Eclectic's Edition (MF+, FF, Growth, MC) I was just sitting at my computer, messing around with some of my programs, when I decided that it was time to start another batch download from the Internet. I had found a nice little utility called "PluckIt" a year or so before that would go through specified news groups on the news server and save all message attachments to my hard disk. Usually, the program is used for picture collectors (alt.binaries.pictures.sex and others.) Since finding it and paying the registration fee, I had downloaded (and kept) in excess of 23,000 JPEG files. I had probably thrown away somewhere around 50-100 times that amount, if not more... (You'd be surprised how many pics show up in those blond and asian newsgroups) Anyway, on this particular run, I decided to add in the "warez" groups for some reason. Normally, I don't even look at these groups since they are generally monitored by the service providers so they can turn any major pirates in for whatever reward they can get, but I knew someone over at the cable company, so that shouldn't be a problem for me. btw: The reason I said "cable company" is that I am currently on Road Runner - aka Cable Modem. God, ya GOTTA LOVE those things! So far, my fastest recorded throughput was 512K-Bytes per second! Try that on anything you can get from the phone company! A few hours (and over 17,000 files) later, PluckIt reported that it was finished. Time to see what got downloaded. I loaded my picture-browser to see what I got. Yep... Most of it was in the alt.binaries.pictures.erotica.orientals directory... but there were also a lot in the alt.binaries.warez directory. I figured that I'd go ahead and go through the warez junk first - especially since quite a few of those files tended to be CD image files (essentially, a diskcopy of the CD itself in a single file that could be used to create additional CDs) and were no doubt taking up a large chunk of disk space... "Hmm... Latest MacOS version... DELETE!!! ... NT-Server 2000... DELETE!!! ... Windows 3.1... DELETE! (I'm still wondering why someone put that up there.) Lots of assorted games... Delete... Delphi? ... Delete... Master.zip... Dele.. Hold on...I wonder what that is... Move to C:\New\Untested\ ... Aaah, Delete the rest." Ok, so I tend to talk to myself once in a while... "Might as well check out this 'Master' file... Download latest McAffee... Install... Run... Check 'master.zip' ... Well, that showed ok... Let's see what it is... Master.exe ... heh. Ok, run that..." The word "MASTER" flashed on the screen, followed by "MASTER PROGRAM RUN COMPLETE." I looked at the desktop and saw a new Icon and decided to go ahead and run it. When I did, the screen went blank for a few seconds, then a graphic screen showed up. At the top was a standard pull-down menu with a series of buttons below labeled "Macro - 1" through "Macro - 10" and a pull-down field labeled "Subject Name." Below that, on the left was a figure appearing to be some sort of mannequin. To the right of that was an area labeled "Statistics" that had all sorts of labels (Height, Measurements, Bust, etc...) and a large button at the lower-right corner of that area that was labeled "Send." At the bottom of the screen was a command prompt area showing "Welcome to Master Command Center, your own personal command center. The Master allows you to become a virtual god to the people around you. You now possess the power to bend their reality to your specifications. You are the Master's representative." "Strange... Very, very strange..." (said with a German Scientist's accent ) I figured it must be some sort of joke or game or something like that. "Ok, let's look at the help system for this thing... Ok... Heh... What the... Heh... Yeaaa, RIGHT!" Basically, it said that the program gave me full control of everyone within a 100-mile radius of my computer, and I mean FULL Control - Actions, Statistics, Personality, Nature - EVERYTHING! "Aah, what the hell... Subject: Xanthos Pendragon (you didn't think I'd tell you my REAL name, did you?)" A second or two later, a high-res model of me replaced the mannequin on the screen, and the stats area filled in with all the correct information. Needless to say, my jaw hit the table REAL HARD!!! "Ok, this is REALLY Weird! Might as well test this..." In the Command area, I entered "Correct Xanthos's vision to perfect for all distances." (I had 20/200 vision before I did this.) All of a sudden, I felt a bit of a tingle, followed by my sight going blurry... "What the FUCK?!?" I took off my glasses, and could see clearly... VERY Clearly! Looking around, I determined that I was able to read and see details better than I ever had before (even compared to my having been able to read the McDonald's sign at a mile and a half when I was a kid.) "FUCK! THIS THING IS REAL!!! SHIT!!! SUBJECT: Juan Jose Diaz Duran (my friend at the cable company) COMMAND: Get on the Internet AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and do a Global Purge of the files 'Master.zip' and 'Master.exe' along with any other variations that you can think of from all News Servers. Also, triple-bulk-erase all local backups of the alt.binaries.warez directory from Paragon's News Server from the past week. If it is at all possible, contact whoever is necessary and have them purge the same files from the master news broadcast site. Upon completion of these tasks, you will forget that you did them. " "Damn! I hope that takes care of anyone else getting it... No... It was on a News Server... Let's see... Help Wizard... Question: Can I issue commands that effect specific groups or everyone in general?" "Area and Group Effects: Commands can be entered at the Command Prompt that will effect whatever subject group is specified in the same command sequence. Note: Make sure that the Subject field is empty and that you *DO* specify who is to be effected within the Command Prompt. The effect is limited to Master Control's 100-Mile Limit. Also be aware that area and group effect take longer to complete because each person involved is individually targeted by Master. The faster your computer is, the less time it takes." "Hmm... Got it! Command: Anyone other than Xanthos Pendragon who downloaded anything from the 'alt.binaries.warez' newsgroup is to IMEDIATELY delete all files that they downloaded. If any of those people, other than Xanthos Pendragon, installed the program called 'Master', they are to issue the following commands before they uninstall and erase the software from their system: *'Anyone other than Xanthos Pendragon............ (Exact quote of everything up to that last colon...) Once the deletion is completed, you will forget all knowledge of that program. You will also forget the name 'Xanthos Pendragon' {Send}'* Once the deletion is completed, you will forget all knowledge of that program. " (This would have a recursive effect of not only having everyone within MY 100-mile radius deleting THEIR copies of the program, but ALSO having everyone (except me) delete the program for THEIR radii as well.) "THAT should take care of any extra copies of this thing that are floating about." After that was done, I checked out the software's options and noticed the security section. Obviously, I set up a "Program Access" password using a long nonsense phrase that I had never used before. I also found that individual subjects could be password protected and took care of that problem for my friends and myself as well. Now that all those worries were out of the way, I decided to make a backup of the "Master.exe" file for my own archives - just in case I ever needed it again. (Drive crash, stolen computer, that sort of stuff...) First, I scrambled the "Master.exe" file 3 times using "PGP" (aka: Pretty Good Privacy) and then I scrambled it one more time using an 8-bit HEX-Scrambler that I wrote when I was in college. I figured that even the NSA wouldn't be able to crack THAT file. I even renamed it to "Tron Chess" before I burned it off to a CD. Once I got all that done, I decided it was time to change my life a bit. (Ok... a LOT!) - Subject: Xanthos Pendragon - Password: *************************************************************** - Command: Realign spine curvature to 'Normal' based on Optimal Human Standards (Eliminated some Scoliosis problems) - Command: Restore all teeth and bones to perfect color, condition, and health. - Command: Eliminate any diseases, tumors, or genetic defects in Xanthos's body - Command: Adjust body to increase strength to be able to lift up to 1000 Lbs. without damage to body - Command: Increase maximum sustained running speed to 75mph and maximum burst speed to 150mph (No, I'm not going to be wearing any red tights with lightning bolts on them...) - Command: Adjust dexterity, agility, perception, and stamina to be able to handle my new strength and speed - Command: Change physique to that of someone who does a full-body workout 2-hours a day, 3-times a week. Also make it so that exercise is not required to maintain that physique. (Much better body without the work! Imagine someone who is pretty well-built, but not a body-builder. Basically, Good - rather than Grotesque.) - Command: Adjust flat feet to human-normal. - Command: Adjust Heart and Lungs to be able to handle the above changes in the body. Also repair all defects and problems in the heart and lungs. (So much for the valve-defect that I was diagnosed with...) - Command: Adjust penis-length to 8" when hard and 6" when soft. Also give Xanthos direct conscious control over erectile state and his orgasms. (Only added 2", but since I was having fun...) My new stats? Caucasian Male, 6'1", 175 Lbs., Brown Hair, Blue Eyes, 33 Years Old, Great Body, and Perfect White Teeth. So much for my personal condition... Unfortunately, the extreme-bulk of my clothes no longer fit. I did, however, have some sweats that fit rather tightly, so I put those on and - after checking my new stats for measurements - went to the store to buy a very-few pieces of clothing. Any more would have to wait until I could get some more money, which, considering I was unemployed at the moment, might take a little while. Once I got home, I sat down to think. "What next... Ah, yes... Money." Obviously, there are a lot of options for getting people to "Donate" money to me and forget that they did, but I decided to pull a REALLY NASTY trick and kill several birds with one stone. I called a friend of mine that works at the Sheriff's Office and asked him if he could get me a copy of the "El Paso's Most Wanted" sheet. I didn't feel like getting a lecture, so when he started asking why I wanted it, I just pulled him up in "Master" and made him do it without asking questions. Basically, between the local "TIPS" department at the Police Department, and quite a few "anonymous" packages full of money that got left on my doorstep, I soon ended up with a VERY significant chunk of cash. (Along with a lot of Xeroxes of the Reward Checks from the El Paso PD for my records...) It was interesting watching the news talking about all of the people that were being "captured" by the local PD "thanks to anonymous tips." Once I got all those checks deposited at my bank, I drove over to the bank that held the note on my car-loan. Once there, I told them that I needed to pay off my loan and get the title sent to me overnight. Having dealt with this bank on a previous car-loan, I knew from experience that their loan department was filled with some rather idiotic people and policies. At least I was finally going to be rid of them. Would you believe that (to these idiots) cash is worse than a money order? If I paid off the loan with cash, they wouldn't send the title from their records department for at least 3-5 days! If I paid them with a money order, they would be able to get it out the next morning! Like I said, rather idiotic policies! When I got home, I checked on my account balances on my credit cards and wrote out checks to pay them off. After that, I decided it was time to do some serious planning. 