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Back on the Beat
*Author’s note: Since I am an ethical person (stop laughing!), I must give credit where credit is due. Dragonball Z , the planet Namek and all that good stuff was thought up by some extremely creative people who are not me.They are the property of Funimation Productions. Also, before you die-hard DBZers out there try to hunt me down, let me just say that I love DBZ , and the comments I make about it are just good-natured teasing. ;)
Matrix shuffled into the diner, plopped into the first available booth, and immediately dropped his head on the table. Naturally, this attracted Dot’s attention. She walked over to the booth and stood next to him. "Are you all right?" Her brother answered by means of a loud, pitiful-sounding groan. Just then AndrAIa entered the diner, took one look at Matrix’s motionless form, and began to laugh. "I told you," she said, sliding into the seat across from him.
"What happened to him?" Dot asked.
"Let me put it this way: there’s a reason why milk cartons have expiration dates."
"Enzo!" Dot shot an accusing look at her brother.
"I thought it would be okay. It wasn’t that old," he whined, without lifting his head.
"Honey, it was starting to smell. So anyway," said AndrAIa, turning back to Dot, "the mighty Matrix here was up all night with a tummyache."
"Would a little sympathy be so much to ask?" said Matrix, still not lifting his head.
"Hey, I told you not to drink it. Besides, you’ll live."
All of a sudden the room went dark; the sky had turned from its typical blue to an ominous purple, and they heard an all-too-familiar sound: "Warning; incoming game". Matrix, with his usual lightning-quick reflexes, responded by letting out another loud groan.
AndrAIa giggled. "Relax, Sparky. I’ll get this one," she said.
"Be careful," called Dot as the younger woman headed for the door.
"I will," she yelled back. Then she hopped on her zipboard and sped off. Matrix still hadn’t lifted his head.
*********
Bob headed for the game cube with an almost youthful sense of excitement. This was the first one that had dropped since Mainframe had restarted. It had been a long time since he had been in a game, and, truth be told, he missed it. It would be a welcome thrill to show the User he still knew what he was doing.
"Bob! Wait up!"
Bob turned his head in time to see AndrAIa coming up behind him.
"Hey! Fancy meeting you here," she said with a smile.
"Come to give me a hand?"
"Yup."
"Where’s Matrix? Doesn’t he want in on this?"
"He’s sleeping it off," she answered with a smirk.
"Huh?"
"I’ll explain later."
Bob studied her for a moment. "I’ve never been in a game with you, have I?"
AndrAIa thought for a nanosecond: "No. Not since you three were in my game."
"Are you any good?" Bob asked teasingly.
AndrAIa smiled. "I’ve had a lot of practice," she replied, as the game cube dropped on the two of them.
*********
The pair found themselves standing on a hill, looking down on a land of huge lakes, small rounded trees, and more hills. The whole landscape had strange bluish-green tint to it, and there didn’t seem to be any other signs of life.
"This looks quiet enough," said AndrAIa.
"We’ll fix that," said Bob with a mischievous smile. "Let’s get to it. Reboot!"
AndrAIa followed suit, and the two ended up dressed in similar, slightly baggy jumpsuits. AndrAIa’s was purple with a red belt, and Bob’s was orange. AndrAIa was holding a round object resembling a large pocket watch, with a grid display on it.
"Well?" AndrAIa asked.
Bob closed his eyes. Since downloading Glitch, his key tool, he was able to come up with game stats simply by taking in the surroundings. Soon he had an answer.
"We’re in a game called Dragonball Z. Its setting is the planet Namek. Our job is to find the seven dragonballs using the dragon radar - that thing," he said, pointing to the watch-like object, "and use them to summon the Great Dragon before the User does."
AndrAIa was silent - but not for long. "What?!"
Bob just shrugged.
"Are you sure about that?"
"Positive."
"Oooh-kayy."
"Hey, they say the User inputs games for pleasure. They don’t say anything about them making sense."
"I can see that. What’s a dragonball, anyway?"
"I hope it’s not what it sounds like."
*********
"We’ve been walking around out here for milliseconds! Where are those stupid things?"
"Oh, lighten up. It hasn’t been that long. Doesn’t the dragon radar tell you anything?"
"Maybe if I could understand it. Look at this - just a green grid that blinks a triangle with a number in it every once in a while. How am I supposed to find anything based on that?"
"Well, at least we have these two. That way the User can’t get all of them."
"That’s true." AndrAIa sat down on a nearby rock. "But we found those two by accident. We can’t count on the same kind of luck for the other five. Bob?" Her companion had walked to the crest of a nearby hill and was staring intently down the other side. "Bob? What did you find?"
"Come here." She joined him at the summit and looked into the valley below. "A village."
"Think it’s inhabited?" AndrAIa sounded uncharacteristically apprehensive.
"Only one way to find out." And with that, the Guardian started down the hill.
