LNH: Classic LNH Adventures #285: A Lurk of Faith Part One

[Arthur Spitzer]

And we're back in the past and can check the eyrie archive 
once again.


And here's where you can find Lurk of Faith and more 501 Blues 
related stuff:

https://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/501.Blues/



And here's Part One of The 501 Blues: A Lurk of Faith miniseries
by Todd "Scavenger" Kogutt!  This mini was the beginning of the
end of the Rebel Yell era and also added a lot of interesting
backstory for the LNH (although you'll have read the next part
to get to all that stuff).  It also inspired years later the
Beige Midnight event.

Will Plot King be able to find a place to sit down in Chatsubo or
will he have to STAND?!!  And will List Lad find the FAN.DOM of 
the Alt.RA's journal writing skills up to snuff?!!



Find out in...



              _						
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             | |__   | [] |  | [] |  | |  | [] |  | _ \  

             |____|   \__]    \__ |  |_|   \__/   |_|\_\
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                                |_|  OF NET.HEROES

                                    ADVENTURES #285


                         =====================
                       A Lurk of Faith Part One
                         =====================






               The 501 Blues: A Lurk of Faith
		          FOREWORD
			by SCAVENGER

Well here it is:  501 BLUES: A Lurk of Faith....Some notes before we go along.
 
-This story takes place right after the Electrocutioner's Song, about
  a month before Flame Wars.
 
-This also happens before Rebel Yell leaves the LNH, since that happens
  AFTER Flame Wars...:-)
 
 
Anyhow, this story has been a year in the making.  In the very first part
of the 501 Blues Saga, i misscalled Lurking Girl Lurking Lass.  This caused
others to make the same mistake.  I decided then, that rather than just gloss
it over and say the characters had always meant "Girl", that I wanted a
whole mystery to surround this problem.  LOF solves that mystery...and starts
some new ones......
 
LOF is the first in a series that ends the 501 Blues Saga.  Ultimately, all the
pieces form a love story.  Lurking Girl heads into her own story after this
to deal with the events of LOF.  Rebel Yell remains with the team for a while
and then leaves...
 
Victoria Fike will be writing Lurking Girl's story.  My next story will be
_Closing Knight_, a revamped "Prelude to Knight Fall".  It will be followed by
_Knight Fall_, the story of Rebel Yell once he's left the LNH.  Along the way
he'll run into a Pocket Man story by Gary (with asists from me).  Then LG and
RY meet up once more in a story to be written by Tori and Me.  This is all
a love story...but love stories don't always end happily.
 
There's a few people I'd like to thank here.  wReam and David Henry for much
encouragement.  The other Council members, who helped get us where we are
in the first place.  The LNHers, members and lurkers, cause that's why we're
here.  Jay Brandt and uplink for the use of their characters in Chapter 1.2.
 
Special thanx to Gary St. Lawrence.  He helped me edit this in the early days.
Gar, you're great...you'll never edit one of my things again, but you're great!
:-)

And super special thanx go to Tori Fike.  She encouraged, helped, approved, 
nagged, and cared.  Tori allowed me to put her character through hell for
a good story(IMHO).  Her friendship is one of the things that makes the LNH
worthwhile for me.  Lurk of Faith is dedicated to her.


Some final notes....As usual in my stories, if you find a reference/allusion/
blatant rip-off from some other source, write me and say so, prizes go out
to the first to correctly identify them.

Also, durring LOF, the story of Beige Noon is finaly revealed.  The basics of
the story are given, but i think it wopuld be great is someone actually did a
full story of the conflict.  Interested parties please write me for more 
information.

And if there's something in LOF that you'd like to spin off into a story, 
please talk to me before you do so....Some things are left hanging...
for reasons one day to be made clear.:-)

Any archievers out there...please include this Foreword with LOF in your 
archives.

