Slowly, Jo Ann's eyes fluttered open. Wild Card's warm eyes, as brown as her own, looked down at her. Jo Ann smiled and weakly raised a hand to touch his face.
"Wild...Card..." she whispered softly.
"I'm here, darlin'," he smiled back.
Turbo smiled warmly at her and turned his attention to his other friends. Nothing. Not one of them stirred.
"Bob...both...of...them...and...Dot...Hex...Matrix...An...dr...AI...a...are...they...all...right?" Jo Ann asked.
Wild Card frowned slightly; "It's too soon to tell, love..."
"Please...let...them...be...alright..." Tears ran down her cheeks as Jo Ann clung to Wild Card.
Wild Card held her gently and hoped they would be alright.
Jo Ann closed her eyes, getting what little rest she could. Every now and then, she would open her eyes, and look toward the others, hoping that they would wake up soon.
Dot paced up and down, her worry growing by the nano.
Jo Ann continued to snuggle close to Wild Card, exhausted by the events of her dream.
Dot kissed her husband's forehead.
"I'm...thristy," Jo Ann said. "Could...I...have...an...energy...shake ...or...something?"
Automatically, Dot went to fix energy shakes for everyone.
"Maybe...that...would...help...them," Jo Ann said. She was still a little weak, but the little cat-naps were helping some.
"Don't strain yourself," Dot told her, sounding a little cranky. She handed Wild Card and Jo Ann their energy shakes.
Jo Ann smiled at Dot and sipped her shake slowly. Wild Card also sipped slowly, to encourage Jo Ann to take her time.
Dot seemed to be getting more irate and kicked a wall.
"Calm down, Dot," Phong said. "Getting angry will not help them recover."
Dot resisted the urge to yell at the elderly sprite; he wasn't used to his Dot acting like this...this Dot didn't have a well-developed Matrix temper...she sighed loadly and opened a window to her reality.
Kayne answered and looked releaved. "Mom!! We thought the Taint had got you and Dad!! Where are you?"
"Helping friends in another reality...your dad is hurt -- We'll be back ASAP..."
Jo Ann leaned against Wild Card as she continued sipping her shake. She was feeling a little better, due to the little naps and the revitalizing energy of the drink. Wild Card continued to hold her, kissing her forehead from time to time.
"Kayne; I am worried about your father -- he might not be coming back with me..."
"WHAT?!!" Kayne exploded.
"I'll explain later -- so keep the battles going; I'll be home ASAP; love ya..."
"Love you, Mom; bring Dad home too..."
Jo Ann looked worriedly at her friends. What could be done to help them?
"Pixal, do you know what could help them?" Jo Ann asked her keytool.
{No. Ask Copeland or Glitch. They might know.}
"Copeland; Glitch; do either of you know how to help our friends?"
[I am not sure...I think we have to wait until they enter dream states in their own dream realities...and when that occurs, we should awaken them instantly] Copeland suggested.
"How will we know when they are in dream states?" Jo Ann asked.
[That's the hard bit]
"Surely, Glitch could tell if Bob enters the dream state," Phong said.
[I could] Glitch agreed, [but what about the others?]
"When the Bobs wake up, they could scan the others, couldn't they?" Wild Card asked.
[I think so...Bob can certainly tell through his link to Dot]
"Okay, let's try it that way," Jo Ann said. She was feeling a lot stronger, now.
[Okay]
Jo Ann and the others waited, keeping watch over their friends, alert to the slightest sound or movement. Jo Ann and the other Guardians kept their ears alert to any word from either Glitch that would tell them that one --or both-- of the Bobs were dreaming, and could be woke up.
[This Bob is beginning to dream!!] that reality's Glitch called.
"Okay!" Jo Ann grinned. "Now, do for him what you did for me!"
A stimulant was injected into Bob's arm and he groaned.
"Dot?"
"I'm here..." Wrong Dot, but it should reassure him...
Jo Ann gave a sigh of relief. One Bob was okay. The other Bob would soon follow suit. Then they could help with Matrix, AndrAIa, Hex, and the younger Dot.
The older Dot held Bob's hand. She wasn't his Dot, nor was he her Bob; but he needed this and so did she.
"Now, if the other Bob would just begin to dream, we could wake him up," Jo Ann smiled.
Dot turned her head to Jo Ann, "He always takes forever to get to sleep."
Jo Ann giggled. Being a bride, herself, she could guess why it took so long for that Bob to get to sleep.
"Its not like that at all!!" Dot protested, catching the suggestive edge in Jo Ann's laughter. She started to laugh herself, admiting that was a factor some of the time.
"Then, what is it?" Jo Ann smiled.
"We both get nightmares a lot..."
Jo Ann shuttered. She had been to this Bob and Dot's world before. She knew why they would be having nightmares so much.
Dot smiled sadly, "Don't worry..."
"...be happy!" Jo Ann laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. It's the title of a User song about being happy."
"Okay..." Dot looked at Jo Ann as if the User Guardian was still not quite lucid.
Wild Card nuzzled Jo Ann the way she liked, when his stubble-beard tickled her neck. She giggled, then kissed him. He held her close in his arms.
Dot laughed at the couple; she remembered her days as a newly-wed.
The younger Bob was up and around, now. He went over to Jo Ann to check on her.
"Are you alright, Jo?" he asked.
"I'm fine. You need to scan the others and watch for when they start dreaming. When they do, wake them up."
"Okay," Bob went over to the one that he now recognized as his Dot and started scanning.
"No signs of dreaming..." he moved onto Matrix. "Nothing."
"Keep scanning them. You never know just when they'll start to dream. Dot, how's the other Bob doing?" Jo Ann asked.
Dot sat, stroking her Bob's face. "He'll be a while yet"
Jo Ann sighed. With the other Bob awake, this would be easier on "her" Bob...and on everyone, really. Nearby, Turbo was scanning Hexadecimal with Copeland. Jo Ann decided she could be of some help in this way, so she went over to Matrix.
"I'll keep scanning Mattrix. As soon as Pixal says he's dreaming, I'll tell the doctor to wake him up. Don't worry. I won't use any of my powers and drain myself," she smiled at them.
Dot keep stroking Bob's face, "Please wake up, baby..." she whispered.
Pixal beeped, {Matrix is dreaming!}
"We have dream sign!" Jo Ann cried. "Wake him up! But be careful. We don't know if he wakes up grouchy or not!" A grouchy Matrix was something she did not want to face. Jo Ann moved on to AndrAIa and began scanning her.
The injection was given and Matrix woke up before the needle was in his arm. He grabbed the doctor who had jabbed him and looked ready to pound him.
"Calm down Enzo!" Dot commanded.
Jo Ann cound not help but smile a little. Matrix was never one to wake up groggy. "Easy Matrix; help me scan AndrAIa. As soon as Pixal says that she is dreaming, you need to wake her up."
"DrAIa hates being woken up..." he warned.
"That's why I want you to wake her up. She's sure to respond better if you do it. Wake her up like this..." Jo Ann whispered something in Matrix's ear.
"Okay," Matrix grinned wolfishly and monitored AndrAIa's condition.
Pixal beeped again, {AndrAIa is dreaming!}
"Now, Matrix!"
Grinning at Jo Ann, Matrix dipped down and gave AndrAIa a long passionate kiss.
"Wha...Sparky?" AndrAIa said.
"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Matrix continued to grin as he looked into her eyes.
Dot laughed softly, and looked up at Turbo, who was monitoring her Bob with Copeland, "Any sign?"
"It looks like...Yes! He's dreamin' , now! Administer tha stimulant!" Turbo commanded. The doctor obeyed, sticking the hypo into the older Bob's arm.
Dot bit her lip; half in worry; half in relief.
Turbo and Copeland moved back to Hexadecimal. He figured that if this older Bob was anything like his younger counter-part, he'll be awake soon enough. Jo Ann moved over to her Bob to help scan her Dot for, if nothing else, something to do.
