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Time
scale:
nanosecond=second
microsecond=minute
millisecond=hour
cycle=day
second=week
minute=month
hour=year
"A supervirus?"
"That’s right. She calls herself Daemon, and she’s responsible for the change in the Guardians' objectives."
Victor Script looked at his new guests, momentarily speechless. "We didn’t know what was goin’ on. We just assumed the collective had gotten corrupt. The Guardians have a lot of power--"
"It makes sense, in a way," Matrix spoke up from the back of the small conference room, where he was examining Gun. "If everyone thinks it’s just the Guardians who are corrupt, they’ll be hesitant to fight back. They don’t want to fight their own people."
"And this--Daemon gains total power from behind the scenes." Vic sunk back in his chair, a look of relief on his face. "You don’t know how hard it’s been, thinking that mah own brother had let this happen."
"Turbo was the one that found us. He told Matrix what was happening," AndrAIa added.
"You talked to him?"
"Not for long," Matrix said. "But he said we’d have a friend on the inside for as long as he could fight off the infection." He replaced Gun on its holster. "That was seconds ago."
"Charlie’s tough," Vic replied. "Ah’ve got faith that he’ll hold out as long as possible."
"I’ve got a question," Bob spoke up. "If you thought it was the Guardians who were corrupt, why did you help us? You must have known there were Guardians on both ships."
"We took a chance. There were only two of you. Either you were rogue, or you were captives. We couldn’t let the Guardian ship just wipe you out. Mend and Defend, Guardian. Ah may not have the protocols, but all of Turbo’s speeches must’ve rubbed off over the hours." He looked over the assembled sprites one last time. "Tell ya what. Why don’t Ah have some of mah men find you quarters. Get some rest, and we’ll reconvene in the morning to try an’ figure out what we’re gonna do. Right now, Ah’ve got a long lost daughter t’ go track down."
----
"Thought Ah might find you out here."
Perl didn’t look up, gazing instead on the panoramic view. From the top observation deck of the system’s Principal Office, the entire city was spread out before her. "Always did like high places," she replied, leaning against one of the railing posts.
"Ah was worried about you, y’know."
She looked up momentarily, giving her father a wry smile. "You always worried. You never *stopped* worrying."
"You never stopped givin’ me reasons to," he countered, and lowered himself next to her.
Perl pushed a strand of dark hair out of her face. "What happened, Dad? How'd you end up here, of all places?"
The elder sprite shook his head. "Guardians took control of the system, the trade--they were running the Principle Office. Some of them were my friends, Perl. Ah couldn’t stay there and watch that. Caught rumors that some systems were lookin’ to revolt, and without the Guardians--well, they needed leaders. How could I *not* do something?" He put a hand lightly on her shoulder. "Perl, Ah know we didn’t part well. But that’s all in the past."
She shook her head. "I--I really wish it were that easy, Dad. I know what you and Turbo were trying to do--but it just wasn’t right. Not for me. After what happened--I hated the games. I still do. I play them, because it’s in my code, like it or not, but being a Guardian would have been a curse for me. I hope you can understand that."
"Ah think so." He paused. "Look at you," he sighed. "What happened to my little girl?"
Perl gave him a weary smile. "She made mistakes, Dad. Bad ones, and they cost her. I learned from it, though."
"Are ya happy?"
"Yeah, I think so. I found a place that needed me. Turing was being over-run by viruses--funny, I ended up becoming what I’d been running from all along. But it wasn’t the same. I wasn’t a defender to them, or a savior. Just someone who saw a problem and did her best to help fix it. It wasn’t easy, but I think I’ve finally found someplace that feels like home again. They’re good sprites, Dad. You’d like them."
Vic chuckled quietly. "Well, when we’re done kickin’ Daemon’s ascii, you’ll have t’ show me this Turing of yours." He looked one last time out at the darkened city below them. "It’s late. We should head in. There’s a lot of work ahead, for all of us."
----
"Enzo, will you *please* stop pacing? You’re driving me random." AndrAIa sat on the edge of the bed in their temporary quarters, leaning back on her arms.
"Sorry." He stopped, glanceing over at her. "I guess I can’t help it."
"Something the matter, lover?" She got up and walked over. "You know I’m here to listen if you’ve got something on your mind."