One of the main reasons for the delay in LOF was a super-massive case of
writer's block.  But finaly, inspiration hit as it often does, in the midst
of a very good imported beer. :-)

LOF is an ACRAPHOBE title.  It is not parody or humor. Some light moments
exist, but I'd like to think the laughs will flow with the tears (I can 
dream can't I? :-)

LOF has some of my favorite moments of ANYTHING I've written in it.  I hope 
y'all enjoy it.


 
               THE 501 BLUES: LURK OF FAITH
                      by SCAVENGER
 
      CHAPTER 1: LURKING TO CONCLUSIONS---part 1
 
 
The ELECTROCUTIONER'S SONG was over.  REBEL YELL, for one, was quite happy
about that fact.  Weird things always happened during crossovers, and this one
had been especially trying.  But it was over now, and he had another job ahead
of him, a job of a personal nature.
 
Rebel Yell walked through the hallway of LNHHQ. The walls were decorated with
the pictures of the Legion, past and present.  He looked at his image in each
photograph.  So much had changed in such a short time.  Members, friends, had
come and gone, yet he had stayed. Not only stayed, hell, he became one of the
core members of the group!
 
MULTI-TASKING MAN sat in his usual place, the command chair of the Monitoring
Room.  From there he could keep tabs on anyone, search through the net.verse,
research quantum physics, and play five different MUDs, all at once.  He turned
to the door as Rebel Yell walked in.
 
"It's about time you got here."
 
"Sorry, I had to finish the mission report on the Electrocutioner's Song."
 
"So I saw.  By the way, I forwarded it to SPELLING BOY.  G-d does your spelling
bite!"
 
Rebel Yell sighed, "Look, it's been a real long week. The E-Song dragged on for
what seemed like forever, I haven't slept much lately, and I'm running out of
excuses for not telling LURKING GIRL who LURKING LASS was."
 
"How about that you don't know?"
 
"Hmm, that would work.  I mean, I have some ideas about it, but nothing that I
can back up with proof."
 
"Which is why I called you."
 
"Why did you call me?"
 
Multi-Tasking Man flipped on a terminal.  A vast, almost vacant, plane filled
the screen. He said three letters. "R.A.C."
 
"R.A.C.? But how? It was destroyed months ago."
 
"Not everywhere.  Don't ask me to explain it, you wouldn't understand it.  I
found it during the cross-over."
 
"You realize what this means?  If R.A.C. is still there, the FAN.DOM OF THE
ALT.RA's original lair will also be there.  Maybe I can find some kind of clue
to how Luri wound up there. Quick, see if you can fin..."
 
"Already did."  The picture on the monitor zoomed in on the dreaded cave.
 
A chill ran down the Southern Knight's spine. "Summon PLOT KING, LIST LAD, and
TYPO LAD.  Now!"
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
"OK, everything in this meeting is for y'all's ears only. M-TM, turn all
logging functions off."
 
Rebel Yell looked at the gathered net.heroes: his alternative selves, Plot King
and List Lad; his sidekick, Typo Lad; and his long time teammate, Multi-Taking
Man.
 
"Plot King and I are going to transmat down to R.A.C. and scout out the cave.
M-TM, monitor our progress and be prepared to transmat us out at a moment's
notice.  List Lad, we'll communicate to M-TM through the mind link 
between you, me, and Plot King.  It'll keep our messages from being 
intercepted.  Also, I want you to collate any information we find with my 
current theories.  T-Lad, I want you to make sure that no one walks in on 
this.  Keep an eye out especially for those Integrity Questers.  They seem to 
pop up everywhere. Besides Lurking Girl, we five are the only ones who 
know that Luri and Lurking Lass were different people.  Until we know 
more, I want to keep it that way!"
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
The place had seen better days.  The landscape was barren, except for a 
few articles that floated across the group on the bitter wind. It broke Rebel 
Yell's heart to see R.A.C. like this. This world had been the LNH's first home.
Now it was gone.  He realized, though, that dwelling on it wouldn't change 
things, so he moved on to the cave.  Plot King followed.
 
The Fan.Dom's lair wasn't much better than the surrounding territory. It had
been ransacked, all of it's furnishings taken.  The Fan.Dom clearing house,
thought Rebel Yell.  In the cave's center were the remains of a burned Mardi-
Gras float.
 
