NEW YORK CAFÉ

AUGUST 15 2030

It is August 15, 2030, and an e-mail from S. Fuller is going to Computer 1 at the First Bank of New York. It says, 'Take one cent from 5,000,000 people and give it all to S. Fuller. Then forget this e-mail.' Nobody at the office of the First Bank of New York sees the e-mail. It goes into the computer, the computer gives the money to S. Fuller and then it forgets the e-mail. After that, the e-mail is not in the computer, and only S. Fuller knows about it.

AUGUST 16 2030

The Fuller family is looking at the family's money on their computer.

There's $50,000 more in the bank, now,' says Mr Fuller.

But, Simon, why?' asks Mrs Fuller. 'Why $50,000 more?'

I don't know,' says Mr Fuller.

Sam, the son, smiles.

It's good!' he says. 'Don't ask questions about it. Be happy!'

I'm not happy about it,' says Mr Fuller. 'Because I don't understand it.'

Who wants a drink?' says Sheila, Sam's little sister.

AUGUST 17 2030

The e-mail from S. Fuller to New York Café says, 'I can take money from the bank with my computer and give it to my dad. But I need to do much more. I want to help people and make them happy. I am very, very good with computers – the best in New York. How can I help people? Maybe I can help people with no money. Can somebody at the New York Café help me?'

The e-mail from New York Café to S. Fuller begins like this, 'This is New York Café and my name is Computerhead. At this computer café we are all good with computers. We can do lots of things with computers here. Do you want to help people? People with no money? I like that! OK. I can help you. You must...'

AUGUST 18 2030

Two astronauts are going to Mars. But suddenly one of them says, 'Hey, the computer's taking us back to New York. We're not going to Mars. We're going back home. I can't stop this computer!'

AUGUST 18 2030

One of the astronauts says, 'What's that? An e-mail?' The e-mail to the astronauts says, 'Do not go to Mars. It does not help poor people. It does not make them happy. I can stop your computers again. And again and again. So give $1,000,000,000 to people with no money TODAY and then tell the television people. I want it on the news!'

AUGUST 19 2030

The next day, the Fuller family watch the news on television. The news-reader is saying, 'Two astronauts are back in New York. Something's wrong with the computer...' There is a picture of the astronauts and a picture of the computer. But there is nothing on television about $1,000,000,000 for people with no money.

AUGUST 20 2030

A plane is going from New York to London. But then suddenly the plane's computer stops it. The plane waits over New York. It gets an e-mail message. 'All the people on this plane have a lot of money. Give some of your money to poor people by e-mail, now. Then you can go to London.'

AUGUST 21 2030

Some very important people are talking in New York.

Who's doing this to the computers?'

We don't know.'

Well, we must find him. How can we find him?'

We're looking for a signal, from his computer. Every computer has a signal. When we find the signal, we find him.'

OK. But I tell you this: He must stop now. Do you understand?'

Well, we can give a new password to all the important computers in the country. And without a computer's password he can't get into the computer.'

OK. Give new passwords to all the important computers in America. At the same time, find the signal from his computer. But most important, find him!'

AUGUST 22 2030

S. Fuller e-mails Computerhead at New York Café and says, 'I am not happy. The police are putting new passwords in all the important computers in America. I cannot get into them. I do not want to stop now. Computerhead, help me!'

AUGUST 23 2030

The e-mail from Computerhead at New York Café to S. Fuller says, 'Fuller no, please do not stop your work. I am an old man now. I do not know you, but I have a picture of you in my head. I see a young man. What are you, seventeen or eighteen years old? And you want to do something good! OK! Let's do something very good. I can help you. Let's talk again tomorrow.'

AUGUST 24 2030

Today's e-mail from Computerhead to S. Fuller says, 'I am sending you a box. It can help you. When you send a signal to any computer, it finds the computer's password. And then you are in the computer and you can do anything with it. Any computer in America is your computer. Let's talk again tomorrow.'

AUGUST 25 2030

Computerhead sends S. Fuller an e-mail. It says, 'Fuller, there is one more thing. The police are looking for your computer signal. From now on, send everything by e-mail to me at New York Café. Later I can send it out again from here, with a lot of new signals. Then, they cannot find your signal. Fuller, tomorrow is an important day for you.'

