Matrix sped through the doors of the nearest police station. He had been in a state of constant anxiety since realizing that AndrAIa was gone, which meant that he was extremely irritable. The lines had all been busy; forcing Matrix to waste time making the long journey to the station. Why his vidwindows weren't going through was beyond him.
Upon walking in the first thing he noticed was how empty it was. The neat tile halls were all impeccably white. The glass doors and windows, also spotless. Mainframe wasn't exactly a crime hotspot; there was no way that every officer was out on a call. Only the receptionist sat there, behind a neat desk across from the main doors. He sat lazily, leaning back in his chair with a magazine in his lap.
"Mainframe police department, station house 010; how can I help you?" The binome didn't bother to look up while he spoke.
"I want to report a missing person."
"Are you sure?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I'm sure." Matrix struggled to control his temper, "Where is everyone?"
At that moment someone came in through the front entrance. Matrix tuned and watched as a police officer carried a stack of pizzas, walking past them and down the hall. He knocked on a door and someone opened it. There was the sound of cheering and laughter coming from the room. The policeman stepped inside, the door closing behind him.
"Sargent Seven's retirement party."
"Is that why no one's been answering calls?" Matrix demanded.
"Calls? What calls?"
"I was trying to get through for almost a half hour."
At this point the receptionist finally looked at him, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Where were you calling from?"
"G-Prime."
"Ah, that makes sense," He looked back down at his magazine, "After 2100 any calls coming out of level 31 are blocked, for the safety of our officers."
Matrix stood, stunned for a moment. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Anytime the police were called in his dad's neighbourhood they would be there in a nano. In fact they did wellness checks every so often. Where AndrAIa lived wasn't even on level 31, it was close though. But, he didn't have time to think about all of that.
"Well, I'm here to report a missing sprite."
"All right, if you insist." He sighed, clearly annoyed by the inconvenience of doing his job.
The binome tucked the magazine away before pulling a form out of a folder in his drawer. It aggravated Matrix just how slow he was moving. There was zero sense of urgency. He attached it to a clipboard and handed it to Matrix with a pen.
"Fill that out and I'll enter it in the system." He instructed.
Matrix struggled to write fast and still make things legible. He checked boxes and answered the questions as efficiently as possible. Half way down the page he paused. One of the lines asked for the format of the missing sprite. Everything was there; viruses, binomes, guardians- even spectrals were listed. No game sprites. Instead of pondering for too long, Matrix just wrote it in. Once he finished he handed the clipboard over. The receptionist slowly typed it in, but stopped and sighed suddenly.
"Listen pal, don't waste my time."
"Excuse me?" Metrix said through clenched teeth. He was trying very hard not to lose his temper, which was proving to be difficult.
"Clearly your friend just skipped town."
"Skipped town?"
"I see it all the time, level 31 scum."
Matrix slammed his hands on the desk.
"My girlfriend isn't level 31 scum."
"Poor guy," he chuckled, "You got duped by a game sprite, not the first and wont be the last."
Matrix had had enough.
"Listen here," He grabbed the binome by the collar of his shirt, "AndrAIa is missing and it's your job to find her!"
"Let go pal, or we are going to have problems."
"Do you know who I am- who my father is?" Matrix hated using his dad's status to get what he wanted, but he was desperate.
"Of course I do, but that doesn't make a difference."
"Just file the report, now." Matrix released him.
"You think we got time to look for every game sprite that goes missing? They aren't even missing most of the time! She's probably just strung out on some low grade source code like the rest of 'em."
Matrix watched in horror as the receptionist crumpled up the form. He was speechless. The complete disregard for human life was jarring. How was AndrAIa any less of a sprite than he was? He had been trying hard to keep his anger in check, but Matrix's blood was boiling by this point. He knew that time was against him. If he ever wanted to see AndrAIa again he would have to find her soon. There was an endless amount of unsavory possibilities as to where she could be and what was happening to her. Instead of wasting time saying anything else, he spoke with his fists.
In a fit of blind rage Matrix swung, sending the binome flying. He stumbled back into the wall, more stunned than anything from the blow. It wasn't Matrix's best idea, but at the time he wasn't thinking. He locked onto him with laser focus and moved in to hit him again, and again, and again. He was deaf to the binome's cries of pain. And before Matrix knew it his fists were raw and the receptionist's face bloodied.
