CHAPTER III
Chris O'Brien blinked his eyes once, twice, hovering somewhere between consciousness and sleep. It felt like he'd been staring at the screen in front of him for weeks. The suits were going to start wondering what he was up to soon if he wasn't careful…
Shaking his head angrily in an attempt to drive his grogginess away, the young man sat upright in his chair. He wearily reached for a stack of diagnostic reports and began filling them in robotically, eyes darting towards the screen in front of him every few seconds. The game seemed to be going nowhere – another dead end. Maybe he'd made it too hard?
With a grunt the boy reached for his mouse and switched servers, finding a nascent incarnation of Daemon's Legacy originating somewhere in France. Four players, none of them out of the village yet. And no sign of anything really interesting, unfortunately. Nothing for it but to keep tabs. There was no way Chris could monitor all of the games playing out, only a tiny fraction – and what he was looking for might be happening at any time, unbeknownst to him. It was a galling thought.
As if of it's own accord the youth's hand strayed over the desk and dropped the reports in a messy pile. He leaned back in his chair and switched severs again, then again. He'd just have to keep as many live games open as he could, that's all – and hope he was in the right place at the right time. As yet another intrepid adventurer set out for the castle on the hill Chris O'Brien's eyelids began to droop once again.
Enzo heard his name being called, somewhere in the distance, but was unable to convince his throat to offer a reply. It was an odd feeling – a mixture of confusion and detached surprise, but surprisingly little fear or pain. Just a puzzling sensation of involuntary movement, a shaking of his weary body.
When the bitter chill struck him it was a cruel blow, as if he'd been punched hard in the gut. It broke through the paralyzing numbness that had seemingly enveloped him forever and sliced him to the core with a cold far beyond anything he'd imagined was possible. But only for a nano – then his nerves seemed to leave him and the cold was mercifully gone, leaving only a strange kind of comforting emptiness.
The boy felt himself floating - how puzzling! – then a slap of sensation struck as his head broke through the surface of the river. In a flash of inspiration he realized that he'd fallen in the water, and that was surely a very bad thing to have happen. He tried to muster the will to struggle, but his head seemed to be the only part of him that he could feel, and he didn't much like even that. The youngster heard the voice calling his name again, far away.
"Enzo!" Bob screamed, a sick feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. He half-rolled down the steep bank towards the river in a kind of controlled fall, desperately trying to keep sight of Enzo's head through the swirling snow. The Guardian dug his heels into the snowy ground and skidded to a stop a hair's breadth from the milky water.
Bob rolled to his feet and took off at a dead sprint along the shore of the rushing river, Enzo's head bobbing in and out of sight as the boy was buffeted among the floating chunks of ice. He screamed the youngster's name continuously but Enzo didn't reply or even look in his direction. Desperately hoping the boy was conscious Bob streaked along the shoreline, frantically searching for a way to reach him.
The boy was caught in an eddy for a nano, the rushing river churning him in place. Bob paused, eyes darting about in a wild search for anything that could save Enzo. He took a step out into the stream, towards the boy, but stopped, groaning, as the swirling current released the child and sent him bobbing towards the center of its course.
Continuing to shout Enzo's name with raw lungs, the Guardian stumbled along on his desperate pursuit, eyes locked onto the small form disappearing and reappearing from sight. Mindless of his path he smacked into a young birch and fell to the ground, stunned.
After a split nano the Guardian regained his senses, eyes locked on the little tree. Quickly his hands darted out, grasped a long branch and, with the strength of panic, ripped it from the sapling with a resounding crack.
"Enzo!" he bellowed, barely keeping pace with the boy as he was sucked along by the current. "Enzo! Grab the branch!" The boy either wouldn't or couldn't reply, however, seeming to take no notice of Bob's entreaties whatsoever. To his horror, Bob saw a large, jagged rock protruding above the water, directly in the youngster's path.
Enzo was puzzled by his predicament – he couldn't feel his body at all, but clearly he still had one – he could see it right underneath his head, though it shimmered strangely for some reason. It was this very lack of sensation that allowed him to survive – his limp body floated, while he would surely have sunk to the bottom had he struggled.
Enzo was quite unaware of that, however. He only knew that his head was in a cold, noisy place, and he didn't like it. His body was warm and secure – that seemed much better. Every time he tried to surrender himself to the warmth, however, something distracted him. He kept hearing his name, over and over, every time he tried to fall back into comforting nothingness. It took a force of will, but the boy was finally able to block the sound and sensation out, and felt sweet relief washing over him at last.
"Ow!" he croaked, as a jarring impact broke through the shield of numbness enveloping his body and jerked him back to the edge of sensation. He felt his ribs cracking against a hard surface painfully, over and over. He inched his eyes open and twisted his body, dimly aware of the misty mass of a slippery gray boulder in front of him. He tried to push away from it, free himself so he could feel warm and safe again, but it was an effort merely to lift a numbed arm above the surface of the water.
Finally the youngster felt himself sliding off of the rock and felt himself grabbed again and pulled along by the current. But there was that voice again, shouting at him. Bob – it was Bob. "Grab the branch, Enzo! Please!" There was something in the Guardian's voice that reached him, barely, and he reached his hand laboriously towards a dimly visible shape to his right. He felt his flesh smack against something firm, and he was no longer moving with the water.
"Good boy!" Bob shouted as soon as Enzo's hand lazily clasped the branch. He took a step into the stream, ignoring the chill shooting up his leg, and gingerly began to pull the stick back towards him.
"Hang on!" the silver-haired sprite pleaded. "Enzo! Can you hear me? Enzo!" The boy was unresponsive, and his hand, too numb to fully close, began to slip off of the tree limb. "Enzo!" Bob waded a few more steps into the freezing water and reached for the youngster's collar just as the hand slid off the stick and Enzo's limp body jerked forward with the current.
The idea of sleep was laughable, surrendered milliseconds earlier to the hard cut of fear and anxiety. Even during the night cycle the huge purple cube was plainly visible, shimmering in the darkness, mocking Dot as she stood outside the diner staring at it. It was beautiful, vivid against the gloom – and she hated it all the more for it. It had taken her life away from her once already.
"What's taking so long?" the Command.com spat angrily. How did Phong manage to stay so deleted calm all the time? Because it wasn't his brother in that cube – his brother and the love of his life, too. Everything she had was in there…
But that wasn't true, she scolded herself. Phong cared about Bob and Enzo as much as anyone – who was she to condemn him when he was doing his best not to worry her? It was his function. Besides, she had more than what was in that cube – she had a brother outside, too. The same brother she'd lost to the games all those minutes ago…
The thought unsettled Dot greatly, and she shivered despite the warmth of the Mainframe night. Feeling helpless and angry, she tapped her icon, rebooted into her uniform and hopped onto her zip board, drawing a beeline towards the shadowy hulk of the Principal Office.
"What's the matter, Lover?" the voice called from the darkness behind Matrix. "Can't sleep? I would have thought you'd be pretty tired. I must be losing my touch…"
"Nothing's the matter." Matrix smiled in the dark, turning to sit on the bed and clasp AndrAIa's hand in his own. "Go back to sleep."
"What's wrong, Enzo?" the game sprite asked, sitting bold upright, all trace of sleep gone from her voice. "I know you better than that."
"The game cube's still out there." The bearded sprite sighed.
"What? That's weird."
"Yeah." Matrix said softly. "An awful lot of game time must've passed by now. I wonder what's going on in there."
"I'm sure it's fine." The game sprite smiled, squeezing his hand. "Bob's just taking some extra time to train Enzo before he finishes the game, or something…"
"Bob would never take a chance like that. You know it as well as I do." The big sprite replied harshly. "Something must've gone wrong…"
"Stay frosty, Sparky. Bob's the best – he won't let anything happen."
"I should be in there." Matrix scowled.
"What?"
"I talked my sister into letting Enzo be a cadet, Andri. If anything happens to him in there, and I'm not even around to help him-"
"Don't you ever get tired of blaming everything on yourself?' AndrAIa sighed. "My energy shake at Al's was lumpy – aren't you ashamed?"
"Andri-"
"Nothing's gonna happen." The game sprite said firmly. "Bob's on the job. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and come back to bed!"
"I've been ignoring my codes. Like it was nothing." The big sprite said softly. "I'm supposed to be a Guardian, and I'm sitting here in bed while my kid brother and my best friend could be in trouble. Some Guardian."
"Where are you going?" AndrAIa sighed wearily. "Enzo-"
"I'm gonna head to the P.O. – see what's up." The bearded sprite disappeared through the bedroom door.
"Well, wait up then!" AndrAIa shouted, rolling out of bed.
