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by Jareth, The Viral Guardian. Co-written by Electra
"Got any I/O shots?" Jareth's voice rang out of the kitchen.
"Nah, I hate that stuff." Electra poured over many Vid windows.
"Whatever. Hey! Power Shakes!"
"Get me one while you're in there, would you?" Electra typed a few more keys. "Got it!"
Electra's study lit up with the glow from the Vidwindows. They now displayed various lists and graphs.
"Got what? Is it suddenly brighter in here?" Jareth walked into the room, carrying two PowerShakes. He absently handed one to Electra, staring at the Vidwindows.
"Yeah, I got access into the rebel files. It wasn't easy, either. Macro tried to block my access codes."
Jareth eyed the files displayed on the Vidwindows. If he'd had eyelids, he would have blinked furiously."Rather colorful, isn't it?" he asked.
"Thank Ms. Tracer. She programmed it."
"Sounds familiar. Is that the one that wouldn't stop looking at me?" Jareth remembered the girl who had watched him until she walked into the wall.
"Yup, She's only there because her two older sisters are." Electra shifted in her chair. "And as long as she's been here, she's been trying to make the rebels more...fashionable. She's already threatened to have a formal dance, once we get rid of Daemon. Seriously, I think she just wants to see me in a dress."
"Um...Don't you mean IF we get rid of Daemon?" Jareth corrected. "Whatever." "Umm...why did we access the rebel files?"
"To contact the others. Remember?"
"No."
"Oh, forget it."
"I already did."
Electra sighed, trying very hard not to slap him.
Hexadecimal wandered into the room."What are you two doing in here?" she asked. "If I'm interrupting anything, I can always come back later," she added, giving Jareth a secretive look.
Jareth switched his mask to an evil glare.
"We were just about to Call Dot," Electra said, ignore the exchange. Electra summoned up a Vidwindow, displaying the back of Dot Matrix.
"Auntie Em?" Electra asked.
Dot turned around. "Oh, it's you," she said. "I take it Enzo found you?"
"Nopers. But we do have nifty evidence that clears our names..."
"No need," Dot actually looked relieved that they had contacted her.
"We wish to regroup."
"And crush Macro....," Jareth added. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Macro's a traitor."
"Macro? Wasn't he with you, Electra?"
"He was," Electra replied. "At least, we thought he was. But he's been working for Daemon the whole time."
Dot's face looked grim. "So he's the one who set the rebel sector up. The rebels have taken heavy losses because of him. I'll contact Gavin and have Macro contained until we can deal with him. Meantime, we'll have to change our plans. Again."
* * * *
"Ugh," Electra said, as she stepped into something that probably shouldn't be stepped in. "Of all the ways into the Supercomputer's Principal Office., we just HAD to go in through the sewer."
Jareth shrugged. "Just be glad you're wearing boots. Dot said someone should sneak in and shut down the P.O. defenses form the inside."
"Yes, and I would have gladly volunteered to go. But why do we have to go in through the sewers?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
Electra stared at him. "But it was your idea."
"It was?"
"Yes. You said that since no one in their right mind would try to sneak in to the P.O. by wading through raw sewage, Daemon wouldn't think to put defenses here."
"That sounds logical. Are you sure it was my idea?"
Once again, Electra had to resist the urge to slap him.
As if the smell wasn't bad enough, the light began to fade after about thirty feet.
"Man, it's dark in here," Jareth said. "Shark--Flashli-"
"No!" Electra stopped him in mid-command. "Dot said that the P.O. scanners would be able to detect the use of a Keytool."
"Oh, yeah," Jareth said. Now he remembered. Since a Keytool left a Guardian when he became infected, Daemon had set up Keytool-scanners to locate uninfected Guadians. Jareth knew from past experience that he showed up on most scanners as a Guardian. Maybe Electra was right, he shouldn't call attention to himself.
"But it IS dark in here," Electra said. "I don't suppose you have any Viral tricks you can pull off?"
"Maybe," Jareth sounded surprised. That simply hadn't occurred to him. "Let me see what I can do."
Electra heard faint rustling sounds, and she could tell that Jareth was digging through his pockets again.
"Ah, here we go," Jareth said. Suddenly, a bright flickering light appeared, so bright Electra had to shield her eyes. When her eyes adjusted, Electra glanced at the source of the light. One of Jareth's crystal orbs floated at about eye-level, shining a bright bluish-white. It hovered unsteadily, as if it could not make up it's mind which way to go.
"How's that?" Jareth asked.
"It'll do. Can you send it on ahead?"
