C:\FD\SFSTORY\VIRUS-1.TXT

      The story begins...          VIRUS

                                 Chapter 1


      The more they learned, the more curious they became.  They could
  see all their new-found knowledge floating down from above.  What
  was up there?  They constructed ships, and a few bold, adventurous
  ones ventured upward.  Their first ship bounced off the underside of
  the thin surface tension of the pond.  Virus fashioned a spear to
  the front of his command ship and rammed it into the barrier.  It
  went through, and floated to the surface.  The others followed their
  leader's example, and soon all were floating in the center of the
  vast "sea"  that a human child could easily have thrown a stone
  across.

      They could see a strange dwelling nearby, and made wheels for
  their ships, and sails to move them by.  They just seemed to know
  what to do without having to give it much thought.  Smart, very
  smart.  This new intelligence combined with natural instinct was all
  they needed to start them on their way.  (The idea of exploring had
  come to them during their last visit to Mother.)

      They headed towards the nearby building, like a long column of
  ants, too small for the human eye to see.

      As they neared the strange dwelling, they could detect the odor
  of warm plastic, a favorite delicacy.  They observed wires going
  into the building, and aimed their ships toward what they would soon
  learn were the telephone lines going into the university.


      The Bios entered the building via the telephone lines, and
  followed their noses.  They found their way into a machine that was
  emitting a low hum, and found a wealth of delicacies we know as
  E-Proms, IC's, chips, etc.  Those of the Bios who worshiped a deity,
  gave thanks for their blessings, and proceeded to eat their way into
  a glut.  Like fat little ticks, they grew sleepy and curled up on
  the Motherboard of one of the busiest computers in the community.
  It was the great BBS crash of 1991.  It would be months before the
  "Smart Fellows BBS"  was back on-line.  You see, The mites ate the
  bytes. 

      Now I pause to give notice to the reading public, that before
  things get better, they're gonna get a whole lot worse.  For those
  out there who have not backed up their HD lately, I would strongly
  urge you to do so now, before reading another sentence.  For those
  of you who are of younger years, or tender at heart, I also urge you
  to think twice about reading further.

      Virus, now secure in his new home, began looking around for a
  mate.  Likewise, many of his friends followed suit.  Some climbed
  back into their ships and sought out new worlds to conquer.  It
  wasn't too long before there were new colonies all over the
  community, and surrounding townships.  Virus met Heat and they
  mated.  Soon there were little mites exploring the well traveled
  paths of their computer lodgings.

      Virus came to realize that one day soon, he would have to find a
  new home.  There came a day when he heard the humming sound of his
  computer dwelling coming up to speed again.  He knew somehow, that
  if they ate it up again too soon, the strange people who he could
  only glimpse a part of now and then, would become suspicious of the
  real nature of the machine's failure.  He would take half the colony
  and find a new home.

      He appointed his number one son Hack the new leader of the
  colony and his other son Lock the nest Vice chieftain.  Virus packed
  up their old ship and with one .qwk glance over his shoulder,
  departed his home away from home.

                                 continued

--- FMail 1.22