"You've reached the corporate residence I see, how are you finding Electopia, Hal?", a disembodied voice probed, its falsely jovial tone betraying the obligate nature of the conversation and the distinct lack of interest held by its Netopia based source,
"All is looking well, sir. The house has seen better days but that's nothing a quick once over with a duster can't fix", Hal replied, mimicking the tone but with a far more believable gusto, yet as with most conversations in life where one must converse with a superior, the sharply suited young man had almost as much disbelief in his words as the one he was trying to convince.
The apartment complex the company had put him up in was far from dilapidated, yet the minimalistic attempts at a higher class, combined with the distinct lack of care paid to it during its months of emptiness, since the last employee failed at making business ties in the local area, left it with a hint of forlornness. A pointless appointment to a pointless, puppet position had rendered his work career impotent. How can you hope to progress when those above you are actively sabotaging your life? Why me? Oh God, what if this is it, oh God, oh God, oh God... That's not even the worse part. They've stuck me with this loon ball navi and if I don't 'fix' him, I'll get bumped down to tea boy sooner than you could delete a metool...
"I'm really look forward to this, sir; I will not let Netovision down!", Hal continued with full faced optimism, his face performing exquisite feats of emotional concealing to an absent audience.
"Excellent Hal, we knew we could count on the company's brightest star to get our cash co... That is to say, beloved TV host back into fighting form. Do you have much experience with navi's, Hal?" ,
"No sir, I've found a simple mail system capable of dealing with anything I might need...", Hal's brief slip into honesty had left him with a slight sweat, he resumed his lie with expert precision, "Although I have been an avid fan of the latest developments in NaviCust technology and Counterinfectualism, mine has thus far been a theoretical pursuit",
"Right... Well I'm sure the professor is in safe hands, we have sent you an assortment of start up equipment to aid you. First things first, you have to try and refresh that old codger's memory, perhaps try the SciLab net? He has done more than one report from that location in the past",
"Alright, I shall get onto it...", Hal was abruptly cut off,
"I'll leave you to it then Hal, quick reminder, your company expense account isn't running yet so make that starter finance last!", the voice ordered before dissipating, creating an awful vacuum in its wake.
Hal turned to the PET. Therein stood the dozing figure of Professor.exe, Professor Professor.exe BSc to give him his full title. "Well here goes nothing...", the man murmured as he started the boot up operation for the device.
"Nrwe... Grlwe... Bah, that was a good nap! It's always nice to rest the ol' bones", the professor announced to himself, thus far completely unaware of the figure peering down upon him.
"Excuse me, professor, we've been sent to Electopia, Electown to be specific...", yet before he could continue to explain, the navi was in full grasp of the situation,
"Aha! I understand m'boy, young man like you is looking for a bit of science tuition from a veteran navi like me, eh?"
"No sir, I'm your custo...", Hal interjected in vain,
"No need to be bashful m'lad, I'll make a fine scientist of you yet!", the navi continued with a renewed zeal as he paced about his personal netspace,
"You misunderstand, I'm a TV executive...",
"TV, eh? I'm with a TV company, bloodsucking parasites they are, think I'm going mad, they do but you strike me as different, glint in your eye, keen to learn! Jack me in, laddy, we've got a full day ahead of us!"
"But...", conceding defeat, Hal let drew out a long sigh, then approached the console and routed a link to the SciLab network.
[Jack in SciLab]
When one door closes...
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"You see, m'lad, if you balance offence and defence, you can defeat just about any situation!", the professor blathered, he had been lecturing Hal as a postlude to most recent busting run, "When you've been around the block as many times as I have...",
"Professor", Hal interrupted, he had been milling about the roomy apartment whilst trying to ignore the noise from the PET on the table,
"Yes, m'boy?",
"How long have you been...", forgetting, he wanted to say, yet his mouth would not obey his conscience, He is just another task to overcome, I don't need to know more than what is necessary..., his rational mind spoke, yet he could not help but feel a pang of guilt for not pressing further. Walking over to the PET, glass of orange juice in hand, he continued his line of enquiry, "...teaching?",
"How long is a piece of string?", the old navi replied with a small chuckle, "Long enough to know what's what, m'lad, just stick with me and you'll be trained up in no time!",
"Trained up?",
"Precisely, you'll be the best co-host this side of the netlantic!",
"I'm looking forward too it...", Hal replied with a weak smile, his jovial tone beginning to waver under the weight of his guilt, yet it was not his place to cause the presenter undue stress. "I'm going to head out and spend some of this zenny, you need a few upgrades to keep you fighting fit", Hal said, yet before the navi could reply, the navi could reply, Hal had put the old frame into sleep mode, he now stood there nodding away in a deep slumber.
Grabbing his coat, suitcase and the PET, Hal departed from the alien flat for the nearest tube station.