"Come one Enzo – stay with me." Bob panted, still flush with adrenaline as he carried Enzo back along the path he'd sprinted beside the river. The boy was still as silence in his arms, his breathing slow and shallow. Not even the shivering and chattering of teeth Bob had hoped for was apparent.
"Enzo!" the Guardian called again, gently slapping the youngster's cheek, startlingly frigid to the touch. "I need you back here, Tiger – that's an order! Remember what I said about following orders? Enzo!"
"Crash!" the silver-haired sprite growled, slipping and sliding his way beside the churning water towards the point where Enzo had fallen. "I just need to get the blanket and we'll head for shelter, Enzo. Get you some food and a warm bed – then you can sleep all you want. But I need you to stay with me now, all right? Can you hear me Kiddo?" The small figure in his arms didn't stir.
Enzo could feel his body moving, vaguely, though it was different than the insistent tugging he'd felt before. His head seemed to be on a swivel, bouncing up and down of it's own accord. There were a myriad of sensations at the edges of his perception, but he couldn't quite find his way to them.
The boy felt himself suspended somewhere between two very different worlds. In one he was vague, blurry, barely defined as the Enzo he somehow knew he was. That world around him was soft, ill defined, dull. He seemed not to be able to move, as though his body were suspended in thick mud. It was strange, but not bad – not too scary but being there made him a little sad. Sometimes Enzo felt himself drifting into that world.
There was another place too, that he could feel nearby. It was sharp, loud, bright, scary. And it was cold, chilling him to his very code. When the boy felt himself slipping into that world it terrified him. But there was something familiar about it, something he recognized, the only familiar thing in either world of his perception, and he was as scared to lose that familiar thing as he was to face it's world of pain and discomfort.
The little sprite tried to jettison his attachment for that familiar thing and allow himself to settle for good in the soft, warm confines of his strange, quiet place. He knew he would lose the boy he was, but it seemed easier than facing the onslaught on his senses that was poised to assault him.
In the end, though, the boy's fear of giving up the one thread that still felt familiar to him was greater than his fear of the pain, the cold, the terror. He latched onto the thread and tried to block out everything else, focus on that one thing that would give him the strength to pull himself out of the limbo around him. What was it? The sound. What was it? He was sure it had a name... Voice! That's what it was – a voice. He was proud of himself for remembering. Whose voice?
Bob! That's right – it was Bob, he'd remembered it before. He sounded it out in his mind, over and over. Bob. Bob. Bob. But what in the net was a Bob?
"Enzo?" The silver-haired sprite gasped. The boy's lips were moving, ever so slightly. He was processing! The Guardian leaned close, straining to hear what the small figure was trying to say.
The first thing Enzo was aware of was a rough feeling on his skin, scraping him. What was he wearing? He heard a noise, faint but insistent, repeating itself over and over. "Bob." Finally he realized it was his own voice, though it still sounded strange to him. He jerked his eyes open and was stunned by an invasion of light and color. He moaned and clasped his eyes shut tightly.
"Good boy!" he heard a voice say, not his own this time. Bob's voice. "I knew you'd be back, Cadet. Stay with me, OK? You're gonna be fine."
Enzo tried to pull back from the assault on his senses, but it was impossible. His head was pounding and he felt himself begin to shake uncontrollably. Cold! User, it was so cold! The voice was still talking to him, and as much as he dreaded the attack on his eyes Enzo needed to see the face with the voice. He opened his eyes and swiveled his head searching for Bob, every micron of movement sending waves of pain down on him. "B-B-Bob?"
"I'm right here." The silver-haired sprite smiled. The scenery behind the Guardian's head was changing – Enzo dumbly realized that he was in Bob's arms, the Guardian walking briskly. The sight of snow swirling through the air brought a swarm of memories down on Enzo as he began to recall where he was. "You're gonna be just fine."
Enzo screwed his eyes shut, again aware of rough material against his skin. "W-what… Where are m-m-my c-clothes?"
"In the knapsack." Bob said. "The blankets were the only dry things we had left. You fell in the river – do you remember?"
Enzo nodded, almost instantly regretting it. He tried to cover his eyes, but found that his arms were pinned to his sides, wrapped tightly in the blankets. "S-s-s-sorry…"
"Sorry for what?" Bob panted.
"F-falling in. S-s-s-screwing up the g-g-game…"
"Don't be. It's my fault - we never should've been pushing ahead in this weather. You just hang with me now and don't worry about it."
"W-w-where…"
"We're still following the river." Bob said grimly, bending double against a gust of bitter wind and covering Enzo's face with his hand. "There's gonna be a town or some kind of settlement along here sooner or later – there has to be. We'll get you some food and a nice warm place to sleep."
Warm? Enzo could barely remember what that felt like. His teeth chattered so vigorously that it worsened his pounding headache. "I think I'm s-s-sick…"
"I know." Bob said, half-shouting over the wind. The world around them had nearly disappeared in a sea of snow. "You've had a tough cycle, Cadet. We'll find a town soon, don't worry."
"W-wake me w-when-"
"No!" Bob said sharply. "You can sleep all you want when we find a town, Cadet. But you have to stay awake now, all right? That's an order!"
Enzo wished the Guardian wouldn't talk so loudly – every word made his head throb all the more. "I d-dunno if I c-can…"
"I know you can. I'd get really lonely out here with no one to talk to, Enzo. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
The boy tried to smile. "OK, Bob. I'll t-t-try."
"Attaboy." The Guardian grinned.
The boy felt himself slipping into a fuzzy half-sleep, much as he tried to fight it. Bob's voice drifted in and out of his perception. After a time – the youngster wasn't sure how long - he felt himself being shaken roughly. "What?" he croaked irritatably.
"C'mon, Enzo – you gotta stay with me." Bob said, his voice barely audible above a gust of shrieking wind. "I need you to help me win! Don't let me down."
"C-can't you w-w-win by yourself?" the green-haired boy sighed. He just wanted to retreat from the cold and the pain in his head. "I'm t-tired…"
"Tell me about your Mom."
"What?"
"Tell me about your Mother, Enzo." The Guardian repeated. "What was she like? Try to remember."
Enzo was puzzled over the strange request. "W-Why?"
"I'd like to hear about her. You never told me much. I'd really like to know about her. Please?"
The boy could barely remember where he was, much less events that had occurred hours earlier. "I d-don't think I c-can-"
"Concentrate, Tiger! What did she look like? Was she tall or short?"
The youngster wanted nothing more than to retreat inside himself and flee the paralyzing cold that gripped him, but Bob seemed strangely passionate in his request. Not wanting to disappoint him, Enzo tried to focus his mind on nearly forgotten images tucked far into the corners of his processor. "I… S-She…"
"What, Enzo? You can do it."
"I think she w-was k-kinda t-t-tall. Like D-D-Dot." The boy rasped, frowning in concentration, eyes closed.
"That's good! What color was her hair?"
"Ummm…" Enzo sighed deeply, his lungs burning. Why was this so important? He just wanted to sleep… "It w-was like mine… and D-Dot's. You… you know…"
"Uh huh. What else do you remember?" Bob prompted, shielding Enzo's face from a blast of wind-driven snow.
"I c-can't remember… I'm t-tired…" The image of his mother's face soothed his processor, and the boy felt himself drifting towards warm slumber.
"Enzo? Enzo!" The youngster's eyes jerked open. "Don't go to sleep yet, Pal. Talk to me some more."
Enzo coughed violently, each spasm of his body throbbing agony in his head. He drifted away, but never quite left Bob completely. He could hear his own voice sometimes, although he couldn't understand what he was saying. That struck him as very odd. He heard Bob's voice too, and his own voice seemed to be responding to it. The world around him seemed to fade into a haze, the sound of voices and the sting of cold and pain fading in and out.
After some time had passed – it could have been a nano or a minute, Enzo had no idea – something changed. The boy was reluctant to open his eyes since every exposure to light seemed to drive a spike of pain into his head, so he silently puzzled over what might be different. Then it hit him – he wasn't moving.
The realization seemed to drag him back towards his senses somewhat, and he felt a hard surface against his back and under his bitmap. Clearly he was sitting down somewhere, though just where was anyone's guess. There was nothing for it – he was going to have to open his eyes.
Squinting, the little sprite peered around him. It was still daylight, although things seemed darker than they had the last he remembered. Snow was still falling heavily, buffeted by a fierce wind. He swiveled his head and realized he was leaning against a tree. But where was Bob? The boy was seized by a nano of panic. "B-B-Bob?"
"Right here!" the Guardian's voice called reassuringly, from off to his right. The Guardian was on his knees, using his hands to hurl snow over his shoulder.
"W-w-what…"
"I'm making a snow cave." The silver-haired sprite said cheerfully. "Hollowing out this big drift here, so we can crawl inside. It'll be warmer in there."