# #
It was the crack of dawn and Bob had just arrived at the Supercomputer. It had been almost 4 cycles since the last time he was there. Immediately he noticed how much busier it was there than Mainframe. He had almost forgotten how much he missed the hustle and bustle of a big system. Bob walked down the busy street heading away from the port station. It wasn't long until he found himself standing in front of the hospital, which was near the heart of the downtown sector. Through the glass doors he could see Turbo talking to one of the nurses in the front lobby. Bob nervously turned the bouquet of roses he held in his hands.
"Come on, you're a guardian." He told himself, "you can do this."
A vidwindow appeared. Bob quickly hid the roses behind his back and smiled nervously at Matrix. It looked like he was inside a jail cell. Matrix was sitting on a thin mattress on the floor.
"Matrix?"
"Hey Bob, I need your help. I don't really want to ask my dad to bail me out."
"I'm not in Mainframe right now, I'm kind of busy."
"That's perfect!"
"It is?"
Bob leaned to the side to see around the vidwindow. Turbo spotted him and waved. He didn't have time to deal with whatever Matrix did.
"AndrAIa is missing, you and the guardians could-"
"Sorry, but I really have to go. Have you tried calling her?" He walked as he talked, heading into the hospital.
"Of course I have! Bob, our place was broken into."
"Go to the police."
"I'm in a jail cell, Bob," Matrix yelled, waving around, "I already tried that and it didn't work."
"Listen, I have to go. Dot will bail you out- we'll talk later."
Bob hung up and walked over to Turbo. He glanced at the flowers to make sure they were still intact. The pink petals were lush and vibrant.
"Turbo." He gave a slight nod and Turbo did the same.
"Morning Bob," he pulled the guardian into a hug, "how are you doing?"
Despite there being a power discrepancy between the two, Turbo had always treated Bob as a friend- not a subordinate. Bob definitely needed a friend in a time like this.
"I've been better, but I'm managing."
"Things like this don't happen too often."
"I know." Bob sighed.
Turbo led them down the hall to the elevator. They stood in silence as they were lifted up to the fourth floor. Usually Bob would have found comfort in the quiet, but the noise in his head prevented him from focusing on the task at hand. The closer they got, the more nervous he became. When the doors slid open Bob spoke first.
"When did she wake up?"
"Yesterday. I guess she hasn't updated her emergency contact since the academy days. I was the first to be notified and I called you immediately."
"So you haven't spoken to her?"
"No, not yet. I thought it would be best if you saw her first."
Bob followed Turbo's lead as they walked past several rooms. Bob peaked in through open doorways. The rooms were all the same; sprites in hospital beds hooked up to energy, doctors holding clipboards, nurses with syringes. The smell was heavy of alcohol and disinfectant, and sickness. Bob's stomach churned. He hadn't been to a hospital in a long time. Being there dug up unpleasant memories from the war. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves.
Turbo turned a corner and stopped at a closed door at the end of the passage. The door bore the numbers 451. Bob stared at them for a moment before smiling. From what he remembered she was on the third floor before, they must have moved her to a room with her guardian number.
He sighed and looked over at Turbo. There was so much he needed to tell Dixon, and he wasn't sure how she would react. A lot had happened in five cycles.
"Wish me luck." Bob smiled.
"You don't need it. I'll be out here the whole time."
"Thanks."
Bob took one last deep breath before knocking on the door. He walked into the white room, eyes automatically falling on the sprite laying in the bed. Her red hair, which was usually cut short, had grown out considerably and was shoved into a messy ponytail. Despite being in a coma, Dixon's yellow skin was bright and vibrant. She had a healthy glow, but fatigue was written all over her face. A long tube was connected to her arm, feeding her a steady stream of energy.
Bob slowly walked over and Dixon gave a weak smile as he took a seat next to her bed. He placed a hand on hers. All the emotions he had fought to keep deep inside frantically bubbled to the surface.
"Bobby, you came."
"Of course I did. I brought these for you."
Bob set the flowers he brought on a small table next to the bed.
"They're beautiful, thank you… It's been a long time."
"It has…"
"The nurses keep telling me that it's been five cycles, but I can't believe that. You wouldn't lie to me. How long has it really been; a week, a month?"
Bob looked into her blue eyes. She tried hard to keep a neutral expression, but he could see the fear in them as she awaited his answer. He almost didn't want to tell her the truth. Bob wished he could say exactly what she wanted to hear. He loved her back then, and those feelings still remained. Dixon was his fiancé, they were supposed to be married.
"Dixon, do you remember what happened?"
"Not really."
"You fell, Dixon. We all hoped you just had a concussion, but when you wouldn't wake up…" He paused, taking a moment before answering her question. "You have been here for five cycles."
