Continue the tale

[observer7]

I'd like to run a little experiment...<br /><br />A long time ago, in this galaxy, before the internet, but with the support of an IBM 386 computer, modem, and BBS software I was part of an effort to write science fiction by committee, which we called "Continue the tale."<br /><br />It works like this. I will write an opening paragraph as the next post. Your responses should pick up the adventre and move it along. Feel free to introduce new characters, scenes, places, plot lines, whatever. The beauty is that as it grows we can exploit the threaded nature of the posting system and have many sorylines existing in the same post. You will need to be sure to view the story in a "threaded" mode as opposed to flat (although that could be interesting as well).<br /><br />If this seems to be working I would request that "Continue the tale" become a "top level" category and we could have several different stories being written. When we have enough we put out a book, everyone who contributed gets a byline, and the proceeds can be used to better our forum.<br /><br />With that in mind I will continue the tale.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">"Time exists so that everything doesn't happen at once" </font></em><font size="2">Albert Einstein</font> </div>

 

[observer7]

I turned the corner and saw the phone company van. I knew I was in trouble now. I tried not to look nervous as I continued down the sidewalk. The situation was getting out of hand very quickly, and the problem was I didn't know who I could trust or where I could go to work things out.<br /><br />It all started several months ago. I had always avoided using the internet for anything but email and work related searches. Then one day, I broke down and googled "space science" just for fun. The study of astononmy had always facinated me and I figured it couldn't hurt anything. Boy was I wrong.<br /><br />I found several good sites with lots of information, but my downfall was the blogs and message boards. Before long I found myself up till 3 am posting and reading about all the latest discoveries and observations. Why had I waited so long to participate in these forums. It was addicting.<br /><br />One night, I happened to type in an address for what I thought was another astronomy observation news site but I must have misstyped something and ended up on a page I never should have seen. It showed what appeared to be a log, and on closer examination that is just what it was, but the content was amazing. It had details on the communications and contacts for a group of people identified as Group 3Z. I would have just blown it off and moved on, but one of the names on the page caught my eye because he was a close freind. I saved the page to my hard drive so that I could examine it later and find out why Gordons name was on this list, for that matter I wanted to know what this list was and who had originated it?<br /><br />Up ahead, a repairman is working on a pay phone. I don't think he spotted me so I decide to cross the street. Just as I get about half way across the van that I passed pulls out and heads right for me.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">"Time exists so that everything doesn't happen at once" </font></em><font size="2">Albert Einstein</font> </div>

 

[flynn]

Panic starts to rise I can feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention, within seconds the van has drawn level. I keep my head down and the van speeds passed. I want to breath a huge sigh of relief but I just don't feel it, something still feels horribly wrong. <br /><br />Now I'm faced with a dilema, do I double back and go stright home or do I book myself into the out of town motel and check back tomorrow. I'm still procastinating when I notice Gordons car on my driveway. Its his old beat up Ford not his shiney new company car he took delivery of last week, he isn't sat in the car and I can't see him. Maybe Mrs Danvers has let him in, I decide to skirt around the back alley to see if I can see anything. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#800080">"All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring" - <strong>Chuck Palahniuk</strong>.</font> </div>

 

[londo_mollari]

I sneak to the window of my house and take a look inside. Gordon and Mrs Danvers are talking at the front door, I can not hear them but everything seems fine. <br /><br />I'm thinking if I should just confront Gordon and find out why is it that his name is on that list and on that website. <br />As I'm thinking I hear commotion, Gordon is punching Mrs Danvers. She falls down on the floor, he stands above her, then lifts her head and breaks her neck. <br /><br />I can not belive my eyes. Inital shock is replaced by fear and then quickly by rage. Adrenaline starts pumping all over my body and I start racing towards the door. "Mrs Danver is like family, Gordon will pay for this"-I think to myself. <br />As I'm turning corner I run into something. Force of colission throws me to ground.<br />As I look up I can see huge man with shaved head and black suit. He is suprised as I am and he takes moment to realise what is happening. He starts screaming for Gordon and Mr White. <br />All I do is get up and run towards my car as fast as I can......

