It was nightfall once again, and Mainframe was unusually quiet. Ray stood by the only window in the dingy motel room, periodically drawing back the blinds to peek outside. The parking lot was what you would expect of any establishment on level 31; in complete disrepair. The pavement was riddled with potholes, creating almost craters against the uneven surface. If he had driven, he would have had no idea where to park. The individual parking spots were non-existent; the lines between them so faded you'd need a magnifying glass to even see a glimpse of white paint.

He anxiously looked out into the night, paranoid that someone might have seen them. A null slithered by and he watched it suspiciously. It chattered as it went, quickly disappearing around the corner of the building. Ray sighed. He had already spent too much time in one place. The day before he had been calling Mouse non-stop, but her line was busy. It had now been 2 days since he initially abducted AndrAIa, and he was itching to hand her over so he could move on with his life. He sat down on the edge of the bed, AndrAIa laying in a dream-like state behind him.

After taking a moment and clearing his throat he tried calling Mouse once again.

"Surfer, you clearly like to live dangerously. Your time was almost up."

"Was it?" He asked, even though he knew she was right.

"Yes, indeed. Cutting it mighty close; what took you so long?"

Mouse was standing aboard her ship, black duffel bag in hand.

"I'm ready to see your boss."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"... Who's that?" Mouse threw a hand in AndrAIa's general direction.

"My ticket to freedom."

"If you say so." She shrugged.

"I need a lift though. Dragging her around isn't exactly inconspicuous. I take it, you already know where I am?"

"Sugar, I've had tabs on you this whole time."

"Of course you did." He grumbled.

"Hang tight, I'm on the other side of town and have a few errands to run."

"All right, I'll be here."

Once Mouse was gone, he slouched, hanging his head. Ray glanced over at AndrAIa, still under the effects of the infection he'd given her. Any normal sprite would be unconscious for at least a week, and would have to take an antidote to recover any sooner. What Ray hadn't accounted for was the fact that AndrAIa was a game sprite, one who had an unusually high immunity to most toxins. Slowly she was becoming more and more lucid with each breath, and Ray was completely unaware.

# #

Matrix and Maxine sat in her car, parked in a dark alleyway. They had spent all day combing through level 31, but had no luck in finding AndrAIa. Anytime Matrix went up to a sprite to talk they would speed away without hearing what he had to say. This, of course, left him frustrated and angry; as a result Maxine was forced to deal with his unpleasantries all day. The way he punched holes in walls, and threw everything in sight was physically impressive- but also aggravating and counterproductive. No one would even let them approach now.

"I don't understand," Matrix frowned, "She could be anywhere in the net right now, why are we still on level 31?"

Maxine looked out the window as she spoke, watching the groups of sprites walking by on the street. Even though she was paying complete attention to the conversation, she was intaking data at the same time. She was looking for anything unusual, any clues or possible leads.

"Whoever took her wont try travelling via port; there would be too many sprites around- plus they would need to have valid PID's and authorization codes. That instantly rules out any legal ways of net travel."

"...So that just leaves illegal methods."

"Exactly, 74% of Mainframe's violent crimes occur in G- Prime, 61% of those crimes happen on level 31. So, this is a good place to start. There's also a fair amount of source code use, and gang activity. Statistically if we're going to find her before she's taken to another system, this would be the place."

Matrix stared at her for a moment. The night he had met her at the open house she was easy to talk to, but a little basic. She reamed off numbers and facts without batting an eye. As impatient as he was, he couldn't argue with her reasoning.

Even in the darkness Maxine shone, her metallic finish reflecting fragments of dim street lights. Matrix sighed, feeling oddly calm in the moment. After being turned away by the police he thought he would have to figure out everything on his own. Maxine was practically a stranger, so he had been apprehensive to accept her help. Maybe he needed to sit back and follow her lead. He had lived in Mainframe his whole life, but was starting to realize that she might know more about the system then he did.

"... Maxine, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Why are you helping me?"

