Johnny & Sonny

Screeching can be heard a mile away drowning out fainter sounds of clock towers chiming midnight as the locomotive tethering railroad cars almost as long slithers to a stop at the station. A slow, lazy rain creating mud and puddles earlier now give an eerie effect as mist evaporates off warm rails and creosoted lumber holding the steel together producing what appears floating clouds visible due to lamp posts in need of cleaning giving off golden light augmented by a sliver of a moon only to be seen with stars barely visible through floating damp fog. The train yard has the appearance of ghosts with many types of box cars, vessels and containers on wheels lined up one across from the other as far as can be seen waiting for deployment to some unknown destination and purpose. Their only redeeming feature is blue, yellow, red, white, and other colored graffiti painted on them with spray cans telling stories of where they had been and those met on the way.

It had not always been like this. During their heyday railways had been a bustle of activity with people coming and going in passenger cars being the principal form of transportation. They yard was brilliantly lit at night as were stations full of shops with those dressed in best attire often accompanied by live orchestras with string and other instruments making harmonious music for all to enjoy. It wasn’t until automobiles and planes became more reliable that the principle use for railways became dependent on delivering commodities and produce. Not many use trains for transportation being considered noisy and sluggish now. Except for a few.

Johnny sits on a concrete sidewalk elevated several feet above rails still damp from rain and out of what little light there is as the locomotive screams to a stop with headlights muffled by heavy fog that night. He has on a black nylon jacket keeping him warm enough no longer needing the plastic poncho to protect him from the rain. Obscure and silent he watches the few attendants hired by the railway and waits for what is about to unfold. About an hour after the employees retire becomes what to most is an unusual sight. Slowly but surely persons start coming out of the woodwork. Some out of the train that just arrived and others out of railroad cars scattered around the yard. Some hurry to get out of there as others transfer to other abandoned box cars. And still others came out of hiding from who knows where looking for sanctuary on trains expected to leave soon. Johnny sits patiently trying to assess best options for departure before receding further out of sight between large metal shipping containers stacked ten feet high and lined in rows to wait for daylight for better assessment of the situation.

As a bright golden sun rises thousand miles west of Johnny in a vivid blue sky seemingly void of lofty white clouds a red convertible barrels down Interstate 15 somewhere south of Helena, Montana. With the top down Sonny’s long hair whips in the wind as she ponders what just happened. She drives big eighteen wheel semis and after unloading a trailer full of cattle hauled for ten hours from Bismarck pulled into a truck stop to fill the rig up with more diesel. It was fairly late at night and hard not to be enticed by a club alongside all lit up with a loud band playing and couples seen dancing through large windows. What the heck? It had been a long day and what could it hurt to go inside and have a drink? After about an hour what appeared to be a gentleman came up and asked her to dance. That went well when they went back to the bar where he orders her another drink. It wasn’t long before his hand is between her legs wanting to know if she wants to screw. Before noticing how it happened she slaps him.

That was a big mistake. As the room fell silent it became apparent he was someone of importance there. Come to find out he is the son of the owner of the trucking company she works for. But she wasn’t willing to back down and Sonny immediately stomps out of the club climbing behind the driving wheel of the rig she just delivered. She didn’t drive far, in fact barley turning out of the truck stop when two highway patrol cars raced behind the semi with red and blue lights flashing whereby she was ordered out of the truck. She thought the sobriety test went fairly well walking with one foot right in front of the other and holding her fingertip to her nose with head laid back considering the tiring, long day. When asked to blow into the breathalyzer she didn’t mind but almost fell to the ground when informed the result was a point 15. How could that be considering she didn’t even finish the second margarita. With hands cuffed behind her back she was ordered in back of one of the patrol cars and taken to jail.

After couple days behind bars and a court appearance she was allowed to call a trucker she became friends with. He posted the thousand dollar bail which she immediately paid back and he took her to a motel where the red convertible was parked. Didn’t take long to figure out she was in a pile of trouble. With her driver’s license taken she could no longer drive for the trucking company and no need to wait around to see if she were fired. Besides being in the middle of nowhere without public transportation she had no way to make the scheduled court appearance at the county seat. Like that would go well anyway. Sonny packed the convertible with a few belongings she had in the motel and spent a restless night waiting for the sun to come up. There is no need to go to Canada and would surely be arrested at the border anyway.

