Hello everyone I just wanted to remind you just incase someone got hit in the noggin and forgot. I do not own Reboot. Nope don't own it, never did, highly doubt I ever will. If I did I think I would torture Dot. She annoys me for reasons I will tell why you in later chapter. Anyway let's get started.
Chapter 3 Order is so overrated
Scuzzy watched as Enigma, the refragmentation of Hexadecimal, slowly floated a foot above ground. "I enjoy a chaotic place as the next insane virus but this is just a mess." She said picking up Scuzzy. "Scuzzy how could you just like this place go like this?" She asked with one eyebrow raised.
Scuzzy showed her the events since the firewall and the fact Matrix used the island for live shell practice. "That's not good enough." She growled revealing her fanged teeth. "Oh well what is done is done." She scratched Scuzzy tenderly behind the ear as she floated in the air.
"Let's see first things first." Enigma/Hex said walking towards the overturned throne. As she moved to sit the chair sat upright in time for Enigma/Hex to sit comfortably.
She crossed her legs all the while keeping Scuzzy in her lap. "Now." She looked over to her broken mirror. "We don't want anymore web creatures flying out attacking me again. I must make a mental note to myself to break Mike's antenna for breaking my mirror." She said to herself. Enigma's fingertips illuminated a red and white glow as she pointed towards the frame of the shattered mirror. The shards of glass began to fall upwards, if that's even possible, fitting back into place in the mirror frame.
Enigma/Hex smiled broadly at her achievements so far. "Scuzzy how about we redecorate? I mean I do love the oddly chaotic darkness and empty look but things change." Enigma/Hex said sitting Scuzzy onto the ground. "Me especially." She smiled floating into the air. Enigma/Hex closed her eyes taking a breath as her body began to glow.
At the Principal office everyone stood around Enzo. "Enzo you knew she was Hexadecimal?" Dot asked trying to remain calm and reframe from shouting hysterically.
"I didn't know until a few days after she came." Enzo said.
"You've known that long?" Bob asked. "When did you find out?"
"Like I said about a few days ago. Enigma was taking too long so I went up to your place to get her." Enzo said. "While I was there I saw the mask on the dresser. I figured that Enigma was connected to Hex somehow, later when I found out she was a virus I came up with the conclusion that she was Hex just different." Enzo said proud of his intelligence.
"Your secrecy could get us all deleted or worse enslaved!" Matrix said.
"No Hex is Hex no matter what shape or form. She's more into chaos and dysfunction than power." Bob said.
"And what type of chaos do you remember Hex for causing? She almost blew up the Principal Office, attacked the city with nulls, and turned all of us to stone!" Matrix said.
"And she sacrificed her life for us!" Enzo shouted in her defense.
Everyone was silent.
"Why's everyone so quiet like?" A voice asked. Everyone turned to see Mouse and Ray standing in the doorway of Phong's office.
"We have a problem." AndrAIa said.
"We leave you guys alone for a minute and already you're in trouble." Ray said.
"Ray," Mouse nudged him. "What kind of problem?" Mouse asked.
"Hex isn't dead; it seems somehow she was refragmented into this new sprite." Bob said.
"Who could be running amok in Mainframe now?" Matrix added.
"Hex? Wasn't she that insane witch you were tellin' me about?" Ray asked Mouse.
"Yeah, what's she doing here and alive?" Mouse asked recalled her dislike for the virus.
"Whatever it is she's most likely up to no good." AndrAIa added.
"Not you too AndrAIa." Enzo said.
"Sorry Enzo but we all know Hexadecimal for being random." Dot said.
"You saw what she did just a few moments ago." AndrAIa added.
"Yeah Matrix shot her then you attacked her. She didn't do anything random until then." Enzo said walking out to find someplace private.
A one binome walked into the office just as Dot was about to chase after Enzo. "Um Dot sir there are some interesting energy signatures coming from Lost Angles Isle." He said in a nasally congested voice.
"I knew she was up to something!" Matrix said heading out the door.
"Wait up Sparky." AndrAIa said going after Matrix.
"With Hexadecimal they're going to need all the help they can get sugar." Mouse said pulling Ray with her followed by Dot and Bob.
In her dim light of her lair Enigma/Hex stood before her mirror, the darkness shadowing her face and parts of her body. Scuzzy rolled in Enigma/Hex opened a hole beneath Scuzzy allowing him to drop in pieces to the water below. "So rude of him to walk in while I'm getting dressed!" She said picking up the mask from the arm of the throne and placing it on her face. She turned to the place where Scuzzy once was frowning. "Maybe I shouldn't have done that." Enigma/Hex said changing the direction of which Scuzzy was falling.
