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Time
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millisecond=hour
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second=week
minute=month
hour=year
A small portal materialized on the edge of the system and shimmered there for a moment before a tall, graceful figure emerged from its depths.
"Turbo?" A yellow skinned female Guardian swung around in her workstation. "We've got an unauthorized system entry in sector 45."
"Viral intruder or hacker?" The Prime Guardian asked.
The woman's eyes raked over her readouts. "...unknown, Sir. I can't make heads or tails of these readings."
"Can you get me a visual?"
"Negative, Sir..." the Guardian paused, "I've lost the trace." "
Lost?"
"Yes, Sir. Whatever it was that came through the portal has vanished."
The Prime Guardian frowned slightly. "Dispatch a team to Sector 45. Ah want this thing located and apprehended. And have someone take a look at those sensors. They could be malfunctioning."
"Yes, Sir," the Guardian replied, and turned back to her workstation.
Turbo retired to his office, thoughts troubled. The Collective's technology was the most sophisticated in the 'Net. "Must be a malfunction," he mumbled to himself. He didn't really want to face the possibility that there was something loose in the Supercomputer they could not identify.
Several micros later, there was a polite knock sounded on the door frame to his office. He glanced up. "News?"
"The team didn't find anything," the Guardian said. "Whatever it was is gone now. And the sensors are working perfectly." Turbo gave her a curt nod. "Turbo?"
"Yes?" He asked, hearing the concern in the woman's voice.
"What do you think it was?"
"Ah don't know," he replied, "But Ah want extra security in place, just in case."
"Yes, Sir," she replied and left the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
----
In the busy streets of the Supercomputer, the tall, dark haired woman earned little notice as she strode single-mindedly toward the Guardian Academy, at the heart of which lay the main base of the Guardian Collective.
If the citizens of the system had known the evil that was lurking amongst them, they might have given the white skinned woman a second glance. If they'd known that in a few short minutes, she would hold the entire 'Net in the palm of her hand, they might, perhaps, have even tried to stop her. But on this cycle, they simply passed her by as she entered the grounds of the Academy and approached the Collective's central office.
The extra security that had been instituted proved to be a futile effort. The Guardians who stood in Daemon's path found themselves tossed like rag dolls before her telekinetic fury as she penetrated into the heart of the building.
There was a flurry of activity in the war room as alarms sounded loudly overhead. "The internal sensors are off line!" Someone shouted. "We can't get a lock on the intruder. Turbo," eyes clouded with fear gave him a desperate glance. "What could possibly be doing this?"
"Ah don't know," the Prime Guardian returned. "Seal off the war room."
"But, Sir, we have people elsewhere in the complex..."
"Ah'm aware of that," he barked, a flicker of regret flashing across his face. "Seal the room off now. Whoever, or whatever this is, we can't risk it gettin' in here too."
The heavy doors locked into place, sealing off the room with a loud clang. For the space of a few micros, all was deathly silent. Then a low, steady thudding began in the hallway outside the door, a sign that something was trying to get in. The inner doors began to dent inward from the assault. There was a low grinding noise and the shrill shrike of metal rending and the collected Guardians could do nothing but stare in abject horror as the doors were slowly forced apart.
----
There was a bustle of activity around the docks as the Saucy Mare II prepared to set sail. "Bob!" Enzo spotted him from where he was watching the last of the supplies being loaded onto the Mare.
"Whoa, hello, Enzo," Bob replied after being knocked to the dock by the hyperactive boy.
"Bob, come to see us off?" Matrix asked, appearing from below the deck of the ship. He leapt over the rail with ease and landed on the dock beside the other two sprites.
"Actually, I'm coming with you."
"You are?" Enzo piped up.
"Dot and I talked it over last night. We decided I'd be more helpful out there with you guys."
"Glad you changed your mind," Matrix said. "We're going to need all the help we can get out there. Where is Dot, anyway?"
"She'll be here in a few micros. She wanted to check in at the Principal office before she came here to see us off."
A moment later, AndrAIa joined them on the dock. "Everything is all packed," she said.
"Great," Matrix said. "Where's the Captain?"
"I think he's giving the crew a pep-talk," she laughed. "After our last trip in the web, I think they need a little encouragement."
"Bob's coming with us," Matrix said.
"You are? What changed your mind? I thought you were dead-set on staying here."
Matrix grinned. "Dot changed his mind for him. Didn't she?"
