CHAPTER FOUR
INTRIGUE
"What do you mean, he's disagreeing with this?" Dot angrily addressed the binome from the Twin City.
The young binome, a One, shrugged. "Dr. Matrix has requested that the ceremony be cancelled," he repeated the phrase for the third time.
Dot held a hand to her forehead. "Why doesn't my father want to be a part of this? No," she added, an edge to her voice, "if he disagrees so strongly, why doesn't he come here himself and tell me?"
"Because he wanted to see if his messenger could do it for him," Welman Matrix spoke up from behind her. Dot whirled around, more than a little startled.
Welman nodded to the One binome. "Thank you, I can take it from here."
When only he and Dot remained in the room, Welman turned to his daughter. "I don't see why you're planning this, Dot. It's just a waste of time."
"No, it's not," Dot argued. "This ceremony is an opportunity for the citizens of the Twin City and the citizens of Mainframe to become closer. Plus, everyone should have the Norton program on his or her icon. Father — Dr. Matrix — as Command.com, I have to order you to come to this ceremony; and everyone else in the Twin City."
"I don't appreciate being ordered around by my daughter," Welman all but growled.
Dot stared him down, her eyes like steel. "I take care of this system; including the Twin City. I expect you to be there. Now, I have other matters to attend to." She nodded stiffly to him, then turned on her heel and began to walk away.
Welman turned to leave, as well. Before he reached the door, he called, "I almost forgot — I brought something for you." He set the object on a table and left swiftly.
Dot hesitantly picked up the small book he had left. It was a family album, filled with pictures of the Matrix family from their life in the Twin City. Dot felt her eyes water, and she sighed as she fingered the first few pages. That life seemed like so long ago, when she had been younger, with both her parents alive and well in the Twin City; now, she commandeered a system on the brink of war with one of the most powerful forces in the Net. How time passed. . . .
Dot closed the album abruptly and left the room.
Ray flew into the Principle Office on his Baud, with Mouse standing behind him, arms around his waist.
As the Baud hovered a foot over the ground, Ray dismounted and offered a hand to Mouse. "Miss?"
"No thanks, Sugah," Mouse grinned playfully as she refused his hand and jumped off the Baud. She looked around at the empty room. "Looks like we're a bit early."
Ray mounted his Baud again. "I should go," he said.
"No, Honey," Mouse said, catching his arm. "Dot wants you to stay, too."
Ray frowned. "Why does she want me to stay?"
"Don't worry, it's fine," Mouse assured him. "Dot'll explain it once she, Bob, and AndrAIa get here."
"I'm here," the game sprite called, walking into the room as she decompressed her zip-board. "Sorry I was late; there was a Game." She glanced over her shoulder, and Mouse saw AndrAIa's face tighten as Kode walked in after her.
The hacker raised a static eyebrow. "What's he doin' here?" she murmured.
AndrAIa rolled her eyes. "I came out of the Game and Matrix had already left, so Kode insisted on escorting me to the Principle Office," she answered out of the side of her mouth.
"Well, almost ev'ryone's here," Mouse observed, "except for —"
"I'm here too," Bob said hastily, appearing in the room. "I just had to, uh, fix something in my apartment. Hey, Mouse, Ray, AndrAIa . . . Kode?"
Kode nodded curtly at the Guardian; then he turned his attention back to AndrAIa. "Have a good ride, Andi?"
"Yes, Kode — thank you," AndrAIa said, straining to smile. "And, it's AndrAIa." She glanced at Mouse helplessly; and it was clear that Kode had worn out his welcome, especially with AndrAIa.
The sprite noticed the looks exchanged between AndrAIa and Mouse, but his face didn't show it. "I'd love to stay, ladies," he said with a charming smile, "but your friend the Crimson Binome has offered to show me around Mainframe, and I'd love to see the rest of the system."
Dot walked into the control room, looking deep in troubled thought. Her face brightened when she saw the sprites. "Hi, guys. Thanks for coming."
"No problem," Mouse assured her. AndrAIa nodded in agreement.
Dot looked at each of them in turn. "Are you all ready?"
"Er, excuse me," Kode said, "but what are you talking about?"
Dot started at his voice; and she stared for a moment at the orange-skinned sprite slouched against the wall. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kode," she apologized, "I . . . ah, didn't see you. I just need the others, for some work."
"Can I help?"
Dot shook her head. "No. No, Kode. I just need those four."
Kode's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Dot didn't like the look she saw in them.
She cleared her throat. She was Command.com, and she wasn't going to let a sprite with attitude push her around. "Do you need anything, Kode?"
