Soon a portal opened in the PO and Kayne and the others stepped through.
"Okay, my mom debriefed me so what is the plan?"
"I'm going to mark Dash in such a way that Guardians, at least, can tell that she's viral," Jo Ann said.
"Good idea But how," Kayne replied.
"Matrix and Gun," Jo Ann grinned.
The younger Dot started. "Oh...hi..." she stared at the new arrival. "Who are you?" Could it be?
Dot continued to stare at Kayne. Was she? "Umm... miss? Who are you?" she asked cautiously.
"I am Kayne Matrix. In my Mainframe I am your daughter," Kayne replied, eyeing Dot and Bob.
Dot gasped softly and held out a hand to Bob, startled.
"Yes, she is. Remember when you and the other Dot accidently switched places?" Jo Ann smiled. "Course, that doesn't mean you'll have her. This is simply thier daughter."
I never met a daughter..." Dot sighed, still clinging onto Bob, "you're beautiful..." she told Kayne .
"They switched places. I am always the last one to know stuff," Kayne complained.
Jo Ann smiled. She would allow Dot to explain everything.
"You explain about the switching places bit," Jo Ann smiled. I'll go and see if Matrix and AndrAIa need any help.
"Enough talk. Lets get down to business," Kayne said shutting the portal
"Is there anyone here we haven't met yet?" Bob asked.
"Thanks Jo Ann!" the older Dot sighed from the vidwindow. "Basically we got switched and Jo Ann and I became good friends...!"
"It was weird," the younger Dot smiled at her. "But on to Dash..."
"Thank you," Kayne said, lightening up.
Jo Ann walked toward Matrix and AndrAIa. "Anything I can help with?" she asked.
Jo Ann stood, watching Matrix and AndrAIa and waiting for them to answer.
AndrAIa had Gun open and was reconfiguring the internal components. She was still rather cranky at being woken up so early and took a large sip of coffee.
"Not really; I'm working on it."
"Okay..." Jo Ann sighed. She looked at Matrix.
"What's up, Jo?" Matrix asked.
"Just wondering if there is anything I can do to help," Jo Ann sighed.
"Nah...she works well alone; 'specially when she's tired..." Matrix smiled. "So you're Kayne then?" He asked the young sprite.
"When do we tag this Dash person?' Kayne asked peeriing over Jo's shoulder.
"With a mark that will clearly say, 'VIRAL'. Matrix is going to use Gun to mark her." Jo Ann showed Kayne what the viral mark would look like.
AndrAIa sighed in frustration, "This is only gonna work for you Guardians..." She stomped her foot.
"You should be able to tell, too, AndrAIa," Jo Ann smiled.
"Obviously!" the game sprite snapped, "sorry -- that was harsh; I'm fully awake yet...!
"It's okay: I'm not feeling so perky, myself," Jo Ann replied.
Jo Ann smiled, wondering how Matrix would react to Kayne. Course, he already knew about the other Bob and Dot.
"Fairly, good," Matrix smiled.
"Oh, okay how do we get her to fire the gun?" Kayne asked.
"Her, who?" Matrix asked.
"No...I'm not married...but Andri lives with Matrix and I, though..."
"Huh?" Jo Ann asked. She obiviously missed part of the conversation.
"Kayne asked if I had any children," AndrAIa explained.
"Oh..."
"In my Mainframe you and Matrix have a daughter my age named Maggie," Kayne explained " So i was just wonderiing if she was here in this Mainframe."
"No...I'm afraid not..."
"A daughter?" A flash of maternal warmth filled the game-sprite's eyes, "but anyway...what I was about to say about Gun, is that it can't produce a permanant mark...it may be able to make her viral side more dominant and soGuardians could sense her; but any brand or mark she will find a way to heal..."
"Leave that part to me!" Jo Ann grinned.
Andri yawned and approached Kayne, "Are you really Bob and Dot's daughter?" she asked.
"That's fairly straightforward of you, Andri!" Jo Ann smiled.
"Maybe I can help with that i have been working with my own gun to porduce target markings," Kayne said to the older sprite.
"Okay," AndrAIa agreed.
"Hmmm...we can mark her -- she'll just find a way to remove it!" AndrAIa sighed.
"Was it bad to ask?" Andri asked, worried that she had offened Kayne. "Dot has another daughter?" she added.
"Yep! The only one that my dad has got but I do have a half sister," Kayne replyed.
"And who would that be?"
"As I said, leave that part to me," Jo Ann continued to smile.
