Story 3
"Send in the Clone"
Jo Ann laid on the table in the Port Authority's medical center. Wild Card, her husband, was standing right beside the table, to offer moral support. Turbo was standing nearby, waiting for the medical team to finish their last-microsecond testing. Watching from two vid-windows were the gang from Mainframe, and the Bob and Dot of another universe. If the operation was a success, a clone of Jo Ann could be sent to the other universe.
"Will she be alright?" Dot asked.
"Yeah," drawled Turbo. "Tha docs are jest makin' their final tests ryght now. Tha clonein' process don't hurt tha doner at all."
"Okay..." Both Dots bit their upper lips. One Bob noticed and pointed it out to the other and they shared a laugh.
"'Like two peas in a pod'!" Jo Ann laughed.
"What?" the Dots asked in unison.
"Peas are tiny, round green vegtables that grow several in one, long pod. The peas in a pod look so much alike, you couldn't tell one apart from the other. That's why Users say that two people who look exactly alike, are like two peas in a pod," Jo Ann explained.
"Oh..."
"We're ready," the doctors said. They approached the table. The head doctor had a hypodermic syringe with which he was going to take the DNA sample from Jo Ann's body.
Wild Card squeezed Jo Ann's hand as the doctor injected the needle.
Jo Ann squeezed Wild Card's hand very tightly as she felt the sting in her arm.
The bounty-hunter looked away; he hated needles.
"You okay, love?" Jo Ann asked.
Wild Card grinned at Jo Ann, and decided not to mention his dislike of needles.
"Yeah; I'm okay...you?"
"I'm fine," Jo Ann smiled at her man.
"Good..."
"I love you..." Jo Ann grinned at Wild Card.
"Love ya too, Jo..." he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.
The doctor finished drawing the blood sample, and withdrew the hypo. Carefully, he carried it to the incubater where the clone would be created, growth acellerated within a second.
"Is that it?" the alternate Dot asked.
"Almost. It will only take a second for the clone to become full grown, but we'll need to use Jo Ann for comparison. You are wanting the clone to look different from her, correct?" the doctor asked.
Dot nodded, "Only to tell them apart..."
"Yes. Well, if you will stay around to suppervise the clone customizing, we should be finished before late tonight."
"We'll be staying," Matrix assured the doctor.
Dot yawned, and nodded.
"If you have a place to sit or lie down, you may do so. You need only to keep the vid-windows open," the doctor suggested.
Dot smiled, "I might..." she sat down on Bob's lap and waited.
The doctor smiled, then looked down at Jo Ann.
"As for, you: You need to rest as much as you can. I'll tell you when we're ready to continue with your part of the cloning."
"Could she take a nap on something more comfortable, doc?" Wild Card asked.
"Yes, of course. Take her over to that bed. She can rest more comfortably, there." The doctor pointed to a nearby bed.
"Thanks, doc!" Wild Card helped Jo Ann to the bed, and laid her down.
Through the vidwindow Dot and Bob watched the scene.
"How sweet," Bob murmered into Dot's ear.
Wild Card kissed Jo Ann on the lips, and continued to hold her hand. Another doctor gave him a chair to sit in while Wild Card watched over his bride.
Dot leaned behind her and whispered something in Bob's ear. He blushed a becoming shade of purple and pointed to the vidwindow. She shrugged, "Okay; I'll behave...But I haven't seen you in cycles!!"
"Are we going to act like that when we get married?" the younger Bob of Jo Ann's universe asked his Dot.
"BOB?!?" Dot playfully punched his arm. Bob only grinned.
From the vidwindow Dot purred,"You bet you are..."
The Bob and Dot of Jo Ann's Mainframe both laughed.
"Keep it down, guys!" Wild Card chided. "Jo Ann's tryin' to sleep!"
Dot's hand flew to her lips, "Sorry," she whispered.
The younger Dot repeated the other's action, then grinned. Jo Ann was right: She and her other-dimentional "sister" were like two peas in a pod!
Matrix and AndrAIa watched the three couples in amusment.
"What's so funny?" Bob asked, noticing the looks on Matrix and AndrAIa's faces.
"Nothing," the game sprite smiled. Matrix just nodded.
Bob shrugged. Let them have their private joke, he thought. I hope Jo's going to be alright.
"Don't worry, AndrAIa: JoJo will be okay. If she can survive Daemon and Megabyte, this will be nothing for her."
Both Dots sighed in worry. Neither of them noticed the synchronisation.
But both Bob's did. The younger Bob mentally sent the information to his counterpart.
Bob laughed out loud and his Dot pivoted on his lap.
"What?!" She asked.
"You and the other Dot did it again, love. You both did the same thing at the same time." He kissed her cheek.
Dot grinned at him and resisted the urge to say something risque, settling instead for an "Oh; did we?"
"Yep!" Bob grinned. The younger Bob did, too. Jo Ann sighed softly in her sleep.
"Wild Card...darling...Hmmmm..."
"I'm here, my love..." the bounty hunter stroked Jo Ann's face with the back of his fingers.
Jo Ann smiled and sighed again. In her dreaming, she tried to snuggle closer to Wild Card.
Wild Card sat on the side of the bed and held her close.
Bob watched. His new sister had given up much to become part of Mainframe. He hoped that she could build a new life with his brother and the rest of the Mainframers.
Wild Card hoped Jo Ann knew he was there for her.