[SciLab]
"Professor", Hal interrupted, he had been milling about the roomy apartment whilst trying to ignore the noise from the PET on the table,
"Yes, m'boy?",
"How long have you been...", forgetting, he wanted to say, yet his mouth would not obey his conscience, He is just another task to overcome, I don't need to know more than what is necessary..., his rational mind spoke, yet he could not help but feel a pang of guilt for not pressing further. Walking over to the PET, glass of orange juice in hand, he continued his line of enquiry, "...teaching?",
"How long is a piece of string?", the old navi replied with a small chuckle, "Long enough to know what's what, m'lad, just stick with me and you'll be trained up in no time!",
"Trained up?",
"Precisely, you'll be the best co-host this side of the netlantic!",
"I'm looking forward too it...", Hal replied with a weak smile, his jovial tone beginning to waver under the weight of his guilt, yet it was not his place to cause the presenter undue stress. "I'm going to head out and spend some of this zenny, you need a few upgrades to keep you fighting fit", Hal said, yet before the navi could reply, the navi could reply, Hal had put the old frame into sleep mode, he now stood there nodding away in a deep slumber.
Grabbing his coat, suitcase and the PET, Hal departed from the alien flat for the nearest tube station.
[SciLab]
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Click. "This installing business isn't nearly as hard as I had imagined", Hal remarked, the installation of the new upgrades had been an outright success, the first he'd had since crossing to this distant land. Distance wasn't the right word really, he'd been further afield before, business trips in Sharo, Yumland, Netfrica yet he had never felt this level of isolation. So far the TV executive had been just that; a TV executive. He had never made any real connections other than that necessary for climbing the ladder, his only hobby was to watch the market trends and shop for new business attire, yet here, so far from work, so far from the pulse... The very life blood of his being was draining away in the face of this task, this one old, doddery, unreliable task...
Pulling a fresh can of Netopian beer from the fridge, Hal ambled over to the window. To call such a thing a window was a bit of an understatement, spanning the entirety of one long room that straddled the side of the apartment complex, the view could only be described as complete. There was nothing more a person could ask from such a view, yet the man found no comfort in the expanse, no solace in the lofty heights. Walking around the streets of the big city, he had been affronted by the smell, the sights, the very taste of Electown, its alien nature being rejected by every fibre of his being. He had thought that returning to his apartment would have bought him some joy, to finally get home, yet this was not home, nowhere was home. "Home is where the heart is...", Hal muttered before taking a sip of the beverage, he had long since discarded any notions of a home long ago, yet something ached, something he had thought was long since quashed...
Picking up the phone, Hal dialled a series of complicated directories and extensions before a voice piped up on the other end, the time difference made it perfect to report back to base.
"Hello, this is Howard speaking",
"...Howard? Oh Hal, how're things in the bright city, as amazing as I'd told you, eh?",
"It really is, I'm immersing myself in the culture with every spare moment he he...", Hal lied,
"That's good to hear, good to hear... Now Hal, I've got to ask, are there any signs of improvement?", the voice enquired, its heartfelt tone revealing an expertise in feigning emotion,
"The professor is showing a high degree of cooperation", that was completely false, He hates me..., Hal thought, the only truth that would be said would be in his own head evidently, "I do believe we will be making significant progress, we were in the Scilab networks today and the professor told me some very interesting things", False but interesting nonetheless, Hal added to himself,
"...Don't rush these things, Hal", and there was the crux, the true purpose, straight from the horse's mouth, "I want you to be completely thorough with this, it is a very important task", the disembodied voice replied, now echoing in the emptiness thanks to loudspeaker,
"Talking of that, I've lined up a live show for him to front, nothing too stressful, just a live stream with another navi about busting, I think it will be useful in the treatment"
"Well Hal, do whatever feels best, we trust you, that's why we left you with one of our most valuable assets... What? What do you mean he won't sign? We had a deal... Hal, I'll have to call you back another day, get back to me when you have the results of this new venture", click...
Hanging up the receiver, Hal picked up the PET, sat on the large sofa and stared intently at the sleeping professor, he was just a pawn of another, yet the man could not help but feel a large degree of resentment towards the navi, he was the one implacable obstacle, the immovable object to his unstoppable force. "He will be the death of my career if I don't do something fast...", Hal whispered, a slight tremble surfaced, the very prospect of facing this problem head on had shaken him to his very core.
Pulling a fresh can of Netopian beer from the fridge, Hal ambled over to the window. To call such a thing a window was a bit of an understatement, spanning the entirety of one long room that straddled the side of the apartment complex, the view could only be described as complete. There was nothing more a person could ask from such a view, yet the man found no comfort in the expanse, no solace in the lofty heights. Walking around the streets of the big city, he had been affronted by the smell, the sights, the very taste of Electown, its alien nature being rejected by every fibre of his being. He had thought that returning to his apartment would have bought him some joy, to finally get home, yet this was not home, nowhere was home. "Home is where the heart is...", Hal muttered before taking a sip of the beverage, he had long since discarded any notions of a home long ago, yet something ached, something he had thought was long since quashed...
