CHAPTER TWO

DISCOVERIES

"Remind me why we're here?" Matrix growled ill temper plain. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and leaned against the wall next to AndrAIa. Ray stood next to her; Bob and Dot stood in the center of the War Room with Phong, and Mouse occupied a small console.

"We're here to plan against Daemon," Dot reminded her brother.

"And how do you propose to do that?" Matrix retorted. "We just found out she was roaming the Net. We have no information, no sources —"

"You could be a bit more encouraging," Dot snapped quietly.

Matrix pounded a huge fist on the table. "We have no idea what in the Web she even looks like! How do you plan to fight her if we haven't ever seen her? If you have some great strategic plan, feel free to enlighten me!"

AndrAIa grasped his shoulder firmly. "Enzo."

Reluctantly, Matrix fell quiet; but the atmosphere in the room changed considerably, because everyone knew he was right.

Dot took a deep breath and tried to feel calm. They were all so tense these seconds, and Matrix's outburst, though understandable, just proved how the stress of the war was getting to them. Taking another breath, she spoke again. "The most logical place to start is the Supercomputer." She looked to Bob. "Daemon would have infected it first?"

He nodded. "If we can find the Prime Guardian, Turbo, we'd be able to get a lot more information on Daemon."

"I don't know, Bob . . ." Dot said. "Turbo did agree to have Mainframe destroyed at one time."

"He's on our side," Matrix spoke up, "or at least, he was last time I saw him." The others nodded, remembering how he and AndrAIa had related their time in that system. "He told me he would be fighting the Infection; I don't think it's got him yet. I say, let's contact him."

"Already on it," Mouse spoke up from her seat. She adjusted a headset and punched in some numbers, then waited for a reception. When she noticed the others looking at her, she said, "It's not gonna happen in a nano, y'know; Ah'll tell you when Ah get in."

Dot began accessing information on her organizer. "Mainframe is no match for Daemon, not immediately after the restart. We're going to need allies; the only question is who outside of Mainframe can we trust?"

No one had an answer. Dot glanced at Mouse, still adjusting the knobs on the console for a message. She shook her head dejectedly.

"We're not doing any good sitting around waiting for things," Bob announced. He smiled, but it was grim. "I hate to go against my persona, but we need to develop a sure-fire plan if we want a chance in this war."

"Well said, Bob," AndrAIa said.

Phong spoke up. "There must be some information on viruses past in the Read Only Room. Perhaps someone could help me search?"

"I will, Phong," Bob volunteered. "I'll see you later," he told Dot.

"Don't be too late," she pleaded, giving him a short kiss.

Bob followed Phong into the Read Only Room. Dot turned back to the remaining sprites. "Anything, Mouse?"

"No," the hacker snapped, not angry at Dot but frustrated with herself and the communications. "Daemon has all comm. systems stuck. Ah can't get in, and Ah doubt anythin' can get out."

Dot sighed. To Matrix and AndrAIa she said, "You two don't have to stay. Maybe you — and Kode — could think of some systems you know that would be able to fight against Daemon?"


They nodded and left.

"Ah got somethin'!" Mouse called excitedly.

Dot rushed over. "What?"

Mouse strained to listen, and she studied the screen confusedly. "It's not in the Supercomputer; it's right here in Mainframe. There's something located — far, far away from the city. Ah can't tell what it is." She set down the headset and turned to Dot. "Ah'm gonna stay awhile and try ta figure out what it is."

"I'll stay with you," Ray Tracer offered. He propped up his Baud and took a seat.

"All right. Tell me tomorrow what you see," Dot said. She glanced at her watch. "Time to pick Enzo up from school." She pulled out her zip-board and left.

In the Read Only Room, Phong turned to Bob. "Tell me, Guardian; how many viruses have you fought in your lifetime?"

Bob grinned a little guiltily. "Not many. There weren't many viruses in the Supercomputer for all the Guardians to fight, and Mainframe was the first and only system I went to after the Academy."

Phong nodded. "I remember when the Twin City flourished, before Megabyte and Hexadecimal." He frowned, a faraway look in his eyes. "Things were aloof then; I have always wondered if another virus had taken control."

"I never detected one," Bob put in.

"Ah, my son, but you arrived several hours after the explosion. Megabyte and Hexadecimal were the only viruses at the time of your arrival. I am sure of that."