"The shooting?" AndrAIa asked.
Bob glanced at Dot, "Anything you're not telling me?"
"No. Matrix would do the shooting. I'll make the mark permanent."
"Okay..."
Jo Ann smiled.
"It was not bad to ask and yes she has another daughter who she had to give up to the father," Kayne explained.
"Who?"
"No, Bob, I have no skeletons in my closet!!" Dot assured him, leaning in to kiss him. ...
"The other Bob and Dot, Bob!" Jo Ann sighed.
"Right about now, Little sprite!" the vidwindow appeared and Dash smiled that insincere smile of hers.
"Who are you calling little," Kayne screamed as she turned around. "No one calls me little and lives."
"Touchy, aren't we, little sprite? Hello Jo Ann? slept well?"
"I slept very well, thanks to Matrix."
"Thats it," Kayne said as she used her powers to destroy the vid window.
"She'll be back..." Jo Ann sighed.
"I hope in person so I can do that to her pretty little face," Kayne said turnig towards the wall.
"Easy, Kayne..." Jo Ann said.
"How wonderful..." Dash appeared in another vidwindow. "I'm so pleased for you... How's the face, 'Trix?"
"All better, since JoJo healed it," Matrix smirked.
"Too bad...another scar would have looked very sexy on you..." Dash purred.
"Nah...one's enough, thanks," Matrix sneered.
"Why don't you come here in person so I can send you to your Megabyte?" Kayne challenged.
Jo Ann winced. Kayne was as tough-talking as Matrix!
"You really should switch to decaff, Kayne, honey...and 'Trix; babe; charming as ever..." she winked.
"Why any one would avenge the death of an invalid like Magabyte is beyound me, so could you explain where in that demented little head of yours you thought up this scheme," Kayne asked Dash.
"Ouch...!" Jo Ann whispered.
AndrAIa snarled and extened her nails.
"Oooh...it seems I've struck a chord with the mermaid..." Dash purred.
"Lay off her," Kayne said to Dash
This insn't good, Jo Ann thought.
"You may be a clone of my mother but you can not insult me and expect to live," Kayne thretened the virus.
"Uh, oh..." Jo Ann groaned.
"The child defends the freak...how sweet..." Dash drawled.
"You really should not have told her that Dot was your mother," Jo Ann whispered to Kayne.
"Shut up," Kayne screamed as she destroyed yet another vid window.
"No use doing that. She'll just keep coming," Jo Ann sighed.
"It is either the vid window or the wall," Kayne said.
"
Hit the wall, then."
Dash simply appeared in another vidwindow, "Keep that up, 'daughter' and I'll send a bill to your 'mommy'..."
"See what I mean..."
"Miss me, freak?"
"Not really."
"Can we kill her now," Kayne asked fumeing with anger.
"She's not that simple to kill..."
"No; I'm not..." Dash smiled, winking at Wild Card.
Jo Ann moved in front of her husband, blocking Dash's veiw of him.
"I can make it simple. I killed our Deamon even after I found out she was my grandmother. So I think I can handle Dash," Kayne replied, calming down.
"Oooh...your Bob is Daemon's son...how delicious!" Dash purred, "What about you, Bobby? Any viral blood?" Dash made the statement deliberatly suggestive.
"No, he isn't. Neither of them are," Jo Ann countered.
"No, but I have some," Kayne said, stepping in front of Bob.
"Don't count on it. Dash has powerful friends," Jo Ann said.
"Who are you calling a freak," Kayne said. "Oh it must be the pic of Megabyte you have behind you; never mind."
"Ooooo..." Jo Ann moaned.
"You're really not my type; sweetie..." Dash smiled.
"Too bad...although I do have Chimera..." Dash giggled.
"Whoa! Okay, stop the fight. What do you mean you have Chymera?" Kayne asked.
"Different from Chymera," Jo Ann explained.
"Oh, okay. And I am your worst nightmare," Kayne added to Dash.
"Why don't you tell her?"
"Not fully viral but I have the powers," Kayne added.
"Intruiging; you may be more of a challenge than you look, girl..."
"We'll see, child...we'll see.. Tide couldn't stop me; how can you expect to?"
"Huh? Who's tide?" Jo Ann asked.
"What,Tide?" Kayne aksed in hurt and confusion.
"There IS no Tide in this universe!" Jo Ann said.
"You know, your lover? don't tell me you've forgotten him already, Kayne? Perhaps Hamlet was right; 'Frailty thy name is woman'..." Dash cleary enjoyed pushing Kayne's buttons.
