In a nano it was morning. The calm of Mainframe quickly came to an end as sprites and beings of all formats bustled about. Stores opened, school bells rang, and in the blink of an eye the streets were jammed with traffic and pedestrians alike. In G-Prime, however, things were quiet. The sector was famous for its nightlife, so it was to be assumed that its residents were all sleeping. Still, something felt off. Something about that day in particular wasn't right, at least Matrix thought so. But he could have just been nervous.

"Wow, look at you!" Dot laughed. Matrix walked over, struggling with his tie. He hated dressing up, but wanted to show them that he was serious. Admittedly, he just felt ridiculous. Matrix was never a suit and tie kind of sprite.

Dot, as usual, was dressed smart in a blouse and black pencil skirt. She held her organizer to her chest as she watched her brother fidget.

"I didn't overdress, did I?"

"Not at all," Dot smiled.

They both looked up at the entrance of Silicon Tor. It was a grand structure, and seemed even more intimidating up close. It was one of the tallest buildings in all of Mainframe. Its long, angular shape coupled with an interesting colour palette made it stand out. The red, blue and yellow drew a lot of attention.

"Let's do this, I guess." He motioned towards the door, but Dot stopped him.

"Matrix, before we go in I just wanted to say thank you- for checking up on Bob for me. I wanted to wait until I saw you in person to say this. I was a mess and you really pulled through for me."

"Don't get all mushy on me. It was no trouble- really." He shrugged.

"... Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

There was a troubled look on Matrix's face that caused Dot to take pause. She had never seen him look so contemplative.

"Are you all right?"

"I don't know. I've never done anything like this before. You're the smart one, Dot. I don't want to cause any trouble or hold you back. I don't know the first thing about running a business, and I'm sure Megabyte will pick up on that."

"Stop worrying. You'll have a great teacher." Dot winked playfully.

"I just have a lot riding on this."

"Hey, stop stressing already, that's my job. This is just a meeting. Sit back and take in as much as you can, I'll do all the talking."

Surprisingly Dot's words helped to ease his nerves. He wasn't going in alone.

"All right," He gave a small smile, "I'm ready."

She nodded and they made their way inside.

# #

Bob yawned, stretching. He lazily lounged in the covers, too comfortable to want to get out of bed. Early morning sunlight streaked in from the window. The bright glare made it difficult for him to fall back asleep. He rolled over and lay for a few minutes attempting to recreate the serenity of slumber. After a while he sat back up, defeated, and struggled to untangle himself from the covers.

He looked over at the empty space beside him. Dot must have left already. He was well aware of her meeting with Megabyte and Matrix. Bob had hoped to see her off, but managed to sleep through all of her alarms.

Bob got up and slowly made his way to the kitchen to get some coffee; his usual morning ritual. As he poured himself a cup he sighed contently.

His moment of peace was quickly interrupted.

A vidwindow appeared. Dixon stared back at him with frantic eyes. Her sudden presence startled him, causing him to spill some of the coffee. Bob gave out a small yelp before looking back over at her.

"Dixon?" He exclaimed. Bob grabbed a sheet of paper towel, dabbing away the excess coffee from his shirt.

"Bobby, I remember everything."

"About?" He said before finally taking a sip.

"Just… everything, all of my memories are back."

"That's great." Bob's smile slowly faded as he watched her worried face, "that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Falling down the stairs wasn't a freak accident. I was attacked."

"What?"

Bob put his mug down on the counter, just then giving Dixon his full attention.

"I found out something no sprite was supposed to know."

"Who attacked you?"

"That isn't important right now," She shook her head, "Your wife is Welman Matrix's daughter, right?"

"Yes… What does this have to do with her?"

"Her mother was working with this virus named Megabyte, but he was lying to her and-"

"Megabyte?"

"You know him?"

"Dot's on her way to meet him right now."

"You have to stop her!"

A million questions rushed through his mind, but none of that mattered; Dot needed him. He had to be the guardian that everyone thought he was, the guardian he used to be. One who didn't just rescue cats from trees; a real guardian.

"Megabyte is a powerful virus," he spoke with a fiery look in his eyes, "I'm going to need back up. How fast can you get here?"

"I'm practically at the port now."

"When you get here, meet me at Silicon Tor."

