I'm really really really sorry for the wait. Just to warn, this is not to
be a happy feel-good sorry.
Dot was in a void there was nothing around here, not even colour. She'd always assumed that if she was ever in this situation, it would either be very bright or very dark, but it was neither. It was just nothing. As far as she could tell, she wasn't even really there, she had no body with which to move and explore, only a mind with which to think and contemplate. Suddenly, three figures appeared, with three roads behind them. One was smirking evilly at her, one smiling softly, and one with a neutral mask on. Why are you here again?"
"We aren't. We are but figments of your mind. Here is where you must decide. There are three paths, which will you take?" The voice came from nowhere, but everywhere. "You don't need to understand. Which path will you choose?" Dot turned back to the three paths. To the far right was a path with Bob at the front. Just like the other two, he wasn't moving, simply watching her. In the middle was Hex of a people, neutral mask on, but still looking sprite like. On the far left, was her enemy for so long, Megabyte. His face was contorted into a mask of hate and superiority.
She sat, trying to figure what all this meant, other then she was going crazy and hallucinating from blood loss. But if she was hallucinating, why was it always the same image?
*****
"I'm sorry, but, although she should really be fine, her blood loss wasn't that great, neither were her wounds, but, her mind seems to have almost given up. She's lost the will to keep processing. Unless she can find to come back to, there's nothing we can do." The doctor bowed to the group, and left them in silence. Matrix was the first to beak it.
"ARRRGH! That's not good enough! I'm going to get that doctor and..." He stopped. AndrAIa had caught his arm, her head bowed to cover her eyes.
"Sparky, that's not going to help... you know that. We can only go to see her, and pray." Matrix's rage abruptly stopped, his head falling as well, he left to visit his sister.
"Is there really nothing we can do except wait, Phong?"
"My child, this is something that only Dot and the User can help with. However, someone must see to Enzo, he'll be getting out of school soon, and may need someone."
"Ah'll go, it's the least ah can do." Mouse left to go break the news to Dot's younger younger brother, her older younger brother already being at her bedside.
"Bob, perhaps you will also want to be there for Enzo, at least until you can see Dot."
"Alright Phong." Bob also moved to leave. "But, Dot knows we're here for her, always, doesn't she, she knows she has to came back?" Phong shook his head mournfully
"Only the User can answer that, my child... but, I belief that it may well be time to say... goodbye." Bob's head dropped as he headed out of the room.
*****
"But, sis is just sick, right? She'll be better soon, right?" Both Bob and Mouse tried to smile at he young sprite. Naïve as h was, he didn't need to be exposed to the real world just yet.
"Of course she will Enzo. You know your sister, she was just working too hard, she'll be fine in no time!"
"Yah! And then, we'll make 'er take some time off, how's that sound?"
"Great! Alphanumeric! Then she could go jet balling with me!" at that point, both older sprites at the younger ones enthusiasm.
*****
"Have you made your choice?"
"I...I don't know..."
"Then it will be made for you. Your path is."
*****
She will be here soon; I can feel her fear of returning, of facing them again. I can taste her tears. She's breaking.
*****
"C'mon sis! You have to wake up! Don't care that if you go, everyone will break? And I mean everyone! Me, AndrAIa, Enzo, Phong, Mouse, Hack, Slash, even Ray! Bob... well you know Bob; he'll just blame himself. He loves you Dot, he does, and I know you love him! Please..." He couldn't go on, the lump in his throat had grown to big. But he wouldn't cry, he couldn't. He was incapable of tears. He felt AndrAIa wrap her arms around his neck to draw his head down to rest on her shoulder. Dot's skin was growing slowly paler and her heartbeat simply slowing down. They walked out to let Bob know.
*****
Bob now sat alone beside Dot. She was worse, much worse. So much worse that everyone had been brought in to say their good-byes. Even Enzo. The young did not seem to be taking it well, but then, why should he? Dot and Matrix were the only blood family he had. He watched the monitor as showed Dot slowly disappearing. The doctors had done all they could, he wouldn't blame them. He blamed himself, and Dot. It was silly, blaming a sprite for deleting when she was still processing, but there was almost no question now. She was being selfish dammit! Leaving them alone, to relieve her pain! He knew he was being hasty and unreasonable, but he couldn't lose her, not now. He heard a beep, the heart monitor noting a change, her eyes opened. "DOT!"
