The User took aim and fired at the sprite capering on the path in front of it.

"Whoops! Missed me! Want to try again?" Wayne spread his arms, grinning at the User. "Let me make it easier." He cartwheeled down the path, and planted himself nose-to-nose with the User. "Try it now," he taunted.

"Groovy," the User said. Its chainsaw rattled to life.

Wayne let the chainsaw rise until it was level with his chin. The User swung—then stumbled forward as the chainsaw sang through the empty air where Wayne's head had been an instant ago.

Wayne rose from his crouch as the User lost its balance. "You know, I don't think I should trust you," he commented thoughtfully. He gave the User a kick in the back, and it fell facedown in the dirt.

"Groovy," the User said, its voice muffled.

Wayne planted a foot between the User's shoulder blades, and bent to grab the chainsaw. "You shouldn't be playing with these toys if you don't know how to use them," he scolded. "Here, let me show you." He hefted the chainsaw and turned toward a nearby tree. "Watch carefully, I won't demonstrate this again. Or maybe I will. You never know, do you?" He eyed the tree, absently gesturing at it with the chainsaw. "Measure twice, cut once," he said. "Do you have a pencil?" he asked the User.

"Groovy," the User answered.

"Doc!"

"Wayne! Stop!"

Davic and Bob skidded to a halt as what Wayne was standing on registered.

"Groovy," the prostrate User said again. It started wiggling under Wayne's foot.

"You," Wayne said to Davic in disgust. "Can't I have any fun without you showing up?"

"You're welcome, Doc," Davic said acidly. "Are you going to take out the User or shall I?"

"It's very rude to interrupt someone else's conversation," Wayne informed the Guardian. He swung the chainsaw around toward Davic, and advanced.

Bob stepped around the doctor, then pointed Glitch at the User. "You're dead before dawn, User," he said. Glitch clicked, then threw an energy pulse at the User. The User exploded into tiny fragments. Bob sighed. "Two down, three to go."

Wayne didn't take his eyes off Davic. "Go away!" he yelled. He swung the chainsaw.

"I'm sorry about this, Doc." Davic sidestepped Wayne's wild swing, then rapped Wayne neatly on the head with Caen.

Wayne spun, letting the chainsaw fall. "That hurts," he growled. He grabbed Caen with both hands.

Caen shrieked, and a ball of glowing light exploded beneath Wayne's hands. Wayne let go of the keytool with a cry, then fell backward, his green eyes rolling back in his head.

Davic knelt beside the fallen doctor. "You didn't have to hit him that hard, Caen," he murmured.

Caen's answer rattled, and a spark of light ran up and down the keytool's length.

"I know, I know. Relax, will you?"

"What'd I miss?" Matrix stumbled into the clearing. He had one hand pressed against his ribs, and in the other he carried a thick tree branch. He lifted an eyebrow at Davic, crouched in the dust beside Wayne. "What happened to him?"

"Caen's a little paranoid about being touched," Davic shrugged.

"Groovy." The word was followed by a volley of shotgun fire. All three Guardians hit the dirt. "Matrix!" Bob yelled over the noise. "Get Wayne out of here! We'll cover you!"

Matrix nodded, and dragged the unconscious doctor behind the tree beside the path.

"Davic! You get to the cabin and hide the Manual of Mortality! I'll keep the User busy."

"You always hog the fun," Davic commented as he ran past Bob.

"Depends what you call fun," Bob muttered under his breath. "Glitch! Energy shield." Bob gave himself head a solid thump of the top of his head, and advanced into the shotgun fire.

With the User momentarily distracted, Matrix dragged the unconscious Wayne over his shoulder and staggered off. "You could stand to lose a few bytes, Doc," he grumbled.

Wayne, out cold, didn't answer.

Sound. A voice. "Come on, wake up already." The words rang loud in his ears. He slipped back toward the dark silence.

"Oh, no you don't."

A hand slapped his face, and his eyes flew open. At first, there was only a green blur. He blinked.

"That's better," the voice said. "Snap out of it. Tell me your name."

"Wayne. Wayne MacHewlett." The world spun.

"Good. Now, where are you from?"

"The Supercomputer."

"What's your function?"

"I'm a doctor." The blur above him swam into focus. "Matrix? What happened?" He put a hand to the back of his head.

"The Game happened. You didn't come out of it too well." Matrix shifted his weight on the spindly chair beside the sofa on which Wayne lay. "I've been sitting here for nearly three microseconds."

"What Game?" Wayne's head was starting to throb in earnest, and he lay back down.

Matrix's eyebrows rose. "What do you mean what Game? The one we were all fighting three microseconds ago." His eyes narrowed. "You mean you don't remember anything from the Game?"

"The last thing I remember is your gun in my face at the Principle Office." Wayne looked around, turning his head very slowly. The room was windowless, indifferently furnished and dimly lit. "Where are we?"

"My place. It's not exactly the Walldoor Hotel, but it suits my purposes."

Wayne ran one hand over his face. "What color are my eyes, Matrix?"

Matrix lifted an eyebrow. "Purple. Does it matter?"

"Yes." Wayne carefully swung himself upright, and sat on the edge of the shabby couch. "We should go to the Principle Office. I need to talk to your sister."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Matrix said. His voice dropped an octave, and the young sprite's rough accents disappeared. "You see, I have very specific plans for you, Doctor." Matrix's face flexed, then shifted. "Allow me to introduce myself," the virus said with smooth courtesy. "I am Megabyte."