Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Viceroy and Fiendfyres. Thanks for reading!

Second Note: So after multiple edit attempts, I've finally figured out that (/) is all I can use to show a break in scene, and that the title "command dot com" does not save when typed in properly. (I'd always wondered about that in other stories.) So, I've reduced it down to simply calling Dot the Commander of Mainframe. Same thing pretty much.

Chapter 7: Falling Back

"I think that's it." Dot lowered her glasses and nodded at Mouse. "When they finish the game, we'll run it by them… and I guess Matrix and AndrAIa will head out." Dot's face clouded over for a moment, but cleared when Mouse placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know. This will just take some getting used to."

Mouse smiled before turning her eyes down to Enzo. "Thanks for your help, Enzo. You're a handy man to have around."

Hiss eyes lit up, but he tried to act like it was nothing, and failed effectively.

Mouse gave Dot a sidelong glance before kneeling down in front of the smaller sprite. "You know, I need to run some tests for the upgrades I got at my last system port. I could use an extra pair of hands." She raised her eyes at them. "What do you say?"

"Help you out with Ship?"

"Yep."

"Can I sit in the pilot seat?" Enzo asked eagerly.

"I'll even let you press the buttons."

"Cool!" He turned to Dot, and she smiled encouragingly at him.

"Let's go, Sugar."

"Sir/ Ma'am!" All three sprites looked up at the urgent tone of Specky, the spectacled binome. "We have reports a portal just formed down by the dock." He turned to Dot, his eye wide. "It's from the Web!"

"What?" Dot ran over to the VidWindow. "Prepare all stations for defense! Scramble the units!"

"Something just came out of the portal!" Enzo yelled, pointing at the window.

Specky's voice overlapped Enzo's. "Sir/ Ma'am, the portal just closed!"

"What did you see come out of the portal, a creature?" Dot asked Enzo.

"No, it looked like a shuttle," Mouse clarified, her eyes narrowed as she typed at one of the consoles.

Dot locked eyes with Mouse. "Daemon?"

Mouse shook her head, "Not coming from the Web… I think."

"Ray?"

"He doesn't need a shut-"

"Hailing Commander of system Mainframe, come in." The room went silent at the announcement from the communication unit. One thing was for sure, the voice was not Ray's.

"Hailing Commander of system Mainframe," the female voice repeated, "this is Transport 317, requesting conference with the Commander."

"Transport 317, this is the Commander. Request you state your purpose and your intentions," Dot answered, signaling the patrol units to hold until further advisory.

"My name is Constantia Consolas, and I am here to speak with you regarding an urgent matter of your system's safety."

Dot raised an eyebrow at Mouse, who looked unconvinced. "What safety concern is that?"

There was a pause. "I have reason to believe you have a dangerous criminal in your midst. He escaped from my custody and I am here to reclaim him."

All eyes shot up in surprise, the only word breaking through the silence a whispered, "Dude!"

"How could that be, we haven't had anyone come in since before the war?" Dot asked Mouse. "No one could get through your security!"

"The Saucy Mare came through," Mouse corrected her.

"Yes, but that was all Gavin's crew."

"A crew of pirates."

Dot scoffed. "You don't think…"

"I don't know. And neither does anyone else."

"But Gavin and his crew already left in search for a new vessel." Dot stared at the VidWindow, observing the shuttle as it hovered at the port entrance, waiting on permission to dock. "There is more than one way to get into a system," Dot surmised, briefly explaining the Code Master Lens who had entered by a portal into Mainframe. "And it could be someone working for Daemon." Dot looked back at Mouse. "We can't take the chance."

Mouse nodded. "We'll be ready for any defensive measures if our guest is anything but genuine."

"All right." Dot took a breath and pressed the Comm button. "Transport 317, you have authority to dock at pier 101. I'm sending a unit to escort you to the Principal Office."

"Understood, Transport 317 out."

Dot straightened. "Let's get some security standing by in here." She began working with Mouse on different scenarios of action, both so involved in their plans neither noticed Enzo slip out the door.

/

"That was the strangest thing I have ever seen," AndrAIa remarked as she linked her arm through Matrix's.

"Tell me about it!" Matrix exclaimed. "What kind of a User plays a game with unlimited enemies? And zombies of all things!"

"Maybe the User is getting tired of playing to win," Bob shrugged. "Now he plays to lose."

"And what in the Net is a nazi?" AndrAIa asked, but before anyone could answer, the three sprites turned at the sound of pounding feet.

"BOB!"

"Oof!"

"Enzo!"

"Ah, great, what does he want?"

"Bob, we've got a big problem, you have to come to the Principal Office, quick!" Enzo nearly shouted.

"Whoa, whoa, Enzo! Start over. What's wrong?" Bob asked as he sat up on his elbows.

