Matrix wiped the sweat from his brow as he shoveled debris into a scrap bin. He was on the lower level of the data dump. It was incredibly hot and the air was stale from the incinerator at the far end. Every so often a flame or scolding hot steam would shoot out. The door didn't close properly and they couldn't afford to stop work to have it fixed. For the time being, Matrix just had to deal with the heat. Pearson had hired a few other employees while he was gone, but none of them worked as hard or as fast as Matrix did.
There were numerous new construction projects going on all around Mainframe, which meant a much higher volume of scrap was being produced. Even with the extra help, they were struggling to keep up with the demand. Matrix had been pulling double shifts and took all the overtime that was available. He knew at least for the summer he wouldn't have to worry as much about money. The downside was that he spent virtually no time with AndrAIa. The time they did have together he tried to gauge how she was going, but she always just said that she was fine. He knew it wasn't true. She never left the apartment and spent most of her time calling him. He didn't mind at all, but with his current workload it did slow him down.
A vidwindow popped up. He looked up and smiled, still continuing to work. AndrAIa looked back at him. She sat in the kitchen with a coffee sitting in front of her. Her hair was a mess and she looked generally disheveled.
"Hey AndrAIa, you're still up? It's already 200."
Usually she would call just for small talk; ask how work was going, talk about the weather. She tried to hide how unnerved she was, but this time it was blatantly obvious.
"... Sorry, I know how busy you are." She said, putting her head in her hands. Matrix could see them trembling slightly. He stopped what he was doing and watched her, concerned.
"What's going on?"
"... Never mind. I shouldn't keep bugging you."
"It's okay, what did you want to say?"
She took a shaky breath before looking up at him.
"Can you come home?"
Matrix felt a lump catch in his throat. He wished that he could, but Pearson had already done him a favour by giving him an advance. He couldn't repay him by leaving mid shift.
"I can't leave right now."
"I know."
"I'm done at 800, and I'll be home right after."
"I'm just having trouble getting to sleep, I'll be fine."
"You probably shouldn't be having coffee then," he teased.
"I know." She allowed a smile to escape.
"Just lay down and give it a bit. If you can't sleep you can always call again."
She nodded before ending the call. Matrix sighed, going back to his work. He knew things weren't working for either of them. Something had to change, but he was out of ideas. He looked out at the piles of junk that needed to make it to the incinerator. There was no chance of him finishing early. He couldn't leave until it was done.
Suddenly another vidwindow appeared. He looked over at it, and Dot looked back at him. He continued shoveling.
"Hey Dot, you're up late."
"I tried calling earlier. When you didn't pick up I assumed you were on nights. How's AndrAIa doing?"
"Better. Wounds are healing, but she's still jumpy."
"Understandable."
"I just wish I had more time to be with her."
"...Actually that's why I wanted to talk to you. How would you feel about being business partners?"
"Business partners?" He smiled, immediately thinking the idea sounded ridiculous.
"Yes. We could open a restaurant."
"Could we? I'm no cook, sis."
"I'm serious." Dot huffed, "think of it; I would handle the books and marketing and you would deal with the day to day stuff."
"Meaning?"
"We hire a few cooks, a waiter, a manager- and the place runs itself. All you have to do is stop by every now and then and deal with inventory. You'd have all the time in the net to spend with AndrAIa, and you wouldn't have to work nearly as hard."
Matrix thought for a moment. It did sound nice, but something about it seemed too good to be true.
"And how exactly are we going to get this started?"
"I've already got an investor willing to finance the project."
"Who?"
"Megabyte."
Matrix stopped and looked up at her.
"Why would Megabyte want a restaurant? More importantly, why does he want you involved? Something about this doesn't sound right."
"I know, I had reservations at first too. I've had countless meetings with him and he's serious. In a couple days we are going to meet face to face to discuss details. I want you to come too."
"I don't know, Dot."
"Just think about it?"
He paused. Matrix didn't know the first thing about running a restaurant, but Dot would be there to help. If it meant that he would be able to stay home more, then maybe it was worth giving it a thought.
"... All right. I'm busy now but we'll talk later."
"Perfect." Dot smiled.
The vidwindow disappeared and Matrix picked up his shovel once again, attempting to work. A growl came from behind him. He glanced over to see Frisket standing there, tail wagging.
"Don't you start," He warned, "No more distractions; I'm too busy to play."
Frisket winded, laying on the ground in defeat.
"You shouldn't even be down here."
