The adversaries stood and stared at each other, each waiting for the other to make a move. No one did.
McAfee nodded, "Good… you have all stopped," she looked at Tower, "Go back to the Supercomputer! You have failed your mission…"
"NO!" Tower shouted. He aimed his weapon at McAfee, "I won't fail!!"
McAfee simply looked at him, "Do you believe you can delete me with a weapon like that?"
Tower shook with anger, then aimed his weapon at Dot.
"STOP!!" Bob shouted, and hit Tower with a golden beam of energy. Tower fell to the ground unconscious, his weapon falling beside him.
Dot turned to Turbo. "So… you're here because of DAEMON!" she began. "You LIED to us!!" She shouted angrily. "I actually felt SORRY for you!!!" Dot was fuming. Bob came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.
Turbo ignored her, and walked up to Tower. He brushed Tower's hair away from his face, revealing the yellow glowing veins that had been well hidden, "Ah can't wait to see Paige's face when she finds out how you failed, Tower…" Turbo said to the unconscious sprite.
Suddenly, Tower sat up and wrapped a hand around Turbo's neck, "NEVER badmouth someone to their face!"
"You… were.. **cough** .. playing .. **gasp** … possum…?" Turbo stuttered as he struggled to get free, but Tower was younger and stronger. Turbo gasped for breath, and attempted to sputter a few words. It didn't work.
McAfee glared at Tower… and he caught her eyes. His grip loosened around Turbo's neck, and finally he dropped his hand to his side. "Now… return to the Supercomputer…" she said softly.
Tower turned around as if in a trance, and used a device on his wrist to open a portal to the Supercomputer. He stepped through it, and it closed behind him. Turbo spun to face McAfee, "Why?!"
McAfee blinked, "It was time for him to return home…" she explained.
Turbo shook his head, "No… WHY did you stop him from deleting me!! Ah'm as corrupted as HE is!"
McAfee understood, "You are disappointed…" she said calmly, "You wished to be deleted…" She shook her head, "I stopped him because I sense your core has not completely given in to Daemon, even though your body has."
"You are WISE, McAfee.. but ah'm afraid you're mistaken in this case.."
McAfee raised an eyebrow, "Am I now?" she said.
Both fell silent. Bob and Dot watched this exchange with confusion until Bob finally broke the silence, "What should we do with him?"
McAfee looked at Bob, "Place him in a holding cell. That is all I can suggest…"
Bob nodded, and another burst of energy emerged from his hands. Turbo was now in a containment field, "What in the 'net…??!!" Turbo shouted, trying to get free. It didn't work.
The group headed back to the Principle Office.
*** Dot's Apartment
Dot knocked gently on Bob's door, "Can I come in?" she asked.
"Oh.. sure.." he answered from inside. Dot opened the door, glasses on, organizer in hand. When Bob saw Dot was in business mode, he quickly put away the book he had been reading. "Have a seat," he said, and made room for her on the bed.
"Thanks, " Dot said. She sat down and opened her organizer, "Ok.. I've made some basic plans on how to get through the Supercomputer, and Daemon… but we're going to need more then 40 web riders. There are over 100 Guardians!"
Bob nodded, "I know.. my dad is putting together a group of fighters. I hope it'll be enough…" he looked over her shoulder at the organizer. On the screen were blueprints of the Supercomputer. "Those are an about an hour old," he said about the blueprints. "I don't think it would've changed much since I was last there…"
Dot sighed, "I hope not… so.. here's what I'm planning…" And she began to outline, in detail, her plans for the attack.
*** Principle Office
Holding cell
Turbo put a hand to his arm. His keytool had been there only nanos ago. Now it was in a CPU evidence locker. "Daemon isn't coming back for me, is she...?" Turbo said.
McAfee shook her head sadly as she looked at him through the force field, "No.. she is not. You are now an official P.O.W."
Turbo shook his head, "Ah didn't expect anything more…" Turbo sighed, "The other Guardians never trusted me in the first place. Ah was the only one who hadn't lost his keytool,"
"Why do you think your keytool stayed with you, Turbo?" McAfee asked.