"No, Miss Command.com," Kode replied with a nod and a smile, "I was just leaving for a tour of your system. I'll be back later." He left the room.
Mouse watched him go, her eyes narrowed. "Ah'm not sure letting him just go around Mainframe as he dandy pleases is such a good idea," she said.
"I'm not sure if I agree or disagree," Dot admitted. She started to walk toward the door, and the four followed. "He is the guest here. AndrAIa?" She looked to the game sprite for assurance.
"He's harmless," the young woman said. "Although Mouse does have a point, with all of the . . ." She paused, searching for the correct word. "With all the precautions we've been taking lately." She shrugged. "It'll be fine."
"After this, I'm on my way to the Diner," Dot explained, with a nod to the door. "I just came from an . . . interesting talk with my father." She sighed under her breath. They arrived at the elevator. The five of them got in, and Dot pressed the button for the basement level of the Principle Office.
"By the way, Mouse," Dot added, "how is the icon-programming going?"
"It's ready fer tomorrow," Mouse replied. She cocked her head to the side. "Did yer father disagree with the idea of the procedure?"
Dot nodded. "I don't understand why," she admitted. She squared her shoulders. "But it's a necessary precaution; like you said, AndrAIa. I think he just feels like . . . maybe like we don't trust him enough. Thinking about it, that's how I'm beginning to feel."
The game sprite nodded. "Enzo — Matrix — had a similar reaction when I told him about it."
"Well, we'll get through it," Dot said, making her voice sound encouraging. "We'll perform the procedure early tomorrow."
The elevator stopped at the basement level, opening up onto an underground room. Scientists rushed by the four sprites, checking on weapons and projects being worked on down here. Dot led the four to a small room in the back. She pressed a password on the lock-codes, and they stepped inside, the heavy doors swooshing shut behind them.
"Okay, Dot," Bob said, looking around in puzzlement, "why did you want all of us here?"
"Mouse told me about a plan for shielding our fighters when we send them to fight Daemon," Dot explained. "Cache will explain it to you," she continued, nodding at a dark-haired female One binome. The binome, wearing a lab coat and goggles, stepped forward.
"This is Cache Memory. She is a scientific genius, and she has a great memory. She's one of our tech-girls,'" Dot explained, smiling at the look on the others' faces.
Cache put her hands on her hips and glared with her one eye. "What, haven't your seen the tech-boys before? I'm pretty much the same."
"Cache will be helping us with Mouse's plan," Dot cut in, before the tech-girl could get more annoyed. "But if you'd like to do the honors, Mouse . . .?"
The hacker nodded and took Dot's place in front of the others. "We all know the original plan was ta send an army of CPUs in ta fight Daemon. But the other downtime Ah was thinkin' — how are they gonna be shielded? We don' have enough time, energy, or units to create a huge base in Mainframe to connect them to. Plus, if the base gets shot, they'll all go down. So, Ah thought of individual shielding."
She held up a flat, gray steel sheet, slightly curved. "AndrAIa and Ah will manufacture these plates — we've already got tons. Then we pass `em on to Bob and Ray, who'll strengthen them with yer keytool and Web Surfr energy. Then it goes back to me an' Dre, and we'll set to attaching them to CPUs."
Cache put in, "The final result is, when the CPUs travel to the Supercomputer to fight Daemon, they'll make it through the Web without perishing, strengthened by the energies put in them."
The three sat in silence; AndrAIa looked interested, while Bob and Ray studied their hands in surprise. The Guardian looked up and spoke first. "That's genius, Mouse!"
"We'll have ta get ta work right away," she replied grimly. The others nodded.
"And it's going to take a lot off both your energy," Dot warned. "You may want to take it easier if any Games come, Bob. I'm afraid giving all this energy is going to seriously weaken you."
"Only fer a little while, eh, mate?" Ray asked; Bob nodded.
"Anything to stop Daemon," Bob said. His expression darkened. "Anything for Turbo."
Dot hugged him briefly and kissed him on the cheek. "Now, all of you get to work," she commanded. "You've got long seconds ahead."
Bob, Ray, AndrAIa, and Mouse followed Cache Memory through another set of doorways into another small room. Dot came back through the weapons area and went up the elevator. She stepped out, ready to go to the Diner.
Suddenly, a VidWindow popped open right in front of her. Dot fell back a step as Mr. Pearson's face appeared on the screen. The cranky binome looked frantic.
"Mr. Pearson, what's wrong?" Dot asked immediately.
