The linoleum was cold. The little grooves that gave it traction and an interesting appearance had grime gathering in them despite the recent mop job. There was a bit of cereal under her right foot.
Dot Matrix knew these things because she was seated ungracefully on the floor of the kitchen. She clutched at her left wrist with the opposite hand, staring at it without understanding.
A little thread of bright energy ran down from between her tightly clasped fingers.
Cautiously, she raised herself up to peek over the edge of the counter and see if he was still there. Nothing. He had gone. With a sigh, she slumped back against the cupboards. Already she heard pounding footsteps responding to her screams and Bob's voice calling out to determine her location, but instead of replying she watched the stream of energy travel down her forearm and drip once off her bent elbow. It made a faint 'splat' as it hit the linoleum...
Dot rubbed her eyes with her fingertips. She hadn't been able to focus on anything lately. They had gotten Megabyte out of the Principal Office, but that didn't get him out of the picture by a long shot. He was still a force to be reckoned with.
And she had to do the reckoning.
It never ended. Everything constantly fell on her shoulders. It was her fault it did, too. If she had sat back and waited for someone else to take control instead of being that someone else, she would be just another citizen of Mainframe, free of any major responsibility.
Wrong. As much as she hated to admit it, she was the only one really capable of running the system. If she had just let it be led by another, it would have fallen to Megabyte long ago. But instead, she had risen to the occasion and fought. Had won.
Would she win now?
With sigh and a shake of her head to try and clear it, she grabbed a few files and headed home. It was too late to be contemplating things like this. She checked her watch quickly and noticed that it was far earlier than she had expected. As much as two cycles earlier. She just hadn't been getting enough sleep. With sleep would come restoration and full functionality.
She arrived home to find Bob talking to Enzo. Actually, vice-versa. Bob sprawled out on the couch while her younger brother hopped energetically from one side of the room to the other, yammering about one topic or another with enthusiasm. She smiled at her little brother and sat down next to Bob, who kissed her forehead lightly. Enzo paused his explosive account of the day to make a face and gag himself.
"You guys are gross." He informed the couple, but his eyes darted to the door to his room and he sped off, all thoughts of romance forgotten. Bob turned his gaze back to Dot. "So. How were you today?"
She laid her head on his shoulder with a deep sigh. "You should know," she remarked. "You visited me twice today. Twice, Bob."
He shrugged unapologetically. "Well, I'm a pathetic and insecure individual who needs constant reassurance that someone still loves him."
She winced mentally. She knew he was joking around and that the way it sounded to her was not the way it had been meant. An innocent comment that struck her strained nerves as painful. She tucked her head more securely into his shoulder and forced a laugh.
Bob noticed her questionably genuine tone and gave her a concerned look. "You okay?"
She was like a Read-me to that Guardian. Crash him. "Just tired, is all."
He scowled at her and leaned in close to her face. "You need to go to bed." He stated simply. She groaned and fell over backward on to the cushions.
"But it's only 8. I've got tons of work to finish, and Enzo's got to have his homework checked..." He silenced her with one finger over her lips.
"I'll check his homework. I'll get him to bed on time. Don't worry about it."
Dot cocked an eyebrow. "Do you even know what time he goes to bed?"
Bob's solemn expression shifted to a grin. "Uh...nine?" Dot sighed and threw an arm over her eyes.
"Close enough."
She hoisted herself off of the couch and shuffled to their bedroom. She booted into her pajamas, taking a deep breath and sighing at the comfort. There truly was nothing like the release of loose pajamas. Crawling under the covers, she realized she was glad that Bob had sent her off to sleep. She had been working hard lately, and downtime was what she needed.
Dot turned over in bed for what could have been the fifth time or the thousandth. The time on her clock steadfastly refused to click to the next set of numbers and show that any time was actually passing at all. She stared at its green glow, the only thing orienting her to which way she was facing in her room, until her eyes could no longer focus from lack of moisture, then rolled over and closed them again, waiting impatiently for sleep to claim her.
Nothing. With an exasperated sigh, she sat up quickly on the bed with the thought of going to the kitchen for water or warm milk or something.
The room tumbled suddenly. She closed her eyes as the brightly lit digits of her alarm clock turned into a blur of motion. As the floor and all her surroundings tilted, she lost her grip on the corner of the bed and tipped over, falling towards the ceiling, clenching her teeth and holding back a cry of fright...
Her eyes snapped open again with a sudden impact. She glanced quickly around, her breath coming in uneven little gasps. She was lying on her stomach on the floor, her knees drawn up, and gravity told her that her clock was in its rightful position on her nightstand.
Maybe it's good that I'm getting water. She must be dehydrated. She'd only lost her balance when she sat up so quickly.
