Author's Note: Okay, okay, third time's the charm, right? Anyway, I'm also
working on a prequel of the Hunt. Also, I'm planning this to be a trilogy,
so I'm setting the stage for later stories as well, so please don't remind
me about unexplained parts. Some are planned for later on.
Historian Note: This takes place after season four, and an explanation as to what happened to Megabyte and how Hex is back is underway. Officially, I'm considering this a sixth season, the Hunt will be the fifth.
Chapter 1
Matrix walked through the corridors of the Haunted House game. His gun was up, ready to delete the User. AndrAIa was still behind him.
" Ready, Sparky?" she asked. Matrix nodded, then looked at her belly. AndrAIa was pregnant with their first child, and if it weren't for her making a quick jump with her bike, he'd be fighting these games with Bob instead. Of course, Bob was busy with a few domestic problems with Dot. The two had tried living together recently, and that was working perfectly, he thought with an eye roll. But, then again, Matrix couldn't talk, as he and AndrAIa nearly got into fights themselves every time Matrix even seemed to suggest that she stop going into games during this pregnancy. He remembered the last one. Something along the lines of 'If we want a safe place for our baby to live, shouldn't we trust in her to realize that her parents need to fight games, even during the pregnancy.' 'That's all well and good, but the doctors all said to limit your game playing-' 'Limit, not stop.' 'AndrAIa, please. We've been through all of this and-' 'And I'm not going to have another argument about this. Matrix... Enzo... Trust me. I know my child. And I know that the games are not where I'm going to have this child.'
The argument continued, AndrAIa wearing him and his points and counterpoints down. Finally he accepted that she could continue playing until two cycles before the due date. 'Two cycles, and not a nano later. Frankly, I'm still skeptical of that.' 'Don't worry, Matrix. The baby and I will be fine.'
AndrAIa's hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.
" C'mon, Sparky. We gotta stop the User," she said.
" Right."
In this game, he was a ghost, and the scar over his right eye was greatly exaggerated and bleeding. He'd already begun to ignore it, but AndrAIa, in a banshee outfit didn't seem to be able because she hadn't looked at it while it had been bleeding the first time. There was the User.
" AndrAIa! Go for it!" Matrix cried. AndrAIa opened her mouth, and a shrill cry came through it. The User was paralyzed. Matrix's eye switched over and turned red. He fired.
" Game Over."
***
Three Nanoseconds Later.
Terrin Wilson flew towards the old system.
" Funny. I was expecting it to look much more trashed the way the Command.com made it sound. Oh, well. Ani will help. He's got to. Come on guys," he thought, " Please be here." Terrin did a loop.
" Hey, Cat, how you hanging back there?" he asked, turning back toward a female sprite.
" Hanging? You told be it would be so outrageous-"
" Ah, ah, ah. Don't you two start that all over again," a young sprite said. He was a little older than one-oh.
" Illan's right, Cat. Hear that, Illan?" Ani said.
" We're doomed," Ori chuckled.
" Sheesh," Terrin said, " Cat, I think we're outnumbered." Cat's eye roll was his response. Terrin returned to his hopes of seeing his friends, after so long. Missing that game cube a few hours ago. But then again, being trapped by virii tends to be trouble anyway, let alone when you're trying to game hop. He only hopped Matrix, AndrAIa, and Frisket had made it to a system with portals or hopped home.
" Hey, you okay?" Cat asked, placing a hand on Terrin's shoulder.
" Yeah. Just... reminiscing."
" Remembering those sprites you've been looking for?"
" Yeah. You know that we game-hopped together through... over a hundred games and they never got back to their home. I'd like to know that they're safe."
" Don't worry. Hey. Maybe once we're back at the Super Computer, you know, after this mercy mission is over, we'll search for them," Cat offered.
" Thanks."
***
Now.
The cube vanished, leaving Matrix and AndrAIa standing in the alley.
" Lover, how many times have we done this since we lost that game?" AndrAIa asked.
" I don't know. Too many times," Matrix sighed.
" Matrix!" Enzo cried. Matrix sighed. The big green guy was finally getting used to the little kid hanging on his arm every nanosecond.
" Tell me I never did that," Matrix murmured. AndrAIa shook her head.
" Sorry, lover," she smiled.