In her dreaming, Jo Ann reached out toward him. "Wild Card..."
"I'm here, baby..."
Now, Jo Ann's expression changed from one of contentment, to one of fear.
Watching Jo as she slept, Wild Card noticed the change in her expression.
Concerned, the younger Bob locked minds with Jo Ann, hoping his counter-part would do the same.
Both Bob's were in Jo Ann's mind, and Wild Card clucthed her hand.
Within her dreams, Jo Ann once again faced her two most powerful foes.
"Daemon! Megabyte! But you're..."
"Deleted?" Daemon hissed. "Yessssss...we are erased..."
"But we will not leave you in peace, User Guardain One," Megabyte snarled.
"You destroyed usssss!" Daemon accussed. "Now we will haunt you foreverrrrrrr..."
"I beat you before, and I can do so again!" Jo Ann's dream-self cried. But her powers had seemed to abandoned her.
Through her Bob's mind, Dot could see the spectres. She gasped.
Can we manifest ourselves in her dreams? she asked, I was the one who deleted MB! Jo shouldn't take the blame!!
"Daemon's there, too, Dot. I can't let you go in. It's too dangerous," Bob answered.
In the back of her mind, Jo Ann felt the presence of the two Bobs. She knew there was no shame in asking for help, for, tired and weak as she was now, this was a mental battle she knew she could not win.
BOB! Both of you; HELP ME!!!! she cried out to them mentally.
"Neither one of them can help you, now, User Guardian One!" Daemon cackled in triumph.
Dot focused hard on the link Bob had to Jo Ann's mind and managed to slip in. She ran to Jo Ann and wrapped her arms around her friend's dream-self. Then Bob and Megabyte noticed her.
"DOT!!!!" Bob cried in alarm.
"Mz. Matrix...how nice of you to come...to your own funeral!" Megabyte laughed.
"I'm sorry Bob, I had to help...You look well, Megabyte," Dot purred mockingly; using the same tone he fell for the last time they had spoken.
"Don't play...'Mata Hari'...with me, Mz. Matrix," Megabyte said, picking up the word from Jo Ann's mind. "I learn from my mistakes, as you'll soon see."
Dot threw a scornful look at him, and turned her attention to Jo Ann.
"Are you okay?"
"No..." Jo Ann whispered weakly.
Dot wrapped her arms around her. "Bob will help you...both of them..."
Daemon sashayed closer to that universe's Bob, "Long time no see, 452..."
"You weren't missed, Daemon," Bob replied evenly.
Dot swallowed a chortle.
"Why, Bob! How rude!" on the word 'rude' Daemon popped her claws.
Jo Ann thought frantically. There must be some way to help her friends. Then she thought of one person with the strength to help them. Mentally, she called to him:
Matrix...enter my dream. Help us...please! Daemon and Megabyte will kill us all!
Matrix felt Jo Ann's cry for help, How can I? I have no telepathy... he thought, frantically trying to focus on where the thought came from.
Close your eyes and follow my mind. I'll give you telepathic access. Hurry, Matrix, hurry!!! Jo Ann created a telepathic door for the renagade Guardian.
Matrix focused hard and followed Jo Ann's mind.
MB had wrenched Dot to her feet and clutched her shoulders, "You betrayed me, Dot..."
Hurry Matrix...Megabyte has Dot! Jo Ann warned the green warrior.
Coming!! Matix called.
Dot was trying to struggle out of MB's grip. She freed one hand and then made a huge mistake. She lashed out and slapped the virus across the face with all her strength.
"Oh, no..." Jo Ann groaned. "You shouldn't have done that, Dot!" One of the Bobs --in her weakened state, she thought it was her Bob-- shielded the User Guardian from the virues.
"That hurt," MB's voice was menacing. A slow smile spread across his face, but it was far from a kind smile.
Taking a firmer grip on her arm, MB lifted Dot into the air one-handed. He popped his claws and swung his arm forward and up. His arm stopped just as his claws grazed Dot's stomach.
"I don't think so!" Matrix announced.
"Matrix!" Jo Ann cried joyfully. With the entrance of the powerful warrior, the tide of battle was turned. Go get 'em, future bro! Jo Ann cheered mentally to Matrix.
"You!" MB snarled, "I thought I taught you your lesson, boy..."
"I don't learn lessons from virueses, Megabyte!" Matrix snarled. His eye activated, the red "(V)" showing clearly against the gold orb. Then the entire eye went from gold to ruby-red as Matrix challenged the old virus.
MB threw Dot to the ground and turned his attention to Matrix. Dot let out a quiet "Oof..." as she hit the ground.
Matrix, Gun already drawn, eyed Megabyte with all the scorn and hatered that he held for his old enemy. Already, Matrix was making the calculations that would help him destroy Megabyte.
Dot crawled towards Jo Ann, winded and sore herself, but worried about her friend.
Bob wrapped the shield that he had around Jo Ann, around Dot as well, protecting them both, while his other-dimentional "brother" and Matrix confronted the virues.
Daemon stalked up to the shield, and started to kick at Bob through it.
Bob sent an electrical shock through the sheild, knocking the mother of all viruses backward.
"Ouch!" Daemon said, falling backwards into a neat backflip. "Gotta do better than that, Bob..."
"Oh, I shall, Daemon, I shall!" Bob replied. Turning up his power, the chrome-armored Guardian focused it into a beam of solid energy, which hit Daemon like a data-dump truck.
