Defying the Darkness
Chapter Two
"Enzo -"
"Don't try to understand me! You have no idea what it's like!" The child yelled as Bob tried to reason with him.
"Enzo, listen to me!" The Guardian caught him by the arm as he attempted to storm out of the room. "What happened to Matrix isn't going to happen to you!"
"How do you know?" The green sprite spat, glaring at Bob as if he were some hideous virus.
"You didn't get launched into the games." Guardian 452 spoke as if it hurt him to remember what had happened. "Matrix...he -" The blue sprite trailed off. "Enzo, you're already different from your brother. At your age, he was lost in the games and trying to find me so we could get home...so we could save Mainframe from Megabyte." There was a brief moment of silence as Enzo returned to his zip-board chair. "Be glad you live in peace times." Bob said, giving the boy a pat on the shoulder. "Sure, you've seen this city under Viral occupation, but you never had to endure Megaframe. Daemon might have been a SuperVirus, but Megabyte was the one who could devastate a sprite's resolve." The silver-haired sprite halted his words, and the terrible memories that accompanied them, and headed for the door. "Oh, and give your sister a break...she is trying, you know."
"No she isn't." Enzo replied with a wounding simplicity. "She acts like I don't even exist...like she treated you when she thought you were a..." The child hesitated. "...a copy, like me."
Bob let his face fall into his hands for a moment, pulling them back as if he were brushing away the tension.
"No, Enzo, no..." The two sprites locked eyes. "She loves you more than you can possibly imagine; don't forget everything that she's gone through in her own life. She's tired, to put it simply." The Guardian shrugged. "She needs you to look out for her as much as you need her to look out for you, but you know the way she is..."
The boy seemed to take this morsel to heart, not speaking again, but digesting what he had just heard and trying to understand it.
------
Matrix now sat alone in the quiet café, pensive concerning the words that Turbo had left him with. You're not the only one with a back-story, Matrix. Remember that. It was driving him random. He found it hard to believe that Turbo had come from a dark background and been able to become a Prime Guardian because of it. He himself could hardly adhere to the drop of Guardian code Bob had given him, let alone find his way to becoming someone who could really change the Net for the better. Almost instinctively, he ran his fingers over his icon to see that it was in GameSprite mode...to see that it was normal.
His thoughts were disturbed, though, when a pair of arrogant Cadets, seemingly new to the SuperComputer and the Guardian Academy alike, decided to display the power they thought their Guardian code gave them. They first decided to see if Guardian status would get them free Java, and, when that failed, they tried their hand at getting dates off of the waitresses, taking on a mean tone when that too became a failure.
"We should report this place," One sneered, making sure to be heard by the sprites within the establishment. "For aiding dangerous criminals," As he said this, he turned to Matrix' table and boldly knocked the mug over, spilling cold Java into the Renegade's lap.
"And just who do you think you are, Cadet?" He snarled, his chair tipping backward as he got up. Both Guardians were taken aback by this civilian that was now looming over them. "I spoke to you, Cadet. Name and number, both of you."
The second Cadet, who had until this point played wing-man, stepped up toe-to-toe with Matrix.
"We don't answer to scum like you," He said, almost laughing as he stared up at this monstrous sprite.
That was the last straw for the short-fused Matrix, who grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground with a sincerely vicious look on his face. He then changed his icon to Guardian mode and cornered both of them.
"You're not Guardians," The Renegade spat, his golden eye glowing red. "You're not even Cadets. There are Viruses better than you two," He continued, his words as dark and menacing as his facial expression. "Hand over your PIDs and get out."
"Back off, freak," One said, pushing him slightly. "I'm not giving you a spammed thing,"
Matrix pressed him back into the wall, taking Gun in one hand and pressing it against his chest.
"Either you give me your PID, or I'll blow it right off of your bitmap."
That was all it took. The two foul sprites dropped their icons and fled for their lives, and Matrix found himself being greeted with applause from the spectators of the café as he holstered his weapon and exited with PIDs in hand.