Enzo was puzzled by that – warm inside a bunch of snow? "B-b-b-but…"
Bob paused, breathing heavily. "It's no good to keep going – we'll lose our way in this blizzard and – well… Besides, it's just too cold out here – that's no good for you right now. Snow is a great insulator – if we stay in there we'll be much warmer, then as soon as the weather gets better we'll head out and find us a town. I'd have built a cave last night but there wasn't enough snow." The Guardian bent back to his furious efforts.
As puzzling as all of that was to Enzo, the boy wasn't about to complain. He tried to will himself back to the comforting fog that had shrouded him nanos earlier, but his mind seemed determined to keep him close to his senses for the nano. He shivered against the chill for a time, wishing his arms were free so he could hug himself for warmth, until he felt himself gathered up and lifted off the ground. "Here we go." Bob said softly.
The Guardian had left only a small opening in the hollowed out mound of snow. He set Enzo down gently just outside, then crawled in, pulling the boy after him. He leaned back wearily against a wall of snow, lifted the boy onto his lap and folded his cloak around the two of them. "There we are – nice and warm!" he said cheerfully. "Much better than outside, don't you think?"
Enzo nodded slightly. If nothing else the absence of the screaming wind was a small comfort. "C-Cool."
"How do you feel, Pal? Still tired?"
"Yeah." The youngster whispered. For whatever reason his processor felt sharper and more focused than it had since before his tumble into the frigid river. He wasn't sure that was a good thing – as much as he wanted to revel in the comforting feeling of Bob's arms around him he was truly miserable, and now he was lucid enough to know it. As if that weren't enough, dark thoughts were creeping insidiously into his head. "It's b-bad, isn't it?"
"It'll get warmer after a few nanos." Bob smiled. "Our body heat gets trapped inside and-"
"That's n-not what I m-mean." The boy sighed.
"What is it?" the silver-haired sprite frowned.
"I'm r-r-really sick, aren't I? And you c-can't go win the g-game because you have to stay with m-me…"
"You're fine." The Guardian said gently. "You just need to warm up a little, that's all." The boy, to his dismay, found himself sniffling and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. Bob held him more tightly. "Hey – you don't need to be scared, Enzo. It'll be all right-"
"I'm not scared!" the boy rasped angrily.
"What is it, then?"
"It's… I'm thinkin' about D-Dot. That's all…"
"What about her?"
Enzo shook his head angrily, his thoughts suddenly as sharp and clear as a Mainframe day. "She always s-said this w-would happen. She's g-gonna be sad again!"
"Hey – what's she got to be sad about?" Bob scoffed. "So we're a little late getting home to bed, that's all. No big file."
"Don't humor me!" Enzo growled. He lay his head against the Guardian's chest, weary from his brief outburst. Bob started to say something in reply but checked himself, sighing deeply. The two sprites sat silently for several nanos as the wind screamed outside their makeshift shelter.
"Bob?" Enzo whispered finally. "If… You'd g-go on and win the game w-wouldn't you? If – you know…"
"Stop that!" Bob hissed. 'That's enough, now."
"What w-would happen?" Enzo said softly. "W-would I leave with the game when it ended – like M-Matrix did?"
"Nothing's going to happen!" Bob said firmly.
"B-but… Would I? W-what if you won?"
"Oh, Enzo…" the Guardian sighed, smoothing the boy's hair wearily. "I guess… I guess you'd leave with the game. And I'd go with you, because I wouldn't win it."
"B-But-"
"What – me go off and leave you to face the games by yourself? I don't think so!" Bob smiled. "Not this time…"
"B-But… What about the g-game? And M-Mainframe?"
"I'd go with you, and we'd find our way back to Mainframe." Bob said softly. "That's all there is to it. But it isn't going to happen."
"You should w-win the game and g-g-go back." Enzo whispered, as sure of himself as he'd ever been. "Dot w-would be lonely…"
"Hey!" the Guardian scowled. "You don't know your sister as well as I thought you did. Don't you know she'd want us to stick together? Take care of each other?"
"I know she w-would. But she'd b-be sad…"
"Enzo…" the Guardian sighed. He cupped Enzo's chin in his hand, and the boy opened his eyes at last. "Let me ask you a question, Enzo – do you trust me?"
"What?" the youngster frowned. "B-Bob-"
"Do you trust me or not?"
"Yeah! You know I d-do..."
"Well then, listen. I'm telling you this, and you're going to trust me. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, understand? I'm gonna find a warm place for us to rest and get better and you're going to be fine. And then we're gonna win this game and go home. I promise, Enzo. And I take my promises pretty seriously. So you don't have to be scared or worried about the game or anything else. Promise. OK?"
"OK, Bob." the boy sighed. He could feel his energy slipping away again, and his processor starting to get fuzzy around the edges. He closed his eyes wearily. "I'm g-gonna go to sleep now…"
"I can't let you do that, Tiger. Let's stay up and talk for a while."
"Why?" Enzo moaned, exasperated. "I'm so t-t-tired!"
"I know." The Guardian nodded. "Me too. But I've gotta stay awake in case the weather clears up and if you won't talk to me I'm afraid I'll fall asleep. Hey, I've got an idea – why don't you tell me about how you first found Frisket?"
"I'm sure everyone will feel better with a nice cup of cocoa." Phong said cheerfully, wheeling into the command center, tray in hand. "Although I still believe you should all go home and get some rest."
"Fat chance." Dot scowled, accepting a mug from the old sprite and leaning against the console wearily.
"I should be in there." Matrix said in a low voice. "Taking care of my responsibilities."
AndrAIa sat next to him on the floor and squeezed his elbow. "Stop blaming yourself. You've taken care of your responsibilities for longer than anyone I know. You can't be responsible for the entire net!"
"I can be responsible for being a Guardian though, can't I? But not while I'm sitting here drinking cocoa instead of in that cube while- while…" The big sprite cast a furtive glance at his sister.
"Please. Child." Phong interrupted gently. "Recriminations – self or otherwise – are of little value to us right now. Better to focus on the crisis at hand, yes? In fact, we do not even know that there is a crisis."
"But we know it's not normal, a game taking this long. Something's wrong in there." Matrix replied darkly.
"This is about the time Mouse would make a clever remark. If she were here." Dot sighed.
"Ah, there you are." Phong smiled. A small, bespectacled binome entered the command center, clipboard in hand. "What news do you have for us, Mr.-"
"So?" Dot interrupted impatiently. "Can you tell us what's happening in there?"
"I'm afraid not, Sir. Ma'am." The little binome frowned. "Energy readings within the game cube are normal – in fact, they're
remarkably stable. This lack of anomaly
is in fact the only anomaly that we can find."
"Crash!" Matrix growled. "It doesn't make sense!"
"We've seen infected games. We've seen a lot if things we never thought were possible." AndrAIa said gently. "This is obviously some kind of game that we've never seen before. That doesn't mean Bob and Enzo are necessarily in any trouble."
"So in the meantime all we can do is wait." Matrix spat angrily.
"Seems to be my lot in life." Dot sighed.
Phong turned to the bespectacled binome. "There appears to be little more that you can do here, my friend. Why not go home and dock for a few seconds? I'm sure the Princess is waiting…" Blushing, the little binome nodded and backed out of the command center, leaving the others to their thoughts.
As nano dragged into microsecond, microsecond into millisecond Bob grew more and more anxious about the predicament he and his charge found themselves in. Though there was comfort in the fact that Enzo was even still processing given the narrow nature of his rescue from the deadly river, that comfort faded as day faded into night. They were in serious trouble, and Bob knew it.
The boy seemed to alternate between episodes of relative lucidity and foggy confusion, and as the sky outside their snow cave darkened he retreated farther away from the world around him. Despite the Guardian's desperate efforts to keep him talking Enzo seemed increasingly confused, even incoherent at times. He would shiver and tremble uncontrollably for microseconds at a time, then lie still as deletion, chilling the Guardian to the heart. Bob nearly exhausted his weary processor in his frantic effort to keep the boy awake lest he slip away and not come back.
To make matters worse, the silver-haired sprite knew that his own condition was far from perfect. His feet, soaked through from their plunge into the icy river, were almost completely numb. The Guardian hadn't slept or eaten in two cycles and the physical drain of hard marching combined with the mental strain of keeping Enzo alert and hopeful had drained his system resources to the limit.
Night had fallen and the interior of the snow cave was completely dark when the howl of the wind outside began, slowly, to taper off. Bob clung to that kernel of hope as his body hovered on the edge of collapse, striving to stay awake. Sleep for him would mean deletion for Enzo – he was certain of it. The boy had to remain conscious at all costs. And, despite Bob's best efforts, that was becoming increasingly difficult.
After a time the world outside was as quiet and still as it been turbulent milliseconds earlier. Bob gently nudged Enzo off of his lap, causing the boy to moan fitfully. The Guardian crawled to the small entrance to the snow cave and poked his head outside.
