ABORT, RETRY, FAIL

I know I'm showing my age with this title... Apologies in advance for any factual errors or the like, but it was a good three years between ABC and TCN so my Reboot knowledge got a little rusty.

On with the show...

"Hey! Who's the big ugly green guy?"

The ebullient celebration crashed to a screaming halt, the smiles and hugs giving way to a sea of blank stares - and no stare more blank than Bob's, trapped beneath the grinning one meg sprite on his chest. Phong, thinking quickly as ever, hurriedly snapped a picture of the two of them.

"Hey - I asked who the big ugly guy was!" Little Enzo repeated impatiently, a hint of irritation creeping into his voice as his grin snaked into a thoughtful sneer. One thing was clear - the boy, as ever, hated to be ignored.

"Uh..." Dot stammered, glancing desperately at Matrix. The hulking sprite was too stunned even to offer that much response.

"Uh..." Bob added helpfully.

Phong glanced down at the icon in his hand, a frown creasing his brow. The wisdom that had allowed him to reach the ripe old age of four days told that this was a crucial moment - whatever words were used to explain the incredible situation to Enzo would carry a huge weight - for many long seconds. It was not a decision to be taken lightly, in the flush of the moment - thoughtful consideration was needed, and time needed to be bought.

"Well, Sugar... He's-" Mouse began hesitantly.

"Ah yes, Young Enzo." Phong interrupted, casting a pointed glance at the hacker. "You are looking upon Matrix, the Renegade. He has come from the net to help us in defending Mainframe. Isn't that right, Young Matrix?"

"Uh..." the big man whispered hesitantly.

"Of course, of course you are. Introduce yourself to our young friend, My Child."

"Alphanumeric!" the boy gasped, springing lithely off of Bob's chest and leaping to Matrix' side, staring up at his grizzled face. "Are you really from the net?"

"Um... sure, I guess so..."

"Well, I'm Enzo. Enzo Matrix! Pleased to meetcha! I'm gonna be a guardian someday - Bob says so!" the little sprite said proudly, pointing at his chest. He extended his hand to his bearded doppelganger, who took it gingerly in his own.

"I - You - Maybe you will..." Matrix whispered. "Pleased to meet you too - I think..." He looked helplessly at AndrAIa, who shrugged and squeezed his arm.

"D' you remember me, Sugar?" Mouse grinned at the boy. "It's a right pleasure to see yer face again!

"Um - do I know you?" Enzo frowned.

"No - I guess not - but you will, Sugar!" Mouse chuckled with a wink at Phong.

"You don't know me either, I don't think." AndrAIa interjected softly, looking down at the little sprite with an awed smile and lightly brushing his cheek. It was all a little much for her - she wasn't sure just what her emotions were. "I'm AndrAIa."

"Dude!" Enzo whispered, noticing the game sprite - and her costume - for the first time. He stared at her, mouth hanging open in shock.

"Hey!" Matrix growled. "Watch your manners... Boy!"

"Matrix!" the game sprite snapped.

"S-sorry." the big man sighed, burying his head in hands. "This is all too weird..."

"But - what are all these new sprites doing here?" Enzo frowned. "What's going on? Why don't I know any of you? Dot?" The boy was beginning to get the sneaking feeling that he'd been left out of some adult action, and he didn't like it.

"Wait'll he gets a load of the Surfer!" Bob muttered.

"Hey - whassa matter Dot?" Enzo whispered, noticing for the first time that tears were flowing freely down his sister's face. "Dot?"

The Command Com tried to speak, but she could only manage a weak smile. Finally, she grasped her startled little brother format and hugged him tightly. She smiled at Matrix over his shoulder, and the big man nodded and grasped her shoulder gently. "N-nothing's wrong, Enzo." the woman finally managed to croak. "I'm just - happy you're here. Happy we're all together, that's all. Just happy."

"Man! You've gone basic on me!" Enzo muttered, squirming out of her grasp. "Everything looks different..." he said dubiously, looking at the sparkling city around him. "Did I miss something?"

