135 lines
6.6 KiB
Plaintext
135 lines
6.6 KiB
Plaintext
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Message #1013:Explanations?
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From:Hooded Shroud
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Level:(3) When You See a Chance,Take It
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To:All 8/5/88 1:22:30 p.m.
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What has he done? That scum in the white house,what has he done to the
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world? These changes,they aren't just financial! They're going to affect
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life as well! I'm scared,and I don't know where to run! It isn't safe to
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leave my house!
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Message #1014:Calm Down (Reply to Message #1013)
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From:The Top Guy
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Level:(10) You came to the right place.
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To:Hooded Shroud 8/5/88 4:05:51 p.m.
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Calm down,Shroud. Get your facts straight. Back in February,the stock
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market bit it. People wanted their money from the banks. The banks used
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their federal insurance. The government printed more money,which caused
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inflation. The dollar got to be worthless. So Ronnie said we would start a new uni
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unit of money,like Germany did. But no one respects it. I don't. Would
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you? So this is cool,you do what you want out there. It always was kill or
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be killed in the business world,only now it's for keeps. I like it.
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Presenting: Social Vikings
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A tale by The Flat Tire
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A basement in California:
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Eyes went around a felt-covered table in a dark basement. Many people,
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with something in common,focused on the Top Guy,who stood up to speak.
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"Well,what now?"
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"I have something,"answered a man. "Some new business. Here." He took
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a sheet off the top of a stack of them,and passed the stack to his right.
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Every person took one.
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"This is a recipe for 'how to make explosives.' We have our pal
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Zombie Duke to thank for it."
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"Well,"said chairman Top Guy,banging a gavel,"this will come in very
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handy. Thanks,Duke. Anything else?
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"How about you,Land Mine? You haven't said a word for the whole meeting!"
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A frightened-looking man stood. "Do you people think this is some wild
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game you're all playing at? This is the world!"
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"This is anarchy,Land Mine. It was made for us. We don't play it,we
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live it."
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"The cops! The cops will get you! Top Guy,you're crazy!"
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"There are no cops,Mine. No cops,no police,no feds. If you don't
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believe this is the way,maybe you'd better get out there and see how far you
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get on your own..."
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"I will! I'll go to the authorities,I swear!"
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"We'll just see how far you get." Land Mine moved from his chair to the
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door. A shot was fired. Land Mine fell to the floor.
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"Not too far,"said Top Guy. "I didn't think so." He wiped off his gun
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with a tissue.
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*
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Alice Lewis picked up the telephone,to call her daughter in Iowa.
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"Hello?"she said,expecting an operator.
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"Hello,"came a voice. "What do you want?"
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"I want to place a call to Iowa."
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"What have you got?"
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"Wha-what do you mean?"
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"What will you give me if I make the call for you?"asked the tone of
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Top Guy.
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"I won't give you anything! What is this?"
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"Who is this?"
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"Alice Lewis in San Francisco."
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"Mrs. Lewis,you have a phone bill of $7,100!"
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"What? No I don't!"
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"You do now!" >click<
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*
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Westbury Hospital,California
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"What do you mean you won't deliver my baby,doctor Browning?"yelled Pam
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Guin.
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"Look,the name is Slingshot,and the world has enough new-users already!
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I'm not about to let yours come in without a handle,a password,and a phone
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number!" Suddenly,an older man than Slingshot walked in and grimaced at him.
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"What's the meaning of this?"he cried.
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"Hey,stay cool,man!"
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"You must have some nerve to impersonate a doctor!"
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"Uh- which way are the drugs?"
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"How did you get in here,you freak?" Eight of Slingshot's friends
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came from behind a wall wearing white medical gowns.
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"We freak? No. You freak."said Top Guy. As Pam began to go into the
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final phase,the real doctor Browning ignored all restraints and knealt
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down with a pan of water and a sponge. The nine others,standing,shouted,
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"Enter your password! Enter your password! Enter your password!"
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*
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By phone,chaos spread. Through ATM manipulation,the elite anarchists
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became rich. And the vastly depleted value of money was still good for the
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purchase of greater weapons and greater defenses at the few "straight"
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outposts still left. But food went fast,and the other continents of the
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world were wary. Eventually the last American of Order...died.
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"The old Order is over,"went out the cry. "We are now in Disorder!"
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*
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Ten years pass...
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"Men,"shouted Top Guy,"we must pursue new preservation techniques!
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The stores are all empty! There is nothing left to steal!"
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"Not only that,"said Door Mat,"but the Pony Express just came
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through from Texas,and the Sandanistas are fighting to take i!"
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"What?"yelled Top Guy. "Men,we must ride...and fight!"
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"Yes,sir!"replied the rest. Zombie Duke passed out a new instruction
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sheet to everyone. Top Guy glanced at his and folded it.
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"But,Top Guy,"pleaded Door Mat. "Someone's gotta stay here and take
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care of all the women and new-users! Someone's gotta..."
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"All right,Door Mat! Stay!"shouted Top Guy. Coward,he thought.
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*
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Horses leapt in a flurry. The Anarchists,pledged to Disorder,had
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supported it since before it had become real. As they rode their horses,
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their subway trains and their motorcycles through Calfornia,into Nevade
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(Nevada) briefly,and into Arizona,New Mexico and finally Texas,Top Guy
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reflected on a long life. It had been a life of phones and credit cards,
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a life of victory. During the Old Order,they had all practiced Disorder,
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knowing that if it ever did come about,they would be prepared. But he
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couldn't support the responsibility. He was willing to preach a life
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of back-stabbing and pillaging,but he wasn't ready to live it. All he had
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ever done was have fun...in K-Mart. He had wanted fruit and vegetables
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to grow by the side of the roads,but they didn't. He never once had
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seen a "rainbow in curved air."-never. Now it was a world with millions
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of fathered babies and children,savage,dirty,bleak. Murdering for a
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skateboard.
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"Anarchy!"he yelled,and the troops echoed him. "ANARCHY!" Then he
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turned his horse around,scampering back to the north. As he glanced back,
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he saw that not one of his men followed him. Not one. Not a single man
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gave up the noble fight to capture a defector. Eighty men on horseback
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against the Sandanistas? He chuckled.
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Then he stopped. He brought his horse to a pathetic,clumsy halt.
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He unfolded Zombie Duke's new instruction sheet.
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"How To Make Nuclear Bombs"
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THE
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END
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(>
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