"Wow..." She looked down, shedding a tear.
"Hey," Bob gave her hand a comforting squeeze, "I'm here now and I'll help you through this."
Glitch beeped and they both smiled.
"Hello, old friend." Dixon laughed, "I hope Bobby's been taking good care of you."
Glitch responded with high pitched clicks.
"That's what I like to hear."
"The doctors thought it would be best to disconnect you from Glitch. You needed every bit of your code to pull through this. I've been keeping him company until you woke up… So I guess I can finally return him to you."
Bob reached for his wrist, but Dixon grabbed his hand before he could do anything.
"No, I'm going to be out of commission for a while. Glitch has spent so much time bonding with you anyway. You keep him."
"But-"
"Bobby." She warned.
He nodded. Dixon was the sort of sprite who wasn't easily swayed. Once she made her mind up it was near impossible to change it. It was one of the things that he admired; she always knew exactly what she wanted and was never indecisive. The perfect personality for a guardian.
"I still can't believe we're even talking. Not many sprites in your condition ever power on again. You're really lucky, Dixon."
"Am I?" She looked Bob up and down, something was different. She could tell he had reservations, though she didn't know why, "I wish I remembered what happened. Since I've woken up I feel like I got punched in the face by a magnet. On top of that I find out that so much time has gone by. A lot can change in five cycles."
"A lot can change… I've changed."
"I noticed. You seem more mature."
"Do I?"
"Yeah, you do."
Bob had a life before Mainframe, one that he tried hard not to think about. It was too painful. For him it was easier to just leave the Supercomputer and try to forget everything. Moving to Mainframe was his fresh start. He had never thought that Dixon would actually survive. The doctors had all been grim with their diagnosis, no matter how many second opinions he got. If he had known that there was a chance, he would have stayed.
They had met at the junior academy during basic training. At the time they didn't have anything in common aside from wanting to be guardians. She was a stubborn over achiever, and he was a slacker. He passed his tests and met minimum requirements for everything. When they got paired up as partners Bob knew that she hated him. Being partnered with someone like him threatened her precious GPA. She had been so mean and forced him to work harder. Back then Bob couldn't stand her, but he wouldn't be the sprite he was today without someone pushing him to be better.
The whole cycle they were partnered up they both just tolerated each other's presence. They really hadn't bonded until the disconnection war. When a lot of their classmates succumbed to fear, Bob and Dixon fought side by side against the User. From that moment on they were inseparable, even after things returned to normal. After cycles of hard work they completed the academy with top scores, and started dating shortly after graduation. Before they knew it, they were engaged.
Bob smiled nervously as all the memories came flooding back at once. Looking into her eyes it was hard for him to not remember the good old days. Dixon swore to mend and defend and she did just that, she was a fine guardian; which is why between the two of them she was the one who was issued the keytool. Despite all the dangers that came with the job it wasn't a virus or unstable tear that took her out, it was a simple slip. One second she was fine and in the next she was laying crumpled at the bottom of the stairs.
"I like this new Bobby," She said, snapping him out of his daydream, "he seems… fully functional."
"And I wasn't before?" He chuckled.
"Not at all…" Her expression turned serious for a moment, "Things aren't the same between us anymore, are they?"
Bob shook his head.
"I have a new life in Mainframe. I'm married."
"I figured as much, you are a war hero after all."
"I'm sorry."
"No need, I would have felt awful if you put your life on hold for me. You thought I'd never wake up."
"But you have."
"Bobby, it's fine. I just want you to be happy."
"But I'm not happy." Bob blurted out. Had this been a cycle ago he would have said he was more than satisfied with his life. Things had become complicated lately. Work in Mainframe was slow, not nearly as exciting as the Supercomputer. And Dot had been acting erratically. He loved her, but her outburst at the open house had been weighing on him. He couldn't even go to the grocery store without getting strange looks. Before sprites would line up just to get his autograph, now he was the laughing stock of the system. It was all starting to get to him.
They both sat in silence. Dixon wasn't sure how to respond. Bob was shocked himself. He loved his wife, but he still cared for Dixon too.
"Don't say things like that, Bobby."
Before he could stop himself he stood, gently pressing his lips against hers. The kiss was tender and long lasting. Dixon raised an arm, tangling her fingers in his silver hair. She loved him, and in that moment that was all that mattered. Given what she had just learned, she should have turned away. Dixon kissed him back passionately. After waking up she knew her life would never go back to the way it was; she just wanted to pretend for a moment that everything was okay.
