CHAPTER 4
INTRIGUE, PART 2
Bob was surprised when he entered his apartment and found that Kode hadn't returned from his tour of Mainframe. He'll be back in less than a micro, the Guardian thought.
A micro and a half later, Bob wasn't so sure. He considered calling Dot, then decided not to bother her. Finally, he changed and went to his room to sleep.
What felt like only five milliseconds later, Bob dimly heard a knock on his door. With an effort, he got out of bed and went to answer it.
"Guardian Bob?"
"Hmm," Bob managed. He rubbed his eyes — then he rubbed them again, thinking that he was still dreaming. Several CPUs stood on his doorstep, guarding the sulky figure of Kode. The CPU chief was the one who had addressed him.
"Guardian Bob," he said again, "we found this sprite loitering around the Principle Office after micros. He says he's staying at your apartment?"
Bob nodded. "Yes, he is. But why would he be loitering around the P.O.?" he added, staring at Kode.
The chief shrugged. "We asked him, but he said he was just looking.'"
"Well, thank you for bringing him," Bob said. The chief nodded, and the CPUs zipped back to the Principle Office.
"What were you doing at the Principle Office anyway, Kode?" Bob asked.
The orange sprite shrugged, not saying anything.
Bob growled under his breath and rubbed the last sleep out of his eyes. "Fine. If you won't tell me why, I know who you will tell — or you better, anyway." He left Kode in the living room; Bob walked into another room and sent a VidWindow to Matrix and AndrAIa's apartment in the Twin City.
It was dark when the window opened on their room. Bob's first thought was that he would awaken them, and he cringed. ". . . Matrix? AndrAIa?" he called.
There was no answer; then: "Uh, hang on for a nano," Matrix said, but Bob couldn't see him.
Bob heard sounds of shifting in the bed sheets, and he waited. Finally, someone turned on the light. Matrix and AndrAIa sat up in their bed. Matrix was trying to smooth his fingers through his hair. "Who's there?" he asked, then his eyes widened when he saw the blue Guardian. "Bob?" AndrAIa glanced away and tried to adjust the large shirt she wore to bed, that was hanging loosely off one shoulder.
Bob's eyes widened; it would have been better to wake them up than to interrupt them, when they were — "Oh, I'm sorry, I just —"
"It's fine," Matrix replied tightly, obviously as embarrassed. "What is it?"
That's the last time I call without checking, Bob thought. "Your friend Kode is here. Some CPUs brought him to my apartment for loitering around the Principle Office. He won't talk to me, and I was thinking he'd talk to you, Matrix?"
Matrix clenched his teeth at Bob calling Kode "your friend"; when he heard the rest, he looked thoroughly disgusted and annoyed. But he looked at his hero and sighed. "Fine."
"I'll get him —" Bob started for the door.
"I'd prefer to move the window on my side," Matrix said, with a nod at AndrAIa.
Bob nodded and went to get Kode.
When Matrix finished talking to Kode, the orange-skinned sprite stomped by Bob and went into the guestroom, slamming the door. The Guardian watched him warily for a couple nanoseconds, then returned to the VidWindow.
"Look, Enzo," he started, "I'm sorry, about interrupting you two, and Kode."
Matrix shook his head. "It's fine," he sighed, running a hand over his face and through his hair.
"Have an interesting second?" Bob asked with a hint of a smile.
Matrix glanced at him. "Unfortunately, yes. And tonight just had to add to the fun."
"So — what'd he say?"
"Nothing," Matrix replied. "I mean, he did say that yes, he was walking around the P.O.; but he didn't tell me why."
"Would he talk to AndrAIa?" Bob suggested.
Matrix shook his head again. "No. It doesn't matter, anyway."
"You're ri — righ — right." Bob's words were broken by a yawn that he tried unsuccessfully to cover with his hand. "I need the most sleep I can get," he said. "Did Mouse tell you about the plan?"
Matrix shook his head, frowning slightly.
