The Sprites We Could Be
started May 21, 2002 at 2:30am Finished June 6, 2002 at 3:00am
Author's Note: So this fic isn't exactly a romance. In fact...well, I think you should read it for yourself and see why I categorized it as that. If it existed, I would have put this in the pre-romance section cause that's what this story reminds me of. It's like the origins tale for a superhero-the back story for a romance fic. Okay, I'm done rambling now. Just send me feedback if you think I should have categorized this differently.
Chapter One-Big Day
Dot Matrix had never been one for sappy goodbyes. True, she could be a little weepy at times and her nostalgic attitude always seemed to get in the way when she was trying to move on from one thing to another. In her mind, life was perfectly planned and she could set a date for every moment of it, even the big changes. For example, this day was a giant change for her. It was graduation. After this, she would never again have to set foot at the Mainframe Upgrade School. It was located in the twin city, which was always an inconvenience for her since she lived across the bridge with her Dad and little brother. No one at school understood why they chose that side of Mainframe, which was mostly inhabited by binomes, not like the twin where a good number of the advanced sprites lived.
She sat at the table in their apartment looking over several sketches for the outside of her favorite project since she had been 1.1, a diner. Her father came into the room and pointed to the drawing where the apostrophe in the word "Dot's" floated above the rest of the sign.
"I like that one," he told her as he struggled with his ugly brown tie.
Her little brother bounced into the room and nodded his head. "I like that one too!"
"I guess that settles it. I've already started building the diner itself and I think someone was going to delete me if I didn't come up with a sign soon." Dot glanced up at Welman Matrix as he growled at the tie and commented, "You don't need it, Dad. Mom always said you looked better without one anyway."
He took the advice and knotted the tie around his daughter's wrist, adding to her many bangle bracelets. "I present this um...good luck charm to Mainframe's youngest business woman and the top of her graduating class. Enzo, let us make a toast to the smartest girl...oh, forgive me, I mean young woman in Mainframe."
"If the other kids talked about her the way you do, Dad, she would have had a date for the graduation dance," Enzo pointed out, "Dot, when you're rich and powerful and the diner is finished are you going to tell everyone from school except Artie, Paq, and Sixtyfive that they can't come in?"
Dot laughed, shaking her head. She knew the other kids didn't exclude her to be mean or because they didn't like her, they just didn't know her. She preferred spending her time with other projects than going circuit racing after the prom. "Enzo, of course not, that's discrimination."
"What's that?" he eagerly wondered.
A knock on the door interrupted them. There stood two sprites and one binome. They were Dot's friends, not necessarily her best friends. She usually was too busy to hang out with them, but they were the three most patient people at school. They were usually willing to take Dot with them places when she wanted and had time to go. Dot had never had any really close friends, but she was happy because she didn't know any better.
Sixtyfive was a sprite with bright pink skin and short hair that she spike upward. She was so skinny she was almost invisible. Artie was the only boy in the group and the only binome. He was a one with brown hair that he always wore a green hat over. Artie had a habit of lying when he should tell the truth and telling the truth when he should lie. Finally, there was the only one of the three Dot felt any real closeness to. Paq was a girl with one mission in life: to find a way out of Mainframe. She was always peeking over Dot's dad's shoulder to see if his work on portals had lead up to her freedom. It wasn't that she didn't like Mainframe, it was just that she was ready to move on to someplace new, if such a place existed.
"Hey, Professor Matrix," Artie greeted, "I thought you were going to meet with the city officials today?"
"I am," he replied nervously.
"Well, shouldn't you be wearing a tie?"
"No," Dot cut in, "My dad is fine the way he is. Are we ready for graduation?"
"Just waiting on you," Paq said with a smile.
Dot packed her sketches into a data folder and ran to the door. "Bye Enzo. Bye Dad, good luck. I'll see you both tonight." She waved before closing the door behind her. Tonight, something big in her life was going to end.
