00011000

Nope.

Nope.

Nope.

By the Web Bob! That one's not going to work! Put it back! Cursors, okay fine go for it then, we'll just move on to another one in two nanos anyway.

This was attempt number seven. He'd gone through one gadget after another in rapid succession, flying through the archives. He seemed to be stuck on the break-into-two-pieces approach, which was so far off base... cursors. If he would just focus on me and getting me out of him we'd probably make more headway.

As expected the latest scheme dropped like a rock and we were back to the console to pull up another plan. Bob put his head down on the interface and moaned in frustration. "This is impossible."

There there, Bob, I'm sorry I was being pessimistic. You can keep trying, we'll figure it out eventually. As long as eventually comes soon. What brief recharge I'd gotten from my friends wasn't lasting very long. I was starting to feel drowsy again.

Bob put his head in his hand and stared up at the hovering windows. "I've tried all the data splitters, code splicers, transducers and transporters. What's left? Maybe there's some viral breakdown methods I can employ."

Scary stuff… but I guess whatever it takes.

He pulled up schematics for radiation chambers, decoding guns, and other types of gruesome deleting machines. I gulped watching the plans move by. Blades… polar magnets… yeesh…

Bob must have felt the same way. He was getting a little sick at the thought of submitting himself to the mercies of these arcane chambers of torture. Unfortunately I knew that the lines he'd drawn would be pushed back eventually. If nothing we try next succeeds, it was more likely than not that we would be revisiting the swirling blade machine and magnetic crucifixion device before long.

Bob pounded his fist on the desktop and growled. If only we were in the Supercomputer. If only we had access to more advanced technology, or more experienced scientists. He ran another search for virus-splitting and came across some file footage from back before the war, when Hex and Megabyte merged.

Hey merged…

I'd made a portal, then split the portal into separate pieces. Now why hadn't we thought of this earlier! It was perfect! He could go in, I could split us apart and thirty-one little portals would fly off in different directions… home to their guardians. Let's do it! Bob! Come on!

He got excited and charged out of the lab and up to the war room. There was a game in progress and Dot was watching with anticipation. I guess that must have been what the alarm was before. No matter.

"Dot! I need you to release this tear for me okay?"

"Bob, there's a game in progress," she said, shocked and a little annoyed, "do you think this is a good time to be fooling around with tears?"

Bah, Dot, don't worry about it. We'll be right back and then we can fight all the games you want okay? But we've got to do this first. Just trust us.

"-Just release the tear when I get up there okay?" Bob said with a hopeful smile.

"Bob, where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere." He replied. "But I hope to come back, if you get what I mean. Well, you'll see!"

We bolted out and up to the roof. I took a moment to give an overexcited report to those waiting inside. "Okay, guys, we're gonna try something new."

"Do you think it will work this time?" Errol asked.

"There's a good chance." I said. I was whirring with excitement. "We'll have to see."

"What are you trying?" GUI asked.

A timid keytool, Painter, pressed in. "Is it dangerous?"

"Its all dangerous." I reported. "But we're trying to split ourselves apart using a portal. It's got real promise."

"Real promise is all we can ask for." Gibson agreed.

"Great!" I said. "Just hold on tight! We might be out of here in a nano!"

I rushed back up to the higher-level senses and looked around. The tear rose before us sparkling in the brave magnificence of a new hope for the future. Bob called for portal making energy. It was a bit of an effort but I provided it. He surveyed our handiwork with satisfaction. "Now why didn't I think of this sooner?"

Because you've been on a misguided train of thought but never mind that! Forward ho!

We charged into the floating orb, the purple of the reflected gamecube bending over its surface. On the inside all I could see was the warped image of Bob on all sides. He took a deep breath. No moment of doubt this time, he was desperate. He focused inward and gave me the command. He actually said my name.

I was free already!

"Glitch! Splitter!"

I gave it a go, having a hard time remembering how. It had been a long time since I'd split or cut or 'wide-field-energy-beam'ed anything. I tried to force us apart, my 'gears' running at full-tilt.

A nasty wave of pain flashed across my consciousness.

Gahh! What was that?

That's right. I was broken! I couldn't do it! This was a malfunction! A possibly FATAL error! I tried to pull back but the portal was growing unstable.

I'm broken! I'm broken! Bob! I can't do it!

User!

I'm sorry! I'm basic! We should never have tried this!

There was a blinding white flamelike pain throughout and the walls of the portal collapsed on us. I felt like I'd been blasted apart, bits of my own energy scattering throughout Bob's data and bouncing off the inside of his skin. His eyes and ears went dumb. I couldn't receive sensory transmissions. I must have been deleted.

I deleted everyone. Even Bob.

That's what I get for hoping.