Scuzzy popped back up giving Enigma/Hex an upset look.
"What was it you wanted to tell me?" Enigma/Hex asked pressing her icon changing her clothes until she wore a black corset like strap shirt that stopped at her ribs. It laced all the way down the front and halfway up the sides. She still wore the black hot pants like shorts and the thigh high stockings with the thin vertical red strips she had first bought. And she adored the heavy metal ankle boots so much that she had given up all the other foot-ware she had 'bought' that day. "Well?" Enigma/Hex asked. Scuzzy lend forward and revealed to her the sprites approaching the lair.
"I know Scuzzy we have visitors." She said giving him an unconcerned look. The expression suddenly changed to joy. "And I thought no one was going to come to my housewarming party!"
"Are you sure this is the entrance to Hex's lair? I've never seen Hex even use a door before." Dot said to Matrix as they cautiously walked through the deserted streets of Lost Angles.
"I haven't either. Most of the time she just transport you into her lair."
"Yes I'm sure." Matrix said kicking open a dark metal door. The space behind the door was pitch black.
Enigma's mouth hung open in a perfect O with shock. "Oh dear, they broke my door. Tsk tsk tsk! What manners the youth are taught these days." Enigma/Hex said as she watched the scene of the sprites entering into her lair by the use of her mirror. "Well just because my guests are rude doesn't mean I should be. Scuzzy let's be good host and entertain our guest." Enigma/Hex said her mask smiling fiendishly.
The six sprites walked carefully down the dark corridors of Enigma/Hex's lair. "Are you sure this is Hex we're dealin' with? Usually by now the witch would of pull some sort of trick." Mouse said walking with her sword ready.
"You're right. Maybe she's saner than we thought." Bob said opening a silver door.
Inside they found themselves in a room of many mirrors. "What is this?" Ray asked.
"Maybe Hex's vanity room. As many faces as she's got she'd need all these mirrors." Matrix said.
AndrAIa looked to her side to see Enzo beside her. "Enzo when did you get here?" She asked.
"Enzo?" Dot reached out but touched only the smooth surface of the mirror. "It's just a mirror. But where's Enzo?" Dot turned in the direction Enzo should have been to see Matrix staring at the mirror.
"That's me!" Matrix frowned. Everyone looked into different mirrors to see distorted images of them. One mirror had a fat slovenly Ray, one an uptight businessman Bob, another a poor beggar Dot.
"Hex still has a very twisted sense of taste." Mouse said looking at herself as a real mouse.
"I wouldn't say so." Ray said still fascinated with his different states of images. One second he was fat another skinny, back in the web, and so one.
"Let's keep moving there can't be that many rooms." AndrAIa said. AndrAIa regretted making such a statement about Hexadecimal. They went from room to room discovering it's disordered traits, one room was upside down and as they walked through they were unnoticeably walking right side up again. One room they had to go backward to travail forward. One room was had twenty doors each one lead them back into the room except for one. And another the door wasn't the door so that when they turned the knob a light would come on, forcing them to look for an object in the room that acted as the exit.
Finally the six sprites came to a dark hall. "I think it's smooth surfing from here on." Ray said.
"Now I wouldn't go making such declarations." Enigma/Hex said just before the ground fell away from the six's feet dropping them into a dark abyss.
Screaming the guardians, sprite, hacker, and surfer fell in the dark abyss. "Oh I love the sounds of panicked screams in the morning!" Enigma/Hex said in a delighted voice. "But please do stop! You have no real reason to be screaming." Enigma/Hex said.
Just as she said those words the six stopped falling and just floated in midair.
"I am what makes the blood run hot and the heart race with anticipation. You can not tame me for I am the uncontrollable, the unexpected, the unruly. I am the chaos and pandemonium that you fear, in which you secretly crave. I am spontaneous; nay shall you ever predict me for I am like the wind a will wild and free!" A voice echoed in the darkness.
"Hexadecimal." Matrix sneered.
A mask came into view followed by a body and a few glowing spheres. "How do you like my sphere lanterns? Something I picked up while I was infecting the net. Oops where are my manners? Welcome one and all to my house warming party." Enigma/Hex smiled. "That is why you are here isn't it?" The mask changed into a curious face.
"I've come for this!" Matrix shouted quickly grabbing his gun and firing at the virus.
"Matrix no!" Everyone shouted.
