living room. "Up here." Nick was coming down the stairs, a loop of wire over his shoulder and a cardboard box in his hands. "Sorry, I didn't think it was that late. I'll be ready to go in a minute." "No, it's okay. I'm early." She noticed that he was already dressed for their evening out, wearing a beige cashmere turtleneck sweater. The jacket that matched his gray wool trousers was draped over a chair. "How come I always feel under-dressed when I'm with you?" Nick glanced at her over the boxes in his arms. "It's only a movie, Nat." "Great. I fish for a compliment and all I get is 'it's only a movie.'" She took a small box of cables and connectors from the pile in his arms and set it on the couch. "And what's all this for?" Placing his burden beside hers, Nicks nodded over his shoulder, toward a cloth covered object on the table. "That." "Ooooh. Can I have a peek Dr. Frankenstein?" "Help yourself," he answered, busily burrowing through the box. "I know I have one somewhere . . . ." Natalie moved past the television, to the small table. Carefully taking one corner of the cloth, she whisked it away. Underneath the cloth was a beige computer, the monitor perched atop the cpu. A blue mouse pad sat beside it and atop the mouse pad was a beige plastic mouse. Someone had done a lousy job of color-coordination. "It's a computer," she said, disappointed. "Um, yeah." Nick was still bent over one of the boxes on the couch. "A friend sent it over." "A friend?" Natalie moved around the table. It looked like an ordinary computer to her. "That's some friend. Is he . . . like you?" "Nat--" warned Nick. "You know I can't tell you--there it is!" He withdrew a long metal bar with several power sockets and a small switch on it from the box. "I knew I had a surge suppressor," he explained, holding it up for her inspection. "It's a glorified extension cord," said Natalie, as Nick knelt down behind the computer and started placing plugs into the socket on the bar. "Yeah, that's what you think. You loose eight hundred years worth of database when some idiot plows into a utility pole and tell me it's a glorified extension cord." Natalie backed away as Nick rose to his feet, wiping his hands on his pants. "There, that's it." He met her eyes and gestured toward the elevator. "Shall we go?" "What?" Natalie crossed her arms, staring at him. "And you're not even going to turn it on?" "It'll be here later," said Nick. "Well, maybe you've got eternity, but I don't." Pulling up a chair, Natalie sat down in front of the computer. She looked for the switches on the cpu and the monitor, then pressed them. The screen flickered into life. "We'll be late," warned Nick, looking at his watch. "The film starts at nine--" "It's only seven-thirty," countered Natalie, staring at the screen as the computer ran through its boot program. "I told you I was early. I was going to make you a salad." She looked at him over her shoulder. "Are you hungry? I've got some nice ham, cheeses, a little romaine lettuce, and this great dressing- -" Gesturing toward the computer, Nick backed up a step. "No thanks. You just . . . play with this for a while." "Okay." Natalie shifted in her seat, hiding her triumphant smile from Nick by leaning toward the screen. "So, this friend of yours--" "You're not going to let up on that, are you?" He moved to stand behind her, his hand on her shoulder. "Nope." "His name's Tony. He's a troubleshooter, a consultant. Works from his own place. Doesn't like people much. And . . . he's one of us." When she looked up at him, he shrugged his shoulders. "We've gotta learn to adapt. It's how we survive. And with everything in databases now, we'll need more friends on the inside when we move from place to place, change identities." His attention was focused on the screen, but Natalie saw something else, something deeper in the back of his eyes. Was it . . . fear? "It's getting tougher, huh?" "It's getting almost impossible. Time was, all you needed was a good sword and a bag of gold." He shook his head, looking at her for a moment before returning his attention to the screen. "That doesn't work any more." "I guess not." A multicolored screen appeared, then Natalie heard a beeping sound, like the ringing of a telephone. She shifted to look at the phone behind them, but Nick pointed to the computer. "Internal modem. I had a second line installed." "Lucky you. And this is doing . . . what?" He shrugged. "I don't know. Tony said it was all loaded, all I had to do was turn it on." The screen that appeared next had a brightly colored message that confirmed the line connection, then asked for a password. Natalie glanced back at Nick. "Well?" "Try 'Nick,'" he suggested. "Oh, that's original," she said, her fingers tapping the keys. "I'd change that if I were you." "To what? 