Her mind already set on the goal of liquid, she shuffled out the bedroom and towards the bathroom, where she knew she would find a plastic cup and a sink. Since she was already so dizzy without realizing it, the trip to the other end of her flat and the kitchen might be a bad idea. She noticed with mild annoyance that Bob and Enzo were both still up and sitting in the living room with some object keeping their attention. I told that boy he was supposed to be in bed by nine...
She closed the bathroom door behind herself. She didn't really want Bob to know she was up, either. He had told her to get some sleep, and she had a feeling he might be more forceful about it if he found her wandering around. With a small smile she imagined him frowning at her, picking her up and stomping back to her room, then tossing her back on the bed and pulling the covers around her. "Now, get some sleep." he would say, turn out the light again and shut the door behind himself.
As she thought about this and held her cup under the faucet, there was a knock on the door. She sighed, realizing she had been discovered. "Just a nano."
The knocking persisted urgently and she frowned. "Just a nano, please." she said tightly, turning off the water and raising the cup to her lips. But the knocking grew louder, almost as if whoever it was using a hard object instead of their hands. She thought of the dents it would leave and made a decision to send Enzo to bed immediately and give Bob a piece of her mind about letting him stay up. Slamming the cup on to the counter and sloshing water on to her pant leg in the process, she snatched at the handle and jerked the door open violently.
"I said just a-" she began to yell as she opened the door, but stopped suddenly. Bob and Enzo were both seated in the living room in the same positions. Almost the same, they had turned their heads to stare at her when her outburst had gotten their attention. She stared at them for a moment, then abruptly shut the door again and locked it.
She sat down on the fluffy bathmat in front of the tub and stared at the cupboard silently. There had been no one there. Maybe the knocking had been something the neighbors were doing, hanging a picture or so forth. Maybe whatever object Enzo and Bob had been enraptured by earlier was making an awful noise. Maybe Enzo had pulled a particularly successful prank. These were all logical assumptions.
As logical as losing her balance and falling off the bed.
She tucked up her knees tightly to herself and wriggled her bare toes in the long fur of the mat. Whatever it was, she had a lingering feeling.
There were three knocks on the door.
Her head jerked up and she stared. The fake grain lines and swirls of the door made demonic faces at her, grinning malevolently. She stared in silence, unsure if she had actually heard the sound or...
There were three more knocks and a soft, "Dot?"
Recognizing Bob's voice immediately, she stood up and took two steps to reach the door, then paused. She took a steadying breath, then grasped the handle and opened the door slowly, wrapping the fingers of her other hand deliberately around the side and peeking out. Bob stood very near the opening and leaned down with concern defining his features.
"Are you all right?" he asked quietly. She swallowed as discreetly as she could and nodded. Unsurprisingly, he didn't seem convinced. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head, lifting the last remains of her fright from her face. "I just thought I heard someone, is all." This last was true for as far as it went, at any rate. Bob frowned at her.
"Sleep, Dot." he said sternly. She nodded and he walked her back to the bedroom, pulling the covers up as she had imagined only minutes earlier. Sleep. Sleep was what she needed.
Not water.
Sleep.
She tucked into a secure ball on the side of the bed furthest from the glowing digital numbers and laid her head on her hands. Bob kissed her forehead softly and said, "I'll get Enzo to go to bed. Now you get some rest."
She only nodded again, finding that she was already tired beyond belief, and settled into her pillows.
She woke the next morning already feeling tired. She did, after some time, manage to drag herself out of bed and towards the kitchen. Noticing the time on the java machine, she almost did a doubletake.
9:30?!
She never slept until nine. However, she must have needed it. She was still dragging her feet. She ambled to the bathroom, giving the woodgrain a sideways glance, (why is that so weird this morning?) and ripped at her hair with the brush. It wouldn't comb decently, and a longer strand hung down beside her bangs. She threw the brush down angrily and moved on to brush her teeth.
Bob poked his head in and smiled. "Good morning, baby." He said, grinning wider when she scowled at the endearment. He walked in behind her and put his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. She continued to brush her teeth, not even gracing him with a bubbly mumble. He looked at their reflection, appreciating the picture they made, for a moment longer before asking lightly, "What was up last night?"
Dot leaned down to spit in the sink, then took a mouthful of water from the plastic cup. As she leaned her head back, the cup spilled on to her pantleg. She choked on the mouthful and had to lean down quickly. They're here again, oh User, now the door's open for them...
Bob stepped back, giving her a little space until the coughing fits had ceased. She stood up and glared at his reflection.
"Nothing happened. I told you, I just thought I heard someone." She snapped, whisking the lock of stray hair (now dripping) back from her face with an angry gesture. Bob pulled her to him again with a soothing noise.
