"So… how's your food?"

Dot smiled slightly as she glanced up from her meal. Bob sat across from her in the same booth, leaning back casually with one leg crossed over the other. Both of them were perfectly at ease, and even the Diner's lights had been dimmed to enhance the romantic atmosphere.

"It's good, as always," Dot answered, picking up a piece and putting it in her mouth. She had to do so carefully and she kept a hand on the container's lid at all times. Otherwise it would try to run away. "Though I feel like I'm bragging whenever I say that," she added with humility.

"Why's that?"

"Because I created all of the food items here… or if I didn't, I modified them." She took a sip from her energy shake.

"It just shows you did good work, if you like it as well," Bob said with a smile. "It's something to be proud of."

"Well, if you say so." Dot smiled and gave a contented sigh as she leaned forward. She wore a snug-fitting evening dress that showed off her slender form tastefully.

Bob had worn his usual outfit and, when he first spotted hers, his eyes had lingered on her accentuated curves before asking if he should have worn something for the occasion. Dot had simply said it didn't matter; she'd simply felt like dressing up and letting her hair down for once.

With Phong, Mouse and Ray managing things at the Principal Office, Matrix handling the Diner with Cecil and AndrAIa looking after Little Enzo and Frisket… this was the first second that Bob and Dot had had an evening to themselves for many seconds.

"So," Dot began after a long moment, "what did you want to talk about?"

Bob seemed somewhat taken aback, as if a spotlight had just shown down on him from overheard. "Talk about? Uh… I thought you were the one who wanted to talk." He cleared his throat sheepishly.

"Oh, well… I kind of thought you wanted to talk about… us. Or uh, I guess I thought we should talk about us, and I thought you'd want to, too…" Dot's voice faltered; she felt like she was babbling like an idiot.

"Dot, hey, it's okay," Bob said, touching her hand. "Just… tell me what's on your mind."

She looked at him, almost blushing slightly when she saw the intensity with which he looked at her. It was a look of deep caring, concern. Bob cared about everyone as was his nature; he'd even saved viruses whenever he could. But this look in his eyes right now…

He never looked at anyone else like that.

"Bob," she murmured, cupping her hands around his and tightening her fingers around it. She held it firmly as her eyes bored into his, and their lips grew closer to one-another.

"Yes?" Bob said softly; Dot could feel his breath on her face.

"I… I love you so much." She swallowed, but she did not break eye contact. "And I am so sorry I doubted you. I feel like… I gave up on you when you needed me most."

"Dot…" Bob stroked her cheek with his free hand; her face melted against his palm. "It's okay. Don't worry about it. What happened is in the past, and I'm here for you now."

She closed her eyes momentarily, feeling the warmth of his hand against her face.

"You are so beautiful," Bob whispered. The words seemed to escape his lips before he could stop them, but nevertheless they seemed like the perfect thing to say.

Dot's eyes opened. "Thank you," she murmured with affection. Their lips drew closer together, then touched; they kissed.

A soft hem-hem of a throat-clearing caused both of the sprites to break their kiss. Dot looked mildly annoyed at the VidWindow that had appeared right beside them. "What is it, Walter?" she asked the binome in a business-like manner.

Now the binome looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Ma'am," he replied with a tip of his spherical head-body. "But the Bloody Mare has just entered the System and docked at a port on the edge of the City. The Crimson binome wishes to see you there at your earliest convenience."

"Alright," Dot said with a nod. "Tell him I'll be there in a few milliseconds."

"Will do," Walter nodded again. "And, Miss Matrix…?"

"Yes?"

"Apparently there is a curious young sprite on the ship, someone that the crew picked up in the last system they were in." Walters scratched his temple, as if puzzled himself. "The girl appears to be lost, and she has no icon."

Bob and Dot exchanged glances. Any program lacking an icon meant they also lacked a PID, which could mean a virus in disguise or that the sprite in question had suffered an unknown tragedy.

"Thank you for letting me know," Dot replied. "I'll be there shortly." She then terminated the VidWindow.

"I think I should go along with you on this one," Bob suggested, already standing.

"Do you think there could be trouble?" Dot asked.

"Either that or that sprite might need help," Bob said. He frowned, his face growing serious as he felt a pain in the back of his head.

"What is it, Bob?" Dot asked.

"I don't know," Bob answered with a slight shrug. "Something doesn't feel… normal." He was already moving toward the door. "Come on, we should get over there."

Dot nodded, their romantic dinner already forgotten.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Alpha Starwell eventually woke from her deep slumber below deck. She had done her best to stay out of the way, even out of sight, during the entire voyage. Setting sail on a flying pirate ship through cyberspace was weird, though no more weird than getting picked up by random biker traveling in-between systems.

