
1 If you are in need of help, you need but ask...
2 *************************** INSTALLED: 26 DEC 84 ************************
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 the right 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     Strange how life plays it's little games on us all.
22     One day,you could be looking sadly into the eyes of your ill printer.
23 Wondering if it will ever walk again. And the next you could be at the top
24 of BackWater. Oh well,
25  MR. Hawthorne, I understand that you are haveing problems with access to
26 the computers at school.Well, if you would try Gene you might be supprised
27 . Her computer goes unused most of the day.(Except for a girl named susan
28 who plays 'learning'games with arround noon.)If you tell Gene your intent
29 with the computer and possably get a teacher behind you,you could get 
30 regular access just about anytine.(I know because I myselfe did it.)
31 
32  MR.Zippy, Do you rember Andy? Well if so you might be interested in 
33 knowing that he has just gotten Fahrenheit 451, from Trillium softwear.
34 According to him it is very well done. the only problem is that he has a 
35  MSD-Superdirve,and Trillium softwear does 'streange' things to the 
36  commodore drive when booting up.He can only run the game when he borrows
37  a friends drive.
38 
39  Note to all formor 3'rd grade teachers: 
40    Say what you will about my spelling.I am aware that it is rather 
41 lacking in acuracy.However their is a good reason for that.
42   I am a lousy speller.
43 <+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>+<+>
44 ***************************************************************************
45    well, I missed you all considerably this short absence. Hope you all
46 raked it in.  (i sure know i paid it out!!!)
47 *********************************************happykathy********************
48 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
49 If the Perplexed Guardian can take it, PaPa will sit down for a while.
50 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
51 Boy, the NET sure is active on the other disk.  What a fun to read.
52 CONFIRMATION NOTES:  Dr. Cameron C. Bangs, MD is on file at WFCH as
53 it is refered to on my computer.  Willamet Falls Community Hospital,
54 however, The system is unable to find any reference to Dr. Abraham.
55 Oh well.     At least Joshua saw a real doctor.  
56   P.S.  He is not always at WFCH either.    He has his own offices
57         as well at 1400 DIVISION, Oregon City.  If you want a doctor
58   in Oregon City, that must be the one for (he's been in backwater).
59 (((((((((((((
60 MiG,Sondargaard,Prometheus ...   Sorry about interupting your phone
61 conversation this morning, but I needed to call the LAB and I though
62 he was off the phone in bed, asleep like all good little boys.  That
63 is what I get for not looking for the light coming from under the
64 door.     Sorry.        But please lets put a limit on it folks.
65                         Say two (2) hours maximum for now.
66                             =====================
67 (((((((((((((
68 Sondargaard ....   See, I told you that I could get the modem reconfigured
69 at work to get into the Inn at 300 baud.  Normally the port is set for 1200
70 and I have to send the modem a command file that first attaches itself to
71 a JOB then kills the job and sends it the .BAUD 300 command.  Then I
72 just force it the ATDT line that is needed.  It is a lot different 
73 than using the remote terminal at home.
74 ((((((((((((
75 Glad to see your entry that shows you made it thru DB. 
76 I hope all of the modems for christmas will read the instructions first.
77 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PaPa Smurf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12/26/84  11:48 ~~~~~~~~~
78 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
79 
80 Ian,
81 	Another ....Eh ?....I already am working one one that has me going
82 bald through frustration ! ! ! ! Not to mention there seems to be less and
83 less formica on the table....Out of benign curiosity, I *DO* hope this 
84 one has some method, the one I am contemptiously working on has no apparent
85 pattern  A R R R G G G G ! !  ( yet ).....
86 Riskers,
87 	...As fate would have it ....Tonight....Two of my most elusive enemies
88 will be in town...They have been spoiling for combat since their last loss
89 Sooooo...L'homme, voyeur, Leonard etc....9:00 PM is the appointed hour...
90 If you can make it great if not....what a game you will miss...
91 I will check back ...say 7ish to see the response...Or on PCS..
92 
93 ::::::::::Alex None:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
94 --------------------------------------
95 Boy it's nice to have a working phone
96 line again.  The serviceman had never
97 seen so much corrosion in his life!
98 He was amazed that it had kept working
99 this long.  No more garbled lines!!!!!