Jareth bent down so that he was on eye-level with the crystal. "Light...go on ahead."
The light hovered exactly where it was, seemingly content to stay where it was.
"Light...ahead!" Jareth repeated.
This time, the light floated over and came to rest on Jareth's shoulder. Electra smirked at him.
"What? At least we can see where we're going now."
"Yeah....now we can watch where we step."
* * * *
Electra pushed the sprite-hole above them.
"Sealed." Electra sighed. "They were prepared."
"Let me try."Jareth said. He pushed against the cover, but it wouldn't budge.
"Ahem. Jareth... IT'S SEALED! you can't push it."
"Oh. So what should we do?"
"Hmmm...." Electra stood as if in a trance for a while. Jareth dug his hands into his pockets and waited.
A while later Jareth got fed up and poked Electra.
"Wha? Where am I? What's going on?" Electra said sleepily.
"You were asleep," Jareth's mask flashed an angry look.
"Oh, sorry. Anyway, I have an idea." Electra pulled out Jet. The strange Keytool seemed to be permanently stuck in the shape of a double-handed short sword.
Jareth looked Electra up and down inquisitively. Not sure she liked the way he was looking at her, Electra frowned.
"What are you staring at?"
"Just where were you hiding that thing?" Jareth asked.
"Never mind. The point is, I can use it to pry off the Sprite-hole cover."
"But the collective will pick up the use of a keytool...or at least you said it would."
"It will. But not if I don't give Jet a command. I can just use it as a sword."
"Oooh. Whatever." Electra shoved Jet straight up through the sprite-hole.
"OW!" A voice called out from above. Electra and Jareth looked at each other, shocked.
"Do you think it's a guardian?" Jareth asked Electra.
"Of course it's a Guardian!" a familiar voice called through the cover.
"Bob?"
"Bob?"
"BOB!" Bob yelled from above them.
Electra pulled Jet out from the cover, prompting another yelp from the blue-skinned Guardian.
"Everybody off the sprite-hole!" Electra waited for the all clear.
Electra cut a hole in the cover big enough for her and Jareth. They climbed up with Bob's help.
Jareth look around the room. It seemed to be some sort of Prison cell, though why a sewer should lead to a cell was anyone's guess. Matrix was sitting dejectedly against the wall, brooding over something. Bob's leg was bleeding where it had been sliced by Jet. Jareth couldn't help but note the unusual color of the blood oozing onto the floor. "Hey! We're in a jail?" Jareth exclaimed.
"Let me guess... Macro?"
Matrix looked down at the floor. "He tricked me." Matrix growled.
"Macro left a holographic decoy of himself in the Saucy mare's brig, while he escaped here. He managed to take Matrix and I hostage," Bob explained.
"There, there. It's not your fault you're a big dolt." Electra said sarcastically, patting his shoulder. Matrix slapped her hand away.
"Keep your hands off me, Virus!"
"Hey! If you weren't so hooked on being Macro's newest best friend...."
"So this is now my fault?!" Matrix instinctively put his hand to his holster, only to remember that it was empty.
"No! This is his fault!" Electra pointed at Jareth. "He dragged me through the sewers and now I'm peeved."
While Electra was facing Matrix, Jareth made a crazy sign behind her back. "I saw that!" Electra yelled.
"Saw what?" Jareth asked innocently. The conversation was cut short as footsteps were heard echoing down the hall outside the cell.
"Eep! Guards!"
Jareth shoved Electra back down the hole, hopping in after her. He kept the side of his head to the ceiling of the sewer until he heard the footsteps leave, then climbed back out of the hole. He reached his hand down to help Electra out, but she didn't surface.
"Alright Electra, I know you don't like the sewers but... Lectra? Electra?" Jareth searched the water beneath him, but found nothing. "ELECTRA!? LECTRA?! Where are you?"
* * * *
Elsewhere in the Supercomputer, a Sprite hole cover was moved aside, creaking in protest against the concrete.
"Gah!" Electra pulled herself out of what she hoped was only murky water. The current had swept her down a side tunnel, dragging off to User knew where. "Jareth, I swear, when I get my digits on you...." Electra pushed the hair off her face. "Jareth? No witty Comeback?"
Electra looked around....only to find herself standing in the street, directly in front of the Principle Office.
"Oh, Slag," she said to the various Guardians who stood around her, weapons held ready. "It's you."
* * * *
"Well, how was I supposed to know that there was undertow in the sewers? It's not like I go sewer surfing on weekends. It actually YOUR fault, you know. You should have told me there were Guards posted, then we could have been quieter. You know--"
"Shut. Up," Matrix growled. "Just break the bars so we can get out of here."