 

[derekmcd]

The man in the black suit was suprisingly fast. I make the mad dash for my car door sliding across the hood, but it was too late. Why did I lock my door today of all days. I tried fumbling for my keys, but the man in the black suit was on me like a pitbull. It didn't take long for me to realize the Karate lessons I've been taking recently were of absolutely no use. I'm not sure if I even got one good shot in. I must have been enough of a nuisance to him as he apparently had to knock me out cold before I could make a scene. <br /><br />Not sure what happened next, but apparently I was taken for a ride. I don't remember the punch, or maybe it was a knee... this guy was lightning quick, but the pain in my nose was unmistakable, not to mention the acrid taste of blood in my mouth. It must have been the pain that awoke me as it was nearly silent. The territory, unfamiliar. After I got my senses back together, I could hear some faint, but unintelligable voice from above. It must be a basement or cellar of sorts. It was completely dark, but the dank, musty smell was obvious.<br /><br />Yes, definitely a basement. The sound of hard-soled dress shoes making their mark on a creaky wooden floor was undeniable and heading my direction... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[observer7]

I look in the back window but can't see anything. That damned list, if only I had just ignored it.<br /><br />After I downloaded the log I went to bed and didn't think anything of it until the next afternoon. I started reading into the details, and it was scary. Every move Gordon nad made in the last two weeks was here. My name was on the list for the three times we had linked up. Even a call to his brother in Reno was detailed. And I mean not just who and when, but what they talked about and other people who were mentioned. On some of the entries there were notes to "follow up" or "investigate further". I wasn't sure, but it looked like group 3Z consisted of Gordo and 4-5 of his college buddies that he still kept in contact with prety regularly. Each of them had a similar level of detail for there movements and contacts over the last weeks, but for some reason Gordo seemed to have more details and actions in his entries. I still didn't have a clue as to who had generated it or why?<br /><br />I decided to try to access the site again, but I got a DNS error message. But just then the phone rang. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">"Time exists so that everything doesn't happen at once" </font></em><font size="2">Albert Einstein</font> </div>

 

[observer7]

It was Gordo. I didn't know what to do.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">"Time exists so that everything doesn't happen at once" </font></em><font size="2">Albert Einstein</font> </div>

 

[observer7]

I really need to get off this planet. Soon as I get out of this pickle, thats my first priotity. A ticket back to Earth is just within my means.<br /><br />I plan to get out of here as soon as I can. I hope these guys are not going to treat me like I know too much, because I don't know squat and I really just want to get away. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">"Time exists so that everything doesn't happen at once" </font></em><font size="2">Albert Einstein</font> </div>

 

[dragon04]

A ticket back to Earth. Within my means, yet as far away as the Andromeda Galaxy. A cashless society is very convenient. A simple swipe of a hand, and the little biometric nanochip in one's palm pays for things, hails an air taxi, and does a million other things that makes life's mundane tasks so much easier.<br /><br />Unfortunately, it also purchases my ticket off of this rock..... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[observer7]

The door opened.<br /><br />The light made my eyes hurt. After a few seconds I started to make out a shape in the doorway. I blinked, then closed my eyes and shook my head. Big mistake, as I hadn't recovered fully from the beating I had taken. I kept my eyes closed and waited for the nausea to pass. When I opened them again I shuddered inside. <br /><br />The creature standing in the doorway was human shaped, but definitly not human. The face had no eyes or nose and the moth was overly huge. What I assumed were eyes protruded from stalks that attached where the ears should be. The sound that I thought was hard-soled shoes was actually the things hoofs. The hands were more like the claws of a crab, and there was an oder of something bitter that wafted my way.<br /><br />Imagine my surprise when the creature spoke with an accent of the King's English and said, "I apologize for the rather rough treatment you've experienced, but it was necessary. You see, the Phone Police were about to apprehend you and we had to get you away." <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">"Time exists so that everything doesn't happen at once" </font></em><font size="2">Albert Einstein</font> </div>

 

[observer7]

THE PHONE POLICE<br /><br />We never saw it coming. But in retrospect it made so much sense. The phone was so useful, and inocent. We talked about our family, our jobs, plans, friends, and everything else that made us who we are -- and the whole time we were talking -- they listened and recorded. Soon, their intelligence network was so huge that it rivalled all governments. Even the "breakup" in the 1980's was just a ruse to keep the governments off their back until they were ready.<br /><br />They had been collecting information for a number of years, and they had the goods on everyone. Thanks to advances in automated speech recognition (far beyond what was commercially available) their datbanks contained insider information on every company, every family, every government, and every person in the world. They started slow, and picked their targets carefully. They also never let it be known how they had obtained the information, that would have killed the racket. But by being clever and choosing only certain people and companies to be targeted for extortion, soon the phone company was running the world from behind the scene.<br /><br />Somehow Gordon and the G3 group had found out. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">"Time exists so that everything doesn't happen at once" </font></em><font size="2">Albert Einstein</font> </div>

 

[observer7]

I hung up. It was time to get out of here and find somewhere safe for a while. But where to go?<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em><font size="2">"Time exists so that everything doesn't happen at once" </font></em><font size="2">Albert Einstein</font> </div>