"Nothing important." Bob grinned, giving the small sprite's cap a playful half turn.

"But- Hey, look out!" the boy cried, alarmed, diving behind Bob's back. "Hexadecimal!"

The virus responded with a hearty chuckle, her mask smoothly breaking into a toothy smile. "The littlest lost sheep has returned to the flock - how precious!"

"What - is everybody off their bitmap? What's going on?" Enzo gasped.

"Patience, My Child." Phong interrupted soothingly. "In an acorn's life, there is but one blooming, and the mighty oak asks no haste."

"Huh?" Enzo frowned. What does-"

"It is of little importance, Child. All will be explained. Come - let us retire to the Principal Office. There is still much that must be done..."

"But why was Hex there? And what was Dot crying for? I-"

"Enough questions!" Bob laughed. "Everything's fine, Enzo. Now shut down, like your sister told you. You've been running in turbo mode all day - little sprites need their downtime, you know."

"Yeah yeah!" the boy grumbled, settling into his docking bay. "But why is your hair like that? It's cool! Can I grow my hair like that? Ugh! Get down, Frisket!" The red dog was enthusiastically licking the youngster's face.

"I'm sure Dot would love that!" Bob sighed. "We'll talk about it tomorrow, Enzo. I've got to get back to my apartment - it's late."

"OK... Frisket's acting weird - he won't let me get away from him for a nano! It's almost like-"

"Good night!" Bob said pointedly. "Tomorrow's a big day." With a last glance at the boy, still valiantly fighting off the affections of Frisket, the guardian slipped outside of Enzo's room and slowly walked toward Dot's.

Bob was tired - more tired than he could ever remember. He'd been though so much - they all had. He'd survived the web, found his way back to Mainframe, with Matrix' help. They'd even saved the city - for now. It had been second after second of constant struggle and now - after the euphoria of the reboot had passed, the guardian could feel it all starting to catch up to him.

"Did you get Enzo docked?" Dot smiled wearily, leaning back on her tattered sofa and closing her eyes as Bob entered the room.

"Yup. He's still running at about five hundred megahertz, though." Bob chuckled.

"He's always going, isn't he?" Dot sighed. "Always running on, always processing. I'd forgotten how exhausting it was."

Bob settled down next to the woman and gently wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Yeah, but not just anywhere. He's always going somewhere - even if he's the only one who knows where, sometimes."

"I've missed that." Dot whispered, tiredly resting her head on Bob's shoulder. "It's not all I've missed..."

"I know." Bob answered, gazing down at Dot's weary face, his thoughts a whirl. "Do you think Enzo saw - well, do you think he noticed what we were doing when he - arrived?"

Dot opened her eyes and grinned mischievously up at him. "You mean this?" The woman met Bob's lips with her own, and they kissed for a long moment. "I doubt he noticed - his mind was on other things. It always is. Even if he did, I doubt it'll bother him. I think it's what he always hoped for..."

Bob raised an eyebrow. "He isn't the only one."

Dot rested her head on the guardian's shoulder and closed her eyes again, and neither sprite said anything for a long moment. "Bob - how should we - what do you think we should tell Enzo about... you know."

"I don't know." he sighed.

"We're finally all together. I never thought I'd see any of you again..." Dot said softly. "Maybe we shouldn't say anything, do anything to spoil it. Maybe it doesn't matter..."

"And let Enzo hear it from some binome down on Baudway? I don't think so!" Bob frowned. "Dot, we'll have to tell him - someone will. He'll find out sooner or later - from that musical tomorrow, if nothing else. Wouldn't it be better to hear it from someone who loves him?"

"But Bob, he's just a little sprite!" Dot protested. "How could he possibly understand?"

"Enzo understands more than you think, Dot. He always did." Bob replied. "It'll hurt him, once he knows - but he has to know. It will be very strange for him, for all of us. Matrix is going through it right now..."

Dot's face darkened. "I know. But at least he has AndrAIa to help him get by..."

"Uh huh. But he still needs his big sister, Dot."

