Chapter V
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Close your eyes
And surrender to your darkest dreams!
Purge your thoughts of the life
You knew before!
Close your eyes,
Let your spirit start to soar!
And you'll live
As you've never lived before...
The Music of the Night, from the Phantom of the Opera
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Morgan stretched and carefully eased herself up out of her bed. I'm still sore, but at least I can move without too much pain. Now, where are my boots? She spied them placed at the foot of her bed. Sitting down again, Morgan pulled them on. Then, opening the locker, she pulled out her sword and headed for the roof.
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Enzo knocked gently on the door of the girl's room. "You awake?" There was no answer. He eased the door open. She wasn't there. But she couldn't have run off already… some of her stuff is still here… "Cursor, search for, uhh… the newcomer." Cursor whirred for a moment as it processed information, then it beeped. "She is located on the roof of the Principal Office," Cursor said. The roof? What in the Net is she doing up there?
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She moved extremely tediously, gracefully, as she shifted positions. Tai Chi was a pastime best done with unhurried care. Morgan stood on one leg as she slowly thrust with her sword.
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She looks so graceful... Should I go talk to her? Might as well go ahead...
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A step echoed behind her. She immediately snapped to a defensive position and flung the blade at her intruder. Enzo spotted the lightening quick movement just in time to duck. The rapier embed itself in the wall where his head had been just two nanos ago. He looked up to see the girl practically flying at him.
"Cursor, shield!"
Morgan skidded to a stop to avoid smashing into the gold-colored shield. "Whoa, now just wait a nano…," Enzo said. The girl continued to glare at him, still in attack mode. Suddenly, her features softened as her expression became one of recognition. "Cursor, shield down," Enzo cautiously commanded.
"I remember you," she said. She cocked her head as she continued to gaze at him. "You're the one from the game, the guy that saved my sorry my ASCII."
"Uhhh... yeah," Enzo said. He extended his hand. "I'm Enzo."
She looked at his hand, then tentatively shook it. His hands were warm. Her hands were icy cold. "Thanks. I'm known as Morgan." She stepped back. "So why are you here?"
"I just wanted to check up on you, make sure you were all right." He reached back and pulled her sword out of the wall behind him. Enzo held it out to here, hilt first. "I think this is yours." Morgan took it from him. "Remind me not to get you angry," he said her.
"Do you normally greet people by throwing swords at them," Enzo asked as she continued with her exercises. "No," Morgan replied as she blocked an invisible enemy. "Just people who sneak up on me."
Enzo crossed his arms. "I didn't exactly 'sneak up' on you."
"Yeah, well, I'm kinda jumpy." Morgan sent forth a flurry of thrusts from her sword. She stopped and looked at him. "Since I'm... the new person here, would you mind showing me around?"
Enzo widened his eyes for a moment, but then just shrugged shoulders. "Sure."
Morgan saw his expression. "What? You don't want to give me a tour?"
"No, of course not. It just seems that... you... wouldn't... want to do something like that."
"And why not?"
"Ummm..." Enzo rubbed the back of his head. "Wellll, I guess it's just first impressions."
Morgan looked at him again. Her gaze was started to make him nervous. "While you show me Mainframe, I'll try to make a good second impression. Look, just meet me in front of the Principal Office in five micros; I need to get some stuff from my room." Sheathing her sword, she silently walked past Enzo and disappeared inside. He watched her walk down the stairs. For someone so attractive, she sure acts strange. He turned and followed her inside, closing the door behind him.
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"Aren't you a little... overdressed?" Enzo examined Morgan's outfit. Over the black top and pants she had been wearing earlier, she was now wore a long black trench-coat Her sword was strapped on over the coat, and she also now had a belt of knives around her waist.
"No, I'm not," Morgan said, putting a hand on her hit. "I always go out like this." Enzo arched a doubtful eyebrow. "Morgan, this is a peaceful system; you won't need such weapons here." She looked at him for several moments before Enzo willed himself to look away. "Uhhh... I got a zip-board for you." He reached to his belt and tossed it to her. She caught it deftly. "You know how to use one, right?"
"'Course I do," she replied as she tossed the zip-board and stepped on. Enzo did the same. "Where to first?," she asked him, floating up into the air.
"Why don't we head over to the diner? You can get an energy shake, and maybe... we can talk."
"Lead the way," Morgan said, smiling. The two figures flew upwards and zipped away.
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Why I am doing this... letting someone I don't even know lead me around! I need to destroy my target! But I still have enough time... he seems like a nice guy...
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"Yep. Now that you know nearly everything me, what about you? How did you get to Mainframe, and the like?" Morgan looked down at her shake. "What is it?," Enzo asked.
Morgan glanced back up at him. "Nothing," she answered. "It's just that... I don't prefer to talk about myself, or my past."
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to pry."
"No, it's not that." She played with her hair. He fought the urge to reach out and brush it out her face. "You see, unlike you, I don't have a past, a family. I don't even know where I'm from." A tear trickled down her cheek. She smiled through her tears. "Look at me, crying like a little sprite."
Enzo reached across and gently brushed the tears from her face. His soft touch brought a light blush to her cheeks. "It's all-right to cry. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to." She dabbed her eyes with a napkin. "Thanks. I probably should get this off my back, anyway."
"Start where ever you wish."