Chapter 6: Welcome to Wonderland

With a bright flash and an earth-shattering explosion, a large tear opened just outside the port of Mainframe, and the Saucy Mare pulled into the harbor.

“Ahhh…home, sweet home,” Dot said, leaning against the railing. Suddenly, a thought struck her. “Did anyone remember to contact Phong and tell him about Daemon?” she asked, turning to the Sprites behind her.

“I think Bob called ahead,” AndrAIa said. “I’m not sure how much he told him, though. Something about the line not being secure.”

Dot nodded, and turned back to face Mainframe. Bob and Matrix were the only two Mainframers to remain in the Supercomputer, hoping to help clean up the mess Daemon had made….not to mention that caused by the battle itself. Meanwhile, the rest had returned to Mainframe. A loud thunk shook Dot from her thoughts. Looking to her right, she realized that the gangplank had been lowered. Sprites and Binomes alike began to disembark…some, like Jareth, eschewed the gangplank in favor of flight.

Electra stood at the edge of the gangplank, undecided. Jareth turned to face her, still hovering in midair.

“Coming, ‘Lectra?”

“Ummm…sure.” Electra climbed up onto the railing then leapt off into the air…and promptly fell, splashing down into the energy sea.

“Lectra?” Jareth flew back toward the place where Electra had fallen in, and peered down into the liquid energy. Within moments, Electra’s head broke the surface.

Jareth set down on the pier as Electra dragged herself from the harbor onto the dock.

“Guess I still don’t have this flying thing down yet,” she said. Grabbing a handful of her aquamarine dress and beginning to wring it out, Electra stopped, puzzled. The fabric was completely dry. “Huh?”

“That’s…interesting.” Jareth peered curiously at the handful of cloth.

“Are you okay, Electra?” Dot asked, walking over to her.

“I’m fine,” Electra said. “I’m not even wet.”

Dot shot her a puzzled look. “What exactly happened to you back in the Supercomputer?”

Electra related the tale of how she had put on Daemon’s experimental mask, after being dunked into an ominous vat of glowing liquid. “And that’s what turned me into….this,” Electra finished.

The experience had certainly changed her, Dot mused. Instead of her normal green skin and blackish-white hair, she now had turquoise hair, and a mask-like face similar to Hexadecimal’s, but metallic gold. “I think you should get a complete scan at the P.O. There’s no telling what other effects that goop might have had.”

“You really think so?”

Dot nodded, then removed her organizer from her belt. She quickly dialed in a sequence of numbers.

“Yes, what is it?” The voice on the other end snapped.

“Phong?” Dot asked, taken aback by the old sprite’s tone.

“Oh, it’s you. Well, what do you want?”

“I….I was wondering if you’d have time to do a code scan for Electra. She had a bit of trouble at the Supercomputer, and—“

“I’m very busy. But if it’s that important, I suppose I can squeeze her in. Tell her to report to the Principal Office Infirmary cycle after next.”

“Cycle after next? But Phong, this could be—“

“Thank you for calling.” With that, the elderly sprite at the other end of the line simply hung up.

“Wow. What’s with him?” Electra asked.

“I guess he had had a lot on his mind lately.” Dot shrugged.

“If you ask me, the old guy’s finally flipped.” Jareth said. He yawned, stretching the ebony wings that grew from his back.

“So, you’re scheduled for the cycle after next. What’ll you do ‘till then?” Dot asked.

Electra shrugged. “I guess I’ll go home. I’ve got a lot of cleaning to do.” Electra started in the direction of her old apartment, then seemed to think better of it. Grabbing Jareth by the sleeve, she began pulling him along with her. “Come on, Featherhead. You can help me dust.”

* * *

“RRGH!” Using all of his strength, Matrix forced a large chink of mortar back into position, filling a gaping hole in one of the walls of the Supercomputer’s P.O. As he held it, Bob focused the energies of his Keytool download, his beams of golden light fusing the stone back in place.

“That should just about do it,” Bob said. Matrix relaxed his grip on the wall, and the block of slate held. “Well, there’s that one done.” Bob said. “Ready to move to the next building?”

Matrix nodded. It was far too much trouble to talk since he’d broken his jaw during his fight with Daemon. He could talk when he had to, but he preferred not to. The two moved on to the next building, but before they could begin their reconstructions, they were approached by an official looking Guardian carrying a briefcase.

“Which of you is Guardian 452?” He asked, in a snooty, oddly familiar voice.

“I am,” Bob said, a puzzled expression on his face. “Why?” Faster than the eye could follow, the Guardian opened his briefcase, removed a holodisc, snapped the case shut, and presented the disc to Bob.

“By order of the Guardian Collective, you are under arrest for the deletion of Prime Guardian Sierra Server. You have the right to remain silent….”

Bob was so shocked he didn’t even hear the rest. He flipped the switch on the holodisc, activating it’s message. There was no doubting the holographic words that floated inches above the disc’s polished surface….this was indeed an official arrest warrant. But why? Yes, he had deleted Sierra…sort of. He’d only been trying to defeat Daemon. No one had known that Daemon’s body was actually that of Sierra, taken over by an infectious, sepentine virus. But…now that he thought about it, there was no denying the fact that he had, indeed, erased a Prime Guardian…a crime punishable by deletion.

“You can’t be serious!” Matrix exclaimed, despite the pain in his mouth. “Bob saved this system! He saved the entire Net! How could you possibly—“

“Yes, yes,” The Guardian didn’t seem to care. “I’m afraid arguing about this on the streets won’t help anyone. I’m afraid you’ll have to save it for court.”

This sprite was infuriating…and SO familiar. “Have I met you before? What’s your name?”

The Guardian looked down his nose at Matrix. “I assure, you, sir, that I would never associate with…your sort. But if you must know, my name is Driver.” The Guardian reached behind his back and produced a pair of binders. “And as for you, Guardian 452…I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me.”

* * *

“Yeesh, what a mess.” Jareth pawed through one of the piles of junk on the floor, unearthing old toys, tools, photos, and what ay have been the remains of the Lost City of Atlantis. “When was the last time you cleaned in here?”

“Keep in mind that I haven’t lived here for seconds.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Electra pulled a dust-laden object off the floor and shook it off. “Hey, J, remember this?”