Bob nodded and returned to the VidWindow. He clicked various links for viruses, but each time he came up with nothing. "I hate to say it, Phong, but this is getting us nowhere."

The old sprite nodded. "Unfortunately, it may take a long time and many vain searches before we find any information about Daemon."

Bob clicked another link, and a small disk popped out of the window. "Hey, what's this?"

Phong took the disk and studied it carefully. "It is very old, to be sure. It seems to be a log. It must be from sometime in Mainframe's past."

"Maybe it could help us?" Bob suggested.

"Maybe." Phong sighed. "It may be too old for use, though. We will try it later."

Bob groaned under his breath. The fruitless search continued.

It was late that second. All the citizens of Mainframe had gone to bed, except for two sprites in the Principle Office.

Ray Tracer sighed and glanced again at the glowing screen. "I don't get it, love. What exactly did you find? I can't tell, with all those lines and numbers."

"You're a Web Surfr; you wouldn't," came the sour reply. "Ah know it's there; there's energy, a lot of it. It's just too far away to make it out."

"Then what are we doing here? We could get on my Baud and zip over there in less than a micro. It'd be more productive than staring at the screen."

"Ah've almost got it," Mouse said. "The scanners need to be powered up enough to locate the energy." She glanced at the half-filled bar representing the power-up, and smacked the machine with her hand. "Basic hunk of junk," she muttered, and rubbed her eyes. She adjusted the headset and listened.

Ray chuckled and leaned against the wall. His eyes began to fall shut, and he found himself dozing lightly.

"There!"

The shout made Ray stand bolt upright. "What?" he muttered with a yawn.

Mouse pointed excitedly at the screen; the headset lay lopsided on her hair. Ray looked to the screen, and his mouth dropped open in surprise. On the screen was a clearly detailed map of a city.

"What in the Net . . .?" he wondered aloud.

"That's what Ah'd like to know," Mouse said. "We've got to tell Dot. Maybe it's a lost sector, or a whole system."

"We will tell her," Ray said. "Tomorrow. Now, you need some sleep." He nearly picked Mouse up and flew away with the two of them on his Baud. Mouse protested, saying she could stand upright, and she did, but let Ray put his arms around her.

He toyed with a strand of glowing red hair. "What an amazing sprite you are," he murmured, and leaned down to kiss her.

Mouse smiled sleepily. She leaned into his arms until they reached their destination, Ship. Mouse opened the door, then stopped when she saw Ray standing. "Hey, Mr. Tracer, why don't ya come inside? It'd be a lot cozier than that board."

He raised an eyebrow. "Pretty forward, aren't you?"

Mouse grinned, showing her fangs. "Forward is an understatement, Ah've been told." She grabbed Ray's arm and pulled him and his Baud inside.

The next second, Mouse barged into Dot's office, eager to tell her of her find.

"Dot, you won't believe what's out there," she said with a grin.

Dot raised both eyebrows. "What?"

Mouse leaned over the desk, her eyes bright. "A city."

Dot suddenly went pale, and it took her a few nanos to find her voice. "Excuse me? A city?"

"That's what it looked like. It took me all night, and the scanners finally located it; it's across the data sea, but within Mainframe's address that it probably couldn't be noticed from the Web or the Net. Why; do you know what it is?"

"I think I do," Dot said softly. She looked up at Mouse. "It sounds just like the Twin City, where Enzo and I lived before it was destroyed."

"Well, then you've got to go and see," Mouse urged.

Dot nodded, but she looked unsure. "I — I just don't want to get my hopes up, if it turns out to be wrong."

"You'll never know if you don't try."

"I'm sure that's what Bob would say," Dot laughed. "All right. I'll get the Enzos."

Since the pirates were still searching for a new ship, Mouse loaned the Matrixes Ship. Before they left, though, she checked over everything.

"Are you sure y'all be able ta pilot her safely?"

Dot smirked. "If you haven't forgotten, I saved your ASCII once. We won't have any trouble."

"Come on," Enzo urged from inside Ship. "Let's get going already!"

Bob hugged Dot quickly. "I'm sure it'll be fine," he murmured.

"I hope," she replied.

AndrAIa gave Matrix a kiss on the cheek, and then he boarded Ship with Dot and Enzo. Ship's engines glowed blue then it lifted off across the data sea.