Enzo rammed into Matrix, and Matrix, playing along, fell on impact. He didn't have to, but he didn't want his little brother to get his youthful feelings hurt. Matrix sighed, as he had a hard time believing he'd once been that young, naïve, and rule-breaking. AndrAIa seemed to read his mind.
" I seem to recall you breaking the rules a few times in the past couple of hours, Sparky," she smiled. Matrix scowled.
" Hey, Matrix, can you tell me what it was like traveling through the games?" Enzo asked, and seemed to stop there. Matrix waited calmly for the next bit in the kid's usual eighty-mile long questions and comments, but they never came.
" Dre, take the kid's temperature, I think he's coming down with something," Matrix chuckled to AndrAIa.
"NoI'mjustcurious'causewhenIwaswatchingTrueStoriesofMainframetheynevermentio nwhathappenedtoyouandAndrAIaafteryouleftMainframe!" the kid cried.
" That's Enzo all right. Now, Dre, please go tell Dot the kid's had too much Java," Matrix said, lifting Enzo up.
" She still lets him after the incident three seconds ago?" AndrAIa asked.
" She has to get rid of it some way. She doesn't drink it anymore, there's nothing to make her, and I don't touch the stuff," Matrix sighed, and then turned back to Enzo. " So, you want to know what happened to us in the games, huh? Well, after AndrAIa and I switched to game sprite mode..."
***
Now.
Dot Matrix, Command.com of Mainframe, examined the reports that were coming in from several systems and sighed.
" Mainframe sure has become the hotspot of the Net, huh, boss?" a CPU commented.
" Yes, and frankly, I think all this crowding in of sprites and binomes in Mainframe is becoming dangerous for the hard-working citizens. I just got word of a sprite from the system of VAIO viciously attacked a sprite from Hewlett," Dot said.
" Why would he do that?"
" Apparently, the VAIO sprite said the Hewlett sprite's face looked too much like a virus's," Dot sighed.
" It looks like we're going to have to remind them that we're all friends here," the CPU said, grabbing a weapon and walking out. Dot smiled.
" Specky, what's the status of the Principal Office's defenses?" she asked.
" Well, ma'am, we've been looking over how Megabyte got through here just after the Daemon Conflict, and we believe we've developed a way against any other virus to get in here. The only problem is-"
" -Is that we'd need a virus to test it. Hex is out because of her status as a sprite with viral abilities. Not to mention, she's come in handy more times than one. Keep checking. We're at least in a calm period," Dot sighed.
" I fear that it may just be the calm before the storm," Phong sighed.
" I know what you mean, Phong," Dot turned her head back to the reports. One in particular caught her eye.
" Specky, I could have sworn that I read this same report just this morning?" she asked.
" Uh, no ma'am. This one is from a completely different system," the nerd binome replied. Dot bit her lip.
" My child, what is it?" Phong asked.
" Specky, cross-reference this report with all the others, and see if any of them have the exact same questions and requests," Dot ordered. Specky quickly began hitting the keys on his console.
" Sir, ma'am, there's 132 reports reporting the exact same thing. Like it or not, this is not a secluded incident," Specky said.
" Great. Contact Dad, Bob, AndrAIa, Enzo, Matrix, Mouse, Surfr, and Hex and get them down here," Dot sighed.
" Enzo?" Phong and Specky repeated.
" Enzo is getting to the age where he's old enough to be included in these meetings. Well? What are we waiting for, an announcement from the User? Let's move! You've got your orders!" Dot cried. The binomes and Phong scurried and began working on counter-measures.
***
Welman Matrix walked down the corridor of the Principal Office in Mainframe. Phong and Dot had called him here. Wellman shivered at the thought of some of the scientific ideas he was planning, because he was afraid another one of those viruses would come through like last time. Wellman opened the door. Dot, Phong and Specky were sitting at the table.
" Ah, Dad, good, you're here. Bob, AndrAIa, Enzo, Matrix, Mouse, Surfr, and Hex are on their way. This could really affect us all," Dot said, closing her planner.
" Dot, what is it?" Welman asked.
" Trouble," Specky said.
" Net-wide trouble," Phong added. Wellmen looked from Phong, his long- time friend, to Dot.