"I'm sorry. Just curious. I'm not accusing you of anything."
Yes, he was. Dot thought, still upset. He thinks I'm going crazy or something. She frowned deeper and put her toothbrush away, then stalked towards the door. He watched her stomp away with a confused and hurt expression, and heard the door slam after her.
Dot went to the PO still angry. She wasn't necessarily angrywith Bob, it wasn't really his fault that he was curious. She was angry at something. As she arrived to work, Mouse gave her a cheery half-wave, but Dot ignored her and continued to her office. Mouse's hand dropped and mentally she shrugged.
Moments later, Dot set down a cup of recently acquired java on the corner of her desk. It'll fall down if you set it there, basic. She moved it inward quickly, rounded the desk, and sat down. The files on her desk were scattered all over, and she stared blankly at them. She couldn't think of anything to do with them. They sat before her, and they could have been written in alien languages and have meant the same to her. At length, she picked the one farthest from her up and squinted at it. Just a report of activity in G-Prime. But if somebody else had already gone to all the trouble of finding out, then they knew. And if they knew, what did it matter if she did? She threw it down again, and the datapad hit three or four others and knocked them off the desk with a clatter. Dot stared again at the pile of work in front of her again, then stood up abruptly.
Mouse looked up when Dot's office door opened again. She watched the green woman walk back out the way she had come, not taking her mug of java. She left without a word, closing the door behind her. Mouse looked at the way she had left a moment longer, then shrugged, going back to work.
Bob started when the door opened. He sat up from his perch on the couch and flipped off the TV. When Dot walked in, he was a little surprised, but stood up to greet her none the less. "Back so soon?"
She looked up and sighed, falling into the hug he offered. He kissed the top of her head and spoke into her hair. "Is there something you'd like to talk about?"
She mumbled into his chest, but the syllable suggested a negative response. He gave her one last squeeze and released her. She dragged herself to the bedroom and flopped on to the mattress. Poor thing, she's exhausted...
Dot lay down, her boots still on, and stared at the numbers on her alarm clock. They glowed complacently at her, squared-off. Segmented. Sometimes they spell out simple words upside-down, she thought absently, and began trying to fit the numbers that flicked up into four-letter words.
She knew not how long she stared at those digits. She took no notice of the time they began and ended at. She only noticed the passing of time when her stomach protested its neglect. She sat up and shuffled into the kitchen in hopes of finding something easy to eat. Bob watched her prepare a bowl of chicken soup for herself with a troubled expression. She glanced at him, then back to her soup. "What?"
He resettled himself into the chair. "You don't seem well. It's good that you're home, I think."
She sipped a spoonful of soup. "I'm just tired, is all. Just tired." She explained, not raising her eyes. Bob frowned. She sounded exhausted. And he still believed she was ill. She didn't strike him as the kind of person to admit to sickness so quickly, anyway. He just hoped she would continue to take it easy until the bug passed.
Dot watched him watch her from the corner of her eye. What was he about today, anyway? Every time she saw him, he had some question or prying sort of statement. What did it really matter to him if she was tired or ill?
She lost her appetite soon after and poured the remaining soup down the drain, then tossed the bowl haphazardly on to the counter. She walked over to the couch, falling on to it, and Bob watched her still. A knock sounded through the house.
Dot cringed. Don't let them see you weak, they'll be stronger...
Bob got up and answered the door, despite the fact that Dot was closer. She had made no move to get it. He opened the door to see Mouse standing nearly on the threshold. She pushed past him without a greeting the moment the door was open far enough. Bob wondered to himself if it was possible that "that time of the minute" had lined up between the two females.
Mouse strode over to the green woman, who was curled into herself on the sofa. "You feelin' okay, sugah? Left the PO in a quick way."
Dot was dimly aware of someone in front of her, but ignored them. There was someone talking nearby. She narrowed her eyes and stayed very still to lessen the input of anything besides auditory, trying to discern where they could be. She couldn't understand the words, they were too far away, but she heard syllables. Someone was speaking.
Mouse frowned as Dot ignored her, squinting past her and apparently at the far wall. Now it was obvious something was wrong. Thanking the User she had come and seen how her friend was doing, she knelt down by Dot and waved a hand near her face. The green woman blinked and focused her eyes on Mouse's face. "Dot, honey? I think you need sleep or somethin'. You're sure not right today."
"I feel fine." Dot argued, sitting up. Her energy had not returned to her, but her lethargy seemed to attract undue attention from her lover and her friend. When her head tipped forward and her chin rested on her chest, Mouse pursed her lips. "I'm just gonna steal him fer a nano..." She explained as she snagged Bob's arm and pulled him out of the room.
