Scott battled to clear a place for his beer as his computer booted up. Since he primarily used his computer for writing, it wasn't terribly powerful by today's standards. A mere 386SX running at 20 megahertz and comparatively low resolution VGA color graphics. It was all he needed. He had a modem in it to connect to the paper's computer. This way he could leave the office early, write his articles or columns at home and still have them in by deadline. He also owned a GRiD 386 laptop com- puter for when he traveled, but it was buried beneath a mound of discarded magazines on one of the built-in floor to ceiling shelves that ringed the room. Scott wondered if Kirk would really call. He had seemed paranoid when he called this afternoon. Phones tapped? Where did he ever get that idea? Preposterous. Why wouldn't his phone at home be tapped if the ones at work were? We'll see. Scott turned the old 9" color television on the corner of the desk to Nightline. Enough to occupy him even if Kirk didn't call. He set the ComPro communications program to Auto-Answer. If Kirk, or anyone else did call him, the program would automatical- ly answer the phone and his computer would alert him that someone else's computer had called his computer. He noticed the clock chime midnight as Nightline went overtime to further discuss the new Soviet Union. Fascinating, he thought. I grow up in the 60's and 70's when we give serious concern to blowing up the world and today our allies of a half century ago, turned Cold War enemy, are talking about joining NATO. At 12:02, Scott Mason's computer beeped at him. The beeping startled him. He looked at the computer screen as a first message appeared. WTFO Scott didn't know what to make of it, so he entered a simple response. Hello. The computer screen paused briefly then came alive again. ARE YOU SCOTT MASON? Scott entered 'Yes'. THIS IS KIRK Scott wondered what the proper answer was to a non-question by a computer. So he retyped in his earlier greeting. Hello. Again. IS THIS YOUR FIRST TIME? What a question! Scott answered quickly. Please be gentle. NO . . .AT CHATTING ON COMPUTER . . . I call the computer at work. First time with a stranger. Is it safe? Scott had a gestalt realization. This was fun. He didn't talk to the paper's computer. He treated it as an electronic mailbox. But this, there was an attractiveness to the anonymity behind the game. Even if this Kirk was a flaming asshole, he might have discovered a new form of entertainment. VERY GOOD. YOU'RE QUICK. Not too quick, sweetheart. IS THIS REALLY SCOTT MASON? Yes. PROVE IT. Kirk, or whoever this was, was comfortable with anonymity, obvi- ously. And paranoid. Sure, play the game. You screwed up the NASA launch. I DID NOT!!!!!!!!!! OK, IT'S YOU. Glad to know it. YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG. What do I have wrong?