Time scale:
nanosecond=second
microsecond=minute
millisecond=hour
cycle=day
second=week
minute=month
hour=year

 

It had been a whole minute since the restart and life for the Mainframers was returning to normal. But life in Mainframe had always come with it's share of chaos. On this particular cycle, chaos had chosen Dot's kitchen as it's residence. The Command.Com coughed as smoke filled the room. She opened a window and fanned a dish cloth furiously in a futile attempt to clear the air. The smoke alarm wailed overhead.

"Oh dear." Hexadecimal, the system's former virus, was perched on the end of the counter surveying the scene. "You seem to have made a slight miscalculation."

"Tell me about it." AndrAIa rolled her eyes at Hex and shifted a hot cookie sheet from hand to hand before tossing it down on the counter and blowing on her burnt fingers. The charred remains of half a dozen chocolate chip cookies scattered across the countertop, a few rolling along on their sides before plummeting off the cabinet and onto the floor. AndrAIa eyed the black lumps with disdain and threw her hands up in defeat. "I give up!" she shouted, and plopped down unceremoniously into a kitchen chair. Dot, who had since ceased her fanning, managed a wry smile.

"It's not that bad." The trio watched as Frisket, who had been watching the commotion, walked over to one of the cookies, sniffed it hesitantly, whimpered and hid under the table. Dot cringed. "Okay, maybe it is," she admitted, "But you just need practice."

"I burn toast," AndrAIa muttered sullenly. "About the only thing I can make is cold cereal."

Dot rolled her eyes and began to clear away the failed attempt at baking. "What are you going to do when you have your own apartment?"

"Pray that Enzo has half your culinary ability?"

"Haha. Very funny. I'm serious, AndrAIa. Being able to play games is all well and good, but you're going to have to learn how to live in a system again."

"Can I help it if it isn't part of my code? I've tried, Dot. I really have. I'm just no good at this stuff."

Dot sighed and took a seat across from the younger woman. This was supposed to have been a relaxing morning. It wasn't turning out that way. Bob had insisted she take the day off. She hadn't had a break since the restart, too busy going over the system with a fine toothed comb , recording all of the changes, fixing what needed to be fixed. So Dot found herself with a day off and nothing to do.

She hated idle time with a passion.

As AndrAIa was currently living with her and little Enzo, the game sprite had made a perfect target for her pent up energies. Besides, she reasoned, this was the perfect chance to bond with her brother's S.O. Truth be told she really did enjoy AndrAIa's company. She was remarkably intelligent. Dot had been surprised to find that AndrAIa knew almost as much about running operating systems as she herself did. A large part of her ability was no doubt due to her origins as an artificially intelligent game sprite. But, Dot found, when it came to the more mundane aspects of life, AndrAIa's abilities were somewhat lacking. Not that Dot blamed her.

"It's okay. We'll try again with something easier." Dot paused to rub away the beginnings of a headache. Her objective of teaching AndrAIa basic cooking skills had been some what complicated by Hex's sudden appearance on the scene. For the most part, the former virus just sat on the counter, occasionally recommending some rather strange ingredients. Dot forcefully reminded herself to never eat any of Hex's baking.

AndrAIa looked over Dot's flour coated kitchen and sighed. "Let's take a break, okay? It's a beautiful cycle out there. You should be outside, not trapped in here with me. Go find Bob. I know he scolds you for working too hard, but I think he could probably use a break himself. I can take care of this mess."

"I guess you're right." Dot sighed. She left the mess to AndrAIa and Hex and went outside. She knew Bob would be at the principal office, but she didn't head there. Truth be told, she'd been practically avoiding him since the restart. They had shared something then, when they didn't know if the end was coming or not. They'd crossed a line they hadn't dared cross before. There was no going back. She couldn't ease back into the comfortable friendship they’d shared- a lump formed in her throat when she thought of all that had happened since then. She loved him, crash it all! Why couldn't she show it? Instead she pushed him further and further away.

----

“Bob?”

“What? I’m sorry, Phong. What were you saying?”

“It was not important. You seem most distracted, my son, is something the matter?”

“No Well, yes.”

“Perhaps I can offer some guidance?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. It’s Dot. She’s been...distant since the restart and I don’t know why.”

The old sprite pondered this. “She has been through quite a lot, my child. Perhaps she needs time to adjust to the way things now are.”

“It’s been a whole minute, Phong!” Bob banged his fist on the table, taking out his pent up frustration on the poor inanimate object. “I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated. I care about her. Why can’t she see that?”

