CHAPTER 7
DARK DREAMS
"No way, they protect us from the web!"
"Enzo, don't you understand?"
"Bob, you're tired. I told you I've got --,"
"Don't you dare patronize me, Matrix. As far as I'm concerned you're still that
annoying little boy I gladly left behind."
No! That isn't
what happened! I didn't stay that to
him!
But you thought it.
No, I didn't! I
would never do anything to hurt Matrix!
Not consciously. What about the long talk you were going to have with him about Enzo?
Tell him how much you've despised what he's become, even more than the worthless little boy you thought he was?
Keep fooling yourself, Guardian. We both know the truth.
"Stop it," Bob jammed his palms violently against his eyelids, "Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!"
The voices in his head cackled maliciously. He had to keep his mind clear. He had to focus on the situation at hand;
otherwise, he was going to go completely random. Bob was totally unaware of the amount of time that had passed
since his imprisonment. It had seemed
like hours. He had slept little. His cell was infested with viral bugs and
the walls dripped with the poisonous muck. Bob could swear the thick black liquid had a mind of its own. Often, when he managed to snatch a few nanos
of sleep, he would wake up with it attached to some part of his body, eating
through his armor and burning his skin. It was not as bad as the bugs and the worms. They stole his energy little by little. The bug bites left angry red welts on his skin and the worms –
well he didn't even want to think about what they tried to do.
Bob sat up on the cot and watched the progress of a shiny
black and green beetle as it made its way across his cell floor. He hadn't been fed since he had been brought
here.
I'm not that random, not yet anyway.
Despite all of this, the voices were even worse. They haunted him and dogged him, stealing his will in bytes. Dragging his darkest thoughts to the forefront of his processor. Feeding off his anger, frustration and fear. He was worried about Matrix, hearing nothing from the cell next to his in what he thought was milliseconds. That first night, there had been a struggle of some sort, although Bob had been unable to see anything. It was the silence afterwards that had caused much of his anxiety.
Without Glitch he felt lost and empty. He had no idea how they had removed
him. He realized that they wouldn't
just leave him here to starve to deletion. Not after all the trouble Daemon went through to get them.
A sound from not so far away told him he was right. Footsteps echoed down the hall. Bob stood, despite his weakened state and
prepared to face what was to come.
Cooper appeared with two Guardians flanking him. The two carried stun lances, poles with a
glowing tip that delivered devastating blasts of energy.
"Ah, Bob," Cooper smiled at him. "Will broken yet?"
Several snide comebacks came to Bob's mind, but
unfortunately, in his current condition, all he said with was, "Kiss my ASCII,
Cooper."
Cooper laughed, "Why Bob, such language coming from
you?" Cooper shook his head, "The web
did change you didn't it? You were such
a dork in school."
"Thought about Desdemona, lately?" Bob muttered.
For a moment, Cooper's whole face changed. There seemed to be just a hint of remorse
there, "She's no longer of any concern to me."
"That's obvious since you tried to delete her."
"You'll be doing the same thing soon enough," Cooper
said. "All right."
One of the two stepped forward and unlocked his
cell. As he stepped out, he saw two
more Guardians flanking Matrix. The
brawny sprite's back was to him but he could see his body was covered with bug
bites much like his own, but Matrix also sported several cuts and bruises that
Bob knew were recent.
"Matrix," Bob called to him. The renegade didn't turn.
"Hold," Cooper said, "Bring him."
With his own set of guards pushing him along, Bob began
to walk. As he passed Matrix, Bob
turned to look back at him. He only had
a glimpse of his young friend, but Bob realized something was truly wrong,
although he didn't quite know what it was. The guards led them through the maze of hallways, none of which was
familiar to Bob. It was as though they
had been trapped in some bizarre game. All things familiar had been reshaped.
During their walk, they saw little if anyone. What little signs of life they did
encounter, (besides more bugs and worms) were infected guardians, drones, and a
few terrified sprites and binomes, probably kept around for general maintenance
and grunge work.
For now the voices were silent, but whenever he turned
his thoughts to Dot or Mainframe, they started up again, as though they wanted
him to have no hope to cling to. He
realized with a great amount of fear that they were succeeding.
