Neal told me they’d agreed to allow me into their circle, but I had to prove myself first. They wanted access to a computer system called "the Ark," which was the system at Digital Equipment used by the development group for RSTS/E. He told me, "If you can hack into the Ark, we’ll figure you’re good enough for us to share information with." And to get me started, Neal already had a dial-up number that he had been given by a friend who worked on the RSTS/E Development Team.