AndrAIa came over to stand by Bob. He glanced at the game sprite. "I'm surprised you didn't go," he said.

AndrAIa smiled a little sadly and shook her head. "No. This is something the three of them need to experience on their own."

Bob nodded. His gaze followed the retreating figure of Ship until it disappeared in the distance. He turned around and began to walk back to the Principle Office, AndrAIa following.

"What was life like in the Twin City like?" Enzo asked from his seat in the back of Ship.

Matrix took the controls from Dot so she could sit next to Enzo and answer his question. "You were too little to remember; both of you. The Twin City was a city among itself. It was connected to Mainframe by a bridge, and it was much more populated than Mainframe." She frowned as she tried to describe the city so that her younger brother would understand. "Mainframe was the main system, and the Twin City was a part of it, though it acted like its own system.

"We moved there when you were 0.2, and I was 2.0. Mom started the Diner business in Baudway, while Dad began experiments in the City, mainly turning nulls back into sprites. You and I had a lot of friends, and —" Dot broke off for a moment, as a tear trickled down her cheek. She breathed deeply before continuing, "Phong was Command.com back then, and he took care of us for a while."

"How come?" Enzo put in.

Dot swallowed several times, as if trying to figure how to tell him. "Mom deleted a few hours after we moved, and Dad became kind of distant." She shrugged neutrally. "The next hour, the Twin City was destroyed."

"What did the city look like?" Enzo asked.

Dot frowned, trying to bring the memory to mind. "There were a lot of houses. All the roads led to one big building, called the . . . the Center. That was where Dad worked. It was their Principle Office. I remember going there every second. The Center was right in the middle of the city; it was huge, with ten floors —"

"Look!" Enzo interrupted, pointing past Dot's shoulder. She turned around and had to grab the seat for support. "Oh, Web. . . ."

Ahead loomed a building fit to the exact description Dot had given. It rose from the sector, dwarfing the other homes. All gleamed in the sunlight as if newly built. Neatly paved roads ran from each house to the Center, as Dot had said. Sprites walked those roads, following them to the Center; just like Dot remembered it from so many hours ago.

"It's — it's the Twin City," she whispered, her throat constricting so tight she could barely speak.

Matrix piloted Ship down to the docks at the edge of the sector that led to the data sea. The nano they touched down, Enzo sprung out of his seat and ran to the hatchway. Dot followed, then Matrix.

The hatch slid open with a hiss, and they came out and began walking slowly down the street. All around them, doors of homes were opening, and sprites looked out at the three that had just arrived.

"Hey, it's the Matrixes!" someone called. A few sprites stared in surprise, but others called out their own greetings.

"Hey, guys, where have you been?"

"Welcome back to the City!"

Sprites had come out of their homes and were waving to the three. Dot shakily waved back while she stared around with her brothers.

A young woman appeared in front of them. Her skin was periwinkle blue, and her hair, a dark peach color, was so short it barely brushed her chin. She was smiling broadly. "Dot?"

Dot had to find her voice. "Del!"

Her best friend hugged Dot tightly. She pulled back and shouted, "It's really you! I don't believe it! Thank the User!"

Dot smiled at Del's hyperactivity. "Yeah," she replied softly. "Thank the User."

Del looked behind Dot's shoulder at her two brothers, who had hung back. She smiled at Enzo. "Enzo Matrix, is that you? Don't you remember your Auntie Del? Dot and I used to baby-sit you."

"Not really," Enzo answered.

Del shrugged. "That's right. You were too little to remember. Look at you now; you've really grown up. And who is --?" She glanced up at Matrix and stopped in mid-sentence.

"That's Enzo," Dot answered. "There's two of him now."

Del gasped. Her gaze traveled from Enzo to Matrix, as she realized the relation. She gazed at Matrix, one eyebrow raised. "Enzo?"

"It's Matrix," he muttered.

Del whistled softly. "You sure turned out good."

Enzo snickered, and Dot rolled her eyes at her still boy-crazy best friend. Matrix, for his part, shifted uncomfortably under Del's stare.

Finally, Del turned back to Dot. "You have got to see the rest of the city!" she gasped. "Everyone will love to see you, and I'm sure you've forgotten everything by now. . . ." She started to lead Dot off.

