"Lost Within the Void"
Chapter 5
Disclaimer: I do not own ReBoot, or any of it's characters; they are property of Mainframe Entertainment.
Get to him before he gets into that game...
"Glitch; long-range containment field!" Bob issued the order with exasperation - he was on a zip-board...how could Matrix be outrunning him?
The Guardian watched as the red constraints closed the distance between them, lashing around the Renegade and jolting him to a halt. A few nanos later, the two sprites were face-to-face, the gamecube landing less than a stone's throw away.
"Matrix, what do you think you're doing?" Bob had assumed the role of chiding father. "Were you just going to leave? Not tell anyone where you went?"
Guardian 452 was met with a venomous glower.
"Better than being stuffed into the screwball shack."
"Matrix..." The blue sprite shook his head. "Matrix, it's not like I'm doing this because I want to," He cleared his throat. "I'm doing it because you need help and you refuse to get it for yourself."
"So, what? You're just going to keep this field on me until someone shows up to drag me off?" The Renegade struggled against the power of the keytool.
"Not if you cooperate."
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"Oh, Ray..." AndrAIa fell into the Surfr's arms as he got down onto the floor, clinging to him as if for dear life.
"It'll be alright..." He cradled her like a fragile doll. "I promise it'll be alright..."
She was heartbroken, defeated.
"Why would he do this?" She rested her head on Tracer's chest, letting the rhythm of his heart, the sound of his breathing, be the steady constants of the moment. At least it was something predictable, something calming. "I don't understand...where would he go?"
That question didn't need an answer. He didn't have a Gateway command or a keytool; if he was leaving this system it would be with the game. They both knew it.
Mouse shifted in her sleep, waking as silently as possible under the assumption that AndrAIa would still be resting. To find her and Ray huddled together on the floor was the last thing the Hacker expected.
"What's happened?" The purple sprite was not pleased with what she was seeing, but her voice was as soft as silk.
"Matrix stopped by," Ray began, raising a hand for silence before Mouse could say anything. "...to say good-bye."
"AndrAIa," Mouse reached down and gently put a hand on the GameSprite's shoulder. "I know my timing is awful, but can I steal Ray for a nano?"
The aqua-haired sprite nodded in agreement, pulling herself up onto the sofa. Ray gave his girlfriend an odd look.
"Can it wait, Love?" He enquired, slightly impatiently. "I mean, she's a bit upset here,"
The Hacker gave a half-glare and dragged him into one of the adjacent rooms.
"What were you doin' back here?" She whispered, hands on her hips.
"It's called consoling, Mouse. She's heart-broken!" His voice was equally low, but his gestures were obviously tense.
"So you just let her crawl into your arms?" Her words were low, rolling hisses. "I mean, I get that she's having problems - User only knows what's going on in her head - but what were you doing?"
The Surfr crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"What'd you expect me to do?" Ray was hurt by Mouse's assumption, but tried his level best not to show it. "Tell her 'no, I can't give you a hug because my girlfriend's gonna' get jealous?' I thin not."
Game Over.
"This isn't over, Ray, not by a long shot."
The System Voice's announcement put the argument to a halt and the GameSprite into hysterics. The two sprites with AndrAIa could do nothing to calm her down, and they felt just as helpless as they did useless. Her Lover was gone, gone away until User knows when and to User knows where. He was gone.
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"Bob, why do you even bother?" Matrix spat his poison words at the Guardian as the Gamecube lifted out of the system; just another normal game...the perfect game to leave a system in. "We aren't all good sprites; stop trying to change the Net and get over it." The Renegade's muscles were tensed as he tried to break free.
Bob didn't know what to say to that; he reluctantly opened his mouth as his mind raced through a million things to respond with.
"The Net was never all good, Matrix, but that's no reason for me to give up on you."
"Crash it, why does it matter?" The green sprite clenched his fists. "I can't stay here! Why don't you understand that?"
"Because I don't think like you do." The Guardian said with aggravation, stepping closer. "Why can't you stay?"
"I'm afraid!" He roared, madly staring at Bob. "I'm afraid of what I'll do if I stay..." The words were spoken as if this realization had only dawned on him now.
"Then let me take you to the Academy, Enzo," The silver-haired male searched his captive's eyes for some sign that he was getting through. "Please, just stop fighting and let me help you.
"No." Guardian 452 wasn't going to back down or ease up anytime soon; Matrix knew that, which meant it was time for intimidation tactics. "Gun, Target: High X."
Bob didn't even flinch.
"I'll make a deal with you, Matrix. If you come to the Academy with me, and talk to Turbo - y'know, get a feel for the program you'll be in - I'll let everyone think you left with that game; you won't have to come back here unless you want to."
The Renegade stared skeptically.
"Yeah, I'm sure you'd be able to keep a secret that big for that long too." He replied, his statement thick with sarcasm. "I'm not going to bargain with you on this. Let me go. The nano you drop this field I'll just run anyway...if I've got to fight you before I go, then I will."
"And where are you going to go?" Bob asked, rubbing his arm. "How are you even going to leave?"
"We've got a Data C, we have ports...I think I'll find my way."
As if on cue, a portal opened beside them, and out marched five sprites, heavily armed with enough tranquilizers to subdue three WebCreatures...or one highly resistant Matrix. All the Renegade could do was kick up a fuss while bound, and try to fight the medication that was working in his system.
Bob had never been more grateful, even if he did feel bad about forcing Matrix into treatment; he felt like his arm was going to fall off, and Glitch needed recharging. He'd go with them to the SuperComputer and thank Turbo personally, get recharged, and see if he could be of any further use.
