"Stop... please," you say, a hint of pleading sneaking into your voice.  It's very unlike you to feel helpless -- unlike you to be put in the position of reacting rather than managing the situation.  But by now you're reaching the point where you need to find a foothold -- some stability, a leverage point, a fulcrum you can pivot on to bring your life back under control.  You reach a hand out, touching her shoulder, not tentative but not completely confident, either.<br/><br/>For a brief moment you think that she is simply going to slip away, tugging from your fingers with one last confident step, disappearing forever on the other side of the bathroom door, which you now notice is also painted a strangely garish shade of red.  But though the fabric of her blouse does slide against your fingers as she takes a step, and though she doesn't yet turn to face you, she pauses, seemingly in thought.<br/><br/>Suddenly, the strangest faint sounds begin to echo in the brightly lit bathroom.  You hear what sounds like... is that a<em>modem</em>?  The odd, high-low-high-low-hiss sound that you remember from your first days with your 8086 computer in the basement of the house you grew up in makes your heart skip a beat -- confusion, recognition and waves of memories as vivid as day flitting through your head.  Then, so quiet and indistinct that in just moments you'll be sure it was just a dream, "I need you to close that port, Waverly,<em>now</em>-- the whole mission is in jeopardy.<em>Do it, or there</em>..."<br/><br/>You didn't even notice that the woman has turned to face you.  She seems even paler than before -- in fact, all of the color seemed to have washed out of her.  Even her dark, thin eyebrows now seem dull.  She seems to struggle to talk.  "There's no time.  String Case along.  But don't tell him anything you wouldn't tell<em>them</em>."  She emphasizes that last word and widens her eyes in a way she clearly hopes will be significant to you.  She seems to stumble slightly and then hurries out of the door without another word.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>A.  Take a deep breath.  Straighten your clothes.  March back into VRS and meet with Case.<br/><br/>B.  Follow a morbid hunch and try to place a phone call to someone you know.<br/><br/>C.  Decide that enough is enough and get the hell out of there; attempt to follow another lead of your choosing.<br/>