Jareth switched to a squinting face. “Hey, yeah! That’s the dress you wore to that party that one time.”

“Ahh…there IS a memory in there…somewhere.”

Suddenly, the System’s female voice resounded throughout the sector. “Warning—Incoming game! Warning—Incoming game!”

“Uh-oh…” Electra said, looking up at the ceiling.

“Goody! A game.” Jareth switched to a grin. “I haven’t played a Game in a long time. Hope it’s a good one.”

As he spoke, the Game landed, sealing off the entire area. Jareth and Electra looked around, taking in the scenery. “Looks pretty bleak. I wonder what kind of twisted mind created this one.”

“What are you talking about?” Jareth asked. “This is awesome. Like something out of a Tim Burton movie.”

“Who?”

“Never mind. So, what’s the game?”

“BuBBle—game stats.”

Electra’s Keytool brought up a Holographic display, several times larger than the Keytool’s actual screen.

“The Game’s called Allison.”

“What?”

“Don’t ask me. I think it’s a name.”

“And the objective?”

“The User plays a girl called Allison. She has to make her way through Miracleland…I’m assuming THIS is Miracleland….and get to the end.” Elecra shrugged. “That’s it.”

“Okay,” Jareth said. There was a pause. “Now what?”

“Now we ReBoot.”

“Ahh…right. I remember now.”

Jareth double-clicked the Icon in the center of his chestplate, and Electra followed suit. “ReBoot!” In a flash of green light, the game’s data was downloaded into their codes.

Electra looked down at herself. “Ummm….”

She was wearing a blue frilly dress, covered by a white apron. “What in the World Wide Web?” She looked over at Jareth, who was wearing a similar expression. Instead of being nearly six feet tall and covered in black clothing, he was now barely three feet tall and covered sparsely with coarse fur. He was apparently some sort of cat….albeit a mangy, flea-ridden cat, the sort that you would chase off with a broom if it followed you home, instead of asking to keep it.

“Don’t ask me.”

Electra consulted her Keytool. “What the…we’re…..the Users?”

“Pardon me?”

“We’re the Users. I’m Allison. You’re the Yorkschire Cat …sort of my guide. Why in the Net are WE playing the User’s characters?”

Jareth gave the feline version of a shrug. “Maybe the Game glitched. That happens sometimes. Or it could be a Viral thing.”

“I guess it doesn’t matter at this point.” Electra suddenly noticed that something was in her pocket. Reaching in, she drew forth a long, curved butcher knife.

“What the…”

“It’s called a Vorpal Blade,” Jareth informed her.

Again, Electra consulted her Keytool. “That’s right. How did you know that?”

Again, Jareth shrugged. “Dunno. Must come with my character.”

Electra shook her head. “This is too weird. All right…we’re supposed to be heading…that way.” Electra started off in the direction that BuBBle indicated. Jareth, following the instincts he’d downloaded from the Game, faded to invisibility, until only his grin remained. “This…should be interesting.”

* * *

“Enzo, are you serious?”

“Dead serious. Sis, he’s on trial as we speak. Do you know what the penalties are for deleting a Prime Guardian? What do we do?”

Dot sighed. “Enzo, calm down. I’ll be right there.”

“But by the time you get here…”

“I know…I know. I’ll contact Phong. Maybe he’ll know what to do. Hold on.”

Dot put Matrix on hold, then dialed up Phong.

“What?” Phong snapped, his face appearing in the Vidwindow and looking very annoyed.

“Phong….Bob’s been arrested. They’re trying him for the deletion of Prime Guardian Server. What—“

“Well, then, he shouldn’t have deleted Sierra, should he? He deserves whatever they give him. Now don’t call me again unless it’s something important!” With that, the Vidwindow closed.

Dot glared, and brought Matrix’s Vidwindow back up.

“Well?”

“Enzo…I’ll call you back.”

* * *

Driver may have been a genuine ASCII, but there was no doubt about it, he was an extremely good prosecutor. “Isn’t it true, Guardian 452, that Supercomputer regulations require all Guardians to perform extensive scans on any and all Viral agents before deletion?”

Bob swallowed. “Yes. It is.”

“And isn’t it true that you failed to perform such sensor scans before attacking the entity presumed to be the Supervirus known as Daemon?”

“Yes.”

“Guardian 452, why was it that you failed to perform such sensor sweeps as were required by Supercomputer regulations?”

“Daemon was about to destroy a friend and fellow Guardian. I had no choice but to act.”

“And the rule book went out the window.”

“Daemon had been scanned before, during a prior attack on my assigned system, Mainframe. I expected that any abnormalities would have shown during those scans, which I studied before our attack on the Supercomputer.”

“Guardian 452, this regulation was set in place due to a common practice of Viruses: the Self-destruct clause. If the Virus is deleted, the clause activates and causes a massive explosion, potentially fatal to those nearby. Isn’t it true that Daemon could have installed such a program after her attack on your system? “

“Well…yes. But—“

“Even if Daemon’s vessel hadn’t turned out to be Prime Guardian Server, you would still have been negligent in your duties as a Guardian. Isn’t that true?”

“Yes…I suppose it is.”

“No further questions, Your Honor.”

Driver strode back to his desk. Turbo, who had insisted on acting as Judge during this trial, turned to the Jury.

The jury foreman stood. ‘We have, Your Honor.”

* * *

Grunting, Electra pulled her Vorpal Blade from the torso of the giant ant. “Well, that was pleasant.” Electra looked around. “Jareth?”

“Yes?”

“Where are you?”

Jareth appeared, piece by piece, on a nearby branch. “You called?”

“Yeah. What’s the deal with these ants?”

“Game Sprites. You’re meant to kill them.“ Jareth looked at the butchered ant. “Oh. You’ve figured that part out already.”

“It wasn’t difficult. Where do you keep going?”

“I’m not supposed to show up ‘till you call me.”

“So I get to do this alone?” Electra pointed the blade at Jareth. “That’s not fair.”

“All right, all right. Just staying in character. That reminds me, you’re supposed to speak with a British accent.”

“Bite me. Listen, where do we go from here?”

Jareth shrugged.

“You’re supposed to know these things!”

“I’m also supposes to keep a few things from you. Where’s the fun if I just tell you everything?”