She hesitated, knowing that she couldn't tell him the whole truth. Maxine liked him a lot. Secretly she hoped AndrAIa would stay lost. Matrix would have her shoulder to cry on, and he would eventually move on. She planned on being right there when he was ready to, but she couldn't tell him all that. Maxine decided to share the parts that would be all right for her to say out loud.

"I'm from the Desert Port system, which has a high game sprite population. I've seen first hand game sprites being kicked off of ships, shoved, spat on." She kept a blank expression as she continued to watch the crowd. "They're treated like second class citizens. I'm ashamed to admit that I saw them that way too. It was nice feeling superior, given how adequate I was at everything- at least I wasn't a game sprite."

Matrix watched her intently, not liking what he heard, but appreciating the honesty. She continued.

"I don't know AndrAIa, but I know you. Clearly you see something special in her… Even though I turned a blind eye to the way game sprites were treated, when I heard you and Welman arguing it just didn't seem fair. The police- guardians not caring that she was missing? They're supposed to be the ones protecting us, no matter what… If all this time they've been picking and choosing who lives and dies, are they really any better than the User?"

At that point she looked at Matrix. She had expected to see anger or disgust on his face, but he smiled. To her surprise he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for your help." He said sincerely.

"Don't mention it. I actually have an idea of where we should look next."

"Where's that?"

"At least a dozen of the sprites that just passed had takeout bags from Al's Wait & Eat. Slow food, very slow food."

He didn't quite understand what point she was making, but nodded in approval anyway. Maxine was the only one on his side and he had to let her bear some of the load. Gathering information was a natural skill for her.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

Maxine smiled at his answer before starting the engine. As they drove off she tried to contain her joy. Her plan was working perfectly.

Luckily, they weren't far from Al's. Maxine settled into the first parking space she saw and they both jumped out. A line of hoverbikes stood in a neat row front and center, leading to the entrance. As they approached they could hear shouting and laughter coming from inside. Matrix instinctively nudged Maxine behind him, so he'd enter first. Maxine came to a halt and so did he. Matrix glanced behind.

"What is it?"

"I think it would be best if I did all the talking."

"... Fine." Matrix sighed.

Maxine stepped around him and entered first, Matrix reluctantly following behind.

They walked into the harsh fluorescent lighting. A couple bulbs flickered. Instantly they were met by the end of a very long line and the watchful eyes of suspicious sprites. Everyone who walked by gave them each a thorough look up and down. They all seemed particularly interested in the gun strapped at Matrix's side. Everyone just simply took note of it, most of the sprites in the room had weapons of their own. The only difference was that they weren't brazen enough to have them out in the open. Al's was a place where everyone knew everyone, and strangers rarely came in after sunset.

Maxine scanned the crowd, looking at each sprite sitting at a table. The cracked wood of the table tops were clearly old and word out. They all seemed to wobble as the patrons leaned against them. Sprites ate and laughed, sitting in rusted chairs or booths with peeling leather.

The crowd in general was a rough bunch, but it was nothing that Maxine wasn't accustomed to. In her earlier days as a search engine she got the worst shifts and undesirable locations. The bikers walking around Al's didn't frighten her at all.

Matrix watched Maxine intently as she looked around. Desperately, he tried to figure out what she was seeing, what she was thinking. He could tell that her mind was working. After a moment she looked at him and smiled.

"Let's join the line." She whispered.

"It's at least twenty sprites long."

"I know."

They joined the line, Maxine sure to stand a few paces ahead of Matrix. Matrix looked around, trying to focus on any potential threats. Maxine brought her attention to the binome standing in front of her in line. In her experience she knew boredom to be a good catalyst for loose lips. Maxine cleared her throat theatrically. The man in front of her turned around. Upon seeing who it was he blushed. Pretty women were a rarity in a place like that.

"Evening ma'am." He gave a nod. The 1 binome smiled nervously, running a hand through his afro.

"I've never been here before. Any recommendations?"

Matrix raised a brow. There was a syrupy sweetness to her voice that was nauseating. The voice she put on sounded strange to him, but the binome smiled at her. Clearly he was enticed.