"She'll be dreaming soon..." Bob told them.
[Hex is dreaming.] They gave her the stim and she sat up and grinned!
"I'm BA-ACK!!!" Hex called.
Jo Ann laughed and grinned. One more to go. She turned her attention back to "her" Dot, scanning her with Pixal, as "her" Bob continued to scan her with his powers.
Still locked in between dream states Dot had watched each of her friends be woken up...when a monster from her memories appeared from the shadows of her mind.
"Bob, Pixal is detecting something destrurbing in Dot's mind. Do you see it?" Jo Ann looked worriedly from Dot, to Bob, then back to Dot.
Bob had noticed too...He looked worried.
"Can we try and wake her before she enters her own dream state?"
"We could...but how?"
"I was hoping you'd have some suggestions..."
Dot turned around and faced her worst fear. She screamed loudly.
Jo Ann gulped. She had to risk it. She had to risk using her own powers to wake up Dot. She placed her hands on Dot's face, one on each cheek, and began to concintrate.
Dot kept screaming. Eventually even her physical form emitted the blood-curdling shriek.
"Bob! Help me!" Jo Ann cried. "Help me wake her up!"
Bob injected the stim into Dot's arm. Dot started to convulse.
Please, Dot...Wake up! Jo Ann thought frantically. Tears were running down her cheeks as she stared at her friend, not knowing what she could do to help her.
Dot knew it was there...lurking in the shadows...she ran and ran and could not escape it.
Jo Ann consintrated all her powers to open the doorway for Dot to pass through and awaken from her nightmare.
This way, Dot, this way... she mentally urged.
Someone was calling, trying to offer an escape...Dot couldn't see the light in the darkness...
"HELP!!" she sobbed, "Help me!!"
"Bob!" Jo Ann cried. "Help me get Dot out of there!"
Bob concentrated hard and entered Dot's nightmare.
Dot felt someone behind her and ran faster and harder.
"No!!!" she screamed, "Leave me alone!!"
"Dot; its me!!"
"Bob?"
Bob smiled at her.
"Jo Ann has the door open for us. Follow me out into the light."
Dot reached out and took his hand, following him out of her nightmare.
This way, Dot, Jo Ann repeated.
Tentatively; Dot stepped out into the light...
She awoke and opened her eyes.
"Hi, Dot," Jo Ann smiled, tears and sweat streaming down her face. Wild Card was beside her in an instant, holding the tired User Guardian in his arms.
"Thanks Jo Ann!!" Dot hugged Bob to her, so pleased to be out of the nightmare.
"And thank you guys!" Jo Ann smiled. "I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't came to my rescue!"
"We couldn't let anything happen to you," AndrAIa smiled; still enveloped in Matrix's embrace.
Jo Ann smiled at AndrAIa, then at the others.
"I think that this was the first time you guys have ever had to rescue Jo Ann!" Wild Card grinned. He kissed his wife and held her close.
Bob smiled, appreciating the irony.
The older Dot frowned, "I had no idea cloning was so dangerous..."
"It's usually not," the younger Bob said. "Jo Ann had some pretty heavy nightmares going on, and they attacked while she was at her weakest. But they're gone now. She shouldn't be bothered with them anymore." He reached over to Jo Ann, patting her hand and smiling. She smiled back.
"I just feel kinda responsible..." Dot admitted.
"Why?' Jo Ann asked her friend.
"If you weren't trying to help me, you wouldn't have been weakened... My Mainframe doesn't need a User Guardian badly enough to make you sick."
"I'll be alright, Dot. I got the best doctors around here in the Super Computer. And the clone is almost finished, so don't back out now!" Jo Ann grinned at Dot.
Dot squeezed Jo's hand and then remembered. "I have to tell Kayne you're alright!!"
"Sure. Then we'll continue with the clone. We still have some customizing to do!" Jo Ann smiled.
Bob smiled and nodded for Dot, who was in conversation with Kayne.
"Are you sure you are alright, JoJo?" Matrix asked, coming over to the User Guardian.
"I'm fine, Matrix. Really. Thanks," Jo Ann gave the big warrior a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She whispered into his ear, "We're going to have to get Bob and Dot to marry soon, so that you, Dot and little Enzo can be my brothers and sister."
Matrix grinned conspiratorially, "I'm in; what's the plan?"
"I don't know. Cupid, I'm not! We need to get AndrAIa and Andri into this, and anyone else if you can think of it."
Matrix smiled broadly, "I'll talk to Mouse..."
"Good one...!" Jo Ann grinned. "Do you think we should let little Enzo in on it, though?"
"Ohh, nooooooo..." Matrix shook his head emphatically.
"Okay. I figured that you would know, if anybody, if little Enzo could be trusted with something like this."
"He would be too excitable about it..."
"Yeah," Jo Ann laughed. "'Excitable' is definately another word for little Enzo!"
"Whatcha talking about?" AndrAIa asked, looking up.
"We are planning a way to get Bob and Dot hitched," Matrix grinned and whispered.
AndrAIa smiled broadly, "How can I help"?
"Do you know of any match-making tricks?" Jo Ann asked.
"A little -- I was Aphrodite in a game once and my AI programming kept her knowledge.
"Good! If there is anyone that knows anything about romance, it's the Greek goddess of love!" Jo Ann grinned.
AndrAIa nodded and grinned.
"This would be easier if we were back in Mainframe. The other Dot is almost finished with her call. When we get back to Mainframe, let's meet at Al's and make our plans. Okay?"
"Sure!"
With Kayne reassured, the older Dot grinned and turned back to the group.
"S'up?" she asked.
"Just a little something to get our Bob and Dot married off. But don't say anything about it to them, okay," Jo Ann whispered to her.
Dot's eyes widened in joy, "Go for it!"
Jo Ann gave them the old "thumbs up" sign, and winked.
The youger Bob and Dot turned around.
"Whats the whispering about?" Dot asked.
"Oh, nothing..." Jo Ann gave a little innocent look. You could almost see the golden halo forming over her head!
Bob raised a suspious eyebrow, "Yeah. Right. I believe you -- thousands wouldn't!"
Jo Ann continued to smile innocently. She shifted her gaze to the older Dot.
The older Dot winked back at the User Guardian conspiratorially.
"If you are ready," the doctor said, "the clone is ready to be customized."
"Sure!" Dot stood up, "Come on Jo; opinions..."
"Let's see: We agreed on blond hair and blue eyes, right?" Jo Ann asked the older Dot.
Dot nodded and smiled.
"Blond hair and blue eyes, it is!" said the doctor. He pushed some buttons. The clone's hair and eyes changed to the desired colors. "Anything else?"
Jo Ann looked at the older Dot.
Dot shrugged.
"Nothing else?" Jo Ann asked her. "This will be you're only chance to customize her. Once she's done and named, you can't go back and change anything."
"I know..." Dot smiled, "Any suggestions, Bob? Jo?"
"I can't think of anything else, what about you, Bob?" Jo Ann asked, looking toward the older Bob.
"Nothing else," Bob shrugged.
"Alright, then," the doctor said. "Name?"
"What did we decide, Jo?" Dot asked; Bob hugged her.
"Naomi, I think. Wasn't that it?"
"Oh, yes..." The doctor smiled and added that to the programming.
"And Turbo needs to fill in with the Guardian programing," the doctor said.
Turbo stepped forward and added the programming direct from Copeland; but held his hand out for Jo Ann's icon.
"Ya have a few tricks on there that Ah don't have."
"Right," Jo Ann said. She removed her icon from her chest and gave it to Turbo.
Turbo accessed the elements in Jo Ann's programming he wanted and copied them to the clone file.
"Here ya go, Jo," Turbo said, returning the icon as soon as he was done with it. "Thank ya."
"You're welcome, Turbo," Jo Ann smiled, replacing her icon on her uniform.
"Now what?" Matrix asked.