“Games aren’t supposed to be fun!”

“Says who?”

“Everyone!”

“Get real. I don’t know everyone, and neither do you.”

If Electra could have reached him, she would have slapped him. Just as she was wondering whether she had anything to throw at him, a small movement caught her eye. Turning, she spotted a dilapidated rabbit with white fur hop past. It stopped just in front of her, looked at her expectantly, taped it’s foot, and hopped off again. Electra looked up at Jareth.

“Well? Can’t you take a hint?” So saying, Jareth vanished.

Electra cursed under her breath, then began chasing after the rabbit. “Of all the Sprites to get stuck in a Game with…”

* * *

Bob lay flat on his cot, staring up at the ceiling of his cell. He’d only been here for a few nanos, but already it seemed as though a cycle had passed.

“Guardian 452?”

Bob sat up on his cot, so as to look the prison guard in the eye.

“You have visitors.”

The guard moved aside, and behind him in the doorway stood Matrix.

“Matrix?”

“Yeah. How they treating you?”

“It could be worse.”

“I brought someone,” Matrix stepped aside, and his sister entered the room. Dot purposefully walked up to the bars.

“Oh, Bob….”

“Dot. Hey,” Bob wiped a tear from Dot’s cheek. “Don’t cry. I got off light.”

“You call life without parole light?!” Matrix asked.

“Beats the alternative,” Bob said. If he was at all distraught, he was hiding it well.

“Bob, don’t worry. I’ve been going through the Guardian regulations and statutes. I’m going to try to overturn the verdict.” Dot sniffed, then smiled. “I got here as soon as I heard. I hoped I’d make the trial….but I can at least make the appeal."

“Good luck,” Bob said. Bob pulled Dot closer, and whispered in her ear. Dot listened, eyes wide, then nodded. Bob gave her a quick kiss through the bars, then held her at arms length by the shoulders. “Go on,” he said.

Matrix started to follow.

“Matrix,” Bob stopped him.

Matrix turned.

“Watch out for her. And do me a favor, keep an eye on Driver.” Bob grinned. “You know which one.”

Matrix returned the grin, nodded, and followed his sister from the prison block.

* * *

Back in Mainframe, things had gotten decidedly worse. The skies overhead had darkened, and it wasn’t just the Game Cube’s fault. It seemed like the rain had taken up permanent residence over the System. AndrAIa glanced out the window with a wistful sigh, then leaned back on the couch. Enzo sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, watching TV.
And not just any TV.

“All this and more can be yours for only—“

“99.99.99,” Enzo said, before Mike could. Enzo was the only person in Mainframe who could out-talk Mike the TV. “Honestly, Mike, isn’t there anything on besides infomercials.”

“Sorry, kid,” Mike said, his screen cutting the broadcast and displaying only his eyes. As usual, he tended to overplay the drama. “This awful storm has wreaked havok on my reception! When, oh, when will this madness end?!”

“Guys, keep it down,” AndrAIa said. Something outside the window had caught her eye. Despite the overcast skies, she had distinctly seen something in the bushes by the front of her house.

“Mike, take Enzo out the back. Go to Dot’s and wait.”

“But-“

“Just do it, Mike.”

Mike and Enzo exchanged a glance, then headed for the back door. AndrAIa removed the small cylinder from her belt, and fingered the button on the side, extending it into her razor-edged trident.
      Quickly and quietly as she could, AndrAIa snuck out the door and crept into the front yard.
      Almost immediately, she grimaced: few things were worse for walking through soft soil than high heels. She really ought to invest in a pair of sneakers. She made a mental note to ask Mouse where she’d gotten her boots.
      The bushes outside proved empty. For a moment, AndrAIa wondered whether she could be losing her touch.
That’s when the house exploded.

* * *

Mike ran, almost dragging Enzo along with him.

“Mike! Stop! What’s the hurry?”

Mike put on a western accent. “The Lil’ lady said to get you to safety. Well, that’s just what I aim to do, partner.”

Just then, an ear-shattering explosion from behind rocked the very earth beneath their feet. Both Sprites stopped short, and turned around. In the distance behind them, a thin plume of smoke rose into the cloudy air, almost immediately dissipated by the heavy rain. The smoke seemed to be coming from….

Enzo gasped. “AndrAIa…”

Mike took Enzo’s hand, pulling him again. “Come on.”

Numbly, Enzo allowed Mike to lead him towards Dot’s Diner. The most popular eatery in Mainframe had long been like Enzo’s second home for almost as long as he could remember. The 50’s style Diner was just about in sight, when the two were stopped by a voice from above.

“Enzo!”

Enzo looked up. “Mouse?”

The hacker landed her zipboard on the pavement just in front of him.

“Enzo, Ah heard that explosion. Are y’all all right?”

“I’m fine,” Enzo said. “AndrAIa sent us out of the house before it happened. But she stayed behind…”

Mouse’s face fell. “Enzo…Ah….were y’all headed for the Diner?”

Enzo nodded.

“Well…let’s go.”

The three started back towards the Diner.
That’s when the Diner exploded.

* * *

“It’s called a WHAT?”

“A Jackbomb,” Jareth said. The object in question resembled nothing so much as a Jack-in-the-Box.

“So what’s it do?”

“On impact, a triggering mechanism activates a chemical reaction within the device, resulting in a devastating explosion potentially fatal to anyone within range.”

“Excuse me?”

“You throw it, and it goes ‘boom’.”

“Ah. That might be useful.” Electra pocketed the Jackbomb. “So, what happens now?”

“Card,” Jareth said.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I said, ‘card’.”

“I heard you,” Electra said. “What does that mean?”

“Move to the right,” Jareth said, “Now.”

For once, Electra didn’t question him…and a good thing, too. A long, twisted spear flew right through the space she had previously been occupying, embedding itself in the wall. The house they were in was twisted and decayed, and rubble partially obscured most of the hallways. Nonetheless, the creature that now approached Electra found ample room to pass. It was shaped like a giant, rectangular playing card, but horribly twisted into a travesty of the plaything after which it was modeled. And somehow, it had gotten it’s hands on another spear.

“Oh, Hell,” Electra said, “always something.”

