The Story 2

"Do you know how these cyberMUDs are made?" she says. "Instead of hacking code at a terminal, the hacker actually creates a room in cyberspace. From there, the hacker uses special software tools to create new rooms. In other words, it's a lot like tunneling in dirt. Something like being an ant."

Someone snickers. The others glare at him.

"Anyway," says the speaker, "that means that if you have a connection, you can get in and the creators can't stop you. In fact, things are so weird here that it's really hard to tell what computer you're connecting from -- so for all anyone knows, I could be logged in from Tasmania."

"But of course," puts in another nerd, "they can monitor the entrance, the Portal from MIT. The creators started to recognize us or something, because we started to notice we were being followed around. So, we created this room and stayed here, rather than risk getting caught on the way in."

"Why they're modeling a virtual MIT is anyone's guess," murmurs the first. "Maybe the creators were planning on showcasing it? The fields outside the cave were meant to be gardens, but we wreaked what havoc we could there....

"Anyway, we've been hiding out in here far too long, and one by one, we've been either dropping out or getting caught. Lately things have been getting really bad; we can't even logout. Most of us can't even leave this room! Maybe it's a security program that isolates dangerous units, because newcomers can still arrive and leave for a while. The real problem is that our bodies need water and food --- luckily playing a MUD is a lot like sleeping --- and of course, our grades are plummeting in the meantime. You can't see our real faces, but most of us look like we're only half alive. I guess you're the only one that can help us now."