"Welcome to the antechamber of VR2L Third Earth," said the cat-headed image on the monitor. "I am your hostess, Lady Bast. Please state your name and step up to the screen to choose your character format."

"Wildcat is my usual screen name," said the user, looking around with interest.

"You require a character to enter the world of VR2L Third Earth, Wildcat," said Bast. "What race will you be?"

"Human's good enough," replied Wildcat as the sensors did their job.

"Male or Female?"

"Male."

"Please provide me with your physical description."

"Pretty much the same, I guess: five feet, eleven inches...about 145 pounds....sandy blond hair and blue eyes...the whole bit."

"What sort of costume would you like your character to wear, Wildcat," asked Bast.

"Hmm...the usual I guess: jeans, T-shirt, and sturdy boots in case there's walking." Wildcat stopped to consider this a moment. "Wait, if clothing's free, add a jacket...denim should do."

"Denim, not leather?" queried Bast. "Leather is thicker and gives more protection."

Wildcat thought about it. It *was* a game so he supposed that people *would* be out to do him some damage. "Okay, leather will work. I guess you'd know better."

The jacket worn by the figure on the left morphed into a leather one. "You look a little like Jimmy Dean," said the computerized voice with amusement. "Character designated 'Wildcat' is saved," said Bast when her player accepted the final design. "Basic equipment includes food, water, and basic bedroll. You may choose one weapon and one additional item of equipment. Others may be gathered in time."

"Hmmm...I guess I *would* need a weapon if I'm going to fight evil," said Wildcat with a sudden grin. "Is it possible to have two weapons instead of a piece of equipment?"

"Absolutely, but your primary weapons skill will be with the first weapon chosen," Bast assured him.

"I feel Indiana Jones-ish all of a sudden. I'd like a leather whip as my first weapon."

"Would you like it barbed or poisoned? We have a wide variety of whips to choose from," said the voice of Bast almost suggestively.

"Poison? Seems kinda harsh..."

"You can name your poison," said the voice with humour. "There are some that kill, but there are also some that only knock people unconscious. There are others too: ones that produce disease, ones that irritate the wound and keep it from healing, ones that produce a hallucinogenic effect like LSD...all kinds of poisons. Of course you're immune to your own poison and besides, they only work if your attack breaks the skin...and if your target has a working circulation system, of course."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Poison doesn't work against the undead."

"Stands to reason," snorted Wildcat. "Okay then...I'll take a poisoned whip. But not one that kills...I doubt the Thundercats would be impressed by *that*. Do you have one that paralyzes temporarily?"

"Sort of, but it only works in that area of the body. If you cut an arm, the arm will numb, but it probably won't numb the legs. Likely it won't be a full paralysis either...temporary poisons can't be too strong or they might damage the heart in the event of a torso wound."

"That's fine...I'm just thinking that if they can't hold a weapon, then they can't hurt me!" said Wildcat. "And of course I won't have to hurt them anymore either."

"A noble point of view," said Lady Bast. "What will be your second weapon?"

"A stun gun...or something like it. One that can shoot over a distance, but isn't likely to leave a hole in the target," said Wildcat.

"We have a disruptor pistol," said Bast. "It has multiple settings, the middle one being the standard for stunning, but not killing an enemy. But you must be careful not to use a high setting against a light-weight foe if you want them to survive."

"That'll do; I'll be careful," Wildcat assured her.

"Very well. Please balance your skills and your attributes," said the voice of Bast once the equipment had been added to the list.

Wildcat made sure that his attributes included a lot of survival traits such as endurance and constitution. He also upped his strength, speed, and agility to increase his fighting ability. His skills followed the trend with a special proficiency in his weapon coming first, followed by an athletics skill for increased climbing, running, and general combat manoeuvres. The third one made him pause.

"Why not a chemical knowledge skill? Your whip can be refilled through the handle and you may decide to try another kind of poison - or other chemical - attack," suggested the voice of Bast slyly.

"Why not?" shrugged Wildcat. "Might come in handy for figuring out all those potions and things Mumm-ra always uses."