* * *

Bob was awake. He blinked, trying to get the sleep out of his eyes. Something had awakened him. There it was again. A soft, scuttling sound. It was getting louder…getting closer. Bob leapt off of the cot, and hovered there in midair. At his mental command, his chrome armor began to emit a soft, golden light. There, illuminated by his glow, was a small mechanical device, shaped like a spider.

“A trilobug, Megabyte? I’m insulted. I thought you’d at least appear in person.”

The trilobug opened a hatch on the top of it’s body, revealing a holo-emitter. In less than a nano, a simulated version of Megabyte appeared before him. Bob’s anger rose at the sight of him, but even he had to admit that megabyte looked much better in black and gold, although the tentacles were a bit much.

“Yes, please do excuse my rudeness, Bob. I didn’t think it wise to appear in person here, in the very heart of the Supercomputer’s Principal Office. Tell me, how are you enjoying life in prison, Bob?”

“Cut the small talk, Megabyte. What are you up to?”

“Why, what else, Bob? Revenge.”

“Against me?”

“Whatever would I have against you? No, no, I’m speaking of that…boy.”

“Matrix.”

“Yes, and let’s not forget that wretched hacker friend of yours. The point is, you’ve grown much more powerful than the last time we met…otherwise you never could have defeated Daemon. I can get to your friends so much more easily with you out of the way.” Megabyte chuckled.

“And to think, you’ve been defeated by the rules of your own people. That’s rather ironic, no?”

“Driver’s working for you, isn’t he?”

“My dear Bob…you have no idea.” Megabyte chuckled again, and with that, the simulation faded.

The trilobug began emitting bright blue sparks, then exploded in a small burst of flame. Each fragment vanished as though it were evaporating.

“You’ve let more slip than you think, Megabyte.”

* * *

“That’s it, I give up,” Electra said. I’ve searched every inch of this mansion, and there’s no way out.”

“Of course there is,” Jareth said, appearing on the table next to her.

“And would you stop doing that? It’s very unnerving.”

“Is? It? Now?” Jareth asked, vanishing and reappearing around the room with each word.

Electra put her head in her hands. “How am I going to get out of this?”

“By finding the exit.”

Electra shot a look at Jareth. “There’s an exit?”

“Of course.”

“Where is it?”

“Where’s what?”

“The exit!”

“What exit?”

Electra made an exhasperatted noise. “It’s impossible to get anything out of you.”

“Not if you ask the right questions.”

Electra considered carefully. “How do I get to the next level?”

“Ahh, now that’s more like it.”

Jareth disappeared again. Electra looked around the room, but couldn’t see him anywhere. Suddenly, a loud crash from behind nearly made her jump out of her skin. She spun around. There was Jareth, quietly bathing himself in the manner of a cat, seated atop a recently toppled bookshelf. A door, which had lay hidden behind it, was now revealed.

“Ahh. Now, we’re getting somewhere,” Electra said.

* * *

“You want to do what?!”

“Sneak into his room. Come on, Bob said to keep an eye on Driver.”

“He didn’t mention breaking and entering.” Normally, Dot would be putting up more of a fight than this, but she seemed slightly open to the idea. Matrix figured it must have been something Bob had said. “All right, let’s go. But if we get caught….”

“We won’t,” Matrix promised. “Now come on.”

* * *

“It’s just…gone,” Enzo said, gazing forlornly at the smoldering remains of the Diner.

“At least no one was in there,” Mouse said, putting a comforting arm around him. Suddenly, a cough came from amid the ruins.

“Is that….so?” a voice said. It was very weak, but there was no mistaking that accent.

“Cecil?” Enzo asked.

The small Sprite leapt into the rubble and followed the sound of Cecil’s voice. His casing was rather badly tarnished and slightly dented, but otherwise, he seemed to be okay.

“I cannot believe zees has happened again! I am a dedicated server! I am not to be used for target practice!”

“Cecil, can you tell us what happened?” Mouse asked.

“What happened? Oui, madame, I can tell you wat happened. Ze building exploded, zat eez what happened!”

“Excuse me, but could you be just a little more specific?” Mike asked.

“Very well. I vas preparing to close for ze evening, ven suddenly zees strange zing came into ze Diner. It just floated zere, hovering, as zough it were waiting for somezing…and zen, most rudely, I might add, eet exploded!”

“What did it look like?” Mouse asked.

Eef I am not mistaken, madame, zat eez eet over zere..or wat is left of eet, anyway.” Cecil pointed over to one of the more decimated lumps of slag. But, slagged or not, there was no mistaking what it was.

“Mouse…isn’t that…”

“An energy puck, Enzo. I think it’s time we had a word with our old friend Phong.”

* * *

Bob paced back and forth in his cell. After his conversation with megabyte, he hadn’t been able to sleep at all. If Megabyte was indeed after Matrix…then what would be the worst thing he could possibly do? Not delete him…that’d be too quick. Not painful enough. Not his style. No, Megabyte would want to do some lasting damage….and it didn’t have to be physical. Megabyte would go after something that Matrix cared about. And what did Matrix care about most?

Two things. AndrAI, and…. Bob froze, a look of dawning comprehension on his face. “Dot.”

* * *

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish Jareth was here,” Matrix said. “He could pick that lock in to time.”

“There are other ways of getting around locks, little brother,” Dot said. So saying, she knelt down and lifted the welcome mat in front of Driver’s door. Rising to her feet, she held up a small silver key. “Not too smart for a Guardian.”

Dot opened the door, and the two of them entered the room. Dot’s first impression was that the Sprite had an appalling sense of taste. She almost immediately revised this opinion….the sprite had no taste at all. The walls were white…no pictures, no paint, no decorations of any sort…just white. The rest of the furniture…what furniture there was…was a dull gray, which clashed with the white in a way that more or less exactly failed to please the eye. Matrix didn’t seem to notice. The golden cybernetic eye that dominated his face began to whirr, first turning around, then glowing a violent red.

“See anything?” Dot asked.

“Not yet…just gimme a few nanos…woah.”

Matrix was staring at the closet. “What is it?”

For answer, he walked across the room and opened it. A Sprite, completely unconscious, fell out, and Matrix barely moved fast enough to catch it.

“Is he okay?” Dot asked.

“I dunno…” matrix turned him over, hoping to assess the Sprite’s condition..and gasped when he saw the face.

