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We managed to save ourselves by our own dumb luck. I accessed the README files for the elapsed time I'd been out. It was kind of depressing to find that Bob had risked the lives of everyone on the slim chance that the User might restart. Restarts were very rare. Mainframe's own twin city didn't earn a restart. Of course the User is a mystery. Bob's written files on the subject, presenting ideas about User motives. Is there one or many? Do they try to help us or harm us? Do they even know we exist?

I had a lot of time to think about this stuff. When our anti-Daemon campaign began it wasn't really very exciting.

Dot had plans. She always did…as previously mentioned. "The first task is to make sure systems that are still clean stay clean." Dot reported. "Mouse, can you seal us off? I don't want anyone to access Mainframe, not from the Net or the Web."

"Already done, honey." Mouse assured, popping open a workstation vidwindow.

"But with our ports to the net closed, how are we supposed to access the other systems?" Matrix asked.

"The answer is right in front of us." Dot said, self-assured. "Phong? Can we create tears here in the Principle Office?"

"It is possible," Phong answered, "but it will require accessing core energy, and any tear we create cannot be kept inside the Principle Office for long without risking interior damage."

"That's not a problem." Dot told him. She looked to the six sprites, Captain Capacitor, and the rest of the war room. "We'll split into three teams, two network teams and one home team. Bob will open up portals using the tears made here at the Principle Office and send a network team in to seal off the system. If we coordinate well, we'll be able to take a healthy percentage of the net offline before Daemon's infection grows much further."

"It sounds like a good plan, Dot." AndrAIa said. "But wouldn't Bob be more helpful as a network team member? Both he and Surfr can make portals, we could hit three or four systems in a circuit before returning to base."

Dot didn't like that idea. I suspect she partly wanted to keep him close, which I could understand, but the in her had a good reason as well. "We need Bob here to defend Mainframe in case the g-" She stopped. No one had told Bob that the Guardian Collective had been infected. They probably didn't want to crash his world. I think it was smart because it would have made him hold back in the fight. Yet another reason why he was better off a homebody. "Bob would be of better use here."

"No worries." Ray said, eternal optimist that he was. "We'll be a tough enough pill for that virus to swallow. When do we get started?"

Dot was glad to have the subject changed. "As soon as possible. Matrix and AndrAIa, could you be Network Team A?"

Matrix seemed pleased. "Wouldn't want it any other way."

Dot nodded. "And Ray and Gavin, could you be Network Team B?"

Capacitor tipped his hat. "We won't fail ye, Madam!"

"Bob, Mouse and I will be Home Team." Dot announced. "And if there are no questions, we might as well begin."

"I've got a pair of coordinates set for two neighboring systems." Mouse announced, pulling up a map of the Net. "Ready when you are, Sugar."

"To the roof, teams." Dot directed. "We're going on the offense."