" This is serious," he said, taking a look at the symbol that was on the monitor. It was the same type of egg timer that Daemon had infused all over the Net during her take-over.
Historian Note: This takes place after season four, and an explanation as to what happened to Megabyte and how Hex is back is underway. Officially, I'm considering this a sixth season, the Hunt will be the fifth.
Chapter 1
Matrix walked through the corridors of the Haunted House game. His gun was up, ready to delete the User. AndrAIa was still behind him.
" Ready, Sparky?" she asked. Matrix nodded, then looked at her belly. AndrAIa was pregnant with their first child, and if it weren't for her making a quick jump with her bike, he'd be fighting these games with Bob instead. Of course, Bob was busy with a few domestic problems with Dot. The two had tried living together recently, and that was working perfectly, he thought with an eye roll. But, then again, Matrix couldn't talk, as he and AndrAIa nearly got into fights themselves every time Matrix even seemed to suggest that she stop going into games during this pregnancy. He remembered the last one. Something along the lines of 'If we want a safe place for our baby to live, shouldn't we trust in her to realize that her parents need to fight games, even during the pregnancy.' 'That's all well and good, but the doctors all said to limit your game playing-' 'Limit, not stop.' 'AndrAIa, please. We've been through all of this and-' 'And I'm not going to have another argument about this. Matrix... Enzo... Trust me. I know my child. And I know that the games are not where I'm going to have this child.'
The argument continued, AndrAIa wearing him and his points and counterpoints down. Finally he accepted that she could continue playing until two cycles before the due date. 'Two cycles, and not a nano later. Frankly, I'm still skeptical of that.' 'Don't worry, Matrix. The baby and I will be fine.'
AndrAIa's hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.
" C'mon, Sparky. We gotta stop the User," she said.
" Right."
In this game, he was a ghost, and the scar over his right eye was greatly exaggerated and bleeding. He'd already begun to ignore it, but AndrAIa, in a banshee outfit didn't seem to be able because she hadn't looked at it while it had been bleeding the first time. There was the User.
" AndrAIa! Go for it!" Matrix cried. AndrAIa opened her mouth, and a shrill cry came through it. The User was paralyzed. Matrix's eye switched over and turned red. He fired.
" Game Over."
***
Three Nanoseconds Later.
Terrin Wilson flew towards the old system.
" Funny. I was expecting it to look much more trashed the way the Command.com made it sound. Oh, well. Ani will help. He's got to. Come on guys," he thought, " Please be here." Terrin did a loop.
" Hey, Cat, how you hanging back there?" he asked, turning back toward a female sprite.
" Hanging? You told be it would be so outrageous-"
" Ah, ah, ah. Don't you two start that all over again," a young sprite said. He was a little older than one-oh.
" Illan's right, Cat. Hear that, Illan?" Ani said.
" We're doomed," Ori chuckled.
" Sheesh," Terrin said, " Cat, I think we're outnumbered." Cat's eye roll was his response. Terrin returned to his hopes of seeing his friends, after so long. Missing that game cube a few hours ago. But then again, being trapped by virii tends to be trouble anyway, let alone when you're trying to game hop. He only hopped Matrix, AndrAIa, and Frisket had made it to a system with portals or hopped home.
" Hey, you okay?" Cat asked, placing a hand on Terrin's shoulder.
" Yeah. Just... reminiscing."
" Remembering those sprites you've been looking for?"
" Yeah. You know that we game-hopped together through... over a hundred games and they never got back to their home. I'd like to know that they're safe."
" Don't worry. Hey. Maybe once we're back at the Super Computer, you know, after this mercy mission is over, we'll search for them," Cat offered.
" Thanks."
***
Now.
The cube vanished, leaving Matrix and AndrAIa standing in the alley.
" Lover, how many times have we done this since we lost that game?" AndrAIa asked.
" I don't know. Too many times," Matrix sighed.
" Matrix!" Enzo cried. Matrix sighed. The big green guy was finally getting used to the little kid hanging on his arm every nanosecond.
" Tell me I never did that," Matrix murmured. AndrAIa shook her head.
" Sorry, lover," she smiled.
