Chapter One:

With age comes wisdom… sometimes.

The festival would be in full swing in just a matter of seconds.  As he helped with the decorating of Floating Point Park, Bob could hardly believe that it had been thirty-five hours since the system restart.  The system had undergone so many changes and so had its citizens in that time.  There were now many more sprites in the system since many had immigrated from other systems after viral invasion or wars in their home systems.  Mainframe had become a safe haven for the oppressed of the net, and the hourly celebration of its restart had become not only a valued tradition, but also a symbol of hope for people all over the net. 

It wasn't actually necessary for the Command.Com or the newly appointed Prime Guardian to help with all of the preparations for the festival.  Mainframe boasted a wonderful Chamber of Commerce that handled all of the planning and were quite capable of handling things on their own, but Bob and Dot felt a responsibility to the city and to its citizens to make sure that everything was perfect.  They took great pride in Mainframe's unique celebration and took satisfaction in the preparations that they made themselves.  It was an ongoing tradition for them. 

Bob glanced over to Dot who was speaking with a zero binome that he recognized as the head of the Mainframe Historical Society.  Apparently there were some problems with the reenactment of the restart and she had come to Dot for a quick brainstorming session in hopes of solving the problem.  He stood there, amazed at the dedication she showed and her decisiveness in handling the situation.  He couldn't really hear what she was saying to the matronly binome, but he could tell that her processor was hard at work and that she was currently solving another crisis. 

After all these hours, she was still the most amazing sprite he had ever seen.  Even now, she didn't look all that much different than when he had first met her.  She had a few strands of silver in her hair and her face sported a few laugh lines, but the hours had been very good to her.  She still maintained her slender shape, although she now exercised more and watched more carefully what she ate.  He had to admit to himself that she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Bob hadn't realized that he had been staring until a voice behind him startled him to attention.  "You know mate," the voice began, "she's not going to disappear if you lose sight of her."  The surfer stood there with his usual cocky grin that he never seemed to grow out of.  

"Hey Ray," the Prime Guardian began, "you got to quit sneaking up on me like that." 

"Sorry mate," he replied, "didn't mean to scare you.  Just came to see if Mouse was around anywhere.  Have you seen her?"

"Yeah, she was helping to set up some of the booths last time I saw her."  Bob began.  "She seemed pretty happy that Nick was going to be home in time for the festival."  Bob couldn't help but notice the look of pride that crossed the web surfer's face at the mention of his son.  It seemed like only a few hours ago that Nick Tracer was born, and now here he was graduating from the top technical school in the net. 

"She's in her glory," Ray replied with an obvious note of pride in his voice, "she never really did like him being so far away for so long.  But he's in the top of his class so that at least gives her some bragging rights." 

"And believe me, she's been using them.  I don't think she's stopped talking about him all morning." Bob grinned as he replied.  "When is he supposed to get back?"

"Tomorrow, mid-second, just before the whole party kicks off."  Ray answered with a broad smile.  "Got to tell you, I'm really looking forward to seeing him again."

"Can't blame you there," Bob sighed slightly, "they grow up too fast.  Can you believe that Robby is going to be thirty hours old already?"  He shook his head slightly as he looked toward the ground.  "Seems like only a few cycles ago that I was changing his diapers, and now he's married and got a baby of his own on the way."

"Don't sweat it, Gramps." The surfer said as he jovially clapped Bob on the shoulder. "We're all going to be there shortly."

"Where's that?" a familiar deep voice came from behind them.  The Prime Guardian and the surfer both glanced behind them to see Matrix.  Like his sister, the hours had been quite gracious with the large green sprite, showing only a few streaks of silver throughout his hair and beard; unlike Bob and Ray who had both gone almost completely gray. His stature was a little stouter than it once was, but he was still quite an imposing figure.

"Grandpa-ville." Bob replied with a short chuckle.

"I'm already there, remember?" The tall green sprite quipped with a grin, causing the other two men to laugh slightly. 

"How could we forget?" Bob answered with grin.  "AndrAIa sends new .jpegs at least once a cycle." 

Matrix smiled as he thought of his oldest daughter Cady and her newly compiled baby boy.  He and AndrAIa both had been more than a little disappointed by her decision to move to her husband's home system and raise their family there instead of in Mainframe, but he wished his daughter all the happiness in the net.  They kept in constant touch and visited often, giving Matrix and AndrAIa the chance to see their grandson.  He only hoped that his younger daughter would someday make the decision to stay in Mainframe with her family.

Almost as if Bob was reading the renegade's mind, he asked, "Is Adell going to be able to make it to the festival?" 