"Uh, well it's all the same. Extra slow. I've been waiting forever and only two people have been served… My name's Cyrus."

He extended a hand and Maxine shook with a smile.

"I'm Maxine, it's really nice to meet you. I'm not really used to this part of town, I don't know anybody."

"I could tell. No fine women hang out here… So it's just the food you wanted?"

"Food, and a little adventure. Tell me, are you the adventurous type Cyrus?"

Cyrus' face flushed. It took a moment for him to compose himself before answering.

"Well that depends, what kind of adventure are you looking for?"

Matrix rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe her plan was working. Cyrus was completely oblivious to what was going on.

"Well, to be honest my… Cousin, here has made a few enemies." She gestured towards Matrix.

Cyrus looked him up and down and began to sweat. Matrix was huge by comparison, and not very friendly looking. But then he looked back over at Maxine, who had a warm and inviting aura.

"You don't say?" He managed.

"If he needed to disappear, what would be the best course of action?"

"Well," Cyrus laughed, "that's easy. Running from the law?"

"Something like that." Matrix answered.

"Well it might take a minute to get out, but there's a motel on the other side of town that will let anyone stay the night- no questions asked. The man at the counter can help arrange a trip, for a fee of course. They'll take you anywhere you like, even the web."

"A trip?" Maxine thought out loud.

"Yeah," Cyrus continued, "he has access to unregulated ships, ones that can stabilize tears into portals. You find a tear, you find your way out."

At this point Matrix stepped forward.

"Where exactly is this motel?"

# #

Mouse sighed. She had finished her conversation with Ray ages ago, but still stood inside her ship. In one arm she gripped the handle of the duffle bag anxiously tight. Mouse looked down at her free hand, which was trembling. She had done some pretty questionable things in her life, but at that moment she wondered if she had gone completely random. Hexadecimal was the last virus she wanted to associate with, but she was there under her boss' orders. She didn't like it, but unfortunately for Mouse things weren't up to her. It was her job to follow orders.

She opened the hatch of her shift, looking out into the unknown. As it slowly lowered she sighed. The shadows that cascaded around Hexadecimal's lair seemed darker than possible. The pathway leading inside was winding and unpredictable. It was completely unknown as to what was waiting inside for her.

There was a flash of lightning and a sudden downpour. This forced Mouse to get going, and at a fast pace. She jumped out and hit a button, closing the hatch behind her. She jogged her way down the path, keeping her eyes locked on the entrance. She wasn't sure what she would see if she stopped to look around. It was better that she didn't know.

Once she was inside and out of the rain she wondered if it was all of Mainframe, or just there that was having bad weather. Lost Angles had a mind of its own. Her guess was as good as anyone's.

She was drenched from head to toe just from a few seconds in the rain. As Mouse continued walking she shivered slightly. It was drafty inside. There was no point in trying to move stealthily. The water in her boots sloshed with each step, and every footprint left behind squeaked. Even if she wanted to be quiet she didn't think she could, she was too scared. Mouse hated to admit that, but it was true.

She reached the heart of the chamber and shielded her eyes with an outstretched hand. There was a spotlight pointing at a throne. It shone like a beacon in the night. No one was there though. Mouse kept walking until she was right in front of it.

"Hexadecimal?" She called.

Her voice bounced off the walls and back at her. It took a moment for silence to take hold once again.

The lights went out. They flashed back on, focusing on the throne. Still, there was no one there.

"Welcome!" Hexadecimal cried in excitement.

Mouse drew her katana and spun around in response. The voice had come from behind her. Hex stood, no- hovered in place directly in front of Mouse. In the dim light her stark white mask stood out, while the rest of her was blanketed by a haze.

"Oh, poor dear. You're shaking. Renovations aren't quite done; I need some sprite to properly insulate this place." Hex spoke, floating closer to Mouse. She pushed the blade of Mouse's katana away as she glided past.