"Now," the doctor said, "we wake her up, now that the programing is done." He administered the stimulant that he had given the others.
The clone groaned slightly.
"Naomi, can you hear me?" the doctor asked.
The clone smiled, "Yes, I can..."
"Good. Do you know who and what you are?"
"I am a clone of User Guardian One, Jo Ann Montgomery..." she smiled.
"Very good. Do you know what your mission is?"
"To mend and defend..." she winked at Wild Card.
"Where are you going to 'mend and defend'?" Jo Ann asked, a little annoyed that the clone was flirting with her husband.
"An alternate Mainframe, sister..."
Now, the older Bob and Dot stepped forward, into Naomi's line of vision.
"Hey, guys!" she smiled broadly.
"Hello, Naomi," the older Bob smiled.
"Hey, Bob..." Naomi continued to flirt with an incressingly embarrassed Wild Card.
"Bob," Jo Ann asked. "I hope you have a brother in your dimention..."
"'Fraid not, Jo!"
"Then I hope that there is someone for her to become attached to!" Jo Ann deliberatly stood between Wild Card and Naomi, her body language clearly saying, "He's mine! Get your own!"
Naomi grinned at Jo's terratorialness. "Okay, sister...I'll back off...for now..."
"I hope you find someone in that universe, I really do," Jo Ann smiled.
"Thanks, sis. But I have all your memories of Wild Card...it's kinda hard to have inherited feelings," she sighed.
"Maybe we can clone Wild Card," Matrix said.
Naomi's eyes widened, "Oooh..." she practically purred.
"Not a bad idea!" Jo Ann grinned. "Thanks, Matrix!" She gave the green warrior a kiss on the cheek and a big hug.
"Yeah; Thanks, 'Trix..." Naomi hugged Matrix on the opposite side to Jo Ann. It was quite a sight.
"You'll get to customize him, of course!" Jo Ann smiled at Naomi. "Just to make him a little different from Wild Card."
"Yeah, yeah...whatever...you don't mind, do you --" Naomi cut herself off from the instinctive reaction of calling the Bounty Hunter 'lover', as Jo often did, "Wild Card..." she finished.
"Course not," Wild Card smiled. "What's a User Guardian without her Bounty Hunter!"
Naomi hugged him spontantously, then looked guiltily at Jo Ann, "Sorry, Jo..."
"It's okay," Jo Ann smiled. To Wild Card, she said, "Your turn, lover." She indicated the table where she, herself had lain for her cloning operation.
Both Dots and Bobs squeezed each others' hands.
"Can you give him a dream suppressant in case of invading dream viruses?" Matrix asked.
"Sure. I wouldn't want you to go through all that again," the doctor said.
"Amen!" AndrAIa agreed.
Everyone laughed. The doctor gave Wild Card the suppressent, then proceeded to extract the DNA from him.
Naomi watched in joy; she had problems with not having a Wild Card...
Jo Ann smiled at her "sister". Then, a thought occurred to her. She looked over to the older Bob.
"Do you realize that we are giving you a brother?" she asked.
Bob blinked and then shook his head, laughing, "No; I hadn't..."
"We are! Wild Card is this universe's Bob's twin brother! But can we make the clone your twin?" Jo Ann asked. She looked over to the doctor.
"Ummm...maybe you should use elements of my Bob's DNA as well?" the older Dot suggested.
"That would be wise..." the doctor said. He motioned for the older Bob to lay down while some of his DNA was taken.
Bob grinned and lay down to let the binome remove a DNA sample.
"Think of the customizing you want, Naomi, while they are doing the cloneing part," Jo Ann said.
"Decisions, decisions..." She joked. "How to improve on perfection?"
Jo Ann laughed. She never claimed that Wild Card was "perfection", but in her eyes --and heart-- he was very close.
Naomi shrugged at Jo Ann's reaction; realising she could 'hear' her sister's thoughts.
"Since Bob's hair isn't chrome anymore, why don't we make his hair chrome?" Jo Ann asked Naomi.
"Cool!" she grinned, "With amber eyes, I think..."
"Okay. That would make his eyes a little lighter than Bob's or Wild Card's. Anything else? Tattoos, or anything?"
"Ummm...well, he'll be younger than the Bob in that universe..." Naomi mused. "What about a tattoo like Matrix's?" she grinned.
"Is that okay with you, Matrix?" Jo Ann asked.
"Sure, but maybe you had better leave off the spines. They represent AndrAIa," Matrix grinned.
The two Dots shared a happy sigh; no matter where Dot was from; she was a hopeless romantic.
Jo Ann and Naomi giggled.
"Okay, this is getting disconcerting," AndrAIa smiled. "First the two Dots do everything in synch; then the two Bobs; now you guys?! Scary!!"
Jo Ann and Naomi laughed. Then Jo Ann asked her, "What about a name? Obiviously, he can't be named, 'Wild Card'."
"Oh, User...umm..." she looked around for suggestions.
"Let's see: How about...Echo? The Echo of Greek myth was female, but this guy will be an 'echo' of Wild Card. What do you think?" Jo Ann suggested.
"I like..." She hugged Jo Ann warmly.
"Okay...Echo it is!" Jo Ann smiled, and hugged Naomi back.
AndrAIa nuzzled Matrix, "How are we gonna get Bob and your sister to marry?" she whispered.
"Good question," he whispered back. "Let's think about it, and compare notes with Jo Ann back in Mainframe."
"Okay, Sparky..."
Jo Ann smiled at the couple. Then she turned to Wild Card, who was resting comfortablly, his part done. She slid her hand into his and held it tight.
Wild Card squeezed Jo Ann's hand.
Jo Ann lifted his hand and rubbed it against her cheek. She brought it to her lips and kissed it, before returning it to her cheek.
"Love ya, Jo..." he told her.
"I love you, too, Wild Card." Jo Ann bent down and kissed him on the lips.
The older Dot had fallen asleep in her Bob's arms... for the first time in hours, the nightmares didn't come.
Jo Ann smiled at them. Dot's older "sister" was finally getting the rest that she needed.
Bob was stroking Dot's hair and letting her rest.
Jo Ann sighed. So much had happened. She watched as the doctors put the final information into the incubater. Now, all that was left to do was to wait.
\
AndrAIa and Matrix were sitting together, deep in a conversation that none of the others could hear.
Jo Ann smiled. She had a feeling just what they were talking about.
AndrAIa mocked pouted and teasingly slapped Matrix's arm with the back of her hand.
Jo Ann grinned. Matrix and AndrAIa was having a mock-lover's spat. It was so cute!
Matrix raised his eyebrows at her and proceeded to tickle the gamesprite.
Jo Ann smiled. She hugged Wild Card's arm to her, kissing his hand again.
AndrAIa squirmed, "No, Sparky, please!!" she squealed as his strong arms held her as he tickled her while she squirmed.
Jo Ann giggled as the two played. Wild Card was sitting up now, smiling at her.
"Hey, there..." he smiled at her.
"Hi, love. Have a nice rest?" Jo Ann smiled back at him.
"Yeah..." he squeezed her hand.
Still smiling, Jo Ann slid her arms around Wild Card's neck, holding him close. She kissed his lips long and hard.
Wild Card grinned back at her, "Am I really awake? Or is this just a dream?"
"You're awake, dearest," Jo Ann smiled. She held on to him, happy that he was hers.
"Hey, handsome!!" Naomi called to Wild Card.
"Hi, Naomi," Wild Card smiled. He looked back at the incubater, then back at her. "Yer man is 'most done. What name did ya decide on? I don't think I was awake, when ya chose it."
"Jo suggested 'Echo'; I kinda liked it..."
"He'll be an 'echo' of you. That's what made me think of it," Jo Ann explained.
Wild Card grinned, "Neat..."
"What about the Guardian protocals?" Jo Ann asked. "Wild Card didn't get to finish Guardian Training, but he still has the protocals. Echo should have them, too, shouldn't he?"