He was met at once with a slap of frigid air, causing him to gasp. There was no wind, however, and the air was miraculously clear. A stunning patina of stars painted the sky, framing a crescent moon, which cast scant illumination on the snow covered trees and hills. Under better circumstances it would have been a wrenchingly beautiful sight, one to be savored – but there was no time for aesthetic appreciation. To Bob, it was an opportunity, no more and no less.
"Enzo! C'mon, Pal – we're going for a walk." The Guardian said, gently shaking the boy by the shoulders. "Enzo! We're going to find a place to sleep and get something to eat. I need you to talk to me, OK?"
"Bob?" the boy mumbled dazedly. "Where are we?"
"The game, remember? The weather's better – we're going back out there." The Guardian crawled out of the snow cave and pulled the youngster after him.
"Can't I just sleep? I've got school tomorrow…"
"Later, Cadet." Bob hoisted the boy onto his shoulder and stumbled towards the river, ignoring the screaming pain in his legs. "Look at the sky, Enzo – isn't it alphanumeric? Bet you've never seen anything like that before!"
Enzo lifted his head groggily, a puzzled frown crossing his face. "What… Where-"
"In the game – remember? Try to concentrate, now." The boy groaned loudly, whether from realization or discomfort Bob wasn't sure. "You OK?"
"C-cold!" the youngster coughed.
Bob tromped along through the deep snow, the sound of the rushing river clearly audible through the trees to their left. The night was astonishingly still – nary a breath of wind rustled through the branches above them. To his dismay the Guardian could feel his energy waning already, Enzo's meager weight on his shoulder seeming a crushing burden. Worse, the boy had fallen silent as the night around them. "Enzo? Enzo!"
"Mmmf." The boy mumbled, barely audible.
"Crash!" Bob spat. He shifted the youngster off of his shoulder and cradled him in his arms. The little sprite's weight was even more difficult to bear in that position, but the Guardian felt an urgent need to keep eye contact. "Stay with me now, Cadet! That's an order, you hear me? I don't want you sleeping on the job!"
The harsh tone in Bob's voice seemed to break through the fog surrounding Enzo, and he opened his eyes. "Sorry, Bob. Where… where are w-we?"
"We're on a mission, Enzo. And I need you to help me win this game. Can I count on you?"
"B-Bob?" The youngster was seized by a fit of violent coughing. "What… I'll try, Bob. Where are w-we?"
"In the game, Enzo. Remember?"
"I know!" the boy rasped irritably. "But w-where are w-we? Weren't we in a snow c-cave?"
"Nice of you to rejoin me, Cadet." Bob sighed. "You're right, we were in a snow cave. We waited out the weather and now we're looking for-" The Guardian abruptly stopped, both his words and his steps.
"What?" Enzo whispered. "What's the m-m-matter?"
The silver-haired sprite looked around him thoughtfully. "Look, Enzo – that clearing in the trees. It doesn't look natural, does it?"
The green-haired boy's head lolled to his right lazily, and he squinted into the distance. "I d-dunno. It d-doesn't?"
"Even if we ran into a road, we'd never see it under all this snow." Bob said thoughtfully, looking in both directions. "I haven't too many long, thin clearings before. I've got a feeling about this. Let's check it out." The Guardian set off through the break in the trees, towards the river, heart pounding in his chest.
Enzo burrowed his head against Bob's shoulder, eyes closed. "Don't you go to sleep, Cadet! That's an order!"
"I'm not!" the boy protested. Any vigor from him whatsoever was music to Bob's ears. "M-my head hurts, thasall."
"I know." Bob replied, more gently. As the sound of the river grew louder each successive step grew more torturous for the Guardian. Enzo was beginning to feel more and more like Matrix.
"What's happening? What d-d-d-do you s-see?" Enzo was clearly passing through a lucid phase.
"Not much. We should be able to see the river in a nano."
"I h-hate that river!"
"I bet." Bob chuckled, stumbling forward. It took several nanos for him to notice it in the pale moonlight, but when his eyes picked up the shape it was unmistakable. "Thank the User!" he gasped.
"What? W-what is it?"
"A bridge!" In a burst of energy the Guardian jogged towards the water, heart pounding in his chest. "It's a bridge, Enzo! This is a road! Thank the User!"
"Alphan-n-numeric!" Enzo smiled weakly, craning his neck to see. The construction of the bridge, even the material was impossible to determine – it was covered in deep snow. But its function was unmistakable – it arched over the churning water, the clearing in the thinning forest continuing on the far side.
"Let's do it." Bob growled, stepping onto the span. It was narrow but served its purpose well enough. In twenty strides the Guardian was on the far shore of the roiling water.
"What n-now?" Enzo coughed, wincing in pain.
"Keep going." Bob panted. "There's gonna be some kind of settlement along here sooner or later – there has to be! Someone had to clear that road. Unless everyone in this basic place is dead…"
"What?" Enzo whispered.
"Never mind. There's people here – there have to be. We're here for a reason. That road crossed the river – there's probably another one running parallel or close to it too. Water is life in a place like this."
"Smell s-something." Enzo rasped dazedly.
"What?"
"Smell… Like the c-campfire…"
Bob sniffed the air excitedly. "Smoke! You're right, Kiddo! People!"
"Smoke…" the boy coughed. "D'you think it'll b-be warm? I hope it's w-warm…"
"You bet!" Bob grinned, breaking into a stumbling trot. The acrid scent of wood smoke grew as they followed the road as it left the river behind. The silver-haired sprite was dimly aware that he should be cautious – whoever was nearby wasn't necessarily going to be friendly. Caution, however, was a luxury he couldn't afford. Enzo would die soon without help, and the Guardian might not be far behind.
"W-what? What is it?" Enzo rasped, seeing a change in expression on the Guardian's face.
"I see a light!" Bob hissed. Indeed, a shimmering was visible ahead of them in a crook in the hills.
"What? Where?"
"There!" Bob pointed, turning the youngster so he could see. As they approached, the light revealed itself to be a series of flickers in a low, crude building ahead. "Looks like another road – a crossroads! That must be some kind of inn. They'll have food and beds, I'm sure."
"Warm?"
"Yeah – plenty warmer than out here! I don't know what they'll think of us, but frankly I don't care. Let's go."
The Guardian tramped down the small hill on which they stood, towards the rough, primitive building, cradling Enzo's head as the youngster was racked by another spasm of coughing. Torchlight burned in the windows and a trail of smoke wound skyward from a crude chimney, it's astonishingly straight path unbroken by even a whisper of wind. As they neared the structure a low nickering was audible in the darkness.
"Horses." Enzo whispered.
"Yup. Very good, Cadet." Bob smiled. The outline of the massive animals could be seen as they stomped their feet, disturbed by the scent of the approaching travelers. Bob took a deep breath and walked towards the front door, over which hung a crudely painted sign. "Fox and Hunter".
"What?" Enzo coughed. "What is it?"
"Fox and Hunter." Bob repeated. "Must be an inn or a hostelry of some kind. Not exactly Dot's Diner, is it? But it'll have to do."
"Hope they h-h-h-have energy shakes. I'm t-tired." Enzo smiled weakly.
"Ready?" Bob said softly. Enzo nodded almost imperceptibly and the silver-haired sprite pushed the wooden door inward. As it creaked aside a blast of warm air tinged with smoke and cooking smells gushed out, momentarily stunning him. The Guardian stood numbly in the doorway for a nano before stumbling inside, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the torch-lit interior.
"What the hell?" A burly patron scowled, rising from a table with a metal tankard in his hand.
"We need your help." Bob rasped, feeling his knees weakening under him. "This boy – he's fallen in the river. He's sick."
"Who are you?" Another bearded man challenged, not rising from his seat at the wooden bar.
Enzo chose that moment to be seized by a fit of coughing. "Look – he's sick! We need help – a doctor, food…"
"A what?" the first man growled.
"I don't like it, Laszlo." The man at the bar frowned. "The whelp could have the plague, or worse – they could be from the mountain."
"There haven't been any strangers through here in weeks." The first man – apparently named Laszlo – spat, advancing a stride. "No one's stupid enough to come here if they have a choice. I say we let the wolves deal with them…"
"No!" Bob barked, feeling anger rise in his chest. "Listen! We've been trapped out there in that cold for two cycles and I'll be deleted if I'm going back out there! My friend needs help – he's just a child, for User's sake!"
"What strange talk is that?" the bearded man frowned, rising. "He speaks like a demon, Laszlo – like the others. Let's kill him before he kills us-"
"No!" a voice roared. All heads in the house – even Enzo's – turned to face the source, a tall woman in a long gray dress and apron. Her flaming red hair practically glowed in the torchlight.