With a flash she held a large towel in her hand. Mouse sheathed her weapon and took it, wrapping the towel around herself like a blanket. It wasn't exactly a battle ready position, but Hexadecimal was too powerful. If she wanted her deleted, there was nothing Mouse could do about it.

"Here." Mouse said before throwing the bag she carried at Hex's feet.

"Ooh, presents!"

Hex hastily picked it up to look inside. After unzipping it her face, which had once been happy, suddenly frowned.

Mouse watched her, hoping it was enough.

"Money? That's no fun." Hex wined, dropping the bag to the floor. A few loose bills fluttered out on the way down.

"What?"

"Do you really think I'm in this for the money? I'm not like my greedy brother."

"Then what do you want?"

"For starters an explanation." Hexadecimal slowly strut up the steps to her throne. After sitting down her face returned to a smile. "So, entertain me."

There was a moment of silence as Mouse tried to figure out what Hexadecimal wanted to hear. She wasn't exactly a predictable virus, guessing would be near impossible.

"What do you want to know?"

"I want to know why a virus as powerful as Daemon wants to work with me." She crossed her legs as she spoke.

Mouse flinched. Most sprites were too afraid to say Daemon's name out loud. She had made quite the reputation. Everyone feared Daemon, and prayed to the User that they would never cross paths with her. Hexadecimal didn't seem threatened at all. Just how powerful was she?

"Because viruses stick together." Mouse said reluctantly. The words were like molasses coming off of her tongue.

"How nice." Hex didn't sound convinced.

"She wants to meet with you to discuss details."

"And how do I know I can trust her?"

"How does she know that she can trust you?"

"I've already sent a token of good faith… It's just tied up in the mail. He'll get there." Hex smiled.

Mouse narrowed her eyes. Hex was hiding something.

"All right, I'll pass along the message. When should we expect you?"

"I can't really say," Hex tilted her head, displaying a smile, "It would ruin the surprise of it all."

# #

AndrAIa's eyes were closed, but she was fully aware of everything going on around her. She could tell by Ray's footsteps where he was in the room. She kept her breathing as quiet as possible.

"You probably think I'm a monster." Ray said, taking a seat next to her. He watched and admired the calmness of her face. "This is nothing personal, just business. When you're millions in the hole sometimes sacrifices must be made to dig yourself out."

AndrAIa concentrated on not reacting to anything he said. She had to lay there and listen to him justifying ruining her life for the sake of self preservation. All he was doing was passing the suffering on to someone else.

He stood, watching her for a moment. There was no use having a conscience or caring about others. A part of him truly believed that if she was in his position, she would do the exact same thing.

AndrAIa listened as he walked away, counting his footsteps. After eight steps the bathroom door shut. She thought about what to do next. She knew there was a window to her right against the far wall. She heard blinds rustling earlier. To her left, eight paces away was the bathroom, which meant that the bed she lay on was centered in the room. Most likely the front door will be on the same side as the window.

The only thing she couldn't be sure of was where the surfboard was. Its movements were silent. She would have to open her eyes and see where it was, without being noticed. Despite her reservations she opened them, just a sliver.

She quickly shut them again. Just as she expected, Ray's surfboard was leaned up against the wall beside the door. AndrAIa was unfamiliar with how it worked, she knew that he could control it somehow. She took a few deep breaths, steadying her nerves. She had to time things perfectly since she was at a clear disadvantage. Standing would be difficult at first because of the infection Ray gave her, and she didn't have any shoes on. But, all she had to do was get outside. Someone was bound to see her, or she could open a vidwindow to Matrix.

There was one more complication. It was raining. Hard. She had heard thunder only a couple times, but even the sound of rain falling would distort her judgement. Usually she could hear talking, footsteps, anything, from a block away if she concentrated. Thanks to the weather everything outside was a mystery shrouded in white noise.

A twinge of pain shot down her ribs. She was still sore from when Ray knocked her down. After it faded a bit she opened her eyes again, this time looking at the window. It was closer to her and further from the surfboard. Assuming it wasn't locked it would be an easier endeavor.