"It's that wild dog of yours," he answered angrily. "He's been ripping everything up here. I can't stop him!"
Dot frowned. It didn't sound like Frisket at all. . . . "I'll be there as soon as I can, Mr. Pearson," she said. She closed the window and prepared to head for the junkyard. As an afterthought, she called for a small squad of CPUs to accompany her. Whatever had Frisket spooked, it couldn't be good, and the added protection might be required.
They arrived at the Data Dump in less than ten milliseconds. Dot had also called Matrix, to restrain Frisket, if need be. As they zipped through the city's levels, Dot could see Matrix's face darken with worry. He too didn't understand what could make Frisket act as Mr. Pearson had described.
As they touched down in the old junkyard, the old binome came running towards them.
"Thank the User!" he cried in relief. "He's back that way." He pointed toward the run-down shed where he lived. The sprites and CPUs followed him.
The door had been knocked off its hinges; and as they entered the shed, they saw that every box had been upturned, and gears and parts alike discarded. Frisket was crouched in the corner, gripping a machine part in his mouth as he tossed his head side to side wildly.
Matrix bent down by his dog and pulled the piece from Frisket's mouth. The dog continued to growl, even as Matrix lightly rubbed his back. "Frisket, what's wrong?"
"He rushed in here and started tearing everything up," Mr. Pearson said, keeping a reproachful eye on the trembling dog. "He just went after everything. I couldn't figure out what he was going after."
Frisket suddenly trotted over to a row of dumpsters by the doorway, and he began barking at them. Matrix stood up and walked over. Dot, Mr. Pearson, and the CPUs followed.
"Well, Enzo?" Dot asked.
Matrix shrugged in confusion. "Frisket usually doesn't act like this. . . . Only if there's a threat nearby; he can always sense anything viral." His eyes met Dot's, in a questioning look.
Matrix looked back at the dumpster and concentrated hard. It took Dot a nano to realize that his cybernetic eye had swiveled in its socket and was glowing red.
Matrix studied the dumpsters for almost a full millisecond. Finally he turned back to the others, as Frisket continued to growl. "There's something in there, no doubt about it," he said. "But what, I have no idea."
"All right, search those dumpsters," Dot ordered. "Tell me of anything suspicious you find."
The CPUs immediately set to pulling everything out of the dumpsters and sorting through each and every item.
Dot turned to Mr. Pearson. "I'm terribly sorry about this," she said.
He nodded curtly. "And I hope there's nothing harmful in there," he said, nodding at the dumpsters. He, Dot, and Matrix watched as the CPUs kept at their rummaging. Frisket continued to snarl; though the sprites and binomes could see nothing there.
AndrAIa and Mouse sat in the Principle Office's underground levels, used for storing transports, surrounded by parked CPUs. There was a box of tools at their feet, and heavy suits and bulky helmets, protection against the flame-throwers they would use, hung on the wall.
"How long will it take Bob and Ray to enforce some of those plates?" AndrAIa wondered.
"A while," Mouse sighed. "Which leaves us with nothin' ta do." Suddenly, an interested look came onto her face. "Andi, I wanna know more about yer friend Kode — like, when did ya meet `im, how long did ya know `im — but especially, how come yer actin' all weird about `im, if he was such a close friend in the Games?"
AndrAIa sighed and folded her arms over her chest. "I can't shake the feeling that there's something wrong about Kode. He seems as normal as any of us; but in truth, he's entirely different from when Enzo and I last saw him. He didn't act like he does now — he was actually" — a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth — "a bit of a nerd."
Mouse shrugged. "People can change."
AndrAIa shook her head emphatically. "It's not that," she protested softly. "He's changed so much . . . I'm not sure even a few minutes — or hours — could do that."
"It happened to Enzo," Mouse replied evenly.
AndrAIa caught her breath. Mouse was right. "I guess that could have happened," she conceded. She smiled distantly. "But, you wouldn't believe what Kode was like back when we were about, say, 1.7. . . ."
GAME OVER.
The dark purple cube retreated into the sky, leaving in its place the two young sprites and their ferocious-looking dog.
Enzo Matrix, now 1.7, sighed as he consulted his keytool. "No ports? Not again."
AndrAIa placed a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Sparky," she said. She smiled sadly. "Don't lose hope. Maybe the next system will have ports to the Net."
He shook his head in remorse and stared at their new surroundings.
The system's citizens had shrunk away in fright from the strangers. From the star-shaped Principle Office came a tall, imposing man with dark hair — the Command.com. With him stood his son, who shared his father's ocher-colored skin.