"Ya have a good point, Jo Ann..." Turbo approached the doctor who nodded and let Turbo add the modifications. "Can ah have yoah icon foah a nano, please, Wild Card?"
Wild Card obliged and Turbo added the enhancements to the clone.
"Echo will also have chrome-hair --since neither Bob has chrome hair anymore-- and amber eyes. He'll also have a tattoo like Matrix's, but without the spines, since those are suppose to represent AndrAIa," Jo Ann continued to explain to Wild Card.
Wild Card seemed impressed, and squeezed Jo's hand again. He hated needles.
"Think you'll ever get a tattoo?' Jo Ann asked him.
"I dunno, love..."
"If you don't like needles --and I'm not too fond of them, myself-- there is always the anceint East Indian art of Mehndi," Jo Ann smiled.
"What?" Wild Card asked.
"Body painting with henna. It's safe, looks great, easy to do, and if you don't like what you have, wait about three weeks for it to fade, and you can redo it. Best of all -- no needles!" Jo Ann grinned.
"Sounds interesting..." Better than needles, Wild Card added mentally.
That's true! Jo Ann answered him, and smiled.
Nuts!! I forgot about the telepathy -- I must be more groggy than I thought...
"It's okay, honey," Jo Ann smiled and kissed his cheek. He nuzzled her neck, tickling her. She giggled, "You know how to make me laugh, even if I got really sad!"
"Is that so?" Wild Card feigned indignation.
"Yep!" Jo Ann climbed upon Wild Card's lap. "If you see that I'm sad or depressed, just nuzzle me like that, and I'll laugh and forget my troubles." She kissed him, then buried her face in his chest.
Wild Card brought his strong arms up around her and held her close.
"I love you very, very, very much, Wild Card," she whispered to him.
"Copy and paste that, darlin'..."
"How's Echo coming, doc?" Hexadecimal asked.
"Nearly ready -- gotta make sure the codes are taking..." he told her.
"Okay, dokies!" Hex smiled.
Naomi smiled gratefully; she had wanted to ask the same question but did not want to appear impatient.
Hex smiled at her. She wondered if she, herself, would ever find someone as sweet, kind, and gentle as Bob. No matter, she thought to herself. As long as these kids are happy, I am happy.
Naomi hugged Hex, You'll find someone...
I hope so, dear. There's not too many men available for ex-virues!
Everyone has a soulmate, Hex...
Hopefully, mine will be one of the GOOD guys, Hex smiled at her.
Naomi giggled appreciativly at Hex's humour.
Hex remembered how much she had loved Bob back when she was a virus. That love had been twisted, corrupted by her chaotic nature. Then Bob --merged with his keytool, Glitch-- had defragmented her mind and fused her masks into a real face. Thus cured, she realized that it was Dot he was meant to be with. She had let him go, keeping his gifts of sanity, freedom, and his friendship. She had never betrayed that friendship, ever.
"I think we're ready to wake him up, " the doctor called.
Now, everyone crowded around to see the clone. Naomi and Wild Card --Jo Ann between them-- stood in front, the first to see Echo awaken.
"Hey, there," Naomi greeted him.
Echo smiled at Naomi. How beautiful she was! The first words out of his mouth surprised them all.
"I've died and gone to Heaven."
Jo Ann had to giggle at this one. She had not heard anyone speak that line in a long time!
Naomi laughed and hugged him.
"What was so funny?" Matrix asked Jo Ann.
"What Echo just said. The character of Steve Trevor said that the first time he saw Wonder Woman!"
"Who?" AndrAIa asked.
"Characters from a comic book called 'Wonder Woman'. It was one of my favorite comics. But the line as Echo said it came from the T.V. movie that was made back in 1975," Jo Ann explained.
"That's good...I take it?" The game sprite asked.
"Yes," Jo Ann laughed. "Wonder Woman was a very beautiful woman. According to the comic book, she was 'more beautiful the Aphrodite, wiser than Athena, stronger then Hercules and swifter then Mercury'.
What's strange is that, although Aphrodite and Athena are Greek, Hercules and Mercury were Roman. Herakules was Hercules Greek name, while Hermes was Mercury's."
AndrAIa blinked a couple of times, trying to process the information. Eventually she just shrugged.
"Okay, Jo..."
Jo Ann smiled and shrugged. She often had to explain User things to her Mainframe friends, and sometimes, the explainations suffered from translation. At least, she thought, I have not had to explain Red Sonja to them. I would not know where to begin, explaining her!
Naomi caught her sister's thoughts and smiled warmly from Echo's embrace.
"Do you know, who and what you are, Echo?" Jo Ann asked. It was becoming a clone ritual to ask that question.
"Yeah; I'm a clone of Wild Card..." he grinned at Jo Ann.
"And what is your mission?" Maybe these questions will become a cloning ritual.
"To keep Naomi safe..." he grinned cheekily.
"And...what else?" the older Bob asked. Let's get him on the right frequncy while we are here! Bob thought.
"Well...I'm not techinally a Guardian. I have the 'to mend and defend' thing programmed into me..." he smiled.
"That's okay," Wild Card grinned. "I'm not technically a Guardian, either. I still 'mend and defend', though."
Echo grinned at his 'brother'. "Oh well...a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do..."
"Yep!" Wild Card laughed.
Naomi and Jo exchanges glances.
"Well, Naomi," Jo Ann said. "You got a man, and I've got a man. I hope you'll be happy with Echo as I am with Wild Card."
"I don't doubt it!" Naomi grinned and squeezed Echo.
Jo Ann smiled. She hugged Wild Card close, glad of so simple a solution to her momentary rival problem. Both women had a man that they where truely happy with and that they loved very much.
Naomi sent an apolgetic thought to her 'sister': I am sorry I was hitting on Wild Card...
It's okay. With my DNA, you couldn't help it. Now, you have Echo --your very OWN Wild Card!
Oh, yeah!! They shared a giggle.
"You know what the two of you are going to be up against when you get back to the other Mainframe, don't you?" Jo Ann had to ask the clone couple.
Naomi bit her lip and sighed, "Yeah..." she said softly and Echo hugged her. "We know..."
"Good. If you have any questions, ask your Bob and Dot." Jo Ann wanted to make sure the two was not going in blind and deaf, so to speak.
"Yeah..." they looked over at the older Dot and Bob. Dot was still sleeping soundly in Bob's arms.
"Bob," Jo Ann said to the older man. "Maybe it's time to take her --and them-- home. Kayne must be worried sick, you've been gone so long."
"Yes, I just hate to wake her..." Bob smiled down at the sleeping Dot. She looked so peaceful.
"Can you carry her, or should Echo help?" Jo Ann asked.
"I can carry her; she's never been a burden to me..." he said softly, scooping her up in his arms.
"Good-bye. Keep in touch," Jo Ann smiled. She kissed Bob on his cheek and gave him a little hug. "Sweet dreams, Dot," she whispered. To Echo and Naomi, she said, "You two take care, and keep me posted on what happens." She gave each a kiss and a hug. Then, she whispered in Echo's ear, "She'll probibly like prism blossoms. Try to get her at least one as often as you can. She'll love that!"
"Bye, Jo Ann!! Of course I'll keep in touch!!" Naomi hugged her sister.
"Thanks for the tip, "Echo whispered to Jo Ann. They hugged all their friends and Bob opened the portal to their universe.
"Farewell, friends!" Jo Ann called, waving goodbye. "Don't forget to e-mail!"
"I won't...take care!!"
Jo Ann sighed as their other-dimentional friends returned to their war-torn Mainframe. She turned to her own Mainframe friends and family. "It's time that we went home, too," she said wearily.
"Good idea..." Wild Card hugged her.
Jo Ann smiled, then gave Turbo a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "See you later, Turbo. Thanks for letting us make the clones."
"No problem, Jo...Just glad to help..."
"Bob, if you will please make the portal, because I'm too pooped to portal..." Jo Ann smiled at the young Guardian.
