<?xml version="1.0"?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/css" href="http://c64mags.untergrund.net/wiki/skins/common/feed.css?303"?>
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
		<id>http://c64mags.untergrund.net/wiki/index.php?action=history&amp;feed=atom&amp;title=Propaganda_25_ch08</id>
		<title>Propaganda 25 ch08 - Revision history</title>
		<link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://c64mags.untergrund.net/wiki/index.php?action=history&amp;feed=atom&amp;title=Propaganda_25_ch08"/>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://c64mags.untergrund.net/wiki/index.php?title=Propaganda_25_ch08&amp;action=history"/>
		<updated>2026-06-17T17:54:15Z</updated>
		<subtitle>Revision history for this page on the wiki</subtitle>
		<generator>MediaWiki 1.19.0</generator>

	<entry>
		<id>http://c64mags.untergrund.net/wiki/index.php?title=Propaganda_25_ch08&amp;diff=1623&amp;oldid=prev</id>
		<title>Ymgve at 21:05, 18 June 2007</title>
		<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://c64mags.untergrund.net/wiki/index.php?title=Propaganda_25_ch08&amp;diff=1623&amp;oldid=prev"/>
				<updated>2007-06-18T21:05:33Z</updated>
		
		<summary type="html">&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;New page&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div&gt;&amp;lt;pre&amp;gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
              +---------+&lt;br /&gt;
              |SCENETOWN|&lt;br /&gt;
              |SCENETOWN|&lt;br /&gt;
              +---------+&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
       +------------------------------+&lt;br /&gt;
       |REAL LIFE IS ONLY AN ILLUSION.|&lt;br /&gt;
       |      SCENETOWN IS NOT.       |&lt;br /&gt;
       +------------------------------+&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
   THIS HAS HAPPENED&lt;br /&gt;
   _________________&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
  IRATA FOUND MURDERED.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
  BURGLAR KIDNAPPED. WHAT WAS TRANZIIE&lt;br /&gt;
  DOING IN MR.Z'S GARDEN?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
  DIAGNOSIS FROM BYTERAPERS HOSPITAL:&lt;br /&gt;
  NEWSCOPY HAS THE QUITTERS SYNDROM.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
  RRR AND MARC ARRESTED FOR FAKING&lt;br /&gt;
  NEWS ABOUT HOMEBOY AND HOMEGIRL.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
  ___________________________________&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;BURGLAR WAS FOUND UNCONCIOUS DOWN BY&lt;br /&gt;
THE RIVERBANK IN THE RED SECTOR DISTR-&lt;br /&gt;
ICT EARLY THIS MORNING. OXYRONPOLICE&lt;br /&gt;
HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO COMMENT THE EVENT&lt;br /&gt;
AND IT HAS BEEN IMPLIED THAT AN INV-&lt;br /&gt;
ESTIGATION WILL BE RUNNING TOPSECRET&lt;br /&gt;
AS OF TODAY. EYE WITNESS NEWS REPORT&lt;br /&gt;
TO SCENETV THAT BURGLAR IS IN GOOD&lt;br /&gt;
CONDITION BUT HAS LITTLE OR NO MEMORY&lt;br /&gt;
OF WHAT HE HAS BEEN THROUGH BUT...&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I switched of the TV and sighed. We had&lt;br /&gt;
all been worried sick since they day he&lt;br /&gt;
disappeared. I was relieved to hear that&lt;br /&gt;
he was alive. I couldn't help thinking&lt;br /&gt;
of CBA who had burst into tears the ot-&lt;br /&gt;
her night at the X-DINNER. What a rel-&lt;br /&gt;
ief for TRC*SCS!&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
There had been far too many mysteries&lt;br /&gt;
in scenetown recently - IRATA one of&lt;br /&gt;
the biggest profiles through our time&lt;br /&gt;
had been murdered, ALPHA FLIGHT and&lt;br /&gt;
RELAX busted for faking news about&lt;br /&gt;
HOMEBOY and HOMEGIRL and now another&lt;br /&gt;
unsolved matter with BURGLAR on our&lt;br /&gt;
hands. As if that wasn't enough the&lt;br /&gt;
doctors down at BYTERAPERS gave me a&lt;br /&gt;
diagnosis to worry about a week ago&lt;br /&gt;
saying I was suffering from Quitter's&lt;br /&gt;
syndrom. Not that I was spending a&lt;br /&gt;
minute thinking of quitting, but the&lt;br /&gt;
statement had me worried, that's for&lt;br /&gt;
sure.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I felt I had to scatter my thoughts so&lt;br /&gt;