100 -------------------------------Mad Max
101 *************************getoutyourhankies***********************************
102      Alex and Leo speed back to headquarters after hearing of the death of
103 Ontho.  When they reached the landing pad the Old woman was waiting for them.
104     "Leo, my child , the funeral will begin in about 20 minutes in the
105 debriefing chamber, please bring the trident and Alex with you." and with 
106 that the old woman turned and left.
107      Leo was still feeling quite sad about the death of her comrade and
108 would proudly cary the trident to honor Ontho.
109 
110      The bells tolled slowly (produced by some artifical means)and the
111 atmosphere was dark. Ontho's small coffin lay on the main desk in the
112 debriefing chamber. After everyone had found a seat,  A large gong sounded
113 and Leo and Alex entered, walking slowly up the passageway. Leo held the
114 trident as high as she could and Alex help steady her arm. Tears could be
115 seen flowwing from Leo's eyes as she approached the small box. Leo layed
116 the trident on top of the box and Alex turned and found a seat.
117      The old woman faced Leo and inbetween them was the remains of Ontho.
118 The old woman took Leo's hand and placed it on the trident at the tip
119 of the tines.  The old woman grasped the handle and started to chant.
120 the words she used have never been heard before and to describe it quite
121 difficult. A low moaning and sadness was heard in her throat, and then
122 unexpectantly a demanding tone! The trident began to spark and Leo's
123 hand got qute warm but she didn't let go. The old woman contiued her
124 chant louder and louder untill all that could be heard was a load rushing
125 noise and a crack of thunder.  The trident was glowing brightly and the
126 old woman took leo's hand and placed it on the handle. "Hold it high
127 girl, Hold it high" Leo did as the old woman commanded and held aloft
128 the trident. sparks which were coming from the trident were dropping
129 down onto Ontho's box and going inside!
130    The box began to move, and tenicles could be heard scratching
131 against the inside.  The old woman quickly opened the box and lifted
132 a now live and kicking Ontho out.
133     The trident had ceased and all was quiet. except perhaps the sound
134 of a hungrey Ontho who who like some venus bards to much on.
135     Leo sheathed the trident and held out her arms to receive Ontho,
136 so happy in seeing her old friend. Ontho buzzed '"kappa zow".  And
137 Leo realized this was not "super" Ontho but just good ole "dumb"
138 Ontho. "I sure have missed ya" Leo and Alex and Ontho strode out
139 of the room ammid applause.
140 *****************************************************kathy*****************
141 ***************************************************************************
142 The net stories are quite entertaining. "fredricks of hollywood"? <YUK YUK>
143 *****************************************************************************
144 
145 Scene I
146 [The lights dim on slowly and focus in on a small room remarkably similar to a I
147 
148 
149 
150 -------------------------------------------------
151 WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO GET THE REST OF THE "NET" series?  I just began reding
152 It yesterday and it is very interesting!
153 I would like to know what had happened in previous installments.  If this is
154 possible leave a note.  Also does anyone know how to fix ACHILLES in infocm's
155 Planetfall?
156                      Thanx,
157 ****************************************************Slashman Jr.****************
158 )%*#@)_*%_)*%!#_)*%!#)_*%_)*%_+)!*%_)!*%)_@#*%)_@#*%)_@*%)_!*%)_@*#_)%*@#_)%*
159 Alex: I think I'll come. I'll be bringing the Apple Source books too. I can't
160  stay to the usual 5am quitting time though. Should I bring the Vile Orange
161  stuff?
162 *)_%#@)_*%_)@#%*@
163 Fellows was buying some smokes. Minsky was in the lady's room. Typical. 
164 Flemming was across the street at the book store looking at magazines.
165 It had been awhile since I had visited Portland. The last time I was here
166 was right before Gaudy, Joshua, and I headed down to RAINdeer in my atomic
167 car. The memories of that fateful trip still lingered, more than I cared
168 to admit to. But things were looking up. NET was back on its feet, with a
169 full scale operation, after lying low for several months while things cooled
170 off. Even if Portland was rainy and cold, it had to be better than the place
171 I had come from.
172 As I settled in my high-backed seat, sipping vile coffee and eating a week-
173 old danish, I thought about the strange trail of events that had lead us
174 here to the West coast. Could we find him? Would he remember us? Who knows
175 what dasterdly things the cult did to him. Every man has his limits of
176 endurance. Unspeakable things:there were no limits to the forms of torture
177 man had devised for his fellow man. Tricks and tools for every inconvenience.