"Greetings, travelers, and welcome to our system," the Command.com said to the two Game-hopping sprites.
Matrix introduced himself, AndrAIa, and Frisket. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the Command.com's son sneaking a few glances at AndrAIa, and unconsciously, Matrix's cybernetic eye glowed red. The boy gulped and stepped back, but his longing gaze remained on AndrAIa.
The Command.com didn't seem to notice. "As the sprite in charge of this system, I invite you two to stay here for as long as you need."
AndrAIa smiled. "Thank you for your hospitality," she said graciously.
"Furthermore," the Command.com went on, "my son Kode has a great knowledge of the system; and he could show you around if you wish."
The boy pushed his glasses further up on his nose and snorted. Not noticing, AndrAIa nodded to the Command.com, then glanced at Matrix. "Enzo?"
His dark scowl lightened for a nano. "What? I — I guess."
"Pixelacious!" Kode said, speaking up for the first time. His voice was high and nasally. "C'mon, I'll show you now." He took AndrAIa's arm and pulled her after him. Kode started to lead her off, when he looked back and saw that Matrix still stood in his spot.
"Come on." Kode reached for Matrix's arm, but the renegade pushed his hand away and drew Gun. Kode jumped back in panic, then looked up at Matrix, fear evident in his eyes.
"Matrix!" AndrAIa scolded. "Don't worry," she assured Kode, "he's okay. Now, show me around?" She batted her eyelashes. Kode grinned and nodded, and the two walked on. Matrix clenched his teeth and followed them quickly.
"We ended up staying in the system for a few seconds," AndrAIa continued, "waiting for the next Game. Kode was very enthusiastic about showing us around the system. He followed us around continually; and after a while, it got very annoying."
"Hmm," Mouse answered. She glanced at AndrAIa. "Ah'm listening. Then what happened?"
"When a Game finally came, Matrix and I were horrified when Kode followed us into it, and then stayed in the Game when it left. As it turns out, Kode was also very smitten with me, and . . . he couldn't bear to be away from me."
Mouse shook her head, grinning widely. "Ya must have been a heartbreaker when ya were a teen, Dre."
The game sprite grinned back. "Unfortunately, I was. One of the seconds he had been with us, Kode had downloaded one of our game sprite formats on his icon — how he did that, I have no idea — and he used it to follow us in every Game we played. He was horrible at it, and even Enzo wasn't brutal enough to just leave him; so, we let him stay with us. And when he got better, and we made it to new systems, Kode always found a way to follow us back into the Games. He just wouldn't let us go; he was like a fungus.
"And, at that time in our lives, Enzo and I hadn't admitted we loved one another; I think we were both too shy and scared to. As we traveled through the Games, Kode and Matrix fought continuously for me." She rolled her eyes, remembering the next hour in the Games. "And that made for a lot of mishaps. . . ."
The three sprites and dog had been traveling together for almost an hour now. Enzo had turned 1.8, as had Kode. As the seconds passed, and AndrAIa grew more beautiful, the two teenagers began to compete for AndrAIa's affection.
It started out as small gestures; one second, while crossing a shaky Game-bridge, Kode helped AndrAIa make it across, leaving Matrix and Frisket to walk across it themselves. When they stepped onto solid ground, Kode kept his grip on AndrAIa's arm a few nanos more than was necessary, as he smiled charmingly at her. She frowned and jerked her arm away, and they went on.
AndrAIa noticed, with growing annoyance, how Matrix and Kode always fought to walk beside her, and occasionally one would trip the other; one would fall and trip the other male in turn, and they would end up scuffling, and it would be up to her to break them apart.
They would always compete in the Games, sometimes more against each other than the User. It thoroughly exasperated AndrAIa; and yet, she couldn't help but find it a little flattering.
"All right," Mouse's voice broke through AndrAIa's mind. "Ya've told me how they fought over you for that hour. Now, how'd ya end up with Matrix?"
"I was about to say," AndrAIa answered. "Finally, Enzo's and Kode's fighting reached its highest point: the two basic guys decided it was one or the other. It happened in a wilderness Game. . . ."
The Game-hoppers hurried inside the small rock cave as icy rain rushed down in a torrent.
Once inside, Frisket curled up in a corner, tucking his ears in to stay warm. The cave was too small for any of them to stand up straight, so AndrAIa settled herself against a flat rock and drew her knees to her chest. She glanced over at her two male companions. Kode was rifling through his pack (they had each rebooted with one), while Matrix sat at the entrance of the cave, watching the downpour.