1. New Clothes - not jeans - go for a higher class in casual, and add a few new suits. (Although I had quite a bit of dress-clothes, they no longer fit my new body.) 2. After living in West Texas for the past 30 years, I *Seriously* wanted to find someplace *Green* to live, not too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. While northern California (Walnut Creek area) is an absolutely beautiful area, its laws and politics absolutely rule it out as an area for me to live. That left the eastern-third of the US. -- What I wanted was to be close enough to the coast to get plenty of moisture but far enough away to avoid the brunt of a direct hit from a hurricane. The western North Carolina area looked about right. Checking one of my maps, I saw an area that looked good. I then found a real-estate company in North Carolina that could help me, told them what I was looking for, and said that I'd call them back in a few days to see if they had found anything. 3. I was also tired of not having any females around. Due to my eclectic nature, I knew that I wanted variety, which meant several girls - including blondes, brunettes, redheads, and maybe a couple of Orientals. One or two of each should do, but not too many, and not all at once. 4. The number of housemates that I was looking at automatically meant that I would need a large house, and with my tastes, it would need to be custom-made. 5. Large custom-made houses take a while to build, and I wanted to get out of El Paso sooner rather than later. That meant that I would need someplace to live in the meantime. A good-size Motor Home would work well enough for that; I could do some travelling off and on while my new home was being built, plus it gave me other options for fun and emergencies afterwards. 6. I also needed a way of keeping the police off my back. With the amounts of money that I had already received and would be spending in the next few years, I would be throwing up huge red flags all over the place. That settled, I went out and picked out some new clothes - mostly suits, but I did get some new Wranglers after all. After my shopping spree, I took them to them to a cleaner's and had them all washed and cleaned for me. Next on the list was the Motor Home. Checking around, I found a nice little (40') Luxury-class Fleetwood Eagle for $300,000 including TT&L. From what the dealer told me, this thing wasn't even their most expensive model! THAT one runs almost $500,000!!! I also rented a lot at one of the trailer parks in town since I knew that it wouldn't be a good idea to have a $300,000 Motor Home in the part of town that I lived in. After that, I packed all the things that I wanted to keep into the Eagle, and started to set my computer up at the desk inside. While I was moving equipment, I decided it was time to do a few upgrades - after all, when you have as much money as I now do, you don't need to settle for a P2-350. I went over to a computer store and picked up a complete Sony Vaio Slimtop with the Flat-Panel display and hard-mounted the entire thing in the front of the Eagle for easy driver's-side access. This was a nice, compact system with a decent processor and a modest amount of disk space - perfect for the front of the Eagle. I also planned on building a new home-system for myself, but I decided to wait on that until my new house was finished. On my way back to the trailer park where I was keeping the Eagle, I was getting hungry but I remembered that I was almost out of food. Time to do a little shopping and stock up the Eagle. After parking the Eagle, I drove my car over to a nearby grocery store and did a major buying spree. Right as I was finishing up, I noticed an exotic-looking, VERY attractive young Hispanic lady getting into one of the checkout lines. She was about 5'8" tall with curly black hair that came down to just below her shoulders. I immediately thought, "Damn! If I can get her name, I think I've got my first lover!" With that, I pulled my cart into line right behind hers. Too shy to actually strike up a conversation, (Go figure for someone who has been in sales for nine years ) I just acted normally, adding my groceries to the conveyor behind her stuff. She paid for her stuff with a check, and that's when I learned her name. "Melissa Juanita Ruiz" After I got checked out, I quickly loaded up my car and ran back in for a few more items: A couple of bottles of wine, a bottle of champagne, and a couple of other things. After paying for those last few items, I quickly drove back to the Eagle and got everything packed away. It was now 4:00 in the afternoon - just enough time for my plan. Since I hadn't done any of the security work on my new Vaio yet, I finished connecting my old hand-built and booted it up. Once I got past all the recently set-up passwords, I loaded the "Master" program and got past its login. At the "Subject" prompt, I entered "Melissa Juanita Ruiz" and hit enter. My system paused for a few seconds, then displayed an error message. "Error: There are multiple people within range with the name as entered. Press any key to continue." "Shit! I didn't think about that!" The thing that you have to remember when you live in the El Paso/Juarez area is that there are a LOT of people who have the same names. Imagine looking up "John Smith" in the New York or LA phone book, and you can see the beginning of the problem. In the case of El Paso/Juarez, if you browse through the white pages of the local (El Paso only) phone book, you'll find many cases of 30-150 families with the same last name. It's not even unusual to find 10-15 families with the same first and last names AND the same middle initial! I went ahead and tapped the space bar, and a new menu came up! That got my attention again. It looked like an "Open File" dialog box, with a list of names and addresses down the left-hand side, and a small picture on the right. "YES!" I browsed through the list of names until the picture matched the lady from the store. After choosing