“Dot…it’s Driver.”

“But we just saw Driver leave..gkkk…”

“Dot?”

Matrix looked up at his sister…and was shocked to see fingers closing on her neck.

* * *

“Ummm…what’s with the hat?”

“I dunno,” Jareth said. “But ask him where he got it.” Electra slowly approached the man at the long table. He was sipping a cup of what appeared to be tea, and wearing a ridiculous black-and-white checked hat.

“Hey, you,” Electra said. “My friend wants to know where you got your hat.”

The man said nothing, just pushed a cup of tea towards her.

“Ummm…no, thanks. But listen, can you tell me what the deal is with this…thing?”

All around them were cogs, gears, and pulleys, and Electra suspected that figuring out the nature of this machine was instrumental to winning the Game.

Again, the man said nothing…but pushed the teacup more isnsitently towards her.

“Umm…no. I don’t want any tea. Thanks anyway.”

Electra looked over at Jareth and shrugged. Jareth vanished, and Electra continued on her way. Jareth reappeared just ahead of her, facing back the way she came. “Umm…’Lectra? I think maybe you should have taken the tea.”

Electra turned, and saw the Hatter approaching, a large knife in his hand. Electra sighed. “Will this game never end?”

* * *

“Driver! But…” Matrix looked first at the river who lay stunned on the floor, then to the one holding his sister by the throat. Only his shock at seeing two Drivers kept him from pulling his gun right away.

Driver…the standing one…chuckled…a very familiar chuckle. “Yes, yes, yes. Do you mind if I get out of costume? I’m awfully tired of it.” As he spoke, the borrowed skin began to strain, then to tear, as the much larger, metallic form beneath burst forth.

“Megabyte!” Matrix snarled. He drew his Gun, aiming for Megabyte’s head.

“Ah, ah, ah….you wouldn’t want to hit your dear sister, now would you?”

Matrix scowled still more, but lowered his Gun.

“That’s right…put the Gun on the ground.” Matrix hesitated. “Now!” Megabyte barked. Matrix kneeled, placed Gun on the ground, and kicked it towards Megabyte. “That’s better. I must say, after our last two battles, I expected a great deal more from you, Boy. However DID you manage to fall for such an obvious trap? Did you honestly think any sensible Guardian would leave the key beneath the mat?”

Megabyte was obviously enjoying this. He raised one of his arms, leveling his knuckles at Dot’s neck. Slowly, he extended the two claws on either side of his hand, until only the center claw remained retracted. “Do you know what I’m going to do now, boy? Because of everything you’ve put me through, I’m going to take away everything you’ve ever cared about. I’m going to let you live long enough to see each and every person you’ve ever loved be deleted…and then, when I’m done, I’ll erase you. But I’m going to start…” Megabyte began to extend his middle claw. “With your sister.”

“There’s one mistake the villain always makes,” came a sudden voice from behind Megabyte. The Virus spun, releasing his hostage…something he immediately regretted. “They always talk too much,” Bob said. With a single blast, he knocked Megabyte back into the wall and held him there. “Dot, are you okay?” he asked, never taking his eyes off the struggling Virus.

“Yes...I’m fine.”

“Matrix?”

“Me, too.”

“Good. Megabyte, you’re going to jail. You’re going directly to jail. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 units, and do NOT drop the soap.”

“Foolish Guardian. Do you honestly think you can take me to jail? The moment you release your hold, I’ll simply tear you apart….and you can’t hold me here indefinitely.”

“I just escaped from a maximum security cell, Megabyte. Guardians will be crawling all over this place in a matter of nanos. You lose.”

“I haven’t lost yet, Guardian. After all…I have an…ally…in Mainframe, taking care of the rest for me. I’m afraid the Game Sprite is already gone. The younger version as well.”

Matrix shot an alarmed look at Bob.

“Go, Enzo. Get back to Mainframe. It might not be too late.” Matrix left the room, followed closely by Dot. Megabyte began to laugh….that cruel evil laugh that Bob always wanted to hit….and this time, Bob hit it.

* * *

“And who would that be?”

“The Red Queen. Final boss. Beat her, and we can go home.”

The Red Queen resembled a chess piece that had fallen into a vat of steroids. It had at least four too many arms, and each was wielding a cruel, twisted-looking weapon. “All right. Let’s go. Hang on…” Electra glanced at Jareth, who stayed put for once. ‘You are going to help me out here, right? I mean, actually help? No more cryptic riddles or mind games?”

Jareth sighed. “I suppose if you insist.”

“All right, then.” Electra charged the Red Queen, Vorpal Sword drawn. The Queen spotted her coming, and brought around one of her arms, this one holding a morningstar….a steel ball covered with twisted spikes, attached to a handle by a barbed chain. It wrapped around the sword, and The Red Queen, almost effortlessly, yanked it out of her grasp. Bringing around another arm, this one holding a pike, she knocked Electra’s feet out from under her, and then raised yet another arm, this one holding an axe.

“REEEOWW!” With a screech like an untamed animal (which he was), Jareth pounced on the Red Queen’s face, scratching and biting. The Queen matched his screech with her own howl of rage, tearing the cat from her face and throwing him across the throne room. Before he hit the wall, Jareth vanished…and reappeared on the other side of the Queen, still with all his momentum.

The Queen was too fast, though…she raised her axe, and Jareth hit it edge first. In an instant, he found himself sliced in twain, and lying on the ground bleeding.

“Jareth!” Electra ran over to Jareth…well, to his front half. “Jareth…are you okay?”

“Why does everyone always ask me that? Do I LOOK okay?”

In spite of herself, Electra smiled. “Just sit tight. You’ll be okay.”

“Sit tight? On what? My intestines?” Jareth coughed, spitting out the crimson blood that was unique in all of Mainframe. “Electra…finish it. You have to…”

“Jareth?”

“Have to…”

“Jareth, speak to me!”

“You have to turn around.”

Electra spun around….and found herself face-to face with the Red Queen…not the best person to just forget about. Electra executed a quick backflip to put some distance between herself and her opponent. “Bubble—Umm…Flamethrower!” With a click and a whir, BuBBle complied and Electra found herself holding what appeared to be a Super Soaker. Aiming it at the Queen and pulling the trigger, Electra fired a sizzling ribbon of green flame that caught the crimson monarch right in her face…well, right where her face would have been, if she’d had one. The smooth, round surface of her head began to melt, but the Queen seemed undaunted.

