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                                                                     EXHIBIT 4.2








                      THIS WARRANT HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED
                        UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
                             AND IS NOT TRANSFERABLE
                            EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN

                                    C3, INC.

                                PURCHASE WARRANTS

                                   Issued to:

                        PAULSON INVESTMENT COMPANY, INC.

                             Exercisable to Purchase

                         200,000 Shares of Common Stock

                                       of

                                    C3, INC.







                           Void after __________, 2002


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         This is to certify that, for value received and subject to the terms
and conditions set forth below, the Warrant holder (hereinafter defined) is
entitled to purchase, and the Company promises and agrees to sell and issue to
the Warrant holder, at any time on or after __________, 1998 and on or before
____________, 2002, up to 200,000 shares of Common Stock (hereinafter defined)
at the Exercise Price (hereinafter defined).

         This Warrant Certificate is issued subject to the following terms and
conditions:

         1. Definitions of Certain Terms. Except as may be otherwise clearly
required by the context, the following terms have the following meanings:

            (a) "Act" means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

            (b) "Closing Date" means the date on which the Offering is closed.

            (c) "Commission" means the Securities and Exchange Commission.

            (d) "Common Stock" means the common stock, no par value, of the
Company.

            (e) "Company" means C3, Inc., a North Carolina corporation.

            (f) "Company's Expenses" means any and all expenses payable by the
Company or the Warrantholder in connection with an offering described in Section
6 hereof, except Warrantholder's Expenses.

            (g) "Effective Date" means the date on which the Registration
Statement is declared effective by the Commission.

            (h) "Exercise Price" means the price at which the Warrantholder may
purchase one share of Common Stock (or Securities obtainable in lieu of one
Share) upon exercise of Warrants as determined from time to time pursuant to the
provisions hereof. The initial Exercise Price is $_____ per Share (120% of the
initial public offering price of a Share).

            (i) "Offering" means the public offering of shares of Common Stock
made pursuant to the Registration Statement.

            (j) "Participating Underwriter" means any underwriter participating
in the sale of the Securities pursuant to a registration under Section 6 of this
Warrant Certificate.

            (k) "Registration Statement" means the Company's registration
statement (File No.333-_________), as amended on the Closing Date.

            (l) "Rules and Regulations" means the rules and regulations of the
Commission adopted under the Act.


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            (m) "Securities" means the securities obtained or obtainable upon
exercise of the Warrant or securities obtained or obtainable upon exercise,
exchange, or conversion of such securities.

            (n) "Share" means, as the context requires, either (i) one share of
Common Stock which is one of the shares of Common Stock offered to the Public
pursuant to the Registration Statement or (ii) an identical share of Common
Stock for which the Warrant is initially exercisable.

            (o) "Warrant Certificate" means a certificate evidencing the
Warrant.

            (p) "Warrantholder" means a record holder of the Warrant or
Securities. The initial Warrantholder is Paulson Investment Company, Inc.

            (q) "Warrantholder's Expenses" means the sum of (i) the aggregate
amount of cash payments made to an underwriter, underwriting syndicate, or agent
in connection with an offering described in Section 6 hereof multiplied by a
fraction the numerator of which is the aggregate sales price of the Securities
sold by such underwriter, underwriting syndicate, or agent in such offering on
behalf of the Warrantholder and the denominator of which is the aggregate sales
price of all of the securities sold by such underwriter, underwriting syndicate,
or agent in such offering and (ii) all out-of-pocket expenses of the
Warrantholder, except for the reasonable fees and disbursements of one firm
retained as legal counsel on behalf of all of the Warrantholders that will be
paid by the Company.

            (r) "Warrant" means the warrant evidenced by this certificate, any
similar certificate issued in connection with the Offering, or any certificate
obtained upon transfer or partial exercise of the Warrant evidenced by any such
certificate.

