White Noise
by Joshua Falken

Revised by BenRG

Bob looked at the system's time fluxogram on the wall of his apartment. The Freedom Cycle Celebration festival would be during tomorrow downtime. He then looked at the several used text-pads with his early attempts to write, and smashed his forehead against the keyboard.

"I don't believe it!", he thought. "I I I mean... I've survived several games and the Web, I finally got tell Dot that I love her... I even kissed her, after restoration of Mainframe... And now I can't write a poem for her!!!" He then shook his head in astonishment.

He wondered if that was a good idea (Creative Writing was the one class which he always had trouble with when he was in the Guardian Academy). But he wanted to do something special for Dot (and he wanted to send it to her before the Freedom festival, before their date, to surprise her).

He sighed. "Well, back to work." Some microseconds later, he finally reached a reasonable result...

"Dot,

When I was in the Web, with no escape port,
the remembrance of you was the only thing that brought me comfort.
(I know that you don't will believe that,
even after that kiss after the System Crash... ^_^)
The light of your eyes,
your gentle smile...
even your stubbornness
and "never-stop" workaholic style! ;-)
I will tell you in one try.
What I mean is that you struck my heart
Harder with your shocking gorgeous sight,
than a lightning
from a thunder storm
strikes a lightning rod!"

Bob pressed the "send" key, and released his breath.

Message Destination: Dot Matrix, Command.com of System Mainframe.

Obvious, isn't?

============

"...Shannon's Theory of Information states that for communication to occur, there has to be an emissor, a receptor, the message itself, and the medium... The emissor can be a person who writes a letter; the message, the text of the letter itself; and the receptor, the person who receives the message..."

============

Bob entered Dot's Diner looking for her. He saw her reading some spreadsheets. She raised her head and smiled at him. He smiled back.

He was about to go to her, when a binome called her attention. The binome delivered a card to her. This made Bob freeze, because he the card was all too familiar to him. That was the card with the poem that he wrote for her.

When Dot finished reading the card, she looked up at Bob with a serious face. She stood up and left the diner.

"Is it that bad?!", a worried Bob thought.

=============

"...but in the transmitting process through the medium, the information can suffer interference...."

=============

Later that cycle, Bob was siting on a bench in Floating Point Park. He was in deep thought; he didn't notice all the people working to ready the park for the upcoming festivals.

"Bob?"

He looked up, surprised.

"A person asked me to give this message to you." said a binome, handing him a little card note.

"Uh... thanks..."

After the binome left, Bob opened the card and read: "Come to Dot's Diner, at 7,030 d.cc." It was unsigned.

The Guardian frowned in confusion...

==========

"... the interference in the message to reach an point to transform the original message in an indecipherable code.... this is called 'White Noise'..."

==========

At 7,029 d.cc., Bob arrived at the Diner. It was closed because of the Freedom festival. He opened the door and entered in the dark building. He was wondering if he was victim of a cruel practical joke, when "Well?", a well-known woman's voice called from behind him.

Bob turned around, and saw her. She was wearing a white vest, a red blouse and a red skirt. Her face was serious. Arms crossed, waiting.

"Uh... hi!"

"Hi."

"Uh... well... did you receive my card?"

"Yes." she replied simply.

"And did you... read that poem?"

"Yes." Again, the single reply.

Bob looked at his lover's eyes, but had no success in discerning what she is thinking. "And?"

"'And' what?"

Bob shook his head. What in the Web was Dot planning?! "Did you like it?!?" a nervous Bob asked.

=========

"...the "White Noise", however, could be considered the sum of all possible messages..."

=========

"If did I like it?" Dot asked, showing Bob's card with his poem.

He nodded his head spastically. His nervousness was leaving him with all the charm and debonair grace of an analog.

Dot looked at him for a nanosecond, then, without warning, she grabbed his shoulders and gave him a very passionate kiss.

Then, she asked, smiling at a very surprised (and very happy) Bob, "Did that answer your question?"

=========

"... So, this case, with the correct deciphering mechanisms, the white noise can become an understandable, and possibly, very clear message..."

=========

"Yeah." Bob confirmed, crossing his arms and giving Dot a questioning, but at same time stunned and playful, grin.

"Hey, you're the one who bugged me to the deletion about me needing to be a little more impulsive."

Bob laughed.

Dot walked to the Diner's door. "Hey, are you coming to the festival, or not? We still have a date today, remember?" she asked with her right hand poised on her waist.

"Sure!" He walked over to her. "But I'm guessing that this way is much better." When he finished saying that, he extended his left arm and opened a portal. Putting his free arm around Dot's waist, he said, "This is faster."

Both them laughed and crossed the portal.

The End

Disclaimer: ReBoot and its characters are property of Mainframe Entertainment. No Copyright infligement is intended. This is a fanfiction work, created for fun.

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