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The virus met the Command.com's hard glare with an air of indifference.
"I won't waste my time on the usual pleasantries," he said, steepling his fingers.
"Call off your lackeys, Megabyte," she scowled.
Megabyte raised an eyebrow, a look of mild amusement crossing his face.
"I hardly think *you* are in a position to make demands, Ms. Matrix."
"What do you want?" Bob cut in.
The virus' expression hardened.
"You know very well what I want, Guardian. And the Principal Office is my way of ensuring I get it."
Bob exchanged looks with Dot and Phong, then shook his head.
"I won't give you a portal to the SuperComputer, Megabyte. Even if that means losing the Principal Office."
Megabyte looked bored. "Yes, yes, I suspected as much. Which is why I invested in a little extra... shall we say... incentive?"
The sprites frowned, as the vidwindow's view panned from the virus to show Hack and Slash - and the sultry sprite they were restraining in their vice-like grip.
Bob's doppelganger.
"No!" the Guardian's eyes widened in recognition, as he heard Dot’s sharp intake of breath behind him. The view panned back to the virus, whose smug look angered him all the more.
"I'll be expecting you soon, Guardian," Megabyte said, and promptly ended the communication.
Bob's knuckles turned white as he gripped the console, his expression grim. Dot turned to him.
"Crash it! I shouldn't have left her alone. I should have seen it coming!" he hissed, angry at himself more than anything.
"Bob, you can't give him the portal!"
He looked up, met her gaze. "I have to do something, Dot. I can’t let him hurt her."
"But we don’t know if she - "
"Dot, she’s not viral, you know that! A little - "
"Argumentative?"
" - tetchy, maybe, but not viral." He changed tack. "Look, can you deal with the ABC's while I deal with Megabyte?"
Dot paused for a nano.
"I... I think so, but I'll need - "
"Um, excuse me," Phong butted in, "but would someone mind explaining just what is going on around here? Hmm?"
The two sprites suddenly realised the entire population of the war room was staring at them. They shrugged helplessly at the elderly sprite.
"It’s... complicated, Phong -" Bob started, before Dot cut him off.
"Bob - get out of here. If someone’s life really is in danger, you need to go and help them. Besides, it’ll buy us enough time to get some power reserves back online."
The Guardian nodded, and left the war room. She turned to Phong. "Phong, I’ll explain as we go. Well. I’ll try. I’m not even sure I know myself..."
* * *
"Herr Doktor, is the cloning equipment salvageable?"
The scientist turned from the remains of his workstation.
"I cannot be sure at this point, mein Grossenweiter."
The virus made a minor sound of annoyance as he turned to the captive sprite, who was smirking at the brief path of destruction she’d managed to create before being recaptured. He leaned in towards her, gripping her face in one hand so she could not look away.
"Smile all you like, copy," he hissed, enjoying the anger that flickered in her eyes. "You have served your purpose well."
"You won’t get away with this!" she countered.
He regarded her with a critical eye before continuing.
"An excellent reproduction, Herr Doktor - right down to the irritating defiance. Tell me, my dear... did you enjoy your little family?"
She howled with rage, straining futilely against the iron grip of Hack and Slash as Megabyte pulled away, clearly amused by her reaction.
"Having some problems, Megabyte?"
The virus turned to see Bob stepping off his zipboard, eyeing the wrecked equipment with a smirk. Megabyte dismissed the mess with a vague wave of his hand.
"Nothing that can't be resolved. Your doppelganger is proving to be just as annoying as the original. I'll be glad to get rid of it."
Bob narrowed his eyes, then glanced over at his double.
"Are you OK?"
She avoided his gaze, choosing instead to stare at the floor.
"I'm fine," she muttered, in a tone that suggested anything but.
"Enough," said Megabyte. "My portal, if you please."
The Guardian shook his head. "No. Let her go first. Then you get your precious portal."
Megabyte feigned surprise. "Don't tell me you’ve formed an... *attachment* to this... duplicate?" He chuckled; a deep, low rumble. "Still. No matter. Portal first, then you're welcome to it."
Bob tried not to show his annoyance at the virus' choice of terms for his doppelganger as he folded his arms.
"Just show me where you've got your tear, Megabyte."
* * *
"So, that's what happened. What we don't understand is why Megabyte would go to so much trouble."
Dot looked up at Phong from her workstation as she attempted to coax some life back into it. The elderly sprite steepled his fingers.
"Megabyte's motivations have always been for power and control. He is prepared to go to any lengths to get to the SuperComputer," he said.
She sighed. "But Bob doesn't have a plan - I know he doesn't. He's gone there to give Megabyte his portal to rescue this... copy. Somehow I don't think Megabyte’s going to just hand her over willingly, even if he does - oh, come *on*..." Dot growled, and thumped the console once more. It responded with a half-hearted flicker. "Specky, if this plan is going to work, I need power!"
"Yes sir - ma'am. We're working on it, but the power reserves are almost at zero per cent!"
"Bob cannot go against his code," Phong replied. "He is a Guardian. To mend and defend. That includes anyone who might be in danger - copy or not."
"And afterwards? What then?"
"First, my child, we must make sure there *is* an after."
"You're right, Phong," she nodded, and turned back to her workstation, then had an idea. "Specky! We need to leech some energy from the Core. Can you do that?"
"It’s risky, ma’am."
Dot set her jaw. "It’s a risk we’re going to have to take."
End Part 10