"Well, ask her about it tomorrow; I'm too tired. Goodnight, Enzo." Bob closed the window.
"Goodnight, Bob," Matrix said. He went back to his and AndrAIa's bedroom and climbed in next to her.
"Well?" she asked, startling him.
Matrix rubbed his good eye. "Nothing."
AndrAIa crossed her arms over her chest, her face dark with worry.
Matrix stroked her hair with his hand. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she replied, trying to smile. "I was — just thinking about Kode today; what he was like since we last saw him."
Matrix sighed loudly and leaned back, pulling her onto his chest. "Let's get some sleep."
AndrAIa smiled and leaned over to kiss him deeply. She closed her eyes and lay an arm over his chest. Matrix pulled up the covers over them.
Unfortunately, as AndrAIa slept, Matrix too was experiencing dark thoughts. No one had told him about either of the current happenings — from the icon procedure to whatever plan Bob had just mentioned. Why did it feel like everyone was in on a secret that Matrix had no idea about?
He sighed; he had no answer to his suspicions. The best he could do was ask Mouse or Dot tomorrow. He shifted slightly, laying his head back against the pillow next to AndrAIa's, and he slept.
The next morning, Dot got a surprise when she saw Enzo up early; and Tessa sat with him in the living room, looking at the photo album from the Twin City.
"Tessa! What are you doing here?" Dot asked.
Enzo looked up. "Oh, morning, Dot. I dunno how Tessa got here — she just appeared."
"I came from Lost Angles," Tessa replied. "Hex let me come here."
"Of course," Dot said, sighing in relief. That just explains everything, she thought, with a touch of sarcasm. She walked past the two young sprites to make herself some java.
Enzo flipped to the pictures of the four Matrixes. "That's my family, nine hours ago." Tessa looked intrigued by the word "family," and she listened intently to what Enzo told her.
He put his finger on the picture of the slightly older formats of him and Dot, the second of the Twin City's explosion. "After our parents were deleted, Dot took care of me for four hours, I think. She was like Mom and Dad," he added, beaming up at his sister.
Dot smiled and ruffled his hair through his cap.
"When you were a baby, a cycle ago, Dot and I took care of you," Enzo told Tessa.
She wrinkled her nose. "No, you didn't!"
"We did!" Enzo argued, grinning. "And you were only this big!" He held out his hands in front of him, showing the length she had been.
Tessa laughed and looked up at Dot. "Is this true, Dot?"
"It is, Tessa," Dot said.
Tessa looked back to the photo album. She flipped randomly through pages, looking at the pictures. "Enzo, could I borrow your album, for a little while?" she asked. "I promise I'll bring it back."
Enzo shrugged. "Sure, Tessa. How come?"
"I want to show Hex," the little sprite replied. Before either of them could say anything, she disappeared in a shower of sparkles.
"Hmm," Dot commented, taking a sip of her java. She glanced at the clock. "Enzo, go get dressed. We have the icon ceremony at 1200."
Enzo ran into his room to get dressed. Dot finished her java and got dressed as well, then she headed to the Principle Office.
Tessa showed Hexadecimal the photo album, pointing to various pictures and saying what Enzo had told her.
"See, Hex — this is Enzo's family. They looked very happy."
"That they did," Hex murmured, taking the album and studying some of the pictures.
"Hex," Tessa surprised her by asking, "are we like a family?"
"Of course, my darling," the registered virus said, laying a hand on her charge's hairless head.
Tessa smiled. "I want you and Enzo to be my family."
Hex smiled back. Tessa reminded her of the younger format of the game sprite AndrAIa, for the short time she had been in Mainframe. Hex flipped through the pages. Tessa's words still ran through her processor.
"I want you and Enzo to be my family."
Maybe some of that was possible. . . .
"Good morning, Phong," Dot said, seating herself in front of his desk.
"Ah, good morning, my child," Phong replied, wiping the cocoa mustache off his face. "Is everything ready for the icon ceremony?"