I switched on the big screen and sat&lt;br /&gt;
down in front of the keyboard. My off-&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
ice was a grand place and I felt very&lt;br /&gt;
comfortable looking out over Scenetown&lt;br /&gt;
from my panorama. It was a topfloor&lt;br /&gt;
office that had cost a fortune but with&lt;br /&gt;
the group doing great we could afford&lt;br /&gt;
ourselves a skyscraper. Earlier we had&lt;br /&gt;
leased a castle just outside Scenetown&lt;br /&gt;
but everybody in the group felt we need-&lt;br /&gt;
ed to come closer to the heart of the&lt;br /&gt;
city - where the heat is. From here,&lt;br /&gt;
we could see the entire city, all the&lt;br /&gt;
way up to the beautiful DREAMPARK up&lt;br /&gt;
in the north. On a sunny day, one could&lt;br /&gt;
not compete with the view we had. Or&lt;br /&gt;
with the rent, for that matter.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;MRS.ZERO, PLEASE GIVE ME A LINE TO&lt;br /&gt;
THE FORUM PLEASE&amp;quot;, I said to my sec-&lt;br /&gt;
retary through the speaker on the&lt;br /&gt;
phone.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;VERY WELL, SIR - HERE YOU GO!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
MRS.ZERO was a wonderful old lady. She&lt;br /&gt;
had the heart of a lamer but the ambitio&lt;br /&gt;
ns of an elite. I remember when she fir-&lt;br /&gt;
st came into my office some 13 years&lt;br /&gt;
ago, unemployed and eager to start of&lt;br /&gt;
a new job. Her father was ROCKSTAR, an&lt;br /&gt;
old friend of mine who was taken away&lt;br /&gt;
from us far too early. It was nothing&lt;br /&gt;
but my duty to hire her, for old frie-&lt;br /&gt;
nd's sake - something that I never had&lt;br /&gt;
had regretted. Her charm and style&lt;br /&gt;
was much appreciated by everybody. She&lt;br /&gt;
had married COUNT ZERO some years ago,&lt;br /&gt;
but I trusted her deeply and knew she&lt;br /&gt;
wouldn't backstab either of us, even&lt;br /&gt;
though her husband was part of the&lt;br /&gt;
successful SCS*TRC-enterprise. She, if&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
any was the one and only I could lean&lt;br /&gt;
on when things were hectic.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;THANK YOU, MAM&amp;quot;, I said surprisingly&lt;br /&gt;
grateful as the lovely noise of a&lt;br /&gt;
carrier-detect filled my office.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
THE FORUM was full today. I was lucky&lt;br /&gt;
to get on because almost 1OOOO users&lt;br /&gt;
were on. &amp;quot;Very unusal, wonder why?&amp;quot;,&lt;br /&gt;
I thought to myself as I scanned&lt;br /&gt;
through the subs. With so many users&lt;br /&gt;
and so many subs most of the messages&lt;br /&gt;
were usually read by my secretary. In&lt;br /&gt;
the end of the day she'd give me an&lt;br /&gt;
outcast with the important posts. I&lt;br /&gt;
normally just scanned the one sub where&lt;br /&gt;
all the top-sceners gathered. That was&lt;br /&gt;
more than enough really.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
-ANONYM- I KNOW THINGS YOU DON'T.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I cleared my eyes, clearly affected.&lt;br /&gt;
Somebody had thrown into chatmode all&lt;br /&gt;
of a sudden.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- ANONYM, HOW ARE YOU MAN? LOOKING&lt;br /&gt;
FORWARD TO THE PADUA-POOL-PARTY NEXT&lt;br /&gt;
WEEKEND. I responded quickly.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
-ANONYM- I AM NOT ANONYM. LET'S JUST&lt;br /&gt;
SAY THAT I'M SOMEONE WHO WISHES TO&lt;br /&gt;
REMAIN ANONYMOUS. I KNOW THINGS YOU&lt;br /&gt;
DON'T.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Very well, I was talking to another&lt;br /&gt;
nutcase who was trying to get his voice&lt;br /&gt;
heard. It wasn't unusual that one of our&lt;br /&gt;
own employees would do anonymous chats&lt;br /&gt;
to complain at their organization. I&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
wasn't quite up for this today and de-&lt;br /&gt;
cided to do a +++.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
-ANONYM- I KNOW YOU WONDER ABOUT&lt;br /&gt;
