BETRAYAL
"Wow!" Enzo exclaimed as another blast rocked Mainframe, "Who do you think's winning?"
"For our sakes, I hope it's Hexadecimal, my child," Phong's face contorted. "Did I just say that?"
Phong looked back at the vid-window, "Now what in the net are those two doing there?"
"Hey, why aren't they in the infirmary?" Enzo squinted at the image of Mouse and Ray streaking through the sky. Mouse was screaming something to Dot.
Enzo saw the laser blast come out of nowhere and slam into Dot, hurling her backwards off of her zip board.
"Dot!" Enzo screamed.
"My User!" Phong cried.
"Dot! Dot! Someone shot her!" Enzo turned and ran from the room. He ignored Phong's calling after him. The little sprite ran through the halls of the Principal Office. Tears streamed down his face. He ran until his lungs burned and his side ached.
Enzo came to a skidding halt, right inside the exit. Ray was streaking towards him on Baud. Dot was in his arms.
"Dot!"
Ray didn't stop, "Got to get her to the infirmary!"
"Wait!" Enzo ran in the board's wake.
Phong was already there and the medical team had been assembled. Ray flew right into the operating room and laid Dot down on the table.
"Hey!" Two binome nurses ushered Enzo out. "Stop! I want to see Dot!"
Ray came out after him, "Enzo, they'll save her."
"No, no, no!" Enzo tried to enter the room again, and Ray held him back. "I want to see her! Dot! Dot!"
"Enzo!" Phong's commanding voice made Enzo pause. "You must be strong for Dot's sake."
"Phong," the tears began again, "why would anyone want to do that to Dot?"
"Come on, Little Mate," Ray lifted Enzo into his arms and Enzo allowed himself to be carried away. "Don't you worry, your sister will be fine. She's a strong one remember?"
Enzo barely heard his words. His body shook with a dozen emotions. Fear, anguish and rage battled within him.
Someone had tried to delete his sister.
*
Enzo's world shattered once more.
"I don't believe you."
Fortune poured himself another glass of cognac, "You don't?"
The captain nodded to Var. Enzo continued to look at Fortune but he heard Var more to his left. A few nanos later, something was tossed at Enzo's feet. The young sprite looked down at the small brown satchel.
"Go on, pick it up."
An uncomfortable feeling began in the pit of Enzo's core-com. He stared at the satchel with rapidly increasing dread.
"Pick it up, boy, now."
Slowly, Enzo knelt. His hand trembled as he picked up the satchel. Something inside was leaking through the material.
"Open it. Take out what's inside.
Enzo gave a sharp negative shake of his head. The feeling of dread made the bile rise in his stomach as he pulled at the string securing the bag. He reached in and immediately drew his fingers out when they hit something wet. Enzo stared in disbelief at the silver-blue substance on his fingers.
Blood.
He tipped the bag over his palm, suddenly unable to breathe. Something fell out, a familiar piece of black cord. An armband. Matrix's armband. Enzo stared at the thing in his trembling grasp; the rest of his body was frozen in shock.
The captain stood and stretched, "I must admit, he went rather nobly. He didn't beg for his life, no matter what we did to him. It was a pity losing him. He was a fine example of a warrior."
"You bastard."
"You have no one to blame but yourself," Fortune strode fiercely to him and shoved his face close to Enzo, who was forced to turn away. His proximity sent a shudder of revulsion through Enzo. "You killed your brother. Not directly of course but you might as well have put the laser to his head."
"No!" Enzo faced those malicious black eyes and all the hate in his core-com for this man left a bitter taste in his throat.
Fortune smiled. "That isn't what we did to him of course. Fisher likes to be much more creative than that. Most men beg for deletion when the skin is being stripped from their links."
Enzo gave a harsh cry and lunged for Fortune but the men stepped back, just as Var grabbed him from behind, dragging him backwards. Enzo fought against his captor. Rage clouded his thinking, enabling Var to effectively hold him.
"Now of course," Fortune said calmly, "You have no choice but to join us, unless you want something equally fatal to happen to say – the little girl you are so fond of?"
Enzo went rigid. He gaped in disbelief at the man as his core-com sank to his stomach. "You – you can't be that cruel."