"Mouse has the machine ready; we decided it would take place in the Twin City, so we need to bring it there; and we need to have everyone there before we start," Dot replied. "I think that's all."
"No; there's something more." Dot looked surprised. Phong continued, "Hexadecimal just contacted me" — he looked (uncharacteristically) slightly disgruntled — "saying that she wishes to adopt Tessali."
"Whoa, Phong — adopt Tessa? And when did Hex reach this decision?"
"Just this morning," he replied. "She said looking at the photo album Tessa showed her, from you, prompted her to think about family."
Dot rubbed her forehead with her hand. "And how are we going to incorporate that into today?"
"Do not worry, my child — it has already been planned as part of the procedures, after the Twin City citizens and the traders take part."
Dot took a deep breath. "All right. Is there anything else, Phong?"
The wise old sprite shook his head. "No — oh, Dot," he added as she stood up, "Hexadecimal gave me this to give back to you," and he handed her the photo album.
"Thanks, Phong," Dot said. She pocketed the album and zipped quickly back to the Diner and put it in her room. It was almost time for the procedure; she rushed back to the Principle Office to meet Mouse.
When 1200 approached, everyone was ready. Bob, Dot, Mouse, Ray, Matrix, AndrAIa, Phong, the traders, and the Twin City's populace stood on the edge of the City; Mainframe was still in sight. The Mainframers (and the two Protectors were surely there as well) stood on a raised platform; the small transfer machine was in the middle, glowing slightly as it powered up.
Phong lowered the microphone in the middle of the stage and spoke into it. "My children, we are all here to witness a ceremony that will bring us closer together. We will bind these sprites and binomes — traders from a nearby system who wish to stay with us for protection, and the long-lost citizens from the Twin City, across the data sea — to Mainframe citizenship with this machine, built by Mouse."
There was assorted clapping; Dot noticed that her father's face was stony, and he did not clap at Phong's words. Neither did Del or Harm.
"First will come the traders, who have traveled from faraway systems in search of a sanctuary in this war. We are pleased to give them a temporary home."
One by one the traders stepped onto the stage. The first to go was Captain Rif, who, for once, didn't look gruff. He turned his icon, and the small light of his code flew into the machine; it appeared as a red blip on the screen. He nodded to the Mainframers and stepped off the platform. The other traders followed, performing the same thing. When Kirstie Acos and her two children stepped up to the machine and gave their codes, she smiled at the Mainframers, her eyes bright with tears of joy. Ric and Midi were beaming.
When all of the traders had released their codes into the machine, Mouse pressed a button. The machine shook and emitted a whirring sound. On the screen, a golden light washed over the red blips, sealing in individual Mainframe citizenship codes and the Norton program into each icon. A few sprites closed their eyes and smiled as they felt a slight twinge in their codes, and an overwhelming feeling of warmth.
Mouse pressed another button, and the small glowing lights returned to each sprite. Then — man and woman, sprite and binome — each touched his or her icon. Each icon now bore the Mainframe symbol of a two-toned diamond against the black-and-white circle. They looked up to the Mainframers standing on the platform and cheered.
"It's beautiful," AndrAIa whispered.
"A right pretty thing," Mouse commented.
Dot's chest tightened. "Now it's time for the Cities' citizens," she whispered.
Tessa watched the icon ceremony through Hex's mirror in her Lair. She looked back at the registered virus. "Hex, how come we aren't in the City?"
Hex smiled mysteriously. "We will be going soon, my dear Tessali. I have a special surprise for you."
Tessa smiled widely and continued watching.
Far away from the rejoice in Mainframe, turmoil was present in the dark depths of the Web. Inside Daemon's base, the powerful creature twitched a coil in agitation.
* Guardian! * she screamed.
The Prime Guardian rushed into the room. "Yes, Mistress Daemon," he murmured, bowing deeply and touching his head to the floor.
The creature's spirit writhed; her anger was shown as lines of text on the large machine's screen. * I know where one of my children is. *
"You felt her?" the Guardian asked.
