Bob had stepped off of his zip board and approached the girl. "Look," he said in a reasonable tone, "the outcome of that game would've ended the way it did anyway, none of us were there to defeat the User or help with the game."

"It's not just that," Starwell sighed. She pulled back from the pole, as far as her handcuffs would let her. "You just... I..."

She pursed her lips into a thin line, making a face. "I don't think you understand," she said carefully. "I don't think you can understand. I tried to tell you something the day I first came to Mainframe. You know, when we first met, I tried to tell you..."

She stopped. How was she supposed to say that she was a real User, when they just didn't seem to buy it? And what if it just made things worse if they did figure it out? Wouldn't they all hate her, like that female Guardian did?

"I know." Bob gave a small nod.

It took a moment for those two simple words to sink in. Starwell stared at him carefully, narrowing her eyes. "What do you mean... you know?" she asked. "Do you mean you know that I'm a...?"

"Yes. I do." Bob spoke with sincerity.

"And you don't have a problem with me?" She stared at him, dumbfounded. The expression on his face wasn't one of hatred, or even anger. He looked like his usual friendly, reasonable self. In fact, he seemed concerned about her. "That other Guardian has a problem with me…"

"Well I don't," Bob assured her. "And no one else in Mainframe does, either." He sighed. "There are going to be some people throughout the Net who don't like Users, but you're safe with us." It seemed strange to him, that he would ever be having this kind of conversation with a… real User. But apparently he was. He looked into her eyes, silently communicating his sincerity. "I will keep you safe here, I promise," he said warmly.

Starwell closed her eyes. In spite of herself... the wall that had formed within her was starting to crumble, just a little. He knew she was a User. And he was still speaking to her. He... wasn't yelling at her like that other Guardian had.

"You okay, kid?" Matrix asked, taking a few steps closer.

"I… guess so." Starwell was relieved to hear that Anna Code wouldn't be coming after her anytime soon… so she hoped, at least. "So," she said in a quieter tone, once again averting her gaze, "now that you guys know I'm a User…. What now?"

"I want to bring you back to the Principal Office, and get you properly introduced to everybody." Bob smiled.

Starwell stared at him for a moment. Then she let out a short laugh. But it wasn't a delighted sound, exactly. It was more of a release of tension. "Does that mean everybody else knows I'm a User, too?" she wanted to know.

"They can take a guess, but I don't think anyone will pry."

Starwell shook her head a little, gripping the pole firmly between her hands again. "I'm still not sure," she said stubbornly. "We both know I'm an alien here. And... I don't even know much about how you people... live."

She gave him a meaningful look. "You know, we... us Users, I mean... we don't even know you people exist. I never knew anything like this existed!" She indicated the city around them. "I wouldn't have known, if I didn't end up in the Net."

Gizmo, still in the form of handcuffs secured to the pole, sensed a change in Starwell's general mood. But it also sensed her stubbornness. It decided to act on behalf of what it felt was for her own good again. Even if, again, she didn't like it much.

It retained its handcuff form, but the cuff that was clamped around the pole suddenly let go. However, the other cuff stayed firm around her wrist... and the newly freed cuff snapped around Bob's wrist.

Gizmo then made its intentions clear; It wanted her to go with Bob. And it wasn't entirely convinced that she wouldn't run off again.

Starwell sighed. "Gizmo…" she groaned. She eyed Bob warily. It managed to squeak at her a bit in handcuff form.

She would have yanked it in displeasure, but she didn't want to hurt Bob's arm or wrist. "It seems like my little Keytool here wants me to go with you," she grumbled. She disliked the fact that her freedom of choice had been taken away from her by a silly Keytool. Then again… it wasn't like she was getting anywhere by running around alone in the Ghetto anyway…

Bob gave a look at the cuffs, shook his head and shrugged. Matrix gave a little snort, then he moved a short distance away; the Renegade called up a VidWindow to contact AndrAIa. After the pretty sprite's features filled the Window, he began to fill her in… and ask her why in the Net the kitchen looked like multiple tears had exploded within it. This lead to the sound of Cecil yelling somewhere in the background and AndrAIa explaining how an experimental recipe had gone horribly wrong.

Bob and Starwell were aware of the commotion, but Bob figured Matrix could handle it. Whatever happened at the Diner was his responsibility, after all, and Bob had Starwell to look after.

Plus the Guardian had a pressing question on his processor…

"So Users aren't aware of us?" he asked.

Starwell sighed. She was also becoming more aware that her two sides, Hannah and "Starwell", had apparently integrated to the point where she couldn't tell which one was speaking or which one was currently active inside her head.

"Nope," she answered. "I think things would be a lot different if... we were aware of you people." She cast the hand-cuffs another annoyed look, but it didn't seem to show any sign of letting up or changing back into its Keytool shape.