"Attributes designated to character 'Wildcat' are saved," said Bast. "Thank you for joining the VR2L test group already in progress. I hope you enjoy your stay on Third Earth."

"I hope I do too," said Wildcat with a moment of apprehension as the panel on the opposite wall rose into the ceiling. He tried to make out what was on the other side of the bright light, but when nothing was revealed, he shielded his eyes and plunged right in.

*********************

"Welcome to the antechamber of VR2L Third Earth. I am your hostess, Lady Bast. Please state your name and step up to the screen to choose your character format."

"What do you mean by character format?" asked the player.

"Please state your name," repeated Lady Bast.

"Thundera Tiger."

The monitor split into two portions as the scanners analyzed the player's data and projected her image onto both haves of the screen.

"You will need to customize your character to enter the world of VR2L Third Earth," said Bast. "What race will you be?"

"I'm a large, sentient tiger," said Thundera Tiger. "A quadruped," she specified as the left half of the monitor changed, "not Thunderian. But I can talk."

"I suppose that does away with the problem of costuming," said Bast merrily. "Male or Female?"

"Female."

"Would you like to change any details on your tiger form?"

"Um...maybe make her a little bit bigger, but otherwise she's fine."

"Character designated 'Thundera Tiger' is saved," said Bast when her player accepted the final design. "Basic equipment includes food, water, and basic bedroll. You may choose one weapon and one additional item of equipment. Others may be gathered in time."

"Well, weapons would be pretty useless in this shape," said Thundera Tiger, "and so would most equipment. I only need my teeth and claws."

"Weapon and equipment declined," said Bast. "Please balance your skills and your attributes."

Thundera Tiger enhanced all of her natural abilities and was about to exchange her skills for additional points, but decided against it. "I want to keep the skill of literacy," she said. "I might not be able to hold a pencil, but at least I'll be able to read the local language." The rest she diffused into attribute points.

"Attributes designated to character 'Thundera Tiger' are saved," said Bast. "Thank you for joining the VR2L test group already in progress. I hope you enjoy your stay on Third Earth."

"Here's to walking on all fours!" said Thundera Tiger as she ducked under the rising wall and into VR2L Third Earth.

*********************

"Just call me Mitts! And I'm Thunderian, of course."

"Male or Female?"

"Female."

"And what kind of Thunderian are you," asked the voice of Lady Bast.

"Oh...mostly lion with a little bit of tiger. Mmm...maybe closer to a sabertooth lion, colour-wise," specified Mitts, looking at her character preview. "Right...sort of golden and brown. Oh...but the eye patches are a little different than most," she continued, creating a sort of stiped effect over the right eye and part of the left. "The hair is dark, but with a white fringe on the bottom...that's right," she grinned. "And hazel eyes too...with just a little more green."

"What sort of costume would you like your character to wear," asked Bast.

"Ultramarine jumpsuit...more leotard-like...and a royal purple cape. She also has a belt and hip drape of the same colour...ankle boots too. There should also be a silver armlet on her upper right arm."

"Character designated 'Mitts' is saved," said Bast when her player accepted the final design. "Basic equipment includes food, water, and basic bedroll. You may choose one weapon and one additional item of equipment. Others may be gathered in time."

"My weapon should be a mace," said Mitts without hesitation. "A spiked one. I'm not sure about my equipment though...it there anything artistic?"

"We have an artist's kit," confirmed Bast. "It will configure to your primary medium."

"Pencils are probably easiest for transportation," said the player.

"Then you will have a pencil artist's kit," the voice of Bast said cheerfully. "Please balance your skills and your attributes."

Mitts did so, choosing a battle skill, a knowledge of languages, and a cooking skill, smiling when Lady Bast commented on the lack of cooks and would she be interested in meeting ThunderManx? She did not bother with an artistic skill as she already knew how to draw and didn't see how using one hand or another would make any difference.

"Attributes designated to character 'Mitts' are saved," said Bast. "Thank you for joining the VR2L test group already in progress. I hope you enjoy your stay on Third Earth."

"This will be the ultimate vacation," said Mitts positively as she waited for the wall to rise. Then she shielded her eyes and entered into the world of VR2L Third Earth.