'Nat,'" he teased. "'Knight'?" "What about 'Sidney'?" she asked. As they talked, the screen changed again. "Welcome to Compu-talk," read Natalie. "And what's this?" "I think it's a computer bulletin board system. Tony said he'd put one on for me. He said I should take a look it." The next screen was filled with tiny pictures, arranged in neat little boxes. "News, entertainment, sports," read Natalie. "And mail? What's that little flag mean?" "I think it means Tony's sent me a message." Reaching over her shoulder, Nick moved the wireless mouse on the pad. In response, the little arrow moved to the miniature mailbox, then blinked, twice. Another box opened on the screen. Natalie shifted out of the seat. "It's your mail, you read it." "Nat--" "Like you said--maybe there are some things I shouldn't know yet." After a moment, Nick nodded and sat down at the computer. She tried to focus on something else as he moved the mouse and the screen was suddenly filled with type. "It's okay," said Nick. "He's just listing some things about the system." Eagerly, Natalie turned back to the screen. She was somewhat disappointed to find that vampire messages looked like everybody else's messages. "So?" "He says I should got to something called a 'chat' section and look for 'Tony's'." Leaning closer, Natalie pointed to a small series of marks at the end of the message. "What's that?" "I don't know." It was a colon, the close side of a parenthesis, and an equal sign. Natalie tilted her head sideways, then started laughing. "What?" asked Nick, turning in his chair to look at her. "What's funny?" "Look at it!" she managed, between gasping for breath. Nick shook his head. "What?" "It's . . . it's a vampire!" He stared, tilting his head, then falling back against his seat. "No . . . ." Then he looked over his shoulder. "Oh, come on. It's not funny." Still gasping, and wiping the tears from her eyes, Natalie moved to stand behind him. "I suppose wouldn't think so." Nick moved the mouse toward the close button. "No, save it," said Natalie quickly. "You never know when you may need his instructions again." "If you ever get one of these, you're going to need a huge hard drive," warned Nick. Still, he took her suggestion. "Yeah. And you'll be calling me when you can't find your directions," she answered, cuffing him on the shoulder. Once the file was saved, the screen reverted to the previous screen, filled with tiny pictures. "There's the 'chat' thing," said Natalie, pointing with her finger. Again, Nick moved the mouse and clicked. The little arrow shifted as well, touching the icon. Then the picture disappeared. The next screen was a menu, listing a variety of names. Reading over his shoulder, Natalie pointed to the little arrow down at the corner of the screen. "I think if you put the pointer there--" "I do this, Nat." When he clicked at the arrow, the list began to move. They scrolled through the list until 'Tony's' appeared. "That's it!" Nick clicked on the highlighted name and the screen changed again. At the very top it said 'Tony's'. To the left side was a smaller screen, with several names in it, among which was 'Nick.' "That's ," breathed Natalie. "And there's your friend Tony. But who are these other people?" The board came to life, lines of print suddenly appearing. It was if they'd been dropped into the middle of a conversation. Then one line caught their attention. TONY: HI, NICK. WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG? Nick looked over his shoulder. "I think we've found it." For a second, Natalie simply stared at the screen. "I guess we have," she said slowly. "So, what do we do now?" Pt. 2 - NIGHTLIFE -- johanna@hydra.unm.edu Nick: Hi! What took you so long? "Type something," Nat poked Nick in the shoulder. "Go on." "Like what?" "Hello is always good." Hello re re Nick Hallo "Who are all these people?" Nick almost jumped back from the screen. More salutations (at least, he thought they were salutations, he was't sure what 're' meant) filled the screen so fast Tony's original message disappeared. The up arrows didn't seem to work. Tony? yes? How does this work? * Miyu-sama giggles and hugs poor Nick "I have no idea what just happened." Nick looked up at Nat. Miyu: Nick is a newbie. We have to be very nice and explain how irc works. Nick: Miyu just performed an "action". It's kind of like picturing yourself doing something, picturing the channel (that's where we are) as a room or a restaurant. or, in the case of Tony's, a pub. Miyu just irc-hugged you. oh. "What's irc?" Nat raised a brow, still reading the screen over Nick's shoulder. What's irc? Nick: Internet Relay Chat < Miyu-sama> Nick: Real time chat Nick: internet realtime chat Nick: what they said. I'm a little lagged. "Do you get the feeling that there is an entire vocabulary that goes along with this stuff that we are seriously lacking?" Nat laughed as Nick frowned over what lagged might mean. Suddenly something new appeared on the screen. *Tony* I'm messaging you now, so only you can see what I'm typing, not the rest fo the channel. How do you like it thus far? *Tony* Oh, reply by typing /msg Tony "Go on, give it a shot." Nat poked him again. "This is neat." --> *Tony* I'm really confused. Nat's here, and we're going to a movie... *Tony* Ah... hot date? Nat laughed, and Nick sighed. --> *Tony* yes. I have a question. *Tony* Shoot. --> *Tony* Just how many people on this channel are vampires? --user Janette has just joined #Tony's (topic: just