Chapter 3

A Whole New System

The pain woke him, it was coming directly from his eye that had been damaged during his most recent loss in the games against Satan. He opened his other eye, he seemed to be in a in operation room. "AndrAIa? Frisket?" He said weakly. He looked around and did not see his companions. Where are they? He wondered to himself.

A binome approached him, wearing a doctor's uniform. "How is your eye feeling, young guardian?" He asked while staring at the bandaged eye.

"It hurts." He answered honestly, "Where are my friends?" He asked with an edge in his voice.

"They are right outside the door with our ." The doctor answered.

Enzo sighed in relief. The doctor met his one working eye, "We replaced your eye with an implant. You will be able to see with it, intense scanning, and once you are ready it can be linked with a weapon download. You actually will get more use of this eye, then your old eye."

"A weapon download? Alphanumeric!" He brightened with that. With a working weapon he would be able to protect AndrAIa better. "Where are we? Mainframe?" He asked then. It didn't look familiar, but a sprite could hope.

"This is system Docker. I do not know of this Mainframe you speak of." He answered. Enzo opened his mouth to ask more question, but the doctor was already heading toward the door. "I will send your friends in." With that Enzo stared at the door, waiting to see AndrAIa enter. Instead a man entered, his black skin really contrasted with his bright golden hair and green eyes.

"Hello Young Guardian." He said and sat down in the chair. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing better than before." He answered honestly. "Are AndrAIa and Frisket coming in?" He asked.

"Not just yet." He stood, "My name is Key. I am the of this system." He looked over Enzo, "As you may have realized you are not in your home system."

"Yeah, I got that." He nodded, "I'm Enzo Matrix." He introduced back. "Do you have a portal to the net?" He was eager to get home.

"We do not, I'm sorry." His voice sounded sincere, "You will have to take a game out of here."

Enzo nodded, he knew that a game was not a definite ride home, they would jump from system to system until they found one with a net portal. "Do you have game detection software?"

"No, but games do not come here often." He answered, "AndrAIa has explained to me how you two young sprites have came to us. I think that you both should train here, once your eye is better of course."

Enzo hung his head in shame, then Key had know that he had failed his friends. "What training do you propose?" He asked.

"We have a gym, for you both to build up your strength. We also have game simulations for you both to practice in. It is all virtual reality of course, so you can't be harmed by it, but it will prepare you."

"It couldn't hurt."

"No, it couldn't."

"So, what is in it for you? To train us?" Enzo asked with his non-scared eyebrow raised.

"You will delete the virus, Trojan, before you leave us." He said grimly.

"Me? Delete something? Guardians are not about deletion." His voice actually squeaked. "Why can't you do it?"

"I do not have a guardian protocol, therefore I would not be able to." His eye met Enzo's, "Believe me if I could have I would have. Trojan deleted my wife." He hissed.

Enzo's eye widen. "I am very sorry for your loss." His voice dripped with sympathy for the man. "But I will not delete anyone."

"Then I will not help you and your friends and I will not let you get to the next game to leave." He said with a tinge of violence to his voice.

Enzo gasped, "You are going to blackmail me?"

"If I have too, yes. It's not very often we come across a guardian."

"Can I at least discuss this with AndrAIa?" He spoke softly, his face was a mask of confusion.

"Yes, you two and the dog will be taken to your room. Do not take of the bandage, for 3 minutes." He answered and stood.

"3 minutes? It will take that long to heal?" They were going to be here longer than he planned.

"Yes." He said and opened the door, he turned his head, "You may go in now."

AndrAIa rushed in the door, with Frisket on her heels. "ENZO!" She cried as she jumped up onto the operating table. Her body slammed into his and her arms wrapped around him. He cool scale made contact with his arms making him shiver.

"AndrAIa." He whispered and his arms wrapped around her.

"I am so glad you are alright Enzo! I was beyond worried about you." She squeezed tighter.

"AndrAIa, did Key talk to you about what he wanted from us?"

"Yes, to train us." She said with a smile, thinking it was a good idea.

"And what he wants me to do?"

"What does he want you to do?" She asked letting go of him and looking at his face. A binome then entered the room and they both looked at her.

"Come with me. I will show you to your room."

They both got down from the table and followed behind her silently.