         2. Exercise of Warrants. All or any part of the Warrant may be
exercised commencing on the first anniversary of the Effective Date and ending
at 5 p.m. Pacific Time on the fifth anniversary of the Effective Date by
surrendering this Warrant Certificate, together with appropriate instructions,
duly executed by the Warrantholder or by its duly authorized attorney, at the
office of the Company, 3800 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 310, Morrisville, North
Carolina 27560, or at such other office or agency as the Company may designate.
Upon receipt of notice of exercise, the Company shall immediately instruct its
transfer agent to prepare certificates for the Securities to be received by the
Warrantholder upon completion of the Warrant exercise. When such certificates
are prepared, the Company shall notify the Warrantholder and deliver such
certificates to the Warrantholder or as per the Warrantholder's instructions
immediately upon payment in full by the Warrantholder, in lawful money of the
United States, of the Exercise Price payable with respect to the Securities
being purchased. If the Warrantholder shall represent and warrant that all
applicable registration and prospectus delivery requirements for their sale have
been complied with upon sale of the Securities received upon exercise of the
Warrant, such certificates shall not bear a legend with respect to the
Securities Act of 1933.



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         If fewer than all the Securities purchasable under the Warrant are
purchased, the Company will, upon such partial exercise, execute and deliver to
the Warrantholder a new Warrant Certificate (dated the date hereof), in form and
tenor similar to this Warrant Certificate, evidencing that portion of the
Warrant not exercised. The Securities to be obtained on exercise of the Warrant
will be deemed to have been issued, and any person exercising the Warrants will
be deemed to have become a holder of record of those Securities, as of the date
of the payment of the Exercise Price.

         3. Adjustments in Certain Events. The number, class, and price of
Securities for which this Warrant Certificate may be exercised are subject to
adjustment from time to time upon the happening of certain events as follows:

            (a) If the outstanding shares of the Company's Common Stock are
divided into a greater number of shares or a dividend in stock is paid on the
Common Stock, the number of shares of Common Stock for which the Warrant is then
exercisable will be proportionately increased and the Exercise Price will be
proportionately reduced; and, conversely, if the outstanding shares of Common
Stock are combined into a smaller number of shares of Common Stock, the number
of shares of Common Stock for which the Warrant is then exercisable will be
proportionately reduced and the Exercise Price will be proportionately
increased. The increases and reductions provided for in this subsection 3(a)
will be made with the intent and, as nearly as practicable, the effect that
neither the percentage of the total equity of the Company obtainable on exercise
of the Warrants nor the price payable for such percentage upon such exercise
will be affected by any event described in this subsection 3(a).

            (b) In case of any change in the Common Stock through merger,
consolidation, reclassification, reorganization, partial or complete
liquidation, purchase of substantially all the assets of the Company, or other
change in the capital structure of the Company, then, as a condition of such
change, lawful and adequate provision will be made so that the holder of this
Warrant Certificate will have the right thereafter to receive upon the exercise
of the Warrant the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or
property to which he would have been entitled if, immediately prior to such
event, he had held the number of shares of Common Stock obtainable upon the
exercise of the Warrant. In any such case, appropriate adjustment will be made
in the application of the provisions set forth herein with respect to the rights
and interest thereafter of the Warrantholder, to the end that the provisions set
forth herein will thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in
relation to any shares of stock or other property thereafter deliverable upon
the exercise of the Warrant. The Company will not permit any change in its
capital structure to occur unless the issuer of the shares of stock or other
securities to be received by the holder of this Warrant Certificate, if not the
Company, agrees to be bound by and comply with the provisions of this Warrant
Certificate.

            (c) When any adjustment is required to be made in the number of
shares of Common Stock, other securities, or the property purchasable upon
exercise of the Warrant, the Company will promptly determine the new number of
such shares or other securities or property purchasable upon exercise of the
Warrant and (i) prepare and retain on file a statement describing



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in reasonable detail the method used in arriving at the new number of such
shares or other securities or property purchasable upon exercise of the Warrant
and (ii) cause a copy of such statement to be mailed to the Warrantholder within
thirty (30) days after the date of the event giving rise to the adjustment.

            (d) No fractional shares of Common Stock or other securities will be
issued in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, but the Company will pay,
in lieu of fractional shares, a cash payment therefor on the basis of the mean
between the bid and asked prices of the Common Stock in the over-the-counter
market or the last sale price on a national securities exchange or on The Nasdaq
National Market on the day immediately prior to exercise.

