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


"Game Over."

Several sprites and binomes glanced up as the purple game cube ascended into the sky, and whispered a silent thank you for another sector nullification avoided.
          Matrix looked around him at the ruined city and cursed. A chill wind blew past and a slight spattering of rain fell from the angry looking clouds scuttling across the sky. "It is too much to ask for a system with working environmental controls?"

"It's okay, Sparky," AndrAIa said weakly, then broke into a fit of violent coughing. Matrix cradled her shuddering form tightly in his arms until the fit had passed.

"No it's not," Matrix sighed. "We should have stayed in that last system. You need to rest."

"I'm fine. Put me down."

"So you can keel over on your feet? I don't think so." He shifted her weight slightly and continued in the direction of the glowing cross he'd seen in the distance. He somehow doubted that in a system this ruinous the hospital would still be operational, but it was probably his best bet for finding some sort of medical facility.

AndrAIa gave up her weak protests and leaned her head on Matrix's shoulder tiredly, trying to ward off the chill that seemed to have seeped into her very bones. She rested easy in his arms, trying to ignore the rattle in her lungs as she breathed and concentrate on the warmth of Matrix's embrace. Enzo was her best friend, but sometimes she wished they were more. She didn't dare mention it to Matrix; he was so used to having her around it was as if he didn't really even notice her anymore. He just took it for granted that she'd always be there. She could live with being friends, she guessed, but she wished she didn't have to.

A tent city of sorts had been set up in front of the old hospital building. It was obvious the structure had been hit by some sort of blast, and was no longer fit for occupation. Sprites and binomes bustled about caring for the wounded and ill lying on cots inside the olive green tents. Matrix hovered about the entrance to one of the tents for a few micros before he realized no one was paying him any attention. He finally waved down one of the binomes working in the tent. "Excuse me?" He asked. "I need help. My friend here is very sick."

"You'll have to wait over there," the binome said brusquely, clearly missing the pained expression on his face, and pointing to a large group of people huddled outside the far tent.

"But!"

The binome scowled. "There are other people ahead of you, young man. You'll just have to wait."

Matrix started to protest, but AndrAIa's hand on his shoulder silenced him. "I'll be okay. Just-" She was cut off by another coughing fit.

"What's going on here?" A sharp voice asked from inside the tent. A moment later, a sprite stepped out from behind the tent flap and eyed them all angrily. "I've got patients I'm trying to treat in here. I don't need this sort of commotion." She had bright red hair cropped just below her chin and dusky pink skin.

"I'm trying to get someone to look at my friend," Matrix said angrily. "But she told me to go wait in line." He gave the binome in question an angry glare.

"Enzo, please!" Her voice was raw and barely above a whisper.

Matrix glanced down at AndrAIa. "No. I'm not going to let them turn us away."

The sprite from the tent walked over and put the back of her hand against AndrAIa's forehead. Then she too glared at the binome. "I told you I wanted these cases sorted according to how critical they are! Have you been sending everyone over there regardless?" Her anger was barely controlled. The binome didn't reply and the sprite swore in disgust. "Get out of here. You could be killing people, pulling a stunt like that." She turned on her heel and marched back to the tent. She glanced over her shoulder at Matrix. "Well? Don't just stand there. Bring her inside." Matrix stood stunned momentarily, then followed the woman inside the tent. She motioned for him to place AndrAIa on a vacant cot near the wall while she set something up in a curtained off section of the room. The game sprite had drifted off to sleep at some point, so Matrix set AndrAIa gently on the cot, then stretched his tired arms. The sprite walked over to the cot and retrieved a pen and a clipboard from a small rolling cart. "I need to get some information before I can treat her. Hospital policy." Matrix nodded, and the woman began to run through the list. "Name?"

"Her name's AndrAIa."

"I need her full name," she said with a slight scowl.

"That...uh...is her full name."

The sprite gave him an odd look, then continued. "Fine. I'm assuming you're her next of kin?"

"Yeah, I guess." Matrix sighed inwardly. He hadn't expected this to be so difficult. "She doesn't have any relatives."

"Orphaned?"

"No. She just...never had any."

"Okay, fine. What's your name then?"

"Matrix."

"Don't tell me that's your full name." The sprite was beginning to sound exasperated.

"Uh, no. It's Enzo. Enzo Matrix."

"Now we're getting somewhere. Birth date?"

"I don't know that."

The pink-skinned sprite rolled her eyes. "Okay, do you at least know how old she is?"

"Um, about the same age as me, I guess. 1.8."

"Any allergies?"

"Not that I know of. But she's never been sick before."