"And just how am I supposed to do that?" Jareth asked.
"You can use your Viral energies to melt the bars," Bob said, nursing his wounded foot. "I'd do it myself, but..." Bob gestured with one arm, indicating his entire body. His chrome Glitch-Armor seemed to be covered with some sort of green fuzz. Looking closer, Jareth saw that Bob was actually covered with tiny lines of glowing green zeroes and ones.
"It's a sort of file-lock," Bob explained. "A Codemaster did the same thing to Glitch once before. My powers won't work until I can manage to break it."
"Okay. Stand back." Jareth cracked his knuckles and aimed his bony white hands towards the bars. In moments, they were free. "Funny. The last time I tried that, nothing happened. This must be the low-rent district, the bars were much softer. So, now what?" Jareth asked, following Bob and Matrix as the crept down the hall.
"First of all, keep your voice down," Matrix snapped.
"We're headed to one of the storage rooms," Bob said. "They took Matrix's Gun, and I'm hoping to find something that'll break this time lock."
"Ah...say no more. Say, when do you think we'll run into Mom? I still want to talk to her about the time-"
"Shhh!"
"Sorry."
* * * *
Electra winced as she was forced into a chair by a rather unfriendly hand. The interrogation room she was in was one of the most uncomfortable the Supercomputer could manage, and the bright lights were shining directly into Electra's face.
"Electra! I was wondering where you'd gotten to. Welcome home."
"Macro! You scum-sucking--"
"Ah-ah-ah, flattery will get you nowhere. I'm just here to ask you a few questions."
Marco's smooth, cover-up personality was gone, replaced by a predatory look in his eyes. He was after something, and he was determined to get it. "Now, just how many of you are there?" he asked.
"Just one. Accept no substitutions."
Macro slapped her across the face.
"Don't tempt me," He said. "I can do much worse."
Electra sneered at him, but didn't answer.
"So tell me, how many?" Macro leered over Electra.
"You think I'm just going to TELL you? You tried to capture us. And you doomed the Rebels."
"I wouldn't had to, if you had accepted my offer." Macro brushed Electra's cheek.
"I'd rather marry Frisket." Electra growled, and bit Macro's hand. Her fangs sank into his skin, drawing blood.
"Who's Frisket?" Marco said with a growl while nursing his hand.
"The dog behind you," Electra replied with a grin.
* * * *
Matrix, Bob, and Jareth slid past a hall of cells, moving as stealthily as they could. As they passed the last one, no less than three different pairs of hands pulled them in. After a slight struggle, GigAnate lay on the floor, keeping as still as she could.
"GigAnate!" The three almost shouted.
"Shhh... Do you want us all to be re-captured?" said a female sprite that Jareth thought looked a lot like a squid.
"Hey. I know you. You sent that transmission to Electra," Jareth pointed to the squid lady.
Jareth suddenly realized that there were quite a lot of squid people around them.
"That was was was Me," one of the others said. "Where is Elec ec ectra?"
"I accidentally flushed her down own own the sewer," Jareth replied, imitating the Sprite's speech impediment.
Emily and Cathryn Hotkey stood to the side, watching. Recognizing the rebel Viruses from the Saucy Mare, Matrix did a quick double-take.
"Hey, weren't there three of you?" he asked.
"Rachel whined," Cathryn said. "So we left her back on the boat."
"Listen," Bob said, "We need to form a plan. We have to..." Bob suddenly swooned and would have hit the floor had Matrix not caught him.
"He's in a file lock!" GigAnate noted, startled. "It seems to be draining his energy."
"Can you fix him?" Matrix asked, unease in his voice. He disliked entrusting Bob to a Virus, especially since he didn't have his Gun handy.
"Not GigAnate personally, but we rebels will have him out in a jiff," one of the nearby Virals said.
"Who are you?" Jareth asked.
"Hmm? Oh, name's Aurora. Put ‘er there." The Virus extended a tentacle-like hand.
"No," Jareth said, staring at her hand as if it might bite.
"Jareth, I want you to find Electra," Bob said. GigAnate opened her mouth to say something, but Bob cut her off. "No matter how capable she is, She might need back up" Jareth nodded and Disappeared into his mask, which spun haphazardly out of the room.
"Rebels, Let's get working." GigAnate announced.
* * * *
Electra stood looking down at the floor.
"Yuck," she commented. Lying there were various pieces of what had once been Macro. He was badly injured, though he hadn't yet disappeared.