Bob was the first to pull out of the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers. He just wanted to be close to her and forget about all the drama. His life with Dixon had been so simple. For the first time he was acknowledging just how much he missed his old life; a life before Mainframe, and before Dot.
# #
Maxine started the long trek from her office, which was on the second floor, to Welman's office on the sixth floor. She stepped into the elevator and smiled at the binome who was already there.
"How's your day so far?" He asked.
"Fine, thanks for asking. How are things in the lab today?"
She regretted asking. Unknowingly she had prompted a long rant from the scientist, one that she couldn't even follow. He used too many technical terms and math jargon. Maxine got along fine with her coworkers, in fact everyone was exceptionally nice to her, but it was hard making a connection with any sprite. She could tell that when she was around they dumbed down conversation, and even then she couldn't keep up. For the first time Maxine felt like she just didn't fit in.
Once they reached the sixth floor she made her exit.
"I'll talk to you later." She smiled.
"Wait!" The binome reached out a hand to stop the doors from closing, "I've been meaning to ask you something."
"All right."
"I was thinking of getting a drink after work, would you like to join me?"
"That sounds nice, but I really should get home. I have a lot of errands to run." She lied.
"Ah, ok. Maybe next time."
He smiled and stepped back into the elevator. Maxine did her best to keep a pleasant demeanor until the doors closed between them. She sighed, shaking her head before continuing down the hall. When she initially got the position she thought that she would be doing important work. At first she attended several meetings on how to improve the experience of net travel. After a while though she found herself playing the role of messenger pigeon. Like today, she would deliver confidential files between scientists, engineers and Welaman. It was flattering that everyone trusted her, but it seemed like pointless work. At least when she worked as a search engine she felt like she had a purpose.
As she approached the office door she could hear yelling coming from inside. She froze, stopping herself mid knock to listen.
"Dad, I've never asked you for anything." It was Matrix, he sounded upset. "Everything I've wanted I worked for myself. Just once I'm asking you for help and you say no?"
"Matrix, what you're asking could cost me my job, everything I've worked for. Tapping into ports to monitor travel… It's something I can't do."
"You can't do it, or won't? I have to find her!"
"Go to the police, son. Hire a private investigator."
"The police don't care, guardians won't help. You're my last hope."
Welman paused.
"Why won't the police or guardians help?"
"They don't care. AndrAIa's a game sprite, dad. I tried to file a report and they called her 'level 31 scum'... They don't even know her."
"Son, I'm sorry but my hands are tied. If I did this and anyone found out it would be complete scandal, especially since your sister's meltdown. Everyone is watching our family. The Matrix name is on the line and I have competitors everywhere just waiting for me to slip up. Stealing information is a breach of confidentiality."
"Please dad, I'm begging you."
"I'm sorry son… The answer is still no."
There was a pause, followed by a series of loud footsteps. Maxine backed away from the door just in time. It swung open, banging against the wall and nearly taking her out. Matrix walked past, not even noticing she was there. Her heart fluttered. She watched as he stormed down the hall to the elevator.
Maxine slowly went in and saw Welman sitting at his desk. She could tell that he was troubled just looking at him.
She cleared her throat and he looked up, giving her a small smile.
"Maxine, come in come in."
She placed a file folder on his desk.
"I have the reports from the 1011010 testing."
"Thank you."
She turned to leave, but something made her turn back to face him.
"I know this is none of my business, but is everything alright?"
"Yes, my son's just a bit angry with me. He'll get over it though, he always does."
Maxine paused, slowly processing everything she had overheard and how Welman was acting.
"Who's missing?" She asked, prying.
"... His girlfriend." He gave a nervous chuckle, "I take it you heard all of that?"
"I did."
"Maxine, I'd appreciate it if you didn't share any of that. I don't want the integrity of my work being called into question." Welman stood and went over to the window. Maxine joined him. "When the twin city was destroyed during the first attack, it seemed like Mainframe was destined to shut down. But now, thanks to everything we've done, the system hasn't become obsolete. All of the net has benefitted."
"That is true… But what about AndrAIa?"
"AndrAIa is one of many girls who will come in and out of his life. This is his first time falling in love and now he's convinced she is the one. I can only blame myself. There's always been a disconnect between us. Dot was the splitting image of me and I nurtured her talents. Perhaps I didn't pay Matrix enough attention as a child. I should have guided him, then he would know better."
"Know better about what, exactly?"
"About the type of girl who is marriage material. Clearly AndrAIa has gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd. I can only imagine what she did."