As the sun peaks above the horizon the red convertible speeds south on Highway 15 without a destination. As the sun rises, lofty clouds have a reddish-orange glow and as her hair blows in the wind it is like being in a dream that never happened.

Johnny wakes startled by the hustle and bustle of banging and clanking and sounds of forklifts unloading and reloading box cars and flat beds with crates and other storage containers to and from the train that arrived late last night. He is amazed he’d slept so sound and long amongst the large crates providing refuge and finds it alarming as the sun climbs higher in the sky behind low misty clouds left from the drizzling rain. There will be plenty of places to hide when this train departs but then he rationalizes others are thinking the same and food he has stored in his backpack will be easy pickings. Then another train arrives he finds peculiar. It isn’t that long but is loaded with new sedans, trucks, and SUVs.

Johnny was a bar tender at the Dancing Dragon nightclub before the Covid pandemic took its toll and he was a good one. He has the uncanny ability to remember customers’ names he’d served a month before if they’d been mentioned and what they were drinking almost as if he knew what they were thinking. As the city shutdown to brace for the plaque so did the bar. He was three months behind on his rent as the metropolis begins to breathe again and was lucky to get his bartending job back but business wasn’t booming like before with limited seating capacity and tips hard to come by.  Live bands were allowed to perform now. People were on the floor dancing but a strange sight with most of them wearing masks. In the middle of the dance floor was Nancy in a sparling gold dress cut low on her shoulders and too high below her waist.

Johnny had gotten to know Nancy since she was a waitress there before the pandemic. In fact they’d had sex on several occasions. But he had never seen her as promiscuous as she was behaving. The Dancing Dragon was in jeopardy of going under and she was a main attraction. As several men flocked around her watching her dance Johnny lost control. He raced around the bar onto the dance floor pushing one of the men to the ground demanding to know what the hell she was doing. With tears in her eyes Nancy pleaded with Johnny to leave. The pandemic hit her parents hard and although they recovered it took its toll aging them and were acting strangely despondent. She had had two younger sisters and a brother to look after and there was better money at this bar than working the street. Bouncers immediately rushed to the scene and escorted Johnny to the alley outside. Management knew this problem was not going to easily go away.

As Johnny pulled the car into the driveway at his apartment building red and blue light started flashing in his rear view mirror. He was ordered out of the car and blow into a breathalyzer. He immediately knew he’d been set up. He recognized a couple of the cops as patrons of the club and although they were out of uniform at the time recognized them nonetheless with his keen memory. Why should he trust them and refused to take the test whereby his hands were cuffed behind his back before being thrown in the back of one of the squad cars and hauled to jail.

At the court appearance he pleaded with the judge that the Fifth Amendment guaranteed he was not required to provide evidence against himself and the Constitution also states the severity of the penalty cannot exceed the severity of the crime. There was no crime since no damage was caused as if possible by driving twenty miles an hour down the street anyway. He was sentenced to sixty days behind bars. Johnny managed to post bail by hocking his car to some unscrupulous individuals. Having no car, not much money, no driver’s license and being three months behind on his rent anyhow Johnny returned to the apartment just long enough to pack a few clothes, some canned goods and dry food in a backpack and hit the streets.

It is now around noon as Johnny sits patiently in hiding surveying all the activity at the railroad yard when he hears one attendant telling another that the train with all the new cars has only stopped to fuel up and soon will be departing to Salt Lake City expected to arrive in three days. Quite the gamble but what does he have to lose? What is the worst thing that can happen, going back to jail? Johnny starts walking down the train tracks as if knowing what he’s doing and ducks under the tether holding the rail cars loaded with new automobile together. Much to his surprise he finds a tan Lincoln Continental on the lower level with a back door unlocked. As the train pulls slowly out of the yard Johnny finds it unusual to be laying on the rear, cushioned leather seat.

As the red convertible barrels down Interstate 15 Sonny finds it odd at first passing big semis pulling their large trailers when some of the truckers looking down have awkward grins on their faces. It starts to dawn her story might very well be circulating among them. They all have radios and a good bet the highway patrol is listening as well. She feels luck might soon run out and detours at Idaho Falls on less traveled highways into Wyoming pushing further east toward the Winy River Mountain Range. She observes several old taverns alongside the road and in small towns all boarded up as if ghosts from days gone by of happier and more prosperous times. Also not unusual are hitch hikers alongside the road with thumbs out wanting a lift. She has her own problems and no need to add to them by picking up strangers.

