2: Pixel

"Understood."

With that parting shot, Dexter gladly left Mandy in the dark as he headed back to his laboratory, his self-satisfied smirk never fading as he walked past the desks where her four secretaries worked and headed for his private elevator. He knew that Mandy would not be able to keep her curiosity in check for very long. His visits to her office were rare and always served a purpose and he gave it until noon before for her need to know drove her batty but her unnaturally high degree of stubbornness kept her from acting.

He let her stew even though he had the project done an hour after leaving her. It was too much fun to imagine Mandy trying to figure out what he was up to for him to end his own entertainment prematurely. Finally, on the third morning, he got a call in the form of a hologram. The oversized image of Mandy's face with her usual glower and pointy hair floated before him, and it was evident she was already up to a full head of steam.

"Irwin," she said without preamble.

Dexter sipped his coffee and tried to hide his smile. He was seated at the kitchen table with his sisters and they were all waiting eagerly for the Professor to make waffles faster. Though Dexter employed a professional cooking staff here at DexLabs headquarters, unless there was an event planned or too much work to get done, Professor Utonium still cooked their meals for them and they all ate together at least twice a day.

The Powerpuff Girls looked at the interruption with interest. Not a one of them actually liked Mandy, though they respected her and her role as the supreme commander of Earth's Combined Forces. Still, it was a little early to have a hologram of Mandy's scowling face hovering in the air over the breakfast table.

"No, I'm Dexter."

Impatiently she hissed, "You know what I mean!"

"What about him?" asked Dexter in a casual tone.

"I don't want you. I want him."

Buttercup promptly choked on her orange juice, doubling over and gagging as she tried to draw a breath. The muffin Bubbles had been about to bite dropped from her hand and landed in her hot chocolate with a splash that landed on her blue nightgown. Blossom froze, open-mouthed and astonished as she looked between her brother and Mandy and made a valiant effort not to jump to all the wrong conclusions. After a moment she recovered enough to get up and whack Buttercup on the back.

"I'm devastated," was Dexter's sarcastic response as his adopted sister coughed and hacked.

"I don't care," she sneered.

"Too late. You're stuck with me."

Drawn by the ruckus, Professor Utonium carried a steaming platter to the table and watched their antics for a few moments. "Waffles? Good morning, Mandy."

"Please," exclaimed Dexter happily, reaching through the projected image of Mandy and taking the plate. "I'll see you later, Mandy. Go away. Now. Computress, end transmission and block sender until further notice."

"Hold it right there, Braini-"

The hologram flickered out of existence as Dexter's super computer cut off Mandy and her ire.

"What was that all about?" asked Utonium as he took his seat. Blossom resumed her place and Buttercup dragged herself upright again. All three girls were eyeing Dexter suspiciously, wondering what he had been holding back on them this time.

"Yeah," snarled Buttercup, her green eyes narrowed. She was torn between anger and relief that Mandy preferred Irwin over Dexter, and the fear that accompanied the possibility that Dexter held the least interest in Mandy. "Spill, Ginger Snap."

He smiled. "Mandy doesn't know what she's talking about. It's not what you're thinking, Buttercup."

"Oh? Then what should I think?"

Handing her the plate of waffles, he leaned close and quietly said, " Nanoes."

"What did you just call me?"

Dexter laughed. "Computress, execute program Access Nano-1 and teleport it to this location."

There was a mechanical 'pop' sound and a small cascade of holographic confetti as a small figure appeared in the air over the table and struck a pose. No more than six inches tall, it was a 3-D, cartoonish copy of Dexter complete with orange-red hair, glasses, and lab coat. It hovered in the air, looking at their reactions with a pleased smirk.

"Ohhhh!" Bubbles let out an ear-splitting whine of instant love, clasping her hands. "Chibi! It's soooo cute!"

Shaking his head to clear his hearing, Dexter was rather taken aback, and he frowned. "Computress, did you add the special effects?"

"Negative," said the computer. "That was Pixel."

"Pixel?" asked the Professor, delighted with the tiny creation. He held out his hand and Pixel landed on his palm, looking around with apparent interest in what was going on and the girls ogling him. Buttercup was trying to hide a grin and Blossom laughed in delight. Pixel was, to put it mildly, completely adorable.

Recovering, Dexter shrugged. "I had to call him something."

"What is he, exactly?"

"I made him to assist Mandy. After the events of this past July, she deman- asked for direct access to Computress, but since her call for higher functions is limited, I didn't want to allow her the same level of clearance most other DexLabs senior officers enjoy. Pixel is the first Nano. He'll assist Mandy and report to me if she should need anything further."

"Yes, but what is he? Robot? Hologram? Energy field?"

"Yes," said Dexter, agreeing with all three questions. "He's more robot than anything else, capable of limited, independent conduct and interaction. He can't function removed from DexLabs."

"What powers him?"

"Computress."

"Whose personality did you base him on?"

"My own, minus some of the impatience and arrogance. I hope."

Patrick Utonium smiled, and Pixel grinned back. "Nice work. And he is pretty darned cute."

"Can he talk?" asked Bubbles as Pixel cut capers and oozed gushing charm at his audience.

"No, but he doesn't need to. He's in constant dialogue with Computress."

Blossom put her hand next to the Professor's and the tiny copy of Dexter hopped onto her palm like a young child splashing in puddles. He tipped backwards and landed on his rump with exaggerated drama and a faint squeak, rubbing his backside and playing up his supposed injury for sympathy. The leader of the Powerpuff Girls looked at her brother with a knowing gleam as she balanced the little robot. Pixel was nothing short of captivating, and Mandy's reaction to him would be priceless. Dexter frowned slightly.

"He shouldn't . . . "

Blossom was busy making faces at Pixel, and he did his best to imitate her. "Not even Mandy will be able to resist," she claimed. "Can I go with you when you give him to her? I want to see how long she lasts."

"We'll go after breakfast," Dexter said, distracted by the Nano's antics, as puzzled as he was intrigued by his own invention.