"How do you know about him,"Kayne asked now full of anger and sorrow with tears streaming down her face.
"I paid a visit to her reality and spent some time with the Taint..." Dash explained. "Such a touching death-scene..." Dash's voice became a resonable imitation of Tide's..."'I love ya, Kayne...'" Dash cackled evily.
"YOU FIEND! I SWEAR I 'LL KILL YOU IF IT IS THE LAST THING I DO," Kayne said. filled with emotion.
"Calm down, Kayne!" Bob ordered.
"You little worm!" Jo Ann snarled.
Dash merely looked amused at the crushed look on Kayne's face. "I may be trying to avenge my beloved's death -- but at least I got over him..."
"She is only condeming herself with her words condeming herself to death just like her idiot boyfriend...the weakest of viruls...Magabyte," Kayne said.
"Really weak," Jo Ann agreed. "If one little sprite and a dog could beat him, ol' MB wasn't the virus he was cracked up to be."
Dash's eyes narrowed at the attack on MB's memory; but Kayne's anger allowed her to centre herself once more.
"Don't count on it..." once again her voice slipped into Tide's, "Kayne, love..."
"If I were you, I'd go looking for another boyfriend, Dash. A Web Creature, maybe?" Jo Ann sneered.
"Jo Ann; dear child, I already have my eyes on a couple..." She let her eyes roam Matrix and Wild Card's bodies.
"Stop it, Dash" Jo Ann cried.
Full of anger Kayne opened a portal recoqnising Dash's location. "Well get over this," Kayne said as she hit Dash from behind whit a beam of pure energy last woman alive!" Wild Card answered.
"Was that nessisssary?" Jo Ann asked.
"Yes," Kayne replied through the vid window. "She asked and I gave."
"It won't keep her down for long!" Jo Ann said.
"Good," Kayne replied as she teleported herself back.
Dash picked herself up, allowing healing energy to focus on the areas Kayne had hit, "That wasn't very nice, child..." she seethed.
"You realize, she's going to hate you, now?"
"Thats what I was aiming for," Kayne said. "It is no fun to delete someone who likes you."
Jo Ann shook her head, wondering if bringing Kayne and the others was a good idea.
"Wasn't ment to be nice, virus," Kayne replied mockingly.
"More like, 'painfull'," Jo Ann smiled.
"Y'know I was beginning to like you, girl; you've got such...spunk."
"You are sooo weak, Dash..." Jo Ann said.
"But now is the time for cool heads so I can control my temper," Kayne said. I can read your mind, Jo, and I will help you any way I can and I will not let this virus bug me anymore, Kayne said telepathically to Jo Ann.
Thanks, Jo Ann thought back.
No problem, Kayne replied.
"You haven't seen the half of I can do, freak..."
"Maybe not but that does not mean you frighten me," Kayne replied.
"I'm not a viral; I'm half-virus...and half-COMMAND.COM... And as for not being afraid? You will be, child...!" Dash narrowed her eyes.
"You are not even one-eighteenth of a COMMAND.COM!" Jo Ann sneered. "Dot's definately got you beat in that department!"
"She got the authority.... I got the real power..." Dash smiled
"Don't count on it," Kayne shot back.
"Not much, you don't!"
"You have yet to find out what I can do...plus I have powerful friends... Chimera and Pixil hate you more than I do, Jojo!" She used the affectionate nick-name Matrix had used for Jo Ann and turned it into an insult.
"And they lose, just like you do," Jo Ann countered.
"We'll see..."
"You got that right Jo," Kayne said.
"Only a matter of time, Dash," Bob said.
"The hostility..." Dash smirked. Then, from further in the Tor, she heard Chimera calling her name.
"I think you are being summoned, slave," Jo Ann smirked back.
"Looks like you have company," Kayne said.
"Her master calls..." Jo Ann smiled.
Dash gave Jo Ann a vicious look. "One moment, luv..." she yelled out to Chimera. "He is not my 'master' I am my own Virus..."
"Really?" Jo Ann smirked, unconvinced.
"Sure dosen't look that way from here," Kayne replied.
"Sure doesn't," Jo Ann agreed.
"Why am I explaining this to you? you couldn't possibly comprehend..." Dash sneered, trying to keep some sembalance of dignity.
"DASH!!!!!!" Chimera bellowed.
"Oooo...he sounds MADDD!!!" Jo Ann laughed.
Dash hissed at them and closed the vidwindow.
Matrix and the others laughed, enjoying the small victory.