"Sure!!" They headed home.
The End
"Wild...Card..." she whispered softly.
"I'm here, darlin'," he smiled back.
Turbo smiled warmly at her and turned his attention to his other friends. Nothing. Not one of them stirred.
"Bob...both...of...them...and...Dot...Hex...Matrix...An...dr...AI...a...are...they...all...right?" Jo Ann asked.
Wild Card frowned slightly; "It's too soon to tell, love..."
"Please...let...them...be...alright..." Tears ran down her cheeks as Jo Ann clung to Wild Card.
Wild Card held her gently and hoped they would be alright.
Jo Ann closed her eyes, getting what little rest she could. Every now and then, she would open her eyes, and look toward the others, hoping that they would wake up soon.
Dot paced up and down, her worry growing by the nano.
Jo Ann continued to snuggle close to Wild Card, exhausted by the events of her dream.
Dot kissed her husband's forehead.
"I'm...thristy," Jo Ann said. "Could...I...have...an...energy...shake ...or...something?"
Automatically, Dot went to fix energy shakes for everyone.
"Maybe...that...would...help...them," Jo Ann said. She was still a little weak, but the little cat-naps were helping some.
"Don't strain yourself," Dot told her, sounding a little cranky. She handed Wild Card and Jo Ann their energy shakes.
Jo Ann smiled at Dot and sipped her shake slowly. Wild Card also sipped slowly, to encourage Jo Ann to take her time.
Dot seemed to be getting more irate and kicked a wall.
"Calm down, Dot," Phong said. "Getting angry will not help them recover."
Dot resisted the urge to yell at the elderly sprite; he wasn't used to his Dot acting like this...this Dot didn't have a well-developed Matrix temper...she sighed loadly and opened a window to her reality.
Kayne answered and looked releaved. "Mom!! We thought the Taint had got you and Dad!! Where are you?"
"Helping friends in another reality...your dad is hurt -- We'll be back ASAP..."
Jo Ann leaned against Wild Card as she continued sipping her shake. She was feeling a little better, due to the little naps and the revitalizing energy of the drink. Wild Card continued to hold her, kissing her forehead from time to time.
"Kayne; I am worried about your father -- he might not be coming back with me..."
"WHAT?!!" Kayne exploded.
"I'll explain later -- so keep the battles going; I'll be home ASAP; love ya..."
"Love you, Mom; bring Dad home too..."
Jo Ann looked worriedly at her friends. What could be done to help them?
"Pixal, do you know what could help them?" Jo Ann asked her keytool.
{No. Ask Copeland or Glitch. They might know.}
"Copeland; Glitch; do either of you know how to help our friends?"
[I am not sure...I think we have to wait until they enter dream states in their own dream realities...and when that occurs, we should awaken them instantly] Copeland suggested.
"How will we know when they are in dream states?" Jo Ann asked.
[That's the hard bit]
"Surely, Glitch could tell if Bob enters the dream state," Phong said.
[I could] Glitch agreed, [but what about the others?]
"When the Bobs wake up, they could scan the others, couldn't they?" Wild Card asked.
[I think so...Bob can certainly tell through his link to Dot]
"Okay, let's try it that way," Jo Ann said. She was feeling a lot stronger, now.
[Okay]
Jo Ann and the others waited, keeping watch over their friends, alert to the slightest sound or movement. Jo Ann and the other Guardians kept their ears alert to any word from either Glitch that would tell them that one --or both-- of the Bobs were dreaming, and could be woke up.
[This Bob is beginning to dream!!] that reality's Glitch called.
"Okay!" Jo Ann grinned. "Now, do for him what you did for me!"
A stimulant was injected into Bob's arm and he groaned.
"Dot?"
"I'm here..." Wrong Dot, but it should reassure him...
Jo Ann gave a sigh of relief. One Bob was okay. The other Bob would soon follow suit. Then they could help with Matrix, AndrAIa, Hex, and the younger Dot.
The older Dot held Bob's hand. She wasn't his Dot, nor was he her Bob; but he needed this and so did she.
"Now, if the other Bob would just begin to dream, we could wake him up," Jo Ann smiled.
Dot turned her head to Jo Ann, "He always takes forever to get to sleep."
Jo Ann giggled. Being a bride, herself, she could guess why it took so long for that Bob to get to sleep.
"Its not like that at all!!" Dot protested, catching the suggestive edge in Jo Ann's laughter. She started to laugh herself, admiting that was a factor some of the time.
"Then, what is it?" Jo Ann smiled.
"We both get nightmares a lot..."
Jo Ann shuttered. She had been to this Bob and Dot's world before. She knew why they would be having nightmares so much.
Dot smiled sadly, "Don't worry..."
"...be happy!" Jo Ann laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. It's the title of a User song about being happy."
"Okay..." Dot looked at Jo Ann as if the User Guardian was still not quite lucid.
Wild Card nuzzled Jo Ann the way she liked, when his stubble-beard tickled her neck. She giggled, then kissed him. He held her close in his arms.
Dot laughed at the couple; she remembered her days as a newly-wed.
The younger Bob was up and around, now. He went over to Jo Ann to check on her.
"Are you alright, Jo?" he asked.
"I'm fine. You need to scan the others and watch for when they start dreaming. When they do, wake them up."
"Okay," Bob went over to the one that he now recognized as his Dot and started scanning.
"No signs of dreaming..." he moved onto Matrix. "Nothing."
"Keep scanning them. You never know just when they'll start to dream. Dot, how's the other Bob doing?" Jo Ann asked.
Dot sat, stroking her Bob's face. "He'll be a while yet"
Jo Ann sighed. With the other Bob awake, this would be easier on "her" Bob...and on everyone, really. Nearby, Turbo was scanning Hexadecimal with Copeland. Jo Ann decided she could be of some help in this way, so she went over to Matrix.
"I'll keep scanning Mattrix. As soon as Pixal says he's dreaming, I'll tell the doctor to wake him up. Don't worry. I won't use any of my powers and drain myself," she smiled at them.
Dot keep stroking Bob's face, "Please wake up, baby..." she whispered.
Pixal beeped, {Matrix is dreaming!}
"We have dream sign!" Jo Ann cried. "Wake him up! But be careful. We don't know if he wakes up grouchy or not!" A grouchy Matrix was something she did not want to face. Jo Ann moved on to AndrAIa and began scanning her.
The injection was given and Matrix woke up before the needle was in his arm. He grabbed the doctor who had jabbed him and looked ready to pound him.
"Calm down Enzo!" Dot commanded.
Jo Ann cound not help but smile a little. Matrix was never one to wake up groggy. "Easy Matrix; help me scan AndrAIa. As soon as Pixal says that she is dreaming, you need to wake her up."
"DrAIa hates being woken up..." he warned.
"That's why I want you to wake her up. She's sure to respond better if you do it. Wake her up like this..." Jo Ann whispered something in Matrix's ear.
"Okay," Matrix grinned wolfishly and monitored AndrAIa's condition.
Pixal beeped again, {AndrAIa is dreaming!}
"Now, Matrix!"
Grinning at Jo Ann, Matrix dipped down and gave AndrAIa a long passionate kiss.
"Wha...Sparky?" AndrAIa said.
"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Matrix continued to grin as he looked into her eyes.
Dot laughed softly, and looked up at Turbo, who was monitoring her Bob with Copeland, "Any sign?"
"It looks like...Yes! He's dreamin' , now! Administer tha stimulant!" Turbo commanded. The doctor obeyed, sticking the hypo into the older Bob's arm.
Dot bit her lip; half in worry; half in relief.
Turbo and Copeland moved back to Hexadecimal. He figured that if this older Bob was anything like his younger counter-part, he'll be awake soon enough. Jo Ann moved over to her Bob to help scan her Dot for, if nothing else, something to do.
"She'll be dreaming soon..." Bob told them.