"This does not look promising." Rebel Yell kicked a rock across the floor.
"It's unlikely the Fan.Dom left any clues."
 
"WELL, IT WON'T HURT TO LOOK AROUND.  AT LEAST, IT HOPEFULLY WON'T HURT MUCH!"
replied Plot King.
 
Ignoring his counterpart's attempt at humor, Yell said, "Go check that area
back there, in the ominous darkness.  I'll see if I can find out anything from
that computer."
 
The soldier of the story lines headed into the ominous darkness and began to
rummage around.  Rebel Yell searched the computer.  The power source had been
taken, probably by the Fan.Dom.  He popped open the access panel, in case some
clue might be found in the wiring, but all he found was a green ring and a
fuzzy mouse.
 
Plot King came out of the ominous darkness carrying a large, leather-bound
book.  "I FOUND SOMETHING!!"
 
"What is it?"
 
Before Plot King could answer, the computer monitor clicked on and the ring
vanished. A face, half covered by a black mask, filled the screen.  The Fan.Dom
of the Alt.Ra spoke: "AH, YOU FOUND MY RING, GOOD! I was afraid it was lost. It
is quite a collectable. I SEE YOU ALSO FOUND THE JOURNAL.  I was hoping you
would be smart enough to accomplish that!"
 
"What kind of game are you playing at, Fan.Dom!?!"
 
"No game this time, Rebel Yell. You came looking for answers to your many
questions.  I am simply providing them.  That book contains all of the
information that I posess about the creature you call Lurking Lass!"
 
"Why should I believe you?"
 
"What reasons have I to lie? To lead you into a trap? I COULD DESTROY YOU WHERE
YOU STAND, if I chose to. No, I want you to understand the game that you have
unknowingly been playing!"
 
"FAN.DOM, YOU FIEND. I, PLOT KING, SHALL MAKE YOU PAY FOR YOUR MANY CRIMES!!!"
 
"Quiet your power-clone, hero, or I SHALL!!! You have in your hands the key to
unlock the door that lies ahead in your path. What lies beyond that door is the
unknown that you must face. Good-bye hero...We will meet again! BWAH-HAH-HAH-
HAH"
 
"GET DOWN!!!" shouted Plot King as he projected a thought to List Lad, >>GET US
OUT OF HERE!<<. The crimson clad continuity crusader threw himself and Rebel
Yell into the suddenly appearing Transmat beam.  They vanished, just as the
computer screen exploded into thousands of deadly shards.
 
As he beamed out, Rebel Yell thought to himself, You've been messing with us
for too long, Fan.Dom. Soon, very soon, there will be a reckoning.
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
Materializing back in the Monitoring Room in LNHHQ, Rebel Yell tossed the book
to List Lad. "Read through this and give me any worth while information."
 
List Lad let out a nervous laugh, and began rifling through the journal's pages
at an amazing speed.  He looked up and said, "Well, the Fan.Dom is a very
poetic writer, a bit overly dramatic, maybe, but really quite nice.  Actually,
when you think about it, it makes some sense that he..."
 
"Cut the critical review and get to the point!"
 
"Gee, aren't we touchy today?  Anyhow, it will take some time to absorb
everything, but I, List Lad, have found something that may be useful.  There's
a note here that reads, "Check on Netlurker at Chatsubo.A232.43"
 
"What's 'Chatsubo'?" asked Rebel Yell.
 
Multi-Tasking Man answered, "The Chatsubo is a bar in the Cyber-punk hierarchy.
A lot of deckers and other net.types hang out there.  It's kind of a neat
place, a bit wild, though."
 
"Just great," sighed Rebel Yell, "OK, List Lad, analyze everything in that
book.  I want to know what every letter means!  M-TM, warm up the transmat
beams.  Plot King, grab your party hat, we're going bar-hopping!"
 
 
 
To be continued....


