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I know I'm showing my age with this title... Apologies in advance for any factual errors or the like, but it was a good three years between ABC and TCN so my Reboot knowledge got a little rusty.
On with the show...
"Hey! Who's the big ugly green guy?"
The ebullient celebration crashed to a screaming halt, the smiles and hugs giving way to a sea of blank stares - and no stare more blank than Bob's, trapped beneath the grinning one meg sprite on his chest. Phong, thinking quickly as ever, hurriedly snapped a picture of the two of them.
"Hey - I asked who the big ugly guy was!" Little Enzo repeated impatiently, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice as his grin snaked into a thoughtful sneer. One thing was clear - the boy, as ever, hated to be ignored.
"Uh..." Dot stammered, glancing desperately at Matrix. The hulking sprite was too stunned even to offer that much response.
"Uh..." Bob added helpfully.
Phong glanced down at the icon in his hand, a frown creasing his brow. The wisdom that had allowed him to reach the ripe old age of four days told that this was a crucial moment - whatever words were used to explain the incredible situation to Enzo would carry a huge weight - for many long seconds. It was not a decision to be taken lightly, in the flush of the moment - thoughtful consideration was needed, and time needed to be bought.
"Well, Sugar... He's-" Mouse began hesitantly.
"Ah yes, Young Enzo." Phong interrupted, casting a pointed glance at the hacker. "You are looking upon Matrix, the Renegade. He has come from the net to help us in defending Mainframe. Isn't that right, Young Matrix?"
"Uh..." the big man whispered hesitantly.
"Of course, of course you are. Introduce yourself to our young friend, My Child."
"Alphanumeric!" the boy gasped, springing lithely off of Bob's chest and leaping to Matrix' side, staring up at his grizzled face. "Are you really from the net?"
"Um... sure, I guess so..."
"Well, I'm Enzo. Enzo Matrix! Pleased to meetcha! I'm gonna be a guardian someday - Bob says so!" the little sprite said proudly, pointing at his chest. He extended his hand to his bearded doppelganger, who took it gingerly in his own.
"I - You - Maybe you will..." Matrix whispered. "Pleased to meet you too - I think..." He looked helplessly at AndrAIa, who shrugged and squeezed his arm.
"D' you remember me, Sugar?" Mouse grinned at the boy. "It's a right pleasure to see yer face again!
"Um - do I know you?" Enzo frowned.
"No - I guess not - but you will, Sugar!" Mouse chuckled with a wink at Phong.
"You don't know me either, I don't think." AndrAIa interjected softly, looking down at the little sprite with an awed smile and lightly brushing his cheek. It was all a little much for her - she wasn't sure just what her emotions were. "I'm AndrAIa."
"Dude!" Enzo whispered, noticing the game sprite - and her costume - for the first time. He stared at her, mouth hanging open in shock.
"Hey!" Matrix growled. "Watch your manners... Boy!"
"Matrix!" the game sprite snapped.
"S-sorry." the big man sighed, burying his head in hands. "This is all too weird..."
"But - what are all these new sprites doing here?" Enzo frowned. "What's going on? Why don't I know any of you? Dot?" The boy was beginning to get the sneaking feeling that he'd been left out of some adult action, and he didn't like it.
"Wait'll he gets a load of the Surfer!" Bob muttered.
"Hey - whassa matter Dot?" Enzo whispered, noticing for the first time that tears were flowing freely down his sister's face. "Dot?"
The Command Com tried to speak, but she could only manage a weak smile. Finally, she grasped her startled little brother format and hugged him tightly. She smiled at Matrix over his shoulder, and the big man nodded and grasped her shoulder gently. "N-nothing's wrong, Enzo." the woman finally managed to croak. "I'm just - happy you're here. Happy we're all together, that's all. Just happy."
"Man! You've gone basic on me!" Enzo muttered, squirming out of her grasp. "Everything looks different..." he said dubiously, looking at the sparkling city around him. "Did I miss something?"
"Nothing important." Bob grinned, giving the small sprite's cap a playful half turn.
"But- Hey, look out!" the boy cried, alarmed, diving behind Bob's back. "Hexadecimal!"
The virus responded with a hearty chuckle, her mask smoothly breaking into a toothy smile. "The littlest lost sheep has returned to the flock - how precious!"
"What - is everybody off their bitmap? What's going on?" Enzo gasped.
"Patience, My Child." Phong interrupted soothingly. "In an acorn's life, there is but one blooming, and the mighty oak asks no haste."
