🚀 go-pugleaf

Anthony closed the door behind him, keying in the SECURE setting on
the lock.  He removed his Extra-extra-large overcoat, and draped it over
the back of his specially manufactured recliner.  Moving over to the
stereo system, he keyed in random relaxing selections, focusing on Brams.
With soft music filtering through speakers built into the walls throughout
the small flat, Anthony relaxed, and collapsed into a chair.  'Time to get
to work.'

Pulling himself up, with a display of sheer willpower, Anthony moved over
to the stereo again.  'Hm.  Working music.... Ah!  Yes, that will do nicely.'
Remembering the more modern style of the band at Haven's Rest, Anthony selected
"What's the buzz" from _Jesus Christ, Superstar_.  'Appropriate for a run in
the Matrix.'

Anthony moved across the well kept living room, towards the far door.  The
room seemed like the type of room a middle-class family would own, but
there was something about it that was strange.  It was hard to put your
finger on, but something seemed... wrong.  After consideration, it was the
furniture which finally solved the problem.  The furniture was just a touch
larger than average.  It gave the feeling of being a child again.  But to
Anthony, the scale was perfect.

Anthony passed through the door, and entered a whole different world.

Where as the previous room was clean, orderly, and conservatively decorated,
this room was the exact opposite.  There were three different work benches,
on three different walls, and each was covered with spare parts, wiring,
note-pads, scrap paper, books, bottles, candy wrappers, instant dinners, pop
cans, pens, and other assorted items.  One work bench seemed devoted to spare
parts, wiring, and other electronic tools.  Opposite it was the work bench
devoted to programing manuals, and scraps of paper.  between these two, was
a work bench that seemed to be nothing but a mix of the two, but was unique in
that it had an area the size of a cyberdeck cleared on it.

There were three book shelves, again, each on a different wall, and each above
a work bench.  Above the electronics bench, the bookcase contained textbooks
on electronics.  Above the programing bench, the bookcase contained textbooks
on programing.  But above the middle bench, the bookcase was filled with book
discussing philosophy, religion, and psychology.  Names such as Gandi, Hume,
Descartes, Martin Luthor King, Plato, Hitler, and Confucius mixed, with 
other books, the Koran and the Bible rubbing elbows.  Widely diverse, and
directly opposing viewpoints shared space on the shelf.

Finally, the room seemed to be wallpapered with publicity posters.  Mostly, the
posters were from classical concerts. Many were from operas, ranging from the
recent hit _Alpha Interrogator_ by Marthos Demellian, through Gilbert and
Sulivans _The Pirates of Penzance_, to Mozart's _Don Giovanni_.  A few posters
were more prominently placed, though.  _The Phantom of the Opera_ had some
precedence, as did a few posters from plays: _The Elephant Man_, _Cyrano de
Bergerac_, and one poster which was apart from all the others, in that it was
for a movie, from the Twentieth Century: _Mask_.

Anthony maneuvered his oversized body into the oversized office chair.  'Time to
be off to work.'  He rolled the chair to the middle table, and put his
cyberdeck on the cleared space.  He connected the lead from the deck to his
datajack, and inserted the plug of the deck into the computer line jack in the
wall.  'Ladies and Gentleman,  tonight, for your listening pleasure....

'The Maestro.'

<C:/access matrix>

<<INIT VIRTUAL>>
<<MPCP CHECK>>
<<VIRTUAL OK>>
<<CONNECTING>>

And reality changed.  
--
Life is like a REALLY BIIIG rutabaga./-----\   Shawn, the very,very,very,VERY
I think.                        |    | * * |   eclectic. And God of The Funky
At least, it tastes like one.  -+-   | \_/ |   Hat. And the weirdo wannabe.
Especially with yogurt on top.  |    \_____/   SRI4495@ritvax.isc.rit.edu
Except for strawberry.          | (3:16 of the NT(any book))