Author's Note: For once, I have nothing to rant about. Enjoy. –Tom
Part IV: Prophecy
Time: Past
Enzo yawned, dreams once more slowly giving way to reality. Images flashed before him, of a time and place long ago now in Mainframe's history- yet not so long ago to the young sprite who swung his legs slowly over the edge of the docking bay, rubbing his eyes sleepily. AndrAIa... his dreams had been of AndrAIa again. It seems like only yesterday you were by my side, he thought, remembering. The way you used to laugh at my jokes, even when they weren't funny... the way you could light up a whole room even during the war, just by being there... the way you stood with me against Megabyte, even when things looked hopeless. Then one morning, I woke up and the world had changed around me. You're all grown up now, and I'm still just a kid. I'll never see that same sweet, innocent smile again... at least, not in the same way. I'll always love you, AndrAIa... but you'll never be mine again. Because I'm just a backup... a copy.
He ran a hand sleepily across his face, much like his older self often did, and glanced across the room at the chronometer. He blinked. Crash! He'd overslept... again. Some responsible behavior for a "Guardian", Enzo! He kicked himself mentally. Booting into his clothes he ran out the door without bothering to make his bed, hoping they'd waited the meeting on him.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Principle Office staff had gathered in the War Room, unused since Daemon's defeat. Screens and vidwindows flashed to life all around them, showing at once everything that was happening in all of Mainframe. It was the nexus, the nerve center of all Mainframe's defense- a role which Dot, as Command.com, had the overwhelming responsibility of filling. "There is extensive damage throughout sector G-Prime as a result of the EXO unit's rampage," Phong was saying. "We were lucky we defeated it as soon as we did- otherwise, the damage could easily have been much worse." Bob cast a sidelong glance at Mouse, remembering that brief moment from the night before- and blushed when he saw her staring boldly back. A hint of a smile creased Mouse's face, and she turned her attention back to the briefing.
"But what worries me most," Phong was saying, "Is this." The angle on the main viewscreen shifted to a rear shot of the rampaging EXO armor, showing a polished black exterior marred only by what appeared to be an irregular series of deep marks gouged into its upper torso. "Enhance," Phong said, peering intently at the screen as the view zoomed in. There were gasps of surprise from around the room. Dot frowned, staring at the picture until she saw the same thing the others did. "It's not battle damage..." she said, leaning forward to take a closer look. "The marks are actually some sort of code- written in an ancient language. Pascal, I think."
She squinted, adjusting her glasses. " 'The giant shall emerge from slumber deep, so from the darkness try to keep... but soon the mighty city falls, and the enemy within consumes them all.' " Dot looked up at Phong. "What is this?" she asked. "Some kind of joke?" "It is no joke, my child," Phong said, meeting her gaze. "What worries me is not the message itself- but that that same dark prophecy is stored within the deepest levels of Mainframe's Archives." The atmosphere of the War Room seemed to darken as the sprites digested this information.
Suddenly, an earth-shaking thud reverberated throughout the Principle Office. Alarm klaxons wailed in the distance as the main viewscreen shifted to show an aerial view of Mainframe. "Something's happening!" Dot shouted, typing rapidly on her datapad. "We're reading an explosion in G-Prime- Level 9 shockwave inbound!" "What's going on?" Matrix bellowed, hand instinctively reaching for Gun. "Shields to full!" Dot shouted. "Brace yourselves!" The main viewscreen distorted as the shockwave radiated out from the site of the explosion, washing over Mainframe and leaving destruction and pandemonium in its path. The ground shook under the Principle Office as the blast hit, the floor seeming to buck and roll under the sprites as they struggled to keep their feet. The monitors erupted in a wash of static, the ground stabilizing as the aftereffects of the blast faded.
"Status report!" Dot ordered. "Sir!" Specky said from his workstation. "Shields holding at 80 percent. Restoring external video feed now." The squat zero binome typed rapidly away on his data pad. Slowly, one by one, monitors winked back on to show sheer chaos in the wake of the explosion's earth-shaking climax. Panicking binomes filled debris-strewn streets, a few of the flimsier structures having toppled over from the force. One area, however, remained shrouded in thick, dark smoke. The area in G-Prime where the Silicon Tor had been located, all that time ago...
"Megabyte's legacy lives on," Mouse said bitterly. "Something's going on in G-Prime," Matrix said, Gun in hand. "We've got to find out what caused that explosion- before whatever it is has a chance to do more harm." "Deploy the med teams," Dot said, her face tensed and pale. "I want the guard units to establish a perimeter around the Principle Office- no ones gets in. Keep those shields up at all costs."
"But what about the rest of Mainframe?" Matrix demanded. "Our priority right now is ensuring the safety of the Principle Office," Dot responded. "Until we know more about the situation, I can't risk that." "Someone has to check out whatever triggered that explosion," Matrix pressed, "Before it has a chance to do irreparable harm!"
"I'll go," Bob said, standing up. "I can't allow that!" Dot said with an exasperated look. "You're still too weak after what happened yesterday to even think about doing anything besides resting." "Look," Bob said, frustrated, leaning forward with hands down on the table, "I know what I can handle. There's just been a major explosion in G-Prime if you weren't watching- half the sector must have gone up in that blast! I just think I'm the one best qualified to check it out- before whatever caused it destroys the rest of Mainframe!" "Bob," Dot said, her lower lip trembling slightly, "You know how I feel about you. I just don't want to see you get hurt again- not after all that's already happened. If you truly loved me, you wouldn't go."
"Just what does that sprite have to do to prove his love for you!" Mouse shouted. "After all he's done for you, the least you could do would be to consider what he wants to do- not to mention what's right for the rest of Mainframe! I think it's time you stopped thinking of yourself, and put the needs of Bob and this entire system ahead of your own selfish motivations!" "Just what are you implying?" Dot shouted. "I'm implying that you step down for once and consider the needs of someone besides yourself, you coldhearted bastard!"
With a scream of rage, Dot surged to her feet, reaching for the blaster pistol she kept holstered at her side. "Don't even think about it," Mouse hissed, the light glinting off her half-drawn katana. "Hey- what's going on?" a voice came from the doorway.
The sprites all froze in position, heads turning as one toward the single entrance to the War Room. Enzo Matrix stood in the doorway, jaw agape at the confrontation he saw taking place before him. "Enzo-" Dot said, hand dropping from her blaster. "Dot?" Enzo said, his voice hesitant, almost breaking with what he sensed had been about to happen. "Oh, dear..." Phong said, wheeling backward a step. "This isn't over!" Mouse snarled, turning on her heel and sheathing her half-drawn weapon. "Matrix and I will check out the blast site- the rest of you, stay put. We'll finish this later," she said over her shoulder, the hangar bay doors hissing shut behind her as she headed for Ship's cockpit. A single tear rolled down Enzo's face as Dot walked over to him, trying to comfort him- but he shook off the arm she put around his shoulders and ran crying from the room. Dot's shoulders shook with muffled sobs as she headed for her own docking bay. How could she have allowed this to happen? How?
A/N: Hmmm, drama. Review, please. -Tom
