The next morning Byte awoke suddenly to the sound of engines starting. She sat up quickly and nudged Max, "Wake up!" She then wrapped some of the parachute material around her naked body as she went on a search for her clothes. She moved back toward the sleeping man and nudged him. After a few nudges and shakes, she saw him finally stir. "It's morning! Get up, Max!" She managed to get her pants on and her top zipped up and ready to go. Suddenly she gasped. "Max! Wake up! Help me find something." She then tossed him his complete pile of clothes.

He yawned and stretched before rubbing his eyes. "What do you need help with?" he asked. He soon got up and placed some of his clothes back on. He let his top hang over his pants for he was just too comfortable to tuck in his shirt.

"Just help me find something," Byte mumbled as she tossed various cloths over her head. She sighed deeply and placed her hands on her hips. "God I hope I didn't lose it. Where could it be?"

"Where could what be?" he finally asked as he ran his fingers through his hair once. To him, that was called brushing his hair.

"My bra!" Byte said loudly, sounding frustrated.

"Byte, come in Byte. Where are you?" she heard Java say over the headset.

"Oh Commander Java, I believe she's gone to the airplane hanger," she heard one of the guards say. She sighed deeply. "What? What's going on?" she finally said. Then the morning light hit her as the doors finally slid open. Guards stood on either side of the entrance while Java walked through the door.

"What are you doing in here?" Java asked. She stopped in front of an exasperated looking Noelle. "You're supposed to be patrolling the city with me today, kid. And…" she trailed off. All of a sudden she shot a look behind Noelle and her jaw dropped slightly.

Byte followed her gaze and found Max. He was still half clothed, with his back to them, twirling a red lacy bra around his index finger. She stepped out in front of Java, prepared to explain her actions.

But it just didn't work out that way. He strolled up behind Byte without any knowledge of Java standing right in front of Byte. "Hey I found your uh oh-"

Java glared at Max then to Byte. "Max, go on and run back to the base. Leave that….thing here," she told him firmly. [i]"Where did she find this? It's cute."[/i]

Byte snatched the bra from him and watched Max leave. Again, she stepped in front of Java, "I can explain."

"Explain what? The fact that you spent the night in an airplane hangar and had a bit of what do you call it…sex?" Java raised a brow. "Really, Noelle, do you think this whole thing needs an explanation?" At this point, Java's sarcasm stung Byte worse than a bee.

The girl sighed and then crossed her arms. "You forgot that I also flew out with him," she added sarcastically. "Okay fine. Maybe I did have sex. So what? It's not like you're so pure yourself."

"That's because I'm older than you," Java replied.

"And also married! Come on Java, you can't punish me for doing something you do too. I mean what are you gonna do? Send me to a convent?"

"As of now I'd like to! Noelle you're my daughter, not just some Techno brat. I can tell you right here right now that this isn't going to Ram. But you still have to suffer for breaking [i]my[/i] rules. Your punishment for sneaking out and flying in a plane," Java sighed, "Damn, you flew out in a plane?" She shook her head. "You flew with a boy I obviously don't approve of. Your punishment goes as follows: First, you are to patrol the city with me for the next several days. It may sound easy but I'm having you deal with the virts instead of me. Second, you're not allowed to see Max without one of my guards standing by." She sighed slightly. Her gaze followed after Byte who just stared at the ground, obviously feeling the guilt. "Look Noelle, I was once your age and I have to say that I'm just doing this for your own good. I don't want you to turn out like me. Look, I'm just trying my best to be a good parent and all."

Java's words surprised her. She'd never seen her speak so whole heartedly to anyone except Siva. It was weird but she appreciated it. "Thanks…um I understand," she said quietly.

She nudged Noelle slightly and began walking out of the airplane hangar. "Come on, Nuisance, the city doesn't patrol itself now." She looked down at Noelle, noticing something shiny on her finger. "What's that?"

Noelle looked over to her, wide eyed.

She sighed and shook her head. "Max gave you that didn't he," she said.

"Yes, he did."

"Well I'm sure as hell that thing isn't a purity ring. So what is it?"

"It's…um…"

"It's a promise ring, isn't it? The promise that you two will one day get married," Java declared finally. The tone of her voice clearly expressed her disappointment. She finally stopped at one of the market stands while Noelle grabbed a candy bar. It was at this time that she realized that her daughter was no longer the kid she used to be. Tears brimmed over her eyes as she tried to hide her emotions from her. She quickly wiped the tears away before looking back at Noelle.

"Java if you're mad…"

Java shook her head. "No, no, no, I'm not mad at you or anything. Just…um…hey…if it makes you happy, go ahead. Just don't do it too early because you're still my little girl." She then glanced at Noelle who had a slight smile on her face. "Oh shut up. Give me that!" She snatched the candy bar out of Noelle's hands and began munching on it.