"Huh?" Enzo frowned. What does-"
"It is of little importance, Child. All will be explained. Come - let us retire to the Principal Office. There is still much that must be done..."
"But why was Hex there? And what was Dot crying for? I-"
"Enough questions!" Bob laughed. "Everything's fine, Enzo. Now shut down, like your sister told you. You've been running in turbo mode all day - little sprites need their downtime, you know."
"Yeah yeah!" the boy grumbled, settling into his docking bay. "But why is your hair like that? It's cool! Can I grow my hair like that? Ugh! Get down, Frisket!" The red dog was enthusiastically licking the youngster’s face.
"I'm sure Dot would love that!" Bob sighed. "We'll talk about it tomorrow, Enzo. I've got to get back to my apartment - it's late."
"OK... Frisket's acting weird - he won't let me get away from him for a nano! It's almost like-"
"Good night!" Bob said pointedly. "Tomorrow's a big day." With a last glance at the boy, still valiantly fighting off the affections of Frisket, the guardian slipped outside of Enzo's room and slowly walked toward Dot's.
Bob was tired - more tired than he could ever remember. He'd been though so much - they all had. He'd survived the web, found his way back to Mainframe, with Matrix' help. They'd even saved the city - for now. It had been second after second of constant struggle and now - after the euphoria of the reboot had passed, the guardian could feel it all starting to catch up to him.
"Did you get Enzo docked?" Dot smiled wearily, leaning back on her tattered sofa and closing her eyes as Bob entered the room.
"Yup. He's still running at about five hundred megahertz, though." Bob chuckled.
"He's always going, isn't he?" Dot sighed. "Always running on, always processing. I'd forgotten how exhausting it was."
Bob settled down next to the woman and gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, but not just anywhere. He's always going somewhere - even if he's the only one who knows where, sometimes."
"I've missed that." Dot whispered, tiredly resting her head on Bob's shoulder. "It's not all I've missed..."
"I know." Bob answered, gazing down at Dot's weary face, his thoughts a whirl. "Do you think Enzo saw - well, do you think he noticed what we were doing when he - arrived?"
Dot opened her eyes and grinned mischievously up at him. "You mean this?" The woman met Bob's lips with her own, and they kissed for a long moment. "I doubt he noticed - his mind was on other things. It always is. Even if he did, I doubt it'll bother him. I think it's what he always hoped for..."
Bob raised an eyebrow. "He isn't the only one."
Dot rested her head on the guardian's shoulder and closed her eyes again, and neither sprite said anything for a long moment. "Bob - how should we - what do you think we should tell Enzo about... you know."
"I don't know." he sighed.
"We're finally all together. I never thought I'd see any of you again..." Dot said softly. "Maybe we shouldn't say anything, do anything to spoil it. Maybe it doesn't matter..."
"And let Enzo hear it from some binome down on Baudway? I don't think so!" Bob frowned. "Dot, we'll have to tell him - someone will. He'll find out sooner or later - from that musical tomorrow, if nothing else. Wouldn't it be better to hear it from someone who loves him?"
"But Bob, he's just a little sprite!" Dot protested. "How could he possibly understand?"
"Enzo understands more than you think, Dot. He always did." Bob replied. "It'll hurt him, once he knows - but he has to know. It will be very strange for him, for all of us. Matrix is going through it right now..."
Dot's face darkened. "I know. But at least he has AndrAIa to help him get by..."
"Uh huh. But he still needs his big sister, Dot."
"Do you think so?" Dot sighed, a tear running down her cheek. "I don't know what to think..."
"Maybe you should talk to Matrix tomorrow - take him aside, let him know you're still his big sister. I can take Enzo circuit racing, or something... Have a talk with him, before the show."
"He's _my_ brother!" Dot protested, a little petulantly.
"They _both_ are." Bob said gently.
Another tear escaped Dot's eye, and Bob gently brushed it off of her cheek. "Of course." she whispered "I'll talk to Matrix tomorrow..."
"It'll be all right." the guardian reassured. "We Mainframers stick together, right? Between us, there's nothing we can't handle."
"You're right." Dot smiled weakly.
"I should go." Bob said, kissing the woman lightly on the cheek and standing. "It's been a long day, we're all tired..."
"You don't have to, you know."
"What?"
"You don't have to go, Bob." Dot whispered. "You could stay here tonight..."
"I should go..." the guardian repeated dubiously. "It's late - I - I haven't even been back to my apartment. Tomorrow's another big day."
"Of course." Dot sighed, squeezing his hand. "See you tomorrow..."