Dixon gave a nod before signing off. Bob quickly ran to his closet, trading the pajamas he wore for his guardian uniform. He immediately called AndrAIa. The moment she answered Bob started talking.

"AndrAIa, Matrix is in danger."

# #

Megabyte was the kind of virus who took pride in keeping his composure, like all the civilized sprites did. Usually this was something he accomplished with ease, but in that particular moment he grinned from ear to ear. Before him was not only the spoils of his hard work, but the future of the net itself. Herr Doktor stood by his side and looked on. In front of them a mess of wires and tubes connecting two smaller chambers to a larger one. The two closer to the Megabyte lay on the floor, the final one stood upright against the far wall. Matrix lay inside one, the other with his sister, and the largest one; empty… for the time being.

Herr Doktor's eyes darted between the two unconscious sprites and the large computer screen behind them. Slowly green bars began to appear, indicating that the machine was charging. Everything was going according to plan.

Several viral binomes scurried about the lab, keeping a watchful eye for any possible disturbances. Megabyte had given them clear instructions; that nothing must stop the machine once it was started. They looked around the room for anything that could disrupt Megabyte's plan; from sabatures to seemingly harmless nulls who could chew through the wires. It was imperative that everything went off without a hitch, or there would be consequences. No one wanted to be the target of a virus' fury, especially Megabyte's.

"Tell me Doktor," Megabyte started as he walked over to Dot's capsule. Through the murky green glass it looked as if she were in a deep sleep. Her face was calm. The only indication that something wasn't quite right was the tube connected to the side of her neck, slowly draining her of energy. It glowed as it went, leaving her body. "How much longer?"

"As long as it takes, Master. We must be patient. The machine needs every drop of energy to function."

Dot flinched and Megabyte narrowed his eyes, watching for any more movement. He then went over to Matrix, who lay still. His lips quivered as a few words escaped. Megabyte leaned in close, until his nose was almost pressed up against the glass.

"AndrAIa…" Matrix whispered.

"And our power supplies?" Megabyte asked with a raised brow as he straightened back up.

"I have them heavily sedated. As long as they are connected they will not awaken."

"Good. We wouldn't want to lose them like we did their dear, darling mother." Megabyte seethed. The fact that she had slipped from his grasp all those cycles ago still filled him with anger. He could feel himself tensing up.

Megabyte allowed a sigh to escape. It was an inconvenience having his first test subject run away, but he had claimed an even more precious prize. Her children would do quite nicely. Within them coursed the raw energy of a game sprite. Thankfully they both took after their mother, meaning he had twice the power than if she had stayed. He smiled down at them, and for a brief moment wondered what they were dreaming of, if anything at all.

# #

Dot could tell that something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She looked around. She was outside, crossing the bridge over to the twin city. Enzo raced ahead of her wearing his usual getup; a white jersey and red baseball cap. It was upon seeing her brother that she realized what she was doing. She was trying to convince him to come home.

"Enzo!" She called.

Dot chased after him, getting winded quickly. She was a studious sprite, one who always found an excuse to skip gym. Her brother was far more athletic and it showed. He was barely breaking a sweat and moving at twice the pace.

"Go away!" He spat back, voice cracking.

Once he made it to the other side of the bridge he stopped, allowing his sister to catch up. Dot was stubborn, meaning she would follow him forever if she had to. He had to convince her to leave.

"Enzo," Dot panted, struggling to catch her breath, "Dad said-"

"Oh, here we go." He rolled his eyes.

"Dad said we have to stay together."

"Well I say I want to be alone."

Dot stood up straight, regaining her composure. She dusted off the front of her skirt and looked over at Enzo. He was covered in dirt and grass stains; evidence that he had been playing instead of seeing his ancient languages tutor.

"Don't you watch the news? It's not safe to be out."

"You seriously believe all that stuff? I'm not scared of any User."

Enzo continued walking, Dot jogged next to him.

"But-"

"But nothing, I came here to go to the energy park, not listen to Dad's favourite child."

Dot paused, just then realizing why he was so upset.

"You know that's not true. Dad loves us both."

"'Why can't you be more like your sister?'" Enzo offered his best Welman impersonation.