*********
Their descent did not go unnoticed. When they reached the bottom, Bob and AndrAIa found three Game Sprites waiting for them: tall, green men with no hair, pointed ears, and white belted robes that skimmed the ground. The two Sprites stopped and eyed them warily.
"Well, go on." Bob gestured toward the Game Sprites.
AndrAIa looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean, go on?"
"Ask them wear the rest of the dragonballs are."
"Why do I have to do it? You ask them."
"You’re the Game Sprite. You ask."
"No! You’re the Guardian, you ask them."
"Exactly! I’m the Guardian. I have authority. Now go ask them."
"Like hell you do! Since when do you order me around?"
"Since now. Now get over there." He started to shove AndrAIa toward the Game Sprites.
"Stop that! Look, let’s be mature about this. Somebody has to ask them, and it’s not going to be me."
"Well, it’s not going to be me, either."
"Oh, yes it is!"
"Is not!"
"IS TOO!"
Bob held up his fist. AndrAIa held up hers too. They shook them three times simultaneously.
"Paper."
"Scissors."
AndrAIa glared at the Guardian, who smirked back at her. "You better get over there, don’t you think?"
The girl shook her head. "Crash it all to - I’m going to get you for this." She looked in the direction of the Game Sprites, took a deep breath, and very slowly walked toward them. She waited until she was face to face with the eldest of the three, then cleared her throat. " We were wondering if you could help us. My -ahem- friend and I are looking for the dragonballs. Do you by any chance know where we can find the other five?"
The old Game Sprite regarded her silently for a moment, than spoke. "Of course, my child. We will give you the information you require. But tell me - why does your friend not come to speak to us with you?"
AndrAIa looked back at Bob, who was trying to listen to the conversation without being obvious (and doing a very poor job of it). She turned back to the old Sprite, lowered her voice, and said, "You’ll have to excuse him. You see, he got trapped in the games as a little Sprite. He should really only be 1.1, but since game time runs faster, he compiled up before his time. So you’ll have to forgive him if he behaves a little immaturely."
The Game Sprite looked at Bob sympathetically and shook his head. "Poor little fellow. Yes, the dragonballs are not far from here. In fact, I sense that the remaining five are all in the same place. Simply head in that direction until the dragon radar locks on to them. It will beep louder the closer you get to them."
AndrAIa bowed to the old Sprite. "Thank you, sir." Under her breath, she muttered, "So that’s how you work this crashing thing."
Bob was waiting for her at the foot of the hill. "Why was he looking at me like that? What did you say to him?"
"Oh, nothing. He said all five dragonballs are this way."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!" Bob took off in the direction she had pointed. Suddenly he heard AndrAIa say his name - actually, yell his name was more like it. But that didn’t make sense. Why did she sound so far away? Wasn’t she right behind... "WHOA!" Bob stopped short and let out a startled yelp as he found himself some distance above the ground. AndrAIa was staring up at him in amazement.
"How’d you do that?"
"I don’t know. I just - did it."
"Can I do that?"
Bob shrugged. "Try it."
Within nanoseconds, AndrAIa was hovering in the air next to him. She looked absolutely enthralled with this newfound ability. "In all the games I’ve played, all the characters I’ve been...not once have I been able to fly." The young woman was breathless with excitement.
Bob smiled at her. "Race you to the dragonballs!"
*********
The dragon radar was beeping incessantly. AndrAIa scanned the ground carefully for anything resembling the dragonballs. Then she heard Bob’s voice ahead of her: "AndrAIa! Over here! I found them!"
AndrAIa headed for the ground - with considerable reluctance. She hoped she would get more opportunities to fly in future games - lots more. She found Bob standing triumphantly a short distance from a cave in the side of a hill. Just inside the cave were the remaining five dragonballs.
"I win," said Bob.
AndrAIa playfully slapped his arm. "Speaking of winning, let’s call that dragon or whatever it is we have to do and get out of here."
Both advanced toward the dragonballs - and suddenly stopped. They stared at each other.
"Did you feel that?"
"Yeah." Bob had grown very serious. "Someone’s here. Someone powerful."
"Well, let’s get this over with before they find us." AndrAIa started back toward the dragonballs. Just then a huge ball of light raced to the earth and struck the ground in front of her with tremendous force. When the dust cleared, the two Sprites were face-to-face with the enemy: a small, muscular man with a shock of black hair and power so great they could feel it radiating from him.
"The User," said Bob.
The User stared them down silently for a few moments. Then he clenched his fists, opened his eyes wide, and let out a yell that echoed off the surrounding hills.
Bob and AndrAIa just stared in fear. "What’s he doing?" AndrAIa whispered.
Bob swallowed hard. "He’s getting stronger. I can feel it. AndrAIa, I don’t know if we can fight this guy."
