Mark, Chuck, & Ace had just finished up Pigface, Rotgut, & Anvil.
"You guys stay here. I'm going after Sparx." Said Ace, powering up.
"Ace, wait." Suggested Mark. "Random is already there. Besides, if we're going work out a way to help Sparx you'll need to be here."
"How am I supposed to help?"
"We need to work out a way to remind Sparx of who she is." Interrupted Chuck.
"And how are we supposed to do that?"
""I dunno dude, I'm not a girl!"
"Yeah, but I know someone who is." Mark pulled out his phone & started dialing. Kat picked up on the third ring.
"Hello."
"Kat, Hi. I need to ask you something."
"Mark? What's up?"
"O.K. Say you have a friend who has forgotten who they are. How do you remind them?"
"What do you mean? Like they fell in with the wrong crowd?"
"Sort of, yeah."
"Why are you asking me?"
"Well, say this friend is a . . . girl?"
"Oh. Is this about Sam?"
"No! No. It's . . . Um . . . about my friend's . . . girlfriend."
"And your friend's name is . . .?" Kat sounded sceptical.
"His name? His name is . . . Ace."
"Ace? That's different."
"Yeah, it is. Would you like to talk to him?"
"Sure."
Mark handed Ace the phone.
"Just go with it."
Ace sighed. This can't help.
"Hello. This is Ace."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Oh. O.K. . . So what happened? Your girlfriend started hanging out with a bunch of losers? Forgot who she really is?"
"Um, well, She's not really my . . ." Ace was stopped by a glare from Mark.
"Yes, that's it."
"I had a friend who did that once, back where I used to live. We got her to read her diary, remind her of all the good times we'd had."
"Sp . . . Uh, Sally isn't really the diary keeping kind."
"The next best thing would have to be photos, you know, of Sally having fun with her real friends."
"Photos? That might just work. Thanks!" Ace tossed the phone back to Mark and started rummaging amongst the papers that had fallen from the desk.
"Thanks Kat. Gotta go!"
"Mark, wait!" yelled Kat, but Mark had hung up.
"Ace, what are you looking for?"
"Those photos Chuck took with his digitalized camera thingy. He printed them out the other week. Where are they?!?"
"You mean these?" Mark held up a hardcover book full of blank pages that was lying in one of the chairs. Someone had stuck the photos in it.
"Oh." Ace took the book. "Sparx must have done that."
Mark & Ace both turned around as Chuck, staring at his computer, suddenly exclaimed,
"What the? . . . Uh oh!"
"Uh oh what?' Asked Mark.
"Someone, or something, is reprogramming Sparx."
"What?!"
"They're replacing all those damaged memory files with the files from tons of old combat games."
"But why? Wouldn't a bunch of mixed up files confuse her more?"
"It's not a bunch of mixed up files, it's just the ones involved in the fighting!"