Here is story #5 in the Paige Dyson Chronicles. Please enjoy! (Oh and review too)

ReBoot: The Paige Dyson Chronicles

Union of Sorts

Ep: 05.02.01

Chapter One: Thin

"Guardian's Log: X-01 dash 10005

Today has been hectic by my standards and I like it busy. This cycle, I have finally returned back to Mainframe after constantly speaking with the Temperance System of sprites to get their concerns out on the table and avoid an all out conflict. Thankfully, they agreed to a three cycle ceasefire until I return next second to take care of them.

The Spectrals and sprites are finally talking to each other in a civilized matter and the system of Vector Prime is peaceful and finally is happy to have a Guardian in Pixel Pardais there with me to keep track of her. It's hard being a rookie guardian with a large system like Vector straight out of the Guardian Academy, but I have full confidence in her ability to function.

I should know with all the systems that I have now and still trying to live in Mainframe.

Mainframe is functioning, but the interior unit of command is having a hard time agreeing with each other, but that is none of my concern. I have my own problems to deal with. Paige Dyson, Guardian X-01, out."

Breakside Tower Apartments

Paige was out of the shower and was drying off her hair with a towel. It was going to be her first day off minus monitoring from her new apartment. It would be good with all the traveling between her three systems that she had been doing.

She needed to rest.

"Dix, open VidWindows to Spectral City, Temperance, and Vector Prime," she ordered before sitting at her table and putting her feet on it. "Open mainly to the Command-Dot-Coms of the systems, if available."

What do I look like? Your phone system? Dixon's whirls and sounds said to her.

"Yeah."

Dixon floated and then opened all the windows as requested.

"Command-Dot-Coms of the system, this is your Guardian protector," she called to them all. "Responding if available would be good."

Each static filled window vanished and revealed the Command-Dot-Coms of each system.

"We are here," Spectral Omega said to her.

The Temperance system Commander sneered that he was being pulled away.

The doorbell rung.

"Sit tight gentlemen," she said. "I shall return." Paige got up, zipped up her open top, and walked to the door which opened.

"Is this a bachelor pad or a bachelorette pad sugah?" Mouse said as she and AndrAIa came inside. "You can't tell with how drab it is."

"Well, I haven't been home Mouse," she replied. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Trying to welcome you to Mainframe," AndrAIa said to her. "Oh Mouse is right. You need some help."

"This is the first time I have been home in a second gals," she told them. "I haven't had a time to decorate or accessorize my pad. But don't worry. It's on my priority one list in say, oh, ten cycles or so. If I even make it that far with my new powers."

"Well we're here to help you out honey with a house-coming online party," Mouse told her. "Are you busy sugah?"

"Let me finish my business with my systems and then maybe we can do something," Paige answered. She went back to the open VidWindows. "OK gentlemen and lady, let's cut and paste to the new business."

AndrAIa and Mouse were watching Paige work from the front door to the apartment. She was working profusely while trying to get herself cleaned and respectful in appearance.

"She's something now, isn't she?" Mouse commented.

"But overworking herself isn't going to fix one thing," AndrAIa stated.

"What?"

"That she's trying to avoid Bob. She doesn't want to admit that she's still jones'n for him."

They both watched her continue to work and waited for her to finish so they could have some fun with her.

Principle Office

Dot Matrix sat in the War Room working on the already large back-order log of work that she needed to get done. She constantly stared over at the clock, which read 1057AM. She exhaled and continued working.

Phong entered through the door and rolled his way over toward her. "Ah Dot my child, how is your work coming?"

"I'm working to get all these intelligence reports done before noon," she told him. "It's just with Megabyte's return, the intelligence reports, everyday monitoring system reports, and other messages, I feel bogged down."

"I thought that Enzo was helping you out?" he asked.

"He was, until he chased Matrix out of here and wanted to go and hang out with him. I guess AndrAIa and Mouse went to go check on Paige as she was moving into her new place last second. You'd think that with her travel schedule, she would want to move closer to her systems that she has been assigned to defend…" She took a breath. "I just can't explain her sometimes."