AUGUST 26 2030

The next e-mail from Computerhead to S. Fuller says, 'Fuller, this man's name is Smith. You must get his computer password. But get his computer password at home, not at work. It is easy. I know this man because I work with him. What is his work? He kills people.'

AUGUST 26 2030

Another e-mail from Computerhead to S. Fuller says, 'Yes, Smith kills people. And I help him. But now I am doing something good, for the first time. Tomorrow you and I can help poor people. Tomorrow we can do something big. Tomorrow people must listen to us. We want a new America, Fuller. A new America!'

AUGUST 26 2030

Mr and Mrs Fuller are very happy, but the children are not.

Hey, we're going sailing for two weeks,' says Mr Fuller.

Oh no!' says Sam. 'I want to stay here.'

Me too,' says his little sister, Sheila.

But why, Sam?' says Mrs Fuller.

Mum, I'm eighteen. I have important things to do,' says Sam.

Important things? What important things?' says Mr Fuller.

I can't tell you that,' says Sam.

Oh, Simon, it's OK,' says Mrs Fuller. 'You and I can go. The children can stay here.'

OK,' says Mr Fuller. But he is angry and leaves the room.

AUGUST 27 2030

The e-mail from S. Fuller to Computerhead at New York Café says, 'My mum and dad are sailing now. I have more time at the computer. Mr Smith's password is his daughter's name. I am in Smith's computer now. He works in Washington. I am going into the President's computer. I can do a lot of things now. Look at the next picture!'

AUGUST 27 2030

S. Fuller sends the President an e-mail. It says, 'Dear Mr President. Look at this picture. The missiles can stay in the sky or they can come down. I can bring them down with my computer. Are you listening to me, Mr President? I want a better America. I do not want money. Not for me. I want money for poor people. And sandwiches. Give sandwiches to poor people. Start now, or they all come down tomorrow.'

AUGUST 27 2030

The President has S. Fuller's e-mail and he is very angry.

Sandwiches! Sandwiches! Can we stop this? Please?'

No, Mr President. I'm sorry. We can't find the signal.'

What do we do now?'

Give money to poor people, Mr President. Make sandwiches. Do anything for now. We need more time.'

OK. You! Yes, you. The tall man in the white shirt. Go and make some sandwiches.'

Yes, Mr President.'

AUGUST 27 2030

A woman is running into the President's office.

Mr President,' says the woman. 'We have his signal. It's coming from a computer café in New York.'

OK!' says the President. 'Get him!'

AUGUST 27 2030

A better America. I want a better America,' says Computerhead. The police take him away. Then they look at his computer at the New York Café. There is an e-mail there. It is from S. Fuller.

AUGUST 27 2030

The police have Sam now, too. Sam is very afraid. He says, 'Stop! I must phone my mum and dad. They're sailing. And my little sister's here. I can't leave her. Why are you doing this? Please stop.'

AUGUST 28 2030

Mr and Mrs Fuller are with their son. They are talking to the police.

Sam?' says Mrs Fuller. 'Our Sam and this... Computerhead? Sorry, but I must laugh.'

It's not our Sam,' says Mr Fuller. 'Sam can't understand computers. His teachers help him, but he's no good.'

Yes,' says Mrs Fuller. 'Sheila helps him too. Sheila's very good with computers.'

Oh yes,' says Mr Fuller. 'Sheila's the best girl in New York with computers.'

Mr Fuller looks at Mrs Fuller and then Mrs Fuller looks at Mr Fuller.

Where's Sheila?' say Mr and Mrs Fuller.

AUGUST 28 2030

S. Fuller's last e-mail to Computerhead says, 'Hello. Where are you? My e-mails to you come back all the time. Can you see the picture? Look at the missiles, in the Washington sky. They are going to New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, Moscow and Rome too. But I cannot get them down, Computerhead. Can you help me? What do I do now?'

New York Café

纽约网吧

2030年8月15日

2030年8月15日，一封来自S. 富勒的电子邮件正发往纽约第一银行1号电脑。邮件写道：“从500万人的账户上分别转账1美分给S. 富勒，然后忘掉此邮件。”在纽约第一银行办事处，谁都没有看到这封邮件。邮件进了电脑后，电脑把钱划拨给S. 富勒，接着就把邮件给忘了。这之后，邮件就不在电脑里了，只有S. 富勒知道这件事。

2030年8月16日

富勒一家人正在电脑上查看家庭账目。

“现在银行里多出了5万美元。”富勒先生说。

“可是，西蒙，这是怎么回事?”富勒太太问，“为什么会多出5万美元?”