 
               		THE 501 BLUES: A LURK OF FAITH
                        	by SCAVENGER
 
          	CHAPTER 1: LURKING TO CONCLUSIONS---part 2
 
 
It was a typical night at the CHATSUBO.  The usual crowd of deckers, riggers
and street samurai were gathered for their various evening activities.  Deals
were being made, contracts were being signed, and lives were being bought and
sold.
 
The doors to the Chat opened, eliciting a few looks from the clientele, but
only a few.  Two figures filled the doorway.  The first, standing about 6 feet,
was dressed in a battle vest, a shirt with some kind of white, red, and blue
design, gray pants, and a gray soldier's cap.  The second was clad in a blazing
red jumpsuit, adorned with wicked-looking spikes.
 
Telepathically, the first thought to the one in red, >>Scout around, see what
you can find--try to look inconspicuous!<<
 
PLOT KING moved on around to the back of the bar, doing his best not to be
noticed (not an easy thing for someone who's around 7 feet tall, wearing a
blazing red jumpsuit adorned with wicked-looking spikes).
 
The gray-clad stranger headed over to the bar and ordered whatever would pass
for a beer in the place.  He was pleasantly surprised with what the bartender
brought him.  He turned around and scanned the dimly-lit room.  He noticed the
crowd, shrouded in shallow darkness.  Movement on the small stage caught his
attention, as a new performer walked on.  His instrument looked like some
type of portable keyboard, except it had strings.  The thing that caught the
stranger's notice, though, was that a cord ran from the instrument to a
plug in the back of the musician's head!  The stranger considered that for a
moment, but then dismissed it as yet another of the genre differences between
this place and home.
 
The musician walked up to the mike.  In a laid-back, mellowish, voice he said,
"Howdy, folks, and welcome to the Chatsubo.  It's no-cover fun in the land of
Night City, so sit back, relax, and deal that biz. Oh, and feel free to dance
if you think you're up to some of KLONE CRIMSON's 7/4 funk, eh? But first: that
new-age atmosphere thang ..."
 
The room filled with an eclectic mix of sounds.  The vocals were delivered in
some sort-of-but-not-quite-Medieval-chant-like style.  The performer,
apparently named Klone Crimson, seemed to know what he was doing, but the
stranger found the music a bit too...existential, for his tastes.  He sent out
a thought, >>Heh, give me the Radiators any day.  Find anything?<<
 
>>NOT YET, BUT THERE ARE SOME FASCINATING STORIES GOING ON HERE.  WELL CRAFTED,
LONG, CONTINUING...<<
 
>>That's great, Plot King. Really.  Keep your mind on business, will you?<<
 
>>YES, PRIME UNIT.<<
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
Plot King studied the room and determined it was a nexus for story lines.  So
different from home (although, admittedly, it was getting better there).  He
found this place ... refreshing.
 
He saw a table with an open chair. There was a man dressed all in black at the
table, but he seemed to be concentrating on his drink and a few of Lonny Zone's
working girls, who were attempting to dance to the music.  Plot King sat down.
 
Without looking up, the man in black said, "I don't recall asking for company."
 
Plot King replied, "OH. WELL, I DIDN'T THINK YOU'D MIND!"
 
"Well I do."
 
"HMM, THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE TO SIT..."
 
"I don't care," the man said, growing hostile. ""Leave, or I'll drop you where 
you stand." The man in black seemed to be quite angry.  He began to stand up.
 
Plot King also rose.  Almost amused, he said, "ARE YOU THREATENING ME?!?"
 
"You could see it that way."  Silver armor materialized around the man in
black.  The sensor packs built into the wings on his helmet began supplying him
with data about his opponent; data, which in his agitated state, he chose to
ignore.  "You don't know who you're messing with! I am SHADOW KNIGHT!! And I
wish to be alone!  His gauntlet glowed and fired a blast at Plot King.
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
The stranger in gray watched his companion and sighed.  >>Could you *please*
try to avoid trouble!?!<< he thought as he ordered another beer.
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
>>SORRY, PRIME UNIT!!  HIS CHARACTER TYPE READS AS CYBER-NINJA.
  HOW NOVEL<< thought Plot King as he dissipated the blast. "YOU WOULD
DO BETTER, FRIEND, IF YOU'D WAIT FOR YOUR ARMOR TO CHARGE.  NOW, WHY DON'T YOU
POWER DOWN AND LET ME BUY YOU A DRINK!?!"
 
