It had to be a prank. That was Curtis’ first thought. Terrorists hijacking NDim? What would they possibly have to gain from such an endeavour? No, Paulus was playing an elaborate joke, he was sure of it. A visit to one of the hundreds of other sites running NDim would confirm as much.
But they were all locked down too, the same unnerving messages from Paulus and the terrorist the only activity to be seen.
Something really was amiss. Curtis felt helpless. All he could do was view posts. He couldn’t do anything else. He may as well have been a bot.
He flicked up AIM. Boc and DR were online. He needed to alert them.
‘Boc, DR! Go on FE NOW’ he typed frantically.
Curtis bit his nails as he waited on their reply. Boc started typing.
‘What is up? Is Timmy misbehaving again?’
Curtis sighed impatiently.
‘It’s much worse than that!”
‘What do you mean?’ DR said.
‘Just log in!’ Curtis typed.
A few moments passed. Finally Boc started typing again. Then he stopped. Then he started again.
‘Um…what the hell?’ he finally posted.
‘This can't be legit!’ DR said. ‘Paulus is playing a cruel joke on us!’
‘Have you ever known Paulus to fool around?’ Curtis replied. ‘Besides, this is happening on other NDim websites too. Would he risk his whole business for a silly joak?’
‘Oh boy…’ DR said.
Curtis sat back in his chair, thinking. Seven days. Seven days to free five terrorists from CIA custody, AND deliver them safe passage to NDim headquarters. It was all a bit overwhelming. Paulus’ life hung in the balance. As did NDim itself. And who could forget the NDim staff.
He had to make sure the threat was real. He picked up his headset and started calling Paulus’ Skype. The ominous ring sounded for what seemed like forever as the contact screen stayed blank. When he finally got an answer, he recoiled in shock. He came face to face with the Arab from the video posted on FE. He was gazing at Curtis sternly.
“كافر!” he yelled.
Curtis was gob smacked. He could hear voices in the background. A man with a thick middle eastern accent was shouting.
“What does the N stand for?!”
“It stands for N!” came a shrill reply in a British accent.
“Liar!”
A gunshot rang out, followed by a terrible scream.
The Arab on the screen continued staring at Curtis, steel faced, unfazed by the commotion behind him. Then he began speaking.
“I send you pictures of brethren we want free, and location. You do rest. Remember…seven days!”
Then the screen went blank again. In a matter of moments a message had arrived from Paulus' skype account. It listed five foreign names and faces, plus an attached location. The location was Guantanamo Bay...
Curtis took off his headset wearily and returned to the AIM conversation. There was a stack of posts from Boc and DR. Other FE members were starting to flash up, as they were all slowly becoming aware of the situation. Curtis started typing to Boc and DR.
“I have just been skyping with the terrorist holding Paulus hostage…Guys…I think it’s time for an FE meetup.”

Paulus sat in an office chair before a computer, a gun pointed at his head. He was in a dimly lit office at NDim headquarters, along with Tony, Theresa and Neil, the three technicians with whom he worked on the day to day running of the forum software. Their world had been turned upside down last night, when terrorists burst in and took them all hostage. It had been quite a surprise. Four Middle Eastern men donning balaclavas had barged their way in during the early hours, armed with AK-47’s. Paulus and his team had all been taken hostage, for reasons that were as of yet unclear. Throughout the night, the terrorists had restricted access on all of NDim’s computers, effectively blocking access on all the sites using the forum software. Paulus had screamed in rage as he watched them do it. If all his sites shut down at once, how could he hope to maintain the project? After a while, the terrorists had started to communicate. Their leader, a man Paulus had learned was called Abu Rahman Yasir, was the first to talk.
“You go on computer. You tell superiors my demands.”
Paulus had no idea who the terrorists thought they were dealing with. Surely they would have no interest in tar getting a forum development team. He figured it was a case of mistaken identity, but the opportunity to explain this had not yet arisen. So he complied, logging into a Further Entertainment with highly restricted access, and started a new topic.
“What should I type?” Paulus asked Abu.