Matrix cleared through the first of many piles and looked over at Frisket, who patiently waited. Matrix sighed, frustrated, but then suddenly a thought dawned on him. It would only be a temporary solution, but it was better than nothing.
# #
AndrAIa slowly stirred. She hadn't managed to sleep through the night, but didn't want to bother Matrix again. He was working really hard to provide a safe place for her, and she knew that. She was starting to feel like a burden, but didn't know what to do about it. She was nervous all the time, and Matrix was the only one who could comfort her. When he was around she was fine, but he couldn't be by her side every second of the day. She needed to be more independent.
Despite tossing and turning she had managed to nod off for an hour. AndrAIa opened her eyes, squinting from the light. It was morning which meant that Matrix would be home soon. She sat up. Off in the distance she heard a strange sound. AndrAIa rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off her grogginess.
"Enzo?" She called.
There was no response, just low growls. After a moment she could feel her anxiety spike. She tried to listen closely. All she heard was scratching and heavy panting.
AndrAIa jumped to her feet. There was someone, or something in the apartment. Quietly she crept into the hall. The noises were coming from the bathroom. On shaky legs she slowly went closer to the door. A million thoughts raced through her head. Immediately her mind went to Daemon. Her worst fear was playing out all over again.
Quickly she ran past the bathroom door, preparing to leave the apartment. She stopped in her tracks however when she heard a familiar voice cry out.
"Stop!" Matrix grunted.
AndrAIa looked around. She ran to the kitchen, grabbing a knife from a drawer and went back to the bathroom door. No matter how scared she was, she wasn't going to leave Matrix behind.
She burst through the door, knife held high above her head. Matrix jumped, not expecting her to charge in so suddenly. After a moment AndrAIa froze, taking in what was in front of her. He was kneeling over the bathtub. A dog sat inside and immediately started barking upon her arrival.
"AndrAIa?" He looked at the knife in her hand and sighed, "I was trying to be quiet. I didn't mean to wake you."
"What's going on?" She yelled above the barking. After a second she calmed down, lowering the knife and setting it on the counter.
"Quiet!" He shouted at Frisket and he ceased his barking, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."
He sat on the floor, defeated.
"You got a dog?"
"I thought he could keep you company when I'm out." Matrix said, "Frisket here is usually at the dump. I don't have time to play with him anymore… He's not really trained though. I can't even get him to sit still for a bath."
AndrAIa looked at him, then Frisket. She went over to Matrix, kneeling beside him. They both exchanged tired looks.
"I'm sorry. I probably should have talked to you first."
"The thought was there." She kissed him on the cheek.
"You're not mad?"
"Of course not. I'll take it from here. Go get some sleep."
"Frisket isn't very obedient." Matrix warned.
AndrAIa turned to Frisket, who was snarling at her from the tub. He glared back at her.
"Hi, Frisket," She said in a calm voice, "You're just nervous being in a strange place, aren't you?"
Matrix watched as she held out a hand, allowing the canine to sniff her. He stopped growling and gave a small bark. Shortly after he licked her hand cautiously.
"I won't hurt you." She smiled, slowly motioning towards his head. She pet him and his tail started to wag. "You're nothing but a big softie! Now, let's get you cleaned up."
Matrix stayed and watched as she turned on the tap. She had managed to do in a minute what he had been trying for nearly an hour. For the first time in a while AndrAIa's face lit up. Frisket jumped, splashing her and she laughed.
"Hey!" She warned, "be good."
"You have a gift." Matrix said, amazed.
"Not really, it just takes a little patience."
"So you think you two will get along?"
She looked over at Frisket who smiled back at them coated in a thick layer of suds.
"I think we'll manage."
# #
The sun was just starting to set and Matrix had left for work hours ago. AndrAIa sat on the couch, book in hand. She wasn't feeling 100%, but already felt a bit better having Frisket around. It gave her something to do other than unpack boxes, and it was nice having someone to talk to even if he couldn't say anything back.
Frisket walked up to her, nudging her leg.
"You just ate, you're fine." She said, not looking up.
He barked.
AndrAIa finally looked over. He sat there waiting, leash between his teeth. She paused. She had gotten used to staying home all day, maybe she was a bit too comfortable doing nothing.
"... I don't know."
Frisket whimpered, ears sagging. AndrAIa instantly felt guilty.
She thought for a moment. It wasn't that dark yet, and unlike where they were in G-Prime the streetlights actually worked. She knew she had no reason to be scared.
"All right, just a quick walk around the block. But only if you promise to behave."
Frisket barked.
"I'll take that as a yes."
