Dot had very narrowly escaped getting trapped in the game. As the purple energy crashed down she stumbled, falling over. Dot rolled onto her back, looking up at the sky. Her mind was a foggy mess. Whatever Herr Doktor had given them was strong. Her dream had felt so… real. Why she relived one of the worst days of her life was a mystery. The destruction of the twin city, the creation of Lost Angels, had become a memory long forgotten. At least, it had been. Dot made a point not to think about that time in her life. Even in therapy she rarely talked about the games. Just looking up at the swirling purple was enough to make her stomach turn.

As she looked up at the darkened sky reality began to set in. It took her a moment to process everything that just happened; Megabyte, the machine. She sat up suddenly.

"AndrAIa." She looked around.

AndrAIa was nowhere in sight.

Dot turned and saw the others huddled together at the end of the path. She carefully stood and went over. Bob and a guardian she had never seen before were kneeling over Matrix, who was still out.

"Dot!" Bob stood immediately after noticing her presence, scooping her into a hug. Relief washed over him, "Are you all right?"

"I think so. How's Matrix?

"He's going to be all right." the guardian with bright red hair was scanning him with her key tool, "His vitals are normal, just low on energy."

"Dot, this is Dixon. She was my partner back in the Supercomputer." Bob quickly introduced them.

"Nice to meet you." Dot said, distracted. She turned back to where the game cube sat, "AndrAIa…"

"Where is she?"

"Megabyte got free, he was coming after me and she… Well, she stayed behind so I could get away." Dot hugged herself. Saying it out loud filled her with guilt. She hadn't exactly welcomed AndrAIa with open arms. And now she was trapped inside that game with the User and Megabyte.

"AndrAIa's a game sprite." Bob said, sensing how tense she was, "she'll beat the User, easy."

"I hope you're right."

Despite everything she had just gone through, the most concerning thing was the fact that there was even a game to begin with. There weren't supposed to be any more games.

# #

AndrAIa let out a sigh as the game materialized around her. It had been a long time since she had been in one. Like all other Mainframers she thought that games were a thing of the past, something that would stay in history books. Life had always thrown her curve balls, and this might have been the biggest one of them all.

Megabyte stood at the other end of what looked like a classroom. He peered at her, annoyed that she had delayed his plan. He wasn't completely blinded by rage, however. They would have to cooperate, at least until the game was won. He was willing to play nice temporarily, if that's what needed to be done.

"So, what now?" He asked with a smile.

"Why are you asking me?" She kept a cautious distance from the virus. Just seconds ago she was sure he wanted to delete her, and yet he was smiling. Something about the sudden shift in his demeanor made her uncomfortable.

"I am a virus. We tend to avoid these sorts of things. I'm quite the novice where games are concerned."

AndrAIa rolled her eyes. Of course she would get stuck in a game with someone who had no idea what to do. There wasn't an ounce of hostility in his voice. It looked like he was going to be amicable for the time being.

"All right, just follow my lead." She double tapped her icon, "ReBoot!"

Her usual outfit of black leggings and baggy t-shirt was transformed into a school uniform. The white top had a dark green sailor style collar. The pleated skirt was a green and blue plaid to match. No weapons, no items; absolutely nothing useful.

Megabyte gave a soft applause to the transformation. He had taken a seat at one of the desks, making himself comfortable.

"What are you doing?"

"Well seeing as I have no icon I just assumed you'd take care of this on your own."

"You assumed wrong. Just because you can't interact with the game doesn't mean you can't help me."

Megabyte shrugged, standing. It didn't matter to him either way. Once the game was won he would deal with AndrAIa and those who meddled with his plans. No doubt the guardians were already notifying the authorities. Luckily he had contingency plans for such things. His escape would be swift, but her demise would be quicker still.

"All right, where to next?" He asked casually.

"Give me a second." AndrAIa looked around the room. "First we have to figure out the objective."

Nothing looked out of the ordinary. The desks all had notebooks and pencils sitting on them. Against the right wall were large windows where a soccer field could be seen below. The opposite wall had a row of hooks where backpacks of every shape and design were hanging. The front of the room had a large blackboard with various math equations written across it. It looked like any other classroom.

AndrAIa went up to the teacher's desk and opened a few drawers. When she got to the bottom she paused. A large golden key and scroll looked back at her. She grabbed both. After unrolling the scroll she sighed as her eyes danced across the page.

"Great." She whined, "A scavenger hunt. It looks like we have to find a trophy."

"And how do you figure that?"

"The rules are pretty clear. This game shouldn't be too difficult." She tossed the scroll over to the virus, but the paper passed right through him as if he were a ghost. She had been so focused on learning about the game that she forgot that he couldn't ReBoot. "We should get moving, hopefully the User didn't get much of a head start."

She walked over to the sliding door, opening it, and Megabyte followed behind.