He reached out, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I don’t know," he said, frowning. "We’re close to finally going after Daemon, but the whole thing’s got me..."
"Scared?"
"Concerned. There’s too much we don’t know! Even with Script’s help, I feel like we’re walking into this blind. I should have gotten more info from Turbo when I had the chance."
"And I’m sure you would have if there’d been time," AndrAIa replied, kissing him lightly. "You can’t keep kicking yourself over things you can’t change."
"I’m worried about Bob."
She nodded, knowing there’d been more to his uneasiness than just self-reproach.
"He seems distracted or--I don’t know. But it’s not like him."
"He’s been through a lot. We all have." She paused, looking up into his eyes. "Dot thinks the Web Riders might have tortured him," she said quietly.
"What? How--"
AndrAIa shook her head. "She didn’t say much, but I’m sure she’s got good reason. You can’t mention it, though."
"Well, why’d she tell you?"
"She knew he was going to come with us, even with all his protests." She smiled wanly. "She told me so I could keep an eye on him."
"Well, no wonder he hasn’t been himself since we left Mainframe," he replied. "I guess it makes sense."
AndrAIa sighed. "Well, I sure didn’t do much to lighten the mood, did I?"
"Not your fault." He brushed her cheek with his hand.
"It’s late," she said. "And we’ll have plenty of time to worry about all of this tomorrow."
"You’re right," Matrix grinned, scooping her up and carrying her over to the bed. "But it’s not *that* late, is it?"
"No," she replied with a laugh, curling up against him as he stretched out beside her on the bed.
----
"Need a hand there, luv?"
Mouse’s head jerked up at the voice. "Oh, hey there Ray. Ah didn’t hear ya comin.’"
The web surfr leaned in Ship’s doorway, board tucked under one arm. "Am I still in the doghouse?"
"Nah. Ah’m not mad at ya, Ray. Ah just--" She shook her head. "Ah’m not mad."
"Good t’ know. What’re y’ workin’ on this late in the cycle?"
"Just running a diagnostic. Thought Ah might as well make use of the time. Don’t think Ah could sleep much, anyway. How’s the arm, sugah?"
"Alright," he replied, giving the bandage on his arm a quick glance. "Smarts a bit, but nothin’ I can’t handle." He propped the surfboard, which had long since repaired the damage the Guardian ship had inflicted, against the wall. He took a seat next to the hacker. "Lucky shot. Don’t think they knew t’ go for the board."
"Yeah," Mouse replied, frowning slightly.
"Somethin’ the matter, pretty lady?" He reached over and rested his hand on hers.
She glanced over at him again, frown still on her face. "Ah was...scared they’d deleted you," she said, suddenly wishing she could see his eyes. "That’s--never happened before."
He cuckled. "Is that all?"
"Glad ya find it amusin,’" she scowled.
"Nah, luv. I’m honored that y’ don’t want me deleted. But y’ know I’m more useful out there than I coulda been on that ship."
She gave him a lopsided smile. "Well, try not t’ let them shoot at ya so much, okay?"
"That’s a promise." He gave her hand a quick squeeze. "It’s late. I’m gonna head back to the P.O for some downtime. Need a lift?"
Mouse grinned. "Sure thing, sugah. Lemme just finish this up..."
----
"Guardian? What’re you still doin’ up? Everybody else shuffled off milliseconds ago."
Bob turned, glancing over his shoulder. "Thinking," he replied finally. "Wishing I knew more about what we’re up against."
Vic Script took a seat on the steps of the P.O. beside the younger sprite. "Nice t’ see Ah’m not the only one," he said. "Ah mean, what kind of virus can slip in and infect the whole Collective without anyone noticin’?"
"I’m not sure," Bob replied. "We think Daemon’s using the protocols. She hasn’t infected anyone else, that we know of."
"Ah s’pose that makes sense. Why bother fightin’ rebel systems after all, if you can just infect the whole population?"
The Guardian nodded. "It only really leaves Me, Matrix, and Perl vulnerable," he said. "Your people will be safe."
"Assumin’ she doesn’t delete ‘em outright."
"Of course," he sighed. "This is going to be dangerous. You don’t have to put your group at risk--"
"We’ve been fightin’ for minutes," he interrupted. "You can bet we’re not about t’ quit now. There’s too much at stake. We’ll beat this thing." He put a hand on Bob’s shoulder, then stood. "You should catch some down time. Something tells me we’re gonna need everyone processin’ at 100% from here on in."