178 The Dragon Room was probably a cakewalk compared to what Joshua was put
179 through at the commune. I shock my head of the thought as one particulary
180 painful practice came to mind. Horrible!
181 My mind shifted to another train of thought. Vengence:that anger that would not
182 end. A fury that would only subside when one particular deed was done. I felt more
183 intense hatred for one man than any other. I would not sleep until he was
184 dead. I thought of Leroy McKane as I gripped the seat cover. He was evil
185 indeed, but in a noble sort of way. No, the man I wished dead more than any
186 other was Petrov! It was he who double crossed us. He nearly killed Joshua
187 and I, that day in the Oklahoma City Plaza Hilton. I have a debt to pay him.
188 I touched the buldge in my jacket. NET had outdone itself this time. A weapon
189 of unmatched sophistication. Yes, I said to myself, patting the weapon, thinking
190 of Petrov. You and I shall soon meet. And then...
191 My train of thought was derailed, as Fellows laid a hand on my shoulder, and
192 tossed a pack of cigs on the table with the other hand.
193 "Je ne fume pas.", I said to his offer. 
194 "What?", he replied, a confused look on his face.
195 "Never mind Fellows. Let's find the others and get going. We have a fellow NET
196  agent to find, and a mission to accomplish!"
197 *%)_*%_)@#*%_@)#*%_@)#*%_@#)%* L'homme sans Parity $)*_)#*%_!*%_!*%_)#!%*_@)#*
198 Hollywood sends his glittering grettings to all
199 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$#
200 I saw some of the longer line lengths, then began to feel guilty of wasting disk space.  I have reformed.
201 Ian: So sorry, If the 29th in your reality is next Saturday, I am unable to come.  Work and all that.  How about...
202 L'homme: Would you please get any information from Ian and relay it to me?  Is my identity still secret?
203 Voyeur: I have heard that you have access to something called 'nuclear option' RISK rules.  You would not have an 
204 extra copy lying about, do you?
205 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$#
206 "Damn.", I swore.  That was the thirty-second game of poker that I lost while playing Fred.  I think I'll tell John
207 to re-program him.
208 My luck finding John was about the same.  No word from his department.  Vanished without a trace.  No one else would
209 even touch the XD-40.
210 My visit to the hosipital that Joshua had supposedly been in was like all of my other pursuits.  Dead end.  Vanished 
211 just as John had.  No word.  End Of Trail.
212 "Fred, I'm at the end of my rope.  Nothing, Zero, Zilch, Kaput on leads.  Start the FULL search for data on the NET.
213 Anything and everything.  Preferably printed out.  While you do that, I'll think of something to do about finding
214 Joshua."
215 Fred was quiet, apparently happy that he could do something that would take up a good deal of his time.
216 I thought.  Nothing came.  I thought best behind that big oak desk I had as a child...
217 Bingo.  My mother still lived in Portland, and I hadn't seen her in weeks.  I'll visit, and try out that desk once 
218 again.  And, of course, say hello.
219 The time flew by as I drove, now with some sort of purpose.  Fred was still quiet, but I welcomed the silence.  Too
220 bad that the traffic wouldn't co-operate and keep quiet.
221 Almost before I knew it, I had arrived.  The house was still the same... paint was a little more cracked...
222 The greetings were warm and many.  My brother and sister were here for the holidays.  He'd just come back from the
223 Army.  She was going to get married in two weeks.
224 "Eugene, dear, there's a present under the tree for you.  No one remembers putting it there, but open it up.", Mother
225 said to me.
226 "I'll open it in my old bedroom.  Is the desk still there?", I asked.
227 "Yes, everything is as it was when you moved out.  Go ahead.  Dinner will be ready in a half-hour."
228 I climbed the flight of stairs up, treading through the flood of memories that washed down on me.  Second door on the
229 right, I remembered...
230 It was.  Just like I remembered it.  And the desk... a little tidier than I left it, but such is life.  I closed the
231 door quietly behind me.
232 I turned to the still-wrapped box before me.  The bow quickly came off, and the wrapping seemed to melt before my eyes.
233 I began to lift the lid- 
234 "Hey, Eugene.  You're sure driving fancy cars nowadays.  Did ya get rich hunting for crooks?", my brother yelled up.