"Stay out of this, Rosa." Laszlo said, a hint of fear in his voice. "We can deal with demons!"
"Not in my house you can't." the woman snarled, slowly but purposefully approaching the strangers. Enzo's eyes widened as the striking woman stared down at him, her face softening. "What happened to the boy?"
"Fell in the river." Bob said grimly, his arms straining under Enzo's weight as his nano of adrenaline from the near confrontation began to fade. "We've been trapped out there for two cy-… Days. He's not well."
"You don't look very well yourself." The woman said wryly, looking the Guardian up and down.
"He needs a doctor." Bob pleaded. "Please!"
The woman looked confused. "Doctor?"
"Doctor! Crash…" Bob sighed, staggering in place. "Med-gun – you know? Diagnostic program? Physic?"
"Ah! I understand. What, I look like a fool to you, then? Laszlo – ride to the village and bring the apothecary, now."
"But-"
"Do it!" Rosa snarled. The man leapt back a step, then backed out of the inn, muttering. The red-haired woman put a hand to Enzo's brow. "You are cold, Child…"
Enzo coughed once, then smiled slightly at the woman's touch. His eyes rolled back in their sockets and his head fell back, limp. "Enzo!" Bob gasped. "Enzo!"
"He'll die – he needs to be warmed at once." The woman frowned, a hint of concern in her voice for the first time. She shouted into the kitchen. "Pesaj! Get the kettles boiling – fill the washtub with as much warm water as you have – now!"
Bob staggered over to a table and lay Enzo atop it, collapsing into a chair next to the bearded man, who backed away several steps. "Help him for User's sake, please! He's in bad shape…"
"I will try." Rosa sighed. She easily lifted the boy into her arms and walked towards the kitchen. "He is chilled inside – I do not need the apothecary to tell me that. First we warm him, and then we hope. That is all we can do. The other things we will worry about later, hopefully."
"Other things?" Bob coughed, stumbling after her.
"The hands. The feet." Rosa said grimly, gently lowering the boy to a countertop as a wiry youth poured steaming water into a wooden washtub. "The lungs. The things we will worry about with you now, I think."
"He'll make it. He's strong." Bob scowled, grasping the boy's hand.
"Indeed? I hope so, Strange Man. It is sad when the young ones die. Very sad…"
Enzo could feel himself falling farther and farther away from his body, a shrinking pinprick of cold sensation at the edge of his consciousness. The boy was annoyed – just when things had finally started to warm up he'd slipped away. Typical…
As his thoughts began to blend into a gray sameness one image stuck in his mind, the face of the red-haired woman as she'd stared down at him. She was beautiful, strange – seeming to glow with fire that was a stark contrast to the frigid world he'd been trapped in. He felt himself curious about her, but couldn't find the will to animate his body any longer. It was just too cold.
Then, as the concept of his body was becoming more and more remote, a rush of sensation washed over him – strange and painful, warm. The gray patina of his perception was replaced with a shocking dizziness, an overload of feeling.
"Only a few minutes more, I think." Rosa said grimly, staring down at the still figure in the wooden wash basin. "If he warms up too fast the shock will kill him – I've seen it before. If he doesn't die from the chill, that is. Where is that cursed apothecary? Not that he'll be any help, lazy old fool…"
"He'll be all right." Bob said, wincing from the growing pain in his hands and feet. "He's made of tough code."
"How did he get that bruise on his side?" the innkeeper asked softly. "It's a nasty one."
"He hit a rock. While he was in the river." Bob wheezed. The woman continued to stare at him. "You don't think… I'll be deleted! I'd never do that!"
The red-haired woman frowned at him, puzzling over his strange speech. "You say that you were caught outside for two days? You'll be lucky if you don't lose your fingers and toes. What were you doing out there?"
"Traveling."
"Traveling." Rose nodded matter-of-factly. "Where are you from? And where are you going? Very few are stupid enough to travel the roads these days – especially in winter."
"We're… pilgrims." The Guardian replied after a moment's pause.
"Pilgrims? Strangely dressed ones, I'd say. Your speech is strange, too – unlike any I've heard in these villages, even before the dark time. The boy has strange hair – almost green. I've never seen the like…"
"We're from far away." Bob replied guardedly, archiving away every nugget of information the woman uttered for future contemplation. "Beyond the great mountains."
The red-haired woman stifled a chuckle, feeling Enzo's brow with her palm. "Your hair is strange too, Pilgrim. But not like the boy's. He's not your son."
"No."
"Your slave? I have heard that such customs are practiced in the further lands. Yet you seem to care very much about his welfare…"
"No – he's not my slave. He's my-… He's my squire. And my apprentice. I'm teaching him the ways of my vocation."
"Is that all?"
Bob stared at the woman in silence for a moment, hugging his throbbing hands under his arms. "I'm looking after him. He has someone at home who… who cares about him very much." The Guardian studied Rosa's eyes warily, not wanting to betray any exploitable weakness. The woman seemed to see through him utterly – Bob was filled with the sense that any deception would be fruitless. Besides, he needed information to win the game, and gaining the woman's trust would be helpful in that quest. "I care about him very much myself."
Enzo groaned loudly and begin to flail weakly in the water. The red-haired woman reached for his shoulders and held him still. "He's had enough. Hand me that blanket – we'll take him to one of the rooms upstairs. Pesaj – help me."
Bob stumbled to his feet and handed her the rough covering. "I don't have any money. I can't pay you for a room or food…"
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Rosa said wryly as Pesaj lifted Enzo into her waiting arms. "The rooms have been empty for months – it's not as though you'll be hurting my business."
"I'll carry him-"
"Don't be stupid! You can barely walk yourself – Pilgrim." The red-haired woman wrapped Enzo in the blanket and carried him towards a rickety wooden staircase, Bob stumbling painfully in her wake. "Does he have any clothes? Warm ones?"
"No. Everything was soaked in the river."
"Never mind." Rosa sighed, a shadow crossing her features. "I have some things that will fit him…"
Enzo could hear himself mumbling incoherently, feel himself flailing about helplessly. It was as though his body and mind were acting of their own accord, independent of his control. Still, even that sense of helplessness was more connection than he'd felt to his senses since… since the woman had touched him, stared at him.
The boy's eyes jerked open and he blinked rapidly, stunned by an invasion of painful light. As his pupils dilated he made out the shape of crude furniture, flickering light. A tall, thin young man stared curiously at him from across the room. The youngster panicked at the strangeness of the place and tried to bolt upright. "What… Where-"
"Shhh!" It's all right." A voice said soothingly as strong hands held his shoulders. Enzo turned his head and gasped in relief to see Bob's face smiling down at him.
"Bob! Where… Where am I?"
"You're safe – in a warm bed, just like I promised. Are you hungry?"
Enzo's head swam dizzily as a cascade of memories overwhelmed him. "A bed? What…. That lady-"
"She's right here." Bob nodded to where the red-haired innkeeper sat on the boy's opposite side. "You left us for a few microseconds – she soaked you in a warm bath to heat your insides up."
Enzo's eyes widened in horror. "You mean - she… She saw me naked? Oh, User!"
The red-haired woman chortled softly. "You've nothing I haven't seen before, Boy!" The youngster coved his face.
"What a thing to worry about!" Bob sighed. "We're lucky to be alive, Tiger. Try to remember that."
"Here." Rosa said softly, holding out a steaming bowl. "Try to eat some soup – you're weak and your insides are dried out. Your teacher told me you've head little water and no food for two days."
"Two… days?" Enzo mumbled confusedly. He retched as the aroma of the soup reached his nostrils, his stomach roiling. "I – I feel sick! I can't eat that…"
"Try." The woman repeated. "You must eat, Child – you'll die if you don't."
"No…" the boy whined, pushing the bowl away. Every muscle in his body screamed with pain, his side throbbed and the room annoyingly swam around him.
"So – what fool's errand have you called me from my warm fire to attend, Rosa?" a rotund, bald man asked, waddling into the little room.
"Who better to attend such an errand, Vlad?" the red-haired woman smiled.
The fat man peered suspiciously down at the boy on the bed and the silver-haired man sitting beside him. "I do not like this – what manner of evil has descended upon us now? Strangers, at such a time-"
"Shut up." Rosa snapped. "They are ill, Vlad – the boy quite badly. They've been trapped in this devil's weather for two days and the boy fell into the river."
"Indeed." Vlad scowled. Enzo felt himself disliking the man instantly, even as he felt his eyelids fluttering and the room began to dim around him. "It is the way of demons to insinuate themselves amongst us with clever lies and tales of woe-"
"Enough! If you're so anxious to get back to your damn fire why don't you see what you can do for them? Not much, I'll wager."