The armor dematerialized as the Shadow Knight stopped to consider Plot 
King's proposal.  Remembering that his quarrel was not with the continuity 
crusader, he said, "Yeah, that sounds good.  You, sir, are a noble warrior."
 
The pair sat down. "I TRY!  I AM PLOT KING, AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU MIGHT
HAVE SOME INFORMATION..."
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
RATZ brought the stranger his beer.  "I am impressed. Usually, the Knight kills
at least one bystander."
 
"Heh, guess that can happen when cyber-types get a bit drunk."
 
Ratz nodded, as he wiped the bar with his artificial arm.
 
The stranger continued, "Uhh, I was, uh, wondering.  You know anything about
someone called NETLURKER?"
 
"Hmm," the bartender said, "He come by a few months back.  Didn't stay around
long, though.  You should talk to a decker, they might help."
 
"Where could I find ..." but Ratz had already moved to the other end of the
bar.
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
Shadow Knight stood up.  "Sorry I could not help you, chummer.  If you will
excuse me now, combat always gives me certain urges, if you take my meaning."
Shadow Knight headed over to one of the dancing girls, flashed a credit 
chip, and the two walked off.
 
>>Learn anything?<<
 
>>NOTHING, I'M AFRAID! SHADOW KNIGHT IS NEW AROUND HERE.  HE DID NOT KNOW MUCH.
STRANGE, THOUGH, HE REMINDED ME OF OPINIONATED LAD.<<
 
>>G-d help us if there's two of 'em.  Well, the bartender really didn't help
either.  Keep looking around.  Maybe we'll get lucky.<<
 
>>CHECK!!!<<
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
The stranger continued to scan the bar.  One person caught his attention.  It
wasn't the Liefeld-esque proportions of his body.  The stranger had seen quite
a number of those steroid-mutated monstrosities lately.  Nor was it the large
gun hanging on his side or the swords strapped to his back.  Again, this was
par for the stranger.  No, it was that this man appeared to be bothering
the young lady sitting next to him.  The stranger moved closer, hoping to get a
better fix on the situation.
 
He heard the woman say, "I said, 'SLAG OFF, CREEP!!'"
 
"Aw, c'mon baybee!  Why don'cha c'm wit mee an' let ELBAC show ya wot a reel
man iz!"
 
The woman, about 6 feet tall with curly, brown hair, and a body that any
model would kill for, turned away from him, waiting for her
drinks to be ready, her silk outfit rustling as she moved.
 
Elbac continued. "Aw, Snugglebunee.  Don'cha turn away from Elbac. I don' like
it when a chick plays hard ta get!"
 
"Listen, chummer, go jack into a wall socket!"
 
"No bint talks to Elbac that way!"  Elbac brought his arm back to hit her.  It
was caught in mid-swing by a gray clad arm.
 
"The lady said 'No', punk."
 
"This ain't none of yo' bidness, puny!  Take off before Elbac squashes ya'."
Elbac pulled himself up to his full height.  He was nearly 8 feet tall!
 
Undaunted, the stranger said, "I'm making it my business. Leave the lady
alone!"
 
"Make me, nat!"
 
"Not here.  Step outside."
 
"Wuh...outside ?!?  Uh, why not...Your blood will show up betta there!"  He
walked past the stranger, on his way to the door.  The stranger turned and
followed.
 
The woman turned to her companion who was at a table near the bar and said,
"'Step Outside'?  What's he think this is, a vid? I gotta see this."
 
The man, who had a beard and long, brown hair, pulled into a tail, wore
 a leather jacket and replied, "Have fun, but be careful, eh?"
 