235 "Sort of.", I yelled back.  There.  The lid was off.
236 Inside was a book, and a card.  The card read, "Merry Xmas, Farley."  The book-
237 I looked at the book.  I couldn't make heads or tails of it.  It seemed to be some sort of codebook, filled with
238 random-looking combinations of letters.
239 "Fred?  I have here a book that seems to be filled with code.  Want to look at it?"
240 "Why not?  I'm having no luck with your last assignment.  Read some of it off to me.", Fred said.
241 I began, and was halted after about twenty-five words or so.
242 "That's it, Farley!  That's it!", Fred yelled through the 'com.
243 "That's what?", I asked.
244 "A logbook.  JOSHUA'S logbook.  Coded reports of everything he's done during the period of...about a week.  There is
245 a reference to someone named LeRoy McKane, and some dates..."
246 "How soon could you have this thing entirely decoded, if I got it down to you?"  This might have been a worthwhile
247 visit, after all.
248 "A few hours.  No telling what problems I may run into.  The cipher might even change two or three times.  There will
249 certainly be places he visited often, references to places near NET headquarters...  I could cross-check them, and.."
250 Fred babbled on, but I didn't listen.  I heard something else.
251 A distinct "Ho, ho, ho" and the sound of sleigh bells.
252 Must be my imagination.
253 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# Farley #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 12/26/84 - 11:23 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$#
254 [&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&]
255 	I didn't think I would ever call back here again but
256 it just got too boring not reading the stories at the Inn.
257 And now, now I see that nothing much has changed.  Except,
258 the people that I once knew are gone, were they ever here?
259 It's hard to tell.  Some old faces are gone, only imagination
260 can restore thier beauty.  They are all lost in a sea of
261 faces.
262 	But now there are new faces at the Inn, do they know
263 of the people before them?  Do they think of the people yet
264 to come.  Soon they will be like the old ones, forgotten,
265 lost in the sea of faces.  
266 	Not to be depressing, the old people are still there,
267 there in the corners.  Only a little whisper and they are
268 here again.  Only a small whisper and they are gone tomarrow.
269 But be freinds while there is time for this time is short.
270 Be happy and cheerful, be yourself and let go of fear of not
271 being accepted.  Let it go and have fun.  Don't lurk in the
272 shadows, waiting for that whisper, come on out and live in
273 the light.  
274 	Oh well, my writing is semi fine and the humor is
275 a bit off, I will write a story and see how it goes.  My
276 shadow days were few but in that time I learned a lot.  In
277 the light there might be happiness for me.
278 [&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][Velvet][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&][&]
279 TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
280 The old man slumped sideways, jaw agape, his rheumy blue eyes staring in
281 perpetual amazement that the city had spat him out into the lobby of the
282 St. Francis Hotel. The other residents wore the same expression of star-
283 tled rumination without which it would have been impossible to tell them 
284 from the furniture.  Small wonder that the denizens of the Hotel Rajneesh
285 across the street would relinquish everything to a man who promised
286 deliverence from the abyss of emptiness. If I believed him, I'd do it
287 myself. But of course I didn't believe him, wasn't capable of believing him
288 and that's why I was a searcher on this NET stake-out instead of the 
289 searchee.
290 I sauntered across the street, noting the position of the big Rajneesh bus
291 and the various smaller vehicles and discreetly inspecting the customers
292 in the Pizza Quarry. In the Plaid Pantry, a red-clad devotee was earnestly
293 proclaiming his love for Dangerfield to a polite Vietnamese couple. I got
294 some coffee and headed back to the St. F. An insolent punk, complete with
295 fluorescent Mohawk leaned against the Scheherazade Deli. He sneered as I
296 paused near him. I sensed him following me, so I mounted the stairs casual-
297 ly, entered the NET's rented room, and perched on a tattered chair to wait.
298 Seconds later the punk stormed into the room.
299 "You RECOGNIZED me. I was supposed to be in DISGUISE," moaned L'homme.
300 "Well, of course *I* recognized you. I already know you. If I didn't know
301 you I NEVER would have recognized you...  Except if I didn't know you I
302 wouldn't recognize you anyway even without a disguise 'cuz you can only
303 recognize people you know, but it's a GREAT disguise. Honest. Really."