"Ram chip for your thoughts." AndrAIa said softly, squeezing Matrix' hand. They shared a booth at the now dark diner, even Cecil having shut down for the night. The excitement had been a bit much for the dedicated server.
"Huh?" Matrix said distractedly. "Oh. It's just... nice to be home, that's all..."
"Of course." AndrAIa sighed. "It's like a fresh start, isn't it? A chance for everyone to do it all over again."
"Yeah." the big sprite said softly. "A second chance..."
The game sprite shook her head. "Don't be so low density, Lover. Everything's going to be just fine - would you rather be stuck out there in game sprite mode again?"
"What? Of course not!" Matrix growled. "Why would you say that?"
"You're thinking too much. You always get into trouble when you think too much."
"Thanks a software bundle!" Matrix muttered.
AndrAIa laughed mischievously. "You know what I mean, Enzo. You-"
"Please don't call me that." the young man interrupted intently. "Especially not now - not here."
"Act your age!" AndrAIa glowered. "What's your error message?"
"Is that... Is that what I really looked like?" Matrix shook his head. "I mean - jumping around, acting like a fool..."
"That's the sprite I fell in love with!" AndrAIa interrupted a little angrily. "That's the sprite I'm still in love with..."
"But-"
"Just hold your cursor!" the game sprite snapped. "Is that what this is all about - why you've been glowering about all cycle? You should be happy - you're home-"
"_We're_ home."
"We're home, then. Everyone is safe, we've saved the city..."
"Daemon's still out there." Matrix grumbled.
"It's not Daemon you're worried about right now, is it?" AndrAIa challenged. Matrix merely crossed his arms and stared straight ahead.
"It was nice to see that smile again." the girl continued after a moment's silence. "I love that smile - I'd forgotten how much I missed it..."
"Thanks a lot!"
"What?" AndrAIa challenged. "Well?"
"Well... Good night!" Matrix snapped, rising to his feet and stalking out of the diner.
"Which one is supposed to be the grown-up again?" the game sprite chuckled bitterly. She settled back into the booth, watching Matrix' retreating back for a few moments, then closed her eyes, letting exhaustion overtake her.
----
"Anybody home?" the thickly accented voice called with a light tap on the door of the ship.
"Why, come in, Sugar!" Mouse grinned, activating the door control. "I've been hopin' you'd stop by. What took ya so long?"
"Oh, just havin' a look around, Dear Lady." Ray smiled, taking in his surroundings. "Always nice to get your bearings when you're in a new place - never know when you're gonna need to know the layout in a pinch. Nice digs you have here."
"Why thanks, Darlin'!" the hacker replied. "Why don't you come over here and join me? Plenty o' room in this ol' chair for two!"
"Maybe in a bit, Love." Tracer chuckled, settling into the co-pilot's seat. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you all day. What was all that business about, before - that 'Matrix the Renegade' stuff? And who was that kid - knocked everybody on their ASCII when he showed up..."
"That's kind of a long story, Sugar." the hacker sighed. "You got a while?"
"Well, I dunno." the surfer smiled slyly. "I was wonderin' if you might know a place where a fella like me could shack up for a few cycles?"
"Planning to stay a while?"
"I reckon." the surfer nodded. "Mainframe seems like a right nice place to me - and I figure I ought to see what I spent the last ten seconds fighting to save, yeah?"
"Of course." Mouse grinned. "Well, lemmee see Sugar - there's the Tel Inn, right down on Baudway. I hear it's very nice."
"That so?" the surfer replied dubiously.
"Of course, y'all could just stay here, I suppose." Mouse answered, crinkling her eyes. "It ain't the Supercomputer, but I find it pretty comfortable."
"Well, I dunno Love." Ray smiled. "D'you think it's proper - me stayin' in a lady's place, and all?"
"What's that got to do with me, Sugar?" Mouse laughed.
----
Phong looked out the expanse of Mainframe, spread out below him. Even at his age, the beauty of the place could still touch him. From his vantage point, high atop the Principal Office, he could see the entire city - Baudway, the Kits Sector, even Lost Angles. And that large, dark spot on the horizon...
With a shudder, the old sprite yanked his eyes away from the former home of the Tor and whirred away from the window. Everyone had suffered, he knew - but no one could know the agonies he had suffered in that place. No one could ever know. He wouldn't wish the knowledge on his worst enemy...