"What she did?" Maxine paused.
"Matrix says their place was broken into. She must have made enemies at some point in her life."
Maxine listened to his words, taking it all in. He had a point. The net wouldn't be what it was without him. He was a scientist, and inventor- a visionary. Welman Matrix was a long list of things that Maxine, with her small mind, could never achieve. She wasn't much of a planner or thinker, but as he spoke things began to fall into place. She knew what she was going to do. AndrAIa was a game sprite, and her rival, but to just assume that she was in the wrong didn't feel right to her.
"That is a possibility." She finally said.
"Exactly, so for the sake of Mainframe, just keep it to yourself?"
"Of course, I would never say anything to besmirch your name. I promise."
"Thank you. I knew you would understand."
"Also… I quit."
"What?" He asked, shocked.
She turned from the window and looked him in the eye as she spoke.
"Thank you so much for this opportunity, but it's not for me. I have to go."
Maxine walked out, ignoring his protests. He was right, he couldn't help his son, too much was on the line. A scandal that big would crash the net and cause his empire to crumble.
She sped into the elevator and pushed the button for the parking garage. It seemed that it moved at a painfully slow pace. Her mind raced as she watched the numbers descend. The second the doors slid open she ran to her car. Thankfully, it didn't take long to find Matrix. He was exactly where she thought he would go. She found him travelling via zipboard, heading towards the nearest station; probably to see if he could get access to their security footage.
Maxine rolled down her window and called out to him.
"Matrix!"
He turned and slowed down, floating over to her. She pulled over, out of the flow of traffic.
"Maxine?"
"I know AndrAIa is missing. You're right the police wont help. Your dad can't help either." As she spoke she could see his eyes harden the moment Welman was brought up. "Don't blame him for his decision."
"None of this is going to help me find AndrAIa, I've already wasted too much time." He started to ride off.
"Matrix, I just quit my job!"
He came back, looking at her skeptically.
"Why did you do that?"
"I was never cut out for a job like that. I'm a search engine by design and search engines find things efficiently… I can help you find her."
# #
Bob waited at the front door to his condo. He had been in high spirits since seeing Dixon, but was slowly realizing what he had done. He betrayed Dot. She was at a particularly vulnerable point in her life, and he didn't even think of her. Bob knew he had acted selfishly and it was eating away at him. He entered, the gravity of the situation weighing him down.
"Dot, honey?"
"In the bedroom!" Her voice called.
He ventured over to where she was, present in hand. Bob smiled nervously upon seeing his wife. She was standing over the bed, folding laundry.
"How was your trip?"
"Good." Bob tried to keep his composure as he handed her the velvet box.
"Oh, Bob. You shouldn't have."
"You've been doing such a good job. I see that you're going to Phong regularly and not drinking. You should be rewarded for all your hard work."
She opened it eagerly. Dot looked down at several delicate pearls strung together by a thin gold chain.
"It's beautiful." she gasped.
"The Supercomputer has amazing jewelers. I saw it in a shop window and couldn't help myself. Try them on."
Bob helped drape them across her neck, doing up the clasp at the back. The pears shone brightly against her green complexion. Dot smiled up at him.
"You look beautiful." He said. Shame stained his voice. Dot had no idea what he had done, and if she did the necklace wouldn't have been nearly enough to make it up to her.
"What's wrong?"
"N- nothing, I'm just tired." Bob stammered. Clearly he wasn't doing enough to hide his guilt.
"Busy day?"
He nodded.
Dot took off the pearls, returning them to their box and putting them away. She tucked it into a drawer in the bedside table, where she kept her finest jewelry. Bob smiled. She must have really liked them if she was storing it there. Dot only wore those on special occasions.
She quickly filed away the last of the clothes as Bob lay in bed, sighing deeply. Dot was quick to join him under the covers. She could tell that something was on his mind. There was a sadness in his brown eyes that she didn't understand. He looked up at the ceiling, avoiding her gaze.
"... Turbo really needs an extra pair of hands." he lied again, "I'm going to have to go back."
"Sounds serious. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No, it's just guardian stuff. He's probably going to need my help for a while, so I won't be around as much. Are you going to be alright here without me? I had planned to stay home for longer."
"If Turbo is asking for help, then it's best you go. I'll be fine. I'm already feeling much better."
"Okay, if anything changes let me know."
"I will."
"Thanks, Dot."
Dot got back up to shut off the light. Once she was back under the covers she closed her eyes, logging off for the night; not suspecting a thing.
End Log