With a single swipe of the Queen’s axe, BuBBle went flying. Electra clutched at her wrist…she felt sure it’d been broken by the force of the Queen’s swing; she’d heard the bones twisting, the tendons snapping. The Queen advanced, and Electra took a step back….but as the Queen stepped forward, she stepped directly upon the prone body of the cat lying in her path. Electra winced as she heard it’s ribs crack….and immediately, her vision began to blur. Her eyes seemed to fill with blood, and she saw the world through a red haze. With her undamaged left hand, Electra reached into her apron pocket and withdrew her Jackbomb. Screaming, Electra threw the bomb hard as she could, right for the Queen’s half-melted head. It all seemed to happen in slow motion…the Jackbomb flying through the air, the Queen raising her pike….the bomb being knocked aside, and flying through the air, right back towards Electra’s face. Before she could react, the bomb exploded, and Electra found herself being thrown back across the throne room, where she lay on the floor, broken and bleeding. The last thing she saw as the blood trickling down her face obscured her vision was the Red Queen advancing, axe drawn, ready to end it all.

* * *

“Phong!” Mouse slammed open the door to Phong’s office, storming in with a look of fury upon her face.

Slowly, Phong’s chair swiveled, and there he sat, glaring at her. “Welcome. I have been expecting you…er…’my child’…” Phong began to giggle insanely.

“Phong…what in tarnation has gotten into y’all?”

“A great deal has gotten into me, you meddling little insect. But that is none of your concern. Your only concern is how you plan to survive when I have finished with you.”

Mouse blinked. Was Phong really challenging her? It was almost unthinkable that this elderly, peaceful Sprite would attempt to attack a Sprite nearly twice his size, let alone one with a katana blade. But something was different about Phong….something about his eyes…. As she watched, Phong began to change. His delicate, three-fingered arms became long, razor-sharp talons. His telescoping neck nearly disappeared, his head became larger and more streamlined,, and his spectacles began to flow like mercury, becoming a single scope lens over his right eye. And his box-shaped, mechanical body became something in the way of a tank. As this was happening, he grew….grew in size until he was nearly twice as large as Mouse.

“Are you surprised, hacker?” the thing that was once Phong asked, in a voice not at all Phong’s. “Don’t be. Did you really think you and your pathetic friends could disrupt my plans and not go unpunished?” Phong’s drawer, or what used to be his drawer, opened, and a large energy cannon emerged, aimed right for Mouse’s head. “You were wrong.”

* * *

Upon arriving in Mainframe, Dot and Matrix maximized their zipboards and took off as fast as they could towards the Diner…only to find it a smoldering ruin. Their next stop was the Principal Office….and standing just outside were Enzo , a Game Cube, and Mike the TV.

“Enzo!” Matrix jumped down to the ground and nearly crushed his younger counterpart in a giant bear hug. “Are you okay?”

“Oww! I was!” Matrix released him, and Enzo looked up into his older self’s face. “But AndrAIa….she….”

Matrix’s face, exultant at finding Enzo still compiled, fell instantly. “No,” he said quietly. When tears came to Enzo’s eyes, he knew it was true. “NO!” he yelled, his voice echoing across the system.

Just then, The outer wall of the P.O. exploded outwards, and Mouse’s limp body came flying past. Luckily, Matrix happened to be standing right in her path. “Oof!” Matrix grunted as the force of the impact knocked him to the ground…but Mouse’s fall was broken.

“Matrix?…that you?” Mouse asked weakly. “Phong…he’s…she’s…back.” Unable to say anymore, Mouse fell unconscious.

“Back? Who’s back?”

“I am.” Rumbling through the breach in the P.O.’s wall came the Mecha-Phong. It fired it’s cannon one more time before retracting it, clipping Dot across her head, and knocking her to the floor. “What’s the matter, my son? Do you not recognize me?”

“Phong?”

“Well, yes…and at the same time, a resounding no.” Mecha-Phong unfolded it’s arms, and it’s razor-sharp talons began spinning.

“That’s not Phong,” Enzo sad. “Maybe it was…but not anymore.”

“Give the kid a prize,” Mecha-Phong said, slowly advancing on Matrix. The renegade drew his gun and fired, but the blasts ricocheted off of the tank’s armor, leaving scorched marks on the ground. “Oh, you’ll have to do better than that.”

As the talons grew nearer, a small pink object flew past Matrix’s ear, striking the pivot where the claw connected to the tanks arm. “Arrgh!” Meccha-Phong screamed in pain as it’s hand was severed. The golden claw fell to the ground…as did a small, pink starfish.

“AndrAIa?” Matrix turned, and there was AndrAIa, standing right behind him, an extremely smug look on her face. “AndrAIa! You’re alive!”

“Of course.” Seeing the relieved look on his face, she added, “What? You think one bomb’s going to do me in? You know me better than that, Sparky.”

“I’ve told you a million times, don’t ever call me thaAAAH!” Without warning, Matrix was lifted off his feet from behind.

“Hello?” Meccha-Phong said. “Remember me? Our fight? Jeez, you DO have a one-track mind, don’t you?”

With that, Meccha-Phong threw Matrix with all it’s strength, knocking down AndrAIa, and sending them both flying into the wall of the still shimmering Game Cube. Both collapsed, out for the count. The Tank began to advance on Enzo and Mike, but before it reached them, a loud voice rang throughout the system.

“Game Over….”

Suddenly, the Game Cube shot into the sky, leaving in it’s place two very confused Viral Sprites.

Jareth looked down at his body. “Hey…I can feel my toes again.”

“What’s going on?” Electra asked. “Why weren’t we deleted?”

“Who cares? We won.”

“No, no, no. We lost. But we’re still processing. But when the User wins, the game’s supposed to…Ummm…”

“I get it,” Jareth said. “WE were playing as the Users, right?”

Electra caught on quickly. “So in order to win, we had to lose. Spammit, if I’d known that, I’d have let that first ant skewer me.”