         BURGLAR.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused a second and read the message&lt;br /&gt;
on my screen again. I looked up at the&lt;br /&gt;
TRAILBLAZER-painting on the wall and&lt;br /&gt;
looked on the screen again.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- YEAH? WE ALL DO, DON'T WE?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- I CAN BE YOUR GUIDING LIGHT IF YOU&lt;br /&gt;
  WISH. LET ME HELP YOU.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- LISTEN, FOR ALL I KNOW YOU CAN BE&lt;br /&gt;
  JUST ANOTHER CRACKPOT. WHY SHOULD&lt;br /&gt;
  I LISTEN TO YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE?&lt;br /&gt;
  WHO ARE YOU ANYWAY?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- LET ME WORRY ABOUT THAT. YOU HAVE TO&lt;br /&gt;
  WORRY ABOUT OTHER THINGS. WHAT I WILL&lt;br /&gt;
  PASS ON YOU MUST NOT SPEAK ABOUT WITH&lt;br /&gt;
  ANYONE APART FROM THE ONES YOU DEEPLY&lt;br /&gt;
  TRUST. BURGLAR WAS FOUND TODAY. HE IS&lt;br /&gt;
  IN GOOD SHAPE BUT THERE IS A SLIGHT&lt;br /&gt;
  PROBLEM - HIS BRAIN WAS FORMATTED.&lt;br /&gt;
  DOCTORS ARE DOING EVERYTHING IN THEIR&lt;br /&gt;
  HANDS TO SAVE THE DELETED FILES BUT&lt;br /&gt;
  I WOULDN'T SAY HIS STAKES ARE HIGH.&lt;br /&gt;
  BURGLAR KNEW TOO MUCH. HE SAW TRANZ-&lt;br /&gt;
  IIE SNEAKING AROUND MR.Z'S MANSION THE&lt;br /&gt;
  OTHER NIGHT.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- KNOWS TOO MUCH? WHAT THE HELL WAS&lt;br /&gt;
  TRANZIIE DOING IN THAT PART OF THE&lt;br /&gt;
  CITY?&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- THIS IS BIGGER THAN YOU REALIZE RIGHT&lt;br /&gt;
  NOW. I AM TALKING OF A CONSPIRACY.&lt;br /&gt;
  THERE ARE LOTS OF PEOPLE INVOLVED.&lt;br /&gt;
  IF I WERE YOU I'D CHECK HITMEN OUT.&lt;br /&gt;
  AND LEGEND. DON'T FORGET LEGEND.&lt;br /&gt;
  I CAN'T TALK ANY LONGER. WE HAVE TO&lt;br /&gt;
  REMAIN SAFE. DON'T TRY TO TRACE ME.&lt;br /&gt;
  I WILL CONTACT YOU HERE AGAIN WHEN&lt;br /&gt;
  THE TIME IS RIGHT.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
- +++NO CARRIER&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I looked at my screen, puzzled by what&lt;br /&gt;
I had seen. This could be a scam of the&lt;br /&gt;
cheaper kind but it had a ring to it. I&lt;br /&gt;
had to check this out. I noticed a mail&lt;br /&gt;
from an anonymous sender blinking on my&lt;br /&gt;
screen. I read it immediately and shut&lt;br /&gt;
down the system. Actions had to be&lt;br /&gt;
taken.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;MRS.ZERO, DID YOU LOG THE FORUM-&lt;br /&gt;
SESSION I JUST HAD?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;BUT OF COURSE, SIR.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;RUN THE LOG THROUGH ALL OUR FILES AND&lt;br /&gt;
TRY TO LOCATE THIS ANONYMOUS MOTHER-&lt;br /&gt;
FUCKER. WE NEED TO FIND HIM.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I WAS JUST GETTING TO IT, SIR&amp;quot;, she&lt;br /&gt;
said and I heard she was excited. She&lt;br /&gt;
loved the thrill of mysteries. If she&lt;br /&gt;
hadn't been my secretary she would have&lt;br /&gt;
made a great detective.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;AND I WANT YOU TO CALL UP ALL THE&lt;br /&gt;
ORGANIZERS IN ALPHA FLIGHT, CHROMANCE,&lt;br /&gt;
MOTIV8, LAXITY, ONSLAUGHT AND TRC*SCS&lt;br /&gt;
AND BOOK THEM FOR A MEETING AT MY HOUSE&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
TONIGHT AT 7. DO NOT BOOK LEGEND OR HIT-&lt;br /&gt;
MEN, IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?&amp;quot;, I tried to&lt;br /&gt;
sound bossy but I liked her too much to&lt;br /&gt;
be bossy so it just came out friendly.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;IS THAT WISE, SIR? YOU KNOW THERE IS&lt;br /&gt;
A GIANT FREE CONCERT IN DREAMPARK TO-&lt;br /&gt;
NIGHT. MANIACS OF NOISE HAVE RENUNITED&lt;br /&gt;
AND IT'S THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE IN&lt;br /&gt;
YEARS. EVERYBODY'S GOING TO BE THERE.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I KNOW, I KNOW. BUT SO MUCH BETTER FOR&lt;br /&gt;
US. WE NEED TO BE UNDISTURBED. AND GET&lt;br /&gt;
A TECHNICIAN FROM COMMODORE TO COME&lt;br /&gt;
ALONG WITH US. FURTHERMORE I NEED YOU&lt;br /&gt;
TO BE THERE TO TAKE NOTES TONIGHT, CAN&lt;br /&gt;