Enzo rammed into Matrix, and Matrix, playing along, fell on impact. He didn't have to, but he didn't want his little brother to get his youthful feelings hurt. Matrix sighed, as he had a hard time believing he'd once been that young, naïve, and rule-breaking. AndrAIa seemed to read his mind.
" I seem to recall you breaking the rules a few times in the past couple of hours, Sparky," she smiled. Matrix scowled.
" Hey, Matrix, can you tell me what it was like traveling through the games?" Enzo asked, and seemed to stop there. Matrix waited calmly for the next bit in the kid's usual eighty-mile long questions and comments, but they never came.
" Dre, take the kid's temperature, I think he's coming down with something," Matrix chuckled to AndrAIa.
"NoI'mjustcurious'causewhenIwaswatchingTrueStoriesofMainframetheynevermentio nwhathappenedtoyouandAndrAIaafteryouleftMainframe!" the kid cried.
" That's Enzo all right. Now, Dre, please go tell Dot the kid's had too much Java," Matrix said, lifting Enzo up.
" She still lets him after the incident three seconds ago?" AndrAIa asked.
" She has to get rid of it some way. She doesn't drink it anymore, there's nothing to make her, and I don't touch the stuff," Matrix sighed, and then turned back to Enzo. " So, you want to know what happened to us in the games, huh? Well, after AndrAIa and I switched to game sprite mode..."
***
Now.
Dot Matrix, Command.com of Mainframe, examined the reports that were coming in from several systems and sighed.
" Mainframe sure has become the hotspot of the Net, huh, boss?" a CPU commented.
" Yes, and frankly, I think all this crowding in of sprites and binomes in Mainframe is becoming dangerous for the hard-working citizens. I just got word of a sprite from the system of VAIO viciously attacked a sprite from Hewlett," Dot said.
" Why would he do that?"
" Apparently, the VAIO sprite said the Hewlett sprite's face looked too much like a virus's," Dot sighed.
" It looks like we're going to have to remind them that we're all friends here," the CPU said, grabbing a weapon and walking out. Dot smiled.
" Specky, what's the status of the Principal Office's defenses?" she asked.
" Well, ma'am, we've been looking over how Megabyte got through here just after the Daemon Conflict, and we believe we've developed a way against any other virus to get in here. The only problem is-"
" -Is that we'd need a virus to test it. Hex is out because of her status as a sprite with viral abilities. Not to mention, she's come in handy more times than one. Keep checking. We're at least in a calm period," Dot sighed.
" I fear that it may just be the calm before the storm," Phong sighed.
" I know what you mean, Phong," Dot turned her head back to the reports. One in particular caught her eye.
" Specky, I could have sworn that I read this same report just this morning?" she asked.
" Uh, no ma'am. This one is from a completely different system," the nerd binome replied. Dot bit her lip.
" My child, what is it?" Phong asked.
" Specky, cross-reference this report with all the others, and see if any of them have the exact same questions and requests," Dot ordered. Specky quickly began hitting the keys on his console.
" Sir, ma'am, there's 132 reports reporting the exact same thing. Like it or not, this is not a secluded incident," Specky said.
" Great. Contact Dad, Bob, AndrAIa, Enzo, Matrix, Mouse, Surfr, and Hex and get them down here," Dot sighed.
" Enzo?" Phong and Specky repeated.
" Enzo is getting to the age where he's old enough to be included in these meetings. Well? What are we waiting for, an announcement from the User? Let's move! You've got your orders!" Dot cried. The binomes and Phong scurried and began working on counter-measures.
***
Welman Matrix walked down the corridor of the Principal Office in Mainframe. Phong and Dot had called him here. Wellman shivered at the thought of some of the scientific ideas he was planning, because he was afraid another one of those viruses would come through like last time. Wellman opened the door. Dot, Phong and Specky were sitting at the table.
" Ah, Dad, good, you're here. Bob, AndrAIa, Enzo, Matrix, Mouse, Surfr, and Hex are on their way. This could really affect us all," Dot said, closing her planner.
" Dot, what is it?" Welman asked.
" Trouble," Specky said.
" Net-wide trouble," Phong added. Wellmen looked from Phong, his long- time friend, to Dot.
" This is serious," he said, taking a look at the symbol that was on the monitor. It was the same type of egg timer that Daemon had infused all over the Net during her take-over.