"... He didn't mean it." Dot said, even though she wasn't entirely sure. Since mom left things had been different; Dad had been different. He seemed distant, like he wasn't actually there with them. Dot knew it was because he was sad, but that didn't make his behaviour okay.

"Mom was the only one who cared about me."

"I care!" Dot protested.

"No, you're just like dad. You just want someone to boss around."

"Wait!" Dot grabbed his hand and he turned to face her, stopping his stride suddenly, "Enzo, you're not just my brother, you're my best friend."

"Only friend." He retorted.

Dot winced, feeling the full impact of his comment. She was a bookworm and came across as a know it all. The other sprites at school avoided her. Making friends wasn't one of her strengths.

"I know I'm not exactly popular, but even if I had a million friends you'd be the only one who really mattered. Dad's just-"

"There you go, defending him again." Enzo ripped his hand from her grasp.

"He's going through a lot, you just have to try harder."

"Try harder?" He yelled.

Dot regretted her choice of words. She could see that somehow she had rekindled his rage, setting violet eyes ablaze. He turned and shoved her, hard. Dot lost her footing. In an attempt to save herself she put her arms out, but still failed to prevent herself from crashing against the ground.

After the shock wore off she felt the sting of her palms. The skin had been rubbed off, leaving them raw and tender. She looked up, watching as Enzo stormed away.

"Fine!" Dot yelled, tears welling in her eyes, "be that way. You're not the only one who misses her!"

Enzo kept going, not daring to look back. He didn't want to see the look on her face. Deep down he knew his dad was right; he was a failure. What kind of sprite was he to do that to his own sister?

He slowed his pace and sighed. He couldn't just leave her, not without saying sorry.

The clear skies above them suddenly turned overcast. The air became heavy and everything went quiet. Enzo looked around the open field and then turned back to where Dot was. She had already started crossing the bridge heading back home. She was a speck off in the distance. He wanted to call out to her, but was paralyzed by fear. He knew what was coming.

The skies above them boomed with thunder as the system voice cried out: "Warning, incoming game!" It was at that point that Dot turned back. She had been so preoccupied with her wounds that she hadn't noticed the darkness that formed around them.

"Warning, incoming game. Warning, incoming game. Warning, incoming game." The system voice recited over and over.

"No." She gasped.

Dot turned back towards the twin city. Something was wrong. A game was a terrifying event, but this was no ordinary game; she could feel it. The system's voice spoke over itself, reciting the warning over and over again like a spell.

She looked up and saw the clouds part as the game cubes emerged. Dots eyes darted between all the flecks of purple hurdling down from the sky. How was this possible? Could more than one game be loaded into a system at once? With that many games the entire twin city would be destroyed.

Dot ran towards her brother, calling his name. Enzo just looked back at her with a blank stare. She watched the sky, trying to predict where the cubes would fall.

"Enzo, run!" She yelled.

That seemed to snap him out of his trance. Enzo started running towards her, hand outstretched.

"Dot!" She heard him exclaim, right as a cube landed on top of him.

Dot dug her heels into the ground, screeching to a halt mere inches in front of the cube. The system shook as one by one the cubes collided with the ground.

Dot stood perfectly still. Standing sandwiched between two cubes. She wasn't exactly a game expert, but knew not to touch them. The amount of energy would be enough to delete even the strongest sprite. She took a deep breath, weighing her options. From what she could see the space between where the cubes landed was just big enough for her to squeeze between, but it would be a maze of unknown. She had no idea which way would get her out of the twin city. There wasn't much time either. It would only take a few of the games being lost for Mainframe to feel the effects. Then, there was Enzo. He had to win the game and fast so they could get out of there.

Dot let out a shaky sigh. She had to have faith in him. Dot knew that he could defeat the User, and she would be right there waiting for him when he did. She wasn't going home without him.

# #

"So what's the plan?" AndrAIa asked. She surprised even herself by how calm she was. Bob had got her up to speed and she knew that things weren't looking good for them. Bob drove towards Silicon Tor, weaving in and out of traffic sporadically.

"I'm not one for plans, that's more Dot's thing." Bob admitted.

AndrAIa sighed. She had hoped for something a little more reassuring considering he was a guardian. As Silicon Tor came into view she couldn't help but feel uneasy. They couldn't go to the authorities, at least not yet. Megabyte was too rich and too powerful. They would need proof first before the police did anything.