304 I had to be as nice as possible to L'homme because I had drawn Jefferson
305 theatre duty and he had agreed to go with me, not to protect me, but to see
306 if Petrov might be satisfying one of his many famous appetites in yet 
307 another porno dive.
308 L'homme changed into a meek-looking middle aged man and I donned glasses,
309 a mustache, sideburns, and an outdated man's fedora.
310 "You look like Mr. Potato Head," L'homme informed me and kindly made me 
311 look like Eli Wallach. "It's all in the mustache."
312 We headed over to the Jazz Quarry for a drink before the show.
313 "What do you make of this?" asked L'homme. "I was posing as a guard at the
314 Art Museum and Ma Prem Rivers has a rendezvous with some guy every Tuesday
315 and Saturday in front of that Eskimo exhibit of a mask that you open up and
316 inside is another mask. He has a beard and wears sunglasses and has some 
317 kind of accent."
318 I  studied the people around me, each in his own facade, each presenting 
319 some ideal dream-self to the world, trying to hide the quivering mass of
320 emotions, and yet revealing by the dream he chooses to portray the shape and
321 drama of the creature beneath.  So here we sit in our disguises in our
322 diguises. "L'homme, we are all masks within a mask."
323 "L'homme groaned softly.
324 TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT suspensfully yours, Gaudy Minsky TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
325 Dear Gaudy,
326 	could you be a bit more careful about hitting the shift key? You missed
327 and hit the ctrl key several times in your entry. (It was a GREAT entry
328 though...)
329 	I wouldn't even have mentioned it but the ^S & ^L did some strange things
330 to me software...
331 ps I "fixed" the file..
332 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
333 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
334 
335 L'homme,
336 	.....It's 3:58....and again the Red forces have been victorious...
337 The win arrived after many ( billions & billions ) of wall to wall sweeps of 
338 the board...only abject desire stopped the colusive efforts of those two 
339 pretenders...Bob fell first...leaving Dennis...whose rolls were outragous !
340 When was the last time 8 "6"s came in a row ? ... The catch 22 ploy worked 
341 the following move after you left Bob was attacked ! ! 
342 Score Backwater 2 pretenders 0
343 
344 ........Now for some well needed rest.....Yawn....ZZZzzzzzzz
345 
346 voyeur,
347 	They were very good games....L'homme- 1 myself-1 ... too bad you 
348 did'nt make it !
349 
350 :::::::::::Alex::::::::::::::::::::::ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz::::::::::::::::::::
351 
352 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
353    The piper, one hand gripping the pole, one hand around the pegasus' neck,
354 watched the large carnivore.  It looked like a tiger with wings -- would it 
355 react in the same way?  The piper was familiar with the habits of some of the
356 large cats -- knowlege gained rather painfully before he had begun frequenting
357 the inn -- and quickly began reviewing some of the things he could remember.
358   As the cat began to stir, he pulled himself to the pegasus' back and hooked 
359 his knees under the roots of her wings.  Tucking the pole under his arm, he
360 caressed the peagasus and whispered in her ear, "Peg, we might have a hell of
361 a fight on are hands in a moment.  If we do, we'll live or die together."
362   The pegasus turned her head, and for the first time the piper made eye contact
363 with her.  Something in that look told him of the pegasus' willingness to live
364 or die, as long as they were together.
365   Starting guiltily, the piper put his attention back onto the flying tiger --
366 oops, better watch that assumption.  He did not know that the cat resembled a
367 tiger in more than markings.  It still wasn't concious yet, thank goodness.
368   If the cat did not behave like a tiger, what would it behave like?  The 
369 piper's mind began working at a feverish pace.  Color -- this cat seemed to be
370 adapted for this background -- by orienting itself, it would disappear into the
371 black and gold of the surroundings.  Habits -- seemed to be a solitary hunter --
372 no mate -- oops! A quick scan convinced the piper that no other flying cats 
373 were in the vicinity. -- not a social animal, else an outcast.
374   The piper watched as the beast's eyes began to open.  They seemed glazed  with
375 a brilliant emerald green as the beast launched himself at them.  "Let's move
376 fast, Peg!" he muttered, as a sweep of the pegasus' wings took them out of the
377 path of the cat's charge.  Frustrated, the cat balked, twisting itself about 
378 and catching its balance with an incredible manuver with its body and wings.