Picking up the phone, Hal dialled a series of complicated directories and extensions before a voice piped up on the other end, the time difference made it perfect to report back to base.
"Hello, this is Howard speaking",
"...Howard? Oh Hal, how're things in the bright city, as amazing as I'd told you, eh?",
"It really is, I'm immersing myself in the culture with every spare moment he he...", Hal lied,
"That's good to hear, good to hear... Now Hal, I've got to ask, are there any signs of improvement?", the voice enquired, its heartfelt tone revealing an expertise in feigning emotion,
"The professor is showing a high degree of cooperation", that was completely false, He hates me..., Hal thought, the only truth that would be said would be in his own head evidently, "I do believe we will be making significant progress, we were in the Scilab networks today and the professor told me some very interesting things", False but interesting nonetheless, Hal added to himself,
"...Don't rush these things, Hal", and there was the crux, the true purpose, straight from the horse's mouth, "I want you to be completely thorough with this, it is a very important task", the disembodied voice replied, now echoing in the emptiness thanks to loudspeaker,
"Talking of that, I've lined up a live show for him to front, nothing too stressful, just a live stream with another navi about busting, I think it will be useful in the treatment"
"Well Hal, do whatever feels best, we trust you, that's why we left you with one of our most valuable assets... What? What do you mean he won't sign? We had a deal... Hal, I'll have to call you back another day, get back to me when you have the results of this new venture", click...
Hanging up the receiver, Hal picked up the PET, sat on the large sofa and stared intently at the sleeping professor, he was just a pawn of another, yet the man could not help but feel a large degree of resentment towards the navi, he was the one implacable obstacle, the immovable object to his unstoppable force. "He will be the death of my career if I don't do something fast...", Hal whispered, a slight tremble surfaced, the very prospect of facing this problem head on had shaken him to his very core.
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"Erghh...", Hal mumbled as the late morning sun wrenched him from his peaceful sleep. Hoping the recent events had all been but a dream, the dishevelled form was dismayed by the chipper salutations of his unwanted partner,
"Good morning m'lad, time to rise and shine", the professor announced from his stylish leather PET, "We've got to make tracks if we're to keep with our appointment",
"What appoin...", then it dawned on him. Flying into the bathroom, the man washed, preened and shaved himself before exiting and pulling on one of his finest suits, it was only after he had begun to make sense of the navi's prattling that he realised that he had not missed an important work appointment as he had first thought, it was just an email about the upcoming live stream, "Let me figure this out...", he muttered as he browsed his inbox.
"It would appear that we are expected for the network's latest broadcast m'boy, you wouldn't want to be late, it might put your internship in doubt!", the presenter chimed in, his beaming smile in complete contrast with the current frown adorning his operator. He hasn't got a clue what is going on, as per usual..., Hal thought to himself yet his professionalism would only allow him to say,
"We best head off then, I shall route you directly to the Yumland network location contained in the mail, make sure to be on your best behaviour", he instructed coldly, however, whatever hostility that might have been present was completely lost on the navi,
"You know me laddy, I'll make sure to teach you all a thing or two", the old navi replied jovially, finishing with an exaggerated wink before beaming off into the networld.
[Jack into Yumland Network]
"Good morning m'lad, time to rise and shine", the professor announced from his stylish leather PET, "We've got to make tracks if we're to keep with our appointment",
"What appoin...", then it dawned on him. Flying into the bathroom, the man washed, preened and shaved himself before exiting and pulling on one of his finest suits, it was only after he had begun to make sense of the navi's prattling that he realised that he had not missed an important work appointment as he had first thought, it was just an email about the upcoming live stream, "Let me figure this out...", he muttered as he browsed his inbox.
Quote ()
Hey, Chris Harper here!
We're all ready on my end, so whenever you're ready, just use the coordinates I sent you before, and we can get started. Looking forward to working with you!
"It would appear that we are expected for the network's latest broadcast m'boy, you wouldn't want to be late, it might put your internship in doubt!", the presenter chimed in, his beaming smile in complete contrast with the current frown adorning his operator. He hasn't got a clue what is going on, as per usual..., Hal thought to himself yet his professionalism would only allow him to say,
"We best head off then, I shall route you directly to the Yumland network location contained in the mail, make sure to be on your best behaviour", he instructed coldly, however, whatever hostility that might have been present was completely lost on the navi,
"You know me laddy, I'll make sure to teach you all a thing or two", the old navi replied jovially, finishing with an exaggerated wink before beaming off into the networld.
[Jack into Yumland Network]