Bob smiled sheepishly. "Well, your sister can be a very persuasive person when she wants to be."
"Darn right I can." Dot landed her zipboard beside him. "You guys about ready to go?"
"Yup," Matrix replied. "The Mare is loaded and ready to go. They're just waiting on us."
"Well, good luck you guys. And be careful, all right?"
"We will." Matrix gave his sister a quick hug.
"And you," she said, turning to Bob, "Make sure you come back to me."
"I promise." He reached out and gathered her in his arms. "Try not to worry about us too much, okay?" He kissed her softly. "We'll be all right."
"I'll try," she promised, blinking back tears. She didn't want him to go any more than he wanted to but she knew this was the right thing.
He released her from his arms and knelt down beside Enzo. "Take care of your sister for me, okay?" He said, giving his cap a spin.
"I will," Enzo replied. He looked up at the assembled adults, a determined look on his face. "You guys have to come back, all right?"
"Don't worry, kid." Matrix bent down and gave his younger brother a quick hug. After that, good-byes were quick.
Dot stood on the dock and watched as the ship moved off, forming a large portal far out to sea. With a flash of light, both ship and portal vanished and she and Enzo were left alone, watching the waves move toward the shore. "Good luck, you guys," she whispered.
----
"Status?" Bob asked as soon as they'd cleared Mainframe and began their voyage through the web.
"Everything's fine," AndrAIa replied. "Relax, Bob. We've got it covered."
He nodded. "You're right. I'm going to go below decks." He turned away and headed down the stairs to the cabins below.
"Wonder what's wrong with him," Matrix said, watching Bob disappear below deck. He walked over and wrapped an arm around AndrAIa's waist.
"Bad memories, maybe. We don't really know what happened to him out here."
"You're probably right," Matrix sighed. "It's just that I can't help remembering how he used to be."
"We've all changed, lover."
"Still," he replied, "it hardly seems fair."
"I know, Enzo. But I don't think Daemon is concerned with whether or not things are fair." She gave him a wry smile. "Well, I've got to hunt down Turing's web address or we'll be flying blind. Want to help?"
"I don't know what help I'd be," he replied.
"Well, it's better than mopping around here."
----
AndrAIa knocked lightly on the cabin door and after a moment, opened it and stuck her head inside. "Bob?"
He was sitting on the bunk, head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees. He glanced up at the sound of her voice.
"I've got the navigation done. We'll be in Turing in about two seconds, assuming we don't run into any of Daemon's forces. Thought you might want to know."
"Thanks," he replied.
"Look, is something the matter?"
He shook his head and stood, walking over to the small table that occupied the space near the door, leaning against it with both palms pressed flat on it's top. "No...I was just thinking about how we're going to do this. We know so little about how Daemon operates. I hope Mouse and Ray have found something to help us."
"I'm sure they have. Those two are nothing if not resourceful."
He sighed, running his hands back through his hair. "I never asked to be the hero, you know." He was speaking more to himself than he was to her. " I just want a normal life." He glanced over at her. "Do you think that's too much to ask?"
"You're a Guardian," she began not quite sure what to say to him. "I don't think normalcy is part of the protocols."
"You're right, you're right. It's just- Cursors!" He slammed his fist down on the tabletop. "Why does it have to be me?"
She smiled wanly. "Why does it have to be any of us? Just our luck, I guess. We'll get this wrapped up and get back to Mainframe before you know it, Bob."
"I hope so." He looked away, seemingly studying the cabin wall. "I've got a bad feeling about all of this."
----
The appearance of the intruder would have been almost anti-climatic, had they not known the tall, willowy woman who stood before them.
"Brenna?"
A cold smile crossed her face. "Wrong, Guardian. I am no longer called by that name." With a seemingly careless gesture, Daemon swept all but Turbo from their feet, her telepathic abilities simultaneously rendering them unconscious. She turned her eyes, now glowing an eerie yellow instead of pale blue, upon the Prime Guardian.
"You're viral," Turbo said, realizing too late exactly what he was up against.
"Yes," she responded. "You may call me Daemon." Her eyes flashed brightly and the last of the Guardians fell as she directed her powers on him as well.
----
He awoke, mind clouded with a haze of pain, unable to move. He was bound to the wall of the war room with thick, pulsating tendrils. He could turn his head just far enough to either side to see that his fellow Guardians were similarly bound, though none save himself were conscious.