hanging around...) "Oh no..." Janette: Nickolah!!!!!!!! * Janette kisses Nick passionately Pt. 3 - ON-LINE -- SusanG2522@aol.com Nick stared at the screen, as if in disbelief. "I'm going to Tony--" "This could be interesting," countered Natalie. She ignored Nick's look of anguish and concentrated on the screen with no small amount of glee. "I wonder if she can read what you've said so far?" "If we're going to get to that movie tonight--" Natalie wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. "Type!" she commanded, rapping his shoulder with her knuckles. But Nick was saved momentarily by the answer from Tony. *Tony* I wouldn't say this on a regular channel, but I've got our direct com line secured. I'd say seven or eight I know are on-line right now. Maybe eighty more frequent this area pretty regularly. "That many vampires are on line?" asked Natalie. Then she quickly cleared her throat, as her comment had ended on a high note that might have been surprise . . . or alarm. "I guess it's a way to keep up with the outside world when the sun's shining." Nick shrugged. "Wait- -there's more--" *Tony* We watch what we say on the open/public lines. The mortals don't have a clue. And you'll be surprised what they say about US. Before they managed to digest the message from Tony, another scrawled across the bottom of the public screen. Nickolah! No kiss for me? *Janette pouts "You'd better answer her," warned Natalie, managing to hide most of her smile before Nick glanced back at her. "It might be safer. Although--look!" Janette: Nick is a newbie. He's probably still He's new, Janette. learning how to respond to messages. "Looks like they're trying to protect you. From Janette." Nick coughed into his hand. Nick always responds to MY messages, don't you, Nickolah? This time, Natalie couldn't hide her chuckle. "I'm ending this ," said Nick, typing. *Nick* Janette, what are you doing here? Business slow? *Janette* You found the enter key. Good for you. I'll be certain to tell your groupies. "Meow!" answered Natalie, as Nick grinned up at her. "I didn't know on-line sarcasm was possible." "If it wasn't, Janette would invent it." *Janette* If you MUST know, it's a good place for business contacts. Not all of my supplies can be purchased at the corner market. Or the butcher . . . like you. "I'd never really thought about that," said Natalie. "It'd be better if you stopped that train of thought now." There was a dark note in Nick's tone that spoke volumes more than mere words. Natalie turned her attention to the other lines of type that seemed to crawl continuously across the screen, disappearing at the top as some new comment appeared at the bottom. "What are talking about?" "Let's see." Nick moved the mouse and the cursor touched an arrow at the top of the screen, bringing back some of the typed commentary. "Someone's having car trouble--a mother is complaining about her two-year-old's addiction to . . . Barney?" He looked at her questioningly. "I'll explain later," promised Natalie. "What else?" "Schoolwork--car repair seems to come up quite a bit--television shows--" Another private message appeared at the bottom of the screen. *Tony* Nick--while you're still scoping this out, I guess I should ask you not to mention that you're a cop. "Uh-oh," said Nick, in a low tone. *Nick* Why? Anti-police sentiment on here? Or is there something illegal going on that I shouldn't know about? *Tony* No--nothing like that. But I got you here under false pretenses. I think we've got a big problem. There's a HUNTER using the system. Natalie didn't have a chance to respond before Nick was pounding frantically at the keyboard. *Nick* Confirmed? *Tony* I think he's been using stray comments to track his victims. We've lost three on-line members in the past month. And it's only a matter of time before he screws up, scrags a mortal vampire-wanna-be, and your friends in blue get involved. Natalie took a deep breath as she read over Nick's shoulder. "Does this mean what I think it means?" "Someone's using the system to hunt and destroy vampires." Her heart sinking, she said softly, "Yeah, that's what I thought." *Nick* Let me guess--you want me to look at this in an unofficial capacity? *Tony* Get real. Like I'm going to call in the cops? You're one of the few of us that far into the mortal world. And I have a vested interest in keeping the Enforcers out of this. "Let me guess," said Natalie, as Nick continued to respond to Tony's messages, "the movie's pretty much out of the question, huh?" "If the Enforcers get a hold of this, they'll shut Tony down. Maybe permanently." The grim set of Nick's mouth did nothing to dispel the growing unease in the pit of her stomach. Suddenly, this wasn't fun anymore. *Nick* You warn any of the others? *Tony* I don't know any of them well enough to tell who'd go running back to the Enforcers. So . . . no. And . . . I can't prove anything. *Nick* So you want me to look into it. Maybe act as bait?" Natalie's fingers dug into Nick's shoulder as she read the words he'd typed onto the screen, but he didn't seem to notice. "You can't be serious." *Tony* Handle it however