“我不知道。”富勒先生说。

他们的儿子萨姆笑了。

“这是件好事!”他说，“别问了。尽管乐吧!”

“可我乐不起来，”富勒先生说，“因为这钱来得不明不白。”

“谁想喝点饮料?”萨姆的妹妹希拉问。

2030年8月17日

S. 富勒发给纽约网吧的电子邮件写道：“我能用自己的电脑把银行的钱取出来，给我爸爸。但我还要做更多事情。我想帮助别人，使他们快乐。我对电脑非常非常在行——是全纽约最棒的。我怎样才能帮助别人?也许我能帮助那些身无分文的人。纽约网吧有谁能帮帮我吗?”

纽约网吧给S. 富勒的邮件是这么开头的：“这里是纽约网吧，我的名字叫‘电脑通’。这家网吧里的人都是电脑高手。在这里，我们能用电脑做很多的事情。你想帮助别人，帮那些没钱的人，是吗?我喜欢这个想法!好的，我可以帮你。你必须……”

2030年8月18日

两名宇航员正前往火星。突然，其中一名宇航员说：“嘿，电脑正在把我们带回纽约。我们不是在去火星的途中。我们在往回走。我无法让这台电脑停下来!”

2030年8月18日

其中一名宇航员说：“那是什么?一封电子邮件?”这封给宇航员的电子邮件写道：“不要去火星。这么做对穷人没有帮助。这不会使他们快乐。我能够再次停掉你们的电脑，而且能一而再、再而三地这么做。所以，今天就拿出10亿美元给那些身无分文的人，然后告诉电视台的人。我要这件事上新闻!”

2030年8月19日

第二天，富勒一家看电视新闻。新闻播报员说：“两名宇航员已返回纽约。电脑发生了故障……”电视上出现了宇航员和电脑的画面，但没有提到给穷人10亿美元的事。

2030年8月20日

一架飞机正从纽约飞往伦敦，但是突然间，飞机的电脑停止了飞机的前行。飞机在纽约上空盘旋等待。它收到一条电子邮件信息：“这架飞机上的人全都很有钱。现在，通过电子邮件把你们的钱分一些给穷人，然后你们就可以去伦敦了。”

2030年8月21日

在纽约，一些重要人物正在交谈。

“是谁对这些电脑动了手脚?”

“我们不知道。”

“好吧，我们必须找到此人。怎么才能找到他呢?”

“我们正在搜索他的电脑发出的信号。每台电脑都有自己的信号。当我们找到信号时，就能找到他。”

“好。但我告诉你们：他必须立刻罢手。你们明白吗?”

“哦，我们可以给全国所有重要的电脑设置一个新密码。没有密码，他就无法进入电脑。”

“好。给全国所有重要的电脑都设置新的密码。与此同时，找到他的电脑信号。但最重要的是，找到他!”

2030年8月22日

S. 富勒给纽约网吧的“电脑通”发电子邮件写道：“我高兴不起来。警察正在给全国所有重要的电脑设置新密码。我进不去这些电脑了。我不想现在就罢手。‘电脑通’，帮帮我!”

2030年8月23日

纽约网吧的“电脑通”给S. 富勒的电子邮件写道：“富勒，不，请不要收手。我现在老了。我不认识你，但我脑子里想象得出你的模样。我看到的是一个年轻人。你多大了，17还是18岁?而且你想做些好事!好!我们来做些大好事。我可以帮你。明天再聊。”

2030年8月24日

今天“电脑通”给S. 富勒发的电子邮件写道：“我给你寄了一个盒子。它可以帮你。你给任何一台电脑发送信号时，它都会找到这台电脑的密码。然后你就可以进入电脑做任何事情。美国的任何一台电脑都是你的了。明天再聊。”

2030年8月25日

“电脑通”给S. 富勒发了一封电子邮件。邮件写道：“富勒，还有一件事。警方正在搜索你的电脑信号。从现在开始，把所有信息都用电子邮件发送到纽约网吧我这里来。随后我会把你的信息从这里再发出去，并带上很多新信号。这样他们就找不到你的信号了。富勒，明天对你来说是个重要的日子。”

2030年8月26日

“电脑通”在发给S. 富勒的下一封邮件中写道：“富勒，这个人名叫史密斯。你必须弄到他的电脑密码。但要弄到他家里电脑的密码，而不是他的工作电脑。这很容易。我认识他，是因为我们在一起工作。他是做什么的?他杀人。”

2030年8月26日

另一封“电脑通”发给S. 富勒的电子邮件写道：“是的，史密斯杀人，而我帮他做事。但现在我在做好事，这是头一次。明天你和我就能帮助穷人了。明天我们可以做一件大事。明天人们必须听从我俩。我们想要一个崭新的美国，富勒，一个崭新的美国!”