Starwell wondered if this was what she had resorted to. Had she become so lost in this alien realm that she had become nothing more than a hitchhiker? You're not a hitchhiker, she told herself firmly. Somebody paid for your passage, you have every right to be here.

Would she get home someday, or would she spend the rest of her existence wandering from place to place?

If she had been more of the adventurous type, or if her ability to get home was more assured somehow, she might have enjoyed all of this at least a bit better. How many people back home could say that they'd seen the things she had seen, or experienced the things she had experienced? Hell, part of her still wasn't convinced that all of this wasn't a dream.

For the most part the pirates left her be. She'd heard all of their names at least once, but she didn't bother to absorb the knowledge. She figured she wouldn't be there all that long anyway.

The only beings she could associate with their names were Captain Capacitor, his assistant Mr. Christopher, and of course the giant Princess… Oola, was it? Or Ooba? Okay so maybe she didn't remember her name. Starwell simply stayed well away from the Princess because she was huge and scared the pants off of the young User.

Starwell snapped to attention when she heard someone shouting. Apparently they had arrived at their next destination, a system called Mainframe. She very slowly crawled out of her hiding space (between two large barrels located behind an even larger crate) and slowly climbed the stairs to the upper level.

Captain Capacitor peered through a telescope across a purplish-blue substance that extended in all directions. By now, Starwell knew that that was an energy sea, something that every system had apparently. "Prepare for deceleration!" he called out. "Bring us to the docks and lower the sails! We'll be in Mainframe within the millisecond!"

Gizmo chirped on Starwell's arm, making a sound for the first time in a while. The girl grimaced at it; she didn't want anyone to notice she was on the deck yet.

"Ah, there ye be, young lass," Captain Capacitor said, turning to look at her. "As ye probably heard, we will be there shortly."

"Yeah, I heard," Starwell nodded warily.

"Is something the matter, Miss Starwell?"

"No. Yes. Well…"

"Captain," someone interrupted, "I've spoken with Mr. Walter in Mainframe. It seems that Dot Matrix and Guardian Bob will meet us at the docks."

"Very good, Mr. Christopher!" Capacitor enthused. "It be far too long since I've seen our friends. Now," he turned back to the girl, "don't ye worry, lass. Whatever yer troubles may be I'm sure that they can assist you."

"Are you sure?" Starwell asked. Mainframe was the third system she had been to so far, and she'd met plenty of unfriendly people.

"I would stake my very Code upon it," Capacitor said with a knowing smile.

"Yeah, okay… wait a minute," Starwell blinked, "did you say there's a Guardian here?"

"Why of course. Bob is a remarkable sprite; a true survivor. I guarantee that he can assist you, young Guardian."

"Why do you keep calling me a Guardian?" Starwell asked warily.

"Ye have a Keytool as the Guardians do." the Captain narrowed his eye at her. "If ye aren't a Guardian, where did ye acquire it?"

"Look, it doesn't matter what I am," Starwell replied a bit testily. Then her tone and expression softened. "I'm just trying to get home, that's all."

"So ye have said." Capacitor stroked his chin with his hook. "The reason I allowed ye aboard was because I sensed ye were you in trouble. I shan't let it be said that I ignore a damsel in distress, and I don't suppose I need to know ye business. But," his expression turned serious, "once we dock at Mainframe, off ye go. You can tell ye troubles to Bob and Dot."

"Are you sure I can trust them?" Starwell asked warily.

"Do ye trust me?"

"…I don't know yet," Starwell admitted honestly, scuffing the toe of her boot against the wooden deck.

"Ah." Capacitor inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. "A fair answer, lass. We hardly have had time to become acquainted. Just know that my men and I have done all we can for ye; the rest is up to you and the people of this good city."

"Yeah, okay," Starwell said with a little nod. "Um…. Thanks for everything."

A short time later they arrived at the docks. Once the vessel was secured and the engines were shut down, Captain Capacitor began barking orders. There was a rush of movement as several hands lowered the ramp and began to haul crates, boxes and barrels from the ship to the docks below.

For a little while Starwell felt as though she'd been forgotten in the midst of the flurry of action. She leaned against the side of the ship and peered over, watching quietly as the cargo was unloaded, counted, and signed for below.

A short time later, two sprites arrived on Zip Boards. Starwell's eyes shot toward them; she had learned to be wary of newcomers during her time in the Net. Sometimes they could mean trouble.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Dot left Bob's company to speak with Captain Capacitor. Bob hovered above the ground on his zip board, glancing about. He saw the crew bringing their cargo down the ramp from the ship. When he glanced up at the ship…

He spotted her. A young female sprite leaning against the edge of the ship. She wore a simple gray shirt with dark blue pants and a pair of silver boots. Bob was surprised.