"No known allergies. Okay. Where are you two from?"

"Oh, we're just...passing through. We don't live here."

"Are you trying to make this difficult for me? No, never mind. I can tell you're not." She set the clipboard back on the tray. "My name's Penny, by the way. Dr. Lehne, actually, but don't bother with formalities." She gave Matrix's hand a firm shake. "And as much as I hate to do this, you're going to have to wake your friend here so I can examine her. Just send her over to me when she's awake."

Matrix nodded, and watched as Penny went back to the curtained off corner of the tent. He reached down and touched AndrAIa gently on the shoulder. "AndrAIa? You have to get up now. The doctor wants to see you." She stirred slightly, blinked, then sat up. "Come on," he said gently, "I'll help you." He helped get her to her feet and steered her towards the makeshift examining room, holding the curtain aside for her. Penny ushered her over to the steal, sheet covered table.

"It's best if you wait outside," she said to Matrix. He frowned, but did as she said, and left the tent to find Frisket. He found the large dog laying just outside the entry to the tent, and sat down next to him to wait.
          Penny emerged from the tent a few micros later, and angry scowl on her face. "You could have told me she was a game sprite!" She yelled. "You can't keep stuff like that from doctors. It makes it impossible for us to do our jobs efficiently."

"I didn't think it was that important," he replied, feeling slightly guilty.

"Not important! It's no wonder she has pneumonia. Her body just isn't capable of maintaining a proper body temperature once the air around her has dropped to a certain point. Not to mention the fact that she's dehydrated and under nourished. For User's sake, that dog of yours is better fed! I've given her some antibiotics to combat the pneumonia but it'll be a few cycles before she's ready to go anywhere."

Matrix felt horrible. "I had no idea," he murmured.

"Maybe you'd have realized it if you weren't so busy playing soldier boy all the time. Yes, she told me about the game hopping as well. Just passing through indeed." She shot him another disgusted look. "She's resting now and I don't want you to disturb her." It was then Penny noticed the distraught look on the young man's face. 'Oh, good job,' she scolded herself. With a sigh, she knelt down beside him and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said earnestly. "I guess my patience has just been worn thin by all of this." She spread her arms to indicate the camp. "I've seen too many people hurt by stupidity."

"Viruses?" Matrix asked.

Penny shook her head sadly. "If only. Civil war. Don't know why the call it that, there's nothing civil about brothers killing each other over a difference of opinion. And I get the end results. We've been at war for so long I wonder if anyone knows what we're fighting about. After awhile, you see so much death and destruction you almost don't notice anymore."

"I know what you mean," Matrix said glumly. "Is AndrAIa going to be all right?"

"She'll be fine," Penny said reassuringly. "You care a lot about her don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess. She's my best friend."

Penny smiled and nodded, chuckling quietly to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing," she replied innocently. "You look like you could use something to do," she added. "After all, AndrAIa is in good hands now. Why don't you go talk to Jerry over there," she pointed to a tall male sprite two tents over. "I'm sure he could use a pair of good strong hands to help retrieve the wounded from some of the more dangerous sectors of the city. You can take your dog, if you'd like."

Matrix agreed readily, enticed by the idea of being able to do something useful instead of sitting around the makeshift hospital. Penny watched him go and laughed softly to herself. "Poor fool. So love-struck he can't even see it."

----

Matrix rode shotgun in the modified CPU that was making sweeps of the most war torn sectors. Frisket was sitting between himself and Jerry, who was driving. They'd had to dodge crossfire a few times, but Jerry had informed him that no one ever shot directly at them. "We don't take sides," he'd said simply. "We help anyone who needs it. Not that that means we never get hit," he added hastily as he sent the vehicle into a dive to avoid shots fired from one of the old office buildings. "Looks like we've got a pickup," he said and lowered the CPU to ground level. He looked out the window of the CPU then opened a channel back to the tent hospital. "Got a pickup at tenth and center. Looks like a stiff." He said grimly.

"Roger."

"Some days we do actually get live ones," Jerry said apologetically. "And some days we get stuck playing meat wagon." He pulled his clip board and walked over to the two sprites who'd flagged him down.
          They'd been cruising over the city for milliseconds and Matrix had pretty much figured out the routine. Someone would flag them down and Jerry would contact the hospital, tell them what to expect, get the information he needed about the patient, load them into the back of the makeshift ambulance, and then fly back to the hospital for a drop off. Then it was time for another run. Matrix had seen more death, up close and personal, in the last millisecond alone than he'd seen before in his entire life. And that was saying something. Sure, the destruction of the Twin City had been more spectacular, but aside from his parents' nullification, it had failed to really touch him. What he had seen today was death, raw and uncensored. But the worst part was, he decided, that it didn't really seem to affect him the way he thought it should. Jerry climbed back into the driver seat and they took off. "Last run of the day, kid. You can get back to that girlfriend you were telling me about."

