"Okay, here goes... ReBoot!"
Outside the game, Mike was doing what he does best.
"And so, our intrepid heroes risk code and format to protect our fair system from the unknown horrors that lurk within the game..." A small crowd of Binomes stood around Mike looking excited.
In the Principal Office, Dot watched the scene on VidWindow.
"Mouse, how are the readings?"
Mouse hesitated, "Uh... to be honest sugar, I'm trying my best but there's no accounting for Hexadecimal's influence in there. Her presence is throwing off all the results."
Dot looked away from the VidWindow, where Mike was apparently forcing an interview out of an unwilling victim, and saw Phong's expression.
"I know what you're going to say."
"That I think it was a bad idea to let Hexadecimal enter the game? You are correct, my child. I think it was a bad idea."
"But did YOU want to tell her that?"
"I... I'm sure she knew what she was doing." Phong claimed, unconvinced.
Mouse didn't look up from her console, "She went in there to protect Bob, besides, chances are she's at risk from nullification herself if things go wrong," Mouse bit her tongue, a nano too late as she saw a flicker of memory pass Dot's face.
"How are the readings?"
"I think I can compensate for Hex's disruption..." Mouse resumed her work.
"Okay, this is getting beyond a joke." the Orc looked up at the others with one brown eye, one gold eye.
"At least you have a spiked warclub, all I have is a lousy dagger." The goblin looked just like a little Orc in his leather armour.
"A dagger of Instant Death, Enzo." Bob reassured him, "This is the last level, remember - we're pretty tough, but so is the User. Stay alert." The chrome hair of the Dark Elf was hidden under a purple hood as Bob tried out his cloak of invisibility.
"Say, aren't we missing somebody?" AndrAIa glanced around her at the big empty space where Hexadecimal wasn't.
"Oh no," Bob took down his hood and reappeared, "Hex...?"
Laughter filled the air as a huge ghostly skull surrounded them, then shrunk to sprite size. "I never knew games could be so much FUN!" A skeletal body draped in elegant robes appeared beneath the skull. "What do we have to do?"
"If you were paying attention the first time..." Matrix retorted, "You'd know we have to stop the User."
"Look," Bob tried to calm the situation, "We just have to defeat the User, or win the game ourselves by destroying the Gemstone in the Temple at the top of this mountain."
"Oh," Hex looked disappointed, "Is that all?"
Mouse was looking worried. "Uh... I don't want to alarm anyone, but the power output levels have just gone through the roof!"
Dot opened her mouth to say something when the System Voiceover intoned:
#GAME OVER#
A short pause... and the game ascended upwards and vanished, leaving the city intact.
A collective sigh of relief then much cheering as attention was turned to the VidWindow.
"And so, our heroes emerge triumphant! Join me here, now, live for an exclusive interview! Won't you tell our viewers all about how..."
"Sorry Mike, "Bob interrupted, "But I have a slight headache."
"What?" Hex looked nonplussed, "I did what you said."
"The gem, Hex, destroy the gem." Matrix shrugged his shoulders, "That Temple was supposed to be a whole dungeon level unto itself."
"But hey," AndrAIa smiled, "You won the game for us. Thanks."
Hexadecimal beamed. "Just wait until Dot hears about this..."
Outside the game, Mike was doing what he does best.
"And so, our intrepid heroes risk code and format to protect our fair system from the unknown horrors that lurk within the game..." A small crowd of Binomes stood around Mike looking excited.
In the Principal Office, Dot watched the scene on VidWindow.
"Mouse, how are the readings?"
Mouse hesitated, "Uh... to be honest sugar, I'm trying my best but there's no accounting for Hexadecimal's influence in there. Her presence is throwing off all the results."
Dot looked away from the VidWindow, where Mike was apparently forcing an interview out of an unwilling victim, and saw Phong's expression.
"I know what you're going to say."
"That I think it was a bad idea to let Hexadecimal enter the game? You are correct, my child. I think it was a bad idea."
"But did YOU want to tell her that?"
"I... I'm sure she knew what she was doing." Phong claimed, unconvinced.
Mouse didn't look up from her console, "She went in there to protect Bob, besides, chances are she's at risk from nullification herself if things go wrong," Mouse bit her tongue, a nano too late as she saw a flicker of memory pass Dot's face.
"How are the readings?"
"I think I can compensate for Hex's disruption..." Mouse resumed her work.
"Okay, this is getting beyond a joke." the Orc looked up at the others with one brown eye, one gold eye.
"At least you have a spiked warclub, all I have is a lousy dagger." The goblin looked just like a little Orc in his leather armour.
"A dagger of Instant Death, Enzo." Bob reassured him, "This is the last level, remember - we're pretty tough, but so is the User. Stay alert." The chrome hair of the Dark Elf was hidden under a purple hood as Bob tried out his cloak of invisibility.
"Say, aren't we missing somebody?" AndrAIa glanced around her at the big empty space where Hexadecimal wasn't.
"Oh no," Bob took down his hood and reappeared, "Hex...?"
Laughter filled the air as a huge ghostly skull surrounded them, then shrunk to sprite size. "I never knew games could be so much FUN!" A skeletal body draped in elegant robes appeared beneath the skull. "What do we have to do?"
"If you were paying attention the first time..." Matrix retorted, "You'd know we have to stop the User."
"Look," Bob tried to calm the situation, "We just have to defeat the User, or win the game ourselves by destroying the Gemstone in the Temple at the top of this mountain."
"Oh," Hex looked disappointed, "Is that all?"
Mouse was looking worried. "Uh... I don't want to alarm anyone, but the power output levels have just gone through the roof!"
Dot opened her mouth to say something when the System Voiceover intoned:
#GAME OVER#
A short pause... and the game ascended upwards and vanished, leaving the city intact.
A collective sigh of relief then much cheering as attention was turned to the VidWindow.
"And so, our heroes emerge triumphant! Join me here, now, live for an exclusive interview! Won't you tell our viewers all about how..."
"Sorry Mike, "Bob interrupted, "But I have a slight headache."
"What?" Hex looked nonplussed, "I did what you said."
"The gem, Hex, destroy the gem." Matrix shrugged his shoulders, "That Temple was supposed to be a whole dungeon level unto itself."
"But hey," AndrAIa smiled, "You won the game for us. Thanks."
Hexadecimal beamed. "Just wait until Dot hears about this..."