------
"Let me in there now." Matrix demanded, leaning on the receptionist's desk and glowering at the woman that sat staring up at him.
"Sir, the Prime is not available at the moment..." She replied, trailing off as he ignored her and headed for Turbo's door. "Sir, he's in a conference! Sir - sir!" Her voice was escalating, and her green eyes growing wide with nervousness.
Matrix entirely ignored the woman and burst into the room where Turbo was having a conference via VidWin.
"Cadet Matrix!" Turbo exclaimed, standing up without bothering to excuse himself from the face staring through the VidWin at them both. "Explain yourself." The Prime's eyebrows raised with impatient warning.
"Who works admissions at this place?" The green sprite asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
"What? Son, don't change topics." The greyish-mint sprite crossed his arms. "What are you up to?" He then turned back to the sprite waiting on the other end of the VidWindow. "Look, I'll get back to you...I've got something to deal with here. Sorry to be so abrupt, but - "
"Not a problem, Prime," The sprite said, waving a hand. "We'll wrap this up at a better time."
With that the Window closed, and Turbo and Matrix were back to business.
"Turbo, I'm serious," The Renegade began, looking him in the eye. "Who runs admissions here?"
"I do, I review every single sprite that gets accepted here. Why?" The Prime sat back down in his seat, folding his hands on the desk.
Matrix dropped the icons in front of Turbo's eyes, waiting for a reaction of any description. "Because two little punks were making trouble today at the Java Hut." The yellow-haired sprite narrowed his eyes as if to say: Well you'd better keep explaining, Son, because I am not impressed. "Turbo," The Renegade leaned on his desk, much like he had with the receptionist. "After the Daemon...thing, there have been questions about the Guardians' ability to protect the citizens of the Net. The last thing we need are Guardians who want to exploit that weakness and make it their power." Turbo leaned back in his chair and chuckled, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "What?" Matrix couldn't believe the reaction. "Turbo, it's not funny."
"Tell me Matrix, when did you go from Renegade to concerned Cadet?"
The green sprite's eyes opened wide, thinking about the point that had been made. He had no response for his superior, but stood with his mouth gaping as it tried to form words. Finding only "Uh" and "Um" on the tip of his tongue, he shrugged and cracked a very faint grin.
"That's what I thought." The Prime Guardian was amused, and beckoned him to sit. "You're exhibiting good signs Matrix. If, after your treatment, you want a job - or training - here, you just let me know and I'll make it happen." He picked up the PIDs and rolled them around in his hand. "Just...handle it more like a Guardian and less like a Renegade next time...I know your style, and the reports about you have just been rolling in..."
The Cadet again found himself at a loss for words.
"As for these two..." Turbo continued. "Well there are always a few bad sprites. I can usually pick them out of a crowd, but without a reason, I can't just turn them away. They make it harder to re-establish faith in the Academy, but that's just something we have to deal with. Now Cadet, on your way. I have things to take care of."
Matrix caught the fatherly sincerity in Turbo's stern words, and let himself absorb them. It was a rare occasion he even let himself be touched by such a thing anymore, but his resolve to distance himself from the Net was weakening, and so he simply took it as it was and continued on.
------
"Thanks, again," Dot gave Bob a series of short kisses. "For talking to Enzo,"
"Hey, anything I can do to help..." The blue sprite have his signature smile, and just as they were about to share another series of kisses, Mouse burst into the room, fuming.
"Bob, out, now." She said, her face contorted with anger.
Guardian 452 did not have to be asked twice. He gave a short nod to the Hacker, a quick kiss to his love, as was gone in a flash.
"Mouse, what's wrong?" Dot got her to sit down on the couch, waiting for a reply as the purple sprite fumed in silence.
"I'm gonna' strangle him, Dot," She stated, glaring off at nothing.
The eyebrows rose.
"Bob? Why?"
"No, not Bob!" The Hacker waved a hand at the green woman, shaking her head at the preposterous suggestion. "Ray! I've just about had it with him..."
------