The Nix

We return to 2011. Pwnage faces a dilemma: It is Tuesday, which means the World of Elfscape servers are taken off line for updating, what Pwnage terms “Patch Days.” Left to his own devices, he recalls the day his wife left nearly a year ago and how then he turned to Elfscape, becoming a game master. He has a to-do list ready for Patch Day—buy heathy food, for instance, and read a great book—but the goals are unrealistic and reflect his dependence on the game world for purpose. However, also on his list is his resolution to help his new friend (his only friend) Samuel. He uses his online savvy to track down information on Samuel’s mother. He posts the 1968 photo of Faye from the campus riots that newspaper had run after her attack on the Wyoming governor on a message board. He asks for help identifying the woman next to Faye.

At Samuel’s college, Laura Pottsdam pursues her complaint because the alternative—paying attention in classes and actually doing the work—is untenable. Now she finds herself facing a Mediation and Conflict Resolution Conference. Desperate to avoid that, she coaxes a hapless (and horny) student also in Samuel’s literature class to hack into the campus Internet system to check Samuel’s online activity in his office for anything “embarrassing.