Chapter View

The Ultimate Sacrifice

If you want something done right...

Disbelief

Laptop Jackpot

Realization

Red Herring...

The Ultimate Sacrifice - Part Deux




Laptop Jackpot

The scene is the deck of the PCL2, a much more concerned Jericoholic Anonymous is standing back looking around at the sunbathers, shuffleboarders and various other passengers. Watching everyone, yet not focusing too much on any one person. His concentration is broken as a hand taps his shoulder. Slightly startled, JA turns around to find that it's only Lollipop with a bottle of green soda in her hand.

Lolli: Hey babe. Like, here's that Vault soda you like wanted 'n stuff.

JA takes the bottle from his fiancée slowly and untwists the cap.

JA: Thanks babe. taking a sip You know, this crap is a lifesaver. If I had to rely on hot coffee down here, I'd probably have died of freakin' dehydration by now.

JA wipes his mouthhole and tenses up as if he were getting goosebumps... not the kind you get when you get scared, but the ones you get when you're drinking something caffeinated. As you can see, JA's kept himself quite caffeinated ever since getting up off that beach chair to take the hacker search into his own hands.

JA: But this hacker stuff... man, no one on this ship fits the bill. No overweight, pimply faced computer dweebs. No skinny pricks with pocket protectors...

Lolli: Well, you can't like judge a book by its cover babe.

JA: I know... I know better than anyone about that babe. I've made a career of making people believe that. But still, it would be nice to begin with something a little obvious. It would at least make me think I was making a little progress.

Lolli: Like, I know babe. But we're like in the age of computers 'n stuff now. Like, anyone could be a hacker 'n stuff.

JA: Yeah... anyone...

JA sighs, knowing his search would be damn near impossible. He takes the cap off his soda again. He first goes to sip the soda before stopping the bottle right before his lips. He takes the cap, inspects it and then skips it across the deck in frustration. The cap bounces off the deck, right into the thigh of a corpulent woman. The woman turns around indignantly.

Woman: EXCUSE ME! Watch where you're flinging your refuse!

JA: Lady, the way you are, I'm surprised you even felt that.

Woman: Well I never!

The portly and angry woman stomps off. JA watches her leave, shaking his head. He looks over at the spot where she used to be, and notices something.

JA: Egad, I think I found it.

Lolli: Like, you did?

JA doesn't answer her. Instead, he just runs over to where the big woman was standing. He looks at the spot.

JA: Jackpot!

The camera turns around to JA's back... showing that he's looking down upon a laptop computer. But not just any laptop computer...

A laptop computer, running Mozilla FireFox, with the CSWA Fans site loaded and the IP address of 66.34.139.220 in the server bar.

Jackpot indeed.


Lolli: Jackpot? Babe, we like, work for the CSWA. Anyone could like be on that site to check out what the hacker like might do next 'n stuff.

JA: Oh yeah? Then explain this.

JA moves his finger on the mousepad and puts the cursor over the toolbar. He clicks on a box and up pops an AIM window box.

FishFundXII [3:12 PM]: has the trap been set?
GUNSDustMark [3:12 PM]: yeah the principals have been trapped... im sure ivy and melons have ripped each other apart by now and pauls probably back on painkillers
FishFundXII [3:13 PM]: lol
FishFundXII [3:13 PM]: yeah those chumps wont know what hit em
FishFundXII [3:15 PM]: u still there?
GUNSDustMark [3:16 PM]: yeah i was lookin at pr0n
FishFundXII [3:16 PM]: tmi dude tmi
GUNSDustMark [3:16 PM]: shut up... just meet me at the place and time
FishFundXII [3:17 PM]: room 2000 @ 6PM?
GUNSDustMark [3:18 PM]: yeah... g2g
GUNSDustMark has signed off at [3:18 PM]

JA: The proof is in the pudding. Or should I say, the unshut AIM window.

Lolli: That's like heavy babe...

JA: I know. We got at least a clue. I don't know what's going to happen in that room at six... but it's worth a shot. Babe, what time is it?

Lolli: Like, quarter to four.

JA: Awesome... I have time to relax until then.

JA gets up and turns his back to the laptop. Before he walks off, he turns around to the laptop.

JA: Slacker... you got sloppy.

He turns completely around, closes the laptop, then turns back around and walks off.