“That, I think, is a question only she can answer.”

“I should go talk to her.”

“Indeed, Guardian. That is often the quickest way to the root of a problem.”

“You’re right. Thanks Phong,” Bob flashed the elder sprite a lopsided grin. “Now I just have to work up the courage.”

----

Matrix clomped into the diner, characteristic frown settled on his features. He knew Dot was supposed to be taking the day of, but was sure he’d find his sister there. Sure enough, she was sitting at the counter, working away at her organizer. He resisted the urge to rag on her and remembered his reason for coming here in the first place.

“Dot, we need to talk.”

“Can you hold on a nano, Enzo? I’m in the middle of something.”

Matrix’s scowl deepened. “No, this can’t wait.” He said sternly and reached over to switch off her organizer. “This has gone on too long already.”

Dot scowled as she watched a half a millisecond of work vanish. “Well, you’ve got my attention.” she snapped at her brother. “What did you want to talk about?”

“We need to do something about the current living arrangements,” he said.

“What about them? I think they’re fine.”

“You would,” he scoffed.

Dot narrowed her eyes. “What, exactly, is that that supposed to mean, young man?”

“You’ve been trying to keep AndrAIa and I apart since we got here!”

“Having you live in separate houses is the only way I can get you to keep your hands off one another!! What sort of example do you think you’re setting for Enzo? You want him to think it’s okay to sit around groping in public!?”

“I don’t believe this! I don’t friggin’ believe this!! You honestly think I’m going to believe that’s your reason! Just because you and Bob-”

“You leave Bob out of this, mister. This is about you and AndrAIa. Have you ever stopped to consider how your behavior makes AndrAIa look? Do you want everyone to think she’s a tramp?”

Matrix’s bionic eye began to glow red. “If you weren’t my sister...” He said in a low voice, clenching his fist. “I never want to hear you talk about AndrAIa in that context again. Are we clear?”

“Is that a threat?”

“Yes.” Matrix spun on his heal and stomped out of the diner.

----

AndrAIa heaved a frustrated sigh and sat down on the bed in her small room. Living apart from Enzo was really starting to grate on her nerves. At least Matrix was staying with Bob. Bob was easygoing, Bob would understand that she and Matrix weren’t the little sprites everyone remembered. Dot would have driven him completely random trying to treat him like her 'little' brother format again. Not to mention the fact that he just wasn't ready to deal with a younger version of himself currently at large in the house. She sighed again and switched out the light, sliding into bed any trying to fall asleep.
      It was useless. The empty bed was keeping her awake. She hadn't slept alone for more than a cycle since she'd been 1.8. Besides, Matrix had seemed upset earlier, but had refused to talk to her about it. She got up and left the room. Dot was sitting at the kitchen table working on something in her organizer. She glanced up as she heard AndrAIa walk down the hallway.

"Where are you going?"

"To see Enzo," she replied.

"At this time of night? I'm sure he and Bob are sleeping. You can see him in the-"

"It's not that late," AndrAIa scowled, putting her hand on her hip. "And I won't be gone long."

Dot sighed and put down the organizer. "Young lady-"

"I am not a little sprite anymore, Dot! I'll be back later." She turned her back and left the house, hopping on a zip board and making her way to Kits sector.

----

“AndrAIa! Isn’t it a little...late for you to be out?”

The game sprite rolled her eyes. “Dot is driving me completely random. I needed to get away. Is Enzo awake?”

“Yup.” Bob ushered her into the room.

“I really hope I didn’t wake you guys up.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know how Dot can get.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Matrix was sitting on Bob’s couch and AndrAIa curled up next to him, leaning against his broad chest. Bob pulled a chair from in the kitchen and sat on it backwards, arm resting on the chair back.

“I take it she’s been giving the two of you a hard time?

Matrix frowned. "You could say that. I went to talk to her about changing the living arangments, and lets just say she wasn't very receptive."

Bob sighed. "She's just looking out for you, Matrix."

"Looking out for me? You weren’t there, Bob. You didn't hear the things she said..."

AndrAIa reached up ant touched the side of his face gently. "It's okay, lover."

"No, no it's not." Matrix's frown deepened as he remembered Dot's words. "It's a good thing I didn't tell her we're married."

“You’re...married...”

“It’s a long story.” AndrAIa laughed.

"I think, in this instance, it’s one worth hearing,” Bob replied.

