Sheentastic Voyage

by Gary D. Snyder

Chapter 11:

Sheen and Libby raced at top speed down the corridor, keeping a sharp lookout for an access way to the autonomic regulatory system that Jimmy had told them about. From time to time they encountered smaller side passages, but nothing to indicate either their destinations or purposes. With each possibility and subsequent disappointment Libby became more worried that perhaps they had already passed all the access points and each step was wasting time and taking them farther away from their goal. She was glad to have Sheen for company and felt that grim yet positive presence comforted her in a way that Carl or Cindy or even Jimmy could not have done. As she tried to figure out why this was so she realized that Sheen had always been someone they could count on when the chips were down. Reliable, she decided. No, trustworthy, she corrected herself. She wondered why she had never thought of him in that way before.

"What's that?" Sheen suddenly called out.

Libby snapped out of her thoughts. "Where?"

Sheen pointed. "About a hundred yards down the hall on the left. Is that a door with a red sign on it?"

Libby peered into the distance, straining to see what Sheen was referring to. At first she saw only featureless wall, much like what they had been passing for so long. Then she thought she could make out a small break in the surface which gradually assumed the form of a hatchway with an unmistakable blotch of crimson. "Yes!" she cried excitedly. "I think that's it!"

Sheen glanced at his watch as they hastened their pace and shook his head. "It had better be. It's been nearly six minutes since we spoke with Jimmy. I don't think we'll have time to hunt for another way into that system if this isn't it."

"This is it. I'm sure of it." Together she and Sheen came to a stop and read the notice on the door.

ARS ENTRY

WARNING

SECURE SYSTEM OPERATION

PRIVILEGED ACCESS ONLY

"Warning?" Sheen said aloud. "A warning about what?"

"I'm not sure," Libby said when she had finished. "But I don't think we have any choice. Jimmy said this was the only way to get to the central processing unit in time."

Sheen nodded. "I suppose you're right. Here goes nothing." He gripped the wheel that secured the barrier in place and attempted to turn it. After a brief moment of initial resistance the wheel turned smoothly and Libby could hear the retention mechanism withdrawing the locking bolts, like the sound of a bank vault being unlocked. As Sheen gave the wheel a final turn there was the distinct sound of the bolts clearing the hatchway and a faint hiss as the thick door swung slightly inward. Cautiously Sheen pushed the door further open and examined what lay beyond. Much to his relief yet somewhat to his disappointment the only thing that lay beyond was another passageway, smaller than but otherwise very much like the corridor there were now in. Sheen turned back to Libby and shrugged. "Looks clear to me."

Libby shrugged back. "Then I guess we go in."

Together they entered and pushed the hatch back into place. As they did so they could hear the sound of the locking mechanism automatically securing the door again. Sheen made a hurried but careful check of the door for some way to open it again and found none. "I guess we're committed," he announced.

"If we aren't now, we probably will be," Libby returned. "If we told anyone about what we did in here they'd think we were nuts." Sheen said nothing and Libby sighed inwardly. Nobody gets my jokes, she thought bitterly, but said only, "How much time do we have now?"

Sheen checked his watch and excitedly nudged Libby. "Hey, Libs! Check it out!" He held his watch out for her to inspect. "My watch has slowed down again!"

Libby checked the watch and found that Sheen's observation was correct. "I guess that means that we've resynched with the system clock again," she said. "That must mean that this place is still working. It also means that we have more time- relatively speaking - to find this virus thing and kick its cyber-bootie out of here."

Sheen moved rapidly ahead down the corridor. "We'd better hurry anyway. There's no telling how long this part of the computer will keep working."

That made sense to Libby. She hurried after Sheen, asking, "Where exactly do you suppose this leads?"

"I don't know," admitted Sheen. "I guess we just keep going until we hit an intersection and make a decision which way to go then." He suddenly stopped and pointed. "Is that an intersection there?"

Libby looked ahead and nodded. "Yes."

"Is that someone standing in there?"

"It looks like it." She looked again. "Is that some kind of rifle he's holding?"

"It looks like it," Sheen parroted. "Why would he have a weapon?"

Libby smacked her forehead with her palm. "Stupid!" she hissed.

Sheen looked hurt. "Hey, I was just asking."

"No, no, not you. Well, not this time, anyway." She looked annoyed. "I should have realized what Jimmy was trying to tell us. He said that this was like the human immune system and that it was responsible for maintaining the health of the computer. This whole system is designed to stop anything that might threaten the computer, like the way white blood cells and antibodies fight germs and viruses in our bodies."

"But we're not a germ or virus. It wouldn't try to wipe us out, would it?" Sheen asked nervously.

Libby's voice reflected her doubts. "I don't know. Maybe if we're careful and don't touch anything it will think we're supposed to be here and leave us alone."

Sheen's face brightened. "Right. Just act casual. Gotcha." He started whistling loudly and walked forward with his hands thrust casually into his pockets. He had gone only two steps when Libby yanked him back.

