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Part Five: Partners in Crime
“You know, evil has many forms; be it a man-eating cow or Joseph Stalin.” - Tick, The Tick
So Little Enzo had felled the mighty Matrix. Talk about an ego boost. And it had been so easy! The young Sprite had been expecting a difficult time, but it had been like falling off an analog. Too bad I can’t tell anyone, Enzo thought in disappointment. The rules of the game said that no one was supposed to tell when they were out, or that they had gotten someone out; otherwise, people who were still in could figure out who was after them. Cecil had said that two people were now out of the game, though. Enzo wondered who else had fallen victim. He mentally ran through the list of players: Phong? Probably not. The old Sprite spent most of his time in the Principle Office, one of the safety zones. Whoever had drawn him had their work cut out for them. Ray? Enzo frowned. Maybe. The Surfer had been in Mainframe long enough by now to know the territory, but he was pretty impulsive. Someone could have caught him off guard. Bob? Enzo thought for a nano, then shook his head, surprised at himself for even considering it. No way was Bob out already. He’s a Guardian; he’s probably gonna win. After all, winning is what he does. It’s probably Dot, he told himself. He hated to think that there was anything his big sister wasn’t good at, but somebody had to lose, and she had said herself she was bad at this sort of thing. Then again, Matrix was an established warrior, and look how easily he had gone down. Enzo sighed; he would just have to wait until the game was over. Then, not only would he know who had who, but he would be able to say that Matrix had been one of the first ones out -- courtesy of little Enzo Matrix.
“Enzo!”
The young sprite blinked as a sharp voice snapped him back to reality. School was not the best place to daydream -- too many interruptions. “Uh, yes, Miss Brodie?”
“I said, would you please read the first two paragraphs on page forty-two for us?”
“Um -- yeah. No problem.” Enzo looked around at the other students’ desks, trying to see what book they were using. His delay was just beginning to look suspicious when the afternoon bell rang. “Yes! Saved by the bell!” he said under his breath. He and the other students thronged out the doors and into the sunlight. Enzo maximized his zipboard and was about to hop on when the sound of a gunning motor made the entire crowd stop dead. As they watched in awe, a sleek purple motorcycle descended toward them: AndrAIa’s bike. This bike was the envy of every preadolescent male in Mainframe. Her earlier prize, Megabyte’s motorcycle, had been deconstructed during Mainframe’s restart, along with Silicon Tor and every other trace of viral presence. This new one had been a gift from Matrix; he had gotten it dirt cheap from a guy in a neighboring system who had won it in a raffle and wasn’t into motorcycles. It was game-cube purple with chrome accents, had brand-new everything, and possessed a motor so loud that it could drown out Mike the TV (which is a talent in itself). It was also AndrAIa’s pride and joy; there was an unwritten law in Mainframe stating that, no matter what, you did not touch the bike. Ever. So when AndrAIa glided to a very dramatic stop in front of the entire student body, removed her helmet, shook out her long aqua-colored hair and called out, “Hey, Enzo -- want a ride?”, the Sprite in question damn near wet his pants. Forget taking out Matrix; this was something to gloat about. AndrAIa was afraid of that bike getting breathed on wrong -- and she was inviting him to actually sit on it. While it was moving. He raised an eyebrow, making every attempt to be smooth, and said, “Sure.”
AndrAIa smiled and tossed him a spare helmet. (It came with the bike; needless to say, it had never been used before now.) Enzo’s classmates watched in extreme jealousy as he strapped it on and got comfortable on the leather seat behind the Game Sprite. He wrapped his arms around her waist (something else the young men in the crowd would have killed to do), and the pair sped off, leaving a very envious group of students in the dust.
*********
Enzo was in heaven. No wonder AndrAIa loved this bike so much; the ride was fantastic. He gazed around him, watching the streets of Mainframe whiz by under his feet. He had been so thrilled to actually be allowed to go for a ride with AndrAIa that he hadn’t stopped to think about why she was offering. But now, as the novelty slowly wore off, the idea crept into his brain. Why would she give him a ride when before today he had been lucky to be allowed in the same sector as the motorcycle? And why would AndrAIa feel the need to give him a ride? His school was practically within shouting distance of the diner. Enzo shook his head to clear the thoughts. Don’t be ridiculous, he scolded himself. AndrAIa’s just being nice. Why are you being so paranoid? His train of thought might have ended there, but his choice of words triggered a memory: Mouse’s voice saying, “Just causes a little widespread paranoia.” Enzo’s heart leaped into his throat. The Gotcha game! In his excitement, he had forgotten all about it. Just then, he noticed something else disturbing: they were nowhere near the diner. In fact, they were practically on the opposite end of Mainframe. Enzo could feel his face getting hot. He warily eyed the Super Soaker attached to the girl’s waistband. AndrAIa must be his assassin! And now she was taking him off to some back alley in the middle of nowhere, so remote that it would be cycles before they found him, soaking wet and completely helpless. . . Enzo shook his head to stop his imagination from running away with him. But why else would she be taking him so far away from, well, everything? She must be trying to get me away from the safety zones, he thought. It’s the only explanation. Well, I won’t let her get away with it, he thought in grim determination, fully realizing how pathetic his words sounded. Still, he had to try. He licked his lips, took a deep breath, and then called out over the roar of the engine. “AndrAIa?”
