CHAPTER FOUR
DAEMON'S INFECTION
SUPERCOMPUTER — 8 minutes later
Doors were flung open, and a massive crowd of sprites filed into the Guardian Academy's cafeteria. They got their chips and energy shakes and sat down at their tables.
Among the Guardians-in-training were three sprites and a dog, which took seats at a table not far from the others but far enough away that they could talk freely amongst themselves.
Enzo, now 1.8, was eating rapidly, pausing only to talk to his friends. He was taller than average, having gone through an early growth spurt, and he was beginning to fill out with muscles. He had outgrown his red hat, and he had let his hair grow more tousled than ever, with a lock hanging over his right eye.
Enzo's girlfriend AndrAIa sat on his lap. Over the hours they had spent in the Supercomputer she had grown beautiful and mature, and was still getting prettier every second. Her aqua hair had grown to shoulder-length, and she still wore her starfish on the left side. She wore a low-cut top and pants of the same scaly material and silvery boots. Silver armbands wound their way up her orange-toned arms, lack of her small crossbow. She and Enzo were listening to a joke Taaj was telling.
"So then I told him . . ." The sprite paused, building up the tension, "that's not a floppy disk, that's my dog!"
The other two bursts into laughter, while Frisket, sitting at their feet, lifted his head and gave a few yaps.
"It's okay, boy," Enzo told him.
"Wait'll you hear the one about the game sprite," Taaj went on.
AndrAIa raised an eyebrow as she flicked out a paralyzing nail and asked, "Oh, really?"
"You know AndrAIa doesn't like those jokes," Enzo warned his friend.
"Just kidding, `DrAIa," Taaj laughed, unfazed by his friend's attitudes. "You know I don't tell jokes to offend you guys."
AndrAIa smiled and nodded. "I know you don't." She turned to Enzo and added, "And you don't need to defend me all the time, Sparky." Her tone was serious, but amusement sparkled in her marine eyes.
"Would you stop it with the Sparky' thing?" Enzo groaned. After a nano he added, "Angelfish."
Taaj laughed at the two's pet names for one another. "Ah, young love."
"Jealous?" Enzo smirked, giving AndrAIa a peck on the cheek.
"Not a chance," Taaj replied. "I'm not into the lovey-dovey mush." His friends knew to take him seriously. With his mussed brown hair, darker turquoise skin, and sparkling gray eyes, he was the definition of mischief. But, nearing his 2.0 birthday, the Academy teachers urged him to take his training more seriously. And he did, making top grades in most of his classes. But he still found time in-between studying to tell a couple of jokes or play a few pranks. In a way, he reminded Enzo of a younger format of Bob: easygoing and cool — but also eager to be a Guardian, like himself.
Taaj opened his mouth to speak when a large VidWindow suddenly popped up. Everyone immediately grew quiet and stared at the window curiously. The only times the entire Academy was VidWindowed were when Turbo was making an announcement, or when one of the teachers was reprimanding a student for misbehavior.
On the VidWindow, surprisingly, wasn't Turbo or any of the teachers. Instead it was a figure, her body cloaked in shadow. She stepped forward; when she was in clear view, everyone gasped, because there stood a woman who looked like a sprite, save the Web creature coils spreading from her back like a cape. Her once-baby-blue skin had darkened to a horrible grayish color, and the streaks of chrome, once beautiful, looked like dirty, disfiguring gashes. Her dark hair was wild, framing her hard face, smoldering eyes, and the green veins pulsing at her temples. But the most drastic change in her appearance was the tendrils that grew from her skin that tore through her Guardian uniform, and rested on her shoulders and arms.
"Chroma!" Enzo hissed.
The former second-in-command at the Guardian Academy took no notice. She announced, "I am Daemon, your new ruler."
"No way, lady!" an older sprite shouted. Others added yells of defiance, Enzo, AndrAIa, and Taaj included.
Chroma — now Daemon — scoffed. "You Guardians, with your arrogance. Never challenge a super-virus, especially one such as I." She waved a hand with a coil wrapped around it like a bracelet.
A few confused nanoseconds passed. Suddenly, the doors exploded open and ultra drones, or u-drones, charged in, well-equipped, with mines and curved throwing blades.
The sprites were frozen in surprise, until someone shouted, "Run!" Then all hell broke loose.
Sprites jumped up and shoved each other aside to reach the doors, but they were pushed in turn by the charging u-drones. Some sprites fell, and were attacked as they tried to stand up.
Enzo grabbed AndrAIa's hand, and they started to run, as Enzo yelled, "Frisket!" The dog understood immediately, and let the two sprites climb on. He grunted under the weight; but he began rushing toward the exits with the other sprites that were trying to escape. Taaj was nowhere to be seen.
The u-drones stopped chasing and began launching mines. The mines settled on the ground, ready to blow up on contact when touched.
A large mine landed right in front of the sprites and dog.
"Look out!" AndrAIa screamed.
Frisket tried to stop, but they were going too fast, and they hit the mine. There was a tremendous explosion, and the shock wave sent them flying.
Enzo and AndrAIa scrambled up quickly, but Frisket was sprawled on the ground, out cold. Enzo started for him, but AndrAIa held him back. "Leave him," she said. "We have to get out of here." Reluctantly Enzo nodded, and they ran as mines exploded around them.
Enzo suddenly tripped and fell. AndrAIa started to help him up, but suddenly a u-drone lumbered up and shoved her aside. She could only watch helplessly as the u-drone slowly took out a long, sharp blade and held it above its head. Time seemed to stop as the u-drone reared up and suddenly struck —
And a nano later, Enzo screamed, clutching his empty eye socket that was streaming energy. He fell facedown on the ground, unconscious.
Satisfied, the u-drone turned to AndrAIa. The game sprite had watched the murderous act with disbelief; but she snapped out of it, and pulled out her trident and brandished it at the u-drone.
They sparred, AndrAIa with her trident, the u-drone with one of its deadly blades. The fight lasted for many milliseconds; but soon AndrAIa felt herself growing tired. The u-drone, however, was still fighting strong. AndrAIa knew that if she made so much as one mistake, she would be sliced to ribbons.
For a moment she froze, torn between staying with Enzo and getting help. But she knew what she had to do. "I love you, Enzo," she whispered, then turned and ran.
The u-drone saw her retreating figure and threw one of its blades. AndrAIa ducked, but the blade chopped off a small portion of her hair and nicked her ear, drawing energy. AndrAIa kept running.
She finally made it out of the Academy. Not many sprites beside her had. AndrAIa stopped to take a breath. But she was forced to keep running; because u-drones had begun streaming out of the Academy, searching for those who had escaped. AndrAIa sprinted down the streets. She had to find a place to hide for the time being. AndrAIa ran down an alleyway and collapsed against the hard wall. All she wanted to do was rest.
Looking up, the game sprite saw waves of yellowish-green color emanate from the wrecked Guardian Academy. The tendrils spread across the sky, until they formed a large, dark cloud that choked out all light. It seemed a sign of hopelessness.
The sign of Daemon's infection.