YOU MAKE IT?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;UHHM, YOU KNOW I HAVE A RESERVATION&lt;br /&gt;
AT LEGEND'S NEW CLUB TONIGHT.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;THE POWERPLANT?&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;YUP..HEARD THE FOOD IS MAGNIFICENT.&lt;br /&gt;
MY SISTER WOULD BE VERY UPSET IF I&lt;br /&gt;
DIDN'T MAKE IT. YOU KNOW, SHE WANTS&lt;br /&gt;
TO INTRODUCE ME TO HER NEW BOYFRIEND&lt;br /&gt;
AND IT IS SORT OF SERIOUS BETWEEN THEM&lt;br /&gt;
I GUESS.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;YEAH WELL, WHAT THE HECK..YOU GO ON&lt;br /&gt;
AND HAVE A NICE EVENING. MAKE SURE ALL&lt;br /&gt;
THE OTHERS COME TO MY PLACE. I WILL&lt;br /&gt;
TAKE THE REST OF THE DAY OFF AND HEAD&lt;br /&gt;
ON HOME. I NEED TO PLAN TONIGHT'S MEE-&lt;br /&gt;
TING&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;WILL DO, SIR. WILL DO!&amp;quot;, she said. She&lt;br /&gt;
sounded proud. And she really was.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I got into my car, a C64-blue Alfa&lt;br /&gt;
Spider and began a steady cruise home.&lt;br /&gt;
SCENERADIO was airing commercials for&lt;br /&gt;
tonight's concert at DREAMPARK and I&lt;br /&gt;
began to wish I could have been there&lt;br /&gt;
too. MANIACS OF NOISE was after all my&lt;br /&gt;
favorite-band even though I thought it&lt;br /&gt;
was a little pathetic to have 5O-year&lt;br /&gt;
olds reuinte after so many years. At&lt;br /&gt;
the age of 5O you were hardly as rocking&lt;br /&gt;
and rolling as in the young heydays. Not&lt;br /&gt;
to mention the fact that JEROEN TEL had&lt;br /&gt;
had his share of problems with abuse.&lt;br /&gt;
The last years of his career, before&lt;br /&gt;
scenetown was born had been dreadful.&lt;br /&gt;
He had turned into a waresjunkie, begg-&lt;br /&gt;
ing for disks in the streets. Forgotten,&lt;br /&gt;
laughed at and a solid case of insanity.&lt;br /&gt;
This was by far a personal triumph and&lt;br /&gt;
revenge for him.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As I drove through the city I started&lt;br /&gt;
thinking of the old days. The days be-&lt;br /&gt;
fore SCENETOWN. Things had really chan-&lt;br /&gt;
ged dramatically over the years.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I remember it like yesterday. Back in&lt;br /&gt;
1997, when the real world still was the&lt;br /&gt;
real world. We were sceners, part of a&lt;br /&gt;
digital underground and not many. The&lt;br /&gt;
C64 had definately had it's heyday and&lt;br /&gt;
people were using PCs, PSXes and Nin-&lt;br /&gt;
tendo64s. We were forced to run our&lt;br /&gt;
business in the backstreets of the net&lt;br /&gt;
with boards like SPANKERZ HEAVEN and&lt;br /&gt;
SECOND TO NONE the only real places to&lt;br /&gt;
be. Both games and demos were rare,&lt;br /&gt;
while magazines found their way out&lt;br /&gt;
on disk occassionally. In 1998 media&lt;br /&gt;
and companies started to fear the worst&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
scenario possible to take place during&lt;br /&gt;
new years eve in 1999. With a world&lt;br /&gt;
depending on PCs and equal systems,&lt;br /&gt;
there would be severe problems for all&lt;br /&gt;
programs adjusting to the new year,&lt;br /&gt;
year 2OOO. All programs on the PC were&lt;br /&gt;
only capable of hadnling 2 digits stat-&lt;br /&gt;
ing what year it was, so when 99 turned&lt;br /&gt;
to OO the systems went bonanza. At first&lt;br /&gt;
world-economy had collapsed with all&lt;br /&gt;
stockmarkets. Then Online-services such&lt;br /&gt;
as the Internet followed and shortly&lt;br /&gt;
after the entire worldsystem. Military&lt;br /&gt;
stations were the last to follow but&lt;br /&gt;
a nuclear disaster was inevitable.&lt;br /&gt;
Missiles were launched all over the&lt;br /&gt;
world creating a holocaust so severe&lt;br /&gt;
nothing from the old world was left.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We had been way ahead of our time back&lt;br /&gt;
then. Topgroups that were left had gat-&lt;br /&gt;
hered up to plan the surrvival of the&lt;br /&gt;
of the 8-bitters. All of us. The last&lt;br /&gt;
3 years of the 9O's the groups promoted&lt;br /&gt;