"Do you think so?" Dot sighed, a tear running down her cheek. "I don't know what to think..."

"Maybe you should talk to Matrix tomorrow - take him aside, let him know you're still his big sister. I can take Enzo circuit racing, or something... Have a talk with him, before the show."

"He's _my_ brother!" Dot protested, a little petulantly.

"They _both_ are." Bob said gently.

Another tear escaped Dot's eye, and Bob gently brushed it off of her cheek. "Of course." she whispered "I'll talk to Matrix tomorrow..."

"It'll be all right." the guardian reassured. "We Mainframers stick together, right? Between us, there's nothing we can't handle."

"You're right." Dot smiled weakly.

"I should go." Bob said, kissing the woman lightly on the cheek and standing. "It's been a long day, we're all tired..."

"You don't have to, you know."

"What?"

"You don't have to go, Bob." Dot whispered. "You could stay here tonight..."

"I should go..." the guardian repeated dubiously. "It's late - I - I haven't even been back to my apartment. Tomorrow's another big day."

"Of course." Dot sighed, squeezing his hand. "See you tomorrow..."

"Ram chip for your thoughts." AndrAIa said softly, squeezing Matrix' hand. They shared a booth at the now dark diner, even Cecil having shut down for the night. The excitement had been a bit much for the dedicated server.

"Huh?" Matrix said distractedly. "Oh. It's just... nice to be home, that's all..."

"Of course." AndrAIa sighed. "It's like a fresh start, isn't it? A chance for everyone to do it all over again."

"Yeah." the big sprite said softly. "A second chance..."

The game sprite shook her head. "Don't be so low density, Lover. Everything's going to be just fine - would you rather be stuck out there in game sprite mode again?"

"What? Of course not!" Matrix growled. "Why would you say that?"

"You're thinking too much. You always get into trouble when you think too much."

"Thanks a software bundle!" Matrix muttered.

AndrAIa laughed mischievously. "You know what I mean, Enzo. You-"

"Please don't call me that." the young man interrupted intently. "Especially not now - not here."

"Act your age!" AndrAIa glowered. "What's your error message?"

"Is that... Is that what I really looked like?" Matrix shook his head. "I mean - jumping around, acting like a fool..."

"That's the sprite I fell in love with!" AndrAIa interrupted a little angrily. "That's the sprite I'm still in love with..."

"But-"

"Just hold your cursor!" the game sprite snapped. "Is that what this is all about - why you've been glowering about all cycle? You should be happy - you're home-"

"_We're_ home."

"We're home, then. Everyone is safe, we've saved the city..."

"Daemon's still out there." Matrix grumbled.

"It's not Daemon you're worried about right now, is it?" AndrAIa challenged. Matrix merely crossed his arms and stared straight ahead.

"It was nice to see that smile again." the girl continued after a moment's silence. "I love that smile - I'd forgotten how much I missed it..."

"Thanks a lot!"

"What?" AndrAIa challenged. "Well?"

"Well... Good night!" Matrix snapped, rising to his feet and stalking out of the diner.

"Which one is supposed to be the grown-up again?" the game sprite chuckled bitterly. She settled back into the booth, watching Matrix' retreating back for a few moments, then closed her eyes, letting exhaustion overtake her.

"Anybody home?" the thickly accented voice called with a light tap on the door of the ship.

"Why, come in, Sugar!" Mouse grinned, activating the door control. "I've been hopin' you'd stop by. What took ya so long?"

"Oh, just havin' a look around, Dear Lady." Ray smiled, taking in his surroundings. "Always nice to get your bearings when you're in a new place - never know when you're gonna need to know the layout in a pinch. Nice digs you have here."

"Why thanks, Darlin'!" the hacker replied. "Why don't you come over here and join me? Plenty o' room in this ol' chair for two!"

"Maybe in a bit, Love." Tracer chuckled, settling into the co-pilot's seat. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you all day. What was all that business about, before - that 'Matrix the Renegade' stuff? And who was that kid - knocked everybody on their ASCII when he showed up..."