"That...qualifies..." she moaned in pain, staggering.
"I'm just getting started, Daemon," Bob grinned. Jo Ann stole a glance at the battle between the other Bob, Matrix, and Megabyte.
Matrix had taken a slash to the arm, but was fighting like a tiger... MB was trying to grab Bob, who had, thus far, evaded him.
Jo Ann prayed for the two Mainframe warriors to win. She kept quiet, though. The distraction could cost them their lives!
Dot bit her lip, "Are you my Bob?" she asked the one shielding them.
"Which Dot are you?" Bob smiled at her.
"Not the married one..." she grinned. This was confusing, but kinda fun.
"I'm your Bob," he said, still smiling. He showed her his left hand. It did not have a wedding band on the fourth finger.
"Good," Dot said as she knelt beside his, resting her head on his shoulder while she cradled Jo Ann.
Her brother and future sister. This ran through Jo Ann's mind. Now, when would they marry, and make Dot her sister, and little Enzo and Matrix, her brothers? Come to think of it, when was Matrix and AndrAIa going to marry and make the sea sprite and her little sister, Andri, her sisters.
Dot caressed her friend's cheek maternally, "Are you okay??" she murmered.
"I feel so weak...I should be helping you...but I haven't the strength..." Tears ran down Jo Ann's cheeks.
"Shhh...don't worry..." Dot whispered. "I'm okay now, Bob; let me out and I'll go check if Daemon is out for the count."
"Be careful, Dot," Bob released the shield, just long enough for Dot to get out.
"I will!" she promised, rolling out. Matrix and Bob were fighting MB close to her. Dot laced out a foot and connected with the back of MB's knee, the virus fell to his knees.
"Ouch..." Jo Ann grinned, despite her weakness. Bob grinned with her.
Dot rolled out of the way and up to her feet. She looked over Daemon, who sat up suddenly.
"Surprise!" she grinned and punched Dot in the jaw.
"DOT!!" the Bob shielding Jo Ann cried in rage.
Dot's head snapped around and she let out a grunt of pain, kicking up hard, hitting Daemon squarely in the stomach, winding the supervirus.
"I'm okay...I think Bob..." she called.
Bob was torn between shielding his sister-in-law and going to help his love. Both Matrix and the other Bob was busy fighting Megabyte.
The battles continued, but back in the hospital, there was a panic; the second Dot, AndrAIa and Wild Card were all terrified when the others seemed to pass out.
"Med-teams, hurry! Git them inta beds! NOW!" ordered Turbo. Turbo's voice carried so much urgency and authority, that medics in the other universe rushed to obey him.
AndrAIa held Matrix cradled in her arms and seemed reluctant to let anyone else touch him.
"What's happening?" Dot demanded
"They are battling Daemon and Megabyte --or, rather, Jo Ann's memories of them-- in Jo Ann's mind," AndrAIa answered. "Tired as she was, Jo Ann was vulnerable to mental attack from the memories of the virues that lurked in her mind. They chose this time to attack, while she is weak. The others have mentally gone to her aid."
"Can they do anything to help her?" Dot asked.
"They are trying, Dot. Both Bobs are fighting with their powers; Dot is using her cunning and skills, while Matrix," AndrAIa looked lovingly down at her Sparky, "is using his brute strength."
"How do you know this?" Dot asked; her worried gaze landing on a scared looking Wild Card.
"I can feel Matrix, and what he's thinking. Jo Ann must have hooked him mentally to me when she openned the pathway to her mind for him."
Dot bit her lip and addressed the bounty hunter, "Wild Card? They'll be alright..."
Wild Card did not answer. He looked down at his unconcious wife, wishing he could help her --and his friends.
Dot opened a tear to the other universe, "Turbo can you stablise that? I'm coming through..." She took her husband's still form and dragged him through the portal with her.
"Copeland! Key!" Turbo commanded. As he had so many times before, Copeland transformed the ball of energy into a silver portal.
Dot dragged the other Bob with her and stepped into the other Mainframe. The med binomes took Bob from her and put him on a bed with the others. Dot placed a comforting hand on Wild Card's shoulder.
"She'll make it...they all will..."
Deep inside Jo Ann's mind, the battle raged on. Matrix and the older Bob fought Megabyte, while Dot fought with Daemon. The younger Bob continued to shield Jo Ann from the virues, but doing so meant that he could not help the others in battle.
"If...only...there...was...some...thing...I...could...do..." Jo Ann whispered weakly.
"Don't worry, Jo Ann; let us take care of you for a change..." Bob smiled.
Jo Ann smiled up at Bob. Brother to Wild Card, her husband, and now, bother to her. What would she do without him? Or, without any of them?
Dot was ducking and diving; banking on exhausting Daemon. She took a cheap shot at MB's head as she ran past. Matrix laughed aloud.
"Good...one...Dot..." Jo Ann smiled.
Now, another combatant entered the frey. Red, metalic skin, black, leather clothes, and a white, mask-like face.
"You hurt my friends!" the newcomer shrieked. "You will pay for that!" A fireball hit Daemon in the chest, sending her smack angainst the wall of Jo Ann's mind.
"Hex...a...deci...mal...?" Jo Ann said softly, too weak to even move.
Dot stood running, and panting smiled at Hex.
"Thanks, Hex..."
