v.05.03 - The Puzzle
"It's good to be home." AndrAIa said contentedly while sipping an energy shake.
"I'm just glad that nothing was destroyed." Dot replied, looking around the diner.
"I guess Tin Man just didn't have enough time." Bob commented as he wrapped an arm around the
"Yeah," Matrix began. "It's been a rough few cycles, but everything seems back to normal - I just hope that scar on Enzo's eye fades." The burly sprite shuddered. "It's like reliving Zaytan's attack over again each time I see him."
The rest of the group took immediate attention; it was strange for Matrix to show even the slightest sign of vulnerability.
"I'm sure it will fade, Lover." AndrAIa sighed. "His wound wasn't nearly as severe as yours; his eye even survived the assault. When he comes home, it'll look like nothing even happened."
The four dulled their chat and were enjoying their drinks when a vidwin sprang up in front of Bob.
"Do you have a nano?" Turbo asked. "We need to talk, in private if possible."
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"What is it?" Guardian 452 asked from outside Dot's Diner.
"Well, I've got Ray Tracer here with me, and he's found something that you might want to take a look at." Turbo stepped out of view and let Ray take over.
"Looks like a piece of Hex' mask, Mate. I found it out when I was out checking on systems." He held it up for Bob to see.
"Can you bring it here?" Bob asked urgently.
"Bob, you know our policies on viruses..." Turbo replied, appearing back on-screen. "I just thought you might have a theory as to why parts of her mask are turning up everywhere."
"It's 'virii', and she was a sprite at one point." The blue sprite ran a hand over the back of his head. "I really don't know - I figured she'd be so completely fragmented that..." He trailed off.
"That's what we thought too." The Prime Guardian commented.
"Turbo, please let me take a good look at that shard of the mask; I just want to look - it's not like there's anything I can do to bring Hex back."
The Prime Guardian began to shake his head, but reluctantly replied with: "All right." Under his breath he mumbled: "I break more rules for you than is fit...."
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Bob had set himself up in the Principal Office, in the same room where he had tried to figure out how to separate from Glitch. He was trying to be patient while waiting for Ray, but it wasn't exactly easy.
"Where in the net is he?"
"Right here, Mate." The surfr said as he stepped into the room.
"Let's see it." Bob was positively itching to get his hands on the fragment of Hex's mask.
"Here you go." Ray handed it over without a thought. "What do you think it means?"
"No idea..." The guardian responded. "But I'd like you to go searching for more shards, if you don't mind."
"You heard Turbo, Bob. He doesn't want you to-"
"I know what he said, Ray, but I have to so this. I've been through a lot of stuff - I'm not going to let Turbo dictate my every decision."
Tracer looked at him like he had three heads. "You alright?" He asked.
"Yeah, this ain't like you at all..." Mouse commented, entering the room.
"Mouse!" The two men exclaimed in unison.
"Now what's going on here?" She walked over and took a look at the piece of Hexadecimal's mask. "Before you two jumped out of your skins, I didn't think much about it, but now I'm curious."
"Oh, nothing's going on Mouse; you just startled us." Bob stated coolly. "I was just asking Ray if he'd help me out with the mask."
She knew there was something more to it, but decided to leave it alone. "Okay, Sugar, it's just strange for you to ignore Turbo's orders."
She was on her way out the door when Bob said: "Just don't mention this to Dot, okay?" Bingo, Mouse had her answer.
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"Ray, Honey, get back as soon as you can...I've been missing you." The hacker gave him a strong hug, and a gentle kiss.
"I will, Love, I promise." He cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her back, before hopping on his baud and making a portal to exit the system. "I love you!" He shouted, and in a nano, he was gone.
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"I just wish he'd stay put for a little while..." Mouse sighed while sitting beside Matrix at the bar in Al's.
"Two more I/O shots please." The renegade ordered. "Well, Mouse, that's all you can do - you told him you were okay with it."
"But I'm not okay with it." She downed a shot. "I want him here with me."
"Yeah, I know." Matrix took his shot and asked for a couple more.
"Should I tell him?" The hacker asked, turning to Matrix.
"Probably - he's not going to know otherwise." He took a good look at Mouse. Those shots had definitely taken their toll. He doubted she could even stand.
"Come on, let's get you home." He said, about to sling her over his shoulder.
"Hang on!" She grabbed the last shot and finished it. "Alright, let's go!"
Matrix was walking down the dark street with Mouse dangling over his shoulder when he thought he heard a shout behind him. Turning, he found AndrAIa on their tail.
"Matrix! What exactly do you think you're doing?"
Mouse let out a groan.
"Sugar, I'm getting a real head rush here...wanna' put me down for a nano?"
"I'm just taking her home AndrAIa -" he said evenly. "She had a few too many."
"Taking her home, Matrix? To whose home?" The gamesprite snapped.
"AndrAIa! You know what I mean!" He was on the edge of shouting. "Look at her! She's completely out of it!"
Mouse's skull was throbbing.
"Please, Matrix, set me down before my head explodes..."
"Well, Matrix, maybe if I could see her face instead of her ASCII, we wouldn't have a problem!" AndrAIa yelled.
The renegade carefully put the purple sprite in the sitting position on the ground.
"AndrAIa, why are you getting so bent out of shape over this?" He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Because you forgot, Matrix." She stated pointedly, shrugging off his hand. "I told you earlier to be home because I was making dinner, and instead of coming home, I find you out drinking with Mouse. What? Would you rather spend your time at the bar with her than at home with me? Is my company really that bad?"
"Dinner...I totally forgot. AndrAIa, I'm so sorry." He went to take her hand but she pulled away. "Look, she was upset..." He said quietly, trying to keep Mouse from hearing. "She was really down about Ray leaving, and I didn't want her to go out alone. You and I both know that there's still a resistance group out looking to get anyone that's not on their side." Matrix knew that AndrAIa thought he was right; he could see it in her eyes. "I'm sorry I missed dinner, but I want to make it up to you. Next cycle, I'll make you dinner, and I'll do the dishes too. I promise."