"Insolent cow." The bald man muttered, reluctantly bending to examine Enzo, who cowered and tried to squirm farther away from him. Rosa grabbed his hand in her own as the man bent an ear to the boy's chest. "He has a vapour inside him – I've seen it before."
Vlad lifted the boy's other hand and roughly pried the fingers apart, causing him to squeal in pain. "Hey! Watch it – you're hurting him!" Bob growled. The combination of his weariness, discomfort and fear was too much, and Enzo slipped into unconsciousness once again.
"He may keep the fingers – or not." Vlad sighed. "We will know in a few days. They may turn black and we will have to cut them off." He lifted the covers and examined the youngster's foot. "The toes the same. Assuming he doesn't die of the vapour inside him first."
"Who in the net are you?" Bob scowled.
The fat man tossed a disdainful glance at the Guardian. "Yours as well I imagine, if you were fool enough to be out there in this weather. It all seems rather strange to me-"
"If you've nothing useful to offer than get out." Rosa sighed. "I could have heard as much wisdom from the cat."
"I'll leave poultices for the hands and feet." Vlad said evenly. "If it pleases you then dress these demons with them. As for the vapour in the boy's lungs, a cocotion of willow bark and goldenseal may subdue it. Or not. I'll prepare them in the kitchen, Rosa."
"Thank you. Pesaj, go with him and assist him as he needs."
"Do not lower your guard, fool Woman. It is your throat that will be the first slit by these demons you have welcomed-"
"Your concern warms my heart." The red-haired woman smiled toothily. Vlad wrinkled his nose and turned to leave.
"Charming fellow." Bob sneered, staring at the apothecary's broad back.
"He's excrement. As ignorant a fool as lives in all the Duchy. Still, he is the only apothecary for leagues about."
"He's wrong about Enzo." Bob sighed, trailing a finger across the boy's brow. "I know what he can live through – he'll make it through this. He's got reserves of strength you can't even imagine. His whole family does…"
Rosa stared silently at the odd pair for several moments, than rose with a grunt. "I'd best get those poultices – your hands and feet look almost as bad as the boy's. Let him sleep for now, though I'll need to get some food into him if he's to have a chance."
"Thank you." Bob smiled weakly. His stomach began to roil madly as the smells of the cook fire wafted upstairs. He was overcome by fierce pangs of hunger, and just as guilty about being concerned about such things. Still, he hadn't eaten for two days. "Is that roasting meat I smell down there?"
"I have a spit, yes – though it's mostly for the purposes of Pesaj and myself these days. Best you start small, Pilgrim – here." She handed the Guardian Enzo's untouched bowl of soup. "Meat would be too much for your stomach now, I think."
"Thank you. Again." Bob drained the pungent soup in a long swallow and leaned back with a sigh, a crushing weariness descending on him. He took a look at Enzo, who seemed to be dozing more or less peacefully, and closed his eyes. In barely a few nanos he was sleeping deeply.
The Guardian was roused from a troubling dream by the sound of Enzo's voice next to him. When he opened his eyes he saw Rosa sitting on the bed next to the youngster, whose hands were wrapped in white bandages. The red-haired woman was talking to the boy in hushed, calming tones. "Settle yourself, now. You're weak."
"But… Where…"
"Hush, now. Here – take this tea. It'll help you feel better." The woman handed the boy, whose face was bathed in sweat, a steaming mug of liquid.
Enzo peered into the cup suspiciously for a nano, then his eyes darted about the room. Obviously disoriented, he tried to push the tea away but Rosa gently guided it to his lips. "Drink it down, now. You need to get some water in that body of yours. I promise it'll help you feel better."
"But-"
"Drink it." The woman replied, gently but firmly. Enzo took a deep sip and coughed. "That's a good boy. Take another sip for me."
"I don't want any more…" the green-haired boy protested weakly.
"I know. Your throat hurts, doesn't it? But you're thirsty, I'll wager. That's your body telling you to drink some more. It knows what it needs."
"I… I guess." The boy took a few more small swallows of tea. "I don't think I can drink any more…"
"All right." The red-haired woman smiled. She took out a small cloth and wiped the perspiration from the youngster's face. "That's a good start for now. You try and sleep some more."
"But- What's going on? Who are you? I-"
"Hush now! You need your rest. Time for questions later – sleep."
"But-"
"Enough!" The red-haired woman gently pushed the boy back to a supine position. "Rosa knows best – and I say you need to sleep."
Enzo's eyelids began to flutter as Rosa softly stroked his hair. "I… I don't…"
"Just sleep now, Sweet One." She said softly. "You can ask me all you like when you're better. Just sleep now." She continued to smooth the youngster's hair gently for several nanos, then straightened with a sigh.
"How long have I been out?" Bob asked, momentarily startling the woman.
"A few hours. I managed to dress your feet without waking you up – you must be exhausted." Bob looked down, surprised to see that his feet were in fact covered in bandages resembling those on Enzo's hands. "Still, the moment there was a peep from the boy you were wide awake, apparently."
"Sorry if I startled you."
The woman stood and gathered up a large bowl. She moved across the room and pulled a chair next to Bob's, sitting down wearily. "Now that Enzo's asleep again I may as well finish with you. Hold out your hands."
Bob obeyed wordlessly, staring at the red-haired woman. Up close, in the quiet peacefulness of the small room, her appearance struck him as totally different from the forceful woman he'd seen in the common room earlier. She was younger than he'd first thought, for one thing – from up close he guessed she was barely older than he was. And much more beautiful than he'd thought.
The silver-haired sprite winced as Rosa gently applied the poultices to his hands, humming tunelessly as she worked. "You're very good with children." He said after a nano.
"Not really." She replied gruffly.
"I wish it came that easily for me. Sometimes Enzo's still a total mystery – I think I have him figured out and he always surprises me."
"They always do that. That's why they're children."
"I could never have calmed him down like that." The Guardian smiled. "Thanks… Thank you for looking after him. How is he?"
"He's hot." The woman sighed. "He burns inside – perhaps it's a vapour, as that old fool said. Do you hear him wheeze as he breathes?"
Bob listened closely. Indeed, a rasping whistle was escaping the boy's lungs as he breathed. The Guardian frowned. "That doesn't sound good… Hot, you say? But – we were outside, in that weather… Shouldn't he be cold?"
The woman chuckled bitterly as she applied the finishing touches to Bob's bandages. "You know little, Pilgrim. Do they not know of plagues and fevers in the land you come from? It must be a strange place."
"Well… Of course- Of course we do. I'm not thinking clearly – I'm tired."
"I can see that." Rosa turned to stare at Enzo's supine figure for a nano. "A small boy like that traveling in this weather… I cannot say that it seems right to me."
"We had no choice." Bob said defensively. "We… Our mission is very important. To the people of our land."
"I see. How old is the boy, Pilgrim?"
Bob frowned, desperately trying to calculate the correct conversion to User time and avoid yet another appallingly anachronistic answer. "He… He's… Eleven. Eleven years old. He just had a birthday, as a matter of fact."
"Eleven." The woman nodded. "It is as I suspected - I thought he carried himself as an older boy. … He's a small child, for his age."
"Don't worry – that'll change!" Bob chuckled.
"How do you know this?" Rosa frowned.
"Uh… His father was a very tall spr- A very large man. They say a boy will grow to be a little taller than his father, don't they?"
"I have heard that. What I have never understood, then, is why men are not now a hundred feet tall. How does that feel?"
Bob inspected his hands. "They burn, a little."
"As they will." Rosa nodded. "We know the ravages of cold all too well here, Pilgrim." She sat on the bed next to Enzo. "Especially on the young ones. I hope you will both be fortunate enough to keep all that you came here with – starting with your lives."
"We'll be fine." Bob said softly. "Thank you."
The red-haired woman stared silently at Enzo for a nano. "Mine was only nine, you know. So young… Yet his clothes fit your boy quite well. As I said, he is small for his age."
"Yours?" Bob asked gently. "Your… son?"
Rosa ignored him, softly stroking Enzo's cheek. "Such a beautiful child. Strange hair… Almost a green tint." She turned to the Guardian. "And yours – so gray on a man so young. And yet not gray at all – more silver than gray, I think. What a strange land you must come from! What did you say it was called?"
"I didn't. Enzo and I come from different lands, actually – although we both call the same one home now. Its called Mainframe."
"Main…Frame?" Rosa frowned. "Very strangely named. Is it far away?"
"Not as far as it seems." The Guardian sighed. How strange this was – how could the woman be a game sprite? So much detail! It seemed to have no purpose – except to her. Like the land around them, it seemed to exist only for it's own sake. "Tell me about your son."
The woman ignored him again. "I still do not know your name, Pilgrim. Does your religion forbid that you tell me?"
"No! No, not at all." The Guardian chuckled. "My name is Bob."