"According to her email, she should be here sometime tonight." He replied with a broad smile.  "She's got some time off before her internship starts in the Super Computer's medical center, so she's spending a whole minute at home."  Matrix beamed with pride as he looked up and seemed to take notice of Ray for the first time. His smile didn't waver and he got a recognizable glint in his eye as he addressed him.  "Surfer."

"Matrix." Ray replied with the same cocky grin that the renegade already wore. 

            A number of the sprites and binomes that were in the vicinity had already started to put some distance between themselves and the two sprites that now stood grinning widely at each other.  Most of the citizens of Mainframe already knew that when the surfer and the renegade got that look in their eyes and smiled at each other, it usually resulted in some sort of disaster, often with explosive results. 

            "How the dell are you, pal?" Matrix asked with an almost sinister undertone.

At this point, people were starting to take cover under tables or benches or whatever they could find.  They had found out before, the more amicable they seemed toward each other, the more likely there was bound to be shrapnel. 

"Peachy mate," Ray said with a tone that matched Matrix's, never once breaking the broad grin on his lips, "just peachy."

"There you are, sugar," Mouse had come up behind Ray with AndrAIa, hoping to quell the mischievous sides of the two grinning sprites, "I've been looking for you to show up today.  I could use a hand over by the concessions stands if you don't mind."

Ray cast a sideways glance at his wife of now twenty-five hours.    She had hardly changed a bit since the first second he met her in a dieing Mainframe.  The strongest difference that anyone would notice was that she wore her now mostly silver hair in a long braid down her back.  She had still retained her muscles by working out regularly and had gained, at most, fifteen pounds.  "I'll be there in a nano, love.  No worries."

"Yeah, Mouse," Matrix chimed in after he noticed both of their wives looking at them suspiciously, "we're just having a friendly little chat.  Nothing to worry about."

"Well, I could use your help hanging a few of the banners, Sparky." AndrAIa said, taking hold of her husband's arm.  She knew all too well that look in his eye and along with Mouse, decided it would be best to separate the two before they managed to ruin the entire festival with their juvenile behavior.

Matrix looked over at his wife, taking note of the pleading look in her eyes.  He never liked to back down from Ray at times like these, but he still had a hard time saying no to AndrAIa, even after all these hours.

"Guess we better lend a hand to our lovely ladies then." Ray said, still glaring, unwilling to break the icy eye contact with his rival, mentally daring Matrix to be the first to go.

"I guess so." The renegade stood, unmoving, daring the surfer to do the same.

Bob had seen this before and knew that if something wasn't done to break the eye contact, they could literally stand there for micros, just staring each other down.  They were both too stubborn for their own good.  "Well, I guess I'll be seeing you two later then," he said as he walked in between the two, breaking the stare down, "I'm going to go help Dot.  Stay frosty."

Mouse and AndAIa took the opportunity to grab hold of their husbands and gently pull them away from each other while Bob had them distracted.  "Catch you later, Bob." AndrAIa replied as she led Matrix toward the entrance of the park where the large banner was to be hung.

"Later, darling." Mouse called out as Bob walked toward where Dot was busily working with the Historical Society.  She kept a good hold on the surfer's arm even though she was fairly certain that he would stay with her now that AndrAIa had taken his opposition away.  She chanced a glance at him and noticed him still looking off to where the large green sprite was now walking.  "Just wipe that thought from your processor, sugar," she said, knowing full well he was up to something.

Ray took a defensive stance and replied.  "What?"

***

AndrAIa continued to mildly tug on her husband's arm until she felt no more resistance from him.  After all these hours, she'd thought they'd have given this childish game of theirs up.  It would at least be nice to not have to baby sit the two of them whenever they were in the same sector.  She quickly looked behind them to make sure that Ray was nowhere in sight before she let go of Matrix. 

"I know what you're doing," he said after clearly seeing her check the vicinity, "you don't have to keep watch over us like a hawk you know. "We're two grown men, not a couple of little nomes."

"I wonder about that sometimes." She muttered, rolling her eyes.

"That hurts, Andi." He put on a face of mock indignation.  "Don't you trust me enough to be around him once without doing something?'

AndrAIa burst out laughing at his inquiry.  "I can't believe you asked that." She replied as they reached their destination at the entrance of the park.  "Now do me a favor and take this banner up there and hang it." She said as she lifted the large folded piece of canvas off the table.

"Aren't you going to help me hang it?" he looked bewildered as she handed him the heavy cloth.

"I'll be down here centering it while you hang it," she replied, "just get it up there and I'll tell you what to do."