AndrAIa looked back at the User. "That’s what he’s doing? Powering up? This isn’t some sort of an attack?"
Bob shook his head. AndrAIa smiled - the smile of someone who has an idea. She handed her dragonball to Bob. "Wait here. I’ll handle this."
"AndrAIa, wait!" Bob reached out a hand to stop her, but she was already heading for the User. She took a few steps, then stopped. The User’s power was rising so quickly that small stones were being lifted off the ground. AndrAIa ignored them; she took a deep breath, shifted her wait to her back foot, and suddenly took off at a full sprint - directly at the User. Just as she reached him, she brought her knee back, then thrust it forward with all the force she could muster. CRACK!! - her knee connected. Right between the User’s legs.
The User made a choking noise and instantly dropped to his knees; then he fell over on his side. AndrAIa turned back to an open-mouthed Bob, who was observing this scene with understandable shock: "Come on."
Bob found his voice. "AndrAIa," he said, still not fully believing what he had seen, "you just racked the User!"
"Yeah. So?"
Bob shook his head and headed her direction. "I’ll never look at you the same way again."
The Sprites added their two dragonballs to the quintet in the cave. AndrAIa tapped a finger against her lips thoughtfully. "So how do you suppose we summon this Great Dragon?"
Bob shrugged. "How about, ‘Arise, Great Dragon’?" As soon as he said this, the sky darkened until it was jet black. The wind, a gentle breeze before, picked up to almost gale force. A sudden, brilliant flash of light forced the pair to cover their eyes momentarily; the Great Dragon had arisen from the dragonballs and was now hovering over them.
AndrAIa looked at Bob. "That’ll work."
The dragon began to speak - startling our heroes considerably, though not as much as one might think. After everything they had seen, they wouldn’t have been entirely surprised to see him break into song. The dragon said, "You have summoned me; I will grant any wish to you that is within my power."
The two Sprites’ jaws nearly hit the ground. "He grants wishes?!" said Bob in disbelief. "That’s what this was all about?!"
Next to him, AndrAIa threw up here hands defeatedly. "Oh, what is with this game?"
"Well...what should I wish for?"
"Hey, you’re the Guardian; that’s your call. Bearing in mind," she continued, seeing a now-familiar dreamy-eyed look come over her friend’s face, "that this is only a game, so whatever you wish for won’t hold once the game ends."
Bob looked disappointed. "Oh, yeah. I guess you’re right." He sighed. "Ok - how about this? Great Dragon, I wish for us to win this game and go home."
"GAME OVER." The game cube lifted, and Bob and AndrAIa were left standing in the middle of street, smiling at each other. AndrAIa nodded at him. "That’ll work."
*********
"You racked the User?!"
AndrAIa sighed. She had been trying to defend her actions to Bob all the way back from the game; she wasn’t in the mood to do the same with Matrix. At least, she said to herself, he’s feeling better. "What was I supposed to do? Just stand there and let him reach full power?"
"But did you have to hit him...there?" Matrix looked pained just imagining it.
"And that hard?" Bob had decided to add his two cents.
"He was between us and the dragonballs, and he was more powerful than we would have been able to handle. I had to take him out, and I had to do it fast. And what faster way than to..." AndrAIa trailed off as a degree of modesty prevented her from finishing her thought. "Well, you know." She took a sip of her energy shake.
The two men shook their heads. Then Bob asked, "By the way, what did you say to that old Game Sprite? And don’t try to duck the question this time."
AndrAIa blushed slightly. "I just said that you should only be a young Sprite, but you had been caught in the games and compiled up faster than normal, and that’s why you were being so immature," she said, her voice getting softer and softer as she spoke.
Bob just stared at her, unsure whether to be amused or angry. A noise behind him made them all turn. Dot had entered the diner from the back room and was trying her level best not to burst out laughing. Seeing herself caught, she gave up and collapsed into giggles. Bob glared at her. "Thanks a lot."
"I’m sorry, it’s funny," she said between laughs. By now Matrix was laughing too, as were all other diner patrons who had been listening (which naturally meant everyone in the diner). AndrAIa, beaming to see so many people on her side, raised an eyebrow at Bob and said, "I told you I’d get you back."
With this, Bob quit pretending to be angry and laughed. He cast a wondering look at Matrix. "How do you stand it?"
"I guess it’s just part of her charm."
"But what if that Game Sprite tells other people who enter the game what you said?"
"I doubt that will happen. He was just being polite. He probably had no idea what I was talking about. All I was trying to do," she said, leaning across the table, "was make you sweat a little."
Bob smiled and shook his head. "Mission accomplished." He raised his energy shake. "To our first game together. You are -" he paused searching for the right words, "a force to be reckoned with; one the User will not want to tangle with in the future." He smirked at her. "Not without...protection, anyway."
AndrAIa laughed and raised her cup. "I will drink to that."