"How embarrassing!" Dot laughed.
Kayne laughed at the spectcle Dash was making of herself.
Jo Ann smiled. She had good friends. They would prevail.
AndrAIa laughed too; stupid little Virus.
"How's Gun coming, AndrAIa?" Jo Ann asked.
"Nearly done!" the game sprite smiled.
"Good. I'll put the power in to make the mark permenant. One that she can't get rid of, no matter what she does!" Jo Ann threw her arms around Wild Card and hugged him close.
AndrAIa sighed in triumph, "Got it!!"
"Great!" Jo Ann broke away from Wild Card to direct her attention to AndrAIa.
AndrAIa explained the reconfigurations to Jo Ann, and handed her Gun.
Jo Ann concentrated all her power on Gun. She willed the symbol that was to permantly mark Dash as a viral for all Guardians to see. When she was done, she handed Gun to Matrix.
"Ready to rock?" the renegade asked.
"Yes. Should we tell Uncle Turbo about this? He's going to want to know..." Jo Ann asked.
"What time is it in the SC?" AndrAIa asked.
"I don't know. I just thought that Uncle Turbo would like to know..." Jo Ann replied.
"We don't wanna wake him; he's a busy sprite..."
"Can we send a message, then?" Jo Ann asked.
"Good idea..." .
"Dot, could you send it, please?" Jo Ann asked.
"Sure!" Dot typed an e-mail into her organiser and sent it to his office
"Let's go, then..." Jo Ann said.
*~*~*
Dash was feeling rather angry. She hadn't briefed Chim on her plan to out-psych Jo Ann ; she knew she should, but it felt good to be independant! He had made her look a fool!
*~*~*
"How are we going to get to her?" Jo Ann asked.
"Anyone know a back-door to the Tor?" Wild Card asked.
Jo Ann and the others looked at Wild Card as if he was a little bit random.
"Well; It was a suggestion!" the bounty-hunter defended himself.
"He may be right, though," Jo Ann smiled, favoring her husband.
"How else are we going to manage it? Ring the door-bell; 'Excuse me Chimera; can Dash come out and get branded?' huh?"
Jo Ann stiffled a giggle.
AndrAIa laughed, "Can you see his face?"
"Jaw dropping in absolute shock?" Jo Ann giggled. "Yeah, I can imagine it!"
"'No'," the game-sprite mimicked the cut-glass english accent that was Chimera's trademark, "'she's playing with me'..." AndrAIa collapsed into helpless giggles after her imitaiotn.
"No one forget why we are here!" Matrix commanded sternly. He was itching to try out the new modifictations.
"Oh Sparky -- look me in the eye and tell me that wasn't funny!" AndrAIa chortled. ..
"Yeah, it was funny. Can we go now?"
"Oh, En-zo...we can't leave 'til we have a plan!" AndrAIa finished her fourth cup of java.
"Dot..." Matrix turned toward his sister.
"Yes...?"
"You got a plan?" Matrix asked.
"Uummm...not really...hmmm...I wonder..." she mused, as something came to her.
"Yes...?" Now, Jo Ann said it.
"I wonder how the security systems in the Tor work?" Dot mused.
"I don't have a clue..." Jo Ann sighed.
"'Cos if they work like the ones in the Po..." Dot trailed off, mid-thought.
"Where's Hack and Slash? They might know," Jo Ann suggested.
Dot buzzed the two former-henchmen of MB's. "Hack? Slash? Come to my office...if it works like the PO, I may have a plan..."
"Okay..." Jo Ann sighed.
"Of course, it might not-- I wonder...oh...this is gonna be trial and error..."
"We can only hope."
"Yeah; but it has a strong 'we're gonna get caught' eventuality..." Dot admitted.
"Yikes..."Jo Ann whispered.
"And this is the best option I can think of..." Dot was reluctant to tell her plan until she was sure it had even the vaguest chance.
"I wonder what's taking those two so long..." Bob said.
Hack and Slash arrived.
"We are here."
"Yes we are."
"We're here."
"You just said that."
"Did I?"
"You did..."
Jo Ann smiled. Those two was always so funny. She almost forgot about Dash. Almost.
"Boys: does the Tor's security system work on voice recogition, retinal detection etc..." Dot asked, all business.
"It does, ma'am."
"Absolutely!"
"You betcha!"
"It does..."
Jo Ann sighed. Dash had it out for her, and they would be walking right into her lair. The phrase, "'Come into my parlor,' said the spider to the fly." came into Jo Ann's mind.