Matrix sighed. “All right. We’d been game hopping for hours, or at least we thought we had...” Matrix and AndrAIa took turns relating all that had happened during their stay in Turing. Bob regarded them both with a pleasant smile as they concluded the story.

“I guess congratulations are in order. Why didn’t you just tell Dot this?”

“Are you kidding? She’d blow her motherboard. Besides, with Daemon still lurking around, I’d rather not make a big deal out of it. If someone hurt AndrAIa to try to get to me...I’d never be able to forgive myself."

“And you’re okay with this arrangement?” He asked AndrAIa.

She shrugged. “Sure. It’s not really about the vows anyway. Enzo knows I’ll always be there for him, for as long as he wants me around.”

“I’ll never leave you,” he said, kissing her forehead. “After all, someone’s got to look after you.”

“I can take care of myself,” she replied indignantly. She sat up and stretched. “I should be going. I told Dot I’d be back.”

Bob watched the young couple for a moment and smiled again. “Tell you what. You two look like you could use some quality time together. I’ll go over to Dot’s.”

“Are you sure Bob? I don’t want to kick you out of your apartment.”

“Don’t worry about it." He flashed AndrAIa a lopsided grin. “Dot’ll let me sleep on the couch. And if not, well, I can always stay at the Principle Office. I’ve been meaning to have a talk with Dot for awhile now anyway.”

AndrAIa got up and gave Bob a quick hug. “Thank you.”

“You bet. You kids have fun!” He laughed, and used the powers he’d gained from his merge with Glitch to teleport from the apartment. He reappeared not far from Dot’s. The light was still on in the kitchen, which didn’t surprise him. Dot always had been a workaholic. He knocked on the door softly. Little Enzo would be asleep this late in the cycle, and he didn’t want to wake him. The door opened and Dot looked out at him, a slightly confused look on her face.

“Bob, what are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighborhood, thought maybe we could talk?”

“Well...I mean of course. Come on in. I just need to take care of something in the kitchen. Make yourself comfortable.” She gestured towards the living room and went off into the kitchen. She returned a few nanos later with a large pot and two mugs. “Java? It’s decaf.”

“That’s okay.” He waved away the offer and waited while she poured herself a cup. Dot sat down at the other end of the couch, legs tucked beneath her, cradling the mug in both hands.

“Okay, Bob. What did you want to talk about?”

“You...us, really. Dot, is something bothering you? You’ve been avoiding me lately.”

Dot looked at him, then set her mug down on the table. “I’m sorry. Things have changed so fast...I thought you’d been deleted, Bob. I guess I’m still shocked by everything that’s taken place.” She glanced up at him, but looked away again quickly. It was as if a stranger were sitting at the end of her sofa. Sure, he resembled Bob, sounded almost the same as she remembered, but she couldn’t claim to really know who this sprite was. Bob saw the glance and frowned sadly, staring down at his hands clasped in his lap.

“It’s me, isn’t it? I’ve changed.”

“Oh, Bob, no. That’s not...” He looked her in the eyes and her words died on her lips. His eyes hadn’t changed a bit. When she looked into their depths, everything else melted away.

“I thought about you a lot when I was in the web, Dot. Especially in the beginning, when I thought...when I wasn’t sure if I would make it. But I didn’t worry about you. I knew, no matter what, you’d pull through. You always do.”

Dot wiped at a tear with the back of her hand. “I gave up on you, Bob. I didn’t think you’d ever come back...I--"

"Shhh. It’s okay.” He reached out and took her hand. He smiled, and for a split second, he was the same old Bob. As if he’d never faced the ravages of the web, as if Daemon’s threat wasn’t hanging over him. She squeezed his hand and scooted closer to him.

“Nice as this is,” she said, “and as much as we needed to have this conversation, this isn’t the only reason you stopped by, is it?”

“Ah, no, that is...” Bob blushed and cleared his throat. “Can I sleep on your couch? I sort of...lent out my apartment for the night.”

Dot smiled. “There is always a place for you here.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Remember that?”

“So you’re not mad I--"

Dot shrugged, then sighed. “They’re adults now, strange as that seems. We can’t really stop them.” She got up. “Let me get you a blanket and pillow.”

“I’m fine, Dot. Don’t worry about it. Go get some downtime. You need it.”

“Goodnight, Bob.” She stood at the entrance to the hallway and switched off the lights. “Pleasant dreams.”

“You too, Dot.” He stretched out on the sofa and was soon fast asleep.