"She's not my girlfriend," Matrix said absently. "Just a friend."

"My mistake then," Jerry replied. They finished the run in silence, then helped unload. When they were done, he and Frisket headed back to the tent they'd left AndrAIa in. He walked inside, looked around, and realized she wasn't there. Her cot was empty.

"Dr. Lehne?" He called. There was no reply. A moment later, a sprite he didn't know walked into the tent. "Excuse me?"

"Can I help you?" The man asked in an annoyed tone. It seemed everyone here was in a bad mood.

"I'm looking for my friend AndrAIa. Dr. Lehne admitted her."

The sprite scowled at him. "Dr. Lehne went home. I took over her patients and there's no AndrAIa here. Have you checked the morgue?"

"What?" Matrix asked in amazement. "Penny said she was going to be okay!"

"Well, I don't know what to tell you. She's certainly not here."

Matrix left the tent in stunned silence. It couldn't be. There was just no way...he knew she was sick but...dead? AndrAIa couldn't be dead. He could feel tears stinging the corners of his eyes, despite his determination to keep from crying. "Come on Frisket. We should at least go say good-bye."

----

"Here, drink this." Penny handed AndrAIa a cup of yellow, sickly looking liquid. AndrAIa took it gratefully, enjoying the mug's warmth in her hands. She took a sip, then made a face.

"It's bitter," she said.

"I know, but it's also good for you," Penny replied, then rolled her eyes. "Will you listen to me. I sound like someone's mother. Next thing you know, I'll be telling you to eat your vegetables."

"I don't mind." AndrAIa replied, taking another sip of the bitter liquid. "I never had a mother."

Penny took a seat in a beat up arm chair and smiled wanely at the girl wrapped in quilts on her couch. "It must be really strange for you here."

AndrAIa smiled. "Not really. I catch on quickly. Besides, I have Enzo."

"You guys are good friends, huh?"

"Oh, the best." AndrAIa set the mug down and drew the quilts up tighter around her. "Though I think he sort of forgets I'm there sometimes," she continued, doing a poor job of hiding the sadness in her voice.

"Boys are like that sometimes." Penny replied, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't you worry. I gave him quite the lecture earlier. You'll probably get sick of him fussing over you."

"Oh, I don't think I'd mind," she said. "I mean- it's better than being ignored," she finished quietly.

Penny laughed. "Why didn't you just say you were in love with the boy?"

AndrAIa blushed. "I...he doesn't love me," she replied glumly. "I'm just his best friend. He tells me that all the time."

Penny smiled mischievously. "Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that..."

----

The morgue was in the lobby of the old hospital building. It was the only stable part of the structure, and even then the administration didn't want to take the chance of it accidentally collapsing on any patients.
          Matrix's boots thudded heavily on the tile floor. "At least the place is refrigerated," he muttered darkly. Ice water had settled in the pit of his stomach and each step he took in the dark building required incredible effort. He wanted nothing better than to run from here and never look back. But he couldn't. He had to say good-bye. He past gurney after gurney lined along the walls, still forms covered with white sheets. He could feel tears leaking down his cheeks and made no attempt to blink them back. There was no one here to see them anyway.
          Before he knew it, he'd reached the back of the lobby. "She's not here," he whispered aloud. He went back through the room, double checking. "She's not here." His heart skipped a beat. He ran out of the morgue, Frisket close behind him. He had to find out where Dr. Lehne lived. Maybe she could tell him what had happened. Fear was still dogging his steps, but a tiny sliver of hope had managed to sneak back into his heart. He quickly located Jerry, who was about to leave for the night. "Jerry, wait."

"You're still here? I thought you'd be with that girl of yours by now."

"She's not here." Matrix quickly recounted his conversation with the other doctor. "I need to find Penny," he finished.

"I'll drop you off," Jerry replied. "Come on." Jerry led him over to his battered car, which reminded Matrix slightly of Bob's car, the main difference being that Jerry's car actually ran. Within a few micros, Jerry brought the car down in front of a modest home in what seemed to be a fairly quiet sector of the city. "This is your stop. Good luck."

"Thanks." Matrix and Frisket hopped out of the car and watched as Jerry drove off. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the worst, then knocked on the door.