The old sprite knew, perhaps better than anyone else, just how lucky they had all been. They had been a floppy disk's breath away from annihilation - and the system reboot had been a desperate hope, a long shot. It was only by a miracle of good fortune that Mainframe stood proudly again, defiantly - and Phong wasn't about to allow it to suffer the same fate again. Not on his watch.
The dangers that still faced the city were not lost on Phong - Daemon was still out there, waiting her opportunity. Mainframe would surely fall under her gaze once again, and they would have to be prepared.
"You are getting too old for this, Phong." the small sprite muttered, busying himself by performing a final system check for the cycle. The threat of Daemon would be looming over them for many cycles, minutes perhaps - now was a time for rebuilding the lives of those who would hold the defense of Mainframe in their hands. The dynamics of those lives had changed, and in ways only Phong could understand. It would be a challenge to hold those lives together, to keep them from scattering to the winds. No one could be spared - all had a role to play in the struggles ahead. And it would be Phong's responsibility to ensure that all were here when needed.
With a sigh, the old sprite turned away from the command console and rolled towards his personal quarters. There would be a feeling of celebration in the city the next day, and he had to play his part. The others were depending upon him to set the mood, and he couldn't afford to disappoint them.
The Principal Office was dark, the only sound Phong's primitive propulsion units as they carried him to his nightly rest. He was tired, and he was lonely. "I wonder how the others would feel if they knew..." he mused to himself.
----
"Go on boy, get down!" Enzo muttered, gently pushing Frisket away. The dog overpowered the small sprite's grasp and messily rolled his black tongue across the boy's face. "Ewww! What's the matter with you, Frisket?" With a petulant sigh, the boy pulled his blanket up to his chin and rolled away from the pooch, which let out a pained whimper and finally settled down, head resting on Enzo's feet.
Enzo couldn't sleep, Frisket or no Frisket. Something was wrong - every instinct in his body told him. He was proud of his senses - he never missed a thing that went on around him, even if he didn't always understand them. His eyes had picked up the strange, glittering quality that had settled over Mainframe, but, even more, his gut had picked up the tension in Bob, Dot and the others. They were all looking at him funny...
And then there were those others - the red-headed woman who seemed to know him, even though he didn't know her. The young woman, AndrAIa - for some reason Enzo couldn't get his mind off her. And that strange, blond sprite with the big eyes - he'd never heard the man's name, but he'd noticed him lurking around the fringes of his friends. And Hex - Hexadecimal, right there on Baudway - and no one was even worried about it?! It was all basic, totally basic...
But the weirdest thing of all, Enzo figured, was that big ugly green guy. The boy got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach every time he looked at the hulking sprite - and always, he caught Matrix staring back at him, pulling his glance away quickly every time Enzo looked over. And he never smiled. What kind of a person never smiled? Enzo shuddered at the thought.
The boy sighed and scratched Frisket's ears, then wrapped his arms around the delighted dog's neck and roughly wrestled him onto his side. Enzo was afraid, and he didn't like being afraid. Ever since Bob had showed up in Mainframe, Enzo hadn't felt scared - really scared. Bob was always around, and whenever he was around, it was hard to be really worried. Even Dot didn't seem to worry about stuff _quite_ as much after Bob showed up...
But this was different. _Bob_ was different, and Dot - what was wrong with Dot? She never cried around Enzo - not when she knew he was there. Not even when their father had been deleted. The only time Enzo ever saw her cry, she didn't know he was watching. It had been just a few cycles after the destruction of the Twin City, and she'd thought he was asleep. She'd been so strong around him, comforting him when _he_ cried, but there she was, weeping - quietly, so as not to wake him up. Enzo had crawled quietly back to his room and cried himself to sleep.
The memory brought an involuntary sob to the little sprite's throat. He felt Frisket's wet nose on his own and hugged the dog to his chest. "It's OK, Frisket." he whispered. Why had he thought about that now - after all this time? "It's OK." With a sigh, the boy closed his eyes and waited in vain for sleep to come.
----
"Aaaand - brought to you by the good folks at 'The Web'... It's the new and improved, Bob the Guardian!"
"Shut up, Mike!" the silver haired sprite said ominously, casting a nervous glance in Enzo's direction. The boy, however, appeared to be paying precious little attention to the TV - his eyes were focused curiously on The Surfer, who sat next to him at the bar, sipping an energy shake and talking with Dot.
"Isn't he lovely folks? The hair is by Georgio Cyrix, and it's a lovely braid work reminiscent of the great gladiators of the fortran era. The jumpsuit is by-"
"I said, shut up!" Bob whispered urgently. "You want Enzo to hear you?"