“Why, Lore…” Meccha-Phong turned from Enzo to face Jareth and Electra. “I was wondering when I’d get to see you. I believe I owe you one, as well….after all, you were instrumental in ruining my plans.”

“Mom?” Jareth asked. “That’s a new look for you.”

“Yes, and I can’t say I care for it much.” Daemon examined her new body, almost daintily. “Even enhanced, it’s such a ridiculous form.”

“Ditch it,” Jareth suggested.

“Hmmm…not a bad idea.” Again, the Phong’s drawer opened wide..but this time, instead of the cannon, Daemon appeared in her true form…that of a large, silver serpentlike dragon, rising into that air and hovering above Jareth and Electra. Once vacated, Phong’s body shank, returning to it’s normal shape….albeit minus a hand.

“Now, then…I believe I was getting at something….ah, yes.” Here Daemon simply picked Jareth up by the scruff of his neck, as though he were a kitten. “Lore. My oldest son. I hate to do this, I truly do…but you’ve left me no choice. You’re grounded.” With that, Daemon raised Jareth to her mouth and prepared to swallow him whole.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Electra clutched Jet in her hand. Though it could change shape as well as any other Keytool, Jet’s natural form was that of a double-handed short sword. Those who got on Electra’s bad side often got Jet where they didn’t want it. Electra leapt into the air, and Daemon screamed as Jet’s diamond-hard edge sliced into her scales. Jareth was dropped flat on his ASCII.

“You! Foolish little sprite! First, you corrupt my oldest son, then you steal my beautiful mask…now you actually CUT me?”

“She…corrupted me?’ Jareth asked, rubbing his neck.

Daemon raised her claw, about to take a swipe at Electra, but was caught off guard from the side by a blast of energy. Turning to find the source, Daemon found Matrix, Gun in hand.

“Don’t you people ever die?” Daemon growled.

Matrix didn’t answer, but took careful aim….and fired. Daemon screamed and clutched at her left eye, thick purple blood running down the side of her scaly face. Despite her pain, Daemon spun around, catching Matrix across the face with her tail, breaking his half-healed jaw and knocking him, once more, onto the ground. “Arrgh! I have HAD IT with you people! You’re like mosquitoes! Whenever I’m about to swat one, another turns around and stings me!” even as she spoke, her eye was healing; the viscous blood congealing, the surface of the eye becoming flawless once more.

Jareth switched to a grin. ‘Mosquitoes, huh?” he caught Electra’s eye, and she grinned back at him. Unfurling his ebony wings, Jareth took to the air and began firing small, concentrated energy blasts at Daemon’s hide.

“Sting!”

Electra followed suit, floating into the air and pelting Daemon with shards of ice. “Sting!”

“Sting!”

“Sting!”

“Sting!”

The two Virals continued their assault, flitting around Daemon and generally doing their best to bug her. Daemon roared, more in anger than actual pain. She tried to swipe at the irritating insects, but they were too fast. Daemon cocked her head to side, and began speaking in a much quieter, but still deadly, voice. “Perhaps it’s time…I broke out the bug spray.” Daemon closed her eyes and rose higher into the air, twisting her serpentine body until she was coiled into a large, writhering sphere. The sphere began glowing a bright, electric blue, and exuding an eerie cloud of indigo energy.

Jareth shuddered as the radiation brushed against his wing tip. Glancing at the affected feathers, he was startled to note that they were translucent….they had been partially erased. “Electra! It’s a magnetic field! Get away from her!” Electra wasted no time, but backed as far away from Daemon as she could. Looking down, she saw that Daemon’s energy field was spreading…the P.O. wasn’t affected, but several objects in the vicinity, such as signposts, were. With a shock, Electra noticed that Matrix was lying directly in the radiation’s path.

“Jareth! Get Matrix!”

Jareth started to swoop, but hesitated. “Must I?”

“Just do it!”

Jareth sighed, but complied, diving down and transporting Matrix to safety. “Okay…now what?”

Before Electra could answer, a hazy cloud of golden light began to form on the edges of Daemon’s magnetic cloud, neutralizing it and forcing it back into Daemon’s body. Daemon stopped gyrating and ground to halt, coughing up bluish-white sparks.

“How many times do I have to delete you, Daemon?”

Jareth, Electra, and Daemon turned, and there, standing at the beginning of the road that led to the P.O.’s main entrance, was Guardian Bob, resplendent in full Keytool armor.

“Bob!…I believe I owe you, more so than anyone else here.” Daemon said, glaring at the miniscule, silver-covered Guardian. “Why don’t you and I finish this…right here, right now? Just the two of us.”

“Fine by me.”

* * *

Jareth and Electra lighted on top of a nearby building, watching as Daemon approached Bob.

“I wish Hex was here.”

“Why,” Electra asked. “Do you think Bob’ll need help?”

“No,” Jareth said. “But she’ll be sorry she missed this.”

* * *

“Glitch—Polymorph!”

Bob’s Chrome Glitch-Armor began to flow like mercury, until his entire body was undiscernable beneath the slivery mass. Slowly a shape began to emerge…that of a massive silver dragon….different from Daemon only it’s bulk and in that it possessed wings. Daemon blinked. “When did you learn that, Guardian?”

“Just a little something I’ve been tinkering with,” Bob replied, in a deep, rumbling voice. “Shall we begin?”

Daemon obliged, swinging her tail in a wide arc and catching Bob in the midsection. Bob skidded across the grassy yard that surrounded the Principal Office, finally grinding to a halt. Getting back to his feet, he opened his mouth and launched a ball of golden fire at Daemon. She countered with her own orb of emerald green flames, and the two fireballs collided with enough force to shatter every window for miles.
      Shaking off the force of the explosion, Bob took to the air and made a dive at Daemon, hoping to catch her off guard, but Daemon was quicker than he calculated and managed to blindside him with another fireball before he could score the hit. Out of control, Bob crashed into the ground and skidded, plowing a rocky furrow into the ground and stopping just short of the ditch that surrounded the Principal Office. Daemon reared back, jaws wide open, charging another fireball, this one twice as large as the last.

Bob’s eyes narrowed, he spun, swinging his tail around, and knocked the sphere that hung suspended above the P.O. directly at Daemon. The ivory orb caught Daemon upside the head, knocking off her aim. It was too late for her not to fire…the energy ball she’d built shot off in a wide arc, destroying a nearby building.