[Hex is dreaming.] They gave her the stim and she sat up and grinned!
"I'm BA-ACK!!!" Hex called.
Jo Ann laughed and grinned. One more to go. She turned her attention back to "her" Dot, scanning her with Pixal, as "her" Bob continued to scan her with his powers.
Still locked in between dream states Dot had watched each of her friends be woken up...when a monster from her memories appeared from the shadows of her mind.
"Bob, Pixal is detecting something destrurbing in Dot's mind. Do you see it?" Jo Ann looked worriedly from Dot, to Bob, then back to Dot.
Bob had noticed too...He looked worried.
"Can we try and wake her before she enters her own dream state?"
"We could...but how?"
"I was hoping you'd have some suggestions..."
Dot turned around and faced her worst fear. She screamed loudly.
Jo Ann gulped. She had to risk it. She had to risk using her own powers to wake up Dot. She placed her hands on Dot's face, one on each cheek, and began to concintrate.
Dot kept screaming. Eventually even her physical form emitted the blood-curdling shriek.
"Bob! Help me!" Jo Ann cried. "Help me wake her up!"
Bob injected the stim into Dot's arm. Dot started to convulse.
Please, Dot...Wake up! Jo Ann thought frantically. Tears were running down her cheeks as she stared at her friend, not knowing what she could do to help her.
Dot knew it was there...lurking in the shadows...she ran and ran and could not escape it.
Jo Ann consintrated all her powers to open the doorway for Dot to pass through and awaken from her nightmare.
This way, Dot, this way... she mentally urged.
Someone was calling, trying to offer an escape...Dot couldn't see the light in the darkness...
"HELP!!" she sobbed, "Help me!!"
"Bob!" Jo Ann cried. "Help me get Dot out of there!"
Bob concentrated hard and entered Dot's nightmare.
Dot felt someone behind her and ran faster and harder.
"No!!!" she screamed, "Leave me alone!!"
"Dot; its me!!"
"Bob?"
Bob smiled at her.
"Jo Ann has the door open for us. Follow me out into the light."
Dot reached out and took his hand, following him out of her nightmare.
This way, Dot, Jo Ann repeated.
Tentatively; Dot stepped out into the light...
She awoke and opened her eyes.
"Hi, Dot," Jo Ann smiled, tears and sweat streaming down her face. Wild Card was beside her in an instant, holding the tired User Guardian in his arms.
"Thanks Jo Ann!!" Dot hugged Bob to her, so pleased to be out of the nightmare.
"And thank you guys!" Jo Ann smiled. "I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't came to my rescue!"
"We couldn't let anything happen to you," AndrAIa smiled; still enveloped in Matrix's embrace.
Jo Ann smiled at AndrAIa, then at the others.
"I think that this was the first time you guys have ever had to rescue Jo Ann!" Wild Card grinned. He kissed his wife and held her close.
Bob smiled, appreciating the irony.
The older Dot frowned, "I had no idea cloning was so dangerous..."
"It's usually not," the younger Bob said. "Jo Ann had some pretty heavy nightmares going on, and they attacked while she was at her weakest. But they're gone now. She shouldn't be bothered with them anymore." He reached over to Jo Ann, patting her hand and smiling. She smiled back.
"I just feel kinda responsible..." Dot admitted.
"Why?' Jo Ann asked her friend.
"If you weren't trying to help me, you wouldn't have been weakened... My Mainframe doesn't need a User Guardian badly enough to make you sick."
"I'll be alright, Dot. I got the best doctors around here in the Super Computer. And the clone is almost finished, so don't back out now!" Jo Ann grinned at Dot.
Dot squeezed Jo's hand and then remembered. "I have to tell Kayne you're alright!!"
"Sure. Then we'll continue with the clone. We still have some customizing to do!" Jo Ann smiled.
Bob smiled and nodded for Dot, who was in conversation with Kayne.
"Are you sure you are alright, JoJo?" Matrix asked, coming over to the User Guardian.
"I'm fine, Matrix. Really. Thanks," Jo Ann gave the big warrior a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She whispered into his ear, "We're going to have to get Bob and Dot to marry soon, so that you, Dot and little Enzo can be my brothers and sister."
Matrix grinned conspiratorially, "I'm in; what's the plan?"
"I don't know. Cupid, I'm not! We need to get AndrAIa and Andri into this, and anyone else if you can think of it."
Matrix smiled broadly, "I'll talk to Mouse..."
"Good one...!" Jo Ann grinned. "Do you think we should let little Enzo in on it, though?"
"Ohh, nooooooo..." Matrix shook his head emphatically.
"Okay. I figured that you would know, if anybody, if little Enzo could be trusted with something like this."
"He would be too excitable about it..."
"Yeah," Jo Ann laughed. "'Excitable' is definately another word for little Enzo!"
"Whatcha talking about?" AndrAIa asked, looking up.
"We are planning a way to get Bob and Dot hitched," Matrix grinned and whispered.
AndrAIa smiled broadly, "How can I help"?
"Do you know of any match-making tricks?" Jo Ann asked.
"A little -- I was Aphrodite in a game once and my AI programming kept her knowledge.
"Good! If there is anyone that knows anything about romance, it's the Greek goddess of love!" Jo Ann grinned.
AndrAIa nodded and grinned.
"This would be easier if we were back in Mainframe. The other Dot is almost finished with her call. When we get back to Mainframe, let's meet at Al's and make our plans. Okay?"
"Sure!"
With Kayne reassured, the older Dot grinned and turned back to the group.
"S'up?" she asked.
"Just a little something to get our Bob and Dot married off. But don't say anything about it to them, okay," Jo Ann whispered to her.
Dot's eyes widened in joy, "Go for it!"
Jo Ann gave them the old "thumbs up" sign, and winked.
The youger Bob and Dot turned around.
"Whats the whispering about?" Dot asked.
"Oh, nothing..." Jo Ann gave a little innocent look. You could almost see the golden halo forming over her head!
Bob raised a suspious eyebrow, "Yeah. Right. I believe you -- thousands wouldn't!"
Jo Ann continued to smile innocently. She shifted her gaze to the older Dot.
The older Dot winked back at the User Guardian conspiratorially.
"If you are ready," the doctor said, "the clone is ready to be customized."
"Sure!" Dot stood up, "Come on Jo; opinions..."
"Let's see: We agreed on blond hair and blue eyes, right?" Jo Ann asked the older Dot.
Dot nodded and smiled.
"Blond hair and blue eyes, it is!" said the doctor. He pushed some buttons. The clone's hair and eyes changed to the desired colors. "Anything else?"
Jo Ann looked at the older Dot.
Dot shrugged.
"Nothing else?" Jo Ann asked her. "This will be you're only chance to customize her. Once she's done and named, you can't go back and change anything."
"I know..." Dot smiled, "Any suggestions, Bob? Jo?"
"I can't think of anything else, what about you, Bob?" Jo Ann asked, looking toward the older Bob.
"Nothing else," Bob shrugged.
"Alright, then," the doctor said. "Name?"
"What did we decide, Jo?" Dot asked; Bob hugged her.
"Naomi, I think. Wasn't that it?"
"Oh, yes..." The doctor smiled and added that to the programming.
"And Turbo needs to fill in with the Guardian programing," the doctor said.
Turbo stepped forward and added the programming direct from Copeland; but held his hand out for Jo Ann's icon.
"Ya have a few tricks on there that Ah don't have."
"Right," Jo Ann said. She removed her icon from her chest and gave it to Turbo.
Turbo accessed the elements in Jo Ann's programming he wanted and copied them to the clone file.
"Here ya go, Jo," Turbo said, returning the icon as soon as he was done with it. "Thank ya."
"You're welcome, Turbo," Jo Ann smiled, replacing her icon on her uniform.
"Now what?" Matrix asked.
"Now," the doctor said, "we wake her up, now that the programing is done." He administered the stimulant that he had given the others.