There was no getting out of it, that was for sure.  Once Andi had made up her mind that he was going to help her do something, that was it.  "Fine," he said, exasperated as he unfurled the large fabric sign, which was at least thirty feet long, "but I won't enjoy it."

"Like that's anything new, you old grouch."  She smiled as she lightly pinched his arm and gave him a friendly wink, causing him to smile in return.  He watched her as she walked back over to the table.  Despite the few little crow's feet and laugh lines that had come with age, she was hardly any different than the second he married her. She wore her hair a little shorter now, just below the shoulder, and it was lightly peppered with a few grays, but other than that, she didn't show her age.  She was still very slender and beautiful.

After she let him know that she was ready, he hopped on his zip-board and lifted one end of the banner to the top of the pole it was to be fastened to.

"A little higher," she called out as he raised the banner slightly, "higher, keep going," she said once again, "now a little lower."

"This is going to be a long day." He thought out loud to himself.

***

Ray was busy helping to power up the concession stands and rides when a vid-window popped up in front of him, causing him to hit his head on a circuit panel.

"Ow," he called out as he sat up, "son of a …"

"Mr. Tracer, Sir."  Specky greeted him from the other side of the window from inside the Principal Office. 

"Hey, Specky," the surfer replied as he gingerly rubbed his head.  "What's up?"

"Sir, you have a priority one message coming in here in the war room."  Specky said as he hoisted his glasses up a little higher onto his eye.

"Priority one?" Ray asked a little confused, "Who's it from?"

"Unknown, Sir."  Specky replied, shaking his head, "But sensors indicate that it's coming from the web."

A knowing smile crossed the surfer's face.  "I'll be there in a nano, mate." He said as he closed the window and picked up his baud. 

"Hey, where are you going?" Mouse called out to him as she saw him hop on the baud and take to the air. "I thought you were going to help me get all these hooked up and ready to go."

"I'll be back in a nano, love." Ray said as he swung the baud around to face her.  "Got a message coming in at the P.O." He paused for a moment before he continued with a flirtatious raise of the eyebrow, "Wanna hop on my baud and take a ride?"

Mouse couldn't help but smile and start to laugh as she rolled her eyes at the inquiry.  "Afraid I have a lot to finish up here, sugar." She winked as she continued, "But I just might take a rain check on that ride, darling."

            He drifted the baud down low enough until he was almost eye level with his wife, took her face in his hands and kissed her.  "I'll be taking you up on that one, love." He whispered, then raised the baud up quickly, leaving Mouse grinning on the ground.  He swung the baud around in the opposite direction and headed toward the Principal Office.

            Mouse couldn't help but watch her husband as he glided off.  After all these hours, he could still sweep her off her feet.  Even with his silver hair and weathered face, he was an incredibly handsome man.  She was still looking at him from behind when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

            "You do realize he's headed to the entrance of the park, don't you?"  Dot said as Mouse's smile quickly turned into a frown.  After all these hours of feuding and vendettas, she hardly had the energy to even care.  There was only one thing that even came to mind as she sighed and shook her head.

            "Spam it all."

***

As Ray flew his baud toward the entrance of the park on his way to the P.O., he was happy to see an opportunity present itself to him.  Off in the distance he saw Matrix busily hanging the banner while on a zip-board.  Now would be the perfect time to get him back for painting the eyes on his goggles while he was sleeping. 

He slowly and carefully drifted the baud closer to the large green sprite, using the data trees as cover.  He didn't want to be spotted too soon.  When AndrAia had turned her attention to something else momentarily and Matrix had almost finished hanging the banner, he made his move.  He quickly flew the baud out from the cover of the trees and directly underneath the hovering sprite. 

"Hey Matrix, saaaaaay gravity." The surfer called out as he grabbed the zip-board out from under Matrix's large feet and kept flying. 

"What the… "  was all that Matrix was able to say before having to grab onto the newly centered banner above him.  He managed to pull himself up enough to grab the top of it and hang there, listening to the surfer's wild maniacal laughter in the background as he flew away with his zip-board.  "Tracer!" He yelled out from his precarious position above the ground.

Ray turned the baud around to take a look at his handy work and couldn't help but laugh wildly at the sight he saw.  The big green sprite was dangling from the center of the banner, which was now very crooked once again, kicking and flailing his legs about in order to stay in the air.  "No time to hang around with you, mate.  Got things to do, you know." He said as he once again turned toward the Principal Office.

