DISCLAIMER: I own no one but Avie. Yes a second copy of AndrAIa showed up when her home game came back through the system. Please no flames, this is my first ReBoot fic.
Quietly Matrix looked up briefly towards where Enzo, AndI and Frisket were playing in the park. Looking just past them he saw a what appeared to be a small red pixel. "What the...." Gently he shook AndrAIa who was sitting by him, her eyes shut. Slowly the game sprite opened one aqua eye, "What's up Sparky?" "Did you see...HEY! Where'd it go!" "Where'd what go Matrix?" A look of concern on the game sprite's face. "Nothing. Guess I'm just imagining things 'DrAIa." AndrAIa gently squeezed his hand smiling. "Come on kids! Time to get you two home." Both children put up a small amount of protest but came along anyway. A few nanos later AndrAIa slipped out of AndI's room, sitting on the sofa by Matrix. "So...wanna talk about it Sparky?" The renegade merely shook his head, "I just thought I saw something in the park...problly just Hex appearing to look for Bob," he offered her a smile. "Yea…I'm sure you're right," The renegade nuzzled her some, gently squeezing her hand. "Come on, lets hit it.
Meanwhile on the other side of Mainframe, a young female silently roamed the empty streets, a look of utter confusion on her face. Her long dark red hair was held back by two black starfish, that, along with her black clothing and pure white skin, gave her an almost sinister appearance as she wandered further occasionally shivering. The source of her search was around here…or at least it had been. The area looked only vaguely familiar as she stumbled, hitting the ground, and curling into a ball whimpering under an apartment window. The sole occupant of the apartment looked down, his brown eyes widening before floating lower to her, "AndrAIa?" Bob asked gently, seeming to not notice the color differences between the child game sprite and the female in the dark street as he addressed her, "AndI? Are you ok? Do Matrix and AndrAIa know you're here? And what happened to your coloring?" The child stirred weakly but gave no response.
Worriedly the Guardian lifted the girl into his arms heading inside his apartment, laying her on the sofa making notes of the color changes to her. Moving into the kitchen, he returned with a cup, gently lifting her head tipping the glass so the child could drink. Slowly she began to come around looking up at Bob whimpering. "S..Sister? Where is my Sister?" Softly the Guardian stroked her hair, "I'm not sure, but I'll help you find her if you want. Now what's your name?" The girl looked up at him, her large purple eyes filled with distrust, "My name is Avie. Please take me to my sister…" "I would if I knew who she was Avie," Bob said softly, gently smoothing back her dark red hair. "I'd love to help you, but I need to know who she is." The girl raised her brow confusedly, starting to whimper some, "Her name is Sister…" she muttered faintly. The Guardian sighed then smiled, "That's ok. Try to get some sleep and we'll start looking for her tomorrow, I'll even get my friends to help." He gently covered her with a blanket and headed back to bed himself.
The next morning found the child huddled up on the sofa staring at a spot on the wall muttering, "0100100100100000011101110110000101101110011101000010000001110100011011110010000001100111011011110010000001101000011011110110110101100101*" Bob merely stared at the girl before kneeling down to meet her at eye level, "Avie? Did you sleep ok?" Slowly those large purple eyes drifted up to meet his soft brown ones once more, "I could not sleep Guardian…" This brought a frown to his face as he carefully picked her up. "Come on, first we get breakfast, then we'll start looking ok?" She merely nodded wrapping her arms around his neck closing her eyes. Slowly Bob made his way towards the Diner spotting the majority of his makeshift family. AndrAIa and Matrix were on one side of a booth, her head on his shoulder. Apparently Mouse and Ray had returned sometime in the night, the same way they had left, and were sitting across from the younger couple.
I looked up one nanosecond and there was a red spot, I went to get 'DrAIa's attention and it was gone." Matrix said as the Guardian came in carrying the girl in his arms bracing for a flying leap which never came. "You're safe Bob, Enzo already left for school. AndI's a bit under the weather today." AndrAIa said, the younger version of herself coming to join the group slowly, causing the former game hopper to scoot closer to Matrix so the girl could sit. Slowly both game sprites turned to face Bob focusing on the child in his arms who had turned to face them. "She..looks…" AndrAIa whispered, "Like…" AndI whispered back, "Us…." both finished unanimously, their aqua eyes locking with the purple ones. Almost instantly Matrix began to growl in distrust of the small girl, "Where'd you come from?" Avie let out a soft whimper, "S..Sister brought me from a game…" she whispered before burring her head against Bob's neck.