"There's an escaped criminal in Mainframe!"

"What!"

"Yeah! There's someone going to talk to Dot right now-whoa!" Enzo had no time to finish as he was pulled behind Bob on their way to the Principal Office.

/

"Sir/ Ma'am, she's here."

Dot nodded. "Show her in."

The door to the control center opened, and Dot observed the guest as she strode into the room. Adorned in a black one piece jumpsuit similar to Dot's blue camouflage, the tanned sprite was only slightly taller than the , but her confidence made her appear so much larger. From her thick black boots to the small red cloak that covered her slender shoulders, the sprite was no nonsense and all woman. A large thick braid of dark red hair was pulled back save for a few shorts strands that framed her face. Her eyes were wide apart and gleamed like emeralds when they locked onto Dot's.

The suppressed a shudder under the coldness in that green gaze. From the instant she walked in the door, Dot sensed danger, though she couldn't place why. Her defenses were up, and after glancing at Mouse, she could see she wasn't the only one.

Constantia walked up to Dot with an air as if she herself was the , but nodded recognition to the green sprite. "You are the leader here?" she asked, her voice low but strong.

"Dot Matrix, Commander. You have some information for us?"

Constantia gazed around the room. "Would you prefer to discuss this in private?"

"No."

"Hmph. Very well." She placed a hand on her hip, shifting her weight to one side as she began. "A prisoner escaped from me about three minutes ago, and I've tracked him here. As soon as I take custody, I will leave you to… whatever," she drawled, waving to the various equipment around the room.

Mouse bristled at the dismissive tone of the sprite. She stepped forward, crossing her arms as she replied. "We haven't had any problems reported in the system, and Bob hasn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Are you sure he's here?"

The sprite's eyes narrowed. "Bob?"

"Our Guardian," Phong answered. "He knew the last time an unauthorized entry happened." He rolled closer to their guest. "Please do not be offended, we are not saying you are wrong, we simply have not had any strange occurrences… lately," Phong commented as he thought about the past few cycles.

"We've all been a little busy with Daemon," Mouse spoke up, her defensive posture never changing. "Haven't you?"

Constantia shifted her gaze from the small sprite at her side to the hacker. "Personally? No. I have more important problems to deal with."

"A supervirus is taking over the Net, what other problems could there possibly be?" Mouse snapped.

"Mouse!" Dot raised her hand to her friend. She turned back to Constantia. "I'm sorry, we're all on edge. We are trying to formulate a best way to protect the systems that are not infected. I take it," she said with a tilt of her head, "your system isn't?"

"We're getting off topic," the sprite replied flatly. "I want to speak with this Guardian of yours. Where is he?"

Dot, Mouse, and Phong looked at each other. A bad feeling began to develop in the pit of Dot's stomach. "He should be returning from the game now," she answered slowly. "Would you like to wait in my office?"

Constantia smiled coldly at Dot. "No."

Dot felt her chest tighten in anticipation of a confrontation. She was about to order a lockdown on the War Room when the door opened. Relief eased into her heart as she saw Matrix, AndrAIa, Enzo, and Bob enter the room.

"Dot, what's going on?" Matrix asked as he stopped to look at the red headed sprite.

Dot couldn't answer him. Her voice died as she stared at Bob. In the instant his eyes fell on the sprite, his face blanched, his eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open. Then, as quickly as the shock appeared, it was replaced by a look Dot had never seen on his face.

Unbriddled rage.

Constantia stared at him, her smile spreading like a virus' infection, full and poisonous. "Hello, Interface. Or should I say, Guardian. And I thought you were lying." Her eyes roamed up and down his form, not bothering to hide the look of satisfaction in her eyes. "I love the new look," she complimented in a sultry tone.

Enzo was the first to say anything, his face frozen in surprise. In disbelief, he asked, "You came looking for Bob? No way! Bob's not a criminal!"

All eyes turned to look between the two, locked in a battle of stares. "You know her?" Matrix asked.

"Know him?" Constantia answered with a laugh, the full bodied sound sending shivers up Dot's spine. "We certainly do, don't we, dear?" she suggested.

"Dot, get everyone out of here, now," Bob ordered, the softness of his voice unable to hide the edge in his tone.

The female sprite leaned against the railing, turning to look at Dot. "He never did like an audience." She gazed back at Bob then swiftly returned her eyes to Dot, one eyebrow elegantly raised over the smirk on her lips. "But you already know that, don't you?"

"Dot! Now!" Bob snapped, his eyes never leaving Constantia's.

"No! I'm not leaving," Matrix argued, throwing his hand out and calling to Gun to begin targeting.

"Me neither," Mouse growled. She unsheathed her sword and brandished it at the tanned sprite. "I believe you've worn out your welcome."