"That's kind of a long story, Sugar." the hacker sighed. "You got a while?"

"Well, I dunno." the surfer smiled slyly. "I was wonderin' if you might know a place where a fella like me could shack up for a few cycles?"

"Planning to stay a while?"

"I reckon." the surfer nodded. "Mainframe seems like a right nice place to me - and I figure I ought to see what I spent the last ten seconds fighting to save, yeah?"

"Of course." Mouse grinned. "Well, lemmee see Sugar - there's the Tel Inn, right down on Baudway. I hear it's very nice."

"That so?" the surfer replied dubiously.

"Of course, y'all could just stay here, I suppose." Mouse answered, crinkling her eyes. "It ain't the Supercomputer, but I find it pretty comfortable."

"Well, I dunno Love." Ray smiled. "D'you think it's proper - me stayin' in a lady's place, and all?"

"What's that got to do with me, Sugar?" Mouse laughed.

Phong looked out the expanse of Mainframe, spread out below him. Even at his age, the beauty of the place could still touch him. From his vantage point, high atop the Principal Office, he could see the entire city - Baudway, the Kits Sector, even Lost Angles. And that large, dark spot on the horizon...

With a shudder, the old sprite yanked his eyes away from the former home of the Tor and whirred away from the window. Everyone had suffered, he knew - but no one could know the agonies he had suffered in that place. No one could ever know. He wouldn't wish the knowledge on his worst enemy...

The old sprite knew, perhaps better than anyone else, just how lucky they had all been. They had been a floppy disk's breath away from annihilation - and the system reboot had been a desperate hope, a long shot. It was only by a miracle of good fortune that Mainframe stood proudly again, defiantly - and Phong wasn't about to allow it to suffer the same fate again. Not on his watch.

The dangers that still faced the city were not lost on Phong - Daemon was still out there, waiting her opportunity. Mainframe would surely fall under her gaze once again, and they would have to be prepared.

"You are getting too old for this, Phong." the small sprite muttered, busying himself by performing a final system check for the cycle. The threat of Daemon would be looming over them for many cycles, minutes perhaps - now was a time for rebuilding the lives of those who would hold the defense of Mainframe in their hands. The dynamics of those lives had changed, and in ways only Phong could understand. It would be a challenge to hold those lives together, to keep them from scattering to the winds. No one could be spared - all had a role to play in the struggles ahead. And it would be Phong's responsibility to ensure that all were here when needed.

With a sigh, the old sprite turned away from the command console and rolled towards his personal quarters. There would be a feeling of celebration in the city the next day, and he had to play his part. The others were depending upon him to set the mood, and he couldn't afford to disappoint them.

The Principal Office was dark, the only sound Phong's primitive propulsion units as they carried him to his nightly rest. He was tired, and he was lonely. "I wonder how the others would feel if they knew..." he mused to himself.

"Go on boy, get down!" Enzo muttered, gently pushing Frisket away. The dog overpowered the small sprite's grasp and messily rolled his black tongue across the boy's face. "Ewww! What's the matter with you, Frisket?" With a petulant sigh, the boy pulled his blanket up to his chin and rolled away from the pooch, which let out a pained whimper and finally settled down, head resting on Enzo's feet.

Enzo couldn't sleep, Frisket or no Frisket. Something was wrong - every instinct in his body told him. He was proud of his senses - he never missed a thing that went on around him, even if he didn't always understand them. His eyes had picked up the strange, glittering quality that had settled over Mainframe, but, even more, his gut had picked up the tension in Bob, Dot and the others. They were all looking at him funny...

And then there were those others - the red-headed woman who seemed to know him, even though he didn't know her. The young woman, AndrAIa - for some reason Enzo couldn't get his mind off her. And that strange, blond sprite with the big eyes - he'd never heard the man's name, but he'd noticed him lurking around the fringes of his friends. And Hex - Hexadecimal, right there on Baudway - and no one was even worried about it?! It was all basic, totally basic...