"Hey! Don't eat it all!" Byte exclaimed.

"What. I'm doing you a favor. These things are bad for you," Java replied, her mouth half full with candy.

"Oh fine. These things just go straight to the thighs anyway."

Java stopped eating for a moment, feeling a small pang of guilt. She thought about it for a moment and shrugged. "It's alright. I can run it off. Let's go back to HQ, kid, and while we're walking you better tell me how he did it. I wanna know every detail."

Byte smiled and turned to Java, "Alright so remember that virt he was talking to? Yeah he was cutting a deal with her."

As the both of them walked back to the hotel, Byte told Java everything…well almost everything. She didn't include what happened after Max brought the plane back to the hangar. She assumed that Java could just put her imagination to use if she wanted to.

Upon arrival, Byte went back to her room where she changed into some exercise clothes while Java sat outside. She sat on a lawn chair, soaking up the sun. Just as she was about to get up, Byte came outside.

Java watched as she grabbed a towel on a nearby rack then moved over to the guy with the pads…also known as her sparring partner. She then tossed the towel on a bench and clenched her fists and took to her fighting stance.

"Alright, come on Byte…give me everything you've got," the guy said. He too took on the same stance with his knees and elbows bent and his fists clenched.

After about three seconds of waiting, Byte attacked him. She threw a punch to his liver then managed to get his face just as he faltered. The guy then retaliated with a swing at her but he missed. She kicked him in the chest then tried to throw a punch to his face but he caught her fist. She twisted her way out of his grip and suddenly there was a 160 pound man on the floor. "Gotta work on your aim, Damien," she growled.

He got to his feet quickly and gripped the nearby bow staff. Byte also grabbed one as well and the two were at it again. Java watched with interest as she rested her head on her hand. "Go Noelle go," she muttered. Boy did this kid give Noelle quite a challenge. If it was Max out there, he might've given up the fight within seconds.

Damien swung at her but again, she blocked the attack before retaliating with her staff. She gritted her teeth as she attacked him. She swung at him then shoved the tip of the staff toward him. He then attacked over her head, a form of trickery that she fell for. She blocked the staff over her head and then Damien took the staff and simply spanked her.

Both Byte and Java winced…well Java winced for her. Byte inhaled deeply, the hit stung and it felt much worse than a spanking. She breathed deeply and suddenly [b]WHACK! [/b]She snapped the bow staff in half and made them into a pair of Kali sticks- a type of weapon used in Filipino martial arts; they were like nun chucks, just separated. She attacked him by smacking the sticks against his bow staff. She managed to get a few hits on him as well and when she could sense he was weakening, she disarmed him quickly. "Well done, Byte," he whispered. "You ready for that game?"

"Of course I am," she replied. She then took the towel off the bench and wiped herself off a bit.

"Yeah? Well if you don't mind…would you like to give me some pointers on the bow staff?"

She nodded then took the bow staff from him as she watched him take off the pads. It revealed that he was actually built like a martial artist; he had a narrow waist but very toned arms and legs. He had an angular face which contained a strong chin and a pair of deep blue eyes that could stop a girl in her tracks if she dared to look at them. On top of his head was a black and red faux hawk…something he called a hairstyle. "Alright, the one thing you have to work on is your grip. You're holding it too loose and you're not holding it…well…correctly." As she explained the technique to him, all he could do was stare. "See, if you hold it with the right amount of force, your opponent can't get it out of your hands no matter how hard they try, go on…try it." Damien smirked as he tried to knock the bow staff out of her hands but didn't get any luck. He tried and tried and tried until she maneuvered so he was up against a wall with the tip of the bow staff aimed at his throat. She smirked as she stared at the guy.

"Good to know," he gulped. Byte let him free shortly after and tossed him the bow staff before walking off. His eyes chased after her as a slight grin came upon his face.

Java strolled back into the hotel after Byte went in and headed for the black room. "Have we got the broadcast ready?" she asked the guards nearby.

"Yes, Commander we do."

"Good, now we start rolling in five minutes. I want Byte here and ready to go in two minutes, got that?" Java moved toward a chair and took a seat. She began to type up the broadcast for Byte then when she finished she grabbed the printed copy and stood patiently at the door. When Byte came through the doors looking like her normal self, she handed her the papers. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Byte replied. She took a seat in front of the camera and let her eyes graze over the words carefully before the cameras started up. She looked up once more and found the camera person signaling to her that they were just about ready to shoot.

"My fellow citizens, as part of the up and coming broadcasts on City Net, I'd like to introduce a new show called 'A New Hope'. It features me, Byte, Commander of the Technos. Join me as I battle through time and space to retrieve the key to the city before it falls into the wrong hands. Don't you worry though; you all will be able to participate in the game through various ways. Stay tuned and watch the first episode of 'A New Hope.'" The camera stopped rolling and Byte proceeded into the Black Room. Her heart began to beat quickly out of anxiety and excitement. "Alright, I'm ready," she sighed.

