The Missile 4
Copyright© 2026 by Zen Master
Chapter 6: Computers and Banks
Coming of Age Sex Story: Chapter 6: Computers and Banks - The fourth in a continuing series about how the Missile came to be the man we all know.
Caution: This Coming of Age Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including mt/ft mt/Fa GameLit
Now, finally, I had a desktop screen with several apps. Browser, email, office apps. There were also several more apps I didn’t know but could guess at. ‘VPN’ would be a secure connection to somebody.
“Step 5: When you get to the desktop, unless you are familiar with this setup, call for tech support.”
Welp, it was time to call. This was NOT my own computer. The number on the instructions, or Georgina? I split the difference, texting Georgina and asking her. She replied “Me for VPN and database stuff. Call regular number for everything else.” Okay. After dinner.
While we were eating I asked if I could drive to Cindy’s house, or if Nell could come over for a bit. Of course Mom gave me the evil eye. “Yes, you’re right, but I want both of them able to use this thing. They should be able to look at my ALPRA email, and to deal with all the PortalControl stuff while I’m at school.”
Of course Mom pointed out the obvious, in case I hadn’t seen it. “If you’re in school then Cindy should be in school, too.”
“Yes, but Nell won’t be. I’m going to take it to school tomorrow and see what they say. Can I use it in study hall? Even if they say no, I can use it as soon as school is out. I’m getting emails that really should be answered as quickly as possible, and that means someone who understands the big picture, which is you or Nell, as well as a Hunter which is me or Cindy. And you don’t want it.”
“Be home by 10. 11 at the latest, you have school tomorrow.”
It’s amazing how fast you can get from Attalla to Glencoe when there’s no traffic in Gadsden. While I set the laptop up in their dining room, Cindy and Nell got us drinks and pulled up chairs beside me. I was at the desktop with all the icons before I called the tech support number and put it on speaker.
Cindy probably knew more about computers than I did, while Nell claimed to know nothing at all about them. Well, we’d learn together.
They say “knowledge is power”. I don’t have enough knowledge to tell yet, but even a little knowledge is fun, when you’re talking to someone without it. The guy who answered asked who I was, since my number wasn’t in their database of previous callers. Right, separate databases, and these guys don’t need access to that data.
The confusion started right after that. Being a new hire from a week ago and just getting my issued laptop was fine. Not being able to call during the day because I was in school wasn’t, he was night shift and really only there for emergencies. Call between your classes. I’m in high school, I have classes all day every day. You’re a teacher? No, I’m a student. I’m 16.
Then how did you get that laptop? You know a Georgina Ahern? Yes, she’s one of our senior ‘Admin’s. She said I needed a state laptop to access the databases I’ll be working on. It’s only been a couple of hours since she told me to call her for VPN and database stuff, but call this number for everything else. So, I have this laptop and I don’t know Linux so I need to be walked through ‘everything else’.
He asked for my employee ID and the laptop ID, and he came back and said that all matched what I’d told him, but he didn’t have full access to all employee records. All he could do was look up whoever he was helping and verify stuff. I was a state employee, I was supposed to have that laptop, and if I was in high school all day then now was the only time I could call. He concluded that he was pretty sure he was supposed to help me.
So, he walked us through a lot of basic stuff. First, he showed us how to get to the app list and put common ones on the desktop. He did that by example, walking me through the steps until I had a new icon for ‘Files’, and that program was open. It was close enough to Windows Explorer to not need any more instruction with that. He had me make a new folder named ‘Personal’ and told me to put all the work-related stuff inside ‘Documents’, but put anything that wasn’t work-related in the ‘Personal’ folder.
He said that the executives wanted everyone to not use State equipment for personal things, but every time someone brought it up, one of his bosses would go to the bigwig’s office, open their laptop, and show the idiot all the personal things that HE had on HIS ‘work only’ laptop, and the idiot would shut up. No one was going to carry two laptops around just so they could keep their Christmas card list on their own PC. So, that ‘Personal’ folder. Just keep your files separate. Your stuff in ‘Personal’, and work stuff in ‘Documents’.
The same went for email, the program on the laptop was set to mirror my work account on the server, so I could work off-line and when I reconnected the two would synch up. Again, my work email was for work. If I wanted to install a personal email system that was fine, but I needed to make sure it put all the files in my ‘Personal’ folder.
How to use the browser. How to use the productivity apps. They were all a little different from the Windows software, but they did the same things so they were pretty similar. Then we went back to the ‘Files’ program and made sub-folders for “Docs” and “Pics”. Again, if I put all my stuff in those, then they’d get automatically backed up as part of the overall Personal folder. While he was talking I went ahead and made another sub-folder for “Team Newbie”.
He made a big point of the fact that everything we saw in “Files” was in a secure folder dedicated to my login account. If I logged into this laptop with another user account, I would get a different secure folder. Nothing in either one would be visible to the other.
He asked if the login screen had a ‘Guest’ login set up? I said yes, and he suggested that I try that one some time, just to see. There would be nothing in the “Documents” folder, and the “Personal” folder we’d made wouldn’t even show up. When I logged back in as me, though, it would all be there. Linux supported keeping user accounts separate. Unless I was set up as a local administrator, in which case I’d see everything. He said they tried to avoid giving that access to most users because they’d use it to break something.