"You might need this to get him down from there."  He said as he tossed the zip-board down on the table in front of AndrAIa, who seemed almost apathetic as to what was happening.  Like Mouse, she had all but given up on trying to get the two sprites to stop all their nonsense and compile up.  They realized hours ago that no matter what they said or did, it wasn't going to stop them.  All they could do was just pray to the User that they didn't get themselves or each other deleted in the process.

"You better get out of here before I do." She said with a sigh.  "It's going to take him a while to cool down from this one."

"See you later then, lovely lady." He said just before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, making sure the still flailing angry sprite took notice. 

"I'll get you for this one, Tracer!" Matrix yelled as he watched the short exchange between his wife and the surfer.

AndrAIa rolled her eyes in the futility of it all.  Maybe she'd just let him cool down up there for a little while.

***



          It had been fifteen hours since Specky had been appointed System Administrator, but he still felt the pangs of anxiety that he had when he first got the position when Phong retired. Although Dot and the rest of the staff had assured him that he was doing a splendid job, he continued to feel that he wasn't quite the Administrator that his mentor had once been.

             Phong had been so much more than a mere System Administrator to the Mainframers. He had been a friend, a teacher, a doctor, a psychologist, and a shoulder to cry on in his day. Specky always felt that perhaps he would grow into the position in time, but time seemed to be ticking away and he still felt inept. He certainly considered himself a friend to the staff, and as for doctor or psychologist, he knew that was beyond his means. But when it came to the wisdom of the old sprite, he felt that at his age, he should be at least half as wise as old Phong. He never expected to have all these doubts after all these hours.

              As Specky sat and contemplated at his console, the door to the war room opened with an audible whir and Ray came through, carrying his baud. "Hey Specky," he said as he casually walked over to the vid-station, "can you open the channel for me?"

              "Sure thing, Mr. Tracer Sir," Specky replied as he pushed some buttons on the console, "frequency opening now."

              "Thanks, Speck." Ray smiled at the aging binome and turned his attention to the vid-window in front of him. "This is Ray Tracer of system Mainframe, state your name and function." The vid-screen crackled and hissed with static before a clear visual was established.

             "What's with the formalities, Dad?" The face of the surfer's son was now smiling back at him with a familiar confidence.

            "Nick," Ray's face beamed at the sight of his son in his web shields. "I wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow. What's up?"

           "I finished up my exams and managed to knock off a second early. I figured I'd surprise Mom." He said with a satisfied grin. Ray couldn't help but notice how much he reminded him of himself when he was a lad. He had inherited most of Ray's code at birth and had been going into the web with him almost all his life. With the exception of his large brown eyes, which were now hidden behind a visor, and his spikey tangle of orange hair, he was the spitting image of Ray. He glanced over his father's shoulder in the window. "Hey Specky, how are you?"

          "Hello Nick," the binome replied with a smile. It had been a long time since he had seen the young man and he was happy to see that he was the same easy going sprite that he remembered. "Are you all set for the big graduation?"

           "I sure hope so." Nick said with a slight grimace.

          "Well I certainly hope so," Ray replied with a raised eyebrow and a grin, "your mother and I forked over enough cash for it already."

Nick laughed slightly as he turned his attention back to his father. "How is Mom?"

            Ray hesitated slightly before answering. "Well, she's... the same for the most part..."

           Specky noticed the hesitation in the surfer's voice and figured that they wanted to discuss private family concerns. "I'll be in my office if you need me for anything Mr. Tracer." He said as he headed toward the door.

         "Oh, alright Specky," Ray replied, "thanks for letting me know about the call."

          "Anytime, Mr. Tracer." He smiled and closed the door behind him.

          Nick began to laugh on the other side of the vid-window after hearing the office door close. "Works every time."

         "Like a charm." Ray said as a wicked grin came across his face. "So, did you manage to get the stuff I asked for?"

         "You don't think I'm in the web for my health, do you?" He replied with the same grin as his father. "This stuff won't get past security with conventional net travel. The only ones with clearance to carry this stuff are the guardians, and I think they have to have permits."

         "That's my boy." Ray stated proudly to his son. "How did you manage to get it?"

"Ah ah," the young sprite began, "I don't tell you how I got it unless you tell me what you plan to do with it. This doesn't have anything to do with Matrix does it?" He said with a look of mild concern.

        "Let's just say it's for a little project I'm working on right now." Ray gave a wide grin as his son raised an eyebrow to him.

        "Alright," Nick sighed, obviously defeated, "I'll be home in about four micros. Don't tell Mom, I want her to be surprised."

         "You got it, lad. See you then." The vid-screen closed in front of him and Ray was left alone in the war room. Mouse sure would be surprised when Nick came home a second early. And soon after that, someone else was going to get the surprise of their life.