the most gigantic 64-party of all times,&lt;br /&gt;
a TRIBUTE 2000 on new year's eve where&lt;br /&gt;
where EVERYBODY would come and bring&lt;br /&gt;
their equipment along. The event was&lt;br /&gt;
cleverly financed by a genious burglary&lt;br /&gt;
thought up by BURGLAR, stealing money&lt;br /&gt;
from MICROSOFT's bankaccounts over the&lt;br /&gt;
net. From there it had been easy to pay&lt;br /&gt;
all the visitor's travelling-costs. On&lt;br /&gt;
December 31st, 1999 all sceners who had&lt;br /&gt;
ever set foot on the C64 were gathered.&lt;br /&gt;
It had been one hell of a job finding&lt;br /&gt;
them all but we had reached all of&lt;br /&gt;
them. I remember people at the party&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
asking me why we had decided to have&lt;br /&gt;
the party inside a mountain - MOUNT&lt;br /&gt;
TOKAY to precise, and I remember look-&lt;br /&gt;
ing at them saying &amp;quot;you will realize&lt;br /&gt;
very soon. Very soon&amp;quot;. At midnight we&lt;br /&gt;
made a speech and explained that the&lt;br /&gt;
real world was coming to an end. The&lt;br /&gt;
ones at the party would surrvive, as&lt;br /&gt;
would our technology. The mountain&lt;br /&gt;
in which we had created a huge walve&lt;br /&gt;
in would save us.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It didn't take many hours until the&lt;br /&gt;
real world was gone. I have never ever&lt;br /&gt;
experienced such silence as that night&lt;br /&gt;
of total holocaust. But we had surr-&lt;br /&gt;
vived and could start from beginning.&lt;br /&gt;
We were 5OOOO people strong. The few&lt;br /&gt;
that surrvived in the real world would&lt;br /&gt;
soon join our society. We had a big&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
job ahead of us. Building scenetown.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Things have really changed over the&lt;br /&gt;
years, I said to myself as I pulled&lt;br /&gt;
up in front of my house. Thinking about&lt;br /&gt;
the old days before scenetown depressed&lt;br /&gt;
me so I decided I'd take a drink and a&lt;br /&gt;
cool shower before I started planning&lt;br /&gt;
tonight's meeting.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
 ______________________________________&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
               CHAPTER 2&lt;br /&gt;
           TONIGHT'S MEETING.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
All my guest that evening arrived in&lt;br /&gt;
time and it pleased me. I know MRS.ZERO&lt;br /&gt;
had done a great job persuading them&lt;br /&gt;
to come. We were all wishing we could&lt;br /&gt;
be at DREAMPARK to see our childhood&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
idols play instead of solving mysteries&lt;br /&gt;
created by crackpots.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I GUESS WE WON'T BE SEEING MARC HERE&lt;br /&gt;
TONIGHT&amp;quot;, I giggled to STYX refering to&lt;br /&gt;
the fact that RRR and MARC were in pri-&lt;br /&gt;
son for setting up the scam last week.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;OH I THINK WE WILL, MARC IS ON HIS&lt;br /&gt;
WAY OVER. HE GOT RELEASED ON BAIL AWAIT-&lt;br /&gt;
ING TRIAL BUT THEY ARE STILL KEEPING&lt;br /&gt;
RRR FOR FURTHER QUESTIONING. HE WAS&lt;br /&gt;
APPERENTLY MORE INTO IT THAN MARC WAS.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;THAT STUNT THEY PULLED REALLY SHOCKED&lt;br /&gt;
ME. IT WAS A DREADFUL PRACTIAL JOKE TO&lt;br /&gt;
IMPLY THAT HOMEBOY WAS DEAD!&amp;quot;, VENGEANCE&lt;br /&gt;
said looking at STYX.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;LOOK MAN, I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT,&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
ALLRIGHT?&amp;quot;, STYX said raising his both&lt;br /&gt;
hands in innocense.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;AND I SHOULD BEL...&amp;quot;, JAZZCAT filled&lt;br /&gt;
in aggressivly.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;SO THERE. WE ARE NOT HERE FIGHT. THERE&lt;br /&gt;
MUST BE A FAR BETTER REASON FOR NEWSCOPY&lt;br /&gt;
TO DRAG US ALL THE WAY OVER HERE, NOT&lt;br /&gt;
TO FORGET THAT WE'RE MISSING TONIGHT'S&lt;br /&gt;