"Bob." The red-haired woman sounded out the name. "It is strange – as all else about you seems to be strange." She stood with a sigh and tossed a log onto the fire. "I think the best we can do for the child is to allow him to sleep while he can – I hope the willow bark in the tea will help his fever, and the goldenseal his lungs. What about you, Pilgrim… Bob? Do you desire food, or more sleep?"
"I'm very hungry." Bob blurted out, and it was true.
"If you'd like you can come to the common room and I will prepare a plate for you."
Bob stared at the bed for a nano. Part of him yearned impatiently to strike out again, to complete his job – it was so easy to forget they were in a game! But his reality was what it was, for the nano. "I don't think so, thank you. I… I'd like to be here just in case he wakes up. In a strange place, and all… He might be scared."
"Of course." Rosa smiled. "Your student, you say... Very well – I will bring some mutton up to you and leave a bowl of soup for the boy. Afterwards you can sleep, and if Enzo wakes perhaps he will eat."
"Thank you. I seem to be saying that quite a lot!"
"In lieu of payment." The red-hared woman said wryly, leaving Bob and Enzo alone in the small room. The Guardian slid his chair closer to the bed and grasped Enzo's hand in his own, the wheeze of the youngster's labored breathing and the crackle of the fireplace the only sounds in the room.
"I think Frisket's worried too." AndrAIa said with a tired smile, watching the red dog pace restlessly around the command center.
"He just doesn't like being inside, that's all." Dot sighed.
"It's more than that. He knows something's up." It was true, the feral canine much preferred the outdoors as a rule, but he'd sought the others out in the Principal Office soon after they'd gathered. "It's amazing how much that dog knows – I've never claimed to understand it." The pooch woofed softly, staring at the game sprite.
"Maybe he doesn't trust Bob – he never did like him very much." Dot replied wearily. "I think he prefers to keep my little brother under his own protection."
"Well, he did a good job. For a long time."
"How long has it been, Phong?" Matrix asked darkly, arms crossed. "For them, I mean? It must be a long time…"
"Well, let me see…" The old sprite scratched his metallic chin thoughtfully. "The calculations are difficult, given the slight variation in speed from game to game and the fluctuations in the polarity of the neutron flow-"
"Guess." AndrAIa sighed.
"Well… I would say four cycles. Give or take a few milliseconds. In any case a very long time indeed…"
"Delete it – I don't understand!" Matrix scowled. "Andri and I were in games for half our lives and I never saw one last this long – not even close!"
"Did you ever see am infected one?" Dot asked pointedly.
"I know, Sis, I know… Strange seconds we're all processing in. But what kind of game takes this long?"
"Look – they must be all right. The game cube hasn't lifted!" AndrAIa interjected. "We know nothing's happened to them, they haven't lost…"
"Those two things don't necessarily go data in file." The bearded sprite grunted.
"Games, games, games…" Dot muttered. The Command.com had separated herself from
the others and stood staring at the gallery overhanging the command
center. "You know, I never realized how
much I'd come to depend on Mouse in situations like this – she'd always have
something comical to say, no matter how bleak things were. It must be nice being insane…"
The Guardian awoke, momentarily disoriented by the darkness around him. As his eyes fell on the faintly glowing embers from the fireplace in the corner he remembered where he was, his breathing slowing. The oil lamp on the bedside table had gone out, leaving the silver-haired sprite and his charge in near darkness. But what had woken him?
Groaning from the pain in his stiff, aching, joints Bob rose and lumbered over towards the fireplace. The blaze crackled and popped as he fed it a wedge of birch, then seeped light into the room as flame arced from the new fuel. "Dot?" a hoarse voice called from behind him.
Frowning, the Guardian sat on the bed and placed a hand on Enzo's brow, jerking it back almost instantly. "Crash! Your cooling fan must be totally offline…"
"Dot?" the youngster wheezed. "I don't wanna go to school today. I'm sick…"
"It's me, Pal." Bob said softly. "You all right?"
The boy coughed violently and fluttered his eyes open, his borrowed tunic soaked through with perspiration. "Dot? I don't feel good… Dot?"
"Dot's not here, Enzo. I'm taking care of you. Everything's gonna be just fine, don't worry."
"Bob?" the boy panted confusedly, straining to draw air into his lungs and rising to a sitting position. "Where… Where's Dot?"
"Try not to talk so much. Just rest, OK?"
"Why isn't Dot here?" the boy rasped. "I'm sick! Dot's supposed to take care of me when I'm sick…"
"I'm taking care of you." The Guardian smiled, wrapping an arm around the little sprite. "We're in a game – remember? Dot's not here with us, but we'll see her just as soon as we get home."
"Game?" Enzo asked dazedly.
"Sure. You fell in the river – remember how cold it was? We spent part of the night in the snow cave and then you smelled smoke and found this inn. And now the innkeeper is taking care of us – the lady with the red hair, remember?"
"Lady?" Enzo coughed. Bob noticed for the first time how thin and drawn the boy's face appeared. "I… I kinda remember…"
The Guardian held up the bowl of soup, now lukewarm. "Here – try and eat a little soup, Partner. You're pretty weak – you've barely eaten in three cycles."
Enzo screwed his nose up in disgust. "No! I don't want any, thanks."
"Try to drink a little – for me. Please? You've got to if you're going to get better." The boy looked up at him, straining for breath. "It's important, Cadet. Just try, OK?"
"All right." Enzo sighed. He cautiously brought the bowl to his lips and tipped it slightly, a few swallows of broth managing to find their way down his throat. The boy again coughed violently.
Bob gently patted his back until the paroxysms stopped. "Good, Enzo. How about another couple of sips – think you can manage that?"
"No, please! My stomach doesn't feel good. I… I don't think I can…"
"All right." Bob sighed, trying to keep his demeanor upbeat despite the growing depression he felt over the youngster's condition. "Maybe in a little while."
"I'm kinda… thirsty." Enzo whispered. "Is there… any water?"
"I think Rosa left some tea… She said there was something in it that would help you breathe better. Think you can manage some of that?"
"K." the boy rasped. Bob handed him the sweet-smelling beverage and the boy gingerly gulped some down, wincing as he swallowed. "It's… not bad…"
"Not like Dot's cocoa though, huh?" Bob chuckled.
"What's wrong…with me, Bob?" Enzo groaned. "I don't feel… right. I'm all… dizzy and… my...head hurts and… and… I can't… breathe…"
"You've just got a little bug, that's all. From the cold. You just need a lot of sleep and some decent food and you'll be fine."
"I…feel funny. I…can barely…remember the…game…"
"It'll all come back to you. When you're better. Now try not to talk so much all right? Switch to energy star mode."
"What's… What's…wrong with…my hands?"
"Hush, now."
"Where…wh…wh…"
"Slow down!" Bob chided gently, taking up a cloth and wiping the perspiration from the boy's forehead. "Try not to talk, Enzo – save your breath."
Enzo gritted his teeth in frustration, taking several labored breaths. "Where… Why is Dot…in a game?
"Dot's not in the game. We're in the game. Remember? Dot's waiting for us back in Mainframe."
"Oh… Right." The youngster whispered. He reached out and grabbed the mug of tea, raising it unsteadily in bandaged hands. Bob closed his hands around the boy's own and guided the cup towards his mouth. "Thanks." Enzo mumbled after a strained swallow of tea.
"You're welcome. Maybe you could try a little more soup – what do you think?"
"I don't…think so." Enzo panted, falling back in bed. "I feel funny…Bob. What's…the…matter…with me?"
"The apothecary said it was a vapor in your lungs." Bob said. "Whatever that means. I think you've just got a little software bug is all."
"I…wish…Dot…were here." Enzo whispered. "She..always…takes…care of me. When…I'm…sick."
"I know, Tiger." Bob sighed, squeezing a clammy hand. "I wish she was here, too – but she's not. So I'm going to take care of you until you get better."
"Really?"
"Honest. Now try not to talk any more. Just try to get some more sleep and I promise I'll be right here when you wake up, all right?"
"But…"
"No more talking! Save your breath. I promise I won't go anywhere. I'll be the first thing you see when you wake up and I'll bet you feel better, too. OK?"
"OK, Bob." the boy rasped. "Thanks."
"That was three words!" Bob grinned. "I told you not to talk - right, Cadet?" The boy smiled and closed his eyes. "You've got to learn to follow orders. Now get some sleep." After a few nanos Enzo's rattling breathing joined the crackling of the fireplace and the Guardian leaned back in his chair, the youngster's hand still clasped in his own.
Enzo was momentarily startled by a high-pitched sound, trying unsuccessfully to open his eyes. After a nano he realized that the sound was moaning, and coming from his own throat. As that panic receded another set in as he realized that he couldn't open his eyes. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to pry them open with his hands, only to discover that his bandaged fingers weren't up to the task.