“Yeah?” she yelled back.
“Where are we going?”
“Um. . . I. . . it’s such a nice day, I thought we’d take the scenic route.”
“Oh.” Scenic route my. . . Enzo began to get desperate as he noticed the twisting spires of Lost Angles rising up to greet them. He had to get out of this fast, or he was quite literally all wet. “Uh, AndrAIa. . . could you, uh. . . just set me down here?”
AndrAIa didn’t respond right away. When she did, she sounded confused. “How come?”
Enzo groped his mind furiously for a good excuse. “Well, uh, like you said, it’s such a nice day out, and I’ve been sitting at a desk all day, um, I guess I’d just rather. . . walk.”
“Walk?” If AndrAIa had sounded confused before, it was nothing compared to how bewildered she sounded now. “From here? All the way back to the diner?”
“Well. . . yeah.” Please let me off, please let me off, he begged silently.
“Oh. Okay.” AndrAIa’s tone sounded hurt. She obliged, though, and set the bike down on the ground. Enzo hurriedly jumped off, lest she decide to fire on him then and there before he could get away. “Are you sure you don’t want a ride?” she asked. Enzo nodded quickly. “Oh, yeah. Very sure.” AndrAIa studied him for a moment, then sighed in defeat. “Okay. If you’re sure. See you back at the diner?” she added hopefully.
Enzo smiled. The diner. A safety zone. She couldn’t get him in there. “Yeah. Absolutely.”
AndrAIa started the bike up again and it lifted into the air. She gave him a half-hearted wave and sped off. Enzo watched her go -- and felt like absolute crap. The girl had looked completely heartbroken. Why did he hurt her feelings like that? She just wanted to give you some fresh air, you idiot, he told himself. She knows how much you love that bike; of course she’s going to take you on a long ride. And what do you do? Ask her to let you off. You are so basic. Not only do you have to haul your bitmap back to the diner before Dot deletes you for making her worry, but you made AndrAIa feel bad. Enzo began to make his way to the diner, absolutely disgusted at himself, when he heard a familiar engine roar. He looked up; AndrAIa was making another sweep of the area. Enzo grinned; she knows me too well, he thought. She must have guessed that I’d change my mind. Good. Now I can get a ride home, and I can apologize. The boy waved his arms over his head to get her attention. “Hey, AndrAIAAAHH!!” he yelled as a very cold stream of water hit his back. Enzo whirled around. There, proudly brandishing a Super Soaker, was Hexadecimal. “Gotcha!” she said, then let out a maniacal laugh. Enzo just stood agape, too shocked even to move. Behind him, AndrAIa set her bike down on the ground. Hexadecimal addressed her next. “Thank you, dear. I don’t think I ever would have gotten him if it weren’t for you.”
AndrAIa smiled. “My pleasure, Hex.” The Game Sprite tapped Enzo on the shoulder. “Ready to go?”
Enzo looked from one woman to the other. Then, he dumbly clambered onto the motorcycle, unable to speak. AndrAIa bade one last farewell to the former virus and mounted her bike, then sped off towards downtown Mainframe.
*********
Enzo sat sullenly on the motorcycle seat, not paying a bit of attention to the ride. He just hadn’t said a word since they had left Lost Angles; aside from putting on his helmet, he hadn’t even moved. AndrAIa noticed her passenger’s silence; after a short while she pulled over and shut off the engine. She took off her helmet and turned to face him. “Are you mad at me?”
Enzo responded but didn’t look at her. “No, I’m not mad.”
AndrAIa heard the lack of conviction in his voice. “But?” she prompted.
The boy sighed. “Well, I know it’s just a game and everything, and you didn’t do anything against the rules, and this is all supposed to be for fun so it’s really stupid of me to feel like this, but. . . you suckered me, AndrAIa.” His voice was full of disappointment -- both at himself and the Game Sprite.
AndrAIa nodded in understanding. “I was afraid you might feel this way.” She put a hand under his chin and raised his eyes to hers. “Would it help if I said I was sorry?” Enzo nodded, but he still looked gloomy. AndrAIa went on: “I think I know a way I can make it up to you.” She leaned over and whispered in his ear. As the young Sprite listened, a devilish grin slowly spread over his face. AndrAIa looked at him, eyebrows raised inquisitively. “Well?”
Enzo nodded fiercely. “Let’s do it!”
*********
Hexadecimal stood in the afternoon sun long after the two Sprites had vanished from view. She replayed the event in her mind, over and over again. That had been fun. What a shame that it had all passed so quickly. Ah, well, she thought, such is the way of things. She proceeded back to her lair, still lost in thought -- so lost, in fact, that she didn’t hear the approach. She only came out of her reverie when she heard two voices call out, in singsong unison, “Oh, Hexadecimal!” Before she could turn around, she was hit from above by two jets of water. Hovering in the air just behind her was AndrAIa’s motorcycle; Enzo and AndrAIa still had their guns pointed at her. “Gotcha!” AndrAIa sang out. She swung her vehicle around and the pair triumphantly raced off.
Hexadecimal stood frozen to the spot. Incredible! That girl had come to her proposing an alliance, and then completely double-crossed her. Of all the sneaky, underhanded, dishonest things to do. . . The former virus beamed delightedly. She had never been so proud. “I always knew that girl had potential,” she said to herself as she made her way home.