"EN-zo? You thought it was safe to go back in the data stream, but LOOK OUT! He's back - and he's ticked off-"
"Say Mike, I hear Hexadecimal is looking for some new playthings for her lair. You'd go lovely with her vidwindows, don't you think? Do I make myself clear?" the Guardian hissed.
"Back after these important messages!" the TV said quickly, and disappeared out the door in a flash of static.
"And who's this bright-eyed lad, then?" Ray said amiably, staring down at Enzo.
Dot coughed nervously. "My little brother format, Mr. Tracer. Enzo. But-"
"Ah, Mouse told me all about you, Boyo." the Surfer grinned. "What's processing?"
"Are you really from the web?" the boy asked, awed.
"_From_ the web? Well no - not exactly. Know my way around it better'n just about anybody, though."
"But - how did you survive out there? How d'you get around?"
"That's my function Mate - search engine." Tracer grinned proudly. "The best - numero uno. Couldn't do it without my board, though."
"Your - board?" the boy whispered, sensing something cool about to be revealed.
"Sure - can't surf the web without a board, Lad."
"Awesome! Can I ride it sometime. Can I? _Can_ I?"
"Enzo!" Dot said sharply.
"Aww Dot - you never want me to have any fun!"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Tracer - he's like this a lot. If he's bothering you-"
"No worries, Dear Lady." Ray grinned. "Sure, I'll take ya for a surf sometime, Young Fella. Best feeling there is!"
"Alphanumeric! Thanks, Ray! Can we go now? Can we?"
"You sure your name's Enzo, Kid?" Ray laughed.
"Sure! Why?"
"What's processing, Enzo?" Bob interrupted, clapping the youngster on the shoulder. "Listen, I was thinking - how about a little circuit racing?"
"Sweet! But I was just gonna take a ride on Ray's board..."
"Maybe later, Enzo." Dot sighed.
"Yeah, maybe later." Bob nodded. "You know the circuits are less crowded early in the cycle. Waddaya say?"
"Sure!" Enzo grinned. "Can Ray come with us?"
"Circuit racing, eh?" Ray mused. "Sounds interesting..."
"Actually, I was thinking maybe Enzo and I could spend a little quality time together." the Guardian replied, meeting the surfer's eyes. "You know - just the two of us. Maybe next time?"
"Really? But Bob - "
"No, the blue guy's right, Lad." Ray laughed. "You two go and have some fun. We'll catch up the next time."
"OK. Bye Ray! Bye Dot!" the boy shouted, bouncing off the stool. "Hey Bob, race ya to your car!"
"Yeah, we better hurry anyways - we'll just have time for some good racing before the show..."
Enzo stopped in his tracks. "What's this _show_ everyone keeps talking about?"
The Guardian grabbed him by the elbow. "I'll explain that on the way, Enzo." he sighed patiently.
"You boys have fun!" Dot called as they disappeared out the door, forcing a smile to her face. She turned to the surfer. "Thanks for - for -"
"No worries, Pretty Lady!" Tracer smiled. "The lad doesn't know, does he?"
"No. I presume Mouse filled you in?"
"That she did. I take it that Guardian fella's gonna clue him, eh? Seems like they're pretty close."
"Very close, Mr. Tracer."
"Gonna be pretty hard for the little fella when he finds out, eh?"
"It sure will." Dot sighed. "I don't know how he's going to take it, but I suppose it's better coming from Bob..."
"Hard to believe the little fella and Matrix are - well... the same fella. Y'know?" Ray mused, shaking his head.
"You know what the sad thing is, Mr. Tracer?" Dot said sadly. "You'd know that better than me."
"Mr. Tracer was my test program, Pretty Lady. I'm Ray." the surfer answered gently. "Don't worry about the little guy - or the big guy. They'll get it sorted, somehow. And Matrix isn't not so bad, anyways, once you get to know him."
"Get to know him... Have you seen my little brother this morning, Mr. - Ray? My _big_ little brother?"
"He and his lady were helping Mouse sort out some system settings in the Principal Office, last I saw him."
"He and I have to have a little talk, I think." Dot sighed wearily. "Care to take a zip over there with me, Ray?"
"Miss a chance to escort a lovely damsel like yourself? Never!" the Surfer bowed.
"Cecil, keep an eye on things, will you?" Dot called, heading out the door. "I'll be back before the show."
"Of course, Ma’am." the served replied coolly. "At last, I can get some things done around here... Entrees! Front and center - Chop chop!"
End Part One