----

There was a knock at the front door. Penny got up from her chair to answer it. "I bet that's your friend now," she said, and headed down the hallway. She opened the door to find a rather frantic looking Matrix waiting for her.

"Dr. Lehne? What happened to AndrAIa? I went to the tent and neither of you were there and the other doctor told me-"

"Wait, hold it a second. AndrAIa's here. Didn't you get my message?"

"Message?"

"Oh, for User's sake. You didn't get the message? I brought her home with me. It gets horribly cold in those tents at night. Where did you think she'd gone?" She ushered Matrix into the house and closed the door behind him.

"The other doctor told me to go check the morgue."

"The morgue! I don't believe this. That idiot. Don't worry, she's fine. You go on into the living room. I've got to work again in 6 milliseconds, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head to bed. Feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen."

Matrix nodded and went into the living room. Penny shook her head and sighed. "I don't think he heard a word I said..."

----

"Enzo! There you are. What took you so long?" AndrAIa asked, smiling brightly at him. "You look upset. Is something wrong?" She gave him a puzzled look as he walked over and sat next to her on the couch.

"How are you?" He asked finally.

"A lot better." She cocked her head to the side, a strand of hair drifting across her forehead.      He realized, in that moment, how utterly , heart-wrenchingly beautiful she'd become. Not an adorable little girl, but a woman. Her large eyes flashed in the light, not the innocent blue they'd once been, but dark, mysterious, twin abysses that pulled him into their depths. He could see a thousand unknown tomorrows dwelling in her eyes.

"Enzo, are you okay?" She laughed, waving a hand in front of his face. "Are you zoning out on me?"

"I love you." The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them, and his heart sank as she froze. Then she reached over and took his hand.

"What took you so long?" She whispered.

"I-"

She silenced him by pressing her index finger to his lips. "Never mind," she said softly, then leaned over to kiss him gently.
          Her touch was like an electric spark, filling him with a warmth he'd never felt before. He deepened the kiss and they fell back together onto the couch.

----

Penny's alarm rang and she frowned before slapping it off and climbing out of her bed. She grimaced as her joints protested the movement. She'd spent too much time on her feet lately. She dressed quickly, then went to check on her charges.

     They were curled up together on the carpet under a mound of quilts, both sleeping soundly. Penny smiled to herself, scribbled off a quick note for them, and left the house.

----

Matrix awoke slowly, unsure of where he was at first. A smile spread across his face as AndrAIa snuggled closer to him.

"Morning, Sparky," she said softly. She had a calm, peaceful feeling, as if here, in his arms, was where she had always belonged. She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly as he stroked her arm with his hand.

"It's pretty cold in here," Matrix noted, "even with all these blankets. I should see if Penny left us some instructions."

"Mmmm...don't go." She clung to his arm.

"We're going to freeze our bitmaps off if I don't figure out how Penny heats this place," he said. "Stay here. I'll be right back." He untangled himself from the quilts and went out into the kitchen. He found Penny's note on the table and went back into the living room with it.

"What's it say?" AndrAIa asked., making room for him under the quilts again. Matrix started to read the loopy scrawl. 

 Morning Lovebirds. Glad to see you decided to get up. By now, 
you've probably noticed it's cold as heck in the house. Get a fire going 
in the old stove in the kitchen and it'll warm up in no time. Might be 
old fashioned, but it works. AndrAIa, there are some old wardrobe 
upgrades in my room. Might be a little big, but we don't need you 
catching cold all over again. Your medication is there too, take it, for 
User's sake. There should be plenty to eat in the kitchen, help 
yourselves. Don't go outside, no matter what. You're liable to get 
yourselves deleted if you do. You'll just have to amuse yourselves 
inside today. Try not to get into any mischief. 

            ~Penny 
               PS For future reference, that couch folds out. It's more 
comfortable than the floor.

Matrix chuckled as he finished reading the note. "She sounds like Dot."

"With Mouse's sense of humor," AndrAIa added. She paused. "I wonder if this is what it's like to have a mother."

"What? The nagging? That's required by law or something."

"No...having someone who worries for your well-being. She didn't have to let us stay in her house. She doesn't even know us."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"It's a nice feeling," she decided. "I like it."

"Good." Matrix gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm going to see what I can do about that fire."

AndrAIa sighed. "I guess I should get up too." She stood, keeping one of the quilts wrapped around her shoulders, and went down the hall to Penny's room. When she emerged several micros later, dressed in a large gray sweatshirt and baggy jeans, she could hear the fire crackling in the kitchen and feel it begin to warm the house. She wandered into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"I made some breakfast," Matrix commented, "though I don't know how good it is."