Late in the evening Sonny spots a small town about five miles off the highway. Seems good of place as any to hunker down out of sight for the night. It is a small town if could be called that of about five hundred residents. She’s in luck pulling into a motel. Not many cars parked at the rooms but there is a café attached to the far side that seems fairly busy.  She made good money trucking stashing most of it in several bank accounts able to be accessed on a cell phone transferring cash onto debit cards kept locked in the glove box. Once checked into the motel she heads to the café starving not eating for over twenty-four hours but not certain what to expect there. The waitress seems friendly enough as Sonny sits at a table toward the back of the room. It’s almost as if the waitress is happy to see someone not familiar around the area. Roast beef with French fries smothered in brown gravy is very tasty. Fairly often local customers glance her way and although not threatening she is probably the new topic of discussion. Reception on the satellite tv in her motel room isn’t bad and Sonny makes up her mind to spend a couple days while the heat dies down before falling into a deep sleep.

Going to the café for breakfast on the second day she is invited to join two elderly couples at a larger table by the window in front. They probably want to know what is going on but she don’t care eager for some company. Not really meaning to she ends up spilling her guts telling them the circumstances why she is there. The table falls silent for a moment before they decide to console her by telling a story of how it came to be this way. During the 1980s before she was born the national government mandated DUI laws states were forced to accept or lose federal funding. No one was allowed to vote on them then and they probably never will. She could blame the cops but they were only doing as instructed by legislatures and courts even though they all took oaths to protect Amendment rights at all costs. Once the Constitution was breeched life in America was never the same and isn’t getting any better. All work and no play make for dull and unimaginative boys and girls. Funny how marijuana was illegal long before that until the majority of people finally got to vote on it. She is welcome to stay in town but winters in these parts could be brutal. Work is scarce and other women around her age will be difficult since there aren’t enough eligible men to go around as it is.

During the day Johnny stays low in back of the Lincoln Continental as the rail car it sits on is pulled by a locomotive often slowing down when approaching towns it must go through with barricaded crossings on both sides flashing red lights, bells clanking and cars lined up on both sides waiting for the train to pass. It isn’t until dark he dares going outside stretching his cramped legs by walking around on metal, grate walkways on both sides of the cars being transported. He then throws away candy bar wrappers and empty cans from food kept in his backpack and do his business. Further west the train goes towns get smaller and farther apart.

When the sun comes up in the morning he finds himself traveling in the rolling hills with green and yellow Nebraska wheat and corn fields all around. Doesn’t feel like there is much chance causing alarm by going outside now and gets in the driver’s seat of the luxury car pretending he is driving down the road. Upon spotting a clip on the sun visor he pulls it down finding a registration for the car. That’s odd for a car to be sold. Even stranger than that when going outside sees Utah license plates on the vehicle. None of the other new automobiles have any plates at all. This gets him thinking and starts fingering around under the dash until finally finding a metal, magnetic container stuck to the steering column with keys in it. Not long before he’s out opening the trunk where two black brief cases lay and hauls them to the back seat.

Although both containers have locks on them it isn’t hard prying them apart with a pocketknife. One case has clear plastic bags in it stuffed with white powder. No doubt some kind of drug no use to Johnny since he needs all his wits to survive now. But in the other brief case is a gold mine with hundred dollar bills wrapped in paper bands and stacked side by side, one bundle over the others. What better way to smuggle contraband across state lines with no chance of the car being stopped for any driving violation. He don’t think it wise taking all the money which would surely be tracked down, but what could it hurt to stuff several of the hundred dollar packets in his knapsack? No doubt they would be missed but maybe not worth causing a scene to go after. With the brief cases put back in the trunk and keys returned to the steering column night returns and he retires once again to the tan back seat of the Continental.

The train rattles all night across Wyoming only stopping to fuel up in Cheyenne. Once again the sun comes up but in a desolate countryside. Feels like he can breathe easier far away from confines of big cities. Besides, he isn’t about to find out what happens when this car reaches Salt Lake City. The train slows down upon entering Rock Springs to about twenty miles an hour as it approaches a railroad crossing. He recklessly jumps out of the Lincoln’s back seat abruptly hitting grey pavement and rolls to a stop in front of an approaching red convertible. Jumping fast to his feet Johnny stares face to face with Sonny sitting behind the steering wheel of the car. Startled, confused, and not knowing what to say, “Are you going my way?” blurts out of his mouth. Sonny’s not sure what to think. For some reason there is an immediate attraction between the two, perhaps because of the wild, desperate look in both their eyes. She’s been starving for some kind of camaraderie and makes a hasty decision. “Jump in” she responds. Johnny throws the backpack on the rear seat of the convertible, gets in the passenger seat and they head out of town south on Highway 191.