By the time he was done with all that it was getting late. I told him that my brain was full and we’d move on to the next lesson some other day, and thanked him for his help.
No snuggling tonight! I packed the laptop back in the bag and got to give Cindy a nice hug and kiss, and then had to leave. Hugging Nell in front of Mrs. Jeffreys might have been okay, but if Sally or Mr. Jeffreys saw it would probably cause trouble. I just left the bag on the table when I got home and went to bed, calling Cindy and letting her know I’d made it.
I spent some time Thursday morning making a password list on my phone, then took the laptop with me to school. When 3rd period rolled around I poked my head in the library and then went down to the office. I started with “You should be happy to see me. My problems are always new and interesting.”
Miss Samantha smiled at me and said “My scales itch. And you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.” Yep, she remembered that she was the resident dragon.
I stepped back from the counter, then pulled out my shield and crouched behind it. “Bring it on, madam dragon!” Good, we can start with a good laugh and smiles. The headaches will come soon enough.
“Ma’am, I have two issues. I think they are both simple. I don’t know if you will think so, however.”
“What’s the easiest one?”
“As you know, I am a state employee and I travel for my job. One of the people down in Montgomery got tired of trying to deal with me only being able to do things after school and when I was home, so they issued me a secure government laptop. I can do my work anywhere. Will it cause trouble if I use it in the library, during study hall?”
“Can we see it?”
Sure. I put my shield away, pulled it out, and handed it to her. She didn’t even open it, just looking at the “State of Alabama” stickers on the top and bottom.
She turned her head while she held it, singing “Mr. Bry-yce!”
I heard his voice from his open office door. “Yes?”
“I would like you to back me up on a judgment call between two conflicting policies, involving a particularly troublesome student.”
I heard some muttering, but I couldn’t make it out. The office lady closest to him started grinning, though, so I figured she knew what he said. He came out and asked “What new headache do you have for me, Samantha?”
She showed him my laptop. Then, she hefted it in one hand as she said “The government of the Great State of Alabama, in its infinite wisdom, has issued a secure laptop to their employee Samuel McGowan, so that he can do his paid work. This is good and proper, as we want our taxes to only go to hardworking people who spend their lives serving the public.”
Then she shifted it to her other hand, hefting it the same way. “Sam McGowan is a student here. We don’t allow students to use laptops, as not everyone can afford them and it would be an unfair advantage.”
She put it back on the counter before she dropped it, then moved her hands up and down as if comparing weights. “He needs it to work. He can’t have it. Personally, I don’t see the conflict. As long as student-Sam never uses it for his schoolwork while he’s here, I don’t see why worker-Sam can’t use his assigned tools to do his job.”
The Principal nodded and turned to me. “That makes sense. Sam, the rule is clear. The intent behind the rule is clear. Students cannot use laptops here at school because not everyone has one, and it would be an unfair advantage. We can say “Yes, that state employee can use his tools while he does his job”, but we also have to say “Sam, you CANNOT use that laptop -or any other laptop- to help you with your schoolwork while you are here. If you want to use it to write school papers in the evenings after you have left school grounds, that’s fine. It’s none of our business. You just can’t use it for schoolwork while you are here.”
Then he stopped talking. It was my turn.
“That’s fair. And, I can do that. I will ONLY use it, while on school grounds, to do my assigned duties as an Alabama state employee. Although ... Has anyone ever checked to see how much it would cost to actually issue cheap laptops or tablets to each student?”
Miss Samantha nodded. “I know we looked into that a couple of years ago. We’d have to dig it out, but we have that somewhere around here.”
“Please do so, and update it if you can. I happen to know of a company that is about to get a big windfall income, and donating funds to a local school for laptops would be a great way to get tax credits.”
Mr. Bryce asked “How large of a windfall?”
“I don’t know yet. And, I don’t know how much of it the IRS will want. But, they tell me I’m on the Board of Directors, so I can at least suggest it. I don’t think they’d go for seat cushions for the stadium, but maybe laptops for education might fly.”
It occurred to me as I said that, that the Board would probably only approve it if we also bought laptops for Cindy, Matt, and George’s schools. That could get expensive.
“Okay, if that’s dealt with, can I put this away now?”
They both nodded. Miss Samantha said “Yes”.
“Good. Now, for the next problem. Before this Portal and Weapon thing came up, I was planning to play baseball for the school for the next two years like I did the last two years, and for the spring term I would have been put on PE for the last period to make practices easier on everyone.”
They both nodded. Good.
“Well, I’m not playing baseball now, but the reason is still valid. Can we ensure that I get study hall for my last class next term? Sometimes us working guys have to go to work and it would be really nice if I could just keep working instead of coming back to class after an hour.”
Miss Samantha said “Of course! You’ve lost your chance at an athletic scholarship due to a change in school policy through no fault of your own. We would hate to see you lose your job because we kept you from working.”
Mr. Bryce was quietly laughing. “Miss Wilson, dragons are NOT supposed to be helpful.” He looked at me. “That is a moral stand we can support. You’re right, you would have been at PE last period anyway. If you need to leave after your last class, just check in with the library and tell them you’ve got to go to work. They’ll know what’s going on. Oh, did you ever get your state employee ID?”
I said “Yes, sir”. as I was pulling it out of my wallet.
He looked at it. “What’re the diagonal red stripes for?”
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