you think you should. I'll upload the info I've collected so far. It should show up in your mail box in a couple of minutes. And if you need me, you know where to find me. *Nick* Thanks. Keep in touch. "You're thanking him? He's got you involved with a vampire hunter and you're him?" "He's an old friend, Nat. And he's going to get more valuable as time goes on. can't afford to lose him." There was something about his emphasis on the 'we' that disturbed her. "I thought you didn't consider yourself part of that world?" Nick's hands dropped from the keyboard. He looked up at her, rubbing the back of his hand against his chin. "I'm looking for a way out, sure. But I'm not stupid. I have to live long enough to find one." "But why put yourself in danger? Why not let your Enforcers handle it?" "Like I said, Tony's an old friend. What he's doing--this--" he gestured toward the monitor, "could be seen as endangering our existence, breaching the security. And they tend to think the only solution to every breach of security is scorched earth." "Leave nothing behind? Which means--" Natalie stared at the conversation flowing past her on the screen. "All of these people might be in danger. Even if they don't know anything." "Exactly." He glanced at the screen, then back at her. "There's a price for interacting with mortals." "And sometimes the mortals get burned. Without knowing why." "Sometimes." Again, he glanced at the screen-- she realized that he was checking the mailbox, waiting for Tony's message. "And I can't take this on officially because--well, you know the problem. We're usually left with charred remains . . . if that. Having any mortal police force, from anywhere, looking too closely into one of our pasts, associates--" "The drill," interrupted Natalie, nodding. "Friends, family, business partners, business dealings--" "Any of which might involve more of us, endanger more of us, and more of them. And--" Nick sighed, as the computer beeped and a flag appeared at the mailbox "--might just lead the hunter to more victims." "So, maybe you'd better warn Janette, right?" When Nick started and stared at her, she realized that the thought hadn't yet occurred to him. Almost instantly, he began typing. *Nick* Janette? I need to speak with you. Now. For a moment, there was no response. *Nick* Janette? It's urgent. You may be-- A message suddenly appeared at the bottom of the screen. **USER HAS BLOCKED COMMUNICATION FROM THIS ID** Nick slammed his hand against the table. The mouse flew into the air, but Natalie caught it before it could hit the wall or the floor. She was still fumbling with it as Nick shot out of the chair and headed for the phone. "She's probably just still annoyed with you," said Natalie, in what she hoped was a comforting tone. "After all, what's the chances of Janette actually running into the hunter? Of eighty or more vampires on line?" He'd punched the autodial on the phone and had it up to his ear. He'd rammed the other hand in his jacket pocket, but she saw some of the tension ease out in the shift of his shoulders. "You're right. Tony said the system runs across a couple of continents. The killer could be in London or Los Angeles, for all we know. Why worry needlessly?" Natalie smiled her encouragement and turned back to the computer. Gently placing the mouse on the tabletop, she checked to see that it was still working. Then, she realized that Nick hadn't retrieved his mail. Biting her lip, she hesitated only a second before clicking on the mailbox icon. Two items appeared on a menu--the first was a file from Tony. The second was a message from Janette. She spun as she heard Nick mutter something under his breath. "She's not at the Raven," he told her, pressing another button combination and hitting autodial. "Alma says Janette was going out of town for a few days, meeting a supplier in New York." Natalie turned back to the computer. She stared at the two items in the mail box, not daring to open either one. As Nick had said, too much knowledge could prove dangerous. And the message could very well be private. A glance over her shoulder told her that Nick wasn't getting through to Janette's apartment. On impulse, she clicked on the message sent by Janette. Against her better judgment, she scanned it quickly. "Uh, Nick?" she managed, raising her hand and waving at him. "You'd better take a look at this--" Before she could blink, he was beside her. He took in the message at a glance. "She's on a laptop, from her hotel room in New York," he muttered, in wonder. "I didn't know she a laptop. don't have a laptop." Despite his mundane commentary, Natalie knew that he'd read and understood the same words she'd read-- --I'M LATE GETTING TO MY APPOINTMENT, THANKS TO YOU. HE HAPPENS TO BE SOMEONE I CONTACTED ON- LINE. AND HE SAYS HE CAN SOLVE MY SUPPLY PROBLEMS FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. SO, YOU SEE, NICKOLAH, THIS IS A VERY USEFUL THING-- And, for a long moment, she simply stared at Nick's reflection in the monitor glass, and wondered what he was thinking. by DENELSON@ucs.indiana.edu Janette sent the message off to Nick before loging out