Daemon replied, * No, I feel nothing from her now. But she is still there. My spies in Mainframe have told me that she was registered to the system * -- she hissed in distaste -- * and taken in, and by the registered virus, no less! Contact the two Guardians there, and have them take her. *
"To delete her, Mistress?" the infected Guardian asked uncertainly.
Daemon's reply came after a nanosecond of thought. * No. She has not matured fully; she can still be used to my advantage. Tell the Guardians to capture and subdue her. They will send her to me. *
"Of course, Daemon," Turbo murmured, bowing once more before he left.
Turbo made a good, obedient slave now, as he had been deleted and fully infected a few seconds ago. The dried energy had been washed away, and he had covered the bullet hole in his back with a heavy jacket. To any other sprite, he would look alive, except for those who knew the Infection's signs: dead, dull gray skin, the veins that had spread over his face and into his eyes — eyes that were just as the other Guardians': empty, filled with something other than Turbo.
He thumbed a communicator to Attack Team Five. "Covin Permut."
"Yes, sir," the infected Guardian replied.
"Your orders are these: kidnap the girl-child and keep her until she is ready to be sent back to Daemon. If Hexadecimal gives you any trouble, delete her."
If Covin had been living, he would have replied with something like, "My pleasure." Instead he only said, "Yes, sir."
Hex took Tessa's hand. "Come, dear. It's time for us to appear."
Tessa smiled and grasped Hex's hand. The registered virus concentrated, and they were bathed in sparkles —
Behind them, one of the Lair's many entryways opened, and they heard the soft tap as a sprite jumped to the ground. They dropped hands and whirled around as a tall male sprite approached them. They couldn't see his face, but his white hair glowed in the dim light — as did the veins covering his face.
"Give me the child," he ordered in a cold voice. "Mistress Daemon commands it."
Hex's eyes opened wide. "No, never!" she cried, pushing Tessa behind her. The little child tried to peek through Hex's cape to see the strange man asking for her.
The infected Guardian saw her. "Come, child," he sneered. "I'm here to take you back where you came from." He reached for her.
"No! She is mine!" Hexadecimal screamed. She flung the stranger against the wall in rage. He rolled to his feet, seemingly unharmed, and charged for her. Hex thrust Tessa behind her chair as she faced off against the Guardian.
They circled one another restlessly, as Tessa watched in fear from her hiding spot. Hex had extended her claws, and the Guardian's hand rested on his gun.
Hex rose a few feet into the air and hovered over the ground; anticipating an attack, the Guardian rested his foot against the wall and gripped the handle of his gun.
Suddenly, Hex charged. With a cry of rage, she flew straight for the Guardian. He pushed himself off from the wall and jumped through the air. They met in mid-air; he kicked Hex sharply, and they both landed: he on his feet, but she stumbled.
Hex angrily hurled wave after wave of energy at him; but each time, he emerged impossibly strong.
"You'll never take her!" Hex screamed.
"That, virus, is where you're wrong," the Guardian snarled. He pulled out his gun and shot at Hex. A restraining command burst from the gun and bound Hex's arms to her sides and forced her to the ground. She thrashed, but the restraining command steadily drained her energy. Hex howled in fury, and the Lair was suddenly awash in light. Everything was hurled into the air, including the two remaining sprites. Then she fell still, and they hurtled to the ground.
The Guardian grabbed Tessa's arms before she could move, and he bound her with a restraining order. She tried to scream, but he gagged her. Helpless, Tessa was carried off by the infected Guardian, leaving Hex bound in her own lair.
Hex gnashed her teeth and screamed again, sending up a thick beam of viral energy.
Five milliseconds earlier . . .
Phong returned to the microphone. "We are overjoyed by the return of our friends and family from the Twin City; and we are even happier to give them citizenship in Mainframe." There was more clapping, and then the audience waited for the citizens from the Twin City to step forward.
None of them moved.
Dot's throat was tight; she tried to swallow and found she couldn't do so.
"What's going on?" Bob whispered.