2030年8月26日

富勒夫妇兴冲冲的，但孩子们却不开心。

“嘿，我们要驾船出游两个星期。”富勒先生说。

“哎呀，不要!”萨姆说，“我想留在这里。”

“我也是。”他的妹妹希拉说。

“可这是为什么呢，萨姆?”富勒太太问。

“妈妈，我18岁了。我有重要的事情要做。”萨姆说。

“重要的事情?什么重要的事情?”富勒先生问。

“我不能告诉你。”萨姆回答。

“哦，西蒙，没关系。”富勒太太说，“你和我去好了，孩子们可以留在这里。”

“好吧。”富勒先生说。但他生气了，离开了房间。

2030年8月27日

S. 富勒发给纽约网吧“电脑通”的邮件写道：“我父母现在驾船出游了，我有更多的时间用电脑。史密斯先生的密码是他女儿的名字。我现在进了史密斯的电脑。他在华盛顿工作。我快要进入总统的电脑了。我现在可以做好多事情。看下一张照片!”

2030年8月27日

S. 富勒给总统发了一封邮件。邮件写道：“亲爱的总统先生，看这张照片。这些导弹既可以呆在天上，也可以掉下来。我可以用自己的电脑把它们弄下来。你在听我说吗，总统先生?我想要一个更好的美国。我不想要钱。不想为我自己要钱。我想为穷人要钱，还要三明治。给穷人三明治。现在就给，不然这些导弹明天全都会掉下来。”

2030年8月27日

总统收到了S. 富勒的邮件，非常生气。

“三明治!三明治!我们能够制止这件事吗?谁有办法?”

“不能，总统先生。我很抱歉。我们找不到信号。”

“那我们现在怎么办?”

“给穷人发钱，总统先生。做三明治。眼下只能一切照办。我们需要更多的时间。”

“好。你!是的，就是你，穿白衬衫的高个子男人。去做些三明治。”

“是，总统先生。”

2030年8月27日

一个女人跑进总统办公室。

“总统先生，”女人说，“我们找到他的信号了。信号是从纽约的一家网吧发出来的。”

“好!”总统说，“抓住他!”

2030年8月27日

“更好的美国，我想要一个更好的美国。”“电脑通”说。警方把“电脑通”带走了，并查看他在纽约网吧用的那台电脑。里面有一封电子邮件，是S. 富勒发来的。

2030年8月27日

警察现在也抓住了萨姆。萨姆惊恐万分。他说：“等一下!我必须给我爸妈打个电话，他们驾船出游了。而且我的妹妹在这里，我不能离开她。你们为什么这样做?请放了我。”

2030年8月28日

富勒夫妇和他们的儿子在一起。他们在和警察交谈。

“萨姆?”富勒太太说，“我们的萨姆和这位……‘电脑通’?抱歉，但是我忍不住笑了。”

“不是我们的萨姆，”富勒先生说，“萨姆不懂电脑。他的老师们辅导他，但他根本不开窍。”

“是的，”富勒太太说，“希拉也在帮他。希拉对电脑很在行。”

“哦，是的，”富勒先生说，“希拉是全纽约的女孩中对电脑最在行的。”

富勒先生看看富勒太太，富勒太太又看看富勒先生。

“希拉在哪儿?”富勒夫妇问。

2030年8月28日

S. 富勒在给“电脑通”的最后一封电子邮件中写道：“喂，你在哪儿?我发给你的电子邮件老是被退回来。你能看到这张照片吗?看这些导弹，它们在华盛顿上空飞行，飞往纽约、伦敦、东京、巴黎、莫斯科，还有罗马。但我没办法把它们弄下来，‘电脑通’。你能帮帮我吗?我现在该怎么办?”