Her eyes closed again and she thought about her options. She had to try one last time. Matrix was probably trying his best to find her, she knew it. So she had to do her best to get away from Ray. It was obvious by this point that Ray needed her alive for some reason. He had plenty of opportunities to delete her. AndrAIa decided she was going to fight, till her last breath.

AndrAIa flexed every muscle in her body, numbing herself to the pain. She jumped to her feet, wobbling slightly, but regained her footing quickly. The surfboard started to come towards her. AndrAIa grabbed the lamp that stood next to the bed, wielding it as a weapon. She swung and the end collided with the board. Ray yelled from the bathroom. AndrAIa caught on quickly. Any damage to the board Ray felt.

AndrAIa swung again and again, hitting it with all the force she could muster. She was extremely low on energy and light headed. The board fell to the ground and she leaped over it, opening the front door.

She was greeted by heavy droplets of rain all crashing towards the ground with a violent ferocity. AndrAIa ran out into the chaos of it all. The rain didn't just make it impossible to hear, but seeing was difficult as well. She wasn't sure where she was going, she just ran. Within seconds she was drenched. With every turn of her head strands of hair swung around, the majority clinging to her face. She struggled to claw her aqua hair out of her eyes.

There was nothing around. No buildings, or cars, or sprites. They were in the middle of nowhere. A long road stretched on in either direction of the parking lot, that was it.

"Help!" She screamed, but her voice was swallowed up by the noises around her. A flash of lightning illuminated a figure standing at the edge of the parking lot. AndrAIa ran towards them. She stumbled, her foot sinking into a deep puddle, but kept moving. As she got closer a purple sprite came into view.

AndrAIa waved her arms, getting their attention. They walked towards her and she felt a second of relief. The moment was not long lasting, however.

"Stop her!" She heard Ray yell from behind.

AndrAIa slid to a halt, the asphalt tearing at the bottoms of her feet. It was too late, she was practically in Mouse's arms. Mouse grabbed her, and AndrAIa struggled, screaming. Ray glided over on his board.

"Ray, care to explain?" Mouse asked, holding AndrAIa in place with ease.

"I will, just shut her up."

Mouse spun AndrAIa around and swung, hitting her in the side of the head. AndrAIa crumpled to the ground instantly.

Mouse looked at Ray, unimpressed as he panted in front of her. He struggled to catch his breath, all while cradling the side of his body.

"Amateur." She sighed before whistling. The cloaking feature shut off, causing the massive ship to become visible behind her.

"Thanks, mate."

"Don't mention it." Mouse said, picking AndrAIa up. She slung the game sprite over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes before entering her ship. Ray followed, surfboard in hand. He watched as Mouse sat AndrAIa into one of the passenger seats. She looked at him before pulling out a pair of handcuffs. One went on AndrAIa's wrist, the other on the rail of the seat. She shook her head and then jumped into the pilot's chair up front. As she began to power on all the controls she closed the door.

AndrAIa could feel herself fading. She struggled to open her eyes. Completely out of energy she looked out the back as the door slowly raised. Her vision was distorted and blurry, but she could have sworn that she saw something move outside. A light was coming towards them.

"Matrix?" She mouthed his name, unable to get a sound out, before shutting her eyes for good.

A bullet ricocheted off of the rear of the ship. Mouse looked back.

"We're under attack. Ray- strap yourself in already, this might be a bumpy ride."

Ray did as he was told, claiming a seat next to AndrAIa.

Matrix and Maxine had found the motel just in time to see Mouse and Ray take AndrAIa inside the ship. It took off, and they followed close behind in pursuit. Maxine's car wasn't meant for flying as high or as fast as an airship. They were barely keeping up.

"Faster! They have AndrAIa." Matrix ordered.

"I'm going as fast as I can."

Inside the ship Mouse looked back and out the glass to see a silver car following them. She tried an irregular flight pattern, but they were persistent. She steered them into an area with tall buildings. Mouse swung between the sky scrapers and apartments, making sharp turns and trying her best to lose them. She used every evasive maneuver she knew. The car had fallen behind, but they were still being followed.