# #

A hard slap across the face brought Matrix back to the waking world. He lay stunned, looking up at his sister. Dot had a flustered look to her. Her blouse was torn at one of the shoulders and she held her heels in her hand. She was saying something, but he couldn't focus on her words. He looked over and saw Bob and Dixon in conversation. They both looked serious.

Dot grabbed Matrix's shoulders and began shaking him.

"Take it easy!" Matrix snapped, just then starting to focus.

"Mom… Megabyte… We have to go… Riot… She's in the game." Was all he could make out. Dot was talking too fast for his brain to process. Even though he was concentrating on her lips he only caught half of what she was saying.

Matrix sat up slowly.

"What?" He asked in a groggy voice. It was at that moment he noticed the game cube.

Matrix stared at the dense wall of purple energy. His mouth went dry and his palms sweaty. He had seen a lot of games in his life, too many to count. How could there be a game in Mainframe? He rubbed his eyes, hoping that it was just a dream or figment of his imagination. It was there, right where Silicon Tor used to be.

"Matrix, you're awake." Bob knelt next to his friend, "there's a lot to get you up to speed on- but not enough time. We have to get moving."

Dot took his one arm and Bob the other. They helped Matrix onto his feet, which felt as unstable as a pile of nulls. He could barely stand on his own. After a few timid steps he got the hang of it and didn't need to lean on them.

Bob rushed off to get his car and brought it around with haste. Matrix jumped in the passenger seat, his sister and Dixon getting in the back. As Bob sped off his mind finally began to clear.

"What's going on?" Matrix finally asked.

Bob hesitated. He wasn't sure where to even begin.

"Enzo, it was all a trap." Dot interjected, "Megabyte only wanted us for our energy."

"Our energy?"

"Game sprites have a higher energy level than system born sprites. They tend to have more stamina, special abilities, as a result." Dixon explained.

"I don't understand." Matrix scratched his head, genuinely perplexed.

"Mom was a game sprite…"

"She was?"

"Megabyte was experimenting on her. He needed her to power that machine he logged us onto. "

A heavy silence followed, only filled by the sound of the wind as they went. It took a moment for Matrix to process what had just been said.

"So mom didn't just leave then?" He asked, hopefully.

"The experiments made her unstable. Leaving likely saved you and a good portion of Mainframe." Dixon said. She had every intention of sharing with them the video she found, but it hardly seemed like the time. She looked over at Dot, wondering when they were going to tell him about AndrAIa. Dot picked up on the signal she was giving off and looked over at her brother. Matrix was known to have a temper so she wasn't sure how he was going to take it. Dot bit her lip nervously.

"And Megabyte?" He asked. His memory slowly returning.

"He's inside the game cube…" Dot said, "With AndrAIa."

"What?" He all but yelled.

"She held him back so we could escape."

"Turn around." He demanded.

"I can't do that." Bob said, "we have to get the riot under control."

"Who cares about some riot? AndrAIa is in there with that thing!"

"And we're out here, Matrix. If I could enter that game now I would, but I can't. What we can do is make Mainframe safe for when she gets out. I've already called for emergency teams to wait outside of the game."

Matrix hated the fact that Bob was making sense. He folded his arms defiantly, feeling his anxiety spike. Why did he think opening a diner was a good idea? The whole thing was nothing more than an elaborate trap to get him and Dot alone. He knew the whole situation was odd and still went along with it anyway. If anything happened to AndrAIa he'd have no one to blame but himself.

# #

AndrAIa and Megabyte walked down the empty hallway. Lockers lined the walls, all pristine and brand new in appearance. The grey tiles of the floor beneath them were freshly waxed. Looking down she could see a clear mirror image of herself.

She paused, noticing one of the lockers was open slightly. Instinctively she veered their path towards it. The inside was bare apart from a trunk sitting in the bottom. She picked it up. It had some weight to it. As she rocked it back and forth in her hands she could hear something rattling around inside. She took out the key she had found in the classroom and fit it inside the keyhole with ease. The top popped open, revealing what looked like a flashlight.

AndrAIa turned it on, a bright blue light shining vibrantly. She turned it to the inside of the locker, but nothing was revealed.

"We should look for somewhere dark; closets, maybe the basement." She thought out loud.

"Because?"

"... It's a black light. Usually when this is in a game a message needs to be revealed. It has to be dark to see it properly."

"It seems you don't need my help at all. You're quite experienced, aren't you?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

They continued down the hall until they reached a stairwell. AndrAIa didn't like having the virus right on her heels. In the back of her mind she knew he couldn't be trusted. As they ventured down to the next floor Megabyte spoke.

"I feel as though it's an honour to spend so much time with you, AndrAIa."

"Why's that?"

"The boy seems to be very much in love. He even dreams of you. Does that bring you comfort?"