"Ah honestly don't know…" Turbo answered. "And ah don't CARE! I just want to go back to Daemon!"
"I can help you, but you must WANT my help…" McAfee started.
Turbo looked at her, "You can help me return to Daemon?!!" he asked hopefully.
McAfee shook her head, "No.. I can help you return to being a Guardian…"
"Ah told you before, ah don't answer to those protocols anymore!" Turbo insisted.
McAfee sighed, "Then as long as you believe that, you will never return…" Turbo said nothing. "Very well… I will leave you alone now.." McAfee turned to leave.
"Wait!" Turbo called out. McAfee turned back to him. Turbo wondered why he felt so comfortable with Daemon's enemy. He couldn't explain it. "Please… stay. You're the only one that will talk to me now… and ah would like to talk to someone."
McAfee smiled, "Then… I shall stay… for a short while…"
*** Dot's apartment
Dot felt something warm holding her as she woke up. When she finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Bob's face. He was sleeping. Her eyes went wide. Then she noticed her organizer was still open, and she was still in her peach jumpsuit. She closed her eyes and sighed, "Oh.. not again!" she groaned. The two had fallen asleep while working on the attack plans.
Dot tried to squirm carefully out of his grasp so as not to wake him. But Bob tightened his arms around her. Dot yelped in surprise.
"Dot…. wedding…. I do….." Bob muttered incoherently.
"WEDDING?!!!" she gasped. Then quickly shut up. The last thing Bob needed was to find that she'd been listening as he talked in his sleep. She looked at him and smiled. She truly didn't mind waking up to see his face, despite the fact that it was partially covered with web scars, "Um.. Bob…" she whispered, so as not to startle him. He didn't respond. She raised her voice slightly, "Bob…!" Still nothing. Dot took a deep breath, "BOB!!!!! WAKE UP!!"
Bob quickly bolted upright, "What .. who.. when.. where?!?!?!!!" He looked around, startled. Then noticed Dot's organizer still open. He frowned, "We fell asleep again…?" he asked, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
Dot nodded, "Yeah… so it seems," Then she smiled, "Well.. good morning…"
*** Principle Office
"AndrAIa, Matrix, and Bob… you three will be together in this," Dot began as she explained her plans. "While the web riders and whoever else are fighting the Guardians, you're going to have to get McAfee through to Daemon…" The three nodded. She turned to Mouse and Ray, "You guys are going to try to find the control base. See if you can debilitate their forces, and bring down their defenses."
"Come on, Dot, honey! Just Ray and myself?!" Mouse asked.
"It's easier to sneak two people into a base then to sneak in an army, Mouse…" Dot explained.
Mouse thought for a moment, then nodded, "Ah suppose you're right, sugah…"
"Now.. next we'll…" she was suddenly interrupted.
"What can I do?!!" A disembodied voice said. Soon, the body appeared out of thin air.
"Hexadecimal?!" Bob said as he looked at the newcomer.
"Yes, Guardian??" Hexadecimal replied.
"You… want to help us?!!" he asked.
"Oh no… more like I want to hurt my dear mother. She recently disowned me you know. It wasn't very nice…" Hexadecimal explained.
"Oh… well.. glad that your priorities are straight …" Bob muttered.
"Thank you, Bob…" Hexadecimal replied, ignoring the sarcasm in Bob's voice.
Dot typed a few things into her organizer, "Umm.. ok.. Hex.. I guess you can go in with Ray and Mouse…"
"WHAT?!!" Mouse shouted, "Team up with a VIRUS?! No way, sugah!"
"Now, Mouse… maybe she's not all that bad…" Ray offered.
Mouse looked at him, "Didn't you NOTICE what was in those biscuits before you ate them, honey?!"
Ray look confused, "Biscuits? That was a few cycles ago.. I don't remember. But they were very good…"
Mouse sighed, "Well.. it's better you don't know…"
Ray paled slightly, "What, exactly, were in those biscuits, luv?" he asked Mouse, and remembered the comment Bob had made to Megabyte in the web. Something about a binome known as Herr Dokter.