******************
Bob, Cadet 452, loved his number. He hadn't been at the academy for as long as some of the others in his class, yet Bob was certain that in no time the word "cadet" would be changed to "Guardian". His own image now thrilled him. The blue suit, the yellow and black icon, even the black boots his buddies from school had given him seemed to be special now. He was going to mend and defend. Today he started game training. This was a change he had been looking forward to since was a little sprite. He couldn't wait. Although, while all the other cadets were studying read-me files on different strategies and game types. Bob preferred to wait and take everything as it came. The only plan he had ever had while compiling was to be a guardian. Growing up in the Super Computer, that came as no surprise.
He arrived to class on time, surprising his teachers. As everyone was lined up for role call, one of the superiors, a girl assigned as Bob's partner in order to keep an eye on him, watched him with almost shock. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were actually excited about this," she commented.
"This is what being a Guardian is all about, isn't it, Dixon?" Bob whispered, "Protecting people by playing the games."
"Yeah, but you aren't supposed to enjoy the games," Dixon Green scoffed.
Turbo was there. The Prime Guardian himself wanted to see how the cadets handled themselves in the games. True, this was only a simulation program, but it would seem real enough to the inexperienced young sprites.
"Alright," one of the instructors called out, "Now that we're all present let's just review some of the minor details. First of all, how to Reboot..."
Bob felt himself groan. They were starting with things even the most basic sprite in the net knew about. At this rate, they wouldn't be in a real game for seconds. He shook his head to stay awake and would try to be polite by pretending to pay attention.
However, Turbo wasn't fooled. "Is there a problem, Cadet 452?" he gruffly asked.
"No sir," Bob stumbled, "It's just...we know all this. Shouldn't we be learning something new before going into the simulation."
"Well, if you'll just be patient, cadet, you may find that this lecture isn't as pointless as you may think," the instructor defended then continued his talk.
But Bob didn't want to be patient. Today something big in his life was going to start and he wanted it to start as soon as possible.
******************
started May 21, 2002 at 2:30am Finished June 6, 2002 at 3:00am
Author's Note: So this fic isn't exactly a romance. In fact...well, I think you should read it for yourself and see why I categorized it as that. If it existed, I would have put this in the pre-romance section cause that's what this story reminds me of. It's like the origins tale for a superhero-the back story for a romance fic. Okay, I'm done rambling now. Just send me feedback if you think I should have categorized this differently.
Chapter One-Big Day
Dot Matrix had never been one for sappy goodbyes. True, she could be a little weepy at times and her nostalgic attitude always seemed to get in the way when she was trying to move on from one thing to another. In her mind, life was perfectly planned and she could set a date for every moment of it, even the big changes. For example, this day was a giant change for her. It was graduation. After this, she would never again have to set foot at the Mainframe Upgrade School. It was located in the twin city, which was always an inconvenience for her since she lived across the bridge with her Dad and little brother. No one at school understood why they chose that side of Mainframe, which was mostly inhabited by binomes, not like the twin where a good number of the advanced sprites lived.
She sat at the table in their apartment looking over several sketches for the outside of her favorite project since she had been 1.1, a diner. Her father came into the room and pointed to the drawing where the apostrophe in the word "Dot's" floated above the rest of the sign.
"I like that one," he told her as he struggled with his ugly brown tie.
Her little brother bounced into the room and nodded his head. "I like that one too!"
"I guess that settles it. I've already started building the diner itself and I think someone was going to delete me if I didn't come up with a sign soon." Dot glanced up at Welman Matrix as he growled at the tie and commented, "You don't need it, Dad. Mom always said you looked better without one anyway."
He took the advice and knotted the tie around his daughter's wrist, adding to her many bangle bracelets. "I present this um...good luck charm to Mainframe's youngest business woman and the top of her graduating class. Enzo, let us make a toast to the smartest girl...oh, forgive me, I mean young woman in Mainframe."