AndrAIa shot him a nasty glare. She hadn't even been able to check on Matrix before getting stuck in the game. She hoped that he was doing okay.

"Oh, did I strike a nerve?" He chuckled.

"Nothing about this should be amusing to you. Your plan failed."

Megabyte's coy smile turned into something else, something much more sinister.

"Losing one battle doesn't determine the outcome of the war, my dear."

Something about the statement sent a chill down her spine. AndrAIa worried about what else the virus had planned and what horrors awaited Mainframe when he got out of the game. She quickened her pace, exiting the stairwell. Megabyte filed out behind her.

The entire floor was pitch black. She turned on the UV light and footprints instantly lit up. The trail led them down the hall. She followed them closely, allowing them to guide her through every twist and turn. Eventually they made it to another classroom. She opened the door and it was at that point that they came face to face with the User.

# #

G-Prime was in complete disrepair. Bob and Dixon had gotten training on crowd control at the academy, but there were only two of them and hundreds of angry game sprites. Bob hovered in the air and they looked down at it all. Every shop window had been smashed. Sprites of all formats looted, some jumped on top of parked cars, others took to blows in the street. All of this while fires burnt throughout the sector.

"Well, I've seen enough." Dixon said with a sigh, "Get in while the waters warm, Bobby."

She playfully punched his arm before taking out her zip board and jumping out. Dot raised a brow. She had never heard anyone refer to him as 'Bobby' before. She simply shrugged it off. There were more important things to worry about.

Bob drove down low enough for them to safely get out.

"One of you should stay with the car, in case we need to make a speedy exit." Bob thought out loud. "Dot-"

He turned to realize she had already gotten out. She barreled through the crowd. A binome pushing a stroller took shelter between two buildings. Dot immediately went over to help her. As reckless as it was, Bob couldn't help but admire how quickly she jumped into action.

Police officers just then arrived, starting to form a shield wall. They held their batons high as they started to push the crowd back. The disgruntled citizens yelled back at the police angrily.

"This isn't going to work." Matrix said in a low voice.

He couldn't help but think of AndrAIa at that moment. The day he had brought Frisket home he spent ages fighting with him just to give him a bath. The more he fought, the harder the canine resided. AndrAIa had taken a completely different approach.

"Any suggestions?" Bob asked.

"We talk to them."

"Matrix, I think we are past the point of talking."

Usually he would agree. The war had molded Matrix into a sprite who relied on anger and violence. It didn't always have to be a first resort, though. AndrAIa taught him that.

"Couldn't hurt to try."

"... Glitch, megaphone."

The keytool provided the guardian with a loud speaker. He handed it over to Matrix, who promptly stood. Matrix threw off his jacket and loosened his tie. He looked over at the game cube for a moment, hoping AndrAIa was all right. After a deep breath he spoke.

"Can every sprite just stop for a nano?" He said in a clear voice. A few looked up at him, but most ignored his presence. "You're angry, well so am I. The woman I love is stuck in there and I'm here dealing with all of you… Her name's AndrAIa, and she's a game sprite too."

At this point more sprites settled down, listening to what he had to say.

"I can't pretend to know what it's like being a game sprite. My whole life I lived in ignorant bliss. The net is cruel- and I thought I learned that during the war. But I very recently had to face reality... AndrAIa's told me stories of being spat on, evicted, fired from jobs; all for being who she was. And that breaks my heart."

Bob looked over at Matrix in complete shock. Somehow the crowd was noticeably less rowdy as they all gathered closer to the car.

"It's okay to be angry, you have every right to be. What you chose to do with that anger is what's important. Who are you hurting right now? Those shop owners might not be game sprites, but they are working hard just to get by. This is G-Prime. No one here is eating with a silver spoon in their mouth. So please, just stop. Mainframe is all of our homes. Do you see that?" He pointed up at the game cube, "That is the enemy. We shouldn't be fighting each other, especially at a time like this."

Matrix looked out at the crowd who stared at him intently.

"Help these people, they are your neighbours, your friends. And stand together against whatever the User brings."

# #

The User looked back at AndrAIa, at least AndrAIa thought the User was looking at her; they had no face. Their skin was so pale it was almost grey, or perhaps it was just due to the dimness of the blacklight. Everything about the User's appearance was identical to AndrAIa; the uniform, the blacklight in their hand. The only difference was that a silver whistle hung around their neck.

"Why are you here?" AndrAIa demanded. She knew they wouldn't answer but felt it necessary to ask anyway.

In response the User pushed past running out of the room.

"Shall we pursue them?" Megabyte asked lazily.

"We have to find the next item first."

"Which is?"

AndrAIa continued to follow the blue footprints which stopped at a small black garbage can. She reached in, pulling out a whistle, same as the User's. She held it up for the virus to see.