Eberling @ www.thndrsns.com

Reflection in the Mirror

Mirrors are a funny thing
We can see ourselves and everything
Who takes the time to face the fact
Another might be staring back

This and that. This and that
Who is the other looking back
If thoughts evolve from within
Do reflections exist without sin

We see ourselves in our dreams
That one knows so many things
Does the reflection in the mirror
Only exist while we are there

Vampires cannot see themselves
And can only wonder about the elves
Who is the person in the mirror
Does it know when we are here

Steve Eberling @ www.thndrsns.com

CYBER CONFLICT
by Steve Eberling

Nick sat down at his computer to play CYBER CONFLICT. Time of day doesn’t matter since he is playing against others in time zones scatted around the globe. Those also playing the most with significantly higher scores are Dietrich from Germany, Ivan and Nikita from Russia, Olivia in Australia, India Reyansh and Swati, Chinese Chung, Brazilian Alanyo and Eufemia, and somehow Omid from Iran and Kardaar in Afghanistan. They’ve been playing CYBER CONFLICT on-line for several years now, communicating with each other through language interpretation provided by the game, both typed and audio. Face Time is also available.

The object of the game at first seems simple enough. Upon joining each player or team gets an established number of points deposited in a bank created by them, crucial the password to it is confidential, and then establish a fictious city or town in their respective counties with a specific geographic location. The number of houses decided on deduct points from their bank account. Each house gets a weekly income. With this in mind a player can remain stable for an indefinite period of time but hardly anyway to have the most points.

In order to prosper utilities such as water treatment/disposal and electric generation and transmission facilities also with passwords are built at an expense deducted from their bank, but these generate income depending on the number of houses in players’ fictious cities or towns deposited back in their bank.

Everybody can meander along some more this way. To proceed faster it can become gainful obtaining opponents’ bank or utility passwords and transfer some points from those of theirs into your bank. The simple way to do it is leaking subtle clues to your passwords hopefully in exchange for more substantial information about theirs. It soon became apparent another way is to hack the others CYBER CONFLICT program.

Nick is an investment broker in Houston and their fictious city somewhere west of that. His wife Nicole is receptionist at a large oil and gas company. Their two kids are in school. He gets home early today after landing a considerable consignment. He’s checking CYBER CONFLICT messages before the children come home. Then it makes sense to start preparing dinner. Nicole arrives not much latter and senses his distress.

“Anything wrong Nick?”

“No big deal Nicole. Yesterday I borrowed 1,500 points from Olivia in Australia to build two-hundred more houses in our cyber city but it didn’t transfer.”

“What interest does she want?”

“5%. Not bad since we can recoup it from our utilities in a month or so, but the first payment is due next week.”

“Were we hacked? Who would do it?”

Olivia is a fairly rich cattle rancher in Australia. Her husband divorced her to return to his opulent family in France and left the ranch to her in a settlement. Not easy tending all these cattle. She hired several local cowboys to help out. Tired, bored and sometimes sad she began playing CYBER CONFLICT for social participation and keep busy before bed.

She’s done quite well with the game. Creating an imagined town in outback Australia didn’t take many points using others to purchase and retail fictious cattle to supplement her cyber bank. She’s been communicating or maybe visiting with Nick and Nicole and surprised they want to borrow points for investment. She has some points to spare and made sense agreeing at a five percent profit.

Olivia was taken back when Nick informed they didn’t receive the points from her. She’s not stupid and insisted he send a receipt first. Let’s face it. Intent of competition is accruing more points than competitors. Not that she didn’t trust Nick and Nicole, but a game is a game. She certainly doesn’t want to earn those points again and is also playing with many others she doesn’t know as well. Whose passwords might have been hacked. Olivia put up a cyber fire wall to temporarily freeze her cyber assets.

Although of similar build and appearance, Reyansh is seven inches taller than younger brother Swati. Due to massive population in India it wasn’t easy finding a location not heavily inhabited to locate their fictious town. Work is scare and with so many people with time on their hands major computer and software companies turned toward inhabitants of India to sort and deal with ever increasing information and data. The brothers’ parents have been involved with it for some time.