Enzo and Matrix had no choice but to follow. The little sprite was still laughing. Throwing his hands up in the air in an exaggeration, he gushed, "Oh, Enzo, you sure turned out good!" and fell into a fit of laughter.

"Just you wait," Matrix muttered in good humor, "until someone who thinks you're cute comes prancing up."

Enzo immediately quieted, and Matrix chuckled softly to himself for getting his counterpart to be quiet.

Dot was awed to see the Twin City just as she remembered it; and Enzo and Matrix found the sights amazing, having no memory of their early home.

Del led them through the city, chattering wildly with Dot and stopping every once in a while to introduce them to other citizens. They followed Del through the neighborhoods, until they arrived at a large building, looming far higher than the others.

"Remember the Center?" Del asked. Before they could reply, she grabbed Dot's hand and said, "Come on! You've got to see you dad!"

Dad . . . The word had never seemed so wonderful for them.

They ran after Del, up a few flights of stairs, until they reached a hall of white doors. Dot slowed her pace, feeling her legs tremble at the memories. Enzo ran ahead and held Dot's hand tightly, his small face showing a scared expression. Matrix held Dot's other hand; his face was hard, but he too was tense and scared. Knowing she had to be the older sister, Dot smiled at her brothers. "It's fine," she assured them, her voice calm.

Del stopped at the last door on left side of the hallway. A silver plaque read Dr. Welman Matrix — Null Restoration. Del pushed the door open, and beckoned the three inside. They saw a white-clad figure hunched over a table, deep in concentration.

"Hey, Mr. M," Del called.

"Hello, Del," Welman called without looking away from his experiment. It struck his children how much he and Dot shared the deep concentration for work. "Please wait until I finish the experiment."

"Mr. M, I think you'll want to see this now," Del said, barely able to control her excitement. "It's a surprise I'm sure you'll like."

Welman sighed and straightened up. "I'm not sure about that," he murmured, washing his hands in a nearby sink. "I don't really like surprises. . . ." He turned, waiting.

"Dad!" Enzo shouted, running at Welman. He bowled over his father, who stared in surprise at his son.

"Enzo?" he gasped. He picked up his son and spun him around, then hugged the boy tightly. "I've missed you — but how?"

Dot stepped forward. "Hi, Dad," she whispered.

"You too, Dot?"

"It's a long story," she replied, her voice shaking.

Welman stood up and hugged both Enzo and Dot tightly. "I can't believe you two are here–I–" He smiled, stunned into speechlessness.

Dot glanced over her shoulder at Matrix, who stood off to the side. She nodded at him, and he carefully approached them. When Welman saw him, his eyes widened. "Who are —" He hurriedly adjusted his glasses and stared hard at the youth. "Enzo, is that you — er, too?" Matrix nodded.

"Come here, son." Welman hugged his other son tightly. Matrix swallowed, and a few tears appeared in his good eye.

"How did this happen?" Welman asked when the embraces were over. He shed his lab coat and led the four through another door, to a small living room. He made himself a small energy shake and sat on a chair, sipping his drink's contents. "Tell me everything."

Dot did most of the talking, because she remembered the most information. When she reached the explanation of the war with Megabyte and Hexadecimal, she let Matrix take over about his life in the Games. Dot finished up with the system restart, the few events that had occurred since then, and Mouse's discovery of the Twin City. Enzo listened in the same awed attitude as Del and Welman, for he had never heard the full story of everything he had missed.

When the story was finished, Welman shook his head. He stood up to refill his cup, still shaking his head and digesting the information.

"How did the City come back?" Matrix asked. "Was it the restart?"

"When did the restart occur?" Welman asked in reply as he sat back down.

"One and a half minutes ago," Dot answered.

Their father thought for a nano. Then he shook his head. "No. You see, it was as if we all — what's the right word — as if we all awakened just the other second." He leaned forward, his arms on his knees and his chin in his hand as he thought. "When the explosion occurred, the Twin City was destroyed, but all of the living citizens were also frozen, I think. Frozen in time — that must be it. Now, that surge you told me about . . . I think that somehow the power of the surge reached all the way across to us and brought us back to life." Dot, Enzo, and Matrix stared in wonder at the awesome story.

Welman continued, "That's amazing, that we were brought back, but also because no one here has aged a second. You all are about four hours older than you were here — except Matrix — but for us no time has passed." Welman smiled bemusedly. "Has it really been four hours?" His children nodded.