"Now we go after them."

Megabyte laughed as she stood. She placed the whistle around her neck.

"What's so funny?"

"You seem awfully calm given the situation."

"You don't win games by panicking." She walked past him and out of the room.

Megabyte was light on his feet, near silent, but she knew he was behind her. She could feel his presence. They made their way back to the stairwell. Once through the doors AndrAIa squinted in the sudden burst of light. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. When they did they pressed on, walking down towards the main floor.

"And you know where we are going?" He inquired.

"The gym, obviously," She pointed to the whistle.

"Is that obvious?"

"Every high school has a gym."

"... Virus' were not permitted in schools until very recently."

AndrAIa paused. She thought back to her school experience after the war. She had been the subject of teasing due to her hair colour. She moved systems every few cycles so she had attended her fair share of schools. None of them were pleasant experiences, but no one had ever stopped her from enrolling. Even though she was a game sprite she was still allowed to go to school with everyone else. It was at that moment that she realized for the first time that there were no viruses at any of the schools she went to. How had she not noticed that before?

"... You didn't miss out on much." She said in an attempt to lighten the conversation.

"You know, you and I are very much alike."

"I'm nothing like you. I'm not a monster."

"... Is that what you think of me?" he looked off into the distance as if deep in thought, "I am trying to save Mainframe. The whole net will benefit from what I'm doing."

"Mainframe doesn't need saving, at least not from a virus like you."

"You misunderstand, it's exactly a virus like me that Mainframe needs. I had to claw my way to the top by any means necessary. I had to work twice as hard to be awarded half the credit I deserved. To this day sprites still say I've accomplished great things… 'for a virus', as if being who I am is a hindrance."

"You're not the only one who's had a hard life. It doesn't give you the right to torture sprites. That's just evil."

"... You're young and naïve." He said in a condescending voice, "When you've lived through as many cycles as I have you become wiser. There is no good and evil, no right or wrong. It all depends on perspective. Viruses have waited long enough in the shadows, our time is now."

"So you want viral supremacy?"

"I want a net where everyone is truly free and equal. That can only happen if viruses are in charge. Our code makes us more analytical. It will be better for everyone when we are all viruses."

AndrAIa stopped walking and looked up at him in horror, realization just sinking in.

"You can't be serious?" She said in a low voice.

"Are you just catching on now?" He chuckled.

"You're going to turn everyone on the net into a virus? That's not possible."

"Oh, but it is. If you hadn't interrupted the process Ray Tracer would be completely viral right now. My machine was merely a trial run, and it was a success. Anything and everything is possible now."

AndrAIa shook her head. She couldn't believe how flawed his logic was. They continued walking down the hall. As they approached the double doors of the gymnasium AndrAIa couldn't help but wonder what was in store for them once the game was won. Megabyte, and his machine would completely change the course of history. Altering everyone's code wouldn't change the net for the better. He thought he was creating harmony, but in reality he would do nothing but strip everyone of their individuality and create discourse.

She placed her hands on one of the doors and pushed. Inside was exactly what she expected. The gym was rather large with enough space for two basketball courts. Rows of bleachers lined the walls. And in the center of the space a glass display case looked back at them. Inside a single trophy; the object they were looking for.

"There it is!" Megabyte smiled.

The User was nowhere in sight. AndrAIa walked over to the trophy, looking down at it. A spotlight shone down, illuminating the bright gold it was forged in. Megabyte walked to the other side. Between the game sprite and virus was what they needed to win the game.

After a moment's hesitation AndrAIa raised the whistle to her lips and blew it. The case opened, revealing the trophy. All she had to do was reach out and take it.

She looked up at the virus, locking eyes. His excitement slowly dwindled as he watched her just stand there.

"What are you waiting for? Let's get out of this wretched game."

AndrAIa shook her head.

Behind her the doors swung open. The User had finally figured out the clue. She slowly stepped back, creating a distance between her and the trophy.

"Do you realize what you're doing?" Megabyte said, panic seeping into his voice.

"Keeping my loved ones safe."

The virus reached out, trying to take the trophy for himself, but his hand passed right through it. He growled in frustration. The User began to run towards the prize.

"Win the game!" He demanded, "Or you'll never see them or this system again."

"I know." She said, her eyes burning with determination. Megabyte and his machine needed to be destroyed. And when it was, Matrix would be safe. All of Mainframe, the net; everyone would be safe.

The User took the trophy and AndrAIa held her breath in anticipation of what was to come. Her eyes closed and a single tear trickled down her cheek.

"No!" Megabyte screamed. All that time he had done well to keep his composure. But in that moment he reverted to exactly what all sprites thought viruses were; feral beasts. He snarled and lunged at AndrAIa, but before his claws could reach her the system voice sang through all of Mainframe:

"Game over. User wins."

End Log