At this point everyone turned to face AndI, who began to squirm some. "I do not remember much, I was in a game alone last minute when Enzo was home from school. I beat the game and came home." Avie began to cling tighter to Bob turning to look at AndI again, "Sister was in the game….she created me from your code. Then she erased it from your memory so no one would hurt me. I am sorry." The girl was shaking now as the Guardian gently hugged her whispering softly to her as Glitch began to beep. "Bob," Phong's voice came through, "She is at it again destroying everything in her path. It is as if she is looking for something…or someone…" At this the guardian gave a light sigh, "Matrix, AndrAIa, you're with me. AndI," he knelt down gently in front of the young game sprite, "Can you take Avie to the Principle Office? I'll send Enzo there as soon as I can." The young girl nodded as Bob set the small girl down next to her before darting out followed by the older version of them and the renegade.
Quietly Avie sat staring at the achieves, reading files rapidly, yet silently, Enzo and AndI talking quietly a few paces away. Those large purple eyes stared at the files, absorbing everything the system had to teach her, after all her sister had always told her to learn. "She looks just like you AndI…except her color patterns are off," Enzo whispered to his friend. "She is very shy, so be kind, Guardian Enzo." The young sprite nodded moving towards Avie who looked up quietly, "Hello Enzo Matrix…I have been waiting to meet you," she bowed her head gently in respect.
Quite suddenly alarms began to go off, a vid window opening in front of Phong and the children with Matrix on the screen, "She's getting worse! We need reinforcements!" With this the renegade dodged a large plaid bowling ball. At this sight Avie's eyes lit up brightly and in the blink of an eye she was gone. She reappeared amidst the fight, her eyes scanning the area through the thicket of scarlet flowers and ebony and white candy cane poles. "KNOCK IT OFF!" The guardian yelled dodging an energy bolt. "LET US HELP YOU!" he screamed at the red and white masked virus.
Avie's beautiful purple eyes stared up at the figure from the ground letting out a scream, "SISTER!" "GET DOWN!" Matrix yelled, knocking the girl to the ground, covering her protectively despite her protests and struggling. "Let Me GO! I want to be with my sister!" Her voice grew sharper as she finally drove her dark red nails into the renegade's shoulder causing him to go rigid making a weak realization, "Virus…" his voice barely a whisper as he slowly slipped offline.
MATRIX!" AndrAIa screamed watching him collapse her eyes wide in disbelief that the child had done this to him. All the while Avie ran headlong at the red and white, masked figure, leaping into the air wrapping her arms around her waist whispering. "Sister…my sister. I knew I would find you!
Slowly Hexcidecimal relaxed, lowering herself and the small girl to the ground, tightening her embrace around her stroking back her dark red hair. "Oh Avie. HOW DARE YOU VANISH LIKE THAT!" The virus growled with glowing red before hugging her close again, her eyes turned to a soft green glow, "You had me so worried my little creation. Why in the web's name would you leave home?" Avie gently tilted her head, "I do not know Sister. I just felt an urge to enter the city. As if something were drawing me here." Slowly she looked back at Bob and the others. "Please do not hurt them Sister…they protected me and brought me back to you.
The elder virus nodded, turning to the guardian with a smile, "Thank you Bob for returning Avie to me." Suddenly a muffin appeared in his hands, "Take this in exchange for your trouble. Now what do you say to the nice guardian Avie?" "Thank you Guardian for returning me to my Sister," the child virus smiled hugging his waist tightly. "I will see you again soon.
And with that the pair vanished back to Lost Angles as suddenly as they appeared leaving AndrAIa and Bob to tend to the sleeping Matrix. "So that's one mystery solved," AndrAIa said, carefully supporting Matrix's prone form, "Let's go home Sparky."
* Translation: I want to go home.