The woman headed for the door, "ARGUS, I'm always careful."
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
As the two men headed for the door, the stranger thought, >>LIST LAD, bio-scan
on this guy.<<
 
>>Hang tight...M-TM says to watch yourself.  His entire system is augmented:
strength, speed, endurance... He's got more testosterone and adrenaline running
through him than a month's Image shipment.  Should I have M-TM prepare to
'mat you out?<<
 
>>No, I should be able to handle it.  Besides, I don't think it would do the
locals good to see me transmat out of here.  It's not in the genre.<<
 
>>Understood.  Good luck!<<
 
>>Thanks.<<
 
>>YES! GOOD LUCK, PRIME UNIT!!!<<
 
>>Uh, right, thanks.<<
 
>>Don't let us down,<<
 
>>RIGHT!  IT WORLD BE BAD FOR THE STORY!<<
 
>>Will y'all get the hell out of my head ?!<<
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
The street outside the Chatsubo was lit by a single streetlight.  The rest
had burnt out, were broken, or had been shot.  The sign outside the bar threw
out colors in the shape of " HAT SUB " across the street.  As the two
combatants exited the bar, vermin, of both the four-legged and the two-legged
varieties, scrambled for shelter.
 
"Chummer, You's gonna be in a bunch of pain!"
 
"Listen, pal, I've been beat on by the best.  You don't even rate an audition!"
 
"WHY YOU!" Elbac was enraged.  Not as much at what the stranger said, but by
the fact that he didn't understand what the stranger said.
 
The behemoth charged the stranger.  When he got there, though, his target
ducked and moved to the side.  Elbac smashed into a wall.  Turning around, he
snarled, "You gonna pay for that!" He reached for his gun, but before he could
even pull it out of its holster, the stranger pulled a bolo made of multi-
colored beads out of a belt pouch and hurled it at Elbac.  The bolo encircled
the giants arms, pinning them to his body.  The stranger then grabbed a bunch
of purple, green, and gold discs from another pouch and tossed them at his
prisoner.  The discs struck, giving off little sparks.  Elbac fell to the
floor.
 
The stranger turned back to the bar and saw the woman for whose honor he had
just been fighting. He said, "Uh, hi."
 
She replied to that brilliant opening, "That was impressive.  So, my rescuer,
do you have a handle?  I'm Shado..." The woman suddenly executed a 
complex series of dance/martial arts moves, winding up behind the 
stranger.  She pulled twin katanas, which the stranger had not noticed 
before, and proceeded to slice them through Elbac, who had been about to do 
the same to the stranger.  She said, "Guess your stun disks couldn't fully
deal with his cyber-systems.  Well, he's vulture food now. Anyhow as I was
saying, I'm SHADOWCAT.  And you are..."
 
Shadowcat? Shadow Knight? Klone Crimson? What is it about these people and
names? thought the stranger.  Then again, who am I to talk.  He said, "I am
REBEL YELL!"
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
"'Step Outside'? What possessed you to do that?" asked the man named Argus.
Rebel Yell and Shadowcat had gone back into the bar and sat down at the table.
 
"That's just the way things are done where I'm from.  You don't wreck a place
when you're trying to find information there."
 
"Oh," asked Shadowcat, "Where are you from?"
 
"The South."
 
Argus commented, "Not a bad part of town, if you got the right security.  What
kind of information are you looking for?"
 
Yell answered, "Well, I'm trying to find out anything I can about a man named
Netlurker.  Specifically, what happened to him when he came here."
 
"Netlurker, hmm?  I think I remember him.... Yeah, he hung out here about 4
months ago.  Only saw him once or twice though, but he was the type you tend to
remember."
 
"Well, the bartender said that I should ask a decker to help me out.  You know
where I can find one?"
 
Shadowcat chimed in, "Why we're both deckers. I'm sort of just learning the
ropes. But Argus here is the best.  I bet he could probably find you what you 
need."
 
Argus began, "'Cat..."
 
"Oh Argus, he _did_ fight for my "virtue"."
 