But the weirdest thing of all, Enzo figured, was that big ugly green guy. The boy got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach every time he looked at the hulking sprite - and always, he caught Matrix staring back at him, pulling his glance away quickly every time Enzo looked over. And he never smiled. What kind of a person never smiled? Enzo shuddered at the thought.

The boy sighed and scratched Frisket's ears, then wrapped his arms around the delighted dog's neck and roughly wrestled him onto his side. Enzo was afraid, and he didn't like being afraid. Ever since Bob had showed up in Mainframe, Enzo hadn't felt scared - really scared. Bob was always around, and whenever he was around, it was hard to be really worried. Even Dot didn't seem to worry about stuff _quite_ as much after Bob showed up...

But this was different. _Bob_ was different, and Dot - what was wrong with Dot? She never cried around Enzo - not when she knew he was there. Not even when their father had been deleted. The only time Enzo ever saw her cry, she didn't know he was watching. It had been just a few cycles after the destruction of the Twin City, and she'd thought he was asleep. She'd been so strong around him, comforting him when _he_ cried, but there she was, weeping - quietly, so as not to wake him up. Enzo had crawled quietly back to his room and cried himself to sleep.

The memory brought an involuntary sob to the little sprite's throat. He felt Frisket's wet nose on his own and hugged the dog to his chest. "It's OK, Frisket." he whispered. Why had he thought about that now - after all this time? "It's OK." With a sigh, the boy closed his eyes and waited in vain for sleep to come.

"Aaaand - brought to you by the good folks at 'The Web'... It's the new and improved, Bob the Guardian!"

"Shut up, Mike!" the silver haired sprite said ominously, casting a nervous glance in Enzo's direction. The boy, however, appeared to be paying precious little attention to the TV - his eyes were focused curiously on The Surfer, who sat next to him at the bar, sipping an energy shake and talking with Dot.

"Isn't he lovely folks? The hair is by Georgio Cyrix, and it's a lovely braid work reminiscent of the great gladiators of the fortran era. The jumpsuit is by-"

"I said, shut up!" Bob whispered urgently. "You want Enzo to hear you?"

"EN-zo? You thought it was safe to go back in the data stream, but LOOK OUT! He's back - and he's ticked off-"

"Say Mike, I hear Hexadecimal is looking for some new playthings for her lair. You'd go lovely with her vidwindows, don't you think? Do I make myself clear?" the Guardian hissed.

"Back after these important messages!" the TV said quickly, and disappeared out the door in a flash of static.

"And who's this bright-eyed lad, then?" Ray said amiably, staring down at Enzo.

Dot coughed nervously. "My little brother format, Mr. Tracer. Enzo. But-"

"Ah, Mouse told me all about you, Boyo." the Surfer grinned. "What's processing?"

"Are you really from the web?" the boy asked, awed.

"_From_ the web? Well no - not exactly. Know my way around it better'n just about anybody, though."

"But - how did you survive out there? How d'you get around?"

"That's my function Mate - search engine." Tracer grinned proudly. "The best - numero uno. Couldn't do it without my board, though."

"Your - board?" the boy whispered, sensing something cool about to be revealed.

"Sure - can't surf the web without a board, Lad."

"Awesome! Can I ride it sometime. Can I? _Can_ I?"

"Enzo!" Dot said sharply.

"Aww Dot - you never want me to have any fun!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tracer - he's like this a lot. If he's bothering you-"

"No worries, Dear Lady." Ray grinned. "Sure, I'll take ya for a surf sometime, Young Fella. Best feeling there is!"

"Alphanumeric! Thanks, Ray! Can we go now? Can we?"

"You sure your name's Enzo, Kid?" Ray laughed.

"Sure! Why?"

"What's processing, Enzo?" Bob interrupted, clapping the youngster on the shoulder. "Listen, I was thinking - how about a little circuit racing?"

"Sweet! But I was just gonna take a ride on Ray's board..."

"Maybe later, Enzo." Dot sighed.

