A Phoenix From The Ashes
By Majin Magus
Chapter Four
"…"
"So, what are we going to do with him?"
"I'm sure we'll think of something."
"Great idea, wasn't it?"
Bob's head was throbbing. When he opened his eyes, he couldn't see. He blinked a few times and two forms above him came into view.
"Awake, huh? Have a nice nap?" a female voice asked mockingly. To his left was Phoenix, the girl who was responsible for this odd turn of events.
The good Guardian looked to his right and saw Megabyte grinning. There were some virals behind him trying to get a good look without being deleted. There were scorch marks on their bodies, but Bob was sure his friends had lost the fight.
Bob was chained down onto a metal slate with heavy bands around his wrist, ankles, and his waist. He could barely move. He just lay there as Phoenix and Megabyte smirked at him.
"What happened?" Bob asked aloud, not really meaning to say anything.
Megabyte looked gloatingly at him, and then spoke. "We defeated your pitiful band of rebels and they retreated. The cowards will soon know deletion, though."
Phoenix gripped her sword's hilt with her right hand. "I think we should delete him now…or he will be rescued," she murmured. "If he is not dead soon, this plan will be foiled. Do it now, Megabyte, without hesitation."
For a second, Megabyte looked puzzled. "Aah…no gloating. Heh, I think just a little. A few nanos will good enough," he replied, crossing his hands. Phoenix took out her sword.
"No. Now," she growled. "Before I made my escape out of Daemon's lair, I checked the data on Mainframe. You could have defeated Bob and his allies had you not gloated…delete him now. The opportunity to capture him was very sudden and will not come again for some time."
Megabyte made the claws on his knuckles appear and he smirked while drawing his fist back, preparing to strike.
"Bob, NO!!" a voice shrieked.
Phoenix yelled in fury. "You idiot!! You should have deleted him!!"
Dot, Matrix, AndrAIa, and Mouse came on zip boards down the hall. Matrix was in front blasting any virals that got in their way.
Matrix stopped coming virals while Mouse and the others flew ahead and took out Megabyte. The virus was thrown through a wall and, while he was trying to come back and delete them, Dot freed Bob. Bob held Megabyte at bay with an energy shield. They all watched Matrix and Phoenix while still trying to contain Megabyte.
The half viral girl threw out a zip board and flew towards Matrix. Phoenix swung her sword at him and nearly chopping his head off.
Matrix's eyes narrowed in fury and his mechanical eye locked onto Phoenix. "Die viral!" he shouted, firing a full delete shot at Phoenix. She didn't move and the shot sped towards through her.
"Think again, idiot," Phoenix uttered, and opened her left palm to the shot. The shot went into her hand and her left arm glowed for a second. Then it throbbed and the left shelve of the jacket exploded into pieces.
Phoenix dropped off the zip board and onto her knees.
"What…what the hell?" she roared, her right hand grasping her left arm. The insignia on her left forearm glowed and throbbed, and her entire forearm turned purple.
Matrix and the other sprites left quickly. After a nano or two, Megabyte stumbled out of a hole in wall. He glared at Phoenix.
"Why didn't you stop them?" he growled, willing his claws to slide back into his hands. He then saw Phoenix clutching her forearm and her whole left arm flashing from her normal skin color to a metallic purple. Megabyte walked over to her.
"Interesting reaction. I would have thought the infection I gave you would've healed." He shrugged. "I guess…wait. This should be transforming you into a viral…this is deep blue like usual…this…"
Phoenix, her face twisted in agony, glanced up at him. "What? What's…argh…happening to me?!" she said slowly, stopping at intervals to clutch her arm harder.
Megabyte frowned. "That infection is transforming you into a virus. Not a viral. That's never happened before," he admitted, watching as Phoenix's torso, from neck to waist, was pulsating into metallic purple underneath her partially ripped shirt along with her arms.
"So…I'm going to be a…rrr…a virus. Agh…what's that like?" Phoenix asked, grimacing with pain. Her skin remained metallic purple now, and her hair became metallic red and stuck out wildly.