The clone groaned slightly.
"Naomi, can you hear me?" the doctor asked.
The clone smiled, "Yes, I can..."
"Good. Do you know who and what you are?"
"I am a clone of User Guardian One, Jo Ann Montgomery..." she smiled.
"Very good. Do you know what your mission is?"
"To mend and defend..." she winked at Wild Card.
"Where are you going to 'mend and defend'?" Jo Ann asked, a little annoyed that the clone was flirting with her husband.
"An alternate Mainframe, sister..."
Now, the older Bob and Dot stepped forward, into Naomi's line of vision.
"Hey, guys!" she smiled broadly.
"Hello, Naomi," the older Bob smiled.
"Hey, Bob..." Naomi continued to flirt with an incressingly embarrassed Wild Card.
"Bob," Jo Ann asked. "I hope you have a brother in your dimention..."
"'Fraid not, Jo!"
"Then I hope that there is someone for her to become attached to!" Jo Ann deliberatly stood between Wild Card and Naomi, her body language clearly saying, "He's mine! Get your own!"
Naomi grinned at Jo's terratorialness. "Okay, sister...I'll back off...for now..."
"I hope you find someone in that universe, I really do," Jo Ann smiled.
"Thanks, sis. But I have all your memories of Wild Card...it's kinda hard to have inherited feelings," she sighed.
"Maybe we can clone Wild Card," Matrix said.
Naomi's eyes widened, "Oooh..." she practically purred.
"Not a bad idea!" Jo Ann grinned. "Thanks, Matrix!" She gave the green warrior a kiss on the cheek and a big hug.
"Yeah; Thanks, 'Trix..." Naomi hugged Matrix on the opposite side to Jo Ann. It was quite a sight.
"You'll get to customize him, of course!" Jo Ann smiled at Naomi. "Just to make him a little different from Wild Card."
"Yeah, yeah...whatever...you don't mind, do you --" Naomi cut herself off from the instinctive reaction of calling the Bounty Hunter 'lover', as Jo often did, "Wild Card..." she finished.
"Course not," Wild Card smiled. "What's a User Guardian without her Bounty Hunter!"
Naomi hugged him spontantously, then looked guiltily at Jo Ann, "Sorry, Jo..."
"It's okay," Jo Ann smiled. To Wild Card, she said, "Your turn, lover." She indicated the table where she, herself had lain for her cloning operation.
Both Dots and Bobs squeezed each others' hands.
"Can you give him a dream suppressant in case of invading dream viruses?" Matrix asked.
"Sure. I wouldn't want you to go through all that again," the doctor said.
"Amen!" AndrAIa agreed.
Everyone laughed. The doctor gave Wild Card the suppressent, then proceeded to extract the DNA from him.
Naomi watched in joy; she had problems with not having a Wild Card...
Jo Ann smiled at her "sister". Then, a thought occurred to her. She looked over to the older Bob.
"Do you realize that we are giving you a brother?" she asked.
Bob blinked and then shook his head, laughing, "No; I hadn't..."
"We are! Wild Card is this universe's Bob's twin brother! But can we make the clone your twin?" Jo Ann asked. She looked over to the doctor.
"Ummm...maybe you should use elements of my Bob's DNA as well?" the older Dot suggested.
"That would be wise..." the doctor said. He motioned for the older Bob to lay down while some of his DNA was taken.
Bob grinned and lay down to let the binome remove a DNA sample.
"Think of the customizing you want, Naomi, while they are doing the cloneing part," Jo Ann said.
"Decisions, decisions..." She joked. "How to improve on perfection?"
Jo Ann laughed. She never claimed that Wild Card was "perfection", but in her eyes --and heart-- he was very close.
Naomi shrugged at Jo Ann's reaction; realising she could 'hear' her sister's thoughts.
"Since Bob's hair isn't chrome anymore, why don't we make his hair chrome?" Jo Ann asked Naomi.
"Cool!" she grinned, "With amber eyes, I think..."
"Okay. That would make his eyes a little lighter than Bob's or Wild Card's. Anything else? Tattoos, or anything?"
"Ummm...well, he'll be younger than the Bob in that universe..." Naomi mused. "What about a tattoo like Matrix's?" she grinned.
"Is that okay with you, Matrix?" Jo Ann asked.
"Sure, but maybe you had better leave off the spines. They represent AndrAIa," Matrix grinned.
The two Dots shared a happy sigh; no matter where Dot was from; she was a hopeless romantic.
Jo Ann and Naomi giggled.
"Okay, this is getting disconcerting," AndrAIa smiled. "First the two Dots do everything in synch; then the two Bobs; now you guys?! Scary!!"
Jo Ann and Naomi laughed. Then Jo Ann asked her, "What about a name? Obiviously, he can't be named, 'Wild Card'."
"Oh, User...umm..." she looked around for suggestions.
"Let's see: How about...Echo? The Echo of Greek myth was female, but this guy will be an 'echo' of Wild Card. What do you think?" Jo Ann suggested.
"I like..." She hugged Jo Ann warmly.
"Okay...Echo it is!" Jo Ann smiled, and hugged Naomi back.
AndrAIa nuzzled Matrix, "How are we gonna get Bob and your sister to marry?" she whispered.
"Good question," he whispered back. "Let's think about it, and compare notes with Jo Ann back in Mainframe."
"Okay, Sparky..."
Jo Ann smiled at the couple. Then she turned to Wild Card, who was resting comfortablly, his part done. She slid her hand into his and held it tight.
Wild Card squeezed Jo Ann's hand.
Jo Ann lifted his hand and rubbed it against her cheek. She brought it to her lips and kissed it, before returning it to her cheek.
"Love ya, Jo..." he told her.
"I love you, too, Wild Card." Jo Ann bent down and kissed him on the lips.
The older Dot had fallen asleep in her Bob's arms... for the first time in hours, the nightmares didn't come.
Jo Ann smiled at them. Dot's older "sister" was finally getting the rest that she needed.
Bob was stroking Dot's hair and letting her rest.
Jo Ann sighed. So much had happened. She watched as the doctors put the final information into the incubater. Now, all that was left to do was to wait.
\
AndrAIa and Matrix were sitting together, deep in a conversation that none of the others could hear.
Jo Ann smiled. She had a feeling just what they were talking about.
AndrAIa mocked pouted and teasingly slapped Matrix's arm with the back of her hand.
Jo Ann grinned. Matrix and AndrAIa was having a mock-lover's spat. It was so cute!
Matrix raised his eyebrows at her and proceeded to tickle the gamesprite.
Jo Ann smiled. She hugged Wild Card's arm to her, kissing his hand again.
AndrAIa squirmed, "No, Sparky, please!!" she squealed as his strong arms held her as he tickled her while she squirmed.
Jo Ann giggled as the two played. Wild Card was sitting up now, smiling at her.
"Hey, there..." he smiled at her.
"Hi, love. Have a nice rest?" Jo Ann smiled back at him.
"Yeah..." he squeezed her hand.
Still smiling, Jo Ann slid her arms around Wild Card's neck, holding him close. She kissed his lips long and hard.
Wild Card grinned back at her, "Am I really awake? Or is this just a dream?"
"You're awake, dearest," Jo Ann smiled. She held on to him, happy that he was hers.
"Hey, handsome!!" Naomi called to Wild Card.
"Hi, Naomi," Wild Card smiled. He looked back at the incubater, then back at her. "Yer man is 'most done. What name did ya decide on? I don't think I was awake, when ya chose it."
"Jo suggested 'Echo'; I kinda liked it..."
"He'll be an 'echo' of you. That's what made me think of it," Jo Ann explained.
Wild Card grinned, "Neat..."
"What about the Guardian protocals?" Jo Ann asked. "Wild Card didn't get to finish Guardian Training, but he still has the protocals. Echo should have them, too, shouldn't he?"