"An enigma Guardian Dyson is," he replied, "but a savior to us. I believe I have an answer to her still living in Mainframe. She needs to find a way to contain Megabyte and once she does, I am certain that she will move along."

"Can't be soon enough, can it?" she mumbled.

Wellman Matrix came walking into the War Room. "I have more reports for you princess," he said. "More intelligence on Megabyte."

Dot grumbled. "I'm never going to get these done before noon."

They wanted to know why.

"Bob wanted to meet at the Diner at noon so we could talk. I'm sure it has to be about the wedding, or the supposed wedding that was supposed to happen and never did. I just don't think that we are ready to discuss this. It's too soon."

"Did you talk to Bob about it?" Phong asked.

Dot stayed silent.

A VidWindow opened up before she could reply. In the window was a very handsome man of black and silver hair in the uniform of a high-ranking Guardian official.

"Yes, I am searching for the Command-dot-com of the system," his deep voice requested.

"That would be me," Dot replied standing. "Dot Matrix."

"Commander Matrix, I am Jeldwyn Green. Guardian Evaluation Specialist. I have been requested to come to Mainframe and assess the situation of Megabyte's new emergence and evaluate the status and need of Guardian X-01 Paige Dyson in your system. I am requested to come from the words of Prime Guardian Turbo Mallek and Surfer-Guardian Commander Maximillion Dyson. May I have the address to Mainframe so I may use a portal?"

Dot was surprised at the efficiency of this guardian evaluator. "Permission granted Guardian Green," she replied. "I would be honored to have you as our guest in our system."

"Thank you Commander," Green replied. "I will arrive in thirty nanos." The window closed.

"What about your lunch date Dot?" her father pointed out.

"Like I said," she told them, "I don't think we are ready to discuss this. I will just tell Bob that we can't meet because I have a guest coming. He'll understand."

Dot's Diner

"I don't understand," Bob said.

"Don't understand what mate?" Ray Tracer said to him as they were gliding toward Baudway heading for the diner where they would stop for an energy shake.

"Why they think that Paige can't stay in Mainframe?" he repeated. "She has a purpose for being here. She's trying to help us get rid of Megabyte and it's easy for her to be in a place where she is a portal away from her systems in case anything goes wrong.

"The Guardians think it is a waste of her skills being here and are sending some evaluator to see if she is really needed here."

"I hate those blokes," Ray told him. "One of the earlier girlfriends was a guardian. She had an evaluator that would have followed her around until shutdown and it still wouldn't be good enough for her. Brecka and I, we never had a moment alone and that's why she rebelled…a lot."

"What happened?"

"She was decommissioned and became a tag-along on my board," Ray told his story as they landed. They were walking into the diner as he finished the story. "We decided we were going to get married and she found this other bloke in the system and ran off with him. Oh Brecka, now she was a girl."

"How does she compare to say Mouse?"

"Oh, she's just like her, but Mouse is crazier than she was. I miss Brecka, I really do, but I'm glad that she ran off with that other bloke and I found Mouse. Now there's a girl who I could see upgrading with."

Bob and Ray sat down.

Cecil came around to be by them. "Not that I am your messenger or anything Mousier Bob, but Ms. Matrix called to cancel your lunch date for this after cycle."

"She canceled?" Bob asked. "Did she give a reason?"

"What am I? Your dog now? She did not give me a reason to tell you. Just to say that she…wasn't…coming." The robot went away to serve another binome.

Bob was disappointed.

"You and Dot still not having a full-length chat yet?" Ray asked.

"I'm beginning to wonder if she is avoiding me or something," he replied. "It sure seems that way. Probably has something to do with that…."

The door to the diner opened and in strolled AndrAIa, Mouse, and Paige; laughing at something before they entered. Paige was carrying several tiny Vid-display bags in her hand as they did.

Their eyes met and stayed for several nano-seconds before the other girls led Paige away to a different table.

Ray noticed the stare down and snapped his fingers to break it. "See something you like there Bob?" he asked.

"Maybe," Bob replied and looked to Paige who was socializing with the other girls again. "Maybe."

Oh the tension...it could be cut through like a knife. Please proceed onward.