----
This was bad. Dot looked over the information Turbo had sent them, and sighed. She set down the file and pulled off her glasses, rubbing at the bridge of her nose. She’d read over the contents three times now, and each time, the situation seemed more hopeless. How were they going to stop a virus that had simply waltzed in and taken over the Collective? If everything the Guardians had at their disposal had been useless... A small noise made her break from her meditations. She glanced up to see Phong waiting quietly by the door to her office. "I’m sorry, Phong. I didn’t hear you come in." She smiled wanly and put her glasses back on.
"It is quite late in the cycle, my child."
"I know. It’s just--" She picked up the file again. "It doesn’t look good, Phong. I can’t even pinpoint any weaknesses they might be able to exploit. She took down the entire Collective in only a few seconds! Turbo confirms that she can’t infect non-Guardians, but she’s got the entire Supercomputer in some sort of.... stasis. It's all so useless," she finished brokenly.
"Any insight we have on our adversary is useful, young Dot. Perhaps the others will see something you have not."
"You’re right." She laid the file on the desk again. "But we don’t even know where they *are* right now, Phong. The best we can do is to forward the message to the rebel systems Turbo listed and hope it reaches them in time." She glanced around the office. "I should go. Enzo’s home by himself." She got up and followed the elder sprite out of the room. "Thank you, Phong. I should know better than to let this get to me, after everything that’s already happened..."
"We must simply do the best that we can," he replied, peering up at her and adjusting his spectacles. "Good night, my child."
She nodded, and headed out of the Principal Office.
----
"Hey, little brother. Sorry I’m so late."
Enzo looked up from his seat on the couch. "That’s okay, Sis. Mike kept me company."
Dot glanced at the appliance, who was airing reruns of ‘CPUs,’ and narrowed her eyes. "What did I say about watching so much violent programming?"
"Sorry," they replied in unison.
She sighed. "It’s alright. Just no more, okay? It’s time for bed anyway, young man."
"Aw, Dot. Do I have to?"
"Yes. It’s late, and you have school in the morning. I promise to be home early tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah. Okay. Hey, Dot?"
"Yes Enzo?"
"Are things okay? I mean, with this Daemon stuff?"
"I hope so, Enzo. I really do. But right now, I just don’t know."
The small sprite nodded. "This is all pretty basic... what does she want from everyone anyway?"
"She’s a virus, Enzo. She wants what they all want, I guess. Power... to hurt people, maybe. But everyone’s doing their best to make sure she can’t. Bed now, okay? We can talk some more tomorrow if you want."
He nodded. "Night Dot."
She leaned down and gave him a hug. "Good night, Enzo. Sleep well."
----
Once Enzo was in bed, she poured herself a cup of java and curled up on the couch, pulling a soft, brightly colored afghan around her shoulders. She marveled again at the way fate seemed to enjoy throwing her life into a chaotic shambles. It wasn't fair. What had she ever done to deserve this? First, her parents had been killed, forcing her to take Enzo in and act more as his mother than the elder sister she was. Then the man she loved (though she hadn't realized the depth of her emotions at the time), and her beloved little brother were taken from her in quick succession. She'd spent almost an hour fighting to save a dying system, all the while believing the two sprites who meant everything to her were dead.
In the end, both Bob and Enzo had returned to her, but neither as the sprite she'd known. They'd helped to defeat Megabyte, freeing all of Mainframe from his viral clutches, only to be rewarded with a system crash. Tears formed in her eyes as she relived those bitter memories. And now they were all gone again, on a search to find Daemon and stop her. On a mission to save the entire `Net. Still no matter how grim things seemed, a tiny hint of optimism still pulled at the corner of her soul, telling her things would work out in the end. Hadn't they always? Her parents were gone, and yet, hadn't she and Enzo grown closer as a result? Strengthening and testing the bonds that made them a family? Bob and Enzo had been lost to her, but hadn't she gotten them back? They'd defeated Megabyte and saved Mainframe. Their gamble with the user had paid off. The system was restarted and by yet another twist of fate she now had two brothers, both of whom she loved dearly. She and Bob had finally been able to admit how they felt for one another. And sure, he was gone now, but he'd given her a gift, so precious, so priceless...even if (User forbid) he never came back, she'd always have something to remind her of the strength of their love, this tiny life growing within her.