Finally they came to what it took Bob several nanos to
recognize, The Council Chambers. Bob
bit down hard on his lip. The beautiful
hand carved door had been remade with the image of a hideous mutated
spider. Daemon's symbol he
gathered.
So this would be how it ended. Without Glitch, he couldn't put his plan into action. He'd never have enough power, unless Daemon
had Glitch with her. It was his last
hope and the only thing that kept him from completely giving into despair as
the great doors opened.
A nauseating stench wafted from the room. It was the scent of rotting things and pure
malevolence. Bob could see little
within the semi-darkness. A grayish
light was the only illumination in the room but Bob could not determine its
source.
The pair was shoved forward.
"I would suggest pleading for mercy," Cooper said before
motioning to the guards to pull the door shut. The sound resembled the closing of a casket.
"Why didn't they come in with us?" But Bob knew the reason even as he
asked. They didn't expect them to come
out alive. He didn't strain to see, deciding
to wait until his eyes became accustomed to the gloom. Even though not a thing moved, Bob had the
acute sensation that they were being closely observed.
Matrix stood with his back to him. The normally outspoken renegade had not said
a word. "Matrix?" Bob reached for him.
"Don't," Matrix growled, jerking his shoulder away when
Bob touched him.
"What is it? What's wrong?
"Don't look at me."
Bob circled around to stand in front of him. Matrix hid his face, "Matrix look at me."
Slowly the younger sprite lifted his head.
"No," the word of disbelief escaped Bob's lips, "User,
no!"
A single tear escaped from Matrix's good eye. The muscular sprite viciously wiped it away,
"No pity!" Matrix hissed.
"Matrix," Bob swallowed past the lump in his throat. "How? When?"
Matrix lifted his hand to cover the now empty socket
where his mechanical eye had rested, "They took me away the second night. They didn't tell you?"
"I said no pity," Matrix ground his teeth.
"Are you in pain?"
"Not anymore."
It was too much for Bob, first failure and betrayal and
now this. This terrible atrocity forced
upon his young friend. The worst part
was Bob couldn't think of a single thing to say or do to remedy the situation. Matrix had demanded that he show no pity and
the least Bob could do was grant that wish but it didn't mean Bob didn't feel
pity.
"So now what?" Matrix broke the silence.
Bob concentrated hard and managed to bring a feeble light
to life in his palm. It did little to
chase away the gloom and in fact, seemed to just be sucked up by the darkness
itself. There was a sudden sound of
thousands of scurrying bodies and Bob realized there were also bugs there.
"Where are we Bob?"
"What was the Council Chamber I think," Bob said. "Matrix I don't think we're alone."
Almost as if in reply, there was a soft smug laugh.
"Where are you?" Bob stepped forward, "Why don't you show yourself?"
Something moved against Bob's foot. He looked down to see a thin oil-like
tendril of wrapping itself around his ankle.
"What in the net?"
Trails of the oily liquid came from every direction,
surrounding the two sprites, forming intricate web-like designs on the floor.
"Why these games?" Bob screamed, "Why not show yourself?"
Another laugh as more tendrils came from the darkness above and below, seeming to have no origin, attaching themselves to Bob's legs, arms, and torso. Bob turned to Matrix and found him faring no better. The webbing on the floor held him immobile as the tendrils wrapped themselves around his failing arms. One came from behind and encircled his throat, cutting off his breath.
How was this possible? Bob managed to ask himself the question despite his rising
panic. How could these things be
coming from everywhere and have no source?
His torso was completed enveloped now, his legs securely anchored in the webbing. Yet, the tendrils still came, wrapping around his face, jerking his head back. Bob began to truly panic when two of them forced his mouth open and filled it. The Guardian couldn't move, or even cry out as he felt the liquid force his way down his throat, burning his insides. It tasted like poison.
He thought he saw something in the shadows with a twisted face grinning evilly at him before the tendrils covered his eyes.
***
"Daddy, look at me!"
"I'm watching
sweetheart."
Bob smiled at his
daughter as she tossed the Frisbee and the big red puppy went after it.
"Look! I trained Frisket Junior to catch the
Frisbee."
