"Hi, is your sister home?"

"No, but she'll be back pretty soon if you'd like to wait."

"Okay."

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Yeah, a Fresca would be great."

"No problem. Have a seat by the computer while I get it for you."

"What's that?"

"That's Everything."

"Everything? What's that?"

"Oh, it's a collaboratively edited database. Wanna try it?"

"Sure. How does it work?"

"Here, let me show you...
This is why I don't do drugs.

She's looking at the screen! NOW! Lightning-fast, I flip open the innocent-looking wireless device in my pocket and punch in the signal on its tiny buttons - one gap one one two two two - which is immediately rewarded as the cool picks list on the welcome page starts to waver. I close my eyes tight and listen.

"Hey, what's that?" she says in that annoying high voice of hers, watching the sight. I don't answer. A low hum starts to come from my computer's speakers, almost too faint to hear but growing. "Can it do that?" she adds, now confused and clearly distracted. The hum strengthens. "It's... twirling..." Her voice has a dreamy quality as it trails off. The hum rises further, becoming a drone, then peaks and suddenly stops.

I open my eyes. The monitor's showing the Everything2 welcoming page, as it did before, but now it looks somehow deeper and... expectant. Spellbound like it was the first thing she ever saw, the girl stares at it and slowly, carefully, brings her hand to the screen to touch it. It sinks, causing ripples that bounce off the edges of the CRT screen. She pushes her arm in halfway to the elbow before she tries to take it out and finds that she can't. Only then does the wonder in her eyes decrease, but by now she's being pulled in and only lets out a yip before her head plunges into the site. It's a smooth and actually graceful movement that draws in her neck and the rest of her chestnut hair. Ripples are everywhere now. The girl is definitely shrinking, to get her shoulders through, then her breasts, then her hips. Her legs don't struggle as they vanish and the surface calms, resolving itself once again to its mundane look. The words "Welcome to Everything" sparkle silver for a moment, then the feeling of depth is lost. Success. It feels otherworldly.

Someone's at the door! OH #¤%&$£@"*}¤#§&¨#-$%&#!!

"Hey, have you seen Tracy? I thought I heard her here."

Don'tfreakoutdon'tfreakoutdon't - "Tracy? Who's Tracy?"

Retroactive effects to the rescue. Sis opens her mouth to snap back an answer, then closes it again. She stands there dumbfounded for a few seconds, then slinks off looking completely lost. I sit down, waiting until I can distinguish individual heartbeats. Damn! I hadn't even locked the room! Last week's assimilation of Shirley must've left me overconfident. I've got to get a grip if I'm to keep this up, and there's still much to do.

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