They shared five silent milliseconds, staring at one another; from the tall, pine-skinned scientist to his three children: the grown-up businesswoman, the hardened adult, and the boy reborn, already nine hours old.

"Are you still at your experiments?" Dot asked, nodding toward the other room.

Welman nodded, sighing ruefully. "Still on null restoration. Those little slugs won't let me near them to do enough of an experiment. Plus, there are only a few in the City; though I guess I should be thankful."

Two nulls slithered from the open lab door into the living room. Welman jumped up. "Would you believe it," he murmured, but made no move.

"Why don't you catch them?" Dot asked in confusion.

Welman shook his head at the two nulls, a chocolate-and-vanilla-striped one and a red and black one. "Those two are pretty fickle. But they always come back; don't you?"

The red and black null gave a screech, like it understood Welman. Then it and its friend continued on their way.

"Can we meet everyone else?" Enzo asked. "And what about Mom?"

Welman glanced at Del, who shared his somber expression. A steel-like cold had settled over the room. "I'm sorry, Enzo. The — surge, was it? — brought us back, but Cora was not among us."

Dot gasped quietly, her eyes filling involuntarily with tears. Enzo looked embarrassed for asking his question.

"She would be proud of you, all of you," Welman said quietly. "I'll bet she's watching over us right now."

"Have you guys been living in Mainframe for all this time?" Del asked, effectively changing the subject.

Dot looked at her friend. "Yes. Enzo and I have been living below the Diner." She bit her lip as she was reminded of her late mother's business. "Matrix and his girlfriend AndrAIa just recently moved into Bob's apartment in Kits Sector."

Del raised a dark eyebrow. "Who's Bob?"

Dot flushed slightly. "He's — the Guardian of our system. He came a few hours after the — explosion."

At the mention of "Guardian," Del perked up. She glanced at Welman, and it seemed to Dot that they shared a short, silent conversation. Del looked back at Dot. "I'd love to meet the Guardian; and AndrAIa?"

Dot nodded. "Yes. We've had a lot of new citizens since the explosion."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Del asked. "Come on, let's go to Mainframe!"

As they went through the doorway, Del and Welman shared another glance. Dot couldn't help but think with unease that her father was more comfortable with her friend than her.

Del and Welman led them through the Twin City without stopping to talk to anyone; Welman assured them they'd have time for that later. When they reached the docks, a young man was inspecting Ship with an appraising eye. He glanced up when they approached. "Are you the captain of this ship?" he asked Dot, then his eyes opened wide. "Dot?"

She grinned, though she suddenly felt a rush of a feeling from long ago. "Hey, Harm."

Harmean Offset whistled. "It's been a while, hasn't it, Dot?" He was a handsome sprite for his age of 2.7, lean, with pale silver skin, deep brown eyes, and dark gold hair tied back. Dot remembered how she and Del had had heated fights over him so many hours ago.

"It has," she returned with a smile.

"Look at you," Harm murmured. "And your brother — er, brothers. . . . So, what joyride are you all going on in this fine ship?"

"It's my friend's," Dot explained. "And in her words, you touch it and you're deleted.' Actually, we're going back to Mainframe."

"Can I come?"

Dot looked to Welman, who nodded. "Your choice, honey. It's your home we're visiting."

Dot looked to Harm and nodded.

He grinned. "Alphanumeric. I've never seen the other system up close before."

They boarded Ship and prepared for liftoff. When Harm noticed Enzo — and Matrix — staring at him, he grinned. "Your first word," he told Enzo, "you learned from me," pointing a finger at his chest.

The ride back to Mainframe was short, but when they came in sight of the Principle Office, Del began jumping up and down with excitement. Dot landed Ship at the docks, and the six sprites walked out.

Welman looked around in interest at the surrounding sectors. Far away, a large apartment building rose from one sector; that was Kits. Dot's Diner was visible from Baudway. He identified a few more sectors. He was especially interested by the twisted tower jutting up from Lost Angles, the small island located on the edge of one of the sectors.

He looked to the crowd that had gathered before them. At its head stood six sprites. The only sprite he recognized was Phong, looking older and wiser than ever. The other five — three men and two women — weren't Mainframers. Welman's eyes narrowed. They were outsiders — and outsiders should never be welcome in their system.