"Well, what do you think of the new outfit?" She asked as he brought two plates over.

"I like it," he whispered in her ear. "More fun to take off later."

"Enzo!" She shrieked, and smacked him on the shoulder.

"What did I do?" He asked, confused.

"Nothing," she grinned, "but you should have seen the look on your face."

----

Penny could hear child-like laughter from the front door. "You kids decent?" She called out playfully.

"Hi Penny!" AndrAIa's voice drifted down the hall, followed by a few girlish giggles and a shrill "Enzo!"

"User," Penny muttered, "I've invited two hormonal teenagers into my house." She sighed good-naturedly and went into the living room. "Well, glad to see you didn't destroy the place."

"Hey Penny." Matrix was seated on one end of the couch, AndrAIa seated in his lap. Her face was flushed and she was trying to control a fit of coughing.

"Hey, take it easy on the poor girl," she chided. "She's still sick."

"Sorry." Matrix responded guiltily.

"Just be more careful. I'm going to go see what I can whip up for diner. You two stay out of trouble."

"We will." Came twin replies.

----

The cycles had flown past. Penny had actually began to enjoy having the young sprites in the house. She'd never found time for a family of her own and it was nice to be able to use up her maternal instincts on someone. But she'd also scolded herself on becoming so attached, especially to AndrAIa. She knew they would be leaving the system as soon as she was well again, and it was going to hurt to let them go. And while she might have been able to convince them to stay awhile longer, she knew in her heart that she didn't want them to stay here. This system was no place for them. She wanted them to find the home that Matrix had spoken wistfully of late in the night cycle, the three of them huddled around the dying fire in the stove, drinking cocoa.

"Well," she said, setting her stethoscope down, "looks like you get a clean bill of health. You guys can leave whenever the next game cube drops." There was a note of sadness in her voice.

"Thank you, Penny." AndrAIa gave the older woman a quick hug. "You've been like a mother to me," she whispered.

"You're a great kid. Someone needed to claim you." Penny broke away, trying to hide the tears that were forming in the corners of her eyes. "Well," she took a deep breath "let's get you guys set to go." She went out into the kitchen and started packing them a meal. Matrix walked up behind her a short time later.

"What are you doing?"

"Making sure you two have at least one decent meal when you leave here." Matrix could tell she was trying not to cry. "Honestly, I don't want to even think about how you must-"

Matrix cut her off. "I wanted to thank you," he said slowly. "For everything. When I thought I'd lost AndrAIa, I died inside. I guess I was just so used to having her around that I didn't notice how much I really cared for her."

"You know now," Penny said. "That's what's important. You take good care of her," she said sternly.

"Yes, ma'am," Matrix replied with a slight grin. Penny looked back at her handiwork and sighed.

"Well, I guess there's no use delaying the inevitable. I'll get Jerry to come pick you up. He can escort you to the next game." She handed the small basket she'd packed to Matrix. "The rest of AndrAIa's medication is in there too. Make sure she finishes it, otherwise she could relapse and it won't be nearly as easy to treat."

"You're not going to come to the game with us?"

"It's easier to say good-bye here. Now you go on into the living room. I'll be there in a second. I've got something I want to find."

When Penny rejoined then several micros later, she had an old camera with her. "Jerry's on his way, so we'd better make this quick. I hope this thing still works." She motioned for then to stand together in font of one of the walls. "You too, Frisket. Go on." When they were settled, she aimed the camera and pressed the button. A nano later, the picture ejected from the front slot and she pulled it out, waving it around a bit. "There we go," she said with a smile. "Now I've got a picture to put on my mantle."

Matrix walked over and took the camera from her. "Show me how this works. We need one of you and AndrAIa."

"Just aim and click."

"Okay. You two go pose."

Penny and AndrAIa lined up against the wall, and Matrix clicked off two picture. "One for each of you," he explained. Just then, they heard the rumble of Jerry's car.

"Well, I guess this is good-bye. Take care!" Penny gave them both a quick hug and ushered them towards the door.

----

Penny blinked back tears as she looked out at the purple game cube hunkering over the city. When it finally lifted, she wiped her eyes and went to get some sleep before her next shift at the hospital.

----

As soon as they were in the game, they changed their icons to game sprite mode. "I think the system sprites have got this one covered," Matrix said.

"Shall we?" AndrAIa took his hand in hers, and they set off over the slowly rolling hills to a cabin they knew existed not far away. Matrix watched her eyes glow in the light from the setting sun.

"I love you," he said.

"I know Enzo," she replied softly. "I love you too."

~Fin

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