CONCERT. SO TELL US, WHY ARE WE HERE?&amp;quot;,&lt;br /&gt;
LION said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I hated the way he sounded when he wan-&lt;br /&gt;
ted to be wise. Sure he was one of the&lt;br /&gt;
wiser people in Scenetown, but he made&lt;br /&gt;
damn sure to remind us of it all the&lt;br /&gt;
time and it was getting on many people's&lt;br /&gt;
nerves. A few months ago I had had an&lt;br /&gt;
affair with his girlfriend and even&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
though I think he never found out, I&lt;br /&gt;
had the feeling he could have a vague&lt;br /&gt;
idea of what had been going on. After&lt;br /&gt;
all he had run into me while I was with&lt;br /&gt;
her at RASTERBARS and several other&lt;br /&gt;
places. &amp;quot;We're just good friends&amp;quot;, she&lt;br /&gt;
would tell him and he'd just look under-&lt;br /&gt;
standing. Love can really turn you into&lt;br /&gt;
a sucker.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I started by briefing them on today's&lt;br /&gt;
encounter with my anonymous friend on&lt;br /&gt;
THE FORUM. It didn't seem to appeal them&lt;br /&gt;
more than a 4X4-effect from REFLEX. Only&lt;br /&gt;
the people from SCS*TRC seemed interest-&lt;br /&gt;
ed and with all rights - their number&lt;br /&gt;
one cracker was a vegetable being treat-&lt;br /&gt;
ed by our best surgeons right now. They&lt;br /&gt;
needed all the help they could get.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;GENTLEMEN, I APPRECIATE YOU COMING ON&lt;br /&gt;
SUCH SHORT NOTICE BUT I BELIEVE WE HAVE&lt;br /&gt;
A CRISIS AT OUR HANDS.&amp;quot;, I continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;WHICH WOULD BE EXACTLY WHAT?&amp;quot;, Lion&lt;br /&gt;
said doing everything to weaken my&lt;br /&gt;
arguments.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I was trying to hold temper under&lt;br /&gt;
control and managed.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;WELL, SHORTLY AFTER MY ENCOUNTER WITH&lt;br /&gt;
MY FRIEND I RECEIVED A MAIL FROM WHAT&lt;br /&gt;
APPEARS TO BE THE SAME FRIEND. IT CON-&lt;br /&gt;
TAINED SOME VERY ALARMING INFORMATION&lt;br /&gt;
AND I HAVE GATHERED YOU HERE BECAUSE I&lt;br /&gt;
CONSIDER MY SOURCE RELIABLE.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;ON WHAT GROUNDS?&amp;quot;, CBA filled in look-&lt;br /&gt;
ing sober for once.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I WILL GET TO THAT. BUT WE NEED TO GET&lt;br /&gt;
DOWN TO DATA FIRST. FROM ALL WE KNOW,&lt;br /&gt;
BURGLAR KNEW TOO MUCH ABOUT SOMETHING.&lt;br /&gt;
HE SAW TRANZIIE SNEAKING IN MR.Z'S&lt;br /&gt;
GARDEN, A PLACE WHERE HE DEFINATELY&lt;br /&gt;
WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE. THE MAIL I RE-&lt;br /&gt;
CEIVED CONTAINS ALL THE BACKGROUND TO&lt;br /&gt;
ENTIRE AFFAIR - IF CORRECT. AND AS I&lt;br /&gt;
SAID I BELIEVE IT IS CORRECT.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
I paused slightly and took a deep gulp&lt;br /&gt;
of water. There was dead silence around&lt;br /&gt;
the old oak-table.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;..WE HAVE ALL SEEN THE WAVE OF OLDIES-&lt;br /&gt;
GROUPS APPEARING ON THE SCENE RIGHT&lt;br /&gt;
NOW, THE TWO MOST FAMOUS BEING NOSTAL-&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
GIA AND REMEMBER. SO, THEIR SUCCESS IS&lt;br /&gt;
BASED ON RERELEASING CRACKS OF OLD GAM-&lt;br /&gt;
ES, ONLY THAT THE CRACKS ARE MUCH BETTER&lt;br /&gt;
THAN THEY WERE IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS.&lt;br /&gt;
AT THE SAME TIME I KNOW WE'VE ALL SEEN&lt;br /&gt;
THAT LEGEND HAS COME BACK TO THE SCENE,&lt;br /&gt;
BUT THEY HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING BUT SIT&lt;br /&gt;
AROUND AND RAG.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;AND WHAT DO LEGEND HAVE TO DO WITH&lt;br /&gt;
OLDIES-GROUPS LIKE NOSTALGIA AND&lt;br /&gt;
REMEMBER?&amp;quot;, COUNT ZERO asked.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I ASKED MYSELF THE SAME THING AT FIRST.&lt;br /&gt;
SO IMAGINE THIS. IMAGINE THAT LEGEND ARE&lt;br /&gt;
DYING TO DO A COMEBACK ON THE C64 BUT&lt;br /&gt;
HAVE NO GAMES. SO THEY SET UP A FIENDISH&lt;br /&gt;
PLAN ON HOW TO GET THEM AND AT THE SAME&lt;br /&gt;