Standing between Matrix and Enzo, Rasta Mon lowered his shades and gazed steadily at the still City sprites. "It's just what I thought —" he murmured.
Suddenly, there was movement. Del slowly made her way through the crowd to the platform. She took a deep breath and looked back at Welman. Then she faced forward and started up the stairs.
Dot let her breath go in a huge sigh as Del stood in front of the machine. The young woman pressed a shaking finger to her icon, then stopped. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes; and Dot thought she heard her best friend whisper, "Have to keep up appearances."
It all took less than half a millisecond. Del now wore a look of content on her face. She reached again for her icon, when —
A loud screech reached them from Mainframe's direction. Every head turned to see what was going on.
A bright pillar of light exploded from the top of Hexadecimal's Lair in Lost Angles, and another anguished cry floated toward them on the breeze.
Bob jumped into a portal; Matrix and AndrAIa jumped on their zip-boards and hurried to Lost Angles.
A loud gasp rose from the crowd. They began to talk hurriedly among themselves, some raising their voices to others.
Dot took the microphone from Phong and addressed the sprites and binomes. "Please, don't panic. We'll find out what happened, then we'll get back to —" But it was no use. No one was listening to her, too worried by the sudden surge from Hex's Lair.
Bob arrived first in Hex's Lair. He looked around, but the only one there was Hex, bound and screaming. He ran over to her and lay his hand on the ropes binding her, but he immediately jerked his hand back as one of the ropes reached out to drain the energy from his hand.
"A restraining command? But why?" Bob quickly used some Glitch energy to burn through the ropes, and Hex was freed. She immediately jumped up with an enraged howl, but she fell back down and curled up into a ball. Bob carefully turned her on her side. Hex's face was pale, and her body limp.
"Well, Bob?" Matrix asked, running in, AndrAIa by his side. "What happened?"
Bob rose to his feet. "It looks like someone broke in and tried to steal something. When Hex attacked him — or her — the intruder bound her with a restraining command. See?" They looked down at the trembling, exhausted virus.
"The only other time I've ever seen her like this is when Megabyte tried to merge with her, and she used up all her energy trying to repel him. Whatever the person tried to steal, it must mean a lot to her."
"Well, all of her paintings are intact, I think," AndrAIa observed, looking around. "So is her looking glass, and her chair. What then —" Her eyes widened. "Tessa!"
"But why Tessa?" Matrix asked. "What does she have to do with anything?"
"She did come mysteriously, and through a portal. She must be from another system; someone from that system probably came to take her back," Bob tried to reason. He shook his head. "No, there wouldn't be this much of a fight if that were the case."
"We need to get back to Dot and the others, and tell them," AndrAIa said.
"No, we need to find whoever kidnapped Tessa and take her back," Matrix argued.
Bob shook his head. "No, Enzo; AndrAIa's right. Let's go back and tell them — then we can set to getting Tessa back." They left without another word.
When they appeared back on the edge of the Twin City, Dot rushed to them. "What's going on?" she asked Bob.
"Someone captured Tessa," he explained grimly, and added the other details.
"Let's go back to the Principle Office," Dot said. "We can do a system search from there." Bob, Matrix, and AndrAIa nodded. "Mouse and Ray, could you two stay here and take care of the crowd?" Dot asked. They nodded.
The four sprites zipped to Mainframe's Principle Office, leaving Mouse, Ray, and Phong with the anxious crowds.
Welman Matrix stepped forward. "I demand to know what is going on," he said icily.
"Well, we don't know," Mouse snapped. "So ya'll just have ta shut up and wait like the rest o' us." Welman looked shocked, but he stepped down.
"He was annoyin' me," Mouse muttered. Ray rubbed her arm reassuringly.
"Me too, love. Uh-oh," he added, when he saw that a small fight had begun. "I'll be back in a nano . . ."
Mouse crossed her arms over her chest and watched the crowds as Ray tried to break up some conflicting sprites.