"If the other kids talked about her the way you do, Dad, she would have had a date for the graduation dance," Enzo pointed out, "Dot, when you're rich and powerful and the diner is finished are you going to tell everyone from school except Artie, Paq, and Sixtyfive that they can't come in?"
Dot laughed, shaking her head. She knew the other kids didn't exclude her to be mean or because they didn't like her, they just didn't know her. She preferred spending her time with other projects than going circuit racing after the prom. "Enzo, of course not, that's discrimination."
"What's that?" he eagerly wondered.
A knock on the door interrupted them. There stood two sprites and one binome. They were Dot's friends, not necessarily her best friends. She usually was too busy to hang out with them, but they were the three most patient people at school. They were usually willing to take Dot with them places when she wanted and had time to go. Dot had never had any really close friends, but she was happy because she didn't know any better.
Sixtyfive was a sprite with bright pink skin and short hair that she spike upward. She was so skinny she was almost invisible. Artie was the only boy in the group and the only binome. He was a one with brown hair that he always wore a green hat over. Artie had a habit of lying when he should tell the truth and telling the truth when he should lie. Finally, there was the only one of the three Dot felt any real closeness to. Paq was a girl with one mission in life: to find a way out of Mainframe. She was always peeking over Dot's dad's shoulder to see if his work on portals had lead up to her freedom. It wasn't that she didn't like Mainframe, it was just that she was ready to move on to someplace new, if such a place existed.
"Hey, Professor Matrix," Artie greeted, "I thought you were going to meet with the city officials today?"
"I am," he replied nervously.
"Well, shouldn't you be wearing a tie?"
"No," Dot cut in, "My dad is fine the way he is. Are we ready for graduation?"
"Just waiting on you," Paq said with a smile.
Dot packed her sketches into a data folder and ran to the door. "Bye Enzo. Bye Dad, good luck. I'll see you both tonight." She waved before closing the door behind her. Tonight, something big in her life was going to end.
******************
Bob, Cadet 452, loved his number. He hadn't been at the academy for as long as some of the others in his class, yet Bob was certain that in no time the word "cadet" would be changed to "Guardian". His own image now thrilled him. The blue suit, the yellow and black icon, even the black boots his buddies from school had given him seemed to be special now. He was going to mend and defend. Today he started game training. This was a change he had been looking forward to since was a little sprite. He couldn't wait. Although, while all the other cadets were studying read-me files on different strategies and game types. Bob preferred to wait and take everything as it came. The only plan he had ever had while compiling was to be a guardian. Growing up in the Super Computer, that came as no surprise.
He arrived to class on time, surprising his teachers. As everyone was lined up for role call, one of the superiors, a girl assigned as Bob's partner in order to keep an eye on him, watched him with almost shock. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were actually excited about this," she commented.
"This is what being a Guardian is all about, isn't it, Dixon?" Bob whispered, "Protecting people by playing the games."
"Yeah, but you aren't supposed to enjoy the games," Dixon Green scoffed.
Turbo was there. The Prime Guardian himself wanted to see how the cadets handled themselves in the games. True, this was only a simulation program, but it would seem real enough to the inexperienced young sprites.
"Alright," one of the instructors called out, "Now that we're all present let's just review some of the minor details. First of all, how to Reboot..."
Bob felt himself groan. They were starting with things even the most basic sprite in the net knew about. At this rate, they wouldn't be in a real game for seconds. He shook his head to stay awake and would try to be polite by pretending to pay attention.
However, Turbo wasn't fooled. "Is there a problem, Cadet 452?" he gruffly asked.
"No sir," Bob stumbled, "It's just...we know all this. Shouldn't we be learning something new before going into the simulation."
"Well, if you'll just be patient, cadet, you may find that this lecture isn't as pointless as you may think," the instructor defended then continued his talk.
But Bob didn't want to be patient. Today something big in his life was going to start and he wanted it to start as soon as possible.
******************