She swung him around the hall corner and put her hands on his shoulders. "Now ya've got to know there's somethin' funny going on."
Bob nodded but kept his eyes on the floor. "I mean, it's not like she has no right to be tired," he paused to almost grin, "But she never admits to it. Usually just keeps going...Maybe that's it," He looked up thoughtfully. "She's just gone until she dropped. Maybe she's got nothing left in her until she gets some rest."
Mouse caught his gaze. "Please take her to see Phong? There's something wrong with her one way or another, and if I see either of ya' again and you haven't at least got her an appointment, you're gonna be the one who hears about it. Clear?"
Bob smiled at Mouse's immediate bristling reaction. "I will. She's lucky to have a friend like you, Mouse."
But the hacker was already leaving, and she waved a hand dismissively. "It's nothin'. Just get her to see Phong. Soon." And she walked off and Bob heard the door shut behind her.
Dot stood in the middle of the room, alone. Mouse had dragged Bob off. They were talking about her. She hated it when people talked about her without her hearing. She almost thought she could hear snatches of conversation.
You've got to...she never admits...please take her...something wrong with her...
The words together didn't make sense. It was the underlying message. Distrust and suspicion. She clenched her fists and her nails cut tiny crescents in her palms, but she didn't notice. Mouse and Bob were conspiring over her wellbeing. After everything she'd done and was still doing for the system...
Of all the ungrateful, secretive-
She went back in to the kitchen, feeling in the mood for sweets, and began searching the cupboards and drawers. As Mouse walked out from the hall, she waved good-naturedly at Dot. A fake smile, a fake nature...Dot slammed a drawer shut without lifting her gaze to meet the hacker's. Bob followed Mouse out and came around the corner and into the kitchen. He watched her search a moment before asking, "Can I help you find something?"
No, you can't, conspirator... She mumbled a negative reply and continued in her quest for something sweet.
Ah, success. She snatched a bag of chocolate chips, deciding it would do, and meandered over to the couch to sit and munch. Bob watched her.
Dot rose her gaze slowly to Bob, who seemed to be glaring at her suspiciously. After a moment of silent stares between the two, she dropped her head and looked back at the coffee table, munching industriously at her chocolate chips. Suddenly she glanced at him again and regarded him thoughtfully, then said lightly, "No."
He just wanted something on her...some way to prove there was something wrong with her...She gave the bag a half-toss on to the coffee table and turned towards him with sparkling eyes. "What's wrong with everyone today?"
Bob blinked once, twice, and tried to comprehend her words. "We're just worried about you." He gave her a pained smile. "You never act like this."
"Well," she said, retrieving the bag for another handful. "There's been a lot of stress on me lately. I'm just tired of it all."
Bob felt that this revelation was something, anyway. If she would tell him that she was having a problem, even if she didn't reveal the details, that meant that she wasn't out-and-out lying. After all, it was obvious there was a problem, whether it was just a funk or something deeper bothering her. He leaned over and gave her a hug around her bent elbow holding the chocolate, then kissed her cheek. "You can come to me with anything you want to say." He said, feeling redundant but wanting to reinforce the main message. She blinked and tilted her head a bit in response.
What was with everybody today?! First Mouse being so nosey, then Bob's insistence that she tell him something. She felt fine. She had been tired, but now she was all right. If they were so good at taking note of her stress, why hadn't they done it sooner? It wasn't like today was the first day she had been feeling overwhelmed.
She watched Bob meander aimlessly around the apartment, getting himself water and putting a few objects back into Enzo's room. And he thought she was behaving out of the norm!
That Guardian...He's the one. Look at all the trouble he causes.
The trouble he prevents, you mean. Without him, the system would fall to wreckage.
You don't think the Command.com wouldn't be able to keep it afloat, then?
There were a few nasty snickers.
Dot stared at the wall behind Bob, her eyes wide. She sat, silently listening to this exchange, feeling her extremities begin to shake a little...
The bag of chocolate chips fell from her lap and hit the floor with a soft poomph sound, scattering tiny confections everywhere. Dot started and dropped the handful she had held, adding another, smaller blast radius to the one on the floor already. For a moment, both parties present stared at the bag. Finally, Bob began to walk over to her purposefully. He knelt and picked up a handful of candies, giving her a worried look.
"I think you should see Phong if...whatever this is keeps up. This isn't like you, Dot. You're acting random."
She glared at him.
Random...You're acting random...You're random...
A/N: More later. Have much written already. If you enjoyed it, leave a review and tell me. I'm a tad insecure with the plausibility of it...Course, that's not gonna stop me from keeping on writing on it.