Dot sighed, at least part of her plan might work.
"In that case; its time I 'booted into her outfit and decided to twist this masquerade around..." she told them.
Jo Ann looked like her eyes were going to bug out.
"What's wrong, Jo Ann?" Dot asked.
"You're...going...to...be...Dash...?"
"Do you have a better plan?" Dot asked, "'cos if you do; I'm all ears! But this is the best I can come up with!"
"No...I don't. It just...surprised me..."
"Why?" Dot asked.
"It just did..."
"Don't think I'm dying to get into the outfit," Dot teased.
"Let's just get the virus belled and get back," Jo Ann sighed. Lack of sleep was begining to show.
"I'm not sure if I can get you guys into the Tor; I may have to get her myself..."
"Why don't I just pop in, brand the little null, and pop out?" Jo Ann sighed.
"'Cos Chimera will undoubtably get you..."
"He can try. But you aren't going alone."
"You've seen me act before; I fooled MB..." Dot smiled.
"Yeah. But Dash can so easily trade places with you. We can't risk that."
"I can take care of myself, Jo...maybe I can use the time for some reconaissance?"
"And what if she comes back instead?"
"Matrix will know..." Dot smiled.
"And what would it mean for you if she does?"
Dot looked down, not meeting Jo Ann's eyes; feeling Bob's eyes boring into her back, "I'm not afraid...I'm the only one who can do this..."
"No. I'm not risking anyone else," Jo Ann said. Before she could be stopped, Jo Ann grabbed Gun and portaled out of the PO, closing the portal behind her.
Dot groaned and shifted to COMMAND.COM mode. She rebooted into Dash's outfit, "Bob; a portal to the Tor," she ordered.
*~*~*
Upon arriving at the Tor, Jo Ann used a hidden file command. When she found Dash, she shot the viral in the forhead with Gun, knocking her out. She quickly checked to be sure the brand was there. Satisfied that job had been done and that the mark would be permanent, Jo Ann portaled back to the PO, sealing the portal behind her.
"It's done," she said simply, removing the hidden file command and giving Gun back to Matrix.
But Dot was not there...
"Oh, Dot...!" Jo Ann moaned.
Inside the Tor, Dot tried to locate Jo Ann and Dash, unaware that Jo had tripped an alarm and Chimera knew there was an intruder...
Dot! Get back here! It's done! Dash is branded! Jo Ann could feel where Dot was and what was happening.
Chimera had extended the security net; screening out telepathy. He could feel the intruder...it was Dot Matrix. the COMMAND.COM had come to call... with an evil smile he headed to her location...
Sencing that Dot was in danger, Jo Ann used her powers to teleport Dot back into the PO. To the surprise of the COMMAND.COM, she was no longer in the Tor, but the PO, looking at her friends.
"What -- where? Jo Ann!"
"Hi, Dot," Jo Ann smiled. "You don't have to pretend that you're Dash. She's been branded already."
"Oh." Dot looked embarrassed, and quickly booted back to her blue jumpsuit.
"Chimera had found you out. He was going to your location," Jo Ann smiled.
Dot shuddered at that thought.
"At any rate, it's done. Any Guardian with a keytool will know Dash for what she is," Jo Ann yawned. She leaned against Wild Card.
Dot yawned too, "Lets get some sleep..."
"But post a guard..." Jo Ann reminded her.
"Yeah, I know..."
*~*~*
Back in the Tor, Dash awoke with Chimera standing over her.
"What happened, Chim?" Dash asked.
"The COMMAND.COM and the User Guardian were here...you have now lost the ability to impersonate Dot when there's a Guardian around!" he thundered.
The Tor rang with Chimera's rage; and Dash simply tuned him out, and plotted her revenge.
*~*~*
In their room in the PO, Jo Ann and Wild Card settled down to sleep.
"Pixal, alert us if Dash, Chimera or Pixel enter the PO!" Jo Ann commanded.
The keytool bleeped her acknowledgement. {Get some sleep now, Jo Ann!} Pixal commanded.
"Okay..." Jo Ann yawned. She laid down, guarded well by Pixal and her friends. Jo Ann smiled and snuggled close to Wild Card.
Wild Card wrapped his arms around Jo Ann; releaved she was safe.
"I love you..."she whispered in her sleep.
"Love ya too, darlin'..."
She snuggled closer, feeling safe in his arms.
*~*~*
The User Guardian may have won today...but as long as Dash was processing, Jo Ann would never truly be safe...
THE END