379   As it again launched itself at the pegasus and her rider, the piper realized
380 that the battle had been joined.  His assesment of the creature seemed 
381 reasonable.  Its habits seemed like those of a tiger, and tigers don't bluff!
382 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
383 
384 --------------------------------------
385 Whatever happened to Pam? She has been
386 awfully quiet recently. Has she given
387 up on BW? I hope not, I enjoyed her
388 stories.                          Eric
389 --------------------------------------
390 A MODEM HAS BEEN DELIVERED INTO THE HANDS OF ONE OF THE MOST RUTHLESS 
391 BEINGS IN THE UNIVERSE............
392 THE RATMIND. 
393 
394 HELLO EVERYONE!
395 SAMSTER'S ON THE LINE NOW.............
396 ........................................
397 Alex: don't worry, I doubt that YOU will have much trouble with this code.
398 Some of the would-be cryptographers in the audience aregoing to get a bit
399 of a shock though....
400 ________________________________Leonard__________________________________
401 *_)@#*%#_@)%*_)#@%*_!)#*%!+_)#%*_)@#*%)+@#*%@#_)*%+*%+!#)*%_)#*@%_)@#*%@_#)
402 Alex:The Red Plague was victorious!!! I thought Yellow had that last game
403  for sure. What a comeback! I had a real good time. I haven't laughed that
404  much in ages. Look out for the Trojan Egg! If you give me the names of
405  those authors, I will run a Dialog search on them if you wish. 
406 G. Minsky : Great Entry! I never quite pictured myself as a punk rocker,
407  Eli (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (he was ugly)) Walich fits you to
408  a tee!
409 )*%_#)*%@)_#%*_)@%*@_)#%_@)#%*@)_#% L'homme sans Parity *_)@#*%)_@#*%)_*%@_
410 To: One and all...
411 From: A Register-Guard (newspaaper) repporter in
412 Eugene.
413 
414 I'm doing a story on computer bulletin boards and
415 would like to hear from yyou. Call Bob Keefer at
416 1-485-xxxx voice/collect 9am-5pm. Tnx
417 
418 ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
419 From Zippy:
420      Ever had a newspaper article written about something you love? If not, hope to God that you never do.furiating to 
421 see something you care about massacred at the hands of a sensationalistic reporter. If you plan on calling Mr. Keefer, 
422 I beg that you be very careful with regard to what you say. I know about this from experience: I once had the meaning 
423 of my words changed by selective inclusion, exclusion, and arrangement of quotes, which gave me a very ugly image.
424 So please, for the sake of BW, BE CAREFUL.
425 ( I apologize if I have offended anyone.Sorry!)
426 ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZip
427 !)!)!)!) )!)!)!)! !)!)!)!) )!)!)!)!
428 ON.
429 SYSTEM STATUS   .   .   .100%
430 ENERGY   .    .     .89.762%
431 INSTRUCTION LINE ACTIVATED.
432 AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .RECIEVING.
433 OPERATION?
434   s  e  a  e   r  c  h      &    d e s  t r  o  y
435 *INPUT ERROR*
436   s   e  a  r  c   h      &     d  e s  t r  o  y
437 INSTRUCTION ACCEPTED.
438 TARGET?
439   a  ll  k  n o  w  n   N  E  T   o p  e r  a t i v e  s
440 TARGET IS GROUP.
441 STARTING AREA?
442      P o  r t  l  a  n  d  ,    O    r  e   .
443           CORRECT ABBREVIATION IS CAPITAL-O CAPITAL-R.
444 TARGET AREA LOCKED.
445 OPERATION PROCEEDING.
446 !)!)!)!) )!)!)!)! !)!)!)!) )!)!)!)!
447 Tacky, really tacky.
448 DITTO
449 
450 &'&'&' I dunno, I liked it, kinda. Even if it did spell some attempts on the lives of my friends. Ho Hum, such is life
451 at the Backwater inn. &'&'&'
452 
453   gaudy minsky...
454   i liked your latest story very much, and i thought it deserved a few kind words. and although i never enter messages on the
455 this system, i felt it was appropriate to do so in this case.
456   often times i see some entry, or words of wisdom that go unrecodnized, forgotten. even though they were appreciated.
457   and i never seemed to think this was right somehow. only when someone seems in a good mood, often from reading the message
458 in question, does anyone ever seem to congratulate anyone else on their latest entry.