Enigma/Hex laughed as the bullet went into her bear stomach. "Really guardian." She smiled as the hole disappeared. She spat out the bullet towards Matrix letting it fly pass his ear. "This is my domain; I am all-powerful here!" She declared holding her arms outstretched. As she arms spread out the room erupted into a hellish pit of fire. "I can do to you whatever I want you know."
"Yeah right." Matrix said under his breath. Enigma/Hex's green eyes narrowed as they glowed with anger. "What the..." Matrix stated as he began to sing and dance. "I'm a little source code short & stout, this is my input and this is my out." He said pointing to his mouth then rear.
Hex floated backward roaring with laughing. "Oh that was pixelacious."
"Enigma stop this!" Bob said.
"Well since I am no longer an enigma I no longer need the name. Think I shall go by Hex. If you don't mind." She smiled.
"Hex what kind of spell have you put on my brother." Dot demanded.
"I've done nothing. Should I?" Hex asked the mask changing back to its indifferent expression.
"Why you-" Dot began but stopped when Hex's smiling face floated towards her intimidating her.
"If I wanted to harm young Enzo I would have done so a long time ago. What I find amazing is that before you people cut Matrix enjoyed having me around. But now, now that you know what and who I really am you've changed faces faster than I can!" She said causing the fire to grew in sudden burst.
BANG, BANG, BANG! "Come in." Hex said bringing the hectic flames to a halt.
Enzo walked into the room. "Hey guys!" Enzo waved. "You guys trying out Hex's new fun room?"
"Enzo you made it!" Hex smiled removing her mask.
"Enzo how is it you didn't go though those weird rooms?" Dot asked.
"I knocked." Enzo said.
"What?!" Everyone asked.
"I don't know why you guardians are so aggressive, barging into people's lair like that." Hex said snapping her fingers. Suddenly everyone was seated comfortably around a table drinking lemonade. "If you had knocked you would have came directly here without going through my 'fun' room.' Refills anyone?" She asked holding up the pitcher.
"Please." Surfer said holding out his glass.
Scuzzy rolled into the room. "I like what you've doe to the place, not as dark as before." Enzo said noticing the artwork on the light purple walls.
"I just did a bit of cleaning up. Can't you believe I had a shrine to Bob hidden in my closet?" Hex asked.
"I believe it." Dot said into her glass.
"Oh don't worry Dot, I've moved on. I have to now that the two of you will be married now." Hex said
"Who have you moved onto?" Mouse asked.
"Enzo." Hex said causing everyone to stare and Enzo to blush. "Biscuit anyone?" Hex asked. Everyone looked at her with questioning eyes. "Oh don't worry, I didn't use anyone." She said. Everyone smiled and took a biscuit biting into it. "That you know anyways. More lemonade?"
A long ping echoed through the air. "Warning incoming game. Warning incoming game." A female voice said.
"Crash it all." Hex sighed. "If it isn't prejudice guardians it's game cubes ruining my lovely little party." Hex said crossing her legs and sneaking into her chaise lounge. (Something like a therapist couch.)
"Sorry Hex gotta go." Enzo said popping a few biscuits into his mouth.
"We had better take the backdoor or we'll never get out before the game lands." Dot said.
"Hex?" Bob asked.
Hex cast an uncaring glance their way. "Be gone." She said turning away crossing her legs. As Hex turned her back on them the sprites all vanished in a beam of light.
Everyone reappeared back in Mainframe before Dot's Diner. "It's landing in the park let's go!" Matrix yelled.
"You go ahead! Ray and I'll watch over things here!" Mouse said as the guardians and Dot flew on their zip boards towards the falling game cube.
Bob and Matrix were in the lead of the sprites Enzo in the middle and Dot and AndrAIa following not too far behind. When a blur rocketed between Dot and AndrAIa. "What was that?" AndrAIa asked struggling to regain her balance.
Enzo was suddenly jerked off his zip board. "What the...Hex?" Enzo asked.
"Sorry about this guardian." She said pressing her lips to Enzo's. Once they parted she pitched Enzo backwards.
"Enzo!" Dot cried as she and AndrAIa fell back to catch him.
Hex flew quickly forward towards Bob yanking his zip board from beneath him. Dot flew to his rescue catching him in midair.
"Matrix!" AndrAIa tried to warn him of the virus approaching him but too late. The game cube hit ground engulfing both Matrix and Hex.
AndrAIa, Bob, Dot, and Enzo stood on the ground a few feet from the game cube. "Matrix and Hex alone in a game? This is not good." Bob said shaking his head.
TBC
Next and final chapter 'Balance' is the name of the game.