"Hello, Charlie," Daemon said, walking to his side and tipping his head back so that he was looking into her eyes. "I suppose you didn't think you'd see me again."
"Brenna..." He managed to croak. The tendrils were constricting, limiting his breathing.
She slapped him hard across the face. "I'm Daemon now," she sneered. "Brenna was a pathetic fool. But then, so were you. You still are." She stepped a few paces back. "Tell me, Charlie," she said using his real name because she knew it would rile him. "Was she worth it? That brazen little hacker of yours? Did you like her better? Was she worth destroying my life?"
"You destroyed your own life, Brenna. Mah hands were tied." He winced at the unintentional pun.
"You destroyed me!" She hissed. "I was cast out, humiliated! You were a fool who couldn't see the power he had in his grasp. We could have ruled the 'Net together, Charlie. Instead, you're going to serve me. I hope she was worth it, because now she's going to die. And it will be all your fault." With a final triumphant smile, she turned on her heel and left the room, presumably to check on her other prisoners.
Turbo struggled once more against his restraints before giving up. His heart sank. She was slowly infecting the entire collective. What was more, she'd probably already taken over the academy as well. If they hadn't been able to stop the viral woman, the cadets wouldn't have stood a chance.
----
"Enzo, do you ever think we'll have a normal life?"
"What?" Matrix glanced up from where he was dutifully cleaning his gun, though it had not seen use outside the CPU firing range since Megabyte's downfall. "What do you mean by normal?"
"I--I guess I don't really know." She frowned slightly, checking over her own weapon to make sure the trident was still in working order. She squeezed the handgrip and it telescoped down so that she could replace it on her belt. "I suppose I mean not rushing head-long into every new crisis that pops up." She stood from the bunk where she'd been sitting and moved to the chair across from him at the small table.
"Never really gave it much thought," he commented, not looking up. "After Daemon's gone, I guess. What brought this on?" He finished what he was doing and placed Gun in the holster on his thigh.
"Something Bob said to me not long after we left. He doesn't want to be here, but he came anyway."
"He'd rather be back in Mainframe with Dot, I know. But Daemon needs to be stopped and he knows that."
"He also told me he has a bad feeling about all this. You talked to Turbo. What do you think?"
"I hope Bob's wrong about that, AndrAIa. Because if he's right, User help us all."
She frowned slightly and reached out for his hand for reassurance. "We survived the games and Megabyte, Sparky. We'll make it through this. And then, we'll go home."
----
"Aw, come on, boy." Enzo coaxed, waving a red Frisbee in front of Frisket. When this proved futile, he flopped down on the grass next to his canine companion. "You're worried about them, aren't you?" The Dog whined, which he took as a yes. "Me too," he replied. "And so's Dot. It's not fair that basic ol' Daemon had to go and ruin things for us." The dog lapped at his face. "Oh sure. Now you want to play." He picked up the Frisbee from the grass and launched it across the park. Frisket bounded off after it, barking.
"Hey there, little brother." Dot crouched down near where her brother was sitting. "Sorry I couldn't be there to get you from school."
"Naw, it's okay. I know you've got lots to do, Dot."
She sighed. "Well, I finished up early. How about we go grab dinner?" She straightened up.
"Sure." He stood up and brushed grass from his clothes. Frisket trotted over, Frisbee griped in his mouth. "Dot," Enzo asked after they'd began the walk to the diner, "Do you miss Bob?"
"Of course I do." She fought back the tears that the innocent question threatened to bring to her eyes. "Just like I miss your brother and AndrAIa and the rest of them."
"But you miss Bob the most, right?"
"I miss Bob the most," she affirmed, a sad smile crossing her face as her mind conjured up an image of him, visage peaceful in sleep as it had been that last night they'd spent together.
----
"Well, we've been lucky so far. No Guardian ships. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not," AndrAIa commented, watching the web fly by them as they cruised towards Turing.
"It's probably a good thing." Bob said. "Daemon doesn't know we're out here. Matrix said she had her troops after you two almost the instant you entered that system. I don't think she's biding her time."
"Unless we're too late and they've gotten Perl. She could just be waiting for us," Matrix said.
Bob shot him a surprised glance. "Perl?" He asked. "Not Perl Script..."
"Yeah," Matrix replied, puzzled by Bob's reaction. "We mentioned her before, when we told you about Turing."
"You never mentioned her name."
"I didn't think it was important. I take it you know her?"
"Yeah," he said. "She's Turbo's niece."