"What does that taste like?" Electra asked Frisket.
"Woof!" Frisket replied.
At that moment, Jareth chose to appear.
"Hey, what's this place? Oh, the interrogation room. I remember this! This was the place where...." Jareth paused when he saw what was lying on the floor. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Yes. Macro. I thought I'd just watch him writher for a while."
"Good dog," Jareth said. "Wait...how did Frisket get here?"
"Don't ask me."
"Frisket, how did you get here?"
Frisket barked.
"All right, enough fun," Electra said. "We need to get out of here. You, Jareth..."
"Me Jareth."
Electra sighed.
"You, Jareth, go get Hex, Bring her here. Think you can remember that?"
"Okay, Hex said she'd be finished by now."
"Finished with what?"
Jareth gave her a puzzled look. "Your house. What else?"
Electra sighed, picturing what her house would look like after Hexadecimal was through with it. "Listen, when you and Hex get back, be prepared to fight. We're going to have to battle our way out of here."
Jareth looked at her skeptically. "This is the Principal Office of the Supercomputer. Do you really think we can fight our way out?"
"Hmm...maybe not. I don't suppose you have any tricks left?"
Jareth began to search through his pockets, his hand encountering the small object Hex had given him to hang onto. "You know what? I just might."
* * * *
Jareth's polished black mask flung itself down the halls of Electra's house, finally halting when it reached the living room. In a flash of bright light, Jareth appeared.
"Hex? Hexadecimal..."
"Jareth? In here!"
Jareth followed the sound of Hexadecimal's voice, finally finding her standing on the kitchen ceiling, painting herself into a corner. The entire kitchen had been re-done, the walls covered in jet black paint. Hand-and-footprints had been splattered over everything in neon colors, and Jareth was almost positive that the microwave did not belong in the refrigerator. Now, why was he here again....? "Oh, yeah! Hex, Electra told me to come get you. We get to fight and...stuff." He shrugged.
"Really? Who are we fighting?"
Jareth shrugged again. "The Guardians, I suppose."
Hex hopped down from the ceiling onto the freshly-painted turquoise floor.
"All right then, let's go!" Hex vanished into what had once been her mask, and floated gently away.
Jareth gazed around the kitchen. "I wonder where she got all the paint?" he mused. Then he followed Hexadecimal, hoping that she knew where they were supposed to be going.
* * * *
"What could be keeping them?" Electra asked, pacing the floor of the interrogation room.
Frisket replied with a growl. Already, three half-eaten sprites lay on the floor of the room, and eventually, Electra knew, sooner or later someone would want to know where all the guards were going.
"Honey, I'm home!" Jareth appeared in the room, with Hex following after.
"What did you call me?" Electra asked.
"Never mind. Here, I think this is yours." Jareth reached into his coat and pulled out what looked like a cross between a Keytool and a katana blade.
"Jet!" Electra said, taking the strange tool from Jareth. "Where did you find him?"
"One of the Guards was carrying him, heading for the evidence room."
Electra shot Jareth an odd look.
"What were you doing there?" she asked.
"I only went in to look!" Jareth said defensively. "It's not like I went in just to take things. And you should be glad did, because I also found your other Keytool, What's-His-Name." Jareth pulled another Keytool, this one a more conventional-looking device, from his other pocket and tossed it to her.
Electra caught BuBBle and attached it to her bracer. "Whatever. Listen, we need to get back to the others."
"Right," Jareth nodded. "Follow me."
Hexadecimal and Electra fell into step behind Jareth, as the three of them exited the interrogation room. They had not gotten far when one of the wandering Guardians stopped them. Electra was about to attack, as was Hexadecimal, when Jareth withdrew the small command from his pocket and threw it to the floor.
It had been a long, long time since the Medusa Bug had been activated, but it was obvious that it hadn't lost it's touch. The moment the small, honeycomb-shaped object hit the floor, it's power began to spread, turning everything into stone. The Guardian tried to run, but the effects of the Medusa were too fast. Soon, he was nothing more than a statue. Unfortunately, Jareth and Electra too were affected. Both stood in the narrow hallway, frozen solid. Hexadecimal, hovering inches off the floor, gazed sadly from one to the other.
"Hmm....I suppose I should really undo this, but..." Hex's gaze went to the frozen Guardian. "That would release HIM as well...." Hex shook her head, unaccustomed to logical thought. "What to do, what to do.....Hmmm?"