AndrAIa crawled over to him. "What are you looking for?" she asked.
He shrugged, his gaze still on the rain. "Glitch didn't specify where the User would be; I want to make sure he doesn't get near us." He looked back at her, and immediately, his eye filled with concern. "AndrAIa, look how cold you are! Here, take my jacket —"
He started to take off his jacket, but AndrAIa stopped him. "I'm fine," she said, rolling her eyes. Then she smiled. "That was very sweet, though, Enzo; thank you. We have blankets in the packs; we'll be fine tonight." Matrix nodded, and the two of them moved back into the cave.
Kode looked up as they approached. "We have the essential supplies for tomorrow," he reported. "Flashlights, pistols, blankets, rations." He held up the dried-up pack of food and wrinkled his nose.
AndrAIa pulled her flashlight out and switched it on, testing its power. She turned it off and hooked it to her belt, as well as her pistol. "Thanks, Kode," she said. "That helps."
"Any time, Andi." Kode smiled at her; but his green eyes shot a malicious glance at Matrix, who glared back, his cybernetic eye glowing slightly.
AndrAIa glanced from one sprite to the other. "We need one of us to go and scout, while the others stay here. Who will go?"
"I'll go," Kode said quickly, before Matrix could volunteer. Smirking, the orange-skinned sprite slung his pack over his shoulder and left the cave, running across the damp grass into the forest as drops of rain pounded him.
"AndrAIa —" Matrix began, but she was tired of listening to the two trying to win her affection. AndrAIa pulled out her flashlight and began searching the back of the cave.
When half a micro had passed, and Kode hadn't returned, AndrAIa began to get worried. She gazed out across at the dark forest in concern. "Where's Kode?" she asked.
Matrix appeared next to her. "He's been gone for a while," he growled suspiciously. He pulled his pack toward him. "I'll go after him."
"Be careful," AndrAIa called after him as he jogged across the grass.
Matrix glanced back and actually smiled, then went on. AndrAIa leaned back and watched him go, not realizing that she was smiling just as goofily.
She looked back at Frisket, still curled up in the corner. "I'm glad there's one male who won't go after me like I'm a trophy; huh, Frisket?"
The dog barked and nuzzled her hand with his head. AndrAIa laughed and waited for the two sprites to come back.
Ten milliseconds had passed, and still no one came. AndrAIa almost considered going after them. As she was pulling on her pack, she grinned to herself. If both Matrix and Kode had gotten lost, she would be teasing them about it for cycles!
The sound of a pistol shot rang in the distance. AndrAIa's grin was swept off her face, and she dropped her pack. "The User," she gasped. "Oh — Enzo! Kode!"
Frisket jumped up and bounded out of the cave. AndrAIa retrieved her pack and ran after him. A thin line of smoke rose from the top of the forest, and it looked as if part of a tree had been shot.
"Frisket," AndrAIa ordered, "find Enzo!" The dog obeyed, putting his head to the ground as he sniffed, then lifted his head and ran after the trail.
They fought their way through the forest. AndrAIa found a machete in her pack and used it to chop away vines and branches, as she stumbled her way after Frisket.
They emerged from the forest. There was no User; instead, straight ahead were Matrix and Kode, fighting at the edge of a cliff while thunder rumbled far off, and the rain pounded the rock at their feet. AndrAIa ran toward them, but Frisket bounded right in front of her, growling and barking furiously. She didn't understand; then she realized that Frisket was trying to protect her from the two sprites. She watched helplessly as Matrix and Kode fought.
Matrix was trying to wrestle Kode's pistol from his hand; AndrAIa realized that the shot had been Kode's — and it had been for Matrix.
Matrix flung the pistol from Kode's hand, and it went flying over the edge of the cliff. Kode lunged for it — too late — then he turned to Matrix, his eyes full of rage.
The green sprite had pulled Gun out its holster; and he held it to Kode's head, right between his eyes. Kode gulped and glared up at Matrix.
AndrAIa pushed past Frisket. "Enzo, don't!" she screamed.
Matrix looked back at her in shock. While his attention was turned, Kode grabbed Gun by the barrel and turned it away, then he knocked it to the ground. He tackled Matrix, pushing the sprite down. Matrix grappled with Kode, snarling and trying to dislodge the sprite's weight.
AndrAIa rushed forward and tried to push them apart; but a kick from Kode sent her flying, and she hit a sharp rock. With a groan of pain, she slid to the ground, holding her side, which was slowly bleeding data. Frisket nudged her worriedly, but she waved him away. Clenching her teeth, she haltingly climbed to her feet.