* * *

Jareth an Electra fell over backwards as the building next to them collapsed, and the shock wave rolled over them. Flat on his back, Jareth gazed at the sky. “Zowee….”

Electra shook her head, already on her feet. “Glad we weren’t standing on that one.” Electra helped Jareth back to his feet.

“Wish I were taping this,” Jareth said. “Hex is going to HATE me.”

* * *

Bob was rapidly getting tired. He wasn’t used to this, he hadn’t even been sure his Polymorph command was going to work. His energy reserves weren’t transfinite as Daemon’s were, he was rapidly running out of power. Yet his energy blasts were powerful…he felt certain that if he could just get in one clean shot, he’d be able to finish her off…but she was just too fast. But he had to try. Spreading his wings, Bob rose once more into the air, calling upon the last of his energy.

Daemon, too, was winded, but she wasn’t about to let that stop her. She was trying not to show it, but she was concerned….This Guardian had already toppled her entire empire, something she wouldn’t have previously thought him capable of. This was, truly, her last chance…if she could defeat him, then there would be nothing to stop her from retaking the Guardian Collective…if she failed, she’d be deleted, Game Over. Of course, if she didn’t do anything, then she might as well just let him have her. Daemon swooped down towards Bob, her snakelike form swimming through the air as a fish does water. Opening her jaws, she revealed row after row of razor-edged teeth.

The two dragons collided, their forms frozen in midair as their powers were matched…but in the end, the Viral side prevailed, Daemon’s teeth latched onto Bob’s neck, his blood shed onto the ground below. Bob’s leathery hide struck the ground as daemon forced him down, grinding him into the dust. Daemon bit down harder, hoping to snap the Guardian’s vertebrae, to end his file existence once and for all…but then, a thought struck her. This Guardian had power. More power than any other. If she could only access that power…

Bob struggle, trying to free himself, intensely aware of the dozens of biting teeth lodged in his skin. As he fought, Daemon’s body began to glow her trademark electric blue, and for a moment he feared she would try to create another magnetic field…he didn’t think he had the energy left to contain it. But wait…something was happening…it was as though her skin was merging with his…he could feel the edges of her filthy mind encroaching on his own. She wasn’t trying to destroy him, he realized. She was trying to infect him! She was trying to enter his body, just as she had done to Sierra Sever, just as she had done to Phong. Once the shock of this realization had passed, he renewed his struggles. But it was too late; she had taken too firm a hold. A few more moments, and it would all be over.

* * *

Suddenly, a blast of energy swept through them both. The mercury-like substance covering Bob seemed to dissipate; his dragon form was obliterated, leaving him floating in his silver Glitch-Armor. However, while Bob was not actually harmed by the force of the blast, it seemed to cut through Daemon like a winter gale. She was tossed, thrown away from the Guardian and tossed like a leaf in the wind.

“No!” Daemon screamed, her shrill voice echoing throughout the system. I was so close! Who? Who dares to try to stop me?” Daemon turned midair, her eyes widening as they fell upon the source of the attack. “You,” she whispered.

“Me, mother,” Hexadecimal said, a fierce look in her fiery eyes. “I dare.”

* * *

From Hexadecimal’s hands extended a thin ribbon of energy that caught Daemon around her leviathan neck, winding and entwining her. Daemon laughed. “You think this…this puny strand of energy will stop me?! I crated you! I created you, and I can destroy you as easily!” Daemon opened her jaws and charged another emerald green fireball, launching it at Hexadecimal, but as it neared her, it slowed, came to a complete stop, caught up in Bob’s power as he drew the energy in, absorbed it, added it to his own.

Daemon reared, aiming her formidable jaws at the Guardian. “If I can’t take you,” she said, “then I shall simply destroy you!” Daemon began to lunge, to snatch the relatively unprotected Guardian from the air, to chew him up and swallow him whole, but she was stopped….balked…restrained by two more ropy tendrils of energy that appeared from nowhere, coiling around her neck, holding her fast. Daemon roared in fury, twisting her head this way and that, unable to escape…for al her power, she was stuck fast. Then her eyes fell on the source of these new restraints….her own son, and that foolish girlfriend of his…

“Bob, hit her, now!” Electra urged. “I don’t know how much longer we can hold her!”

Bob’s eyelids fluttered closed, as he drew upon all the energy he had remaining. Combining his power with that which he had absorbed from daemon herself, Bob created a large energy orb, larger and more concentrated than any he had ever formed. Once it was fully formed, Bob released it. The orb elongated, becoming a single, concentrated beam of iridescent light that caught Daemon directly in the head…and slowly, horribly, it disintegrated.

The three hovering Virals released their hold. For a moment, Daemon simply floated there. Then, as the last of her toxic energies faded, she collapsed, falling to the ground. The silver body pixelized as it fell, slowly shrinking, fading, until finally, it reached the ground…and there was nothing left.

* * *

Bob’s energy was so low, he couldn’t even return to the ground on his own…he had to be caught by Hexadecimal and gently lowered to the ground. Once there, he found he had to be supported by Electra to keep from falling over.

Dot, Mouse and Matrix, it seemed, were fine. A few scratches, nothing that time wouldn’t cure. Mainframe, too, could be salvaged…the Diner would have to rebuilt, and the Matrix family would have to find somewhere else to stay for a few days until their own house could be rebuilt.

Bob himself would need to spend several days in the charger…he was still unused to his keytool powers, and he’d been pushing their limits far too often lately. But now, with daemon finally gone, he’d finally get the chance to rest.

Phong, once he’d regained consciousness and been treated to a nice, hot cup of cocoa, seemed fine as well. His missing hand could easily be replaced. He and Dot almost immediately rushed back into the Principal Office to determine the extent of the damage to the System, and Matrix had to have his broken jaw set…again.

The rest volunteered to escort Bob back home….after all, someone had to be there to catch him if he happened to fall over again. As they were walking back, something in Mike’s hand caught Electra’s attention: a small, handheld video recorder.

“Mike!” Electra said, causing the small appliance to jump nervously. “Don’t tell me you taped all that!”

“Are you kidding?’ Mike asked incredulous. “The final destruction of the most devastating Virus the Net has ever seen? Think of the ratings!”

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