"Very good honey, let's
see it again."
Bob watched the
beautiful child with silvery hair and big violet eyes as she played with her
new puppy. He turned to where Dot sat
on the blanket, setting out a picnic lunch.
"Almost ready you two.
Who wants fried chicken?"
"I do, I do!" His
daughter cried happily. Bob's heart
swelled with love and pride at the sight of her. Everything, all the suffering and sacrifices and been worth it
just to have her and Dot with him forever. It was a perfect day in Mainframe.
His daughter tossed the
Frisbee one last time then ran joyfully after her pet. She went farther than Bob liked and he
called to her. She didn't seem to hear
him so he called again.
It happened so fast; Bob
barely had time to react. A portal
opened in a blaze of golden fire before his beautiful little girl. Bob saw within the globe a world of darkness
filled with hideous monsters. His
daughter stood transfixed, not seeming to hear Bob's frantic cries.
The portal shivered once
and out of its center stepped …
Megabyte.
The virus grinned evilly
at the little girl. Bob tried to move
but he found, as it often seemed to happen in nightmares, that he was rooted to
the spot. His voice fled and he could
only watch as Megabyte reached for her.
No! Bob wanted to scream. User, please, no!
He saw Dot running
towards them, her eyes ablaze with the fury only a mother could produce when
her child was in danger. Megabyte
laughed cruelly. His claws extended and
as Dot reached him, he slashed the deadly weapons across Dot's chest.
Bob screamed as the love
of his life crumpled to the ground.
Then Megabyte looked at
him. It was the same look he had given
Bob before sending him into the web. The look that had chilled Bob to his very core-com.
Seizing his precious
daughter by the arm, Megabyte pulled her into the portal. Bob had one glimpse of her terrified face
before she disappeared and the portal collapsed behind them.
Then he could move
again. He rushed to Dot, but it was too
late. Her body dissolved in a
shimmering green light. Bob knelt on
the space where her body had been, pressed both hands to his temples and began
crying out in anguish and didn't stop.
***
It was good to be
home. They had won, Daemon was defeated
and Matrix had decided he was going to keep a promise he had made to himself
after the web creature had bitten AndrAIa. He paused outside the door and shifted the bouquet of long stem red
roses (Dot had said she'd like those, Matrix wasn't sure, but he figured it was
worth a shot.) under his arm and opened the velvet ring box. Matrix smiled at the ring and all it
represented. He never figured himself
the marrying type, but after the harrowing experience, well he was willing to
make a change.
Matrix cleared his
throat and gave it a practice run, "AndrAIa, will you marry me?"
Good enough. Matrix entered AndrAIa's apartment. The door wasn't locked, which didn't strike
him as odd. It was dark in the living
room, but he heard movement from AndrAIa's bedroom. He knew it was late and she was probably getting ready for bed,
but this couldn't wait. "AndrAIa?"
"Matrix?" He could hear
the astonishment in her voice. "I
didn't hear you come in. Wait a nano."
Eagerly, Matrix entered
the bedroom, "I didn't want to wait, I --,"
AndrAIa was just tying a
robe around her slim form. She looked
up, and her eyes widened in consternation. At first Matrix couldn't figure out why until a voice behind him said,
"Hello mate."
Matrix turned sharply to
find Ray standing in the doorway. He
grinned smugly at the renegade, "Sorry you had to find out this way."
Matrix whirled on
AndrAIa, "What in the net's going on here?"
"What's it look like?"
Ray's voice was triumphant. "I've taken
your woman."
"No! AndrAIa, you didn't, you couldn't!"
AndrAIa stared defiantly
at him, "I didn't want you to find out this way. I wanted to tell you. I
knew you'd try and hurt Ray."
"How could you? I love you!"
"Well I don't love you.
You're not good enough for me. All
those things you did while we were lost in the web. You've become a cruel, heartless, murdering --,"
"No! You're not totally guiltless! You were with me through everything!"
"Only because I had no
choice. Now I do."
"How could you do this
to me? How could you humiliate me –
betray me this way?"
"Face it mate," Ray
smiled, "What would she want with you? A weak, sniveling, worthless renegade!"