Megabyte didn't answer. He just stared as Phoenix's eye color turned from black to lime green. Sharp claws not unlike Megabyte's slid in and out of Phoenix's fingertips and knuckles. Her claws, though, were teal blue in color. Her ears were pointed now.
With an earsplitting roar of fury and pain, Phoenix leapt up. Her fists were clenched and teeth, now with wicked-looking fangs, were gnashing. Her new metallic purple skin ebbed from a darker shade to a lighter shade. The teal blue claws in her hands were extended fully.
"DAMN IT!" Phoenix yelled, her mouth opened all the way to let a cry of anger out. She turned and sliced the slate Bob had been on in half. She sat down then, quietly staring at her extended claws. Although she looked tranquil, there was obviously a storm of rage going on within her.
Megabyte's mouth was partially open. He saw Phoenix examining her new body and abilities. Her sword had been thrown across the room, but she went and got it and strapped it back on her back. Megabyte then saw his insignia glowing with a green ebb on her left shoulder.
"How the hell could this happen?" Megabyte wondered aloud. Now that the girl was a virus, he couldn't trust her at all. He couldn't really trust her before, but now that she was a virus…
Phoenix grimaced. "I guess you should be happy…I still don't have to follow my programming. It's like an option. My programming tells me I should delete you right now, but I don't think that would be wise," she told the other virus.
"How can I trust you?" Megabyte asked, his eyes narrowing.
The virus girl barked out a laugh. "You trusted me before, right? You can't trust me now…wait, you shouldn't trust me, because I don't have to follow my programming," she replied.
"Hello!" a voice cried. Megabyte and Phoenix spun around, both of their claws on their knuckles extended fully. The voice came from the hall that led to the entrance of the Principal Office.
Someone came gliding in. Surprisingly, it was Hexadecimal. She stopped in the doorway and her eyes locked on Phoenix.
"Who are you? There are three viruses in Mainframe now…hee hee hee, how lovely!" Hexadecimal cackled. Then, she stopped laughing as a bunch of tiny lightning bolts jumped from the spot on Phoenix's chest right on her heart.
Phoenix fell to the ground on her knees. Then she pulled something off her tattered black sleeveless shirt and threw it a few yards. Then it exploded. Hexadecimal and Megabyte both looked at her.
The girl shrugged. "I suppose my Guardian icon didn't take too well with my new format," she muttered nonchalantly. The place where the icon had exploded was emitting smoke, and sparks were flying around.
"Explain who you are…now!!" Hexadecimal ordered. Phoenix looked at her, running her eyes up and down the virus's form. Phoenix knew where to strike Hexadecimal if the virus became a fatal threat. It would take less than a nano.
"I am come from the super virus Daemon's Super Computer base. I was the first Guardian here, but Megabyte infected me. Bob brought me back to the Super Computer and I was healed. I was being healed when Daemon took over the Super Computer." Phoenix paused to take a few breaths.
"Before I escaped, I checked what had gone on in Mainframe. I read only had up to a certain part, because Mainframe was then sealed from observation. Then, I saw Bob in the web. I followed and entered Mainframe…as it turns out, my infection from Megabyte never fully healed. It somehow transformed me into a virus…and, well, here I am," Phoenix concluded, crossing her arms.
After a quick explanation of who Daemon was to Hexadecimal, she was caught up to speed. Mainly the virus just laughed at how chaotic things were getting.
Phoenix looked around the room at the other two viruses and some virals. "So now what do we do? I think, because of this system's long history of clichés, Matrix and the others should be heading here for a final confrontation," she predicted.
"Everything around here is cliché, isn't it?" Hexadecimal sighed. "How boring. Maybe we shall win."
The new virus grinned. "You wouldn't have, but now I'm here. And with my enhanced abilities, the chances are raised. Hell, with some training or whatever, we could probably take down Daemon!" Phoenix paused. "But, problem is, I've never seen her."
Megabyte started at this. "You were in the deepest pair of her lair and was almost deleted escaping, and you never saw her!?" he exclaimed.
Phoenix shook her head.
"So we have no idea what we're up against," Megabyte said.
Phoenix nodded.
"Wait…I didn't even say we were going to face her!!" Megabyte growled. "Damn you, Majin Magus!"