The Guardian floated up toward the ship, toward the young sprite. As he got closer he noticed her arm. A Keytool was attached, but it looked different… more so, it felt different. It was the same general shape and size of a regular Keytool, but there were a few small differences. There was something unNet-like about this Keytool, but the only logical reason he could see this girl own a Keytool is if she was a Guardian.

What's a Guardian doing on the Saucy Mare? he wondered to himself. The Guardian protocol was that there was only one Guardian instituted within each system. The only exception was if the Prime Guardian himself chose to enter a system, or a Guardian had proper authorization codes from the Prime Guardian.

The girl's head snapped up when she noticed his approach. She pushed herself back from the side of the ship and took a few steps back.

"H-hello?" she said tentatively, narrowing her eyes in his direction.

"Hello yourself," Bob greeted with a wave. Had the sprite not been so young he might have used a more official tone, but this situation didn't seem to warrant it. He frowned slightly as he took note of her outfit. "Who are you?"

"Um… I'm Alpha Starwell." She tilted her head to one side, peering up at him. "Who are you?" She looked more than a little nervous.

"I'm Guardian 452," Bob said, starting with his official protocol. He placed a hand on his hip. "Why aren't you in a Guardian uniform or armor?" he queried. Unless the young sprite had a unique fashion sense or someone had changed the Guardian uniform without informing him, this sprite was not dressed for the occasion.

Then again, her bitmap truly did lack an icon…

"Why does everyone keep saying I'm a Guardian?" the girl sighed.

"Well, you have a Keytool."

"Yeah… I do." Starwell pressed her lips into a thin line. She didn't seem inclined to say much else.

Before Bob could say anything, Glitch beeped at the strange Keytool. [State your designation,] was the approximate translation in the complex Keytool language.

As a rule, only someone who was joined with a Keytool could understand it, and only their own Keytool. Anything that a different Keytool said sounded foreign to anyone who wasn't bonded to that particular Keytool, even if they had a Keytool of their own.

The only exception was the Prime Guardian; he could understand what all Keytools were saying. Bob knew this, as anyone who had a Keytool did.

The Keytool on Starwell's arm chirped. [Designation? Why, whatever do you mean?]

[State your designation,] Glitch repeated.

"Glitch…" Bob warned.

"Hey, you have a Keytool," Starwell observed with interest. She hadn't seen one since… well, since she left Anna Code's company. "What's your Keytool saying?" she asked, somewhat curious.

"He's trying to figure out your Keytool, sorry about that," Bob replied.

[My name is Gizmo. What is yours?]

[Designation: Rogue,] Glitch categorized.

Gizmo was offended. [Rogue?] the Keytool squawked. [Rogue, huh? What is your designation, then?]

[I am Glitch, assigned to Guardian 452.]

[Assigned to a Guardian, you say? How interesting,] Gizmo replied haughtily. [I would have to say I surpass you in importance, then. It so happens that I am assigned to a U-]

"Gizmo!" Starwell slapped her Keytool, instantly silencing it. "That's enough," she hissed through her teeth. The last thing she needed was for everyone in this new system to find out what she really was. Not until she determined whether or not she could trust these people, at least.

The Keytool on her arm beeped a couple of times, and the girl took another step back and placed her hand over it. She looked as if she were afraid it might fly off, or that he might take it.

Bob eyed her thoughtfully. Obviously the young Guardian-if that's what she was-was possessive of her Keytool, although to say she was a full Guardian would have been pushing it. He knew a rookie when he saw one.

Judging from the sprite's name, "Alpha Starwell", she had a Tester Format. That was the only reason anyone had Alpha or Beta in their name. They were experimental programs. So that would explain the Keytool, and the lack of PID.

"Well, would you like to see Mainframe?" Bob asked in a friendly tone. Perhaps if he spent more time with the young sprite he could learn more about her, especially if he could alleviate her fears and get her to loosen up.

Starwell swallowed. "I'm not sure," she replied cautiously. "Is there anybody out there who's gonna try to kill me?" The question escaped her lips before she could stop herself.

"Why would someone do that?" Bob blinked. Perhaps this sprite really had been through a trying ordeal.

Starwell opened her mouth, and closed it quickly. How could she say anything? It was best to keep what she truly was to herself.

"To tell you the truth," she allowed vaguely, "I've been to two other systems already. And I've run into trouble in both places."

She indicated the ship around her. "That's why I came with Captain Capacitor and his crew. They were getting me out of a jam, and... the Captain said I'd be safe here, and..." She raised her shoulders bashfully. "He said maybe you guys could help me."

Bob landed on the deck and stepped off of his zip board. "What do you need help in?"