Matrix's rage was a red
haze across his vision. He acted before
he realized what he was doing. He
wasn't aware of himself summoning Gun, but suddenly his weapon was in his hand
and pointed at Ray.
"You don't have the
circuits to kill me, boy," Megabyte's voice came from Ray's lips. "You didn't before and you don't now!"
The mechanical eye
twirled and focused targeting Ray's chest. Matrix's finger squeezed the trigger.
"No!" AndrAIa was suddenly in the line of fire and
it was too late. Gun went off and
AndrAIa gave a last dying scream.
"AndrAIa!" Matrix reached for her, but there was
nothing there.
Then Ray started to
laugh.
Fury burned away the
last of Matrix's sanity. Again Gun was
in his hand and pointed at Ray. The
weapon trembled, as Matrix's own body shook.
"What good is deleting
me going to do? She's gone, she won't
come back and it's all your fault."
"It's your fault! You confused her!"
"She knew what she was
doing," Ray smiled. "There's only one
thing to do now mate, if you have the circuits for it."
Matrix's hand lowered of
it's own accord. Against his will, he felt the rage drain away, to be replaced
by resignation. He turned the barrel of
Gun inward, towards himself. Then with
a growl, he moved it away. "No, I
won't."
"Didn't think so," Ray
stepped forward. "Very well then, I'll
do it. Give Gun to me."
Matrix stared at his
weapon for a nano, then mindlessly handed Gun over to Ray.
"This proves how weak
you really are. You haven't grown or
changed. You're still that weak little
sprite you hate so much. And now you're
getting what you deserve for being such a failure.
The brilliant flash of
Gun's shot was the last thing Matrix saw.
***
"Wake up, Guardian."
Bob couldn't remember ever
feeling quite this awful. The voices
screamed in his brain causing lances of pain that made him cringe. Every muscle and nerve in his body was on fire. Nausea was forcing something to rise in his
throat and he coughed and felt a trickle of liquid come from his mouth, which
tasted sour.
His eyes refused to
focus. He didn't even have the strength
to lift his head to see who had spoken.
"I know you can hear me,"
the voice said. "That was merely a
taste of what is to come. No, I will
not physically injure you, and least not much. I need your bodies in tact, but your will must belong to me."
Bob spat out more of the
vile liquid as he tried to form words, "Who are you?"
"You know who I am. The one you sought. The one who now holds the whole of the web
in her claws. I am Daemon. Look upon me and despair."
Bob found that he
couldn't. He was on his knees, he knew
that much. His arms were raised above
him and secured with what he supposed were the spidery tendrils. He had difficulty breathing, because the
tendrils were still wrapped around his throat.
"So you cannot bear to look
at me. Do I have you yet? Tell me that you are mine and I will release
you."
"Never."
The smug laugh came again,
"I admire a sprite with spirit. I must
admit you gave me a merry chase Robert Lan. I haven't been this amused in ages."
From somewhere deep within
his core-com, Bob managed to dredge up some of his former cockiness, "I'm glad
one of us is amused."
Daemon laughed fully, "I
will enjoy breaking you Guardian."
"Let Matrix go."
"No. I need him as well. You especially, but he will also be useful
to me."
Bob heard her move
away. "Look this way Bob. You can. Go ahead."
With painful slowness, Bob
turned his head to his left towards the voice. He saw nothing at first, then a dim light shone to reveal Matrix, in
what Bob could only assume was the same condition he was in. The renegade was on his knees, wrapped in
the tendrils. Yellow-green liquid
seeped from Matrix's empty eye socket and mouth.
"Don't do this to him,
please."
"Was that a plea?" The voice had retreated into the
shadows. "Yes, I like the sound of
that. Beg me to release him and I
will."
Bob knew it would be
useless. He could plead for mercy and
Daemon would never release them and she would use his affection for Matrix
against him.
"You refuse? Then watch as your friend suffers."
Bob felt something; he
couldn't quite describe what but the very atmosphere in the room changed. It seemed charged with a volatile
energy. Matrix's head suddenly snapped
up and he opened his mouth and gave a cry of agony.
"No, stop!"