She looked at the screen-like thing that hovered before Matrix, taking a closer look at it. She couldn't help but stare curiously at it... what was it? A "VidWindow?" That word was displayed at the top of it.

"So that's really how you talk to people from a distance," she commented quietly to Bob. She then remembered when Ray used one briefly, shortly after they had arrived at the Principal Office with Mouse. That already seemed like an eternity ago. "That's your cell phone," she added wryly, remembering that Bob didn't know what that term meant when she referred to it before.

Bob looked mildly intrigued. "So, cell phones are what Users call their VidWindows?"

The handcuffs twitched a little. For some reason, Gizmo seemed to respond a bit whenever the subject of cell phones were discussed. She made a mental note to ask it about that later.

The User-sprite chuckled in spite of herself. "Yeah, you could say that," she said. "But... they're not really the same thing. Communication devices, yeah, but not like that."

She sighed. "I remember you told me that there were a lot of things you wish you could ask a User," she said thoughtfully. She then gave him a dry smirk. "What's the most pressing question you've always been dying to ask?" she wondered, almost curiously.

Part of her still wanted to get away from these people and be by herself. But her resolve had crumbled, and... well, Gizmo wasn't letting her go anywhere.

The Guardian looked thoughtful. "There's a lot…" He scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "Let me think, should I ask about the creation of the Net or everybody's purpose?"

Oh brother. Starwell squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.

"That's a very big question," she said, almost sheepishly. "I mean, both of those are big questions." To Hannah, it was... like the question one would ask a god. Or God. Hannah herself wasn't sure if she even believed in a deity, and yet...

Since humans made the sprites and their homes... who was to say that someone didn't make humans? Still, this wasn't the time or the place to think about that.

"Uh..." She scratched the back of her neck with her free hand. "That might take a while to explain, I guess," she finally said.

"I've got time."

Starwell cocked her head to one side, looking at him thoughtfully. Bob definitely had the look of someone... curious, who wanted to know. He also had a look in his eyes right now... intense curiosity, definitely, but maybe a little of something else, too.

Awe, maybe? She wasn't quite sure how to identify it.

"Well if it's all the same to you," she stated, "I'd rather not talk about it out here." She gave the Gizmo-cuffs a stern look. "Gizmo..." she stated firmly.

She could almost swear the hand-cuffs growled. "I'm not going to run off," she snapped. "Now cut it out." There was a moment's hesitation. Then, apparently deciding to trust her word, Gizmo released both of their wrists and returned to its Keytool shape, then returned to her arm.

Starwell then held her arm near her face, squinting at the little device. "I'm not even sure where this little guy came from," she commented honestly, to no one in particular.

"I suppose we need to head back to the Principal Office," Bob said. He seemed to accept that the discussion about Users and why they made everything would wait. "I'll get you a zip board."

"I don't like zip boards," Starwell complained. "Last time I tried using one I plastered the side of a building with my face."

"I could always get my car," said Bob, as Matrix walked up from behind. Neither of them had noticed that Matrix had finished his VidWindow conversation.

"A car sounds good," Starwell said with a shrug. She eyed Matrix as the big, muscular sprite joined them.

She was silent a moment, trying to analyze her feelings. How did she feel now? Did she really feel all that different after Bob's pep talk... and his admission that her being a User didn't bother him?

Maybe in a way she did. She knew she still had friends, at least. But... that still didn't take away the sting of the female Guardian's words... or the knowledge of what she'd done. She had still nullified, in her Uncle's system and in Mainframe. Even if it was unintentional.

She sighed, folding her arms and staring down at her shoes. She... still didn't feel all that well about herself.

Bob got on his Zip Board, "I'll be back, you two."

Starwell watched as Bob left. Then she slowly turned to look at Matrix.

"So," she said meekly, scuffing her shoe against the ground, "uh... have a nice talk with your girlfriend?"

Matrix leaned on one leg, "Yeah."

A short, awkward silence passed between them.

"Um..." Starwell coughed a little. "I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. I mean... I guess you really do care if you came to look for me." She glanced away, looking bashful.

"Yeah well… like I said," Matrix grunted, "we Mainframers stick together." He folded his arms. "Couldn't have you running around out here all alone." He glanced around the area, shaking his head slightly at the worn buildings, some of them nearly barren. The streets were somewhat littered; an empty cup rolled by them. "Besides," he said thoughtfully, "there are much better places to be than this dump."

Starwell scuffed her shoe against the ground. The mannerism reminded Matrix of something he might have done when he was much younger. "Yeah well… I got by down here," she stated. "I mean, it's not very fun but I've survived."

