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Welcome to Percotran -Part XI By: Richard Davidson on 12/3/2002; 11:18 PM You KNEW wed find this, and yet you sent us anyway, signing our DEATH WARRANTS! Ted screamed, his anger momentarily overcoming his fear. He rushed Commander Richter, who could hardly contain his amusement as he redirected Ted into the wall. 17 merely stood frozen, a man with nothing left to live for. Youre a spunky young man, Worker 2567A, the Commander said with a smile. I guarantee you, I will try and think of a way where you dont have to die. Good luck, said 17, flatly. What was that? Commander Richter asked, spinning around violently, and staring right into 17s eyes. Go ahead, said 17 without emotion, be all tough and scary, do your worst. I dont care. Ive toiled my life away, finding information for employees, and developed a skill so meaningless, that it is now the cause of my death. You, Commander, can kiss my ass. Ted stood rubbing his head, amazed at how succinctly 17 had put it. Ted wouldve killed himself years ago, if hed had 17s job. Perhaps I should torture you for awhile. It was obvious Commander Richter was enjoying the situation. Ted shuddered at the thought of what anyone as powerful, and technologically advanced as Commander Richter could come up with in the way of torture, but to his amazement, 17 still didnt look the least bit impressed. I can hardly wait, dickwad, 17 spat back, like a teenage boy. Now it was Commander Richters turn to be amazed. One of the things that made him a Commander was his keen ability to read and understand people. Hed been studying personnel files his entire life, as well as psychological profiles, and his vast experience, of course. Records Handler 17D was an enigma for him, at the moment. Here was a man whod been subjected to humiliation, monotony, and almost automatronic existence for his entire life. From where was he drawing courage? Richter simply couldnt imagine the answer, and had an even harder time explaining why this man was still alive. Because he has to be broken, came a voice in Richters consciousness somewhere. It was an annoyingly familiar voice, but Richter didnt want to think about that now. He was in the bowels of the Records Vault, with a couple of insignificant lower level employees, and they had discovered that the visitor in the hallway was a stockholder from thousands of years ago. Commander Richter struggled with the implications of that. Surely the man could make no claim to any actual holdings today... Perhaps not, but if he could... Richter had always been sure that when there is an unknown factor, then somebody has to die. And there was definitely an unknown factor. And that unknown factor had escaped down an air vent, due to Worker 2567As incompetence. So you will be the one to solve my problem. 17 and Ted looked bewildered. And you will be tortured to death, very slowly, he said with a very subtle grin, in the direction of 17. I dont think so, Commander, said 17, as the XP-2,000,000 shot a tiny green beam into Commander Richters forehead. Commander Richter raised his hand to his head, and moaned in agony, frozen in pain. What are you doing? asked a panicky Ted. Im taking over the company, 17 announced, suddenly invigorated. What are you doing to the Commander? Im reprogramming him. I think he should be more friendly, dont you? You know, this XP-2,000,000 is one hell of a device. Ted had first felt a wave of panic, then a wave of nausea. Now he was feeling an adrenaline rush, with increased testosterone levels for the first time in his young life. And he liked it. He had wondered how he could ever work with a lowly Records Handler, and now he was prepared to go to his death with 17. His ears are starting to smoke, Ted cautioned. 17 turned off the beam with a wave of his hand. Cool, said Ted. The Commander slumped to the ground in a heap. Well just leave him there, 17 said, hurriedly punching some tiny buttons. Weve got places to go. Not much we can do from here. Suddenly, the company wide alarm was howling. My God, theyre already after us! Ted panicked. Relax, thats not possible, 17 answered soothingly. Theres something going on here; something big. A viewscreen appeared in the room. Attention all employees, said News Dispatcher Dishiva Nelson, the L-4 Complex at Haiihu Kuwana has been disabled, and the Southwestern Division is under Pirate attack. All personnel will adopt Security Protocol 1. As he continued, another smaller viewscreen appeared. This is Sector Commander Mullan. All employees from the following sectors will deploy to the nearest jump-off points: and then he began reading off sectors. Turn that crap off, said Ted, surprising himself. 17 punched some buttons on the XP-2,000,000, and the screens disappeared, along with several others that had been trying to appear. Were cut off, 17 informed Ted, with a look of bliss on his face. Neither man had ever been out of communication with the Network in their entire life. At this moment their breathing, heart rate, temperature and humidity werent being monitored by anything, or anybody. Were free. Ted didnt know how true that statement could really be. They were, after all, hundreds of miles deep into the most powerful corporation the world had ever seen, which was apparently under Marshall Law at the moment. He was about to explain that to his inspired new friend, when 17 managed to address his point before he even made it. Under Security Protocol 1, the entire Records Department becomes a non-priority area. They cut off power to the entire department. The entire department! Ted didnt see what was so great about that. The XP-2,000,000 projected a three dimensional map of the company, and zoomed into the records department, highlighting it in red. This is the department. Were here. A tiny white light blinked on and off, indicating their exact position. Now over here, said 17, pointing to a narrow peninsula that jutted out of the Southwest corner of the department, is the Archived Files Department. That department has been abandoned for hundreds of years. It contains useless documents from the millions of companies Percotran International has swallowed up over the years. Its usually inaccessible, but in out present position, I think we can get in. The map rotated just a bit, showing another peninsula jutting out from the other side of the bay. And do you know what this is? Ted thought he just might know what it was, and his thoughts were confirmed when that section was highlighted yellow, and the words Command Center 2533 appeared.
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