"My pleasure, dear," Hex smiled charmingly. "Now, let's toast us a supervirus!"
Getting her second wind, Dot flashed a grin and she and Hex proceeded to pound Daemon.
"Go get 'em guys!" the Bob who protected Jo Ann cheered. He shifted his gaze to check on Matrix and the other Bob.
MB was fighting like a caged tiger.
Matrix continued to pound on Megabyte with his powerful fists, while the older Bob fired energy beams at the virus.
For a terrible moment, it looked as if MB would decapitate Matrix, but the renegade ducked just in time.
Jo Ann let out a sigh of relief. Don't get yourselves killed, guys. I love you too much to lose you. She wondered offhandedly if they had heard her.
Back in reality AndrAIa decided to follow Hex's example and used the link she had to Matrix to enter. The game-sprite slipped in un-noticed and nearly sliced an arm off MB with her trident.
"An...dr...AI...a..." Jo Ann smiled weakly at her friend.
"Hey, Jo!! Thought I'd join the party!!" She kissed Matrix cheek quickly as she slipped passed to help Dot and Hex finish off Daemon.
The combined power, skills, and strength of AndrAIa, Dot, and Hexadecimal finally destroyed Daemon, banishing the supervirus from Jo Ann's dreams --although not from her memory-- forever. They now turned their attention on Bob and Jo Ann.
AndrAIa took Jo Ann from Bob and let Dot and Bob embrace.
Jo Ann smiled at the couple. She hoped they would marry soon, and add Dot, Matrix, and little Enzo to her growing Mainframe siblings.
"I was so worried about you," Bob smiled.
"I know; I had to help... but User!! I'm sore!!"
"How...is...Matrix...and...the...other...Bob...doing...? Jo Ann asked.
Dot and Bob whirled apart and started over to assist in the fight against MB when Matrix cut MB down with AndrAIa's trident.
Like Deamon, Megabyte disappeared from Jo Ann's dreams.
"Yea..." Jo Ann grinned weakly. She knew Matrix and the others would win!
The group embraced, exhausted.
"Now...how...do...we...get...you...guys...out...and...back...into...your...bodies...?" Jo Ann wondered.
Dot groaned, "The same way we came in?" she asked hopefully.
"How...did...you...get...in...?" In her weakened state Jo Ann did not remember how her friends had gotten into her dream.
"I followed Bob," Dot admitted, looking to her love for suggestions.
"And both of us followed your cries for help," Bob said,indicating his older "brother".
"And I followed the pathway that you openned for me," Matrix said.
"Oh," Jo Ann replied. "But...I...am...too...weak...to...reopen...the ...pathway..."
Dot's reaction seemed to sum up everyone's reactions to that news.
"Oh, spam!!"
"Bob...what...are...we...going...to...do...?" Jo Ann was very worried, now. Everyone was stuck in her dream with no easy way out.
Both Bobs looked thoughtful; "Maybe if we wake you up...?"
"But...will...waking...me...up...restore...you...or...trap...you...here...in...my...mind...?"
"Exactly," the other Bob said. "We can't be sure..."
"Should...we...chance...it...?" She was afraid for her friends, now. If waking her up did not restore them to their bodies...
"Maybe we should think about it first..." Dot advised caution.
"Please...do...I...want...to...do...the...right...thing...to...free...us...all...with...out..hurting...any...one..."
AndrAIa hugged Jo warmly, "I know..." Matrix squeezed AndrAIa's shoulder.
"So...tired...so...very...very...tired..." Jo Ann's eyes closed.
"Wake up!" AndrAIa gently slapped Jo's cheeks.
"Thanks...An...dr...AI...a..." Jo Ann smiled, her eyes open, but lids heavy, wanting to close and get some rest.
None of them knew what would happen if Jo feel asleep in a dream state; and no-one cared to find out.
"Your...decision...do...you...want...to...risk...it...?" Jo Ann asked.
"You're falling asleep even here -- we have no choice," Bob said.
"Ok...tell...Wild...Card...Turbo...any...of...the...others...outside...to...wake...me...up...however...they...can..."
"Uummm...how?" Matrix asked.
"Bob...surely...the...two...of...you...can...figure...something...out...Hex? Help...them...please..."
They all exchanged rather blank looks and tried to find an alternative.
"Bob...can...Glitch...get...a...message...out...to...Pixal? Tell...her...to...tell...the...others...to...wake...me...up...?"
"I can try!!" both Bobs exclaimed.
"And...I...said...the...Dots...were...like...two...peas...in...a...pod..." Jo Ann laughed weakly.
Dot giggled and bent down to squeeze Jo's hand.
Jo Ann sighed. She did not have the strength to squeeze Dot's hand back.
Dot bit her lip, and maternally stroked Jo's hair.
"Easy, sis," the younger Bob smiled. Jo Ann's head was resting in his lap. He looked up at the older Bob, expectantly. "Let's do it!"
They concentrated hard to send a message to the other keytool.
Pixal, if you can read us, tell the others to wake Jo Ann up. It may be the only way out of Jo Ann's dream, both Bobs said together.
{Will do!} Pixal answered.
Pixal sent the message on to Copeland who told Turbo.
"Give Jo Ann a stimulant!" he commanded.
The doctor obeyed, injecting Jo Ann with a hypo needle the second time that second.
Wild Card squeezed Jo's hand and said a silent prayer.