Matrix locked Kode's arms behind his back and flipped the younger sprite over his head. Kode was hurled over the edge of the cliff, his scream fading in the rushing wind.
AndrAIa hobbled over to Matrix, who lay on his side, breathing painfully. "Are you all right?" she asked with genuine love. He nodded and tried to smile up at her.
"But where's —" AndrAIa continued, then her face grew pale. " Oh, Enzo, how could you?" She rushed to the edge of the cliff. It dropped sharply; with a sick feeling, AndrAIa thought, Nothing — or no one — could survive a fall from here.
Suddenly, orange fingers appeared, gripping the edge of the cliff. AndrAIa expelled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and she rushed to grab Kode's hands and haul him up onto the top of the cliff. Matrix came over to help, grunting with the effort.
Kode's eyes widened in fear, but he let the two sprites pull him up. When they lay on the rock, gasping, Kode pushed himself up and looked at AndrAIa, his eyes shining with gratitude.
"AndrAIa," he whispered, "you . . . you saved me."
AndrAIa regarded him with eyes of blue steel. "I only saved you because you don't deserve to die — not for anything you do."
She turned her head sharply to look at Matrix as well, who was watching Kode warily. "You two sprites are the most crazy and careless I have ever seen!" she yelled, struggling to raise her voice over the wind and rain. "I don't believe you — fighting to the death for the affections of one girl? Matrix was almost deleted; then Kode was almost deleted. What were you thinking, to make you act in such a stupid way?"
"I love you," Matrix spoke up.
"So do I," Kode added.
AndrAIa shook her head. "No, Kode, I don't think you do. I've seen the way you look at me; you think I'm a trophy, a prize to gain, that will show you're the best. You don't love me, Kode. I know love; I know that Enzo loves me, and I love him." Matrix's face brightened for a moment.
"And you, Enzo," AndrAIa continued, her tone still sharp, "I'm ashamed that you would compete over me in the same fashion. I don't believe either of you!"
Kode's cheeks burned with embarrassment and shame; as did Matrix's. Silently, they followed AndrAIa back to the cave.
No one wanted to speak. Kode pulled out his blanket and settled himself in a corner, away from the other three.
Matrix rolled his shoulders and winced.
"Here, let me take care of your bruises," AndrAIa offered. Matrix nodded, and let her take off his jacket and tend to his bruises, as well as apply some bandages to the slight cuts he had acquired. She offered the same for Kode, but he curtly refused.
Matrix leaned back against the wall, grimacing because he was uncomfortable, and he pulled up his blanket. After a nano of thought, he reached out one arm to AndrAIa, who was still shivering. "C'mere," he urged softly.
AndrAIa smiled and did as he said. She lay her head on Matrix's shoulder and let him draw both their blankets over them.
Matrix couldn't stop a smile from floating onto his face as AndrAIa nuzzled his neck lightly. He tightened his arm around her and whispered, "I love you."
AndrAIa looked up at him, and he was struck at how beautiful her sea-blue eyes were. "I love you too."
Matrix leaned down and kissed her forehead, and AndrAIa snuggled closer to him. Frisket curled up against his master's leg.
In his corner, Kode watched the couple and their dog, his eyes shining with unbridled hate. Eventually, he slept; but, like all of them, it was restless.
AndrAIa took a deep breath, and finished her story: "The next system we reached, we left Kode; and the strange thing was, he stayed there, and we never saw him again; at least, not until that Game last cycle." She sighed. "He's changed so much since then. You heard his comment about how Enzo and I are in love; he doesn't forgive us for what we did to him."
"That's amazing," Mouse commented. "Ah had no idea you two had stories like that from the Games."
AndrAIa nodded and smiled.
Mouse looked out the window of the Principle Office, her burgundy eyes clouded. "Now Ah really don't think we should've let him go off on his own."
Cache left Bob and Ray in a large room filled with the steel plates.
Bob whistled, looking around at the stacks of plates. "This is going to take a while," he observed.
"No kidding," Ray murmured.
Bob rubbed his hands together, and a golden charge started. "As Matrix would say, let's do it." He picked up a sheet and pressed his hand to it. The dull gray of the metal sparkled as keytool energy raced over and inside it. When Bob was finished, he handed the sheet to Ray and picked up another. As he was handed the plates, the Surfr sent an equal layer of glowing blue Surfr-energy over each one, and then he set them in a stack by his Baud.
They continued in a steady line for some time. Finally, when the stack of plates reached halfway to the ceiling, they paused.