"Ya have a good point, Jo Ann..." Turbo approached the doctor who nodded and let Turbo add the modifications. "Can ah have yoah icon foah a nano, please, Wild Card?"
Wild Card obliged and Turbo added the enhancements to the clone.
"Echo will also have chrome-hair --since neither Bob has chrome hair anymore-- and amber eyes. He'll also have a tattoo like Matrix's, but without the spines, since those are suppose to represent AndrAIa," Jo Ann continued to explain to Wild Card.
Wild Card seemed impressed, and squeezed Jo's hand again. He hated needles.
"Think you'll ever get a tattoo?' Jo Ann asked him.
"I dunno, love..."
"If you don't like needles --and I'm not too fond of them, myself-- there is always the anceint East Indian art of Mehndi," Jo Ann smiled.
"What?" Wild Card asked.
"Body painting with henna. It's safe, looks great, easy to do, and if you don't like what you have, wait about three weeks for it to fade, and you can redo it. Best of all -- no needles!" Jo Ann grinned.
"Sounds interesting..." Better than needles, Wild Card added mentally.
That's true! Jo Ann answered him, and smiled.
Nuts!! I forgot about the telepathy -- I must be more groggy than I thought...
"It's okay, honey," Jo Ann smiled and kissed his cheek. He nuzzled her neck, tickling her. She giggled, "You know how to make me laugh, even if I got really sad!"
"Is that so?" Wild Card feigned indignation.
"Yep!" Jo Ann climbed upon Wild Card's lap. "If you see that I'm sad or depressed, just nuzzle me like that, and I'll laugh and forget my troubles." She kissed him, then buried her face in his chest.
Wild Card brought his strong arms up around her and held her close.
"I love you very, very, very much, Wild Card," she whispered to him.
"Copy and paste that, darlin'..."
"How's Echo coming, doc?" Hexadecimal asked.
"Nearly ready -- gotta make sure the codes are taking..." he told her.
"Okay, dokies!" Hex smiled.
Naomi smiled gratefully; she had wanted to ask the same question but did not want to appear impatient.
Hex smiled at her. She wondered if she, herself, would ever find someone as sweet, kind, and gentle as Bob. No matter, she thought to herself. As long as these kids are happy, I am happy.
Naomi hugged Hex, You'll find someone...
I hope so, dear. There's not too many men available for ex-virues!
Everyone has a soulmate, Hex...
Hopefully, mine will be one of the GOOD guys, Hex smiled at her.
Naomi giggled appreciativly at Hex's humour.
Hex remembered how much she had loved Bob back when she was a virus. That love had been twisted, corrupted by her chaotic nature. Then Bob --merged with his keytool, Glitch-- had defragmented her mind and fused her masks into a real face. Thus cured, she realized that it was Dot he was meant to be with. She had let him go, keeping his gifts of sanity, freedom, and his friendship. She had never betrayed that friendship, ever.
"I think we're ready to wake him up, " the doctor called.
Now, everyone crowded around to see the clone. Naomi and Wild Card --Jo Ann between them-- stood in front, the first to see Echo awaken.
"Hey, there," Naomi greeted him.
Echo smiled at Naomi. How beautiful she was! The first words out of his mouth surprised them all.
"I've died and gone to Heaven."
Jo Ann had to giggle at this one. She had not heard anyone speak that line in a long time!
Naomi laughed and hugged him.
"What was so funny?" Matrix asked Jo Ann.
"What Echo just said. The character of Steve Trevor said that the first time he saw Wonder Woman!"
"Who?" AndrAIa asked.
"Characters from a comic book called 'Wonder Woman'. It was one of my favorite comics. But the line as Echo said it came from the T.V. movie that was made back in 1975," Jo Ann explained.
"That's good...I take it?" The game sprite asked.
"Yes," Jo Ann laughed. "Wonder Woman was a very beautiful woman. According to the comic book, she was 'more beautiful the Aphrodite, wiser than Athena, stronger then Hercules and swifter then Mercury'.
What's strange is that, although Aphrodite and Athena are Greek, Hercules and Mercury were Roman. Herakules was Hercules Greek name, while Hermes was Mercury's."
AndrAIa blinked a couple of times, trying to process the information. Eventually she just shrugged.
"Okay, Jo..."
Jo Ann smiled and shrugged. She often had to explain User things to her Mainframe friends, and sometimes, the explainations suffered from translation. At least, she thought, I have not had to explain Red Sonja to them. I would not know where to begin, explaining her!
Naomi caught her sister's thoughts and smiled warmly from Echo's embrace.
"Do you know, who and what you are, Echo?" Jo Ann asked. It was becoming a clone ritual to ask that question.
"Yeah; I'm a clone of Wild Card..." he grinned at Jo Ann.
"And what is your mission?" Maybe these questions will become a cloning ritual.
"To keep Naomi safe..." he grinned cheekily.
"And...what else?" the older Bob asked. Let's get him on the right frequncy while we are here! Bob thought.
"Well...I'm not techinally a Guardian. I have the 'to mend and defend' thing programmed into me..." he smiled.
"That's okay," Wild Card grinned. "I'm not technically a Guardian, either. I still 'mend and defend', though."
Echo grinned at his 'brother'. "Oh well...a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do..."
"Yep!" Wild Card laughed.
Naomi and Jo exchanges glances.
"Well, Naomi," Jo Ann said. "You got a man, and I've got a man. I hope you'll be happy with Echo as I am with Wild Card."
"I don't doubt it!" Naomi grinned and squeezed Echo.
Jo Ann smiled. She hugged Wild Card close, glad of so simple a solution to her momentary rival problem. Both women had a man that they where truely happy with and that they loved very much.
Naomi sent an apolgetic thought to her 'sister': I am sorry I was hitting on Wild Card...
It's okay. With my DNA, you couldn't help it. Now, you have Echo --your very OWN Wild Card!
Oh, yeah!! They shared a giggle.
"You know what the two of you are going to be up against when you get back to the other Mainframe, don't you?" Jo Ann had to ask the clone couple.
Naomi bit her lip and sighed, "Yeah..." she said softly and Echo hugged her. "We know..."
"Good. If you have any questions, ask your Bob and Dot." Jo Ann wanted to make sure the two was not going in blind and deaf, so to speak.
"Yeah..." they looked over at the older Dot and Bob. Dot was still sleeping soundly in Bob's arms.
"Bob," Jo Ann said to the older man. "Maybe it's time to take her --and them-- home. Kayne must be worried sick, you've been gone so long."
"Yes, I just hate to wake her..." Bob smiled down at the sleeping Dot. She looked so peaceful.
"Can you carry her, or should Echo help?" Jo Ann asked.
"I can carry her; she's never been a burden to me..." he said softly, scooping her up in his arms.
"Good-bye. Keep in touch," Jo Ann smiled. She kissed Bob on his cheek and gave him a little hug. "Sweet dreams, Dot," she whispered. To Echo and Naomi, she said, "You two take care, and keep me posted on what happens." She gave each a kiss and a hug. Then, she whispered in Echo's ear, "She'll probibly like prism blossoms. Try to get her at least one as often as you can. She'll love that!"
"Bye, Jo Ann!! Of course I'll keep in touch!!" Naomi hugged her sister.
"Thanks for the tip, "Echo whispered to Jo Ann. They hugged all their friends and Bob opened the portal to their universe.
"Farewell, friends!" Jo Ann called, waving goodbye. "Don't forget to e-mail!"
"I won't...take care!!"
Jo Ann sighed as their other-dimentional friends returned to their war-torn Mainframe. She turned to her own Mainframe friends and family. "It's time that we went home, too," she said wearily.
"Good idea..." Wild Card hugged her.
Jo Ann smiled, then gave Turbo a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "See you later, Turbo. Thanks for letting us make the clones."
"No problem, Jo...Just glad to help..."
"Bob, if you will please make the portal, because I'm too pooped to portal..." Jo Ann smiled at the young Guardian.
"Sure!!" They headed home.
The End