Argus sighed. "OK, I'll see what I can find.  The Archive probably has the
records.  They're public domain, so it shouldn't take too long.  Hold on."
He pulled out a compact cyberdeck and plugged it in to a jack beneath his hair.
A glazed look appeared on his face.
 
Shadowcat turned to the Southern Knight and said, "This probably won't take too
long."
 
Yell replied, "I appreciate this.  But it was obvious the way you handled those
swords that you didn't need my help.  Judging from what I saw, I'd say you
studied ninjitsu ... not to mention various dance styles?"
 
"I'm impressed. Not many people can differentiate between martial arts
styles, but you were able to tell that from one small maneuver."
 
"I have a...friend, who is sorta like the greatest ninja warrior ever in the  
known worlds.  You kinda get used to the style after a while.  You two would
probably hit it off real well."
 
"Is he as cute as you?"
 
"No, but he has some neat swords."
 
Argus blinked back into real-time. "Heck, that was easier than I thought.  It
was like someone put it out just so that it would be easy to find."  Argus
popped a disk out of the deck and handed it to the net.hero.
 
Putting the disk in one of his pouches, Yell thought to himself, someone
probably did.  "I really want to thank y'all for this.  Hopefully with this
information, I'll be able to put to rest a problem that's been nagging at me 
for quite some time."
 
The two deckers looked at him, nodded as if they understood, and went on.
Shadowcat said, "Oh, it was no problem.  Please look us up again if you need
anything."
 
"Thanks, I will." Yell stood up and headed to the door.  He was joined by Plot
King.  >>List Lad, 'mat us out as soon as we're clear of the locals.<<
 
The two left the bar and vanished into the night.
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
Back at LNHHQ, Rebel Yell handed the disk to MULTI-TASKING MAN. "OK, M-TM, you
and List Lad run that through the computer and add it's info to what we already
know.  Then run everything into a HoloDecStation program and tell me when it's
ready."
 
"No problem, Yell. Should take less than an hour." replied M-TM.
 
"Good, I'll absorb the information from List Lad when it's compiled."
 
"UH, PRIME UNIT. CAN I SPEAK TO YOU FOR A MOMENT?"
 
"Sure Plot King. What's up?"
 
The two headed down the LNH hallway on their way to the HoloDecStation.
 
"WELL, AS YOU KNOW, SINCE I DEFEATED MANGA MAN, MY LIFE HAS HAD NO REAL
DIRECTION.  SURE I HELPED OUT IN THE ELECTROCUTIONER'S SONG AND HERE, BUT I
DON'T REALLY HAVE A PURPOSE."
 
"Get to the point, PK."
 
"WHEN WE VISITED THE BAR, I FOUND A REALM FILLED WITH NEW STORY LINES.  AND
WHAT'S MORE, I HEARD RUMORS AMONG THE PLOT LINES OF OTHER REALMS, WITH OTHER
STORIES."
 
"And...?"
 
"AND I WANT TO GO EXPLORE THOSE REALMS.  MAYBE THERE I WILL FIND MY NEW
PURPOSE!  OUT THERE, AMONG THE ETHER!"
 
"Well, Plot King, I hate to see you go.  I mean, you are a version of me, and a
good friend.  I'd hate to lose you.  But It's not like I can't call you if I
need you here, so go on and explore.  Let me know what you find."
 
"I WILL! FAREWELL!!!!"
 
And with that, Plot King once again took off for the void.
 
Rebel Yell walked into the HoloDecStation and had it set up for viewing.  A few
chairs materialized so that the program could be watched in comfort.  He sat
down and began concentrating as the information came flooding into his mind
from List Lad.
 
"My G-d...."
 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
 
Two hours later, Rebel Yell was still sitting in the HoloDecStation.  He
finally came to a decision.  Hitting the comm panel, he said, "LURKING GIRL,
please come to the HoloDecStation." and to himself he added, and may the
heavens forgive me for what I am about to do.
 
 
END OF CHAPTER 1
 
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Next Week:  LURK OF FAITH The Conclusion!!!

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Arthur "Same Classic Channel.  But Same Time?  Probably not." Spitzer