"Kid, you don't want to live like this when you really don't have to," Matrix pointed out firmly. "Trust me on that one." He knew what he was talking about. He didn't regret a moment of what happened in the games, nor did AndrAIa; he'd needed to become bigger and stronger to defeat Megabyte, and nowadays he used his strength and skills to protect the system.

But he didn't want that life for his younger brother, his copy. And he didn't want it for this girl, either.

Matrix glanced around, wondering how much longer it would be until Bob got there. He knew that the Virals or whatever those had been were still around somewhere. He made a mental note to warn Bob about them, and his sister. At the moment he kept a watchful eye on the area.

"So… what happens now?" Starwell asked. "I mean, I want to go home. But…" She bit her lower lip, as if fighting back tears. "Is it possible? Will you guys still help me?" Her eyes were wide and pleading.

"We'll talk about that when we get to the Principal Office," Matrix replied. "But," he added when her expression became too pitiful for even him to ignore, "it looks like we'll be able to… eventually. Just might take a while."

Starwell gushed and moved toward him on impulse; she hugged him. "Thank you, thank you," she said in delight.

Before Matrix could say anything, Gizmo ruined the heartfelt moment by making a rude noise. It sounded distinctly like the Keytool equivalent of someone sticking their finger down their throat and gagging in disgust.

"You know something?" Starwell said, actually removing the Keytool from her arm and glaring at it. "I've just about had it up to here with you. I think I should throw you away!" She drew her arm back, as if preparing to follow through on that threat.

Gizmo responded by wailing almost comically.

Starwell lowered her arm and surprised even herself by laughing out loud. "I'm… just… kidding!" she managed to choke out in-between guffaws, as she put the Keytool back on her arm. It nestled into place, seeming relieved.

Out of the corner of her eye, she almost thought she saw Matrix shaking his head. He did have a mildly amused smirk on his face.

By the time Bob finally arrived with the car, Starwell had already recovered from her silly giggles and once again withdrawn into a mildly, reserved distance. She eyed the car curiously for a moment, noting the fact that it could fly and that it had no tires.

Did everything in this world fly? She resisted the urge to ask the question. She was still trying to come to terms with everything that had happened, and she was in no mood to talk.

Bob lounged back casually in the driver's seat, one arm draped over the back of the seat. "Well, get in," he invited in a friendly tone. "Let's split and head to the Principal Office."

Starwell hesitated momentarily, as if not sure where to sit. Sometimes, in her own family, there would be arguments over who got to drive and who got to ride shotgun, as if sitting in the back seat was a form of disgrace. After all, sitting upfront made you "cool", especially if you were driving; the back seat was where little kids sat.

Matrix solved her dilemma by matter-of-factly hopping into the backseat, just behind the front passenger seat. "Come on, Starwell, you can sit up here," Bob said, indicating the seat beside him.

"Okay," Starwell nodded, and she braced herself against the side of the car, giving her legs a swung as she hopped into it. "Nice convertible," she remarked as the engine purred and rumbled.

"Thanks," Bob said with a smile. "It's a 262, and it's taken me a long time to get it running right, but now it's humming like a well-tuned processor." He gripped the steering wheel and touched the gear shift; a moment later they were moving.

Matrix snorted. "Only because AndrAIa gave you a hand," he said pointedly.

"Eh… yeah," Bob said with a sheepish cough. "I still don't know how she fixed it," he commented.

"She's really fond of bikes," Matrix said, "but she knows something about cars, too."

The Renegade sobered. "Bob, there's something I need tell you," he said, and then he gave a brief summary of what happened after he found Starwell at Al's, and what followed.

Bob listened intently, though he kept his eyes on where he was going. "That sounds odd," he commented. "I'll ask Dot to run another system scan when we get to the Principal Office."

"So that blue guy in the trench coat was you?" Starwell craned her neck to look at Matrix.

"Yeah," Matrix admitted.

"Wow… I didn't even recognize you." Starwell frowned. "How did you do that?"

"A little help from my friends." Matrix leaned back in his seat. "I figured you wouldn't let me get close if you knew who I was."

"Yeah… I probably wouldn't have." Starwell glanced away, pressing her lips together.

"Well, we found you and that's all that matters now," Bob said. "So Matrix, did you get a good look at-"

"Yeah, it looked like Megabyte… but different." Matrix interjected. "At least… kind of. But the voice was different and he looked really odd." The Guardian frowned, troubled.

"Bob," Matrix said, "you mentioned that you had seen Megabyte in the Olden Pages Game while I was offline. That must mean he's still out there somewhere!" He self-consciously glanced at his hand again, making sure it was still green. He didn't have to worry; he had taken care of the Infection.

"What? You saw Megabyte in that game?" Starwell asked. She remembered Matrix mentioning the virus when he told her his life story back in the cell they shared together in the game. Not to mention she'd heard several individuals talking about a Megabyte when she roamed the Ghetto. Apparently the virus really had done enough terrible things to stick in everyone's memory.