"What about the guardians, they can help us can't they?"

"We have to follow protocol, going in guns blazing isn't exactly their style."

"Is that what we're doing?"

"We're doing whatever it takes to get my wife back, even if we have to break a few rules- or viruses."

AndrAIa paused, taken aback by how stern his face had become.

"Bob, we're just two sprites."

"Three." Bob said with a smile.

"What?"

"Three sprites." A voice said from behind her.

AndrAIa turned, just then noticing a figure flying alongside them. A guardian she had never seen before kept pace on a zip board. Bob slowed down just enough so she could hop into the back seat.

"Sorry I'm late, traffic was a nightmare."

"AndrAIa, this is Dixon Green… My partner." Bob introduced the stranger.

AndrAIa could tell that there was a strange tension in the air upon Dixon's arrival. She turned around in her seat and offered a hand towards the guardian. AndrAIa knew that they had to take all the help they could get, even if it was just one sprite. It would have to do.

"Hi, AndrAIa." Dixon smiled as they shook.

"All right," AndrAIa turned back around and looked at Bob, "Now what?"

"Now we-"

Bob was interrupted by a loud bang. There was a sudden flash of light and the onset of debris cascading around them. One of the buildings next to them began to crumble.

The three sprites looked around, trying to determine the cause of the sudden explosion. Just below them a large mob had formed. A group of sprites ran through the streets breaking shop windows, starting fires, and looting.

"What in the net is going on?" AndrAIa gasped.

Within a matter of seconds a full blown riot had broken out.

Down below Hex cackled as she stood in the center of the crowd. Mouse watched, leaning against a parked car. Hexadecimal clearly had a talent for getting folks all riled up.

"All right, you've had your fun." Mouse shouted above the noise, "Let's get going."

"Just a moment. I want to take it all in!"

Mouse smiled. At first she had her doubts about Hex, but starting a riot was a great plan. Every law enforcement sprite would be too busy restoring order to notice anything going on at the Tor. It was the perfect distraction.

Bob flew over their heads, keeping his eyes set on Silicon Tor. It took every inch of his power to not pull over, but he had to keep going. Dixon and AndrAIa said nothing, silently agreeing with his decision to press on. Stopping Megabyte was their number one priority, not just for Dot and Matrix, but for the whole net.

Bob tightened his grip on the wheel as he accelerated.

# #

Megabyte smiled as his machine charged, it was mere seconds from being ready for use.

"Doktor!" he called, "prepare the test subject."

Herr Doktor did a quick salute before scurrying off.

Dot and Matrix both squirmed in discomfort as sweat dripped from their skin. The effects of being low on energy were beginning to show. Megabyte hardly noticed or cared as his eyes were glued to the screen. It was ready. Herr Doktor returned, a surfboard in hand. He walked over to the larger chamber and opened the door, placing the board inside. After shutting it he looked over at his master awaiting orders.

Megabyte nodded, signaling that it was time. Herr Doktor walked over to a large switchboard with the controls and began to push buttons. A soft hum filled the room as the machine warmed up. Herr Doktor began to laugh as he raised a large switch, turning it on. The lights dimmed and both Matrix and Dot cried out. Energy flowed from each of their chambers, winding around the room through the various tubes, until it reached the one containing the surfboard.

A few bulbs overhead burst from the sudden surge of energy. Sparks filled the room. Within the large chamber the board began to tremble. In seconds Ray Tracer materialized, finding himself trapped within the metal cocoon. After a moment of confusion he began to bang on the glass, yelling. His cries fell on deaf ears. Megabyte simply watched with a blank expression. It was finally time to see if all his work had paid off.

"Let me out!" Ray screamed in anger.

Megabyte smiled.

Suddenly a burst of code filled the chamber. An onslaught of ones and zeroes, all clinging to him. Ray's anger quickly turned to fear. Looking down at his hands he could tell that something wasn't right- he wasn't right. Somehow the code was changing him into something else.

"Let me out of here!" His voice was laced with desperation, "Please!"

"In do time," Megabyte whispered.

