"Attention! As you are no doubt aware, the Principal Office is now under my complete control. You're probably looking forward to one of my erudite speeches about me, Megaframe, the new viral dawn, etc., etc. But I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. There is no grand scheme here; this is about revenge. Viruses are predatory by design and it is time for me to follow my function. Prepare yourselves for the hunt."
Megabyte grinned to himself. He turned to Enzo who, in response, hurled insults. "You're not gonna get away with this!" Enzo exclaimed, struggling to escape the grasp of the now viral Welman. "Bob will kick your ascii so bad you'll wish you had never been initialized!"
"My my, such language from such a... diminutive sprite." Megabyte replied. "However, Bob kicking my... ascii, as you so elegantly put it, will be a problem that I am sure to avoid. You see, my new capabilities have given me so many better ways to defeat him and the rest of his friends." He leaned forward, practically in Enzo's face, and sneered. "I shall destroy them from within as my experience with Dot has taught me how much more satisfying taking a more subtle approach can be."
"You'll never win with a plan that basic!" Enzo spat. "They'll see through it. They'll realize who you are."
"If Dot could not tell me from the real Bob, if you could not tell me from your miserable mutt, then tell me, young sprite, what hope do they have?" Megabyte gloated, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some personal business to attend to. But I shall leave you some company." And with that, Megabyte created an alias to watch over the War Room. With a laugh, he turned to exit the War Room, stepping over the nearly offline form of Phong.
***************
"I can't believe it, Sugah!" Mouse declared, slamming a fist against the wall. "I've been at this for nearly fifteen nanos and nothing."
"It doesn't usually take you this long to hack something?" AndrAIa asked, glancing at the other sprite out of her peripheral.
"A console this simple should've barely taken a nano." she stated, "I just don't get it."
"Well with all that's going on, maybe you're just a bit overclocked." the game sprite replied. "I know I've been on edge ever since Megabyte's little not-a-speech speech."
"Hrmh." Mouse grumbled. As she turned back to the control panel, however, the "Access Denied" message suddenly changed to one that said "Access Granted" as the door began opening.
"Well that was simple." AndrAIa said.
"I don't know." Mouse replied. "Somethin's not right about this."
"Who cares?" AndrAIa asked, "We've got a way out of here and maybe even a way out of the Principal Office."
"Oh sure, a real gift from the User." Mouse replied.
"Look, a way out is a way out and I figure it's best we take any opportunities presented to us." AndrAIa shot back.
"Wise words, game sprite." The two women froze at the sound of the ominous voice. If the open door had been a gift from the User, then it was a very cruel one. "I don't think it's in your best interests to stand around in a wait state any longer."
Mouse and AndrAIa turned to see Megabyte looming over them, his face a twisted sneer, his claws extended. And though nervous, the two women silently agreed that if he was right here, right in front of them, they should take their chances. AndrAIa, her trident at the ready, was the first to charge, jumping at the virus and coming down trident first. Megabyte, however, swiftly evaded her blow, striking her with his claws as she landed. Mouse, drawing her katana, followed suit, slashing at the virus. Once again, though, Megabyte was able to get the better of her, returning her slashes with ones of his own and knocking her across the hallway. He pounced on her, pinning her to the ground.
"Ah, the traitor." he smiled, "I am going to take particular joy in deleting you."
"Not a chance, you outdated dipswitch!" yelled AndrAIa, planting her spear in the ground and using it to launch herself forward with a kick to Megabyte's face.
Giving them a brief respite, AndrAIa helped Mouse to her feet as the duo took off down the hallway that had been previously blocked. As they ran, however, they eventually came to a fork and decided that the best course of action would be to split up, hoping that one or even both ways would lead them out of the Principal Office.
Watching them separate, Megabyte smirked. "I wonder which way would be more rewarding."
***************
"Guys!"
Outside the Principal Office, the group of Bob, Dot, Matrix, Hack and Slash were were startled by the appearance of AndrAIa, rushing to greet them. Much like Mouse and AndrAIa, once everything in the Principal Office seemed to unlock, their thought processes seemed designed for only one function: escape. They had waited around, hoping for any signs of the rest of their friends and had all but given up hope. The appearance of the lovely game sprite, however, renewed their faith.
"AndrAIa!" Matrix yelled, running over and embracing her. "I'm glad to see you're alright!"
"Thanks Lover, I'm glad to see you too." she replied in an exhausted manner, "After what happened I was sure I wasn't."
"What happened...?" Matrix asked.
"Megabyte." she stated, "He... he attacked us in the halls. He was... so much stronger. It was unreal. We, Mouse and me, managed to stun him long enough to escape but then there was a split. We decided to separate and I made it out here."
"What about Mouse?" Bob asked.
AndrAIa shook her head. "I don't know. Like I said, we separated, so--"
"So what, Sugah?" came the southern twanged voice from behind them. "Took me awhile but I managed to make it out without runnin' into that Megabyte's random ascii. What about you?"
"I didn't run into him, either." AndrAIa replied. "I wonder why he'd just give up, though?"
At that moment, however, massive vidwindows appeared, Megabyte's devious face filling them.
"Attention 'heroes of Mainframe.' I know that you've escaped, but don't think yourselves to be lucky or that you managed to outwit me. I allowed you to escape. You see, there's a bit of fun to be had in letting you go, hunting you down one by one by one. And seeing as I'm a virus that enjoys his share of entertainment, I thought it would be amusing to let you go and give you false hope. Know this, however, I have won. It's just a matter of drawing my victory out, making it entertaining for me but terrible for you." With that, the vid window turned to shots of a heavily wounded Phong and of young Enzo, held captive by his viral father. Soon, Megabyte reappeared. "The images you have just seen are quite shocking, I expect. I leave you with the knowledge that while you may be free, those you care for are experiencing pain you too will soon feel."
"Oh User..." Dot replied, nearly breaking down into tears.
"C'mon!" Bob said, motioning for Hack and Slash to pick her up, "We have to get out of here."
***************
Night fell upon Mainframe as the group had gathered at the Eight-Ball Apartments. Luckily, there were a number of apartments there that were never rented out and while it might have been a bit unethical, they needed places to stay and to plan. Bob shared his apartment with Dot as well as (to his chagrin) Hack and Slash who refused to leave her side. Matrix and AndrAIa shared an empty one while Mouse took another empty one. The rest of the second had been spent attempting to come up with some sort of strategy but everyone, especially Dot, was far too shaken up by the events that had transpired to think straight so they all retired, planning to pick up things the next second.
***************
A short time later, a vidwindow appeared in the War Room before Herr Doktor. "Ah, Herr Doktor, I see you finally made it to the Principal Office." came Megabyte's deep, intimidating voice. "I take it, then, that things are going smoothly?" he asked.
"Ja, Lord Megabyte." came the answer. "The prisoners are being contained as we speak."
"Even the girl?" Megabyte asked.
"Ja. She put up quite a struggle but you did enough of a number on her that we eventually... calmed her."
In the darkened apartment, a malicious grin spread across AndrAIa's face. "Good." she replied in Megabyte's voice. "I have the hacker's code as well but using the game sprite will be so much more amusing."