TIME INTERCEPT ALL OTHER GROUPS AND&lt;br /&gt;
STOP THEIR RELEASES FOR A MONTH OR TWO.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;NOW HOW ON EARTH WOULD THAT BE POSS-&lt;br /&gt;
IBLE? THERE ARE ONLY SOME 3 MILLION&lt;br /&gt;
64'S IN USE IN OUR CITY. IT IS IM-&lt;br /&gt;
POSSIBLE. IT IS LIKE TRYING TO PUT&lt;br /&gt;
ALL OUR MICROWAVES OUT OF ORDER!&amp;quot;,&lt;br /&gt;
STYX said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;YES, YOU ARE QUITE RIGHT, BUT IMAGINE&lt;br /&gt;
IF LEGEND HAD A WAY OF DESTROYING ALL&lt;br /&gt;
THE C64'S IN SCENETOWN. THAT WOULD&lt;br /&gt;
PRETTY MUCH RUIN OUR BUSINESS FOR A&lt;br /&gt;
WHILE, WOULDN'T IT? SO ANYWAY, LET US&lt;br /&gt;
HAVE A BROADER PERSPECTIVE. IMAGINE&lt;br /&gt;
LEGEND CONTACTING SOMEBODY WHO IS ACT-&lt;br /&gt;
IVE ON TODAY'S SCENE. THEY OFFER HIM A&lt;br /&gt;
LOT OF FAME AND FORTUNE AS LEGEND LATER&lt;br /&gt;
ON CLAIM TO BE RULING SCENETOWN. SO HOW&lt;br /&gt;
DO THEY DO IT, YOU MAY ASK YOURSELVES.&lt;br /&gt;
IT IS SIMPLE. THEY GET THE ACTIVE PER-&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
SON TO JOIN AN OLDIES-GROUP, LET US&lt;br /&gt;
SAY REMEMBER FOR THE RECORD. LET US&lt;br /&gt;
SAY THAT THIS NEW PERSON GETS REMEMBER&lt;br /&gt;
TO RELEASE A GAME THAT EVERYBODY WANTS&lt;br /&gt;
BECAUSE IT IS A CLASSIC. SO REMEMBER&lt;br /&gt;
PUTS OUT THE GAME, AND LITTLE DO THEY&lt;br /&gt;
KNOW THAT THAT THEIR GAME IS A RELEASE&lt;br /&gt;
THAT WILL DESTROY THE 64'S IN TOWN.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;HAHAHA, THIS IS THE BOLLOCKS. WE ALL&lt;br /&gt;
KNOW IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO DO SOMETHING&lt;br /&gt;
LIKE THAT. WHAT GAME WOULD THAT BE?&amp;quot;,&lt;br /&gt;
LION laughed out.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;TRACK AND FIELD, MY FRIENDS.&amp;quot;, I said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;TRACK AND FIELD??&amp;quot;, they all said in&lt;br /&gt;
confused chorus.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;YES. TRACK AND FIELD IS A CLASSIC&lt;br /&gt;
SPORT GAME. THE FASTER YOU WIGGLE YOUR&lt;br /&gt;
JOYSTICK, THE FASTER YOU RUN, JUMP AND&lt;br /&gt;
WHATEVER SPORT YOU DECIDE TO DO. SO IM-&lt;br /&gt;
AGINE IF REMEMBER TRAINED THE GAME. IT&lt;br /&gt;
WOULD SERVE NO PURPOSE WHATSOEVER, BE-&lt;br /&gt;
CAUSE ONCE YOU START THE GAME THE GUY&lt;br /&gt;
ON THE SCREEN WOULD RUN LIKE CRAZY AND&lt;br /&gt;
WIN EVERYTHING..&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;GO ON.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;WELL, THE GUY WOULD IN FACT BE RUNNING&lt;br /&gt;
SO DAMN FAST THAT NOT ONLY THE TIMER IN&lt;br /&gt;
THE GAME WOULD RUN BACKWARDS, BUT HE'D&lt;br /&gt;
BE BREAKING THE SOUNDBARRIER! WHEN THE&lt;br /&gt;
SOUNDBARRIER IS BROKEN IT WOULD CREATE&lt;br /&gt;
A BOOM IN YOUR 64 THAT BREAKS THE CIR-&lt;br /&gt;
CUIT IN THE MACHINE.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Giggles burst out around the table.&lt;br /&gt;
I decided to go on immediately without&lt;br /&gt;
a pause.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;I ASKED MY SECRETARY TO GIVE ME PRINT-&lt;br /&gt;
OUT OF TODAY'S TOP-LEECH FROM THE FORUM&lt;br /&gt;
AND ALL OTHER TOP-BOARDS. GUESS WHAT&lt;br /&gt;
REMEMBER PUT OUT TODAY - THAT'S RIGHT,&lt;br /&gt;
TRACK AND FIELD! GUESS WHAT GAME IS THE&lt;br /&gt;
MOST LEECHED TODAY - THAT'S RIGHT,&lt;br /&gt;
TRACK AND FIELD+4 FROM REMEMBER.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;OK...SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS LEGEND&lt;br /&gt;
WANTS TO COME BACK AND USE REMEMBER AS&lt;br /&gt;
A WAY TO COME THROUGH BY DESTROYING ALL&lt;br /&gt;
OUR 64'S. WE HAVE TO WAIT FOR NEW ONES&lt;br /&gt;
TO BE DELIVERED BY THE FACTORIES WHILE&lt;br /&gt;
THEY CAN RELEASE THEIR ASSES OFF..SO&lt;br /&gt;
WHERE DOES BURGLAR AND TRANZIIE COME&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
INTO THE PICTURE?&amp;quot;, CBA said. He was&lt;br /&gt;
upset that I yet not had presented any&lt;br /&gt;
solution that would save his number-one&lt;br /&gt;
guy, BURGLAR the vegetable.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;WELL, IMAGINE IF TRANZIIE WAS THE GUY&lt;br /&gt;
THAT LEGEND APPROACHED FROM TODAY'S&lt;br /&gt;