"My, what dedicated friends you have," Constantia complimented. "Bet they'd be willing to do anything for you, hmm? And you'd do anything for them, I'd guess. Much like you did anything for your little friends back in the Web?"

She turned her green eyes to Dot, a feral grin of the hunter targeting the prey donning her pretty face. Crossing her elbows, she leaned against the railing and drawled, "And he did do anything." She licked her lips at Dot. "If you catch my drift," she laughed demurely.

Dot scoffed, disgusted by the obvious doubts she was feeding the group when she looked at Bob. His brown eyes locked on hers, and she wished they hadn't. In that nanosecond, Dot saw the one thing that completely broke her heart.

Guilt.

Dot almost doubled over as if she had been hit in the gut. She knew Constantia was taking pleasure in her reaction, and she tried to cover up her shock, but the raw emotion in Bob's face only served to drive her to the edge of composure. Her hand grasped the control panel in front of her, steadying her suddenly weak legs.

The silence was broken by the roar of Matrix. "I don't know what game you're playing at, but it ends now!" His mechanical eye went red with anger and a matching target appeared on Constantia's forehead.

"You won't delete me," she threatened quietly. "My guards are under strict orders to contact the Guardian Collective if I don't return."

Mouse glared at her while AndrAIa put a hand on Matrix's shoulder. "What do you mean?" the game sprite asked.

"Here's the deal." She locked eyes with Bob again. "You come with me, and your system is left alone. Resist and I will alert the Guardian Collective about your location," she swept her gaze across the room, her voice growing with strength, "and I will give them a portal to enter and infect you all." She smiled coldly, again settling her gaze on the Guardian. "The choice is yours. You have 1 millisecond before I go for the SuperComputer."

"You'd risk thousands of innocent lives," Bob growled, stepping forward menacingly.

"I'd hand over millions to get what I want," Constantia replied, unfazed by his anger. "And I always get my way," she hissed, her eyes flashing. She moved from the railing and walked towards the door, confident that no one would stop her. "I will return to my ship now. I shall leave my transport here when you are ready to join me." She looked back as the door opened. "1 millisecond," she reminded. Then, with a blown kiss from her fingertips, she strolled out.

No one moved. No one seemed to breathe. No one knew what to think. Finally, Dot snapped out of her trance.

Pressing on the panel, she pulled up several VidWindows. "Mouse and I narrowed down which system we think will be hit next. Matrix, AndrAIa, start making preparations for system Saugus. Mouse, get the latest defensive programs installed and applied, including firewalls.

"Phong, we need to start planning a Net wide defense, something we can use to help other systems that are next in line for Daemon's infection. We have to create a unified front if we want to put up our best fight. Enzo, I want you to go with him, help him like you did Mouse and myself earlier."

She finally looked up, her eyes falling on Phong. "And pick up several of the communicator wrist bands so we can coordinate timelines for the portals, and track AndrAIa and Matrix in the Net."

Shocked by Dot's abrupt shift back into business, no one moved, until Mouse inclined her head toward Dot. "What about her?"

Dot looked up at Bob before she realized what she was doing, and the female sprite's words slammed into her again. 'If you catch my drift...' The sudden pain that stabbed through her heart thickened her words with anger. "That's your problem," she directed to the Guardian harshly.

"Dot," Mouse whispered in surprise at the bitterness the displayed.

"I'll be in my office." Without another word, she spun on her heel and walked out of the room.

/

Dot practically ran down the hallway, her fists clenched and her breath caught around the lump in her throat. She was so angry she didn't know whether to break something or cry. 'Bob couldn't have… wouldn't have… could he?'

Their conversation in her condo played through her mind again. He said he had done things… but she thought he had to delete sprites, not… 'Not what? She never said anything… it's your own imagination…'

Then why did Bob look so guilty?

She pushed open the door of her office with all her anger, stormed in, and turned to slam the door shut when her efforts were blocked by the Guardian. Dot hadn't heard him follow her and hadn't expected him to. In that nanosecond of shock, she backed away. Then her eyes caught his, that look of guilt flashed through her mind, and she reacted before she knew what was happening.

Her hand slapped across his face hard enough to send pain through her arm. "Get out of here!"

She turned from him, afraid she would swing again. Instead she pushed her hands up through her hair, grasping at the soft strands, trying to block the horrible images her imagination conjured. It was no use, and only the sounds of the door shutting helped her to anchor onto the present; the soft click of the door… and the snap of the lock.

Her heart suddenly pounded in her ears, and her breathing went erratic. 'How dare you…' Her hands shook as they slammed down at her sides and she spun on him.