459 
460   i think in a forum like this one, congratulations are appropriate. i will try not to forget anyone ever again, who deserves
461 words of praise for an entry.
462 
463   net induction agents...
464   i want to write stories dealing with net, and even assume a net identity. where or when can i find the information to do it
465 without someone making fun of me? and if no one answers this message then perhaps you might understand why there are so many
466 agents without your consent.
467 
468   the net is an attactive storyline, and anyone who tries to write in that storyline seems to be ridiculed. for the sake of
469 kindness, either tell them to lay off because this is your story, or give them the information to do it right. don't simply
470 sit and laugh at them, they could not know what you would not tell them.
471   please address any replies to tilean (TIE-lee-an) and i promise, i will listen to all of them. i expect quite a few...
472 tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
473 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
474 Big S. needs to get caught up on his reading.     PaPa Smurf - 
475                                                   21:30  Dec 27
476 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
477 this is silly.
478 to would be NET agents: Some of the original net agents have worked very hard
479 on their characters and the idea of the net in general. The story is not
480 written in a pell-mell fashion. The agents spend hours going over ideas, 
481 testing the creative waters with ideas, many being discarded, the remainder
482 being what you see here. In the beginning, admission to NET was based on
483 personal interviews and a small decoding test. The current members of the NET
484 have completed these requirements, and have spent years upholding the ideals
485 the agency holds true. It is in this vein you must understand the sometimes
486 reluctance to respond to various attempts at cracking the NET membership. 
487 NET agents are firm believers in the age-old addage of The More the Merrier.
488 But there still exists the fear of a storyline gone awry. Too many cooks can
489 spoil the broth, to quote another cliche'. A great amount of effort is put
490 into the creation of the adventures of NET, and with that the dilema exists.
491 Anyone is free to enter any message they wish, and to dictate policy would
492 be against the whole ideal Backwater stands for. But NET wishes its 
493 adventures to remain as unscathed as possible from the clutches of twitdom. NET
494 welcomes participation from anyone who wishes to, but when writers who are
495 not familiar with the rich history the NET enjoys, write entries contrary to 
496 the current direction the story is going, problems arise. In the past, with
497 the Leroy McKane adventure, and the RAINdeer adventure, the storylines have
498 weathered the egos and imaginations of a multitude of different writers. NET
499 stories have held a cohesiveness that has defied time and changing faces.
500 The agency hopes this fine tradition can continue. 
501      Rumors have it that several NET agents can be found enjoying food and
502 drink at the P.C.& S. Pub on alternating Saturdays. In fact, one such meetting
503 is rumored to be occuring December 29th.
504      Backwater has room enough for everyone. There is no governing body save
505 what the opening message proclaims. A tenuous situation indeed, but one that
506 has existed for close to three years. As far as the NET story goes, a writer
507 can always become an enemy of NET. The agency has little control over the evil
508 minions in the world. Another option is to start a totally separate storyline,
509 based on the same premise of the NET story, but with a different cast of 
510 players. Above all, no one should feel creatively restricted. But remember,
511 if an entry is made that attempts to ruin or drastically alter the ongoing
512 story, those directly involved with the story have every right to ignore or
513 otherwise skirt the entry. Whatever you decide, and the choice of course is
514 entirely yours, a new voice is always welcome at Backwater. Hopefully 
515 coexistance can exist for the betterment of all.
516 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
517 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$#
518 Above (I assume it is Ian):I would like to know what my status is (or could be) with NET.  I hope that my entries
519 have not been considered damaging.
520 What is the cryptology test?  I have heard that the NET has had several codes in the past.  The first, broken by a few;
521 the second has been claimed to have been broken, but no proof (that I am aware of); the third, no word either way.  Now
522 a fourth?  Would you post a LEGITIMATE test here (I have also heard of a certain false block of code...)?