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The Prime Guardian was sitting in his chair, a one-way VidWindow opened to Matrix as he was escorted by three nurses into a relatively bare doctor's office; quite plainly it was a room for the less tolerant patients that came through the Academy's medical system. It was obvious that the effects of the tranquilizers hadn't worn off yet - the bulky giant was awake, his words were slurred and his thoughts disjointed, and he was agreeable to most suggestions that were made. That was precisely what Turbo wanted...if Matrix was comfortable in his surroundings...willing to talk, he was less likely to react with anger when he was lucid, and the gradual weakening of his impairment meant a smooth transition. That was the theory, anyway.
"Turbo, thank you so much," Bob was on the other side of the desk, gazing dazedly at the VidWindow, watching as the Renegade struggled to make smooth movements about the room.
"And five of them to bring him in...smart move...can he hear us?"
Turbo shook his head.
"This is new technology - right now only the Academy has it, hopefully it'll stay that way. We've been using it for surveillance for quite some time now...it opens silently and is remarkably small, so it's not likely to be noticed by the party being watched."
The blue sprite looked around himself.
"I suppose I'd have known about it if I'd been here instead of Mainframe..." He rubbed one side of his head; don't think about Mainframe right now...keep distracted. "So, you say it's new? But isn't it a bit of a step backwards?"
The Prime had known that question was coming...he'd just been wondering when.
"Well, although it is new, it's based on some of the very old communications technology we used to use. Mind you, that was well before you were even enrolled here...I was just a Cadet myself when we were using this stuff. You know how a normal Vid provides a two-way communications window?" Short nod from 452. "Okay, well back in the second you used to need two windows for that - one to send a message, and another to receive. The windows were large, slow, and loud when opened. The new techies have fixed that. Open one of these now, and it's about one fifteenth the size of a standard PID, it's completely silent, and it gives the viewer quality equal to your average VidWin."
"...hm? Oh, impressive..." Bob had stopped listening mircos ago. Now he was just watching the VidWin, plagued with horrible guilt for forcing Matrix into this.
"Bob, don't feel bad about this. Dr. Watson is very good at what he does..." The Prime steepled his fingers and put his attention on 452.
"I know," The silver-haired sprite was visibly scarred by his own actions. "I just feel like I've failed him..."
"You are the best thing that's ever happened to that sprite, Bob...don't forget that." The Prime Guardian kept his eyes locked on the man on the other side of the desk. "Why don't you go on home? You've done all you can do here."
Nod. Sad smile. Bob hated himself right now, and he had to go home and tell Dot what had occurred. After everything else that had happened in these last couple of cycles, he had to go and make Dot cry. The suffering never stopped for that woman, and he had to add to it again.
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Everything was starting to come into focus; the rambling was slowing, stopping. Matrix looked at his surroundings, at the sprite across from him. Who was that? No physical challenge...yellow sprite, short, not muscular at all...losing his hair. He was giving the label "Elderly" a good push. Label...name-tag...Dr. Watson? Doctor? The scowl quickly re-appeared on the patient's relaxed face now that his mind was clear. He knew where he was and what was going on...and he intended to stop it.
"Let me out of here." Matrix gave the order as if it was a warning.
"I'm sorry, Mr...oh, pardon me, Cadet Matrix, I can't do that..." Watson scrolled through his readme. "You were committed by a third party, and we're in the middle of a session. You're not going anywhere."
"I said let me out of here!" The Renegade was on his feet and had picked Watson up like a rag doll - something that the older sprite had become rather used to in his many weeks of experience with unruly patients. "Now."
Two of the nurses reappeared in the doorway, seeming almost bored with the need to return, waving more needles as they made their second entrance.
"That's alright...won't be necessary." A blueish-grey sprite parted between them. "Get the Doctor out of here...give me some time alone with him." The room was cleared in an instant, and Matrix stood like a statue, watching intently as the door closed. "Now you listen to me, Matrix...that icon says you're a Cadet in this Academy, and you are expected to act accordingly."
"Turbo-"
"Prime."
Matrix rolled his eyes.
"Prime, Sir, with all due respect, I don't want to be here. You can take my code right now if you want. Take the whole PID." The green giant plucked it off of his outfit and dropped it on the floor.
"Son, don't you get smart with me." Turbo's brow furrowed. "D'you have any idea what you're doing to the sprites that care about you?" He pulled up a pair of one-way VidWins, one with Little Enzo, Dot, and Bob - Frisket was in the background pacing the floor, and another with AndrAIa, Ray, and Mouse. "AndrAIa thinks you're in the games now...so do Ray and Mouse. Bob thinks he's failed you...Dot and Enzo don't know what to think. They're all crushed by your actions, Matrix. As far as I'm concerned, what we're doing here isn't about you at all...it's about them. I'm not going to let you ruin their lives for your own selfish reasons." He watched the Cadet's face twist in misery. "If you want to walk out of here this second, it'll be over my deleted bitmap."
Matrix hadn't intended to look back on what he was leaving behind...he knew wouldn't be able to face the misery he'd inflicted, and now it was staring him in the face. He couldn't even find the words to express the self-hatred he was feeling...
"So what, then?" The words were crackling in the Renegade's throat. "What do I do?"
The situation had relaxed enough for both men to be seated.
"Let us help...work with us so you can go back to being the sprite they lost."
"But I don't know how..." The words were so innocent as they left Matrix' lips - so childlike.
"You'll figure it out," Turbo gave him a pat on the shoulder. "We're here to help you get it right, one second at a time..."
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End.