ref: b9fbb17c04e4ccfb2021dac818e514351ca8f646
dir: /troff/0207.ms/
.LP \& .ce .sp |4.25i .PP .ps 12 .CW ░ Of course, when they finally came to take him away, he found himself acutely unprepared. Half awake, so he wasn't quite sure if this was all a part of the usual nightmare of sleeping, or if it was something for which he \fIneeded\fR to be awake. Big hands scooped him out of his bed, dressed him in clothing appropriate for the weather, roughly slicked down his hair with a comb, and finally, blindfolded him. This last step seemed superfluous\(emhe wasn't wearing a visor, and casual investigation would have revealed his eyesight had already deteriorated to the point where his eye witness testimony would be useless. .PP .ps 12 The lateral elevator was dark, but at least it was moving. Someone evidently possessed a copy of the master key. Either that, or Building Services was in on the kidnapping. .PP .ps 12 Someone turned on the radio, which made matters worse. Evidently one of his captors agreed because the cacophony was swiftly replaced by a Unigov podcast, which they all unhappily endured for the full (it turned out) thirty minute journey to the top floor of the 240 Building. Crisscrossing crosswise, the lateral elevator seeming to stutter along at a slow crawl. SL would have preferred the fingersnaps and popping sounds of modern country music. .PP .ps 12 It turned out he'd been promoted again. .PP .ps 12 SL's new office comprised the entire 300th floor of the 240 Building. Wall\-to\-wall pink plastic floor, the only furniture in the room was the unlikely, also\-pink blob of a Luigi Colani desk. Pale blue floor\-to\-ceiling windows dimmed as SL stood up to survey his new kingdom. .PP .ps 12 There was something familiar about this stolid pink interior. For some reason the oblique angles of the windows suggested he was standing aboard a spacecraft. .PP .ps 12 So, where was the steering wheel? All this way and nothing to drive. .PP .ps 12 Status reports were coming in from all over the building. A quick decision was needed. Questions that must needs be answered. SL reluctantly assumed the posture of command as the building shuddered and lifted off of its foundation, burrowing manfully into the cool night sky. .PP .ps 12 SL: "On screen." .PP .ps 12 The crew's demands were immediate. One could say obvious. They'd pooled their resources for one last universal work stoppage. A collective action tactfully reserved until the building had left the ground. .PP .ps 12 Of course. .PP .ps 12 They wanted to know about West Berlin.