Instead of just consulting Glitch (his energy was burned out), Bob checked the clock on the wall. "Whoa!" he gasped. "It's been three micros!"
Ray rubbed his temples. "I know, mate. The truth just hurts sometimes, don't it? Here, I'll take the plates to Mouse and AndrAIa," he offered. "You rest fer a nano, all right?"
Bob nodded wearily as Ray jumped on Baud with the stack of plates and shakily surfed out of the room.
AndrAIa met him halfway. "Thanks, Ray," she said, taking the stack of glowing plates. "Are you and Bob all right?" she added, concerned.
Ray smiled tiredly. "We're getting through it, love."
AndrAIa smiled back. "All right. Just work for another micro or so, and then get some rest. Mouse will delete both of you if you overtire yourselves — and I won't be far behind her."
Ray saluted playfully and surfed back. AndrAIa took the stack of plates and made her way back to the lower levels. Mouse was crouched by a line of CPUs, sizing them up. She stood up as the game sprite walked in.
"Ray looked pretty tired," AndrAIa announced with a wry smile. "No doubt Bob is too; both of them giving so much energy." She set the plates on the floor. "Well?"
Mouse picked up a plate and held it against the side of a CPU. "Good; the plates fit perfectly. We need somethin' to weld them to the transports, though."
AndrAIa reached into their box of tools and hefted a flame-thrower. "And here we go." She picked one of the suits and helmets off the wall. Not much of a fashion statement, she thought wryly. She slipped into the protective suit and bent down by a CPU. Mouse did the same and handed her an energy-enforced plate.
AndrAIa turned on the flame-thrower and put the fire's pressure on the plate, welding the edges of the sheet to the edges of the door. When she had finished and let that cool, Mouse handed her another one, and she did the same thing.
It took about three-fourths of a micro to shield one transport. When they had finished the first CPU, the two women sat down and removed their helmets.
"Whew," Mouse sighed. "This ain't gonna be easy. Ya're with me, Dre?"
AndrAIa nodded, her eyes determined. "Yes."
Dot entered the Diner as the city was preparing for downtime. She had spent the better part of the afternoon searching for the mysterious item at the Data Dump. They came up with nothing, though Frisket still growled, and only at the dumpsters. The CPUs searched the rest of Mr. Pearson's shed, but again they came up with nothing. Finally, they decided to give up the search. Matrix took Frisket with him to pick Enzo up from school.
Dot had made it to the Diner, but only for a short while, as she became swamped with business messages; then she had had to take care of more business at the Principle Office. Now, after an exhausting second, the only thoughts on her mind were to get a small dinner and visit with her brothers.
Cecil nodded primly to her before moving to serve some customers at a table. Out of the corner of her eye, Dot noticed Stripe sitting at a booth, as if she had been waiting. She would have to get used to having her Protector pop up at any moment, Dot told herself. She headed through the door to the kitchen and down the stairs where her and her brother's small rooms were.
She walked into the living room to find Frisket lying on his back on the floor, as Enzo scratched his stomach. When he saw Dot, Enzo jumped up and hugged her. "Hi, sis!" he exclaimed.
"Hi yourself," she laughed, tousling his hair through the red baseball cap. "How was school?"
Enzo pulled back and made a face. "Same as always: boring! I wish another Game would drop, and Bob would take me with him."
Dot's only reply was to smile and spin his cap lightly. She had gained a deep grudge against the Games after Matrix had gotten lost for an hour, and she was positive she would think twice before letting her other brother go into one with another sprite — even Bob.
Matrix appeared in the room. When he saw Dot, he said, "Oh, hi, sis. I was just going." He started for the stairs.
"Wait," Dot said. Matrix turned and came back to them.
Dot held up the photo album she had been carrying for the whole second. "Dad was —" She hesitated, but only for a nano. "–at the P.O. today. He dropped this off."
"What is it?" Enzo asked, taking the album from her hands and opening it. As he flipped through the pages, his face lit up. "Alphanumeric!"
Dot took the album back. She sat with Enzo on the couch as Matrix leaned over her shoulder, and together they studied the pictures of their life from the Twin City.
"There you are, Enzo," Dot said, pointing at a picture of their family. The small green-skinned toddler in a diaper wearing a red cap wore the same exuberant grin Dot saw on Enzo every second.
"No way!" Enzo laughed. "See how young you looked, Dot," he said, pointing his finger to the image of the smiling 2.1-hour-old Dot.
"Very funny," Dot said, rolling her eyes at her brother's comment.