"Send in the Clone"
Jo Ann laid on the table in the Port Authority's medical center. Wild Card, her husband, was standing right beside the table, to offer moral support. Turbo was standing nearby, waiting for the medical team to finish their last-microsecond testing. Watching from two vid-windows were the gang from Mainframe, and the Bob and Dot of another universe. If the operation was a success, a clone of Jo Ann could be sent to the other universe.
"Will she be alright?" Dot asked.
"Yeah," drawled Turbo. "Tha docs are jest makin' their final tests ryght now. Tha clonein' process don't hurt tha doner at all."
"Okay..." Both Dots bit their upper lips. One Bob noticed and pointed it out to the other and they shared a laugh.
"'Like two peas in a pod'!" Jo Ann laughed.
"What?" the Dots asked in unison.
"Peas are tiny, round green vegtables that grow several in one, long pod. The peas in a pod look so much alike, you couldn't tell one apart from the other. That's why Users say that two people who look exactly alike, are like two peas in a pod," Jo Ann explained.
"Oh..."
"We're ready," the doctors said. They approached the table. The head doctor had a hypodermic syringe with which he was going to take the DNA sample from Jo Ann's body.
Wild Card squeezed Jo Ann's hand as the doctor injected the needle.
Jo Ann squeezed Wild Card's hand very tightly as she felt the sting in her arm.
The bounty-hunter looked away; he hated needles.
"You okay, love?" Jo Ann asked.
Wild Card grinned at Jo Ann, and decided not to mention his dislike of needles.
"Yeah; I'm okay...you?"
"I'm fine," Jo Ann smiled at her man.
"Good..."
"I love you..." Jo Ann grinned at Wild Card.
"Love ya too, Jo..." he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.
The doctor finished drawing the blood sample, and withdrew the hypo. Carefully, he carried it to the incubater where the clone would be created, growth acellerated within a second.
"Is that it?" the alternate Dot asked.
"Almost. It will only take a second for the clone to become full grown, but we'll need to use Jo Ann for comparison. You are wanting the clone to look different from her, correct?" the doctor asked.
Dot nodded, "Only to tell them apart..."
"Yes. Well, if you will stay around to suppervise the clone customizing, we should be finished before late tonight."
"We'll be staying," Matrix assured the doctor.
Dot yawned, and nodded.
"If you have a place to sit or lie down, you may do so. You need only to keep the vid-windows open," the doctor suggested.
Dot smiled, "I might..." she sat down on Bob's lap and waited.
The doctor smiled, then looked down at Jo Ann.
"As for, you: You need to rest as much as you can. I'll tell you when we're ready to continue with your part of the cloning."
"Could she take a nap on something more comfortable, doc?" Wild Card asked.
"Yes, of course. Take her over to that bed. She can rest more comfortably, there." The doctor pointed to a nearby bed.
"Thanks, doc!" Wild Card helped Jo Ann to the bed, and laid her down.
Through the vidwindow Dot and Bob watched the scene.
"How sweet," Bob murmered into Dot's ear.
Wild Card kissed Jo Ann on the lips, and continued to hold her hand. Another doctor gave him a chair to sit in while Wild Card watched over his bride.
Dot leaned behind her and whispered something in Bob's ear. He blushed a becoming shade of purple and pointed to the vidwindow. She shrugged, "Okay; I'll behave...But I haven't seen you in cycles!!"
"Are we going to act like that when we get married?" the younger Bob of Jo Ann's universe asked his Dot.
"BOB?!?" Dot playfully punched his arm. Bob only grinned.
From the vidwindow Dot purred,"You bet you are..."
The Bob and Dot of Jo Ann's Mainframe both laughed.
"Keep it down, guys!" Wild Card chided. "Jo Ann's tryin' to sleep!"
Dot's hand flew to her lips, "Sorry," she whispered.
The younger Dot repeated the other's action, then grinned. Jo Ann was right: She and her other-dimentional "sister" were like two peas in a pod!
Matrix and AndrAIa watched the three couples in amusment.
"What's so funny?" Bob asked, noticing the looks on Matrix and AndrAIa's faces.
"Nothing," the game sprite smiled. Matrix just nodded.
Bob shrugged. Let them have their private joke, he thought. I hope Jo's going to be alright.
"Don't worry, AndrAIa: JoJo will be okay. If she can survive Daemon and Megabyte, this will be nothing for her."
Both Dots sighed in worry. Neither of them noticed the synchronisation.
But both Bob's did. The younger Bob mentally sent the information to his counterpart.
Bob laughed out loud and his Dot pivoted on his lap.
"What?!" She asked.
"You and the other Dot did it again, love. You both did the same thing at the same time." He kissed her cheek.
Dot grinned at him and resisted the urge to say something risque, settling instead for an "Oh; did we?"
"Yep!" Bob grinned. The younger Bob did, too. Jo Ann sighed softly in her sleep.
"Wild Card...darling...Hmmmm..."
"I'm here, my love..." the bounty hunter stroked Jo Ann's face with the back of his fingers.
Jo Ann smiled and sighed again. In her dreaming, she tried to snuggle closer to Wild Card.
Wild Card sat on the side of the bed and held her close.
Bob watched. His new sister had given up much to become part of Mainframe. He hoped that she could build a new life with his brother and the rest of the Mainframers.
Wild Card hoped Jo Ann knew he was there for her.