----
"How are you boys doing?" Perl asked, leaning forward to speak into the intercom on Ship's instrument panel. Beside her, Mouse maneuvered the ship to the next sensor location.
"So far, so good." Dennis' voice replied. He and Ray were following behind the two women, bringing the new sensors on line after they'd been put into place.
"Good. We've got three more to install, and then we should be done." She clicked off the com and leaned back in her seat. "So you really think this is necessary?"
"Yup. Ray an' Ah saw first hand what Daemon was capable of. If we get these sensors rigged, we'll be able to tell if anyone tries to enter the system from the web and stop 'em."
Beside her, Perl laughed quietly. Mouse glanced over at her. "What?"
"Looks like my uncle's leadership skills rubbed of on you. You sound like a regular Command.Com or something."
Mouse colored slightly. "Ah also spent more than an hour helpin' defend Mainframe. 'Sides, Turbo and Ah called it quits when he tried t' blow up Mainframe and me along with it."
"You said Daemon was controlling him. That she arranged for that web creature," she pointed out.
"Yeah, well, we weren't meant for each other. He's the Prime Guardian, for User's sake! Ray's more mah type. Look, Ah haven't told Ray about this yet, so Ah'd appreciate you not mentioning it."
" Mouse, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I bet nothing you could tell Ray would surprise him much."
"Well, Ah certainly hope so. Ah think Ah'm gonna hang on t' this one for awhile."
"Better watch it. I almost deleted from shock! You never keep boyfriends for long."
"And Ah thought you didn't want t' be tied down, sugah."
Perl rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress a slight smile. "We really are getting soft."
----
Out of the frying pan, into the fire. The cell Bob sat in now was arguably worse than floating free in the web. It was just as cold, and definitely darker. And yet, he couldn't even be sure whether or not he was actually a prisoner. After all, why bother to save him from the grip of a web creature only to toss him in here?
Answers were not forthcoming. In the almost two seconds he reckoned he'd been there, he'd only seen his captors a handful of times. He slumped against the rough stone wall, thoughts of Mainframe running through the back of his mind as he drifted off. He was pulled back from the verge of sleep by the sound of the strange, staticy language of his captors.
The door swung open.
Bob blinked against the blinding light that poured through the opening. His hazy vision picked out the silhouette of a tall sprite who extended his hand to help him to his feet.
"I'm sorry for the delay," the sprite said. "It took awhile for them to find a translator." He led Bob from the small cell into the hallway, where they were joined by some of the same mysterious armor-clad men who'd pulled Bob from the web. Now that his eyes had adjusted, Bob saw his translator was a sprite of about his own age, clad much the same as the guards that followed behind him. His dark crimson skin was marred by what looked to be barely healed ritualistic scars. He bore little mark of web degradation.
"What's your name, Guardian?"
"Bob," he replied. The sprite nodded.
"I'm Jal. I'll be translating for you until you learn Modem. Assuming you last that long, that is."
"Assuming--"
Jal sighed. "Web Rider society is very strict. Everyone who lives in this compound has to be able to pull their own weight, or the society doesn't function. You'll find no elderly or disabled here." He gestured to the Riders flanking them as they walked down the long corridor. "Most Web Riders were born and raised on compounds like this one. That's the reason they don't speak your language. When they come of age, they're required to undergo an initiation. Those who survive become productive members of society. Foundlings, sprites like you and myself--also have to under go the initiation, albeit a slightly altered version." Jal paused his stride and gave Bob a serious look. "I won't lie to you. It's painful, and at times almost unbearable. But I have a feeling you're strong."
Bob frowned. If there was a chance he could get home to Mainframe, he knew he'd survive anything.
Bob sat up in the darkness of his cabin, temporarily disorientated as the last of the vivid dream faded away. He remained there for a moment before deciding to head above deck for awhile. It was late, and the ship was cruising silently through the abyss of the web while her crew slept peacefully in the small rooms below. He had expected to be alone topside, but as he cleared the stairs , he caught sight of the shadowy outline of Matrix and AndrAIa standing before one of the portholes. The sight of the young couple wrapped securely in each other's arms, talking in low voices so that he could only just hear the murmur of their quiet conversation brought a smile to his face. He turned as silently as he'd come back down the stairs, brooding thoughts banished from his mind, to return to his cabin and an untroubled sleep.
----
She'd packed up the few belongings she thought she'd be able to carry with her the night before. Now Mouse crept quietly through her house and out the front door, careful to stop the screen door from slamming shut and waking her mother and stepfather.