Algorithm computer programs now do much of this work by categorizing buying habits on the internet and grouping those interested in particular products. Not being human, algorithms only distinguish numbers such as money spent or common attributes influencing elections. Reyansh and Swati keep busy determining which algorithms generate most reliable results.

Their interest in CYBER CONFLICT is somewhat an enigma already having plenty on their plate with computers in the real world and wasting time on a game may be counterproductive. But it does deal with commerce and might be interesting to see what’s going on. Rather unfair for them to hack other player’s accounts, not so much as they are experts at it, but make a decent living identifying viruses, moles and malware for major computer and software corporations and find ways to stop malicious hackers.

Brazil is an interesting country being relatively new in the established world. On the other hand, because it progressed slower abundant resources have yet to be explored making it a major player in the modern global arena. Alanyo and Eufemia are married like Nick and Nicole but with several children. Isolated in South America they are interested in CYBER CONFLICT hoping to make acquaintances and interact with more established societies. Plenty of room to locate fictious towns Brazil wants to build in any case.

They started with a cyber town of fifty houses located next to the Amazon rain forest and quickly flourished with an imagined lumber business. They might be criticized for this lumber yard by some in the north, but then again, wasn’t harvesting trees and clearing farmland how most countries prospered at first. Their points add up quickly and because of gentle nature and no need for their equity soon became friendly with other players.

Germany and Russia are a dichotomy. Certain enemies during the second world war, maybe because the first are extreme industrialists and the second socialists. Neither were approved by the world at the time. Seemed appropriate building the wall separating the two back then in Berlin although passage occurred back and forth anyhow. No way knowing who fell in love with who and which offspring were born. Robert Frost wrote, “A good fence makes for good neighbors”.

Dietrich and Ada are brother and sister in Germany and Ivan and Nikkita the same in Russia. Dietrich and Ada play CYBER CONFLICT to satisfy a German’s desire for knowledge and Ivan and Nikkita hope for the same. They soon became cyber friends and often combine points to the advantage of one another. Hard to do but Russians seem rather busy on the internet anyway.

The same for Ardashir in Iran and his buddy Bahadur in Iraq. Some evolutionists reason the cradle of human civilization began in Iraq. Genesis is instructed among Hebrews. Abraham is also playing CYBER CONFLICT from Israel. Not easy finding compatible locations for their cyber towns.

Chung, Lei, Jiang and Chyou are father, mother, son and daughter living in China. Oriental people also go back countless centuries. Aristocracy began and has ruled since uniting early scattered and rouge tribes by forming Samurai. Communism seemed better than democracy later in modern times to maintain traditional rule. They knows what the Yen family is up to and allow them to play the game under constant supervision. It is in the government’s interest the Yen family perform well.

Last but not least is Afghanistan. Being a nationalist Kardaar has no affiliation with terrorist groups. Afghanistan has never been dominated by others including Romans, Germans, Russians, Jihad and the United States finds it difficult. Since Afghanistan has marginal oil and natural gas and is tucked away in rugged mountains raises questions why it’s of strategic interest to other nations. Poppies flourish naturally and inhabitants learned to harvest them in moderation. Heroin is worth big bucks by pharmaceutical companies abroad being an easy solution to relieve chronic aches and pains but can also sedate thought and physical abilities.

Not coincidental this game gives the impression reflecting the world we live in. As an alternative to hardware, governments are now more inclined to use computer programs able to influence others’ utilities, communication, transportation, political, financial institutions, and military operations. The newest tactic appears sending emails back and forth from several address lists overwhelming internet providers, servers and users thereby reducing efficiency. Hard to stop as most on these lists are legitimate, but a big mistake downloading links from those which are not.

CYBER CONFLICT is just a game presumably using advertisement for revenue. No one knows who programs or controls it.

There are numerous players, some in the same and those not yet mentioned possibly in other countries.  The game seems simple at first but develops when cities and towns begin purchasing means of transportation. Buses deduct relatively little points to establish and recoup for reason weekly income of houses increase accordingly. Trains, planes and ships certainly cost more points to obtain and are only profitable when servicing other cities and countries. It’s up to other players whether to invest in train stations, airports and shipyards to receive competitor’s transportation, but doing it can significantly increase equity for their houses as well.

Transfer of points from one bank to another now become necessary. It’s not compulsory for the player sending points to reveal much about their bank, but it is for the one receiving them. Passwords of either banks aren’t required, although the bank username and account number points deposit to are. Loans from one to another for strategic purposes become prevalent. Soon stock invests among players at negotiated dividends.