In her dreaming, Jo Ann reached out toward him. "Wild Card..."
"I'm here, baby..."
Now, Jo Ann's expression changed from one of contentment, to one of fear.
Watching Jo as she slept, Wild Card noticed the change in her expression.
Concerned, the younger Bob locked minds with Jo Ann, hoping his counter-part would do the same.
Both Bob's were in Jo Ann's mind, and Wild Card clucthed her hand.
Within her dreams, Jo Ann once again faced her two most powerful foes.
"Daemon! Megabyte! But you're..."
"Deleted?" Daemon hissed. "Yessssss...we are erased..."
"But we will not leave you in peace, User Guardain One," Megabyte snarled.
"You destroyed usssss!" Daemon accussed. "Now we will haunt you foreverrrrrrr..."
"I beat you before, and I can do so again!" Jo Ann's dream-self cried. But her powers had seemed to abandoned her.
Through her Bob's mind, Dot could see the spectres. She gasped.
Can we manifest ourselves in her dreams? she asked, I was the one who deleted MB! Jo shouldn't take the blame!!
"Daemon's there, too, Dot. I can't let you go in. It's too dangerous," Bob answered.
In the back of her mind, Jo Ann felt the presence of the two Bobs. She knew there was no shame in asking for help, for, tired and weak as she was now, this was a mental battle she knew she could not win.
BOB! Both of you; HELP ME!!!! she cried out to them mentally.
"Neither one of them can help you, now, User Guardian One!" Daemon cackled in triumph.
Dot focused hard on the link Bob had to Jo Ann's mind and managed to slip in. She ran to Jo Ann and wrapped her arms around her friend's dream-self. Then Bob and Megabyte noticed her.
"DOT!!!!" Bob cried in alarm.
"Mz. Matrix...how nice of you to come...to your own funeral!" Megabyte laughed.
"I'm sorry Bob, I had to help...You look well, Megabyte," Dot purred mockingly; using the same tone he fell for the last time they had spoken.
"Don't play...'Mata Hari'...with me, Mz. Matrix," Megabyte said, picking up the word from Jo Ann's mind. "I learn from my mistakes, as you'll soon see."
Dot threw a scornful look at him, and turned her attention to Jo Ann.
"Are you okay?"
"No..." Jo Ann whispered weakly.
Dot wrapped her arms around her. "Bob will help you...both of them..."
Daemon sashayed closer to that universe's Bob, "Long time no see, 452..."
"You weren't missed, Daemon," Bob replied evenly.
Dot swallowed a chortle.
"Why, Bob! How rude!" on the word 'rude' Daemon popped her claws.
Jo Ann thought frantically. There must be some way to help her friends. Then she thought of one person with the strength to help them. Mentally, she called to him:
Matrix...enter my dream. Help us...please! Daemon and Megabyte will kill us all!
Matrix felt Jo Ann's cry for help, How can I? I have no telepathy... he thought, frantically trying to focus on where the thought came from.
Close your eyes and follow my mind. I'll give you telepathic access. Hurry, Matrix, hurry!!! Jo Ann created a telepathic door for the renagade Guardian.
Matrix focused hard and followed Jo Ann's mind.
MB had wrenched Dot to her feet and clutched her shoulders, "You betrayed me, Dot..."
Hurry Matrix...Megabyte has Dot! Jo Ann warned the green warrior.
Coming!! Matix called.
Dot was trying to struggle out of MB's grip. She freed one hand and then made a huge mistake. She lashed out and slapped the virus across the face with all her strength.
"Oh, no..." Jo Ann groaned. "You shouldn't have done that, Dot!" One of the Bobs --in her weakened state, she thought it was her Bob-- shielded the User Guardian from the virues.
"That hurt," MB's voice was menacing. A slow smile spread across his face, but it was far from a kind smile.
Taking a firmer grip on her arm, MB lifted Dot into the air one-handed. He popped his claws and swung his arm forward and up. His arm stopped just as his claws grazed Dot's stomach.
"I don't think so!" Matrix announced.
"Matrix!" Jo Ann cried joyfully. With the entrance of the powerful warrior, the tide of battle was turned. Go get 'em, future bro! Jo Ann cheered mentally to Matrix.
"You!" MB snarled, "I thought I taught you your lesson, boy..."
"I don't learn lessons from virueses, Megabyte!" Matrix snarled. His eye activated, the red "(V)" showing clearly against the gold orb. Then the entire eye went from gold to ruby-red as Matrix challenged the old virus.
MB threw Dot to the ground and turned his attention to Matrix. Dot let out a quiet "Oof..." as she hit the ground.
Matrix, Gun already drawn, eyed Megabyte with all the scorn and hatered that he held for his old enemy. Already, Matrix was making the calculations that would help him destroy Megabyte.
Dot crawled towards Jo Ann, winded and sore herself, but worried about her friend.
Bob wrapped the shield that he had around Jo Ann, around Dot as well, protecting them both, while his other-dimentional "brother" and Matrix confronted the virues.
Daemon stalked up to the shield, and started to kick at Bob through it.
Bob sent an electrical shock through the sheild, knocking the mother of all viruses backward.
"Ouch!" Daemon said, falling backwards into a neat backflip. "Gotta do better than that, Bob..."
"Oh, I shall, Daemon, I shall!" Bob replied. Turning up his power, the chrome-armored Guardian focused it into a beam of solid energy, which hit Daemon like a data-dump truck.
