Metafire

"Actually, it is sort of interesting. When can I go home?"

"I have top secret clearance. Right now you have to be checked out, and I have to stay with you. I don't think it is going to be much longer. You know you can't talk about any of this. The Major was right in his briefing on security this afternoon. I think he had to make our operation top secret, too."

"Is there anything I should know about you that makes you nervous?"

"No, I can't think of anything."

Then the computer beeped. "It's back again. Remember everything you type and every place you go on the Net is being probably monitored and explicitly copied now. But don't be bothered. It's our job to look where other people haven't, and see things that other people haven't seen. Nobody is going to be bothered by where you go on the net, unless you spend too long on one of those sex spots, or something."

Jack went back to his cubicle, restarted the Net Browser, and typed "http:\\www.metafire.com" again. This time the title "Metafire Home Page" appeared with an animation of a fire and some crackling sounds in a strip across the top. Just below it said, "If you want to see our world, you have to tell us who you are."