She didn't want to leave, not really. She loved her mother and her system, but she couldn't stay with him a moment longer. Anyone else would have just reported him, but she couldn't. If she told anyone, he'd tell her mother about the times she'd been caught hacking. It had been just a hobby for her. It was easy, and she enjoyed the risk involved. But she'd made a few mistakes early on, and her stepfather had leapt upon that chance to make her indebted to him...to make her keep her silence.
Not anymore. She was going to be free now. A smile quirked up on her face, despite the tears in her eyes as she wondered just how long it would take him to realize she'd cleared out his bank account. With a spring in her step, she hurried to catch the late night transport that would carry her out of this place and onto a new adventure. Things did not turn out exactly as she'd planed. The money she'd stolen began to run thing after few system hops, and after that, she'd had to resort to altering passenger manifests in order to get transport between systems. When it finally ran out all together, she found herself standing in the busy streets of the Supercomputer, with only the clothes on her back and her skills as a hacker. It would have to do.
She had wandered by herself for the fist few minutes, avoiding the Guardians who were continually trying to pick up the street kids and place them in foster homes. She guess that was nice enough for the kids who wanted new families, but she was the Mouse, and she was strictly a solo act. Besides, she was 1.3 now, practically an adult in her own mind, and she was going to be the greatest hacker in the 'Net some cycle.
Of course, those grandiose dreams were often displaced by cold and hunger, with thoughts that her home, even with her abusive stepfather, would be a much better place. The streets were an unsafe place for a young sprite, and she'd encountered worse nightmares here than she'd ever had to face with him...
Mouse rolled over and tried to get comfortable for the thousandth time that night. Sleep refused to come. Beside her, Ray stirred. "Somethin' the matter, luv?"
"No, Ah'm sorry. Can't sleep." She said apologetically. She climbed out of the bed and began to pace the length of the small Principal Office quarters.
"Y' sure y' don't want t' talk about it?"
She stopped her pacing mid-stride and glanced at him. "Ah don't know if Ah can, Ray. Ah--Ah never told anyone some of this stuff before..."
"Luv, y' c'n tell me anything. Y' know that..."
She turned to face him, pushing a sleep tousled strand of electric orange hair out of her eyes. "Ah know. And Ah want t' tell you, but--"
Ray climbed out of the bed and crossed over to where she stood. Her wrapped one arm around her waist and ran the other back through her vibrant hair. "Mouse, I'm not goin' anywhere, and nothing y' tell me is gonna frighten me off, okay? So you go ahead an' tell me anything y' need to."
She nodded, eyes squeezed shut. Ray brushed away the tears that lingered on her lower lashes with his thumb. "Okay, but it's a long story, sugah."
"Y' got my attention for as long as y' need, luv."
She pressed her head against his shoulder and began to tell the story from the beginning. It seemed the weight of a lifetime poured out of her and into the room, making the very air heavy and tense. Ray's arms tightened around her, silently reassuring as they stood there together in the small room.
"Luv," he said, once she'd finished. "I'm gonna do everything in my power t' make that up to you."
"Ya don't have to, Ray. If ya wanted to leave Ah wouldn't--"
"None of that, now," he said, cutting her off. "User knows I've got tales of my own--probably not a painful--but the point is we both got baggage and it's time we let it go. None of it matters now."
----
"Uh oh. Look lively people. We've got activity in sector 36." Perl swiveled her chair around to tap a few commands. "It's a ship, Guardian signature. And they're trying to form a portal."
"Not good," Dennis commented. "I'll take the CPUs out there just in case. Perl, can you and Mouse keep them from forming a stable portal?"
"We're already on it, love," the dark skinned hacker replied. "You do your job, we'll do ours. Right, Mouse?"
"Sure thing, sugah," the other hacker drawled, giving her friend a wide smile.
----
"Ma'am, we've reached the system. It appears you were right. Script must be here. Someone is thwarting our attempts to open a portal." The infected Guardian glanced up at the view screen as his ship mates tried to form another portal. The tear stabilized momentarily into a shimmering sphere, then collapsed again. "We can't get through."
"Keep trying!" The voice at the other end hissed. "She's only one sprite. She can't repel our attempts forever."
"Yes, Daemon. Guardian ship out." He turned back to his crew. "Keep trying," he ordered. "Daemon wants that sprite."
End Part Seven