"Is that Mom?" Matrix asked, tracing a thick finger over the image of a turquoise-skinned woman in her early 5.0s standing next to Welman Matrix. The woman's violet eyes shone with a kind warmth and friendliness.
Dot nodded, as a lump formed unbidden in her throat. She was the only one who fully remembered their parents, and she hadn't realized until lately how much she really missed them.
Enzo stared at both of his parents in awed silence for a few milliseconds. They flipped through the next few pages; pages that held pictures showing them with their friends: Dot and Del with their arms around each other's shoulders, and a picture of Harm grinning and holding baby Enzo.
The next few pictures showed only Welman, Dot, and Enzo; taken after Cora Matrix had mysteriously deleted. The last picture was of an older Dot and a 0.7-hour-old Enzo, with the giant Center looming behind them.
"That picture was taken the second the Twin City was —" Dot's voice trailed off, and she fought to keep it from shaking. " — was destroyed," she finished. She shut the photo album and closed her eyes for a nano. Matrix put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly; Dot smiled up at her brother.
"Hey, anyone home?" Bob called, coming down the stairs. "Oh, hi," he said, seeing the Matrix siblings on the couch. He frowned. "Am I interrupting something?"
"It's all right, Bob," Dot said. She lifted Enzo off her lap and stood up and embraced the Guardian. "I missed you today."
"I missed you too," Bob said, giving her a short kiss. "Did anything interesting happen?"
"Actually, yes." Dot grinned ruefully at the surprised look on Bob's face. "You?"
He shook his head. "Nothing," he answered with a sigh. He rubbed his neck. "I'm dead tired, but — Well, um — after Ray and I finished the work, Phong and I bent over tons of windows on viruses. But we still didn't find anything."
Dot let go of him and stepped back. "I'll tell you about our second later," she said.
As soon as the two were apart, Enzo jumped off the couch and bounded at the Guardian. "BOB!" He bowled Bob over effortlessly and began chattering. "School was so basic, Bob! I don't see why I have to study; could you talk to Dot about it?"
"Enzo!" Dot scolded. "Bob's very tired."
The young sprite looked to Bob, noticing for the first time that second that his hero's face was creased, and he was breathing deeply. "Oh, I'm sorry, Bob!"
Bob laughed and carefully pushed Enzo off him. "It's okay, Partner. So," he asked, rubbing his hands together, "what's for dinner?"
"I've got to go," Matrix spoke up. He smiled apologetically. "Dre's probably wondering where I am by now." He waved to the three and left.
Dot ordered them a dinner from the Diner upstairs. While they ate, Enzo asked, "So, Bob, how come you're so tired?"
Bob traded an anxious look with Dot.
"What is it?" Enzo asked, annoyed that they were taking so long to answer him.
Dot nodded and looked back to Enzo. "Well, you see, Enzo . . ." She briefly explained the plan that Bob, Ray, Mouse, and AndrAIa had devoted their second to.
"Totally cool!" Enzo exclaimed when she was finished.
"But you tell no one," Dot added. "Not until we have explained the plan to all of Mainframe."
Enzo nodded vigorously. "You can trust me, Dot, Bob! I swear!"
Dot smiled. "I know, Enzo."
"Thanks for dinner," Bob said, pushing his plate aside, "but I had better get back to my apartment." When he was met with disappointment from both Matrixes — Dot's more concealed than Enzo's — he explained, "Kode's still staying at my apartment, and I'd prefer to be there before he gets back. I don't know, but I just don't trust that guy by himself in my apartment."
Dot stood up and hugged him tightly.
"At least you don't have me to bother you anymore," Bob teased.
Dot kissed him deeply. "I do want you to be here," she whispered, soft enough so only he could hear.
Bob returned the kiss. "I know," he whispered back. "So do I."
Enzo hugged Bob around the waist. "See you tomorrow, Bob. Hey, maybe you could take me into a Game with you!"
"I'm not sure," Bob replied with a sigh. "Judging from today, I'm going to be pretty tired. . . . We'll see, Enzo." He pulled out his zipboard and went upstairs, dodging Frisket by the door.
"Bob must be really pooped, to be zip-boarding instead of just making a portal," Enzo observed. "It's a cool plan, Dot. I think it'll work."
Dot stroked his shoulder. "Thanks, Little Brother. Now, get ready for bed."
"Then can I watch a .mov on the vidscreen?" Enzo pleaded.
"Sure." Dot smiled as Enzo left for his room, but it soon faded. I can't help but think Enzo's the most affected by this war; I only hope he won't have to grow up so fast — like Matrix did, like all of us did.