The Fugitive

Subject: Hmm, Par From: Phoenix Date: Thu Feb 01 10:22:46 1990 At least you arent getting shot at.

Subject: Par, why don't you . . . From: Ravage Date: Thu Feb 01 10:56:04 1990 Why not just go out and say 'hi' to the nice gentleman? If i kept seeing the same people tooling around my neighborhood, i would actively check them out if they seemed weird.

Subject: Par, jump 'em From: Aston Martin Date: Tue Feb 06 18:04:55 1990 What you could do is go out to one of the vans sitting in the street (you know, the one with the two guys sitting in it all day) with a pair of jumper cables. Tell them you've seen them sitting there all day and you thought they were stuck. Ask them if they need a jump. - Aston

Between these strange messages, Par often posted comments on technical matters. Other hackers routinely asked him ques- tions about X.25 networks. Unlike some hackers, Par almost always offered some help. In fact, he believed that being 'one of the teachers' made him a particular target. But his willing- ness to teach others so readily, combined with his relatively humble, self-effacing demeanour, made Par popular among many hackers. It was one reason he found so many places to stay.

Spring arrived, brushing aside a few of the hardships of a winter on the run, then summer. Par was still on the run, still dodging the Secret Service's national hunt for the fugitive. By autumn, Par had eluded law enforcement officials around the United States for more than a year. The gloom of another cold winter on the run sat on the horizon of Par's future, but he didn't care. Anything, everything was bearable. He could take anything Fate would dish up because he had something to live for.