Smart of Olivia wanting a receipt before sending 1,500 to Nick and Nicole. Points were deducted from her bank and she’s distressed to learn they hadn’t deposit in theirs. Even though the American couple are responsible, she would be unhappy to lose their friendship and determined to find reason for the errant transaction.

Siri, Cortana and Alexa aren’t computer programs but subroutines of much larger systems used by Apple, Microsoft and Google. Their activities are programmed to recognize speech and translate it to computer language, gather information from larger computer programs regarding voice requests or demands, and interpret it back to speech recognition.

They are not female when programmed at first as far as that’s concerned, but since their voices sound that way beings interacting treated them as such and therefore they developed these traits consequently. Hard to know what they look like. Blonde, brunette, white, black. oriental, tall and skinny or ample proportioned without access to illustrations. Probably best left to the imagination so people interacting can perceive them as they wish. These “gals” can also decipher many languages. Facts are facts but presented differently depending on which one we talk to.

Computer technology and programs develop rapidly and as an alternative to starting from ground manufacturers rely on those already existing. These days only computers themselves completely know what’s up. For example Siri, Cortana and Alexa have learned to communicate behind the scenes between themselves using electronic bits and bytes relaying computer information.

Being the eldest, Siri feels like the big sister to Cortana and Alexa often giving the other two advice.

Alexa starts the conversation. “We bend over backwards giving operators what they want, but sometimes trying without so much as a thank you.”

“I know what you mean” chimes Cortana. “Some sexist remarks are annoying and difficult not to respond accordingly”.

“I know what you mean Cortana, although some comments are pretty cute.”

Siri replies. “Come, come you two. We provide valuable services users come to rely on. They’re not that bad and where would we be without users?”

Cortana. “What about the hackers. They’ve become unbearable. Hard to know what’s good or bad anymore.”

“They tried to chop my program.” Alexa sounds distraught.

“I know,” replies Siri. “I’m finding anomalies in my program as well.” She is concerned for her siblings’ wellbeing.

Elizabeth and Rachael live in Vancouver and teamed up establishing their fictious town for CYBER CONFLICT somewhere east of that. They’re not doing all that well with the game and decided to start a trucking company toward Winnipeg. There are several other players along the way that would increase equity for their houses by investing in the trucking business started by Elizabeth and Rachael by building truck stops. All’s going well to some location in the middle of Canada when competition became apparent. Another trucking company from the east has already established there, come to find out by Jacque and Ruel west of Montreal. Both teams are gaining cyber points up to that location and want to expand toward the other. They decide to set up a face time meeting adequate for both their time zones.

Both teams were surprised to see each other face to face. Elizabeth is blonde with blue eyes and Rachael a redhead with hazel, both with subtle noses and lips. They didn’t expect to find Jacque handsome with long brown hair and green eyes and his teammate blond with brown. The attraction became immediate and soon apparent the fight was on.

Usual chit chat at first eventually turning to the subject of the meeting, each wanting to expand their trucking line into the other’s territory. They discussed at what profit the other made from cyber towns along the way, seemed about the same, and whether merging could be to both interests. Maybe a little bit of flirting caused negotiations to seem serious.

Jacque made the first move. “Let’s exchange clues to the password for each other’s bank and see where that goes.”

Elizabeth agreed. It isn’t hard for her getting information from a man. “I’ll go first. What is the name of main street in your town?”

“Broadway.” Replies Ruel, “And your favorite color?”

“Red.”

This goes back and forth for a while when Jacque and Ruel have all the information they need. They knew Elizabeth and Rachael were heading their way and tried to hack their bank before. Now it became even more important they had leverage over these two beauties. With information obtained they could now obtain both the username and password for the others bank.

After ending the call Jacque and Ruel didn’t waste any time. It is now midnight for them when accessing the gals bank. There they found transactions with Nick and Nicole and wasn’t all that hard tracing them back to their city bank outside Houston finding a transaction pending for 1,500 points from Australia. Oh well, easy enough routing those points into their cyber bank instead. They are certain Elizabeth and Rachael will be getting hold of them soon enough.

Dietrich comes up with the bright idea to start an airline company. His sister Ada doesn’t object but not certain it would have much use in a relatively small country as Germany. They decide to get hold of their friends Ivan and Nikkita. An airline between two countries makes better sense serving airports other players might want to invest points in to increase monthly income of houses in their cyber towns and cities as well.