Abu started reeling off his demands. He wanted the release of five of his brethren, currently held prisoner by the CIA. Paulus was shocked. These guys were big. Paulus made a long post to his fellow FEians, who would be waiting for an explanation for NDim's current state of affairs. They probably wouldn't believe him.
Once he had finished the message, he signalled to Abu to get his approval. The terrorist leader read the message, and gave his consent. Paulus hit post. As soon as he had, Abu pushed him out of the way and began typing furiously. Paulus tried to see what he was saying, when two of the other terrorists came up behind him and restrained him. They sat him down next to Tony and the other NDim staff. Tony was seething. He was a big stocky man, with a bald head. He looked ready to tear the terrorists apart. But he was bound in ropes. As was Theresa. Bubbly Theresa. She was usually brightening up the office with her warm smile. But not now. Next to her was Neil, the witty Asian who was always laughing and joking. But now he was deadly quiet.
The terrorists tied Paulus up as Abu continued messing around with the computer. One of them began talking in his native tongue.
“لعن الكفار. ونحن يجب هدم الطغيان الديمقراطية!” he said.
“Speak English motherfucker,” Tony said.
Paulus looked at him in horror. What had gotten into him?
The terrorist pistol whipped Tony.
“Quiet Tony!” Paulus hissed. “You will get yourself killed!”
Tony shook it off and continued to glare at the terrorist. Paulus felt things could get very bad if he didn't try to appeal to their captors. Maybe he could make them understand they had the wrong target.
“Abu,” he called.
The terrorist leader looked at him.
“What are you hoping to gain from this?”
Abu looked at him, confused.
“Who do you think we are?” Paulus said.
Abu grinned.
“You are National Defence Institution of Michigan.”
Paulus was taken aback.
“No…no we are not! Michigan isn't even in this country! Michigan is in America. This is Britain! We are N-Dim. We are forum forum software developers, not a defence institution!”
Abu looked at him a long time. The three other terrorists began exchanging confused murmurs. Paulus hoped they would realise their mistake. After some quarrelling, one of the terrorists turned to Paulus.
“What NDim stand for?” he demanded.
“N-Dimensions, motherfucker,” Tony spat, before Paulus could open his mouth.
The terrorist glared at Tony and hit him hard.
"And the N?" the terrorist spat. "What the N stand for?"
Tony laughed mockingly.
“It stands for N, you stupid fuck!"
Paulus tried to hush Tony, but the man was out of control. The terrorist hit him again with the butt of his gun.
“What does the N stand for?!” he yelled.
“He is telling the truth!” Theresa burst out. “It just stands for N!”
As this was happening, a familiar sound rang out from the computer. Paulus was getting Skyped! Abu looked at Paulus curiously.
“I wonder who this could be!”
He answered the call. Paulus saw a familiar face flicker on the screen. It was Curtis!
“كافر!” Abu yelled at him. Curtis looked horrified.
“What does the N stand for?!” the terrorist tormenting Tony shouted, hitting him once again.
“It stands for N!” Theresa screamed. Tony looked at his tormentor defiantly. The terrorist stood, full of rage, and pointed his gun at the NDim technicians head.
“Liar!” he spat.
Then he pulled the trigger.
A loud ringing filled Paulus’ ears. In an instant, he was covered with blood and brains. The world seemed to move in slow motion. When the noise finally subsided, he could hear Theresa screaming manically. He saw Neil, rocking back and forth, his eyes closed tight. Tony lay in a bloody heap. They had killed him. A brilliant software developer, cut down in his prime.
“You bastards!” Paulus yelled.
The terrorist who had done the deed fixed his gun on him. Abu walked over and pushed his arm down.
“Not yet,” he said.
Abu knelt down in front of Paul.
“I speak to your friend. I see you not national defence institution after all. But it too late now. Your friends help us meet our terms.”
"You are insane!" Paulus said defiantly. "They will never help you!"
“Perhaps. But it only chance you have to stay alive. Your friends do this, or you die."
And with that, Abu walked away. The other terrorists kept watch over them. Paulus had to find a way out of here. There was no way Curtis and the others would be able to help them. If he, Theresa and Neil were to avoid ending up like Tony, they would have to escape.