Java handed Noelle a reality space visor then smirked. "Go kick some ass, kid."

Everything went dark for just a moment when she put on the visor.

Now she found herself in the middle of the city where ash and rubble were prevalent. Right across from her was an old run down building, its grey walls now tagged with graffiti. She entered the building but upon doing so she heard crying. It sounded like a child crying, high pitched and sporadic. "Who's there?" she called out, her voice echoing throughout the building.

She didn't receive a reply. Now she walked up the stairs carefully where she felt something brush against her leg. Immediately Byte brought out a small dagger and turned to see who it was. No one was there. Her heart began to race as she moved toward the remaining room of the building. Now she heard cries turn into screams as she got closer and closer. "Show yourself!" she commanded and stepped out from behind a corner.

Here she found a small girl hanging off the edge of a pole. Byte ran over to her and dove on top of the pole where she was hanging from. "Gotcha!" she said after grabbing the little girl's hand. She pulled her back to safety and looked back at the girl's hands. Her left hand was severely burnt to the point where the meat of her hand was showing. "Oh no," she muttered and then ripped off a piece of her shirt then wrapped the little girl's hands. She concentrated deeply on it, her gaze set on the large burn on the girl's left wrist.

This seemed all too familiar to Byte. Only Ram would do such a thing. She sighed as she finished wrapping up the girl's hands then looked up at her. Byte was startled; she fell back as soon as she saw the girl's face.

Now the girl's face had become disfigured as she cried. As Byte backed away the girl's cries turned to groans and fits of laughter. "You afraid of me, Byte?" the little girl asked. She came toward her but Byte got up and ran off.

"What's going on?" Byte asked as she got out a revolver from her pocket. She found rope hanging from the ceiling. She climbed it quickly as she heard footsteps from behind her. The little girl she once saw now turned into a man and this man was after her.

He grinned slightly as he saw where Byte hid. "Why don't you come down here?" he asked as he brought out a crossbow. He shot a few arrows at her but missed.

She looked down at him and wrapped her right leg around the rope tightly. She let go of the rope altogether and shot at the man as she hung upside down on the rope by just her leg. She cocked the gun now on her last bullet. She aimed carefully and shot. With that one shot, she shot him right between the eyes.

In the real world, the crowd watching her cheered. In the computer room everyone had a smile on their face as they watched one of their own kind move the way she did in Reality Space.

"That's my girl," Java thought then she smiled proudly.

Byte climbed down the rope carefully as she retrieved part of the key that she needed for the game. She then ran out of the building quickly. As soon as she got about 50 yards from it, the whole building was engulfed by flames.

She stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Then she proceeded to walk away from the area but suddenly the world around her went black. Now she found herself in the black room with a few guards standing over her. She took the helmet off and smirked slightly. "That was refreshing," she commented sarcastically.

Java walked into the room alongside Ram. "Byte, that was a nice show," she said while Ram wheeled his way next to the girl.

"Very very good Byte. I am so proud of you; you deserve a much needed rest. Go on, get changed in whatever you want, I am just so happy. Pretty soon the virts will be eating right out of our hands thanks to you…and me," Ram said.

Byte got up slowly and walked out of the black room. Once she was outside, the bright lights hit her and she immediately felt a surge of pressure hit her head. She paused for a moment. She then gripped the edge of a chair near her as she almost toppled over.

"Noelle, you okay?" Java asked as she stood behind her.

She shook her head and just continued walking toward her room. "I'm fine thanks," she quietly replied. She sighed for a moment then turned back to Java, "You watched the whole thing didn't you?"

"Yeah of course I did."

Byte stared at her for a moment. "Do you know how Ram recreated such a scene?"

"What do you mean?" Java asked now beginning to walk with Byte back to her room.

"Java, come on. Didn't that look all too familiar? How the hell did Ram know about that?" she asked, growing a bit frustrated.

"I really don't know, kid. I swear I don't. You know Ram though; he has so many things up his sleeve that he may be using the Reality Space visors to dig into your memories or even mine," Java explained. "I mean, that's what the system is based on."

She muttered a few things under her breath as she swung the door open in her room. "It's so…perverted of him."

"Then why do you agree to these things, Noelle?"

Byte shot a look back at Java. "I don't agree to these things! I'm forced to do it!" she exclaimed. "Look, if Ram wants to use my memories against me be my guest. I've lived through them once; I can probably do it again. This doesn't mean that he can broadcast it to the public though."

"So? Why are you telling me this? Tell him yourself," Java replied.

"You're his wife remember?"

This struck a chord with Java. For the last couple days she'd forgotten that she was married to a man she supposedly loved whom she also cheated on. She sighed softly and looked back at her daughter. "I hate when you're right!"