As Hex stood there, the stone encasing Electra began to crack. Soon, it had shattered entirely, freeing her from her imprisonment. Moments later, Jareth, too, was freed.
"What in the World Wide Web was THAT?!" Electra asked.
"The Medusa Bug," Jareth explained, shaking a few fragments of stone from his hair. "You were out of town the last time Hex played with it. It's a lot of fun, but for some reason, Guardians are immune."
"Wait," Electra said, puzzled. "If Guardians are immune, then doesn't that mean..."
All three looked down the hall toward the Guard that had stopped them. Sure enough, the stone holding him prisoner shattered, freeing him. He took off down the hall, running as fast as he could.
The three exchanged glances.
"After him!" Electra shouted.
* * * *
"Now, just hold still, Bob...," GigAnate said, opening up a Field Medic kit. The chaotic Virus withdrew a small tool and aimed it at Bob, who was lying against the wall. "This'll get rid of that file lock, faster than you can say-" GigAnate never got to say what it worked faster than you could say, because at that moment a wave of energy swept through the area, turning everyone and everything it passed into stone.
Bob sighed. This was a little too familiar.
Moments later, the stone encasing Matrix shattered. He dusted himself off carefully, looking a bit confused.
"The Medusa Bug, or something just like it," Bob explained. "Guardians are immune, but it clearly works on Viruses."
Bob gestured to GigAnate, who stood still as a stone. Matrix tried to pry the tool from GigAnate's hand, but it, too, was stone, and now seemed to be a part of the Virus' hand.
"This is bad," Bob said.
"Very bad," agreed Matrix.
* * * *
"So, What should be do with him?" Electra was sitting on the unconscious Guardian.
"Well, we could tie him up," Jareth suggested.
"With what?? Wait..." Electra ripped off one of her sleeves, making a long and wide piece of cloth. She ripped it into thirds. She handed one to Hex, and the other to Jareth.
"Alright. Jareth. You tied his legs, Hex, you stuff it in his mouth, and I'll tie his digits."
"Ummm....'Lectra? I have rope, you know."
"What? You should have said something!"
"You didn't ask!"
Before this argument could go any further, Matrix came running down the hall.
"Ah. Mr. Macho, nice of you to join the party." Electra said with her hands on her hips. "Where's Bob? Wasn't he with you?" she asked.
"I left him back in the cell with the Virals." Matrix scowled again. "I didn't want to, but he made me."
"Why didn't he come along?"
"He couldn't. The File Lock he's in is draining his energy. That one Virus--"
"GigAnate?" Electra suggested.
"Whatever, said she could free him, but then she turned to stone."
"Whoops," Jareth said.
"Bob'll be fine. A File Lock like that would take ages to drain a Sprite's energy to lethal levels. We'll go back and fix him later. But now, we need to find the security controls." Electra turned to Jareth. "Which way do we go?" she asked.
"Um... Well... I can't remember." Jareth said honestly "Was it left or right?" They were standing where the corridor forked.
"Alright, Hex, you come with me, We'll go right. Jareth, Matrix, you two go left. Jareth, keep in touch, call me if you find it." Electra grabbed Hex's arm and pulled her down the left-hand corridor.
"Electra....?" Hex poked Electra. "I thought you said we were going right."
"We are, Hex."
"Then why are Matrix and Jareth walking right as well?"
Electra stopped, looking around and noticing for the first time that she was going down the wrong tunnel.
"Oh," she said. "Right."
* * * *
Kit paced back and forth through the streets of the Supercomputer. All of the viruses walking the streets had been encased in dull gray stone, but the Guardians were still active. They scurried like ants, trying to figure out what had happened, and because of the chaos they simply failed to notice Kit.
She had left Dot, Mouse, and Timesprite back at the docks with the Saucy Mare and Ship- -all petrified, no help to anyone. What could have done this? Sighing helplessly, Kit gazed up at the massive sphere of the Principal Office. She had tried to get in, but the doors were frozen solid. There was nothing for her to do, no way she could help.
She wished she knew what was going on.
* * * *
Matrix couldn't have been in a worse mood. Bob had been leeched dry of energy by a File Lock, Frisket had been frozen solid by the Medusa Bug, he had lost his Gun, and, worst of all, he was left exploring the P.O. with none other than Jareth. He scowled.
"Don't you ever do anything but scowl?" Jareth asked. "I mean, have you ever tried to smile? It's not that difficult...well, I wouldn't really know, of course, I haven't got a face, but just about everyone I know smiles, and they make it look pretty eas--"
"Shut. Up," Matrix never pronounced "Shut up" as a phrase, at least not when directing it at Jareth. It was always two separate sentences, as if with each word Matrix was trying not to knock the Virus' teeth out. Of course, Jareth hadn't any teeth, so he wasn't terribly concerned.