Flashes of green filled the room as Ray slowly began to morph. His body became larger, more robotic and less sprite; but still somewhere in between. His bright orange skin began to dull to a rusted copper. The hands before him changed. His once plump fingers elongated and became frail spindles, like spider legs. Ray opened his mouth in horror, his metallic jaw creaking with the sudden movement.

"No… I'm… going viral!" He wailed in pain.

"Yes," Megabyte beamed with pride. "Yes, you are."

He barely had time to celebrate when a voice called out from behind.

"Glitch, web!"

Megabyte spun around, but not fast enough. He found himself tangled in a large net, its fibers sticking to him. The virus stumbled to the ground before looking over at where the voice had come from. Bob stepped out of the shadows. To his right an unfamiliar sprite, one that had the obvious appearance of a game sprite. And on Bob's left a guardian who was supposed to be deleted cycled ago.

Megabyte's eyes turned to fury as he looked around for Hack and Slash. They were nowhere to be found. He had sent them on a pointless errand earlier to keep them out of his way while they tested the machine. Megabyte wished they were there so he could dismantle them piece by piece. Cycles ago they had sworn to him that the sprite who knew of his plans had been taken care of. Clearly they were mistaken.

"You." He growled at Dixon.

Before he could process what was happening the game sprite picked up a chair sitting next to her. She raised it high above her head and brought it down on one of the control panels.

"Fools!" Megabyte hissed at the viral binomes, "delete the intruders."

They did as they were told, clumsily firing their weapons. Dixon and Bob fired back with their keytools, stunning the aggressors.

Hex smiled. She had been there for quite some time, waiting for Megabyte to be distracted. The sudden arrival of the guardians and their friend was just the opportunity she needed to steal the blueprints for the machine.

She stealthily floated through the room, being sure to stay well hidden. It wasn't difficult with the amount of clutter everywhere. Megabyte's lab was in a state of disrepair, even she kept her lair in better condition, and she lived in Lost Angles.

She stopped at a large metal desk. Hex suppressed a laugh. The blueprints were just sitting out in the open. She had hoped for a bit of a challenge finding them, but her brother never was the creative type. The virus shrugged and carefully rolled them up. After nestling them under her arm she looked around at the disaster unfolding before her. Part of her wanted to stay a bit longer to enjoy the show, but she had to stay focused. Her alliance with Daemon relied on it. Reluctantly she snapped her fingers, vanishing.

"Glitch, shock wave." Bob commanded.

A pulse shot through the room, short circuiting their weapons. Megabyte struggled, trying to break free. The more he turned, the tighter the net wrapped around him.

"We don't have much time." Dixon said, "that shock wave is only temporary."

AndrAIa nodded in understanding. She ran over to the nearest pod. Dot lay inside. Dixon went to the other.

"It wont open!" She said as she tried to pry the front loose to no avail.

Bob went over to the control panel, as he fired a few stun beams at Megabyte's henchman. Any that weren't in the direct line of fire took cover or fled. Bob grabbed the switch Herr Doktor had flipped earlier and pulled it down. Instantly the lights in the machine started to dim.

"No!" Megabyte hissed. "The transformation wasn't complete!"

Dixon tried again, this time the lid coming off the container after some effort. She carefully removed the energy tube from Matrix's neck. AndrAIa did the same with Dot, gently nudging her in an attempt to wake her. Dot murmured groggily.

"Come on, we have to go." AndrAIa whispered to her.

Unable to keep her eyes open Dot reached up, allowing AndrAIa to pull her out.

"I'm gonna need some help here, Bobby." Dixon grunted as she struggled to get Matrix up. He was still out cold, and his weight was too much for her to carry on her own. Bob immediately went to her side and they managed to lift him out.

"What's going on?" Dot asked.

"I'll explain later." AndrAIa said, "Can you stand on your own?"

Dot nodded.

AndrAIa's eyes wandered over to the large capsule and watched as Ray slowly started to transform back to his normal sprite self. Ray pressed a hand against the glass of his pod weakly.

"AndrAIa! Please, don't leave me." He begged.