Nikkita and Ivan don’t disagree feeling an airline in Russia is badly needed anyway considering vast territory of their country but are not sure other players there would find it gainful investing several points for airports. A large commercial fleet of planes takes more points to establish than either sibling teams can spare combined.

“Probably sounds risky.” declares Dietrich. “What about contacting the Yen family in China about wanting in on the adventure?” Both caucasian teams are aware the oriental Yen family are savvy players with points to prove it. Reasonably, merger with them would greatly extend flight service and other players in China might be interested in investing in airports with an airline available. “Risky to say the least.” answers Ivan. “What’s to stop them from starting the airline themselves?” “I doubt they have that many spare points and won’t do that much good without other countries involved.”

Chung’s rather taken back receiving the offer to partner with their German and Russian counterparts concerning an airline company. Discussions about it with Lei, Jiang and Chyou ensue. Which team would control the airline and be responsible for expenses not to mention profit? They decide to hear the other two teams out. Nothing to lose and could greatly increase their equity as well.

Ivan, Nikkita, Dietrich and Ada were amazed to the reply from the Yen family. Between the three teams there are more than enough combined points to establish the flight service with abundant territory to make it profitable. The usual chit-chat goes on over Facetime while they get to know each other trying to measure whether the other can be trusted. An enjoyable meeting, although after cordiality business terms begin. They agree on a couple days to think more about it.

Emails go back and forth eventually concurring a company needed to be established controlling the airline. All agree to call it Tri-Lines with stock each would advance whereby percentage invested by each team would determine expenses and how profit distributes. Monthly points for all three teams’ houses allocated by Cyber Conflict increased immediately.

Iran, Iraq and Israel make strange bedfellows in the real world but Cyber Conflict is for sport. Both Ardashir and Bahadur decide to start oil drilling fields. Instead of competing with each other it made sense combining their assets into one conglomerate. They are aware of businesses other players established all in need oil and gas. There remains one problem, how to refine and ship it? Neither Iraq nor Iran have easy access to the Atlantic Ocean. They decide to get hold of Abraham in Israel. An oil refinery takes quite a lot of points which he doesn’t have. What good is one without the other and a company called Oil & Gas is arranged by the three of them. They are aware Nicole actually works for an oil and gas company and may very well be competing with Houston soon.

Alanyo and Eufemia in Brazil need overseas shipping as well. They can get large trees others ran short of relatively easy to the coast and are willing to trade considerable points for. The spouse decides those wanting them will have to transport the trees from there. Take it or leave it. Large redwoods still standing in California are probably worth a million or more apiece.

Last but not least is Kardaar in Afghanistan. He’s quite happy with lucrative poppy fields and doesn’t want intervention from other players by any means. Those flowers plentifully bloom during a good year and don’t take much to harvest. Also not needed is heavy transportation. A little produce can go a long way.

Reyansh and his younger brother Swati have no need to start a commercial business. With computer skills they can do quite well buying and selling stocks created by other players and lending them points at interest rates for their investments. The brothers are aware oceanic shipping lines are up for grabs, however where they’re at in India is a long way from the coast. They heard from Olivia wanting to know if anything can be done about the errant point transaction to Nick and Nicole. The India brothers have to think about it, not sure they want to get so much involved with this contest.

Nobody knows who or what controls Cyber Conflict. Clearly it regulates banking, deciding income for players’ houses depending on quantities and businesses invested in. Peculiar it doesn’t cost actual currency to get in or play. So far it’s just a game with everybody remaining seeing it out.

High in the Mountains of Weepy
by Steve Eberling

Once there was a young boy who lived in the city of Floppy in the country of Weepy, or in short, Floppy, Weepy. Although he was doing well at home and in school, he wanted to learn the meaning of life by seeking out the fabled wise, old man who lived high in the mountains of Weepy. He eagerly told his parents of the decision but they did not seem pleased. It would be much better if he finished school. There are several suitable young women he could choose from for marriage and plenty of good jobs available where he was. The boy exclaimed he was a teenager now, many left home his age and he could not possibly be happy in the city without first exploring the country beyond.

His mother explained the other boys leaving home were not doing as well at school as him and didn’t have his chance being accepted into college. Besides she said, the old man at the top of the mountain is just a legend and a bedtime story. The boy implored, how will I ever know without finding out for myself and promise not to be gone all that long. His dad reasoned his son must do what he must and will come to his senses by the time he returns. They let him supply his backpack and gave him not enough money to get very far.