"Tell you what. I'll shut up if you smile. And no, that doesn't count as a smile. That's a scowl. There's a difference. See, a smile--"
"Shh!" as they neared the corner, Matrix grabbed Jareth and pulled him flat against the wall. He glanced cautiously around the corner, noting the two Guardians stationed in front of the door. Jareth peeked over Matrix's shoulder.
"Are those Guardians?" he whispered.
"Yes."
"What are they doing?"
"Standing guard."
"Makes sense. Guardians guarding."
"That's the Security Room."
"How can you tell?" Jareth asked. It looked like all the other doors to him.
"Read the sign."
"Can't. What's it say?"
"You can't read? It says ‘Security'."
"That's where we're going, right?"
"Right. Wish I had Gun."
"Gun?"
"Yes, Gun...you know, my gun?"
Jareth reached into his pocket and pulled out the very firearm to which Matrix had been referring. "Is this it?" The gun was gone from Jareth's hand in less time that it took to blink. Even though Jareth didn't blink, he still found this impressive.
"Where did you find her?"
"Her? It...ummm...SHE was in the storage room where I found ‘Lectra's keytools."
Matrix was fondling the Gun like a lost love.
"Ummm...should I leave you two alone?"
Matrix glared at him. "Watch and learn, Virus." Matrix stepped out into plain sight of the Guardians. His targeting eye rotated, then began to hum, glowing bright red. Flawlessly, Matrix squeezed off two shots. The next sound Jareth heard was a thud, like that made by a pair of bodies hitting the floor.
Jareth peered around the corner, but the Guardians' bodies had already disappeared.
"Come on," Matrix said. He reached for the doorknob...but before he could turn it, it turned itself. The door began to open from the other side.
As fast as he could, Jareth grabbed Matrix and pulled him back around the corner and out of sight. The Viral Guardian peeked around the corner once more...and gasped, shocked.
A large sprite was standing in the hall. He cast his gaze around, presumably trying to find those responsible for guarding the room. His skin was a dark blueish-green, a shade lighter than Matrix's, and his hair was jet-black. A small golden cylinder hung from his belt, and on his Icon throbbed sickly-yellow veins, a telltale sign of Daemon's infection. His skin and hair had changed color, but even Jareth could still recognize him.
Matrix looked over Jareth's shoulder. "You know this guy?"
"Yes," Jareth whispered.
"Who is he?"
"Backslash."
* * * *
"Really, I'm surprised at you, Electra," Hexadecimal said, as the pair of them made their way down the corridor. "I'd have thought you of all people would have paired yourself off with Jareth. Why didn't you?"
"Well, he and I are the only ones with Keytools. If we didn't split up, there'd be no way for us to keep in contact."
"Oh, I see....but you could have given one of yours to Matrix, or to me."
Electra shuddered at the thought of what Hexadecimal would do with a Keytool. "This...works better, trust me."
"What are we looking for, again?"
"The security room."
"And why?"
Electra sighed. She was getting sick of explaining the plan. Jareth had needed constant reminders, and his sister wasn't that much better. Well, she thought, all relationships have problems. Electra stopped dead. Did she really just think that? Shaking it off, Electra fell back into step behind Hexadecimal. "We're looking for the security room so that we can shut off the defense grid. Then, we have you undo the Medusa effect. GigAnate heals Bob, reinforcements arrive, we kick Daemon's Bitmap, and celebrate with a feast. A nice big feast, with party games and music and all sorts of--"
Silence.
"Well, go on," Hexadecimal prompted. "All sorts of what?"
More silence.
Hexadecimal turned around to see why Electra hadn't spoken.
A large Virus stood in the center of the Hall. Her skin was a violent sapphire blue, and her eyes blood red. She was a strikingly beautiful humanoid from the waist up, but below that she had the long, coiled tail of a serpent. A small, blue, blinking device was attached to her waist. Electra was held a good six inches off the floor, wrapped head to toe in the Virus' coils. Her fangs were sunk deep into the snakelike tail, and viscous purple blood was oozing out, but the Virus seemed not to mind.
"Greetings, Hexadecimal," she said, in tones that brought to mind a bar of iron wrapped in silk.
"Oh, dear."
* * * *
"Backslash? Are you sure?" Matrix asked, apparently shocked.
