Virtual Reality has always fascinated Max Evano. His love for exploring things had expanded beyond limits during his teenage years. He tried playing with different games that made him live in different world. When he reached the age of 20, and was studying in college, his view to the world has gone even weirder. His taste of games has changed, but never his soul. He's now aknowledged with new technologies, new systems of simulation. He had watch hundreds of science fiction movies, and had read alot of novels and stories. But the most incredible invention that took his mind was virtual reality. A virtual game, for instanse, could take him into other world, and could show him other realities. Anything is good, but this world that he lives in. He would do what it takes for any reasonable change in his boring life, because he always expected from his life some new things and some different things to live with. Therefore, in order to fulfill his dream, virtual reality became his dream. He wanted to be some game designer or computer animater, but due to unfortunate reasons, he just entered the computer science major. Close enough he thought. But soon he got very interested in the computer world. While his years of stydying, he gave himself the time to go to computer exhibitions, game exhibitions and contests, and to any thing related to new technology.
One day, a new interesting exhibition called NAR 2000 has took a place in Beirut, where he was staying for the summer with his cousin, who lives there. The city has known many exhibitions like Tremium and others, but this one was strange. The idea of the exhibition was not new, a computer related issues and the latest technologies as it appears. But the rules are a bit wierd. To enter this exhibition you a teenager or a young adult, and you must be a male studying computer related. 'NAR' stands for New Age Reality. Max had to visit it for sure. So he went there with his cousin Naji, who was almost the same age as Max, and studyin buisness computer.
When he was there, he entered quickly with his cousin without any waiting. He took a turn among the stands and the sets of different computer firm and companies. Nothing really interested him, because he almost saw it all before. Until one company has captured his attention.
Seemed a bit strange and has an atractive side. But Max was confused about it's strange name and decided to explore the company. Inside, there was two gentlemen. They almost had no facial expression with hard face, dressed in black suites and green ties. There were three small capital letters on the ties: IPA, Max noticed, but never figured out what they stand for. One of them starts to speak addressing Max.
- We welcome you, the interested one, in our company. You have the look of a man that is dreaming to live a dream. We made this dream a reality, a simulated reality, but what is the difference any way. [Looks at his co-worker and smiles]. Or a virtual reality as you may call it. We made it for you, and now we want to see your satisfication, so we invite you to try our project that we are showing, for testing, in here. Do you want to give it a try?.

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Max was astonished. That was exactly what was running in his mind. He put his hands on his pokets and looked at his cousin and shaked hi head.
- Yeah, sure.
The other guy says:
- Ofcourse you have fill up some application. And I think you friend should wait outside til you finish. [ pointing to Naji.].
Naji : Yeah. OK. I'll go see something, I'll be here around half an hour, OK?
The two men look at eachothers then they say:
- Come with us Mr. Evano, this way.
Max was surprised, how did they know his last name? Ah! It's obvious that they read the name tag he's putting.
A question had alerted his mind. He looked at them and popped it out:
- I wanted to ask about the name, it sounds strange: DETAIL CURTAM?! detail? i understand... but what is CURTAM ?
- Well, you see... It's just a name, but i think they got it from the quote: "Curtain on who i am!"... Do not think about it. Not everything is existed or created is what it seems to look like. That is close to the Virtual World rules.
Max got a little confused. He filled up the application and started thinking about the man's talk. Somehow, it all made sense to him. Then, these thoughts got faded when they led him to a table and said:
- Lie down here Mr. Evano, you'll be in another world in just three seconds...
One of them grabbed a plug wire and wanted to connect it to Max.

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Suddenly, a woman in dark maroon color suit with weird sunglasses with short hair, came in the room. Without any word, the men attacked her while she was running towards them. Seemed to have very high combat abilities, the woman was almost flying and kicking them all over their bodies, while they were surprisengly hitting her with some kung fu mastering! The scence was undescribable. Max stood without any moves still figuring out what is going on! After several minutes the men went down. The woman shouts:
- Max, get out, it's not safe, go hide!
- But ...
- Go now, you'll know later.
A man stood up with shaky legs, pulls a gun out from his suit jacket. Max saw this and let his legs race the wind. He looked back while he was running and saw the woman running too, but towards a bunch of people and got disappeared among them.
When Max got his breath back, he thought what those men doing with guns? Why did they fight? Why did she act like she was rescuing me from a dangerous thing? How did she entered and there were no females allowed? A lot of questions were rushing through his mind while he was returning home. He even forgot Naji there. He was frightened from all the events he gone through and not understanding any.
Max was home at last. And he remembered that he put some false information about his residence in that aplication, so was reliefed. But then thought about Naji and hoped that he'd come home safe. Thinking about the company's name, he logged into the internet. The company's name was strange and unique, therefore he entered the address www.detailcurtam.com then was pleased by the result. The site existed. It had this large heading:

The site had nothing but the company's name beside the 'U & I' and this motto. It had no links. No info. Nothing. What kind of companies that has no inforamtion or background. And that line, that line ... it reminded him by that one and what he said! The green tie man's words were unforgettable. Does this all have a certain meaning or goal?
The phone suddenly rang... Naji was not home to answer. Max ignored it for the first time. It rang again. The computer screen went black, and green text appeared like somebody else was typing. 'Pick up, Max!'. Max pressed escape, tried to type, but no use! The phone rang again. With shaky hands, Max picked it up.
- Who is it?
. More important than 'who' is 'why'?
- why me?
. Yeaaass, you have potentials, Max. Not explored yet but they're are waiting.
- Wai .. waiting what? who is this?
. Waiting for you Max. You are your virtual self. And you are your real self. You are what you choose to be.
- What are you talking about?
. Just think about things in an opposite angle now, and soon the answers will appear in your own mind.
The call was ended. Max now has more questions than before. Think about things in opposite angle? Things aren't what they seem? what the...? DETAIL CURTAM ... something i'm sure has to do with this name! can't figure it out! curtain on who i am! he's bluffing i'm sure... there got to be something else. CURTAM ? CURTAM ? opposite angle? ofcourse? the name backwords ... MATRUC ? that doesn't sound with a meaning! what about the whole name? MATRUC LIATED?
hmm ? MATRUCLIATED? almost a word! Ah ! the 'U & I'! what if i switch them? MATRICLUATED.. hmm.. ah MATRICULATED seems more convincing.. MATRICULATED !! son of dogs! what do they mean?

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i hope u like it ... u know.. my english isn't my prime lang. and i'm not so good with writing. but though i have many ideas .. i draw comics .. so i hope i can draw u some of my ideas or the continuation of this boring .. ahum .. lovely story

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Oh its good, I'll say. The title's a very inventive anagram too, and this story is very original compared to the matrix we know. Keep it up psy its an excellent piece!
Oh and I luv yer avatar ;)

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It's the new poster, right?

Anyway- right at the beginning you had me desperately trying to work this anagram out! lol! very imaginative psy

Hope to see more!

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... hope u like it .. i put some hidden stuff in it ... wachoski's way
and yeah , my avar is the new poster .. although i don't like to put neo in an avatar but this one is cool ...

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Ofcourse... this word in the dictionary meant:
...
Max didn't understand ... what this have to do with all that happenned to him? Why those men wanted to hurt him ? Those 'green tie' men.. oh ! API ... the initials on the ties.. what do they meant? those API men looked and talked weird ... the woman ... who is she?.. Max was thinking again and drowning in his mind til the computer start running on by itself again.. this time it was shut off, how did it turn on?

Get out Max ... Get out

Max started typing:

. who is this? the man on the phone?
.. Yes.
. who r u?
.. Don't worry, we will meet soon.
. da girl was sent by u?
.. There is no time... Get out.. They're coming.
. wooo ? IPA men?
.. How did you know?
. wat is IPA anyways?
.. Information Program Agents.
. u're fast.. who r u ? and why should i believe u?
.. Knock Knock ...

The computer turned off while the door was knocked hardly! Max jumped out of his chair... who's this?, he thought, is someone playing a joke on him? maybe Naji was... he's not home, he's a computer nerd like him, and maybe he planned it up with some guys, he knew half the city.. KNOCK KNOCK.. Max reached for the door, looked through the hole... there were three tall men in suits with sunglass and earplug! Max backed away from the door and ran to the room again... There was a window... But he was on the third floor, he can't escape from it! He had to think quick... He heard a truck horning outside...
He looked, and found a truck fall of garbage. Hmm, why not? They do it in the movies! He jumped out of the window. The three men were already in.
- Target had escaped.
. They reached him before we did.
Then one of them put his leg on the edge. The truck was moving away. Suicidely, the man jumped and crashed down into a car behind the truck. Then he was trying to stand up.
Max saw this and was unbelievably astonished! How did he do it? He still like he didn't hit anything
The next scene was even more stranger! The two civilians in the car who were injured were shape shifting and murphing... They murphed into the two other men! Max was gazing with a wild openned mouth. The car started to follow the truck... the car is getting closer with the man standing on it. The features of the driver and the seater were getting more visible to Max.. God! It's them!!! How could this be?
While Max was lying on his stomach. Half covered with garbage, a hand reached his shoulder and he heard a voice:
- Get in the back...
The voice of the woman!! It was the woman! But this time, she's armed with two Uzi's... She began to shoot the car. The man on the car starts shooting by his gun. Max -covering his face and ears- almost had a heart attack. This was too much !!

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You're doing really well with this psy- it's definitely inventive

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