"Uh… nothing, honey... nothing at all..." Mouse said quickly.
"Oooh… would you like me to make more biscuits?!" Hexadecimal asked.
The group let out a collective, "NO!"
"Ok, people.. let's get back to business. As I was saying…" Dot continued.
Suddenly an all too familiar sound echoed through the air, "WARNING, INCOMING GAME… WARNING.."
"Oh… GREAT!! Just what I need! Another GAME!" Matrix said angrily. He looked at Bob, "Let's go.."
Bob and Matrix headed towards the game. As they ducked under the purple cube, they noticed they had been joined by a few people. Dot, AndrAIa…. And Hexadecimal.
"HEX?!" Bob said, "What are YOU doing in here?!"
Hexadecimal smiled, "I just wanted to see what a game looked like. Oooh… this looks cozy!" She said happily.
The surroundings was that of a grave yard. Dot felt this place was all to familiar to her, "Not again!" she muttered.
Bob looked at her, "You know this game…?"
Dot nodded, and sighed, "When I ReBoot, just don't comment…" Dot warned.
"Comment about what?!" Bob asked.
"THIS.." Dot answered. She tapped her icon, and rebooted into a long black dress with a large slit up the side, and a VERY revealing front. Her hair was longer then normal, just like last time. Dot sighed, and squirmed uncomfortably.
Bob's eyes went wide, "Woah… DOT!!"
Dot ripped the bottom off her dress, as she had the first time, and tied her hair with it, "Don't say ANYTHING!" she said.
Bob didn't say anything. He just stared.
"Oh.. no… this means I'm going to ReBoot into the same thing too!!" Matrix muttered. He tapped his icon, "REBOOT!!" and was now wearing a red leather jacket, and looked liked a decaying corpse.
"Ewww…. Enzo!!" AndrAIa said. He looked at her and shrugged. As he did so, one of his eyes fell out. AndrAIa had a disgusted look on her face.
Matrix looked at his bouncing eye, "Why am I NOT surprised…" he grumbled. Oddly enough, he remembered something a game character had said last time he played this game, "It's only fun until someone loses an eye.." That phrase sent shivers down Matrix's spine now.
Bob was still staring at Dot, "Will you REBOOT already!!" She snapped.
"What?! Oh.. yeah!" He tapped his icon, "ReBoot", and turned into a dark angel. Deathly pale skin, long black hair, and large black wings. The only clothing he wore were a tattered pair of pants, and leather boots. Now it was DOT'S turn to stare, "Oh.. WOW!!" She said with a smile. He was beautiful!
Bob looked at himself, then back at Dot, "Hey! You told ME to stop staring at YOU!"
Dot quickly turned away, "Um… AndrAIa.. uh.. it's your turn.."
AndrAIa nodded, and rebooted into a ghostly version of herself. She looked at her transparent body, "Oh.. great.. what can I do like THIS?!"
"Hmmm… interesting…" Hexadecimal commented, "Now.. what do I get to be?!"
"Uh.. tap your icon, and say 'reboot'.." Dot told her.
Hexadecimal did so. And rebooted in a female vampire. She had long black hair, pale skin, bright red lips, and fangs. Her eyes glowed red, and her nails were long and black. She wore a skimpy black leather outfit, and high black boots.
Dot looked at Hexadecimal, then turned to Bob, "Is it just me…" she whispered, "Or did Hex not change much… except for the hair..?"
Bob looked at Hexadecimal, then back at Dot, "Uh… just don't tell HER that!" Dot nodded, then turned to the rest of the group.
"Ok guys… the Users will be coming soon.." Dot began. The group prepared themselves, and soon FOUR users appeared… accompanied by one viral Guardian. Turbo.
Disclaimer: All ReBoot (tm) characters are property of Mainframe Entertainment.
The character of Paige is property of Joey Cruz
All other new characters are property of ME.. ^_^
The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.