"Who in the net is that?" She demanded.

"No one, just lose them."

"All right," she flicked a switch and looked down at a small screen next to her controls. It showed a map of the sector and a pulsating green dot, "Excellent, we got a tear nearby… It's rather high up, with this storm we're bound to lose them."

"Or we could shoot them out of the sky and be done with it." Ray insisted. While he was stalking AndrAIa, learning her daily routine, he realized that she had a boyfriend. The fellow looked rough around the edges. If that was the guy following them, Ray didn't want to find out what he had instore for the sprite who kidnapped his girl.

"You know how to handle a weapon?"

She pointed over to where the controls were for the machine gun. It was a panel with several levers and buttons. Next to it a chair with manual controls, where he could aim and fire by hand.

"Not something like this."

"Useless." Mouse grumbled, "Hold on."

She quickly keyed in the coordinates and activated autopilot. The ship would go straight ot the tear. They started to ascend as she undid her seatbelt. Rain banged against the glass, the rattling sounds echoing around them. Before she could make it to the weapon Ray saw an opportunity. Without warning he hit the button next to him on the wall, which opened the hatch. It slowly lowered, causing wind and rain to whip around the ship. Paper went flying and an alarm went off from the unstable cabin pressure. Mouse gasped as she was pulled mercilessly in the direction of the opening.

"See you later, sunshine." Ray said as she tumbled out of the ship.

He closed the door and assumed the captain's chair. Ray only looked back to check if the cargo was still there. AndrAIa sat slumped over like a ragdoll in her seat, her body only responding to the movements of the ship.

Matrix and Maxine watched as someone fell from the ship.

"No!" Maxine gasped.

"Hurry!" Matrix yelled.

Maxine blew out all the air in her lungs as she slammed her foot down on the gas. The car jolted forward. Her wipers were frantically going, but they did little to help her see. Matrix opened the passenger window and climbed out. He could barely keep his eyes open, the rain hitting him aggressively. In seconds his arms and face began to burn from the high speed impact of the water. He ignored the pain and continued. Maxine watched in horror as he climbed up onto the hood of the car, ignoring all sense or reason. They were above water, but they were so high up if he fell he would be deleted on impact.

There was a flash of lightning, and for a moment everything was illuminated. They both saw purple, orange, gold armor. It wasn't AndrAIa. Maxine rolled down her window, not losing any speed.

"It's not her!" Maxine yelled.

"Keep going." He insisted.

Maxine did her best to get them in the sprite's path. Matrix prepared to catch them. Whoever it was, they would know where AndrAIa was going.

Ray was completely unaware of what was going on outside. He finally reached the tear and hit a button, instantly stabilizing it into a portal. The ship flew in, the silver bubble vanishing once the ship was inside.

Mouse crashed into Matrix's arms. The impact pushed him causing them to fall back into the windshield. It shattered, spider web like cracks rippling across the surface. Maxine struggled to keep the car going steady. She looked up, and couldn't see a thing. Between the broken glass and Matrix obstructing her view she had no choice but to slow to a stop.

Maxine's heart raced. In her entire life she had never done anything wild or crazy. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. She couldn't let go. Her eyes focused on the green mass that was Matrix. He wasn't moving.

"Are you okay?" Maxine called out her window.

He didn't respond.

"Matrix!" She yelled, fear gripping her.

She trembled, her eyes locked onto him. Maxine listened to the sound of the rain and tried hard to steady her breathing. Minutes passed and she just sat there, waiting. Finally she heard something. Matrix groaned.

"Matrix, are you okay?" She asked again, relieved.

He managed to raise his arm and gave her a thumbs up. Mouse lay on top of him, out cold but still processing. He grit his teeth as a wave of pain pulsed through him. Tears welled in his eyes as he looked up at a cruel sky. If only they had gotten to the motel a second sooner. He had no idea where AndrAIa was being taken, but he couldn't lose hope. She may be out of the system, but he was going to find her no matter what.

End Log