"I said GET OUT!" Her anger coursed through her, painfully ripping her heart into pieces, and she wanted nothing more than to do the same to him. The stoic look on his face only fueled her rage, and she advanced on him, her hands curling into claws that were tempted to strike at him.

"Liar! Fake! I wish you never came back!" Her hand rose again to strike, but Bob caught one wrist and then the other, struggling to calm her. She heard him saying her name, but she only wanted him gone. "Go lose a game!"

Over her broken cries, she heard Bob's soft gasp. She felt his hands leave her wrists and wrap tightly around her slender form, pulling her into him, clinging to her in a desperate act to forget her cutting words. Her chest tightened from the pain of Constantia's words spinning through her head, sowing doubt and anger, while the crushing weight of Bob's embrace tried fervently to uproot those dark weeds. She struggled against him, fighting to break away.

Hard as she tried, Dot couldn't hold onto her anger. Her composure slipping while her strength fled, she dropped her head to his chest. Oh, she hated what she had heard, but she loved him so much, and he loved her…

But he didn't deny the sprite's bold statements. Dot's heart went cold. "No," she cried into his chest. "No, those things she said…" She stumbled on her words, a sickness rising in her throat as she tried to speak. Dot lifted her eyes, forcing herself to look up at him. "Oh, User, Bob, they're true… aren't they?"

/

Bob wanted to delete. The pain in her eyes was something he never wanted to see, and knowing he was the cause of her pain… 'Learn to live with the consequences.'

'No, Patch', he thought bitterly, 'I could never learn to live with this. User, what have I done?'

"Oh, User, Bob, they're true… aren't they?"

Bob was helpless as he watched her shoulders hitch, the sobs starting low in her throat, the tears slowly coursing down to her chin as his face told her everything.

"Dot, I'm so sorry…"

"Are you?"

Bob's body froze. "What?" He stared at her, his eyes trying to understand the deceived look on her face.

"You are a Guardian. You are the most resourceful sprite I have ever met. Do you really expect me to believe that you had no other choice but to… that there was no other way?" Her eyes fell. "I want you to tell me the truth… Did you care for her?"

"No!"

Dot recoiled in his arms. The anger in his voice caused her head to snap back up, her eyes widening at the pained expression on his face.

"By the Net, Dot, I love you!" He cupped her chin, pressing his face close and whispering urgently, "I love you! Everything I did, I did it to come back to you! I wish it didn't have to come out this way, and I curse the User that you have to be put through this, but you have to believe me when I tell you that I never once betrayed you!"

"Then why are you so upset? What are you guilty for?" Dot's voice trailed off. She moved back from him, her arms wrapping protectively around her waist. "I want to believe you, but I don't know if I can."

He was losing her. By the User, he couldn't handle that, not after that last hour of suffering. Not after he'd just gotten her back.

An idea came to mind, encouraged by the Glitch part of his brain, and his core sank as he realized it would be the only way to prove he was telling the truth. His head dropped, a heavy breath leaving him. She would know the truth… even if she couldn't forgive him, at least she would know the truth.

"Bob… what are we going to do?" she asked, the helplessness in her soft voice pushing him over the edge.

He raised his eyes to her. "I love you, Dot. I would accept deletion if it could take all of this away from you." A hand ran through the long strands of his blackened hair. "There is no way I can make you believe me… not through words. But I can show you… if you trust me."

Dot stared at him for a long moment, her eyes searching for understanding.

"Even if we had time for me to explain everything, you wouldn't completely know what happened. But this way…" he paused with a breath, "this way, there will be no secrets."

She swallowed hard after his words 'no secrets.' Was this really something she wanted? Was this really something he could live with? '…learn to live with the consequences…'

Her soft voice broke through his thoughts. "I trust you."

The breath he'd been holding suddenly left him. Nodding once, he stepped closer to her. "Close your eyes." The fingers of his left hand slipped through her hair and settled against her temple. "Ready?" At her nod, he pressed his fingers firmly to her temple while a soft glow emanated from his hand. He took a breath and focused on his memories.

'Upload.'

Dot cried out as the energy burst from him into her. Nanoseconds later, the energy dissipated and Dot collapsed against him. Bob lifted her into his arms and placed her on the small couch in the room. He sat next to her, gazing down at her face.

"Forgive me," he whispered, placing his forehead against hers while battling the sudden dread at the pain he knew this would cause her. Had he a choice, he never would have spoken a word of what happened. Now, he had no choice but to bear his soul to make her understand.

He prayed to the User that it wouldn't destroy them.

Allowing himself one more nano to take comfort in the quiet of the room and the sound of her even breathing as she slumbered, Bob stood and moved to the door. While Dot faced the dark path of his memories, he had to face the disappointment of his friends. Bob hoped for the courage to survive the fallout of both.