She clipped the leash to his collar and they walked over to the front door. AndrAIa paused, glancing at herself in the mirror that hung on the wall. Physically she was feeling better. A lot of her scrapes and cuts had all but healed. Around her eye was still dark and puffy though.
Frisket tugged on the leash.
"All right, hold on a nano."
She was still in her pajamas. AndrAIa quickly threw on a sweater, putting the hood up. She hadn't bothered to brush her hair that morning.
"Let's do this." She tried encouraging herself.
AndrAIa opened the door and they both stepped out into the hallway. They ventured down to the main floor and walked out onto the courtyard. Once they were outside she looked around. A few sprites walked around, but nothing to be concerned about. A woman with a stroller crossed the road and a couple of young sprites ran by while laughing. AndrAIa sighed.
Something as simple as going for a walk seemed like such a daunting task. She was almost embarrassed by how much she was overthinking things. Staying inside every day wasn't doing her any favours, though.
Frisket looked up at her with large eyes. He moved closer, taking a seat right next to her leg. Gently he nuzzled her. They stood there for minutes as she psyched herself up. Frisket patiently waited for her to be ready.
"Okay, let's go boy."
She slowly walked across the courtyard, making it over to the sidewalk. Once she was there she allowed Frisket to take the lead. He trotted at a slow pace, glancing back at her every now and then. He could sense her uneasiness.
Before long they circled the block and she wasn't nervous at all. Thankfully distractions were all around. Shop windows were lit up and the architecture of the buildings were pleasant to look at. Even when the sun set and street lights went on she was fine.
"What do you think about doing some shopping?" She asked Frisket.
She could see a grocery store at the end of the next street. It had been a long time since she had made Matrix a good meal. He had tried to keep up with the cooking himself, but wasn't very good. She ate what he made out of politeness, but her stomach couldn't take it any longer.
Frisket barked encouragingly.
They waited at the crosswalk as cars zoomed by. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a small sprite leaning against the wall of the building next to them. He was watching her. Admittedly, AndrAIa felt a little silly being suspicious of a child, but the way he looked at her creeped her out. After a moment he came over to her and smiled.
AndrAIa smiled back as they waited for the walk signal.
"Can I pet your dog?" He asked.
"... Yeah, he's friendly."
The boy leaned down and pet Frisket, scratching behind the ears. Frisket allowed his tongue to hang out as he enjoyed the attention.
"What's his name?"
"Frisket."
"Cool. I'm Backup." He said looking over at AndrAIa.
The light changed and they began to cross.
"It's kind of late, where are your parents?" She asked.
"Wish I knew." He joked, "Where are you headed?"
"...I could ask you the same thing."
He looked her up and down with a quizzical look.
"All right," he said, "don't get why game sprites are always so secretive."
His comment stunned her.
"How do you know I'm a game sprite?" AndrAIa asked, panicking inside. If a child could be able to tell then so could others. She wondered how many of the sprites that passed knew what she was, and how many of them hated her for it. Matrix had gone to a lot of trouble to find someplace safe for them to live. Maybe nowhere was safe for her.
"Relax, I can always spot one of my own."
She calmed down a little.
"Who did you lift that off of?" He asked, pointing down at her ring.
She was taken aback by the question.
"I didn't steal it. I'm engaged."
"Really? Must be nice."
"I- I'm kind of busy," She said once they made it to the other side. She sped up, but he kept pace with her.
"They a game sprite too?"
"Who?"
"The guy you're marrying." Backup asked.
"No, he isn't."
"No way," He laughed, "that explains those bruises."
"Excuse me?"
"Some system born schmuck gives you a nice ring and it's all right for him to rough you up like that. I see it all the time."
"My fiancé didn't do this to me. Don't you have somewhere else to be?" AndrAIa said defensively.
"Yeah I do, I just wanted to give you this. Us game sprites have to stick together. One of us wouldn't do that to you." He said, gesturing to her eye once again, "and we wouldn't let the guy who did get away with it."
Backup pulled out a flyer and handed it to her. Once it was in her hands he ran off. She looked down at the page. It looked like a meeting of some sort. The title read 'Resistance! Us vs the Net'. She kept reading. It was happening tomorrow at 2300.
She didn't really know what to think of it. Only that for some reason he gave it to her because she was a game sprite. After everything he had said she was offended and annoyed, but something about it piqued her curiosity. She looked over the flyer again 'us vs the net' stood out to her. That sounded about right. Ever since she left her game there was a clear divide between game sprites and system born sprites.
AndrAIa folded it up and shoved it into her pocket, continuing on her way.
End Log