The boy tried to calm himself, remember the countless exercises that Bob had taught him – if for no other reason than the fact that his panicked breathing was excruciatingly painful to his lungs. He realized that his eyes were caked shut from sleep, and slowly, painfully scraped them clear with a bandaged hand. He blinked them open slowly, pupils adjusting to the hushed light entering the room through the window behind him.
The first sight to reach him was Bob's figure slumped over in a chair, snoring gently.
"You kept your promise." Enzo heard himself whisper, though he couldn't remember why he was saying it. He shivered and wrapped the blankets more tightly around himself, taking stock of the situation. The youngster felt light-headed and disoriented, and his body hurt from tip to toe.
Dim patches of memory came to him as Enzo lay motionless, wheezing. He was in a game, with Bob – but hadn't they been trapped outside in the snow? No, that's right – they'd found this place, the inn. And there was a woman there, with red hair – like Mouse's, but different. And she was beautiful, he remembered that too.
The small sprite looked around the room and realized that the fire had gone out, explaining the chill air. He thought briefly about trying to kindle it but dismissed the notion almost immediately – he couldn't imagine turning over, much less standing up and walking even a step. He considered waking Bob but decided against it, as the Guardian looked completely exhausted. Sighing, he snuggled deeper in bed and resigned himself to being cold. He was getting used to it.
"Thirsty." He croaked, astonished at the ravaged sound of his voice. He closed his bandaged hands around the cup on his bedside table and slowly brought it to his lips, wincing as the cold tea burned his sore throat. He gently set the cup down and turned his head painfully to survey the room.
The boy yelped in astonishment to see a pair of cool green eyes staring back at him from the end of the bed. They belonged to a small gray animal, seated serenely at his feet. Tufted triangular ears crowned the furry head, gently twitching whiskers flanked the mouth, which almost seemed to be smiling back at the boy.
"Scuzzy…" the youngster whispered, Hexadecimal's pet being the only frame of reference he could place the apparition inside of. There was a resemblance, undeniably, although this animal was clearly a sleeker, lankier creature. Not to mention lacking a vidscreen atop its head. "What are you?" the little sprite gasped.
"A cat." The creature responded calmly.
Enzo yelped in shock, heart pounding in his chest yet again. "What... You…"
"What?" the creature asked, a hint of annoyance in its voice.
"You…can't…talk!" the youngster croaked.
"Neither can you, apparently. Not very well at least."
Enzo cast a glance at Bob, but the Guardian appeared to be sleeping peacefully through this bizarre chain of events. "Oh…User! I must…be… dreaming or…something!"
"You must be." The cat agreed with a trace of whimsy. "Everyone knows cats can't talk."
"Crash!" Enzo panted. "I'm… delirious!"
"And I'm hungry. But that and a dinar will buy you a nice fish, won't it?"
"Oh…Man!" the boy whispered. Whether from his illness or his shock the room began to spin around him. "What… What do you…want?"
"I just came by to visit." The cat said pleasantly. "I love to visit, and I thought you might be lonely. I think your big friend over there is going to sleep for a week!"
"A…week?"
"Sure. You know – seven days? You're sick – I heard the Mistress saying so. Are you scared?"
"Yeah." Enzo nodded dumbly.
"When I'm sick I eat grass. Or throw up." The cat said helpfully.
"Thanks." The boy mumbled.
"Blast - here she comes now." The cat sighed. Enzo hadn't realized such a thing was possible. "In case you were wondering, you're here for a reason. We all are."
A red-haired apparition swept into the room, a large tray in her hands. "Shoo!" she hissed, aiming a good-natured kick at the gray animal, which missed by a large distance. The cat leapt off the bed and ambled towards the open door. "Can't you see this boy needs rest, Kristof?"
Enzo stared numbly at the cat, which turned to stare back at him, eyes glinting. The boy felt cool hands on his cheeks, lifting his gaze. "Look at me, now. How are we feeling this morning, My Angel?"
Enzo stole a quick glance back towards the door, but the cat was gone – if, in fact, it had ever been there. He couldn't be sure. He felt his chin lifted upwards again. "Did you hear me, Sweet?"
"Uh…" the boy felt himself struck dumb once again by the beauty of the face that stared back at him. His fuzzy memories of the prior night were of a stern, hard figure, but the face that stared at him was gentle and kind. What had she asked him? "I… I feel funny…"
"I'm not surprised." Rosa sighed. "How are we breathing, Child?"
"Not… Not too good." Enzo panted. A fit of coughing seized him for a nano.
"I brought you some fresh tea – it'll help your lungs to clear. Are you cold?"
"I was a…nano ago. But now…I…feel…hot."
The red-haired woman frowned slightly, then shook her head. "This feeling is what I would expect, Enzo – sometimes hot, sometimes cold." The woman rose and tossed more wood onto the fire, using a bellows to stir the embers – thought dead by Enzo – back into life.
Rosa returned to the bed and took a cloth off the tray, which she dipped in one of the bowls. Enzo felt cool water being gently dabbed on his face. "How does that feel, My Angel?"
"Nice." The youngster sighed as the cool moisture soothed his burning skin.
"Good." Rosa smiled. She finished swabbing the boy's face and neck and reached for the other bowl. "I want you to drink some soup for me, and then you can have some nice tea."
"No…please. I feel…dizzy. I don't wanna…eat anything…"
"I know – but you need to. You'll feel better with some food in you, I promise. Open up for me now."
"But-"
"Come on now!" the red-haired woman insisted, gently but firmly. "You're a very sick boy, and unless you get some strength your body won't be able to make you better. Fools like Vlad might tell you there's a demon inside you, but don't you believe it – you just need rest, medicine and some decent food. Open up now."
Head swimming as he confusedly tried to keep up with the woman's speech, Enzo opened his mouth and swallowed a few gulps of broth. The boy groaned as he felt his stomach heaving from the audacious intrusion. "No…more!"
"Just a little." Rosa insisted, waiting patiently while the boy caught his breath. She tipped a small amount of soup into his mouth. "Good chicken broth, this is – and rare enough these days. You should be glad to have it."
Enzo coughed and fell back in bed. "Thank you. But if I…eat any more…I think…I'm going to…throw…"
"I get the idea." Rosa sighed, setting down the bowl. "How about some nice tea, My Angel? That will help your stomach feel better and your lungs besides. Vlad may be excrement but he has the best supply of dried herbs in the village, and they don't grow wild in the winter, do they? Willow bark for your fever, goldenseal and echinacea for the sickness in your chest, stinging nettles for your head. Ready?"
"Thank you." Enzo nodded, holding out his bandaged hands. Smiling, the red-haired woman handed him the mug, which he gingerly guided to his mouth. "It…tastes…good."
"That's Rosa's doing, Sweet – you wouldn't want to taste it the way Vlad mixes it. Rosa can make anything taste good, believe me. More?" The green-haired boy nodded. "Thirsty, eh Lad? Drink it down, drink it down…"
After Enzo had drained about half the volume of the mug he handed it back to the woman, panting from the exertion. "What… What's the matter with…my hands?"
"These bandages?" Rosa grunted. "You were out in the cold for a long spell, Child – your fingers and toes get colder than the rest of you. Sometimes they take a long time to get better."
The youngster looked at his bandaged digits, wide-eyed. "Don't worry, Sweet – you just rest and get better and I'll take care of those hands, all right?" Enzo nodded dubiously and was seized by a deep, hacking cough. "Easy, easy!" the red-haired woman said. She held a handkerchief to the boy's mouth. "Get it out, Lad – that's what your body wants. Get the bad stuff out of your lungs."
Enzo coughed a few more times and spat, wincing from the pain in his ribs and chest. The red-haired woman wrapped her arms around him and held his head against her shoulder while he fought for breath. "Why…why…why are…you…being…so nice…to us?" he wheezed after several nanos.
"And why shouldn't I be?" Rosa whispered, cradling him gently. "World would be a damn sight colder if we didn't help those out as we could, wouldn't it then? Cold enough as it is…"
The boy didn't have the breath to form a response, content to rest in the woman's arms, the pain in his chest slowly receding. The world around him began to fall away again, a crushing exhaustion bearing down on him as he felt himself being slowly lowered to the bed once more. "That's the idea – you sleep. Can't have too much of that, sick boy like you. Like your friend, there – exhausted, both of you."
Enzo stubbornly fought to stave off the onset of sleep, trying to cling to the strains of coherent thought that danced in his head. There was so much he wanted to know – so much he didn't understand. It was a losing fight, the already blurry line between consciousness and slumber fading. "What… What kind…of cat…was…that?"
"Why, just a cat he is, Lad." Rosa smiled as the boy's eyelids drooped shut. "An odd question, that…"