She heard a sound behind her. Mouse whirled around to see some citizens from the Twin City banging on the icon machine with tools. The sides were already dented considerably, and one was working on the controls.
"What are you doing?" she shouted.
The binomes said nothing but kept working. One pulled open a plate and ripped apart several wires. He smiled at the enraged hacker, and they jumped off the platform and ran back to the cluster of houses far away.
The machine gave a sick-sounding beep and died. Mouse frantically opened up the power console, to find a mouthful of smoke and that the power generator had been cracked — by one of the City binomes. But why?
Dot had contacted an ambulance on her organizer, and Hexadecimal was on her way to the Mainframe General Hospital. The Command.com turned back to the other three puzzled sprites. "Now, have we found out anything?"
"I checked for signs of anything leaving Mainframe," AndrAIa replied. "No portals, ships, nothing."
"Then whoever took Tessa is still here," Matrix said.
Dot looked to Bob, who was sitting on a console, his eyes closed tightly in concentration. "Bob?"
He replied without opening his eyes, "I'm using Glitch to check the system for unwanted life forms. I haven't come up with anything yet."
Dot sighed and rubbed her temple with one hand. "Who would want to do this? No one in Mainframe has a motive against Tessa; and not anyone in the Twin City, I think."
"I think I've got it!" Bob announced. The other three turned eagerly to him, and he explained, "I've located something definitely unwelcome here: a keytool."
Dot's core-com skipped a beat. "A Guardian. Probably more than one, to pull off something like this. Where is it, Bob?"
"The signal's coming from Mr. Pearson's Data Dump," Bob answered.
"Of course!" Matrix gasped. He looked at Dot. "What Frisket sensed yesterday." She nodded.
They wasted no time in zipping over, with the CPUs right behind them.
"The signal's getting weaker," Bob warned, and they quickened their pace. He frowned, his eyes narrowed. "It's definitely from a keytool — but what's weird is, this keytool is calling out to me. Willingly. It's in the possession of an infected Guardian against its will."
He was met with blank stares. "Hey, I'm part-keytool now," he argued with a small smile.
The signal was located at the mounds of waste behind Mr. Pearson's shed. The sprites started forward, when they heard shouting. They looked back to see Mr. Pearson, bound to a conveyer belt on its way to a waste-eraser. A few CPUs rushed to save him, while the rest accompanied the four sprites.
"They're behind one of these mounds, I'm sure of it," Bob said, gesturing around them.
A bullet whizzed past them. They ducked behind a mound of waste as more bullets were shot. Finally, when the shooting eased, Bob looked around the mound at the shooter.
A Guardian probably his age crouched over the top of a mound, a gun in his hand. From this distance, Bob could see that he had cinnamon skin and glowing white hair, but he couldn't discern any real features. His partner, a young woman with long pink hair and blue-gray skin, held the bound and gagged figure of Tessa tightly.
Bob ducked back down. "I could be wrong, but I think the guy Guardian is Covin — um, Covin Permut. He was in some of my classes at the Academy. I don't know who the girl is, though."
"We have the child!" Covin called. "Do not shoot, or we will delete her!"
AndrAIa had also risked a look, and now she shook her head at the others. "They wouldn't delete Tessa; they've gone to too much trouble to capture her. How basic do they think we are?"
"What do you want with her?" Bob called over the mound, making sure the Guardians could hear him but couldn't see his face or have a clear shot at him.
"She is one of Daemon's Children," Covin replied. "She is required, to help continue the Infection's rule. Our Mistress needs her, as she needs hosts." His eyes narrowed. "You, Guardian, have no business to know." He shot another bullet, but Bob flinched, and it was lodged in a pile of waste in front of them.
Dot's forehead wrinkled. "Hosts?" she whispered to Matrix and AndrAIa. They both shrugged, as confused as she.
Dot carefully eased herself up so she could see the Guardians and Tessa. She studied them, then ducked back down. "I think I've got a plan for this."
"Go, Dot!" Matrix whispered, grinning.
Bob ducked back down. "What's the plan?"