----

“Did I ever tell ya you’re amazing?”

“Only about a thousand times, sugah. Better watch yourself. Talk like that’ll go straight to a gal’s head.”

“Well, it’s the truth.” The quiet darkness of Ship’s interior wrapped itself around the two sprites. Mouse had flat out refused to take an apartment in Mainframe, so the two had been living in the rear cabin of Ship, still docked in the principle office.

“Ray?” She asked, propping herself up on an elbow, “are ya happy here?”

“’Course I am, Luv.”

“Ah ain’t crampin’ your style by keepin’ ya here, am Ah?”

“Not a bit. I’m a wanted man, remember? ‘sides, anytime I get the urge t’ be someplace else, I just look at you and it’s all the motivation I need t’ stay right where I am.”

She could see him smile in the dim illumination form her static orange hair. She leaned down and kissed him, letting him take her into his arms. She sighed happily. “Ah can’t tell ya the last time Ah felt this at peace.”

“Get used to it. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Ya really mean that, Ray?”

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened t’ me, Mouse. Wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

She turned around and looked Ray in the eyes. He had the most beautiful eyes, she’d discovered. One was blue, and the other green, but they were so light sensitive he had to wear the goggles most of the time. One of the hazards of being a web surfer, he’d said with a wry smile. “Ah love ya, Ray Tracer. Don’t think ah’v evah loved anyone before in mah life.

“I love you too, Mouse.” He kissed her gently and held her close.

----

AndrAIa lay her head on Matrix's chest, listening to his slow, even breathing and the steady beating of his heart. "You asleep, lover?"

"No, just thinking." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"What about?"

"Us. What we're going to do now that we've finally made it home. I never gave it much thought before."

"I think we should probably look into getting our own apartment," she laughed. "We can't keep kicking Bob out every time we want a night alone."

“An apartment, yeah. With what money? I don't want to borrow from Dot. That means we'd have to get jobs. And we're not exactly employable."

"Dot owns half the system! She'll find us something if we ask."

"I'm tired of relying on Dot for everything." He mumbled.

"All we have to ask her is to help us get on our feet. After that we'll be able to fend for ourselves."

"I guess you're right," he sighed. "You always are."

"It's part of my charm." She yawned. "Goodnight, Sparky."

"Night AndrAIa." He kissed her forehead softly, then drifted off to sleep.

----

"Bob!" Bob was startled awake as Enzo crashed into him at top speed. "GoodmorningBobWhyareyouhere?There'snoschooltodaysocanyoutakemecircuitracing?

"Whoa. Good morning to you too, Enzo."

"Enzo! Get off of Bob. It's not very polite of you to tackle him like that all the time."

"Sorry, Dot." He scrambled off of Bob and took a seat on the couch next to him. "Can we go circuit racing today, Bob?"

"We'll see Enzo. Your sister and I have to take care of some things at the principal office today. Maybe this afternoon."

"Oh, okay." The small sprite looked disappointed. "Hey, where's AndrAIa?" The game sprite had become a regular member of the household and Enzo had just noticed her absence.

"She left early this morning," Bob replied, deciding that, in this instance, Enzo didn't really need to know the truth. "Why don't you go play outside with Frisket for awhile?" The big dog raised his head at the mention of his name and growled at Bob. Bob rolled his eyes and sighed.

"All right," Enzo mumbled and slid off the end of the couch. "Come on, Boy." Frisket got up and followed Enzo outside.
      Dot watched from the window as her little brother hopped onto his zipboard and headed for Floating Point park. Frisket bounded away after him, barking enthusiastically. Bob stood behind her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's moments like these I can almost forget everything that's happened," she said. "But then I remember that Daemon is still out there, and that it could all happen again."

"It won't. I won't let it," he said firmly. "And I'm never leaving you again, remember? I promised."

"It's just...I'm tired of fighting, Bob. And it's all so unfair. Daemon has no right to do this to us, to anyone!" All of the Command.Com's pent up frustrations simmered behind her words.

"We're safe for the time being. As far as we know, the Guardians have no idea where we are. We should enjoy the peace and quiet while we can."

"You're right. Well," she continued, "we should get going. Phong and Mouse will be waiting for us."

----

Mouse stretched lazily, then curled up under the covers again.

"Better get movin', Luv," Ray said, peeling the covers away from her. "If I'm not mistaken, you've got a meeting t' get to."

"Cursors!" Mouse yelled, leaping out of the bed. "Ah've gotta go talk with Bob and Dot about upin' the security! Why didn't ya wake me?"