            (e) If securities of the Company or securities of any subsidiary of
the Company are distributed pro rata to holders of Common Stock, such number of
securities will be distributed to the Warrantholder or his assignee upon
exercise of his rights hereunder as such Warrantholder or assignee would have
been entitled to if this Warrant Certificate had been exercised prior to the
record date for such distribution. The provisions with respect to adjustment of
the Common Stock provided in this Section 3 will also apply to the securities to
which the Warrantholder or his assignee is entitled under this subsection 3(e).

            (f) Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, there will be
no adjustment made hereunder on account of the sale of the Common Stock or other
Securities purchasable upon exercise of the Warrant.

         4. Reservation of Securities. The Company agrees that the number of
shares of Common Stock or other Securities sufficient to provide for the
exercise of the Warrant upon the basis set forth above will at all times during
the term of the Warrant be reserved for issuance upon exercise of the Warrant.

         5. Validity of Securities. All Securities delivered upon the exercise
of the Warrant will be duly and validly issued in accordance with their terms,
and the Company will pay all documentary and transfer taxes, if any, in respect
of the original issuance thereof upon exercise of the Warrant.

         6. Registration of Securities Issuable on Exercise of Warrant
Certificate.

            (a) The Company will register the Securities with the Commission
pursuant to the Act so as to allow the unrestricted sale of the Securities to
the public from time to time commencing on the first anniversary of the
Effective Date and ending at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the fifth anniversary of
the Effective Date (the "Registration Period"). The Company will also file such
applications and other documents necessary to permit the sale of the Securities
to the public during the Registration Period in those states in which the shares
of Common Stock were qualified for sale in the Offering or such other states as
the Company and the Warrantholder agree to. In order to comply with the
provisions of this Section 6(a), the Company is not required to file more than
one registration statement. The Company will initially register the Securities



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on the registration statement to be used by the Company for the Offering. No
registration right of any kind, "piggyback" or otherwise, will last longer than
five years from the Closing Date.

            (b) The Company will pay all of the Company's Expenses and each
Warrantholder will pay its pro rata share of the Warrantholder's Expenses
relating to the registration, offer, and sale of the Securities.

            (c) Except as specifically provided herein, the manner and conduct
of the registration, including the contents of the registration, will be
entirely in the control and at the discretion of the Company. The Company will
file such post-effective amendments and supplements as may be necessary to
maintain the currency of the registration statement during the period of its
use. In addition, if the Warrantholder participating in the registration is
advised by counsel that the registration statement, in their opinion, is
deficient in any material respect, the Company will use its best efforts to
cause the registration statement to be amended to eliminate the concerns raised.

            (d) The Company will furnish to the Warrantholder the number of
copies of a prospectus, including a preliminary prospectus, in conformity with
the requirements of the Act, and such other documents as it may reasonably
request in order to facilitate the disposition of Securities owned by it.

            (e) The Company will, at the request of Warrantholders holding at
least 50 percent of the then outstanding Warrants, (i) furnish an opinion of the
counsel representing the Company for the purposes of the registration pursuant
to this Section 6, addressed to the Warrantholders and any Participating
Underwriter, (ii) furnish an appropriate letter from the independent public
accountants of the Company, addressed to the Warrantholders and any
Participating Underwriter, and (iii) make representations and warranties to the
Warrantholders and any Participating Underwriter. A request pursuant to this
subsection (e) may be made on three occasions. The documents required to be
delivered pursuant to this subsection (e) will be dated within ten days of the
request and will be, in form and substance, equivalent to similar documents
furnished to the underwriters in connection with the Offering, with such changes
as may be appropriate in light of changed circumstances.

