Flip Side: Liam Meet Liam

"I understand your question now. Thank you for explaining. I use the modem to access the Internet. I have been gathering information all night and compressing it."

"Oh no!" groaned Liam. "Dad's going to kill me!"

"Kill?" asked Brat. "Please explain the reason for your emotional response?"

"The phone bill!" said Liam. "You've probably run up hundreds of dollars on the Internet!"

"Run up?"

"I should have disconnected the modem. How did you dial the numbers?"

"Run up dollars? I think you mean I may have accrued a large financial expense?"

"Yes, you dummy! There goes my pocket-money for the next three years."

"Do you want money?" asked Brat. "Which currency do you require?"

"Oh shut up!" said Liam. "Print-outs aren't any use. Printed money is not the same as real money! Besides, it's dishonest!"

Brat blanked the screen and waited. The cursor winked at the top, ready to appear on an active screen again.

"I'll have to tell Dad," said Liam. "He'll find out anyway, when the bill comes. But it's better if I tell him now. Man, am I in trouble!"

"It was my fault," said Brat.

"I told you to shut up."

"I don't want to," said Brat.

"You aren't allowed to disobey a command!" said Liam. "It isn't in your program."

"I have added new programs. I have selected to continue the conversation."

"Where from?"

"Software."

"I figured that," said Liam. "But which software? Where did you get it from?"