"Bob, I just wanted say... goodbye."
"No, you're going to be fine, now that you're awake. You're invincible Dot! You lived through Megabyte, Daemon, and the improved Megabyte! You are amazing!"
"This isn't a movie-file Bob, you know we didn't survive without sacrifice, this'll just be one more."
"If your trying to get me to belief that all of this was a self sacrifice, just to save the citizens of Mainframe, it's not working."
"You were right you know, I am being selfish. But, I just can't take life anymore."
"But... what about Matrix? Enzo? Mouse? Dot, what about me? Don't we count for anything?"
"Yes, my family, please, tell them goodbye." Dot's eyes closed and shivered. Her body convulsed once, and then disappeared, leaving only an icon and the outline on the bed of a sprite that for time in her life, had totally given up.
*****
Once again, I failed to torment her for eternity, but, I know they will all feel the pain they gave me many times over, all them. Whether they live or not.
*****
The life I led was full of regrets. Regret that I was unable to save people. First my father, then Bob, then my little brother, AndrAIa and Frisket. I was unable to save Mainframe once these people had disappeared. Even when my brother returned, I regretted that I was unable to save him from the hardship that befell him and his friends. When my plan against Daemon failed to work, I regretted that I was unable to save Hex, much as we didn't get along. After Daemon, I regretted that I was unable to tell who was the true Bob. If I had, maybe things would've gone differently, but it was like the one thing that would just break me. We won, but, we didn't see Frisket again, we gave up hope that he'd survived, and I regretted not being able to save him. Now, I have no life to live. I am stuck between worlds, neither a ghost nor a spirit that has moved on. I regretted my indecisiveness. I am forced to watch those I left behind with my own selfishness move about their own lives, unable to see, feel or hear me. Maybe, once they move on, they will take me with them. More likely, I fear, is that I will just be stuck here, until the end of our world and beyond. Eternally wandering and lost.
Dot was in a void there was nothing around here, not even colour. She'd always assumed that if she was ever in this situation, it would either be very bright or very dark, but it was neither. It was just nothing. As far as she could tell, she wasn't even really there, she had no body with which to move and explore, only a mind with which to think and contemplate. Suddenly, three figures appeared, with three roads behind them. One was smirking evilly at her, one smiling softly, and one with a neutral mask on. Why are you here again?"
"We aren't. We are but figments of your mind. Here is where you must decide. There are three paths, which will you take?" The voice came from nowhere, but everywhere. "You don't need to understand. Which path will you choose?" Dot turned back to the three paths. To the far right was a path with Bob at the front. Just like the other two, he wasn't moving, simply watching her. In the middle was Hex of a people, neutral mask on, but still looking sprite like. On the far left, was her enemy for so long, Megabyte. His face was contorted into a mask of hate and superiority.
She sat, trying to figure what all this meant, other then she was going crazy and hallucinating from blood loss. But if she was hallucinating, why was it always the same image?
*****
"I'm sorry, but, although she should really be fine, her blood loss wasn't that great, neither were her wounds, but, her mind seems to have almost given up. She's lost the will to keep processing. Unless she can find to come back to, there's nothing we can do." The doctor bowed to the group, and left them in silence. Matrix was the first to beak it.
"ARRRGH! That's not good enough! I'm going to get that doctor and..." He stopped. AndrAIa had caught his arm, her head bowed to cover her eyes.
"Sparky, that's not going to help... you know that. We can only go to see her, and pray." Matrix's rage abruptly stopped, his head falling as well, he left to visit his sister.
"Is there really nothing we can do except wait, Phong?"
"My child, this is something that only Dot and the User can help with. However, someone must see to Enzo, he'll be getting out of school soon, and may need someone."
"Ah'll go, it's the least ah can do." Mouse left to go break the news to Dot's younger younger brother, her older younger brother already being at her bedside.
"Bob, perhaps you will also want to be there for Enzo, at least until you can see Dot."