"He used to be one of my best friends, I should know." Jareth's mask was a shocked expression as well. "Though I admit. He's changed."
"Who's there? You can't hide from me you know. I'm Backslash Interface! Terror of the guardian collective!" Matrix shook his head in disbelief and Jareth tried not to snigger.
The sound gave them away, and Backslash rounded the corner. "Aha! Here you are! ... oh Hello Jareth. what are you doing here?"
"Infect him?" Matrix asked Jareth.
"Infect? Sorry, can't, don't know how. I never could get Megabyte to teach me that one."
"Why do you want to do that?" Backslash asked, puzzled. "And who are you?" he asked, turning on Matrix. "And didn't you fall out with your mother?" he asked Jareth, turning back to the Viral Guardian.
"Mother?" Matrix echoed. Could it be that Backslash hadn't heard about what had happened the last time they were in the Supercomputer? Maybe they could turn that to their advantage.
He shot Jareth a look, and, for once, Jareth caught on. Jareth nodded at the renegade, then turned back to Backslash.
"I wouldn't say we've FALLEN OUT, exactly. I merely went on...um...a trip that she wasn't so fond of. Say, where do you think that expression came from, anyway? ‘Falling out'....sounds like a skydiving term. Do you think he's buying this, Matrix?"
Matrix shook his head, muttered something about Chaotics, then grabbed Backslash and wrestled him to the ground. "Get. Some. Ugh! ROPE. or something." Matrix managed to call out while fighting the surprisingly strong Backslash.
"Oh! I have that! I can do that!" Jareth said, as if he'd just won a prize. Jareth looked into his pocket and pulled out the first thing he found.
"Wait! I have weapons!" Buffy cried.
"I've made a little space for the cheese," The cheese guy replied.
"Oops. That's not rope." Jareth said, pushing them back into he's jacket. "AH! here it is."
"Give it here." Matrix commanded.
Matrix quickly tied up the infected Guardian. "Watch him," he said gruffly, then walked towards the security room.
"I hope you realize that that's not the real security room," Backslash said.
"Then why is it labeled Security Room?" Jareth asked.
"The P.O. is full of mislabeled doors, to throw intruders off the track. You'll never find the real defense grid."
"Um... what are we going to do with him now?" Jareth asked, looking back up at Matrix.
"He'll take us to the defense grid."
Jareth kneeled by Backslash. "By the way, Hi, Backslash! I haven't seen you in a long time. Do you remember me? Well, even if you don't, I remember you, and that's something, because I almost never remember anything. Anyway, what are you doing here? The last time I saw you, you said something about going away to explore the Net, but I never thought you'd wind up here, because--"
Matrix interrupted Jareth by poking Backslash."Take us to the defense grid."
"Never," Backslash spat. "No matter what you do, I'll never--" CLICK! Matrix's Gun was suddenly cocked next to his head. Backslash sighed. "That way," he said, jerking his head in the direction of the hall.
*******
"Nice Mask" Electra said. She and Hexadecimal had been taken to Daemon's throne room. Electra had been in no position to put up much of a fight (and HexAnate's blood was starting to burn her mouth), and Hexadecimal had been quite wiling to see Daemon again, so they had been transported here with little trouble. Once there, Electra had been hung from her wrists over a large tub of glowing liquid, presumably something unpleasant.
On the small pedestal next to her throne was a polished golden mask, which slowly rotated, catching the light. Daemon wandered slowly past the pedestal, caressing the mask as she passed.
"Oh, Mother, You shouldn't have." Hexadecimal squealed at the sight of the mask.
"Good, because I didn't."
"You mean the mask isn't for me?" Hexadecimal frowned.
"It's my greatest invention yet. I haven't quite got a name for it, considering that I haven't put it on anyone yet." Daemon pushed a button on the arm of her throne. "You may enter, Turbo."
The door to the throne room opened again, and none other than Turbo stepped into the room.
"But I do have somebody in mind," Daemon continued. "He'll be the greatest Virus there ever was....next to me, of course." Daemon went behind Turbo and raised the mask over his head.
"HOLD IT!" Electra said.
Daemon paused. "Yes?"
"You're going to put THAT mask on Turbo?"
"Correct."
"But Turbo's a guy."
"Your point being?" Daemon asked, now slightly irritated.
"That's a female mask."
Daemon blinked. How had she managed to overlook that? Of course, a female mask could not be used on a male Guardian.
"Then I'll simply have to find someone else." She glared menacingly at the Sprite hanging from the ceiling.
Electra swallowed. "Me?"