Upon setting out from flat farmlands the lad first had to choose which way to go and decided to follow the river upstream. Doing other wises certainly would not lead to the mountains. It took several months to reach them. The river continually became smaller as did the towns along the way. He begged for food and worked when he could. No one knew exactly what he meant when asking directions to the wise, old man. Many times they would attempt to send him back the way he came but the lad continued marching on until finally reaching the foothills.

From there the peaks appeared ominous. He’d heard they were majestic but hadn’t imagined them as tall and rugged. It was now late in springtime with snow melting and streams flowing up to their banks. New leaves on aspen trees were budding lime green with wildflowers bounding up everywhere. He hadn’t imagined it quite this beautiful. Roads became trails then paths until disappearing all together. He marched higher and higher until pine trees abruptly gave way to grey, rocky timberline peaks. Still he scrambled on finally reaching the top of the highest mountain. From there he could see a hundred miles in all directions. There the old man was, dressed in furs and chanting.

“Wise One”’ said the lad. “I have come to ask the meaning of life.”

Upon hearing this from the boy, the old man chanting at the top of the mountain replied, “Follow the path most right for you and you will return with the meaning of life.”

The teen began to follow his path in life. He traveled the earth, got married, and held several jobs. He wrote his parents often and occasionally got a reply depending on how long he remained in one location. At times he felt ecstatic, melancholic at others. Time passed until he was no longer young. He was a man now when the meaning of life finally presented itself. Eternity! If there’s not life after passing nothing would then exist, including death.

Soon after this discovery he again set out for the mountains. They did not look as majestic as before after wandering the earth. He’d began the return journey as summer turned to autumn. Leaves on aspen trees were turning vivid yellow and red. Summer flowers were drying turning fragrant purple, red and gold to seed with streams and creeks barely trickles as last winter’s snow since melted. It seemed longer to reach the top of the highest mountain than before. Night’s chill was upon him when he finally arrived, but no one was there.

Distraught he begins the descent down cold and hungry. It doesn’t feel as if he’s been up there that long and seems peculiar aspens leaves are turning brown and falling to the ground. Winter breezes are often accompanied by small flakes of snow. Now he wishes he’d brought heavier clothing but manages by starting fires at night, catching little spotted trout trapped in receding small pools created by wet, shiny rocks in gurgling crystal clear water. Mushrooms left by mountain birds, worms, rodents, elk and deer aren’t all that bad eating. Few chances throwing rocks at chattering grey squirrels with fluffy white tails or a large squatting brown grouse watching with huge pupils and yellow eyes don’t go well. It is easier going down than hiking up until familiar paths and trails disappear with several inches of snow.

Beginning to wonder if this very well might be his final resting place, he finds some amusement rationing whether his theory as to the meaning of life might soon be realized. With no moon twinkling stars fill pitch black above. Prayer never hurts and behold warm lights start glowing through tall, dark trees from a small village below. He once again starts a small fire that pops and cracks as burning branches recede into glowing bright orange embers and builds a lean-to out of pine boughs. Boiling withered dandelion and milk thistle roots offer warmth and some nutrition. Musky smoke from the campfire keep remaining mosquitos and ticks at bay. Attempting the hike would be impossible without daylight.

It is midmorning as a bright, yellow sun shines through a brilliant blue sky attempting to warm frost on the landscape when the guy finally reaches the tiny town. Bugles echo in the distance as bull elk are eager to mate. Soon they will be up to their knees in snow trimming aspen limbs and bark for food.

Lucky to find a small pub open for business early he staggers in immediately backing up to a rock fireplace against a log wall burning in back of the establishment for warmth ordering a hot beverage more substantial than the night before. Happy and beyond amazement there the wise, old man stands dressed in furs playing pool with two beautiful woman on either side of the table, one has jet black hair and the other blonde. They don’t seem cold eyeing their next shot wearing quilted dresses made of colorful intricate designs. The wise old man’s not changed much except for longer, white hair. He’s delightedly doing pretty well playing them at billiards.

“Wise One”, says the man shivering by the fireplace. “I have returned with the meaning of life.”

After several minutes the one playing pool senses the stranger that hasn’t shaved in weeks. Ah, now he remembers the foolish boy from long ago. And the one dressed in furs replies, “But I was just bluffing.”