"This is my father, Welman Matrix," Dot explained to the sprites, "my best friend, Del, and Harm. They're all from the Twin CIty." She went on to introduce Guardian Bob, AndrAIa, Kode, Mouse, and Ray Tracer.

Welman shook Phong's hand warmly. "It's good to see you, old friend," he said. He went on to shake the others' hands a little more coolly.

"Hello," he greeted Bob and AndrAIa in a cold, brisk manner. "I see you two have known my children? For a long time?"

They nodded, a little surprised.

Del enthusiastically greeted Phong; then she shook each person's hand for a short moment, with a quick "Hi." Harm was the same.

"Hi," he greeted Mouse with a small smile that failed to be sincere. "Hi," he said to Ray in the exact same manner.

"Mate, I was wondering —" the Surfr started to ask, but Harm went on to the next sprite as if he hadn't heard Ray.

"May I see the baby?" Del asked Ray, who had the job of holding her for that micro. He happily handed her over, and Del studied the baby carefully. Suddenly, she gasped and nearly dropped the child.

Ray took the baby back, grunting a little. "She's getting heavier every second," he groaned, and passed her on to AndrAIa.

Mouse rolled her eyes. "Big baby."

"Will you be staying here?" Phong asked.

Del shrugged. "Dunno. I guess we could stay for the night."

"Looks like I'll have to stay at your place again," Bob whispered to Dot, raising his eyebrows. She elbowed him in the ribs.

Del overheard. "If any of you need a place to live, at least for a few seconds, there are tons of places in the Twin City."

Dot smiled gratefully at her friend, but Bob shook his head. "I'm fine."

"We could use a place to live," Matrix put in, nodding to AndrAIa. "No offense, Bob."

Bob shook his head.

"I know the perfect place for you," Del gushed. "You'll love it. I can show you tomorrow."

Matrix smiled a little. "Thanks, Del. AndrAIa will be thrilled." He glanced at his love, who was cradling the baby and cooing softly to her.

Del's smile slipped off her face. "AndrAIa?"

"AndrAIa — over there. You just met her."

"I thought it was just you," Del said. "I mean, it is your home. Never mind, it's fine," she added quickly, her smile and her voice falsely bright. "We have tons of two-room places as well."

Matrix took Del aside. "Look, what problem do you have with AndrAIa?" he asked bluntly.

"No problem," she answered in that false voice.

"Del?" Dot called from the group. "Can you come over here?"

"Coming," she called. Del looked back at Matrix. "See you tomorrow, Enzo." Without another word, she turned and walked back to the others.

AndrAIa came over, still carrying the baby. "Can you take the baby, Enzo?"

He started to protest, but AndrAIa put the baby into his arms. "Just for a nano. So, how was it at the Twin City?" she asked.

"It was . . . interesting," he answered. When AndrAIa raised an eyebrow, he said, "I'm — I'm glad that we finally found it."

AndrAIa smiled tenderly at him. "You all must be really happy." She looked at the baby. "Is it me, or does she look older? And your friends from the Twin City didn't look to happy to see a baby."

The baby, wearing a small dress, was sitting watching those from the Twin City with an interested look in her black eyes. Matrix and AndrAIa followed her gaze and saw Welman watching her with a look of confusion and irritation. There was something else there, too — something almost like fear.

Quickly, Welman strode over to them. "Matrix. AndrAIa," he said, nodding. His gaze was fixed intensely on the baby, who stared back with a toothless smile.

"Whose child is she?" Welman asked, his voice dangerously low. "Dot's? Yours?" His words were like barbs.

Matrix frowned. So did AndrAIa; then a nano later, it lifted, and she laughed. "No, Dr. Matrix, not at all! She doesn't belong to any of us — actually, your son, Enzo, found her a little while ago. We have no idea where she came from."

Welman's brows furrowed together tightly. "I see," he said coldly, and he turned and abruptly walked away. The two sprites watched him go, trading perplexed looks.

Once out of earshot of the Mainframe sprites, Welman took Del aside. "It's worse than we thought," he whispered. He looked back at the baby. "One of them that's been missing — she's here. But the question is, how?"

"I don't know," Del replied. Together, she and Welman studied the other sprites suspiciously.

Dot frowned, watching her father and her best friend.

"Wonder what's wrong with them," Bob commented from her side.

"I don't know," Dot whispered. "But I wish I did."