SCENE. IMAGINE IF TRANZIIE ASKS TO&lt;br /&gt;
JOIN REMEMBER....&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;..AND HE DID JOIN REMEMBER LAST WEEK&amp;quot;,&lt;br /&gt;
JAZZCAT filled in. &amp;quot;..BUT WHAT ABOUT HIM&lt;br /&gt;
TRIPPING AROUND IN MR.Z'S GARDEN?&amp;quot;, he&lt;br /&gt;
continued.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;SIMPLE, NOBODY BUT OUR DEAR OLD-TIMER&lt;br /&gt;
MR.Z HAD THE ORIGINAL OF THE GAME.&lt;br /&gt;
TRANZIIE BROKE IN TO STEAL THE GAME.&lt;br /&gt;
BURGLAR SAW THIS AND STARTED TO CATCH&lt;br /&gt;
UP. YOU SEE, ACCORDING TO OUR ANONYMOUS&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
FRIEND BURGLAR WAS APPROACHED BY LEGEND&lt;br /&gt;
TO CRACK THE GAME IN THE FIRST PLACE.&lt;br /&gt;
THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CRACKER SINCE POWER-&lt;br /&gt;
PLANT AND ANTITRACK HAVE BEEN BUSY WITH&lt;br /&gt;
THEIR NEW CLUB. BURGLAR REFUSED BUT WHEN&lt;br /&gt;
HE SAW TRANZIIE HE ADDED ONE AND TWO&lt;br /&gt;
TOGETHER. AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT LEGEND&lt;br /&gt;
MUST HAVE THOUGHT BECAUSE THEY FORMATT-&lt;br /&gt;
ED HIS ENTIRE BRAIN. THEY DIDN'T DARE&lt;br /&gt;
TO KILL HIM FOR KNOWING TOO MUCH, BUT&lt;br /&gt;
INSTEAD THEY DECIDED TO ERASE HIS MEM-&lt;br /&gt;
ORY&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;WELL, I'LL BE DAMNED. WHAT A STORY,&lt;br /&gt;
AND IS THERE ANY REASON WHY WE SHOULD&lt;br /&gt;
BELIEVE IT?&amp;quot;, MR.WAX said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;MY ANONYMOUS FRIEND ALSO WROTE SOME-&lt;br /&gt;
THING THAT ONLY I KNOW AND NOBODY ELSE&lt;br /&gt;
COULD KNOW. THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE HIM.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;AND WHAT SHOULD THAT BE?&amp;quot;, COUNT&lt;br /&gt;
ZERO said.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;..I'M SORRY THAT I HAVE TO ANNOUNCE&lt;br /&gt;
IT LIKE THIS, COUNT ZERO, BUT HE KNEW&lt;br /&gt;
THAT YOU WERE SUFFERING FROM THE&lt;br /&gt;
QUITTER'S SYNDROM, SOMETHING ONLY YOU&lt;br /&gt;
AND I KNOW.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;YOU'RE WHAT?????&amp;quot;, CBA screamed insu-&lt;br /&gt;
lted by the fact. &amp;quot;YOU ARE A DISGRACE&lt;br /&gt;
TO OUR ENTIRE GROUP, YOU FILTHY PIG!&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
COUNT ZERO was close to tears now. He&lt;br /&gt;
was trembling and he kept biting his&lt;br /&gt;
upper lip to keep the emotions inside.&lt;br /&gt;
He had kept the secret for so long and&lt;br /&gt;
only I knew how much pain it had been&lt;br /&gt;
for him, hiding it from his wife, from&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
his friends and his groupmates.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;CALM DOWN, THERE IS PROPER MEDICATION&lt;br /&gt;
FOR THE MAN SO WE DON'T NEED TO WORRY&lt;br /&gt;
ABOUT THAT RIGHT NOW. WE NEED TO FOCUS&lt;br /&gt;
ON LEGEND, ON TRANZIIE, ON BURGLAR AND&lt;br /&gt;
THE FUTURE OF OUR CITY.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Just that minute MARC from ALPHA FLIGHT&lt;br /&gt;
rushed through the door. He looked like&lt;br /&gt;
he just saw Satan on his doorstep. He&lt;br /&gt;
was breathing heavily and sweating like&lt;br /&gt;
a pig.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;quot;GUYS..I'M SORRY I'M LATE, I WAS RE-&lt;br /&gt;
LEASED FROM JAIL ONLY SOME HOURS AGO&lt;br /&gt;
BUT I GOT STUCK IN TRAFFIC ON MY WAY&lt;br /&gt;
OVER HERE. THERE IS ABSOLUTE CHAOS ON&lt;br /&gt;
THE FREEWAY. I HEARD ON THE RADIO ON&lt;br /&gt;
THE WAY OVER HERE THAT OVER 1 MILLION&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
64'S HAD COLLAPSED..IS IT TRUE???&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
We all looked at each other. Our&lt;br /&gt;
worst fears had come true.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
 ______________________________________&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
            TO BE CONTINUED.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
      SCENETOWN WILL NEVER CEASE.&lt;br /&gt;
      ___________________________&lt;br /&gt;
&amp;lt;/pre&amp;gt;&lt;/div&gt;</summary>
		<author><name>Ymgve</name></author>	</entry>

	</feed>