🚀 go-pugleaf

        Three people walked down the dark hallway in the engineering and
physical science building.  Two were walking towards the computer lab,
while the other was walking towards them and in the opposite direction.
        What's really strange was that said other person only saw _one_
person walking towards him, not two.
        Why?, you may ask.  The answer is simple.  The person he doesn't
see isn't technically there, at least not in this altiverse.  She is a
Muse.
        Her companion, therefore, is an Author.
        But I'm getting ahead of myself.
        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        The young man with the black-and-purple cap, L.L.Bean bookbag, and
glasses walked into the lab and sat down at his favorite terminal, a vt330
greenscreen strategically placed so as to keep its user within sensor range
of the motion detectors that control the lights.  He turned the terminal on,
put the bag down on the floor next to him, put the cap on the table, and
logged into his account.
        The girl who was with him sat down in the next seat over and watched
him log on.  "You sure you're ready for this, Mike?"
        "Sure I am, Ayara," Mike said.  "It's been over five months since
I became a Superguy Author, and I havn't yet visited the Authors' Altiverse.
I'd really like to check out some of the stuff the Noj ship has, like the
giant Nerf Mountain."
        "And I'd like to meet the other Musae," Ayara said.
        "Right.  So, what are we waiting for?" Mike grinned.  "Ready?"
        "I was BORN ready!" Ayara said enthusiastically.
        Mike typed in the correct commands and...

                                *ZOT!*
        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        They materialized in what looked to be a large room.  On closer
inspection, they found that it was in fact a large shuttle bay.  There
were even a few shuttles in it, too.
        "This is so cool!" Mike grinned.  "Come on!  Let's check this place
out."
        They started walking in one direction, only to turn around upon
realizing that they were going the wrong way, and eventually came to the
door leading into the rest of the ship.  There was hallway to either side
of them, with no end in sight.
        They picked a direction and started walking.
        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        "Okay, I think we're lost," Mike said.
        "What gave you the first clue?" Ayara replied sarcastically.  "The
fact that we've been wandering around here for the past hour?"
        "Actually, it's this sign," Mike said, pointing to a sign adorning
one of the walls:

                         --------------------------
                         |If you do not know where|
                         |   you are right now,   |
                         |      you're lost.      |
                         |      Get a clue.       |
                         --------------------------

        "How nice of them," Ayara commented.
        "Hey, what do you expect?  They're Authors," Mike said.
        Ayara flashed him a dirty look.
        "Not that all Authors are like that," Mike added quickly.
        "Why don't you try Editing us to somewhere?" Ayara suggested.
        "I hadn't thought of that," Mike said.  He thought for a moment,
then grinned.  "The Chapterhouse!" he exclaimed, then snapped his fingers.
        Unfortunately, Mike couldn't snap his fingers if his life depended
upon it, so instead of materializing just outside the Chapterhouse door,
they wound up inside the building...and on top of one of the tables.
        "What the...?" a woman sitting at the table shouted.
        "Gyah!" her drinking companion, a young man about the same age as
Mike said.  With a burst of Edit, he was clad in Cyclone armor.
        "Eep!" Ayara exclaimed.
        Several of the other people in the room shouted in surprise.  After
a moment, though, most of them returned their attention to the beers they
were nursing.
        "Whoa..." Mike muttered as managed to climb off the table.  "Take
note, kids: Do NOT attempt to Edit and snap fingers at the same time.  Es-
pecially if you can't snap your fingers to begin with."  He turned to see
the armor-clad individual watching him carefully.  "Chris Meadows?"
        "Who...?" Chris began.
        "Mike Escutia," Mike said, extending his hand.
        Upon realizing who it was, Chris smiled broadly, Edited away the
armor, and shook the newcomer's hand.  "Mike!  Good to see you!  About time
you got here."
        "Yeah, well, summer break kept me away," Mike said.  "This is my
Muse, Ayara," he said, introducing his companion.  Ayara, this is Chris
Meadows, a.k.a. Robotech_Master, and his Muse, Miriam."
        "We would have been here sooner," Ayara said.  "but we got lost
walking it."
        "You *walked* all the way here from Real Life?" asked Miriam in-
credulously.
        "Nah, I Edited us over here.  We materialized in a shuttle bay,
and walked around in hopes of meeting some Authors," Mike said.
        "You got lost, huh?" Miriam asked.
        "...Yeah."
        "Hey!" Chris exclaimed.  "Why don't Miriam and I give you the
official tour?"
        "Sure!" Mike said.
        "I can take Ayara to the Mademoiselle Muse offices on Deck MM,"
Miriam said.
        "Sounds good to me," Ayara said.  "See you later, Mike."  She and
Miriam left the Chapterhouse and headed for the nearest turbolift.
        "Come on," Chris said to Mike.  "I'll give you the full tour, and
we'll swing by Pickle's place to get you a Noj room number."
        "Sounds like a plan," Mike said.
        "By the way, what's your Authorial nickname?" Chris asked.
        "Well, for lack of anything better, you may call me...Ergh."
        ----------------------------------------------------------------
        Back in 000REALLIFE, Mike's bookbag sat on the floor of the lab,
completely forgotten by its owner.
        "Frink!"
        "PTANG!"
        Several small furry shapes suddenly ran into the room, grabbed the
bag, and left.
        "PTANG!"

WILL ERGH GET A ROOM ON THE NOJ?
WILL HE MEET ANY OF THE OTHER AUTHORS?
WILL HE REALIZE HIS BOOKBAG HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM 000REALLIFE?
CAN ROBOTECH_MASTER GIVE GOOD TOURS?
IS IT REALLY DANGEROUS TO EDIT AND SNAP YOUR FINGERS AT THE SAME TIME,
ESPECIALLY IF YOU CAN'T SNAP YOUR FINGERS TO BEGIN WITH?
Superguy Tours.  We'll show you where you could be.

--
Mike Escutia | NOTICE: If you notice this notice, you will notice after
mike@unh.edu | noticing this notice that this notice was not worth noticing.
Ergh on IRC  | ---------------------Read Superguy!--------------------------
-----Author, "Hero Patrol", Superguy Digest (listserv@ucf1vm.cc.ucf.edu)----