"Y' look so peaceful when yer sleepin'"

"Wipe that grin off yoah face, sugah. You're the reason Ah'm runin' late!" She clamored about Ship's cabin getting ready. Ray just lay back on the bunk chuckling to himself. It was rare to see Mouse flustered, and he was enjoying every micro of it.

"Don't jus' sit there laughin' at me! Get off yoah ASCII and help me find mah hair clip."

----

AndrAIa stood at a window in Bob's apartment, looking out over Mainframe. "It's a beautiful cycle," she said as she heard Matrix walk up behind her.

"It is," he agreed, rubbing her shoulders.

"Mmmm...that feels good. So, what do you want to do today, Lover?"

Matrix shrugged. "I don't know. Mouse was going to help Bob and Dot plan some new defenses to use against the Guardians, but I don't really think they need our help."

"You're probably right." She paused. "I know! Let's walk down to the beach. We haven't been there in ages."

"Not since the restart," Matrix said. "Sometimes I just can't get over it. We were gone for hours, but it was an eyeblink to everyone else. It's...weird."

"I know what you mean. But we can't change the past, so it's no use dwelling on it." She started to walk away from the window, then stopped, an idea coming to her. "Little Enzo has off school today. With the others all at the principal office, I'm sure he's bored. Why don't you see if he wants to come with?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. Go on. I'll pack a picnic while you're gone."

"AndrAIa, please!" He didn't enjoy the prospect of having to face his younger self alone.

"Enough theatrics," she chided. "Don't you remember how lonely you were at his age?"

Matrix threw his hands up in defeat. "Okay! You win." He kissed her cheek and left the apartment.

----

"Of all the basic..." Enzo kicked at a rock angrily. "Go play with Frisket. We're too busy. No one wants to spend any time with me!" Frisket whined at him, holding a large red Frisbee in his mouth. "Sorry, boy," Enzo said apologetically. He took the Frisbee and sent it sailing across the park. The large dog bounded off in pursuit.
      Enzo sank to the ground beside the data stream, tossing small pebbles into the water. "Like it's my fault things are so messed up. I don't even know what's going on around here anymore. This is so low density." He started to toss another stone into the water but stopped as one went skipping across the water's surface.

"Is this a private sulk session, or can anyone join?"

"What do you want?" Enzo asked crossly. He deliberately kept his back to Matrix. It didn't matter what Dot said. No way was mean old Matrix his older self. He never smiled, never laughed, Enzo wondered if he ever had any fun at all. What sort of life was that?

Matrix looked down at the boy, who was refusing to look at him. Typical, he thought. "AndrAIa and I are going to the beach," he said gruffly. "I came to see if you wanted to go along."

Enzo spun around and glared at him. "AndrAIa sent you, didn't she?"

Matrix actually looked embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his neck absently with one hand. "Yeah, I guess she sort of did," he replied sheepishly. He'd been caught completely off guard by the question.

"Thanks but no thanks. You don't need a basic little kid like me along. I'd just be in the way."

Matrix sighed. For once in his life, why couldn't things go simply? He sat down next to Enzo and picked up another stone, not saying a word. He ran his thumb across its smooth flat surface, cocked his wrist, then sent the stone skipping three times across the data stream before it sank to the bottom. "Enzo," he said finally, "I know how strange this all must seem to you. It's pretty weird for me too." He glanced over to see that the boy was still looking away from him, watching the stream flow steadily past the bank. "You're still a kid, sure, but you're not basic. You're still learning things, figuring out who you are. That's nothing to be ashamed of." He paused again. "Megabyte stole my childhood from me. I want you to enjoy yours."

This time, Enzo glanced over at him. "You mean that?"

A slight smile graced Matrix's face. "Sure I do."

"Matrix?"

"Yeah, Kid?"

"Can you teach me to skip stones like that?"

Matrix found himself chuckling. "You bet. It's all in the wrist."

"There you boys are!" They turned to see AndrAIa standing midway through the park, a picnic basket in one hand and a blanket tucked under her free arm. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah!" Enzo sprang to his feet and raced across the park. Matrix followed at a leisurely pace, catching up with AndrAIa and linking arms. They watched Enzo run off, Frisket barking and running circles around him, down toward the docks.

"What did you say to him?"

Matrix shrugged. "Nothing much."

"Well, whatever it was, it put him in a good mood," she smiled as they continued their slow stroll toward the beach.

End Part One

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