"Swear loyalty to me here and now and the little girl will be spared."
"I'll delete you myself for this," Enzo said. "Damn you."
"Well?" Fortune didn't even acknowledge Enzo's words.
"I have your word you won't hurt Kai?" Not that that would be any guarantee.
"Yes," he said. "Despite what you see of me, I always keep my word."
"And I always keep mine," Enzo said. "All right, I'll join your crew."
"Splendid," Fortune said, "Now was that so hard? Pity you didn't make this decision sooner. It wouldn't have cost your brother's life."
"Sir," Enzo said, he felt an icy calm descend on him, "I'll swear something else to you right now. I will delete you, so watch your back."
Again, Fortune gave a dismissive wave, "Take him to one of the rooms and lock him in," then to Enzo he said, "You'll be comfortable until we get everything settled here, then you'll come with us on our next run. It should be enlightening for you."
The pirate's voice was almost amiable. It made Enzo sick. The young sprite didn't reply and allowed himself to be led away.
"You'll learn much under Captain Fortune's command," Var said, almost as amiable. He motioned for Enzo to climb the stairs.
"Were you involved in my brother's deletion?" Enzo once again felt the cold logical calm.
"Yes," Var said, without preamble.
"Then I'm going to delete you as well. And you can tell Fisher he's a deleted sprite too."
Var grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the carved wood banister. "Don't threaten me boy."
"That wasn't a threat," Enzo said.
"You'll be under my watch while you're aboard ship," Var snarled, in Enzo's face, "If you get out of line once I'll put some welts on your back."
Enzo smiled at him, "Whatever you say sir." The young sprite noticed the two guards exchanged an uncomfortable look. Var half-shoved, half-dragged him up the stairs. One of the guards stepped towards the first door they came to and opened it. Enzo was once again unceremoniously shoved inside.
The girl, who had been exiting the study when Enzo had been brought before Fortune, was just finishing up making the bed. She looked up stricken as Enzo was shoved in.
"Are you finished?" Var demanded, "Then get out."
The girl went to move past Enzo and the young sprite reached out and touched her shoulder. She halted, flinching visibly. Enzo's core-com went out to her, "Are you all right?"
She looked at him and her amber eyes filled with tears. Her lower lip began to tremble and when Enzo reached for her again, she cringed away.
"I'm sorry," Enzo said.
"Didn't you hear me girl? Get out!"
The girl left hurriedly.
"You didn't have to do that. Hasn't she been through enough?"
"She's not my concern," Var said, then motioned to the guards and they left Enzo there.
Enzo slowly turned to view the room around him but he didn't see anything. The hand carved furniture; the expensive paintings or the thick carpeting meant nothing to him. He didn't even realize that he had walked towards the door and stood staring at it, although he had no idea what he expected to happen.
He began to shake. His fists clenched, so hard his nails bit into his palms. He raised them to eye level as his breathing became labored. His chest tightening with each breath. After everything they had gone through to build and strengthen their relationship; all the animosity and difficulties; the one thing he had hoped for had been viciously ripped away from him. What was worse, it was as though a piece of himself had deleted as well. Like the part of his core-com that was somehow inexorably linked to Matrix had been severed – a physical and emotional tie that he wasn't certain he could live without.
The stark realization that his brother was gone culminated in an onslaught of bitterness that erupted with a howl of rage and anguish that had his fists slamming against the door, repeatedly as he screamed out curses. He was hurting himself he knew it, but he didn't care. And once the flood had run its course through him, Enzo slid down the length of the door and began to weep.
"Matrix," Enzo moaned the pain almost too great to bear, "I'm sorry! Oh User, I'm sorry!"
AndrAIa – what would happen to her? How would she survive with out him? And his children? Would Star understand that her daddy was never coming home? E.J. would never know what kind of man his father was. Enzo would tell him. He wouldn't let their father's memory fade into nothing. He'd take care of his niece and nephew. Enzo realized he owed Matrix that much. If he had just agreed to join Fortune's crew, Matrix would be alive this second.
I only just got him as a brother and now I've lost him again? Why did I hate him for so long? We wasted all those hours - and it's my fault! And I was the one that killed him! Fortune was right. My User, I've deleted my brother.