*********************

"I'm Lepris...Thunderian leopard, and 15 years old!" declared the newest player, wasting no time in getting his character set up.

"Male or Female?" asked the voice of Bast.

"Male! And with shorter hair than that," he continued, eying the template critically. "A bit more of a golden colour...not spots on the insides of the arms or legs...the fur is thinner. Oh, and my costume should be red! T-shirt and shorts...all the same colour...with a lighter belt."

"That was quick!" commented the cat-headed woman. "Character designated 'Lepris' is saved. Basic equipment includes food, water, and basic bedroll. You may choose one weapon and one additional item of equipment. Others may be gathered in time."

"Well, the weapon is sort of hard to describe. It's a throwing disk...a little like a frisby...but small," said Lepris, trying to describe the shape with his hands. "It has a blade around he edge and the Thundercat insignia in the middle on each side." The computer ellimiated the original image of Lepris on the right and replaced it with a close-up of the weapon, adjusting it until the player was satisfied. "And as for my equipment...can I get a hoverboard like the Thunderkittens?"

"I'm sorry," said Bast, "but spaceboards are designated as vehicles and all vehicles must be acquired within the game."

"Okay then...can I have a net-gun? It looks like a gun with a big barrell and it fires compressed nets with weights on them to catch people. That way I can stop bad guys without hurting them."

"Of course," said Bast cheerfully. "Our listed nets also come with a sticky goo on them to make them hard to break out of." Lepris laughed and said that would be fine. "Please balance your skills and your attributes."

Lepris chose mainly survival attributes and asked for an enhanced acrobatics skill as well as a Thundercat knowledge skill and a literacy skill.

"Attributes designated to character 'Lepris' are saved," said Bast. "Thank you for joining the VR2L test group already in progress. I hope you enjoy your stay on Third Earth."

"I know I will!" said Lepris, not even waiting for the wall to rise to the top of the chamber before ducking underneath it and into the light beyond.

*********************

"Call me Dr. Zhie...although the 'doctor' prefix is optional," grinned the new player.

"And what race are you," asked the voice of Lady Bast as the sensors did their work.

"Thunderian. A king cheetah as a matter of fact. Zhie looks mostly like a regular cheetah between the ages of 35 and 40, but her spots sort of run together and look a little like stripes while her fur has a sort of greyish-silver tint to it. She's also about five foot, nine."

"What sort of costume will your character be wearing?"

"Oh...well, how about something practical?" suggested the player. "Just a plain black unitard and black boots with a simple belt that matches the tinge of her fur. And over all of that she should be wearing a white lab coat...it gets messy, being a doctor," Zhie said slyly.

"Character designated 'Dr. Zhie' is saved," said Bast when her player accepted the final design. "Basic equipment includes food, water, and basic bedroll. You may choose one weapon and one additional item of equipment. Others may be gathered in time."

"Well, I guess a girl has to protect herself," mused Zhie, "but just an energy pistol will do. It's easy to conceal. As to equipment...I'd rather have Faero."

"Please describe Faero," asked the voice of Bast with interest.

"Oh, Faero is just a big snow leopard that's always with Zhie...they're never apart. He used to be a Thunderian snow leopard, but mecial and magical mishaps sort of changed that. He looks a lot like Snowmeow, actually, and has not special powers. He just follows Zhie around."

"Unusual," mused the computerized voice. "Please wait for confirmation." The voice disappeared and was replaced by a quiet hum as the information was analyzed. "Exchange accepted," said Bast finally. "Faero will count as Zhie's equipment. Please balance your skills and your attributes."

That part was easy enough and once the attributes were complete, Zhie chose a medical knowledge skill, a hand-to-hand combat skill, and an animal knowledge skill.

"Attributes designated to character 'Dr. Zhie' are saved," said Bast. "Thank you for joining the VR2L test group already in progress. I hope you enjoy your stay on Third Earth."

Zhie jumped slightly as the wall behind her began to rise up, but adapted quickly to the new situation. As soon as she was sure it would not drop back down on her, she slipped through the doorway and into the bright light beyond.

*********************.