"That...qualifies..." she moaned in pain, staggering.
"I'm just getting started, Daemon," Bob grinned. Jo Ann stole a glance at the battle between the other Bob, Matrix, and Megabyte.
Matrix had taken a slash to the arm, but was fighting like a tiger... MB was trying to grab Bob, who had, thus far, evaded him.
Jo Ann prayed for the two Mainframe warriors to win. She kept quiet, though. The distraction could cost them their lives!
Dot bit her lip, "Are you my Bob?" she asked the one shielding them.
"Which Dot are you?" Bob smiled at her.
"Not the married one..." she grinned. This was confusing, but kinda fun.
"I'm your Bob," he said, still smiling. He showed her his left hand. It did not have a wedding band on the fourth finger.
"Good," Dot said as she knelt beside his, resting her head on his shoulder while she cradled Jo Ann.
Her brother and future sister. This ran through Jo Ann's mind. Now, when would they marry, and make Dot her sister, and little Enzo and Matrix, her brothers? Come to think of it, when was Matrix and AndrAIa going to marry and make the sea sprite and her little sister, Andri, her sisters.
Dot caressed her friend's cheek maternally, "Are you okay??" she murmered.
"I feel so weak...I should be helping you...but I haven't the strength..." Tears ran down Jo Ann's cheeks.
"Shhh...don't worry..." Dot whispered. "I'm okay now, Bob; let me out and I'll go check if Daemon is out for the count."
"Be careful, Dot," Bob released the shield, just long enough for Dot to get out.
"I will!" she promised, rolling out. Matrix and Bob were fighting MB close to her. Dot laced out a foot and connected with the back of MB's knee, the virus fell to his knees.
"Ouch..." Jo Ann grinned, despite her weakness. Bob grinned with her.
Dot rolled out of the way and up to her feet. She looked over Daemon, who sat up suddenly.
"Surprise!" she grinned and punched Dot in the jaw.
"DOT!!" the Bob shielding Jo Ann cried in rage.
Dot's head snapped around and she let out a grunt of pain, kicking up hard, hitting Daemon squarely in the stomach, winding the supervirus.
"I'm okay...I think Bob..." she called.
Bob was torn between shielding his sister-in-law and going to help his love. Both Matrix and the other Bob was busy fighting Megabyte.
The battles continued, but back in the hospital, there was a panic; the second Dot, AndrAIa and Wild Card were all terrified when the others seemed to pass out.
"Med-teams, hurry! Git them inta beds! NOW!" ordered Turbo. Turbo's voice carried so much urgency and authority, that medics in the other universe rushed to obey him.
AndrAIa held Matrix cradled in her arms and seemed reluctant to let anyone else touch him.
"What's happening?" Dot demanded
"They are battling Daemon and Megabyte --or, rather, Jo Ann's memories of them-- in Jo Ann's mind," AndrAIa answered. "Tired as she was, Jo Ann was vulnerable to mental attack from the memories of the virues that lurked in her mind. They chose this time to attack, while she is weak. The others have mentally gone to her aid."
"Can they do anything to help her?" Dot asked.
"They are trying, Dot. Both Bobs are fighting with their powers; Dot is using her cunning and skills, while Matrix," AndrAIa looked lovingly down at her Sparky, "is using his brute strength."
"How do you know this?" Dot asked; her worried gaze landing on a scared looking Wild Card.
"I can feel Matrix, and what he's thinking. Jo Ann must have hooked him mentally to me when she openned the pathway to her mind for him."
Dot bit her lip and addressed the bounty hunter, "Wild Card? They'll be alright..."
Wild Card did not answer. He looked down at his unconcious wife, wishing he could help her --and his friends.
Dot opened a tear to the other universe, "Turbo can you stablise that? I'm coming through..." She took her husband's still form and dragged him through the portal with her.
"Copeland! Key!" Turbo commanded. As he had so many times before, Copeland transformed the ball of energy into a silver portal.
Dot dragged the other Bob with her and stepped into the other Mainframe. The med binomes took Bob from her and put him on a bed with the others. Dot placed a comforting hand on Wild Card's shoulder.
"She'll make it...they all will..."
Deep inside Jo Ann's mind, the battle raged on. Matrix and the older Bob fought Megabyte, while Dot fought with Daemon. The younger Bob continued to shield Jo Ann from the virues, but doing so meant that he could not help the others in battle.
"If...only...there...was...some...thing...I...could...do..." Jo Ann whispered weakly.
"Don't worry, Jo Ann; let us take care of you for a change..." Bob smiled.
Jo Ann smiled up at Bob. Brother to Wild Card, her husband, and now, bother to her. What would she do without him? Or, without any of them?
Dot was ducking and diving; banking on exhausting Daemon. She took a cheap shot at MB's head as she ran past. Matrix laughed aloud.
"Good...one...Dot..." Jo Ann smiled.
Now, another combatant entered the frey. Red, metalic skin, black, leather clothes, and a white, mask-like face.
"You hurt my friends!" the newcomer shrieked. "You will pay for that!" A fireball hit Daemon in the chest, sending her smack angainst the wall of Jo Ann's mind.
"Hex...a...deci...mal...?" Jo Ann said softly, too weak to even move.
Dot stood running, and panting smiled at Hex.
"Thanks, Hex..."