Dot explained quickly and quietly, "If one or two of us can distract them, then the others can grab Tessa."
Bob raised an eyebrow. "Go right in, huh, Dot?"
"AndrAIa and I have the distraction ready, don't we, Dre?" Matrix asked. She nodded.
Dot nodded. "All right. Then Bob and I will grab Tessa."
Matrix leaned up and watched the Guardians. His eye rotated, and two targets appeared on their faces. The woman touched her forehead and looked, perplexed, at her partner.
Matrix rushed from the side of the mound, running toward a broken-down CPU. AndrAIa was a nano behind him. The Guardians shot at them, but the two sprites dodged the bullets, and they dove behind the CPU. They waited as bullets rained down on the side of the transport. Matrix jumped up and shot two clear shots that struck the Guardians in the foreheads, at the same time that AndrAIa let five of her paralyzing nails fly. They dropped, and the woman let go of Tessa, who tumbled over the side of the mound.
Bob and Dot rushed forward. She picked up Tessa and pulled the gag out of her mouth. "How are you, honey?" she whispered, stroking the girl's bald head. Tessa looked at Dot, her dark eyes shining with joy but also great fear. Then, exhausted, she fell against Dot's shoulder.
Bob leaned over the side of the mound and stooped by the two motionless Guardians. He detached a keytool from the woman's belt and attached it to his arm for the time being. He chirped a few incomprehensible words to it, then he ran back to the others.
"Is Tessa all right?" he asked.
Dot nodded. "Otherwise from being scared out of her processor."
"Good," Bob said. "Let's go."
They met the CPUs and Mr. Pearson near the shed. As they prepared to go, they heard shouts behind them, and they whirled around in fear.
The two Guardians were climbing over the side of the mound toward them.
"But — but that's impossible!" Matrix shouted. "I shot them head-on! They should be deleted!"
AndrAIa glanced back at him. "Maybe you missed." Matrix gave her a look that said "I don't miss" and he looked back at the Guardians, worried. "Don't worry, I'll get them," she added. Her nails lengthened. "These ones will keep them down for a long time." She shot the nails; and before they could take another step, the two Guardians dropped like stones.
The five sprites and the CPUs zipped back to the Principle Office.
Dot handed the sleeping Tessa to Matrix and rushed to her office. She rebooted into her leather jumpsuit and fitted on her headset.
"Citizens of Mainframe," she said, her voice reaching out to everyone in the system, "do not travel to the lower levels. I repeat, do not travel to the lower levels. We believe there are several intruders hiding out in Mainframe. The Data Dump is under guard starting today. If you live in the lower levels, come to the Principle Office for security."
She set down the headset with shaking hands. "They're here," she whispered. Bob came over and enfolded her in his arms, rubbing her back reassuringly. "Here, in our own system, and we didn't know it," Dot whispered into his shoulder.
Matrix ordered some CPUs to take Tessa to the Mainframe General Hospital with Hex. He turned back to the other three and heaved a sigh. "What if there are more in the Twin City?"
"The Twin City!" Dot gasped, pulling away from Bob. "I forgot all about the icon ceremony. Let's go."
At Dot's command, squads of CPUs rushed to guard the Data Dump. But in a corner, sheltered by a mound of waste, two sprites crouched, taking care of their injuries.
Covin wiped the last of the energy from his forehead. He felt the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead and grimaced. Blair was in the same situation. She yanked one of AndrAIa's nails from her neck and snapped it in two, hissing angrily under her breath. Neither of them could feel the pain — or certain deletion — the injuries would have brought on, but they were still furious, and anxious besides.
"We failed," Blair said in a low voice. "And — 452 took Diode from me. With the keytool — I don't know what they'll do. Mistress Daemon will surely subject us to some torture." She shivered.
Covin bit his lip. It drew energy, but he hardly noticed. "Then we will have to redeem ourselves, in the battle. We will delete these bothersome sprites."
Blair grinned viciously, her eyes burning. "I will be glad to delete them all."
