Disclaimer: I don't own the subject, just the obsession. I suppose that'll have to do.

Firsts

Loss

Enzo couldn't remember his mother. All that he knew about her was from what his sister and father told him. He was told she was beautiful and kind. She was smart and generous. She sounded like a good mother, but you can't miss someone you didn't know.

Enzo knew his dad, though. He was brilliant but clumsy. He was never angry, but sometimes disappointed. He was funny but socially awkward. He was a very good dad.

The Twin City exploded and Enzo didn't know where to find his dad. Dot didn't know either. Dot knew everything and if Dot didn't know, then it must have been bad.

"I hate you"

He meant it. Dot was a fine sister, as sisters went, but she wasn't really a sister anymore. Sisters sometimes boss you around, but you didn't really have to listen. Dot didn't boss, she ordered. She was always telling him to do things when his dad used to ask. When he didn't do it right away, she yelled. He yelled back and he meant it.

"I love you"

Enzo eventually felt bad about yelling. He supposed he didn't really hate her, just hated when she was trying to replace their dad. He decided he was going to call her Sis; just so they both remembered.

Hero

When Bob first came to Mainframe Enzo didn't see him that much. The strange sprite was always with Phong and nobody knew much about him. Eventually, he started to come to the Diner and Dot started to really smile again.

Game

The games were scary. He didn't know why, but Dot forbid him to go near one and she sounded serious. He figured it was okay to be forbidden because Dot apparently forbid everybody. Except Bob.

Bob always went into the games. When it was over he'd come to the Diner and tell everybody about it. They certainly did sound scary, but they also sounded exciting.

He snuck into a game when Dot thought he was walking Frisket. Bob was angry when he saw him. Dot was furious when she found out. It was scary, but it was very exciting.

Birthday

Enzo decided he birthdays weren't that great. Sure, it was alphanumeric to spend so much time with Bob, but he got tired and Bob got evasive. He slipped away from the data slide when he noticed Bob talking on his keytool. He just wanted to go home and rest until the whole thing was over.

When he got home and saw all that had been prepared for him and he got his upgrade, he decided that birthdays were alright after all.

Friend

He promised Dot that he wouldn't go into the games alone. He didn't promise he would get out the way if it came down on him.

When he rebooted into the water game, he rather liked that he was piloting the little ship himself. He felt a little like Bob and that he was the sole defender. When he saw a sprite about to be deleted he scooped her out of the way. He felt rather heroic and dashed to the back to see who he had rescued. When he got there he saw it was a young girl and he didn't know if she was okay. He brushed his fingers against her cheek and she opened her eyes. He thought that they were pretty eyes until they glared at him and she hissed.

It was a rocky start, but she relaxed and he realized that she was fun and cool. Battling the user with her was exciting. It was better than all the games he played with Bob. He wanted her to stay with him. Then he realized she was a game sprite and game sprites leave with the game.

When he woke up, the game was over and he was back in Mainframe without AndrAIa. He felt worse than he ever felt, but then Bob noticed something on his icon.

Honor

Enzo had lied to AndrAIa when he first met her. He had told her he was a guardian when he wasn't. He knew he had to tell her, but he just couldn't bring himself to see her disappointed face.

The web invaded Mainframe and whether or not he was a guardian was the furtherest thing from his mind. He knew that this bigger than anything that had come before it. It was bigger than Hexadecimal or Megabyte. It was bigger than Bob. Bob working with the viruses was strange but Bob said it was going to work out, so he supposed it was okay.

AndrAIa made a comment about guardians and that reminded him. He made up his mind to tell her, right there, no matter how much it hurt.

When Bob zoomed in and gave him the guardian upgrade, Enzo was shocked but soon realized that Bob didn't have to do it right then, right there. He supposed that was one of the reasons he liked Bob so much. Bob understood a lot of important things.

Keytool

The very idea of being a guardian was exciting. It sounded important and thrilling. Sprites and binomes looked up to guardians. Guardians also got keytools, which could do almost anything.

Enzo wanted a keytool, but he never wanted one like this.

Ridicule

Megabyte and Hexadecimal were the only ones that nobody liked. Megabyte was to be feared and Hexadecimal was just creepy. The saying that Mainframers stick together was absolutely true. Everybody liked everybody in Mainframe.

Bob, Dot and Phong were especially liked. Bob was an excellent guardian. Dot was very kind and very smart. Phong was very wise, even if no one understood him. The binomes rather liked Enzo too, in a way. He had a natural ability in the games for a young sprite.

Bob was gone and Enzo was the only one with guardian programming. It was a difficult time, but even with the upgrade he was still very young and very untrained. He had a natural ability with the games and he was determined, but he wasn't Bob and everybody knew it.

Game lost

It was a tough start, but it was easier with AndrAIa than with Dot because AndrAIa didn't expect him to be Bob. Once he stopped trying to replace Bob he started to find his own style in the games.

He was just starting to get it. Mainframe was just starting to get it. Mainframe was just starting to get him.

The tournament game dropped. He knew it wasn't going to be easy and he watched. He watched how the User moved and he watched how the User finished.

It was the final round, the decider. He thought, just for a moment, that he was going to win but the User changed tactics. He moved in close, swinging his fiery knifed hand left and right. The fire was so bright and hot, Enzo had to shield his eyes and back up. The User paused his advance and Enzo looked up.

It burned and it hurt. His hands went to his face to check for blood. He wasn't sure; it was difficult to see anything. He tried fighting anyway, but he knew it was over.

He didn't want to do it, but he knew the alternative. He changed his icon to Game Sprite and nodded to AndrAIa, knowing she'd understand. Then there was nothing left but the User's hard thin fingers closing on his head and nothing he could do when they started to squeeze.