"Only for a microsecond," Bob answered. "He just said something about a hunt, and that he wanted it to be on home turf."

"Didn't he also say something about a 'surprise'?" Matrix asked.

"Yeah…"

"What does that mean?" Starwell asked. "Why didn't I see him in the game?"

"Because somehow he spoke through Matrix while he was unconscious and while you were sleeping," Bob answered.

"But I was scanned at the Principal Office," Matrix stated. "Why wouldn't it detect an infection?"

"I don't know," Bob answered. He didn't like this or what it implied. "Maybe we need to upgrade our scanners in the infirmary, or maybe Megabyte removed his infection when he left you to avoid detection."

"Have you ever known Megabyte to un-infect someone once he's infected somebody?" Matrix narrowed his eyes.

"Well, maybe he's found some way to mask his presence when he's not actively using an infected sprite… I don't know." Bob shook his head, running out of ways to explain it. "We'll run another system scan and beef up patrols," Bob said. "Maybe I should get in touch with Anna Code as well, in case she's seen anything."

Starwell stiffened visibly at the mention of that name. "She's still around?" the girl asked, somewhat nervously.

"Don't worry," Bob assured her, "I'm keeping an eye on her."

"Where did Code end up going, anyway?" Matrix wanted to know.

Bob glanced in his direction. "The last trace I ran showed her PID was located somewhere in Los Angles."

Matrix scowled. "What is she doing there?"

"It's okay. I flew over there last second, and it looked like she was trying to cleanse the Island of stray viral code bits."

"I don't like this." Matrix shook his head. "She could be up to something. She was near the island when the Phoenix Virus came toward us."

"Which means," Bob said confidently, "that she's taking her duties as a Guardian seriously. She's making sure nothing else comes out of Hex's old lair."

"It wouldn't surprise me if she set it off in the first place," Matrix said. Everybody knew that as long as the bugs, traps and small viruses remained dormant within Hexadecimal's old lair, nothing would happen. A thorough cleanse of the Island had been due for a long time but no one had gotten around to it.

They had only one Guardian after all, and Bob had other duties to attend to.

"If that happened… I'm sure it was an accident," Bob said, giving the other Guardian the benefit of the doubt.

"If you say so," Matrix grumped.

Starwell remained silent; she had nothing to add and she didn't even know what to think. Her mind had been pretty guilt-ridden over the past few seconds. All she could think of when it came to the female Guardian were those furious eyes… and those powerful hands around her throat as the sprite had attempted to choke her.

Starwell practically slouched in the back seat of Bob's car as the Guardian drove-or flew, or whatever you called it in this strange world. She largely ignored the conversation between Bob and Matrix as they chatted, even when they tried to draw her into their conversation.

She knew they were just trying to be polite, especially Bob. But she wasn't in the mood to talk. She was still trying to process everything.

No one hated her. That was a concept she was still trying to grasp. She wasn't sure what kind of reception she had imagined if anyone had found her. Perhaps she thought she would be locked up somewhere, or worse-especially if Anna Code had any say over the matter.

She pressed her hand against her temple. The truth was, she still felt bad about everything. And somehow... knowing that the Mainframers had forgiven her-or at least, they were being understanding-made it worse.

Gizmo beeped softly, making an attempt to soothe her, just as it had been trying to do for the past couple of seconds. Starwell grunted and gave it a look. She was still a little peeved at the whole handcuff incident.

Bob glanced over his shoulder in her direction. He seemed about to say something-but then the sky darkened in a familiar, ominous way that was becoming all-too-familiar to Starwell.

It was quickly accompanied by the System Voice announcing, "WARNING, INCOMING GAME."

"Ugggghhhhh," Starwell groaned vocally and slouched further into her seat. The Game cube was descending rapidly toward them. "Damn it!" Starwell practically shouted. "Doesn't this User have something better to do than play these stupid games?!"

"Wouldn't know," said Matrix from shotgun, he turned back to Starwell, "Do you?"

"I'm sorry about this Starwell, but we're going to need to enter the game," said Bob, clearly steering towards the street the Game Cube would land on.

Starwell growled under her breath. She gritted her teeth as the car set down. Once it landed, she sat up straighter; her eyes widened as she looked up at the fluid-like, purple energy that came down straight toward them.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm not doing this again!" She jumped out of the car and began to run.

But it was already too late; the Game cube completed its descent, sealing her inside. "NO!" she yelled as complete frustration threatened to overtake her. "I'm NOT doing this again!" A strangled noise escaped her throat as a fresh wave of guilt and anguish washed through her.

She wouldn't nullify another sector. She just wouldn't!