--Chapter Five
In The Motherboard, several ints were contently enjoying their break. Some were eating, most were talking, and others enjoyed a game of virtual billiards. Paula, owner of the joint, was trying to fix the reception on the television at the bar, thinking of how much easier this would be if the computer had a cable modem. Besides the reception, think of the channels she could be getting. Right now, the only channel that even broadcast to her bar was Channel 56-KCOM.
When she did get reception, however, Paula found that the station was airing an emergency news bulletin.
"Quiet down, everybody," she yelled to the crowd, "I want to hear this!"
Gradually, people quieted down, and when they overheard what the reporter was saying, they quickly crowded around the bar, trying to see for themselves what was happening.
The reporter's message was very plainly spoken: "We bring you a report right now of an emergency situation in the Minesweeper department of the Compaq. Apparently the work of long-known Rogue Int, Fatal Error, the game has not only frozen while in operation, but some very strange things have been sighted as well.
"Take, for instance, that Arrow, pet mouse of the monitor, seems to be stuck on top of the smiley face on the game board. And moments ago, reports came in of an int-like creature, quite possibly Fatal Error himself, walking on the board and squeezing between the cracks to some unknown location… Authorities say that if anybody sees Fatal Error, they are to consider him unarmed, but dangerous, and to contact Sergeant McAfee immediately. Here is Fatal's file photo."
A picture of Gus's "blown-up" face showed on the television, eyes in Xs and everything.
"Sorry, we appear to be having some technical difficulty with retrieving the picture, which may or may not be yet another example of Fatal's work." He paused and said, "We now go live to a press conference where the sergeant is said to have the latest information, and will hopefully answer some of our questions."
The screen changes to show the press conference, where McAfee is already answering reporters. And since there's really only one station in the entire PC, you can imagine he is rather fed up with answering the same one over and over again.
McAfee: Okay, does anybody have any questions at this time?
Interviewer: (jumping up and down) Ooh, Sergeant McAfee, pick me! Pick me! I have a question!
McAfee: (sigh) Seeing as you're the only one here, I'll start with you.
Interviewer: How sure are we that Fatal Error is behind this?
McAfee: We're confident it's him. Even the Human seems to know it by now.
Interviewer: How do you know that?
McAfee: Because he has opened up Microsoft Word, wherein he is writing what we think is a fan-fiction article about Fatal's exploits and how dumb my soldiers and I are not to be able to catch him. Okay, does anybody else have a question?
Interviewer: Ooh! I do! Pick me again!
McAfee: (under his breath) God, this is pointless. (aloud) What is it?
Interviewer: So, would you agree with the Human's statements that you are indeed "dumb?"
McAfee: (grimacing) No further questions, please. Any and all other information will be handled in the briefing, with only the other reporters present.
Interviewer: But there are no other reporters.
McAfee: Exactly. Now, pardon me, but I must be getting to work.
McAfee walks off as the scene ends--
Angus and Brenda looked about them in amazement at the Monitor world. Arrow had been a good mouse to let the ints ride on his back on the way up there.
"Wow," said Brenda, "It's so spacious! Nothing like the crowded streets back home."
"Shh!" said Angus suddenly, causing Arrow to stop in this tracks, "I think I hear something up ahead."
Indeed there was a noise coming from behind a set of wires. And because there was an echo in the monitor cavity, the three could make out the sound of an int's voice, often followed by the cheering of a mob. Angus and Brenda strained their ears to hear what was being said.
"Today we embark on a great mission of destruction," said the int-voice, "and you're just the bombs for the job."
A cheer went up.
"No longer will you suffer the agony of not having to explode! No longer will you be safe from harm! No longer will you sit quietly in your spaces living in peace!"
The crowd cheered again.
"Who are those people?" asked Brenda.
Angus shrugged and answered, "I don't know, but they're all crazy."
"Let's go in for a closer look."
At this suggestion by Brenda, the three cautiously moved in the direction of the sound. When they were close enough to see the speaker and the crowd, and while they crouched and hid behind a large clump of wiring, Arrow immediately recognized the speaker. The mouse lightly tapped his foot on the floor, with Angus listening.
"What's he saying?" said Brenda in a whisper, not wanting to get caught.
"He says that the speaker is the int that kidnapped him. You know, the guy in the trench coat."
"Oh my goodness!" said Brenda in surprise, accidentally not heeding the need to keep quiet. "Oops," she said, covering her mouth.
But it was too late. In a second, Fatal Error was standing over them, ninety-nine angry-looking land mines standing behind him.
--End chapter five--