"Will you cut out that stupid whistling?" she hissed. "That's the most suspicious thing anyone could do when they're trying to not be suspicious."

"Well, I could try something else." He thought about it and said, "I could try to juggle. Or how about if I ask him for the time?"

Libby stared at Sheen as though he were insane. "Sheen, are you serious? Ask her for the time?"

"Well, I can't ask him for directions!" Sheen pointed out. "That would tell him right away that we don't belong here."

Libby shook her head. "Just don't say anything," she sternly advised him. "Just walk by like you belong in here and maybe she won't do anything."

"Well, okay," Sheen agreed. "But just one question."

Libby sighed. "What is it?"

"What direction do we 'just walk by him'? Right, left, or straight on?"

That stumped Libby. At last she said, "Let's see what happens when we reach the intersection. Maybe we'll see something down the other passages when we get there. If we don't, let's just go straight."

"Okay. You're the boss."

Trying not to seem nervous Libby walked towards the intersection and sentry with Sheen following a step or two behind her with innocent smile on his face. It was fortunate that Libby was in front, as she would have undoubtedly told Sheen that he looked even more suspicious smiling than if he'd been whistling. When the two were within five paces of the intersection the sentry stirred and challenged them. As with the data packet they had encountered earlier in the system it was difficult to tell whether the sentry was male or female.

"Halt!" the sentry called. "Identify!"

"She's Libby and I'm Sheen," Sheen replied before Libby could stop him. "What's your name?"

The sentry seemed to consider this and barred their way with the weapon. "Access denied," was the perfunctory response.

Libby jerked Sheen back and retreated with him back up the passageway. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Hey, he asked," he protested. "I was just telling him, is all."

"That's not the type of identification she wants. She wants a process ID or something so that she can tell whether or not we're allowed in here."

Sheen looked baffled. "What's a process ID?"

"Exactly. We don't have one." She stood tapping her chin thoughtfully. "There has to be something that will let the system recognize us."

"Hmm…." Sheen considered it. "I wonder…" He proceeded back towards the intersection, and once again the sentry challenged him.

"Halt! Identify!"

Sheen tried a wild guess. "Studmeister!" he responded.

"Access denied."

Sheen sighed. "Stair Master?" he tried.

"Access granted." The sentry shouldered the rifle and stood to one side.

"No problems, Libs!" Sheen called jubilantly. "Just use your player name for the Ultra Lord game!"

Libby was stunned. "What?" As she realized how she had to identify herself to the system her astonishment changed to irritation and she balked. "No way."

"It's the only way, Libby."

"I think I'd rather be fried," Libby retorted stubbornly.

Sheen continued to coax her. "It isn't so bad. Really."

Reluctantly Libby moved towards the intersection and gritted her teeth as the sentry again demanded her identification. In a voice that sounded as though she were strangling, she managed to get out, "Love Monkey."

"Access granted," the sentry responded, and stood aside. Libby stalked up to Sheen, who was trying not to smile, and shook a fist in his face.

"If you ever, ever tell anyone about this," she snapped, "I will personally terminate your processes. Get it?"

Sheen nodded vigorously. "Got it."

"Good." Libby looked around. "Now, which way do we go?"

Sheen looked about. "I dunno. There aren't any signs."

"Well, someone must know." She started down the passageway that continued in the direction that they had been going. "Let's just go straight on and see what we find."

Sheen, however, didn't follow her. Instead, he turned to the sentry and said, "Excuse me, but my friend and I are looking for the central processor. Do you know the way there?"

The response was both surprising and terrifying. Instantly the lethal-looking weapon was leveled on Sheen as the sentry advanced on him. "Central processing unit is restricted to Supervisor access only. Identify!"

"What?" Sheen stammered.

"Identification not recognized. Access denied. Process termination authorized." The sentry raised the weapon and took careful aim at Sheen as the boy backed away in terror.

"Sheen!" Libby screamed.

There was a bright flash and Libby's skin tingled as the nimbus of a high-energy discharge filled the intersection. In a reflex response to both the bright light and the sheer horror of what was happening Libby threw her arms in front of her eyes. An acrid smell of smoke filled her nostrils and she flinched as a horrible image of Sheen being vaporized flashed through her mind. Although she didn't want to look she knew that she had to face the awful reality of what had happened. Slowly she lowered her arms, but despite her best efforts she was totally unprepared for the sight that greeted her. She stood there staring mutely, unable to speak or move.

In the intersection Sheen was standing unharmed with the sentry who had threatened him lying in a charred heap on the ground before him. Sheen was not looking at the sentry's remains, however. Instead, he was staring down a passageway with much the same expression as the one on Libby's face. From the passageway a familiar form emerged.

"Greetings, battle buddies," he boomed. "Would you like to join me in the ultimate battle against evil?"

Sheen recovered his voice, or at least enough of it to make his gasp of incredulity heard. "Ultra Lord?"

End of Chapter 11

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