"Out of the question. You have Lore's Code, Lore's mixed code. There'd be no point in my replacing Lore if I gave this mask to someone just like him."
Daemon walked back to her throne and returned the mask to it's pedestal. "Anyway, you won't live to see my creation. You'll be deleted. Now, I must be off to find a suitable....specimen. Hexadecimal, dear?"
"Yes, Mother?"
"Keep an eye on her, would you? Come, HexAnate, Turbo." The three left the room, side by side.
"Soooo.... Hex," Electra said, as soon as the doors has slid closed. "How do you feel about letting me down? Preferably not into the--"
SPLASH!
"Oops. Sorry Electra." Hex said innocently, as Electra quick swam to the surface, eager to get out of the water before she got deleted.
"Yeah, whatever," Electra said, climbing out of the pool. The strange green liquid clung to her. "Yuck," she said, attempting to brush it off. It seemed to be soaking into her flesh; her skin was starting to glow green. She made a mental note to find out what it was, as soon as this adventure was over.
" It certainly is a nice mask," Hexadecimal said. "Do you think mother would mind if I took it?"
"Probably. But do you really care?"
"Why, what a question, Electra! Of course I care!" Hex grabbed the mask.
Electra glanced at the door as footsteps started to echo in the corridor beyond.
"Oh bother. I don't have anywhere to put it," Hexadecimal said. "And mother would take it from me if she saw me with it, wouldn't she? Here, Electra, you take it. Hide it. Find Jareth and... Do.... whatever it is we're here to do.." Hex handed the mask to Electra, somehow managing to shrug at the same time.
"Got it Hexy." Electra bolted from the room. As the doors close behind her, she heard Hexadecimal roar: "AND NEVER CALL ME THAT!"
*******
Jareth and Matrix entered the dimly lit hallway, dragging the tied-up Backslash behind them. There were no doors in this one, but the walls were lined with portrait after portrait, beautifully rendered.
"Hey. I remember this hall from a lecture we had when I was in the Academy." Jareth exclaimed, surprised that he could remember something from so long ago.
Matrix shot a surprised look at Jareth. "I thought you'd never been to the Academy."
Jareth switched to an embarrassed face. "Well, I was expelled, to tell you the truth. In my third year. Never made it any further. But I went, of course. Where else does one get a Keytool?"
Matrix blinked, absorbing this new information. "So what's the deal with this hall?"
"Backslash, would you care you explain?" Jareth looked down at the gagged Backslash, who merely glared at him.
"Very well," Jareth said, "I'll do it. This Hall holds all the paintings of all the Prime Guardians the collective has ever known. It had everything written on the plaque you would need to know about them. Installation date, Deletion date, What wars they've caused..." Backslash made an outraged sound through his gag. "Oh. sorry. What wars they've won, or fought in. And they're all here, every single one of them...from...Comp Serve to Hot Key, from Online Access to Sei..." Jareth stopped at the third picture from the end. "That's funny..."
"What? what is it?"
"There's no Deletion date on Seirra's plaque. And we all know she's not the current Prime Guardian. It doesn't say what happened to her."
"Lazy engraver?" Matrix quipped.
"I don't think so." Jareth bent over and pulled out Backslash's gag. "What happened to Seirra?" he asked.
"I wouldn't tell you even if I kne--" Jareth stuffed the gag back in. Backslash coughed on the gag.
"Maybe she just retired," Matrix suggested.
Jareth shook his head. As I understand it, Guardians never retire. They serve until the day they go offline."
"Well, we can go ask Turbo if we see him."
Backslash couldn't speak, but he began to thrash about as soon as Matrix mentioned Turbo.
"What is it boy? You want to play fetch?" Jareth asked.
Matrix almost lost his grip on Backslash's rope. He bent down and pulled the gag out of his mouth again.
"Turbo's bad news. Only Daemon and HexAnate are even allowed near him."
"Whoa. HexAnate's here?" Jareth asked. "The virus that killed Del--"
"Of course! How many people have a name like HexAnate? Listen, I know you guys aren't too thrilled with me at the moment, but take my advice and stay away from Turbo. At all costs."
"Just because he's fighting the infection?"
"Fighting it? Ha! He lost that fight ages ago. But Daemon's about to make him Virus supreme. Nobody will be able to beat him... except Daemon, the Great and Powerf--" Jareth stuck the gag back in.
"Why'd you do that?" Matrix asked.
"I doubt he was going to say "Wizard of Oz". Believe me Matrix, I did it for your own protection. Now, we have to find Daemon and Turbo before something very, very not good happens.