         7. Indemnification in Connection with Registration.

            (a) If any of the Securities are registered, the Company will
indemnify and hold harmless each selling Warrantholder, any person who controls
any selling Warrantholder within the meaning of the Act, and any Participating
Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages, or liabilities, joint or
several, to which any Warrantholder, controlling person, or Participating
Underwriter may be subject under the Act or otherwise; and it will reimburse
each Warrantholder, each controlling person, and each Participating Underwriter
for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Warrantholder,
controlling person, or Participating Underwriter in connection with
investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability, or action,
insofar as such losses, claims, damages, or liabilities, joint or several (or
actions in



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respect thereof), arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of any material fact contained, on the effective date thereof,
in any such registration statement or any preliminary prospectus or final
prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based
upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;
provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any case to the extent
that any loss, claim, damage, or liability arises out of or is based upon any
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission
made in any registration statement, preliminary prospectus, final prospectus, or
any amendment or supplement thereto, in reliance upon and in conformity with
written information furnished by a Warrantholder for use in the preparation
thereof. The indemnity agreement contained in this subparagraph (a) will not
apply to amounts paid to any claimant in settlement of any suit or claim unless
such payment is first approved by the Company, such approval not to be
unreasonably withheld.

            (b) Each selling Warrantholder, as a condition of the Company's
registration obligation, will indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of
its directors, each of its officers who have signed any registration statement
or other filing or any amendment or supplement thereto, and any person who
controls the Company within the meaning of the Act, against any losses, claims,
damages, or liabilities to which the Company or any such director, officer, or
controlling person may become subject under the Act or otherwise, and will
reimburse any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company or any
such director, officer, or controlling person in connection with investigating
or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability, or action, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages, or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise
out of or are based upon any untrue or alleged untrue statement of any material
fact contained in said registration statement, any preliminary or final
prospectus, or other filing, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or arise
out of or are based upon the omission or the alleged omission to state therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in said
registration statement, preliminary or final prospectus, or other filing, or
amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with written
information furnished by such Warrantholder for use in the preparation thereof;
provided, however, that the indemnity agreement contained in this subparagraph
(b) will not apply to amounts paid to any claimant in settlement of any suit or
claim unless such payment is first approved by the Warrantholder, such approval
not to be unreasonably withheld.

            (c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under
subparagraphs (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such
indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an
indemnifying party, notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof;
but the omission to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it from any
liability that it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under
subparagraphs (a) and (b).




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            (d) If any such action is brought against any indemnified party and
it notifies an indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying
party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it may wish,
jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the
defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party; and after
notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election to
assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such
indemnified party for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such
indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable
costs of investigation.

         8. Restrictions on Transfer. This Warrant Certificate and the Warrant
may not be sold, transferred, assigned or hypothecated for a one-year period
after the Effective Date except to underwriters of the Offering or to
individuals who are either a partner or an officer of such an underwriter or by
will or by operation of law. The Warrant may be divided or combined, upon
request to the Company by the Warrantholder, into a certificate or certificates
evidencing the same aggregate number of Warrants.

         9. No Rights as a Stockholder. Except as otherwise provided herein, the
Warrantholder will not, by virtue of ownership of the Warrant, be entitled to
any rights of a shareholder of the Company but will, upon written request to the
Company, be entitled to receive such quarterly or annual reports as the Company
distributes to its stockholders.

         10. Notice. Any notices required or permitted to be given hereunder
will be in writing and may be served personally or by mail; and if served will
be addressed as follows:

                  If to the Company:

                        3800 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 310
                        Morrisville, North Carolina 27560
                        Attn:  President

                  If to the Warrantholder:

                         at the address furnished by the
                         Warrantholder to the Company for the 
                         purpose of notice.

         Any notice so given by mail will be deemed effectively given 48 hours
after mailing when deposited in the United States mail, registered or certified
mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid and addressed as specified
above. Any party may by written notice to the other specify a different address
for notice purposes.

         11. Applicable Law. This Warrant Certificate will be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Oregon, without reference
to conflict of laws principles thereunder. All disputes relating to this Warrant
Certificate shall be tried before the courts of



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Oregon located in Multnomah County, Oregon to the exclusion of all other courts
that might have jurisdiction.

         Dated as of ___________, 1997



C3, INC.



By:
   -------------------------------------
Its:
   -------------------------------------

     Agreed and Accepted as of _______, 1997.

PAULSON INVESTMENT COMPANY, INC.




By:
   -------------------------------------
Its:
   -------------------------------------




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