"Bob," Matrix's voice was
high, almost childlike, "Why did you go away Bob? Why did you trust Megabyte? Why did you leave Dot alone?"
"Don't," Bob whispered.
"I need you Bob," Matrix
cried, "I'm not a Guardian, just a weak little boy. How can I protect Mainframe? You were supposed to be here, why did you leave?"
"No, Matrix, listen to me!"
"I hate you, Bob. I hate you for leaving me alone." Then the
powerful renegade began to weep.
"Enzo," Bob said, "you
don't mean that. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have trusted him, but I
had no choice."
"He left you because he
didn't care," Daemon's voice once again drifted from the shadows. "He's never cared for you. Bob despises you."
Matrix slowly turned his
head to look at Bob, "Is that true?"
"No," Bob cried fiercely,
"Megabyte tricked me, remember?"
"He's a Guardian," Daemon
continued. "They are all Guardians and
I have them. As you can see, young
Matrix, Guardians are not a powerful as Bob led you to believe."
"Why did the Guardians
fail?" Matrix wailed like a child. "Why
were they captured?"
"Because they are weak,"
Daemon replied. "But you sought them
out. You wished to be one of them. What does that say about you?"
"Stop it, Daemon." Bob hissed.
"That I'm weak and
helpless," Matrix's voice dropped to a whisper.
"No, Enzo, listen to
me! Don't let her win. Fight her!"
"That's right," Bob could
hear the amusement in Daemon's voice. "But I can give you the power you seek. You merely have to give yourself to me."
"Matrix, don't. Think of AndrAIa!"
"AndrAIa?" Some of the old strength returned to
Matrix's voice.
"You mean the girl? She's deleted," Daemon said. "Blame the Guardian for that, young Matrix."
"No," Matrix growled, "I
blame you she-viral! You had better
hope I never get free because woman or not, I will delete you."
Daemon answered his threat
with a laugh, "Ah, you will be a challenge as well. How delightful."
"Why all this, Daemon? Why all these games? Why not infect us and get it over
with?" Bob said.
"No," Daemon's voice gained
a harsh edge. "Not mere infection for
you two. I have a greater plan. Oh yes, you will be mine, but it will take
some time. I am not worried, however,
you won't be leaving and since Mainframe is under my power and the Command.com
is dead, you have nothing to go back to."
"What?" Bob cried.
"Oh yes," Daemon's
amusement returned, "I sent one of my viral assassins after your lady
love. My armada has secured the system
by now and without the Command.com, Mainframe will join the many systems I have
subjugated."
"No, I don't believe you!"
"You don't?" Daemon laughed. "Why in all the web would I lie?"
Bob cringed away from her
laughing voice. "Oh Dot," he moaned and
let the tears come. Matrix began to
scream curses at the super virus.
"So you believe me,
excellent. Now I shall began your
transformation, while you are at your most vulnerable."
Bob saw movement within the
shadows and a form appeared. The light
around them brightened but not by much, but it was enough to see the face of
his captor.
Her eyes were the first
things that drew Bob's attention. They
were smooth opalescence, yet glowed with primal yellow fire. When she smiled with her full lips, black
fangs protruded. A network of thin
yellow veins covered her blood-red mask and extended to her hairline to merge
with the thick mass of sable hair that flowed down her back.
She moved with a smooth
grace that lent a surreal beauty to her features, and seemed to exude a
powerful sensuality. As she stepped
further into the circle of light, Bob's eyes were unwillingly drawn to her
supple form. She was dressed in form-fitting
gown, crimson in color that split on both sides to reveal her shapely
legs. The veins reappeared at her
collarbone and disappeared underneath the fabric of her costume and became
visible again the length of both legs.
The spider-like arms, three
to each side, were folded placidly behind her. Bob realized they were made of metal and razor-sharp. She spread the appendages slightly as she
moved closer. Bob also noticed she
could move them in various directions at will.
"I see you are impressed,"
she smiled and held out her arms. The
tendrils moved to her and caressed her booted feet. "Am I not magnificent?"
Bob mentally shook off the
effects of the spell she so artfully wove, "No. I think you're the most horrible thing I've ever seen."