AndrAIa turned her back to him, following Dot. Bob and Dixon had managed to carry Matrix almost all the way to the door. Dot tried to keep up with them, but was noticeably behind. AndrAIa paused, looking back at Ray. She had been terrified of even the thought of him not so long ago. His menacing figure plagued her nightmares and occupied her mind most of the day. In that moment though, he seemed so fragile and frail. He deserved to succumb to whatever cruel fate Megabyte had in store for him. He was a vile sorry excuse for a sprite. AndrAIa grit her teeth. She stopped walking.

AndrAIa let out a frustrated sigh before turning back. She walked over to the chamber and looked Ray in the eyes as she hit the door release. The second it opened Ray tumbled out, crumpling into her arms. He looked up at her. She knelt down, cradling him.

"You came back?" His voice carried both surprise and gratitude.

AndrAIa felt herself trembling slightly. He felt so cold. His code must have been fragmented. He was glitching every few seconds. She could practically see right through him.

"Can you stand?" She asked.

Within her hands was the man who ruined her life. She had fantasized about what she would say or do if she ever saw him again. Her mind went blank. The hours she spent rehearsing imaginary scenarios didn't seem to matter. As angry as she was, she wasn't a monster. She wasn't like him. Leaving him behind was never an option for her.

"Can you stand?" She repeated herself.

Ray looked up at her and smiled.

Suddenly, she held weightlessness as he was enveloped in a bright light. AndrAIa watched as he crumbled away into flakes of code until there was nothing left.

"No!" Megabyte yelled with a fury. Ray Tracer had been the perfect subject. He had hoped to run tests once the transformation was complete. His eyes darted around the room. His henchman had all but fled. Herr Doktor was nowhere in sight. He was completely alone. Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, they did.

A hauntingly familiar sound rang through the system; one that hadn't been heard in far too long.

"Warning, incoming game."

"No…" AndrAIa stood, eyes wide. Suddenly their escape had yet another obstacle. They didn't have much time to get out of there. For the first time in over a decade a game cube was going to drop in Mainframe, and from the sound of it, it was going to land right on top of them.

Megabyte thrashed around in the net, extending his claws. He slashed over and over until a tear formed. Using all his might the virus ripped himself free.

He looked around. The guardians had already left with Matrix, but Dot was still making her way out. Megabyte knew he would have to do more trials, and half the amount of power was better than no power at all. If he could get Dot and escape then he still had a chance. He would not have another experiment end in failure.

Megabyte bolted, quickly launching himself in Dot's direction. With each step his weight crashed against the cement floors, cracking them. Hearing the commotion Dot turned just in time to see the virus closing the gap between them. His image was blurry and out of focus for her, but she knew it was him. In desperation she raised her arms to protect herself, although she knew it wouldn't count for much. Even at full strength she was no match for a virus his size.

"Warning, incoming game." The system's voice rang out once again.

AndrAIa quickly looked around. She had to stall him somehow to give Dot a chance to escape. She looked down and saw a discarded gun at her feet. One of the viral binomes must have dropped it. She picked it up and aimed, pulling the trigger with zero hesitation. There was no time to weigh morals or even check what the weapon's setting was. If the virus was deleted she would deal with the consequences later. There was no chance that she was leaving without Matrix's sister.

Megabyte growled in pain as the energy burst collided with his back. He turned to face the game sprite, narrowing his eyes. AndrAIa fired again, this time he dodged the projectile.

"Dot, run!" AndrAIa yelled.

Dot did as she was told, exiting the building. Before Megabyte could pursue her AndrAIa fired at a beam stretched across the ceiling, causing it to free fall to the ground. It landed in front of the door with a loud crash. AndrAIa continued, firing over and over again. She targeted every structure above the door, until a mound of rubble completely blocked the exit.

AndrAIa knew it wasn't a permanent fix, but it would stall Megabyte long enough for them to escape.

"You!" Megabyte spat through clenched teeth, "AndrAIa was it? You must think you're quite clever."

AndrAIa backed up, watching him intently, trying to second guess what his next move would be. The game would be upon them in a nano, she had already accepted that she wasn't going to make it out in time. Her main focus was ensuring that neither did Megabyte.

"Clever enough to fool you." She retorted.

"Regardless, it seems you've trapped yourself in the cage with the tiger."

Megabyte slinked towards her and AndrAIa weaved behind the control panel, keeping her eyes glued to him. They stood still, eyes locked, as the game cube engulfed all of Silicon Tor.

End log