"My pleasure, dear," Hex smiled charmingly. "Now, let's toast us a supervirus!"
Getting her second wind, Dot flashed a grin and she and Hex proceeded to pound Daemon.
"Go get 'em guys!" the Bob who protected Jo Ann cheered. He shifted his gaze to check on Matrix and the other Bob.
MB was fighting like a caged tiger.
Matrix continued to pound on Megabyte with his powerful fists, while the older Bob fired energy beams at the virus.
For a terrible moment, it looked as if MB would decapitate Matrix, but the renegade ducked just in time.
Jo Ann let out a sigh of relief. Don't get yourselves killed, guys. I love you too much to lose you. She wondered offhandedly if they had heard her.
Back in reality AndrAIa decided to follow Hex's example and used the link she had to Matrix to enter. The game-sprite slipped in un-noticed and nearly sliced an arm off MB with her trident.
"An...dr...AI...a..." Jo Ann smiled weakly at her friend.
"Hey, Jo!! Thought I'd join the party!!" She kissed Matrix cheek quickly as she slipped passed to help Dot and Hex finish off Daemon.
The combined power, skills, and strength of AndrAIa, Dot, and Hexadecimal finally destroyed Daemon, banishing the supervirus from Jo Ann's dreams --although not from her memory-- forever. They now turned their attention on Bob and Jo Ann.
AndrAIa took Jo Ann from Bob and let Dot and Bob embrace.
Jo Ann smiled at the couple. She hoped they would marry soon, and add Dot, Matrix, and little Enzo to her growing Mainframe siblings.
"I was so worried about you," Bob smiled.
"I know; I had to help... but User!! I'm sore!!"
"How...is...Matrix...and...the...other...Bob...doing...? Jo Ann asked.
Dot and Bob whirled apart and started over to assist in the fight against MB when Matrix cut MB down with AndrAIa's trident.
Like Deamon, Megabyte disappeared from Jo Ann's dreams.
"Yea..." Jo Ann grinned weakly. She knew Matrix and the others would win!
The group embraced, exhausted.
"Now...how...do...we...get...you...guys...out...and...back...into...your...bodies...?" Jo Ann wondered.
Dot groaned, "The same way we came in?" she asked hopefully.
"How...did...you...get...in...?" In her weakened state Jo Ann did not remember how her friends had gotten into her dream.
"I followed Bob," Dot admitted, looking to her love for suggestions.
"And both of us followed your cries for help," Bob said,indicating his older "brother".
"And I followed the pathway that you openned for me," Matrix said.
"Oh," Jo Ann replied. "But...I...am...too...weak...to...reopen...the ...pathway..."
Dot's reaction seemed to sum up everyone's reactions to that news.
"Oh, spam!!"
"Bob...what...are...we...going...to...do...?" Jo Ann was very worried, now. Everyone was stuck in her dream with no easy way out.
Both Bobs looked thoughtful; "Maybe if we wake you up...?"
"But...will...waking...me...up...restore...you...or...trap...you...here...in...my...mind...?"
"Exactly," the other Bob said. "We can't be sure..."
"Should...we...chance...it...?" She was afraid for her friends, now. If waking her up did not restore them to their bodies...
"Maybe we should think about it first..." Dot advised caution.
"Please...do...I...want...to...do...the...right...thing...to...free...us...all...with...out..hurting...any...one..."
AndrAIa hugged Jo warmly, "I know..." Matrix squeezed AndrAIa's shoulder.
"So...tired...so...very...very...tired..." Jo Ann's eyes closed.
"Wake up!" AndrAIa gently slapped Jo's cheeks.
"Thanks...An...dr...AI...a..." Jo Ann smiled, her eyes open, but lids heavy, wanting to close and get some rest.
None of them knew what would happen if Jo feel asleep in a dream state; and no-one cared to find out.
"Your...decision...do...you...want...to...risk...it...?" Jo Ann asked.
"You're falling asleep even here -- we have no choice," Bob said.
"Ok...tell...Wild...Card...Turbo...any...of...the...others...outside...to...wake...me...up...however...they...can..."
"Uummm...how?" Matrix asked.
"Bob...surely...the...two...of...you...can...figure...something...out...Hex? Help...them...please..."
They all exchanged rather blank looks and tried to find an alternative.
"Bob...can...Glitch...get...a...message...out...to...Pixal? Tell...her...to...tell...the...others...to...wake...me...up...?"
"I can try!!" both Bobs exclaimed.
"And...I...said...the...Dots...were...like...two...peas...in...a...pod..." Jo Ann laughed weakly.
Dot giggled and bent down to squeeze Jo's hand.
Jo Ann sighed. She did not have the strength to squeeze Dot's hand back.
Dot bit her lip, and maternally stroked Jo's hair.
"Easy, sis," the younger Bob smiled. Jo Ann's head was resting in his lap. He looked up at the older Bob, expectantly. "Let's do it!"
They concentrated hard to send a message to the other keytool.
Pixal, if you can read us, tell the others to wake Jo Ann up. It may be the only way out of Jo Ann's dream, both Bobs said together.
{Will do!} Pixal answered.
Pixal sent the message on to Copeland who told Turbo.
"Give Jo Ann a stimulant!" he commanded.
The doctor obeyed, injecting Jo Ann with a hypo needle the second time that second.
Wild Card squeezed Jo's hand and said a silent prayer.