The aqua-haired sprite shrugged. "I guess." She muttered, truly was disappointed.
Matrix gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"I have to bring Mouse home. I'll be home to you as soon as she's settled in." He moved to pick up the hacker in the same manner as before, but she stopped him.
"Don't carry me that way again- it did a real number on me." She tapped her temples.
Nodding, he lifted her up into his arms, and gave a quick glance to AndrAIa. "I'll be home soon."
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"Still, it's been like, five cycles now..." Bob commented to Glitch while sitting in Floating Point Park. It wasn't very often that he carried on conversations with his keytool, but he was anticipating Ray's return, which seemed well overdue. He wanted those other pieces of the mask.
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"Has Bob been acting weird lately?" Dot asked while in her office. She had Phong on vidwin.
"He has seemed somewhat...disconnected as of late, my child." Phong steepled his fingers.
"I was hoping I was just imagining things..." The replied. "When he gets like this, I get worried. It always means something bad is going to happen."
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"So you'll be in soon?" Mouse asked through a vidwin. She was chatting with Ray who seemed to be in a rather run-down system. A few cycles had passed, and she had managed to keep calm during that time, but talking to him now was tearing her apart inside.
"At the dawn of the next cycle, Love." He could see her eyes beginning to well up with tears. "Are you doing okay?"
"Yes...no..." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I miss you so much."
"Oh, it's - it's alright, Mouse...I'll be home in a matter of micros..." He was at a loss for words.
"I know, Sugar..." She replied, stifling the sobs. "It's just...you're just gonna' get settled back home here again, and then you'll pick up and leave for some system like you always do. I don't think I can do that anymore, Ray; I really don't."
"Oh, Mouse, I had no idea..." The surfr was in complete shock - this was like a stick in the eye. "I'll stay put next time I come back. From now on, it'll only be once in a green game cube that I go out of the system, and then, I'll probably want you to come with me." There was a loud rumbling noise in the background that took Tracer's attention for a nano, and he quickly looked back to the vidwindow. "Look Love, I've gotta' go. I'll see you at the first light of the next cycle."
With that, the window was closed and the conversation was ended. Alone again, she heaved a sigh. She shouldn't go out again; she'd gone with Matrix only four cycles ago, and that had caused a fight between him and AndrAIa. Maybe she should just work - that always seemed to do Dot some good.
Grabbing her zip board and her organizer - she couldn't believe Dot had finally convinced her to get one - she headed for Floating Point Park.
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"Oh, hi Mouse." Bob said, seeing her approach.
"Oh...hi Sugar. How're ya?" She asked.
"Not too bad. What about you?"
Taking a seat beside him on the bench, she plastered a fake smile on her face. "I'm doing great." She lied ."I was just going to do a little work, but to be honest, I don't really want to."
"Yeah, I know what that's like." He paused for a moment. "Say, have you heard from Ray?"
"I have, actually...just before I came out." The hacker took a good look at him. "Why?"
"Oh, no reason." His cheeks rouged ever so slightly. "I was just curious."
Mouse gave him a flat gaze and laughed. "Oh come on, Honey," She began. "You never could lie. Now what's going on?"
"Nothing." He wouldn't look straight at her.
"You know, if you don't tell me, I'll just find out on my own." She commented in a rather matter-of- fact tone.
"Well, I guess I can tell you-" He started slowly, but threw urgency into the next few words. "But you have to promise not to tell Dot."
"Alright, I suppose I can do that." She responded.
"Okay. Now, pieces of Hexadecimal's mask are turning up all over the net..." He waited to see her reaction, but there was no change in her expression. "And I asked Ray to go out and collect them, if he could." He paused again.
"And...?" She flicked one of her hands in a circle, indicating that she wanted him to go on.
"I, um, I want to put the mask back together; I want to see if I can bring Hex back."
"What?" The hacker exclaimed, jumping up from the bench. "You want to bring her back? Are you random?"
Bob stood up and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Stop shouting, Mouse." He let out a light sigh. "I feel like I should at least try. After all, she sacrificed herself to save us. If I could just save her..."
"There's more goin' on here than you're admitting to." She drawled on her words. "You should tell Dot what's going on."
"You wouldn't tell her, would you?" The guardian's voice became quiet.
"No, I've already told you that I won't tell on you, but you have to let Dot know what you're doing here. If you don't, this could break you two apart."
Silence fell between them, and Bob began to shake his head. "I know, Mouse, I know..."
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Light came over the system of Mainframe, and a portal revealed a sprite on a baud approaching the Principal Office. He carried with him a small pack on his back, and as he hopped off the baud and entered the building, he was caught by a purple woman.
"Hey Sugar, I've been waiting." She grabbed him an pulled him into a long kiss.
When the embrace ended, he stepped back from her, grinning. "Well hello, Mouse, my love." He leaned in and kissed her back, drawing away in perfect timing with Bob's entrance.
"Hey Ray, how was the trip?" Guardian 452 asked, taking the pack the surfr handed off.
"Not bad; smooth surfing all the way."
"Good to hear. Now, do you need to rest, or can we get to work?" The blue sprite lifted the bag slightly.
"Well, I'm pretty tired, Mate." A yawn escaped him. "I had a real trial gettin' some of those. Had shady characters on my tail a lot in the last two or three systems I was in."
"I'll give you a hand, Bob." Mouse offered.
"What?" Tracer blurted, unable to control himself.
"Don't worry Ray, she knows."
He whistled and over-dramatically ran a hand across his forehead. "You've gotta' start telling me these things."