and shuting down. She then checked her make-up before grabbing her purse and hotel key. Technology was making life (or unlife she chuckled to herself) easier and more complicated all at the small time. Ofcouse the clothing was more comfortabe, but it was so cheap that a great deal of effort and attention to detail was required to look extraordinary. In the elevator, such a slow moving device, she checked her little red book and discovered that she didn't have a pen. The consierge (I can't spell it, can you?) was happy to give her a pencil, but all of their pens seemed to have migrated to less busy locations, so she was stuck with a dull, breakable piece of sharp wood, while some neuvo riche woman wore a dozen perfectly good quills in an ugly hat. *** She landed a block up the street and walked into the appropriate alley, listening for the sounds of sleeping mortals. There, at the end of the alley, was a silhouette.... Pt. 5- NETWORKING -- SusanG2522@aol.com "Move." Natalie did as she was told, slipping out of the seat as Nick moved to take her place. She leaned over his shoulder as he took a deep breath, his hands paused over the keyboard. "What are you going to do?" "Get help. Hopefully." Is anyone on here in New York City? I've got a situation in progress-- "Uh oh-- word," warned Natalie, pointing to 'situation' as it appeared on screen. Nick shook his head, but kept typing. *Tony* Nick--what's going on? *Nick* I think Janette's meeting with your Hunter tonight. She's locked me out of *Nick* her laptop. But if one of your people can get word to her Nick had barely pressed the enter key on the second half of his message when Tony's response appeared. *Tony* Forget talking. Just get people to her. Lots and lots of people. "Why?" Then, as Nick glanced up at her, Natalie smiled. "All right, so I'm being dense--the more people around her, the less chance there is of something happening. Geez--look at all the groupies, uh, people responding to your message!" Lines were traveling across the screen faster than she could read. Nick seemed to be able to keep on top of it, nodding. "Look's pretty good," he answered, hands poised over the keyboard. "Maybe I should let Tony handle this, though--" Before he could touch the keys, another message appeared from Tony. *Tony* Nick--if you're gonna need people, we're gonna have to hit everyone who's *Tony* on line RIGHT NOW, on every system I can tap--from Internet down. There was only a second's pause. *Nick* Do it. I'll answer to Janette, if this is a false alarm. *Tony* They're your fangs. Okay, here goes-- "This means he's going to ask to save Janette?" Natalie coughed into her hand. "If this a false alarm, Janette is going to kill you." "Too late." Leaning back in the chair, Nick rubbed his eyes with his hand. "I'm more worried about than Janette. I'm guessing that Tony'll come up with maybe twenty people, humans vampires." "All saying, 'Nick sent me'?" Natalie bit her lip. "Change your phone number. How long would it take you to move all this stuff--?" Giving her a wan smile, he glanced back at the monitor. "No matter what the mix, humans and vampires together mean trouble. And that still doesn't account for the Hunter." "I think Tony's right--if Janette surrounds herself with people, he wouldn't dare do anything." "Ummmmn." Nick was staring at the monitor. "But you're basing that conclusion on some very iffy assumptions." "Do tell, Sherlock." "Okay. You're assuming the Hunter's a male." Reaching for the mouse, Natalie clicked on the mailbox, again opening Janette's last message. "See, she says--" "But she's never met . He could be a ." Tapping the screen with his finger, he added, "It's all black and white words, but any one of those people could be ." After a pause, Natalie nodded. "I'll give you that one. But what else have I missed? 'Assumptions' was plural." Nick's finger rested over his name on the monitor. "We asked Tony how many vampires were on the list--but how could we know for sure unless he told us who was who? None of these people, except Tony, know that a vampire. Or that you're here and you're , for that matter. So our Hunter--" "May or may not be a vampire?" Natalie sighed and leaned a hand on his shoulder. "Give me a nice, cold corpse any day. At least then you've got something solid to deal with." Nick raised an eyebrow. "I don't know whether I should be offended by that remark, or--" Natalie pointed toward the monitor. "Look!" And the messages began to scroll by, almost as fast as she could read them. Ruth Dempsey "Anglofans"@aol.com Natalie pointed toward the monitor. "Look!" And the messages began to scroll by, almost as fast as she could read them. <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! "How do you make it stop?" shouted Nick. "Try pause," suggested Nat. <> Tag, Yo * "Now what?" "Try signing off and signing back on." Nick swore and pecked at the key board. "Now let's see if we can contact Tony..." /msg *Tony* <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! <> Tag, You're IT! "He's blocked your email, damn," said Nat. "Or she," Nick reminded her as he banged his fist on the desk. End 6