----
Enzo crept quietly out of his room. If Dot heard him now, she'd send him back to bed and he'd lose the nerve. He could hear her crying quietly in the living room and he felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. What would he do if he was right? Dot was the only family he had left (aside from Matrix, but he still wasn’t sure *what* to think of his older ‘brother’). What would he do if he lost her too? He knew she'd been sick lately. She tried to hide it from him, but he'd noticed anyway. And she'd been crying more often lately, more than she had right after Bob had left. He wished Bob were here now. Bob would know what to do. He stood on the threshold between the hallway and the living room for a moment before walking over to the couch.
"Dot?" He asked quietly.
"Enzo..." She paused to wipe tears from her eyes. "You should be in bed. You have school in the morning." She ruffled his hair with her hand.
"I know...I couldn't sleep. I heard you crying, Dot."
"I'm sorry, Enzo. Come here." She pulled her little brother into her lap, smoothing back the hair she'd mussed.
"Dot..." He said after a moment. "Are you okay?"
Dot gave him a puzzled look. "What's on your mind, Little Brother?"
"You're...you're not dying or anything...are you?" There he'd said it. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest as he waited for her to answer.
"Oh, Enzo. No, I'm not dying," she said with a watery smile. "What in the `Net gave you that idea?"
"Well, you've been sick lately," he said. "And you've been really sad. I mean, more sad than you were when Bob and the others left..."
Dot sighed. "You noticed that, huh?" Enzo nodded. "I should have guessed. It's hard to keep anything from you. I'm not dying. And I'm not sick. Not really, anyway."
"You're not?"
"No. Enzo...I'm going to have a baby."
"A baby?" Had he heard her right? She nodded. "Is it Bob's baby?" He asked quietly. Dot nodded again with a laugh. "That's alphanumeric, Dot!" He reached out and hugged his sister. "Though I guess you're sad because Bob's not here, huh?"
"A little, yes. I'm worried about him."
"Don't worry, Dot. He'll come back. He has to." He replied with fierce determination.
"I certainly hope so. Do me a favor, Enzo?"
"Yeah, Dot?"
"Don't tell anyone about this, okay? I want to do it myself."
The boy nodded, then yawned sleepily. "Come on, kido. It's back to bed with you." She picked her brother up and carried him back to his room, tucking him in. "Goodnight, Enzo."
"Dot?"
"Yes, Enzo?"
"I'm glad you're not dying."
"So am I," she laughed, kissing him on the forehead. "Goodnight."
----
"That’s it? *That’s* our plan?"
"Pretty much." Bob shrugged. The group had been debating stratagies since early that morning.
Matrix glanced at Victor. "We don’t have a lot of options. If we head back out into the web, she’ll send more ships after us. And it won’t be one at a time."
"But walking directly into the Supercomputer itself? Have you all gone random?" He glanced around at the assembled sprites. "You have. This is totally insane."
"We don’t have a choice, sugah," Mouse spoke up. "This is probably the only way we’ll get even *close* t’ her without being detected first. Ah’m gonna see if I can’t hack our Guardians’ icons t’ see if Ah can protect ‘em somehow. We gotta go in and hit her hard an’ fast. You know it, Vic."
Script shook his head. "How do we know we can even form a portal? She’s probably got the whole system behind a firewall."
"Turbo did it," Matrix spoke up. "And I don’t think he would have if it was going to alert Daemon."
"Maybe she’s just so sure of her success she hasn’t bothered. After all, who would ever *think* of coming in through the front door?" AndrAIa said. "I think--" She was interrupted as a klaxon sounded loudly overhead. One of Script’s men skidded into the meeting room.
"Sir, we’ve got a problem."
"What is it?"
"Unauthorized portal formed just out side of the city."
"Spamitall. What came though?" Script barked.
"Nothing, Sir, that’s the thing. Someone *left* the system. For the Supercomputer."
"Do we know who?" The room had gone dead still, everyone fearing the implications of the news.
"Well...yes..."
"So spit it out. If we’ve got a traitor on our hands, Ah wanna know who the son of a null is!"
The room was eerily silent for a heartbeat. "It was your daughter, Sir."
End Part Ten