Chapter One

Present Day : Stage Computing HQ, Chicago.

Jeff Stage, the CEO of Stage Computing, the worlds largest software company, is giving his annual address to his employees. He is expounding his own philosophy which centres around the need for hard work and the adherence to a high moral code, and its relevance to TotalView, the latest hi-tech computer system which is the companys flagship product.

Charlie Finn, a programmer at the company, is contemptuous of Stage’s condescending tone and preacher-like bearing. Charlie has spent the the last six months working on the GOBLin - a programmable intelligent animated figure - within the new version of TotalView, in close collaboration with his colleague Belinda Stranski. They have both been asked to perform to unreasonable deadlines but they seem to be achieving their goal until Belinda is called into an urgent meeting. She emerges to inform Charlie that she has been asked by Jeff Stage himself to abandon their work and become a key member of the G-project, a new function for TotalView. Charlie feels betrayed as he and Belinda had formed a strong partnership, Charlie regarding her as more than a friend. He pleads with her to change her mind but she re-emphasises her wish to move up in the company and an offer from Jeff Stage himself is too good to refuse.

Charlie becomes enraged, smashes his laptop and storms out of Stage, vowing never to return.