"Alright Phong." Bob also moved to leave. "But, Dot knows we're here for her, always, doesn't she, she knows she has to came back?" Phong shook his head mournfully
"Only the User can answer that, my child... but, I belief that it may well be time to say... goodbye." Bob's head dropped as he headed out of the room.
*****
"But, sis is just sick, right? She'll be better soon, right?" Both Bob and Mouse tried to smile at he young sprite. Naïve as h was, he didn't need to be exposed to the real world just yet.
"Of course she will Enzo. You know your sister, she was just working too hard, she'll be fine in no time!"
"Yah! And then, we'll make 'er take some time off, how's that sound?"
"Great! Alphanumeric! Then she could go jet balling with me!" at that point, both older sprites at the younger ones enthusiasm.
*****
"Have you made your choice?"
"I...I don't know..."
"Then it will be made for you. Your path is."
*****
She will be here soon; I can feel her fear of returning, of facing them again. I can taste her tears. She's breaking.
*****
"C'mon sis! You have to wake up! Don't care that if you go, everyone will break? And I mean everyone! Me, AndrAIa, Enzo, Phong, Mouse, Hack, Slash, even Ray! Bob... well you know Bob; he'll just blame himself. He loves you Dot, he does, and I know you love him! Please..." He couldn't go on, the lump in his throat had grown to big. But he wouldn't cry, he couldn't. He was incapable of tears. He felt AndrAIa wrap her arms around his neck to draw his head down to rest on her shoulder. Dot's skin was growing slowly paler and her heartbeat simply slowing down. They walked out to let Bob know.
*****
Bob now sat alone beside Dot. She was worse, much worse. So much worse that everyone had been brought in to say their good-byes. Even Enzo. The young did not seem to be taking it well, but then, why should he? Dot and Matrix were the only blood family he had. He watched the monitor as showed Dot slowly disappearing. The doctors had done all they could, he wouldn't blame them. He blamed himself, and Dot. It was silly, blaming a sprite for deleting when she was still processing, but there was almost no question now. She was being selfish dammit! Leaving them alone, to relieve her pain! He knew he was being hasty and unreasonable, but he couldn't lose her, not now. He heard a beep, the heart monitor noting a change, her eyes opened. "DOT!"
"Bob, I just wanted say... goodbye."
"No, you're going to be fine, now that you're awake. You're invincible Dot! You lived through Megabyte, Daemon, and the improved Megabyte! You are amazing!"
"This isn't a movie-file Bob, you know we didn't survive without sacrifice, this'll just be one more."
"If your trying to get me to belief that all of this was a self sacrifice, just to save the citizens of Mainframe, it's not working."
"You were right you know, I am being selfish. But, I just can't take life anymore."
"But... what about Matrix? Enzo? Mouse? Dot, what about me? Don't we count for anything?"
"Yes, my family, please, tell them goodbye." Dot's eyes closed and shivered. Her body convulsed once, and then disappeared, leaving only an icon and the outline on the bed of a sprite that for time in her life, had totally given up.
*****
Once again, I failed to torment her for eternity, but, I know they will all feel the pain they gave me many times over, all them. Whether they live or not.
*****
The life I led was full of regrets. Regret that I was unable to save people. First my father, then Bob, then my little brother, AndrAIa and Frisket. I was unable to save Mainframe once these people had disappeared. Even when my brother returned, I regretted that I was unable to save him from the hardship that befell him and his friends. When my plan against Daemon failed to work, I regretted that I was unable to save Hex, much as we didn't get along. After Daemon, I regretted that I was unable to tell who was the true Bob. If I had, maybe things would've gone differently, but it was like the one thing that would just break me. We won, but, we didn't see Frisket again, we gave up hope that he'd survived, and I regretted not being able to save him. Now, I have no life to live. I am stuck between worlds, neither a ghost nor a spirit that has moved on. I regretted my indecisiveness. I am forced to watch those I left behind with my own selfishness move about their own lives, unable to see, feel or hear me. Maybe, once they move on, they will take me with them. More likely, I fear, is that I will just be stuck here, until the end of our world and beyond. Eternally wandering and lost.