Her smile vanished, "And
you renegade?" She turned to
Matrix. "What is your feeling?"
"You disgust me," Matrix
said.
For a moment, Daemon's face
twisted into a freakish caricature of her former self, then returned to
normal. She laughed, "You do have
courage, but it will be all for nothing. Now I will tell you what I have in store for you. You see, my strain is dying; my daughter
Melissa is the last of my line. It is a
great tragedy, as once she deletes Hexadecimal, there will be no one of power
left save myself."
"What do you mean,
deletes?" Bob asked.
"I sent my daughter to
Mainframe as well," Daemon smiled. "She
fears my wrath, so she will succeed, or delete trying."
Daemon moved to Bob and
knelt before him. "But that is
irrelevant." She raised her hands and
cupped them on either side of Bob's face. "Do you have any idea of the power you possess, Robert Lan? I gained much information from your mentor
Turbo. Do you know he considered you as
the next Prime Guardian?"
The spider-like arms folded
around Bob in an embrace. Daemon's face
was close to his. Bob tried to turn his
face away, and found the tendrils held him motionless.
"You will help me renew my
strain. I must transform you
first. Place a piece of myself into
your core-com and once inside of you it will thrive and flourish, feeding off
of your energy and will, rewriting your code and twisting your format until it
takes complete control of you. Then you
will no longer be a sprite but a true viral."
"I won't let you."
Daemon's claws, which were
the same blood red, extended. "Come let
me share with you."
"No," Bob muttered as he
felt the first sharp pressure. Daemon
positioned her claws at various points on Bob's face. Two were driven into his temples, his ears, and at the base of
his jaw, into his throat. When the
excruciating pain began, Bob began to scream.
And the more he screamed,
the deeper Daemon pushed her claws into his flesh.
Something forced its way
into the open wounds, dripping from Daemon's claws like venom, causing Bob's
agony to intensify. Dozens of wriggling
yellow viral worms worked their way into Bob's skull. His vision seemed to turn inward as he witnessed it happening.
Through the torture, Bob was dimly aware of Matrix screaming something, but he
was in no condition to discern what it was. Everything around him disappeared into a white-hot fire of pain.
He tried to focus on
something else. Dot, Mainframe,
anything, but the worms were feeding on his thoughts and memories and they
warped and twisted every thought he had that might have brought him
solace. Like the nightmare of Megabyte
taking his daughter and deleting Dot, every good memory was turned inside out.
Nanos before he blacked out Bob had a fleeting thought that he had finally found something worse than being lost in the web.
***
So this is Daemon. Matrix stared
at the she-virus with all the loathing in his core-com.
Daemon knelt before
Bob. Matrix managed to twist his head
around slightly. The muscular sprite
watched as she extended her claws. Daemon smiled, almost serenely and closed her eyes.
Then Bob began to scream.
"Bob!" Matrix cried, "Bob!" His stomach lurched as he watched Daemon
drive her claws into Bob's skull. Yellowish liquid ran in rivulets down the side of the Guardian's
face. Bob's body began to convulse.
This isn't happening, Matrix thought. This is another nightmare. Bob's screaming abruptly ceased. Daemon threw back her head and howled, her fangs glinted in the dim
light. Matrix watched as she
withdrew. Her claws were slick with
moisture. The tendrils held Bob's head
upright, yet Matrix hoped he was unconscious. The Guardian's body twitched spasmodically. Daemon watched him for a few nanos, and then turned to Matrix.
"Now you my young handsome
one."
"No!" Matrix began to struggle, but it was a
futile effort. His bonds tightened
around him.
"Ah, your fear is
nourishment for me," she smiled.
"I'm not afraid," Matrix
growled. "Bob may have given in to
pain, but I won't. I won't give you
that satisfaction."
"Of course you will," her
claws lengthened.
Matrix steeled himself and
filled his mind with thoughts of AndrAIa. She just had to be all right. She couldn't be deleted. He
couldn't live without her.
As the first pressure began
Matrix closed his eyes. He was a
renegade. He was strong. He was not that weak little boy. He had been in pain before. This would mean nothing to him.
A few nanos later, he
realized how wrong he was.