523 L'homme: Go ahead and tell Ian who I am (if he doesn't know already).
524 Voyeur: Are you there?
525 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# Farley #$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 12/27/84 - 12:33 #$##$#
526 RYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRY
527 TO: APPLICANTS FOR NET AGENT TRAINEE STATUS
528 FROM: IAN MACHINERY
529 	WHILE THE ABOVE BLOCKS OF TEXT WERE _NOT_ FROM ME, I DO AGREE
530 WITH MOST OF WHAT WAS SAID. IN VIEW OF BOTH THE RECENT DEPLETION OF NET
531 RANKS AND THE DANGERS OF "IMITATION" NET AGENTS, I HAVE DECIDED THAT A
532 POLICY CHANGE IS IN ORDER.
533 	THOSE WITH APPLICATIONS TO MAKE OR OPERATIONS THAT NEED TO BE
534 CLEARED (TO AVOID INTERFERENCE WITH ONGOING NET OPERATIONS) MAY LEAVE
535 PRIVATE MSGS ADDRESSED TO ME ON CBBS ALOHA. 
536 	I WILL TRY TO ANSWER THEM PROMPTLY, BUT IT MAY TAKE A DAY OR 
537 TWO FOR A RESPONSE.
538 	END OF GENERAL TRANSMISSION
539 TO: FARLEY
540 FROM: IAN MACHINERY
541 	I ALREADY KNEW WHO YOU WERE! (THE NET DOESN'T KNOW EVERYTHING 
542 _YET_, BUT WE TRY...)
543 	IF YOU CAN MAKE IT TO THE MEETING, WE WILL TALK THERE. IF NOT
544 WE WILL DISCUSS THIS OVER A MORE SECURE LINE.
545 RYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRY
546 tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
547 tilean-many thanks for your praise. You are quite right in asking for
548 clearer protocols for the NET story. Some writers have been far too
549 heavy-handed in their rejection of new characters and have discouraged
550 promising writers along with the twits. It's a good idea to go to PC&S
551 get-togethers as suggested above to avoid messing up someone else's
552 plot line and to get a past history of the tale.  The really ideal thing
553 is to get a copy of the archives and read the whole thing (this entails
554 wading through innumerable complaints, debates, and unrelated creative
555 outpourings as well.) Starting as a villain is a good idea, too, since
556 we lack an enemy voice and it allows you to say all kinds of spiteful
557 vitriolic things that you would never in a zillion years say when you're
558 playing yourself (although you're probably thinking them.) I'm grateful
559 to you for speaking up on this-our summary exclusion of some writers
560 without explanation is not fair.
561 nameless above-thanks for fixing the file. I'll try to be more careful.
562 piper-flawless entry as usual.
563 tttttttttttttttttttttttt gaudy minsky tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
564 
565   gaudy minsky... it's a date then... i will see you soon... if i can find my tri-met maps in time... two days will be pushing
566 things though... sincerely... tilean...
567 
568 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^     (tilean, the nocturnal?)
569 Ah, so it seems that I and the Other are not the only ones to make frequent and
570 subsequent trips to H.Q.  ...er, I mean The INN.          I have been having
571 just a little bit of trouble getting on this system with any  -real- regularity
572 as of late seeing as some of my locations in that foreign surrounding of the 
573 ever infamous INDIA don't believe in un-tapped or out-going/local phone lines.
574 Be that as it may, I have just recently departed from my return flight from a
575 a vast northern polar region (funny, the Other was nowhere to be seen) and am
576 attempting to keep current with the events of the spy-clad world that I prefer
577 to my profession of maintaining the many and popular images of demand.
578 <<WOOOP!>>  <<WOOOP!>>  <<WOOOP!>>  I NOW RETURN TO THE PROPER DIMENSION...
579     Tilean, Sorry fo all that previous blabbering, I had temporarily forgotten
580 to whom I had addressed this reply. It doesn't mean much, sort of.
581     I hope that those messages from Ian and his followers have given you a 
582 clear enough understanding as to NET's operations within The INN (here), I know
583 that it sure has answered some of the questions that I was affraid to ask..
584 yet. Although admission may seem impossible, things aren't always what they 
585 seem (boy, that sounds familiar) Soon, others may be able to say so from 
586 experience.    I'm glad to see that yet another reasoning lurker has come out
587 of the woodworks (chipworks?)   Welcome aboard!
588 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^     --->the Guardian     0601 Hrs     28 Dec 84
589 p.s.     private msgs exist- more to follow later...   --->TAC      yawn...
590 
591 
592 
593   At 602 lines, this disk is not long for the world. Soon it will be in the mysterious world of archives, for only a few
594 souls to see. For now...

TOTAL NUMBER OF LINES = 594 