Mouse had heard the announcement, too. When the four returned to the platform, she stood waiting, a grim look of determination on her face. Her eyes softened when she saw the look of anguish on Dot's face.
"It wasn't yer fault, Dot," she said. She grimaced. "We all knew this would happen sooner or later."
"Thanks, Mouse," Dot whispered. "By the way, we can't finish the icon procedure today, not after all that happened."
"It wouldn't have happened anyway." The hacker gestured to the broken machine.
AndrAIa's eyebrows shot up. "Who did this?"
"Some of yer friends from the Twin City," Mouse replied, staring at the Matrixes.
Dot frowned. "But why?" she asked helplessly.
"That's what Ah wanted ta know," Mouse replied. "Ah smell a rat — or a saboteur. Someone who didn't want the procedure to go on."
Dot looked back, to the assorted crowds; they had all quieted as the four returned, waiting for news.
Dot stepped forward and addressed them all. "A Mainframer was kidnapped today," she said, "and — and at least two infected Guardians have slipped into Mainframe." A collective gasp rose, followed by murmurs and whispers.
Welman stepped onto the platform. "It looks like even Mainframe is penetrable," he said; he spoke to Dot, but also loud enough so everyone present could hear.
Bob came to Dot's side. "Look, if we all band together —"
"Shut up!" Welman snarled. Dot gasped, but he ignored his daughter. "You, Guardian, have no right to tell us what we should do. You and your friends from Mainframe — you are not welcome here, in the Twin City. You are not true City sprites, and therefore you will have nothing to do with my system or my children."
"That's not true!" Dot cried viciously, stepping forward to her father. Enzo and Matrix backed her up, staring in surprise, confusion, and anger at their father.
Welman stood his ground, even when Bob, AndrAIa, Mouse, Ray, and Phong came forward as well. "Get out of the Twin City," he commanded, his voice low and grating. "You are no longer allowed here."
"Fine," Dot said her voice much stronger than she felt. The Mainframe sprites turned and slowly walked away.
"Bob," Matrix began, "do you think AndrAIa and I could —"
Bob smiled tiredly. "Sure, Enzo. Anytime."
Matrix smiled in the same weary way. He took AndrAIa's arm, and they zipped back to Mainframe.
Mouse and Ray passed them, on his Baud. The hacker, carrying the icon machine, shook her head. "Ah think those sprites are just too good ta be true. Ah'm sorry, Dot."
"I agree with her," Bob said quietly, squeezing Dot's hand.
"So do I," she whispered. She looked up at Bob, tears in her eyes. Bob created a portal, and they stepped through it. It hovered open for a few more nanoseconds, as they waited for Phong.
The old sprite studied Welman Matrix. The green-skinned sprite, for his part, glared angrily back.
"What happened to you, my son?" Phong whispered. He turned and rolled into the portal, and it closed behind him.
The only ones left in the disaster of the icon procedure were Rasta Mon and Stripe. They prepared to leave.
"Tough crowd," Rasta Mon commented sarcastically. "I wonder what their Protectors are like. . . ."
As the two Protectors turned to go, Rasta Mon stopped in his tracks. "What in the Net!" he gasped. "Stripe, look at this!"
She rolled her eyes. "We've had far too many mishaps today, Ras. Come on; we need to go."
"Stripe," Rasta Mon urged, his voice strange, "look."
She sighed and did as he said; but the next moment, a horrified and perplexed look swept over her features.
The Twin City's citizens stood in a tight circle, whispering furiously among themselves. Usually, one Protector could see another, even when sprites couldn't. No celestial beings hovered above or near the citizens, though.
"It's impossible," Rasta Mon hissed. It was. Normal, living sprites had Protectors; there was no way around it.
Stripe watched the sprites finish their conversation and head back to their homes. She shook her head, confused and helpless. "They're . . . empty," she said.
Rasta Mon shook his head. "No, not empty. They're living, breathing sprites — but whatever's keeping them alive ain't your average life force."