"Yeah, maybe later." Bob nodded. "You know the circuits are less crowded early in the cycle. Waddaya say?"

"Sure!" Enzo grinned. "Can Ray come with us?"

"Circuit racing, eh?" Ray mused. "Sounds interesting..."

"Actually, I was thinking maybe Enzo and I could spend a little quality time together." the Guardian replied, meeting the surfer's eyes. "You know - just the two of us. Maybe next time?"

"Really? But Bob - "

"No, the blue guy's right, Lad." Ray laughed. "You two go and have some fun. We'll catch up the next time."

"OK. Bye Ray! Bye Dot!" the boy shouted, bouncing off the stool. "Hey Bob, race ya to your car!"

"Yeah, we better hurry anyways - we'll just have time for some good racing before the show..."

Enzo stopped in his tracks. "What's this _show_ everyone keeps talking about?"

The Guardian grabbed him by the elbow. "I'll explain that on the way, Enzo." he sighed patiently.

"You boys have fun!" Dot called as they disappeared out the door, forcing a smile to her face. She turned to the surfer. "Thanks for - for -"

"No worries, Pretty Lady!" Tracer smiled. "The lad doesn't know, does he?"

"No. I presume Mouse filled you in?"

"That she did. I take it that Guardian fella's gonna clue him, eh? Seems like they're pretty close."

"Very close, Mr. Tracer."

"Gonna be pretty hard for the little fella when he finds out, eh?"

"It sure will." Dot sighed. "I don't know how he's going to take it, but I suppose it's better coming from Bob..."

"Hard to believe the little fella and Matrix are - well... the same fella. Y'know?" Ray mused, shaking his head.

"You know what the sad thing is, Mr. Tracer?" Dot said sadly. "You'd know that better than me."

"Mr. Tracer was my test program, Pretty Lady. I'm Ray." the surfer answered gently. "Don't worry about the little guy - or the big guy. They'll get it sorted, somehow. And Matrix isn't not so bad, anyways, once you get to know him."

"Get to know him... Have you seen my little brother this morning, Mr. - Ray? My _big_ little brother?"

"He and his lady were helping Mouse sort out some system settings in the Principal Office, last I saw him."

"He and I have to have a little talk, I think." Dot sighed wearily. "Care to take a zip over there with me, Ray?"

"Miss a chance to escort a lovely damsel like yourself? Never!" the Surfer bowed.

"Cecil, keep an eye on things, will you?" Dot called, heading out the door. "I'll be back before the show."

"Of course, Ma'am." the served replied coolly. "At last, I can get some things done around here... Entrees! Front and center - Chop chop!"

Enzo _should_ have been happy, and he knew it. Circuit racing with Bob, there was nothing he loved better. Except maybe going into the games. And Bob had said he wanted to spend some 'quality time' with him. And he haven't even had to pester him! And there were all those new sprites around too - that surfer guy was really cool, and his board sounded totally alphanumeric. And that ugly guy, Matrix - that gun of his... Enzo _knew_ he could have some fun with that.

Thinking about Matrix reminded Enzo of what had been frustrating him all morning - he _wasn't_ happy. Everybody was either being too nice to him, or not saying anything at all. It wasn't right. And why was Bob - "What?"

"I _said_ - you're awfully quiet, Buster. Cad got your tongue?"

"Sorry Bob." the boy grinned. "I was just thinkin' about stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Oh you know... stuff." Enzo replied dubiously.

"Didn't you have fun racing?" Bob frowned.

"Sure I did - it was totally alphanumeric!" the green sprite nodded hastily. "Thanks for spending time with me Bob, it's really great. But..."

"But we need to talk." Bob sighed.

"We do?" the boy said softly, knowing the answer. That weird feeling in the pit of his stomach was starting all over again.

The Guardian ducked off of Baudway and steered his car, sputtering and protesting, down a quiet side street. "We're right near Green Screen Park. Let's stop and take a walk. I think this old girl could use a rest anyways..."

The Guardian brought the convertible to a screeching halt in a small docking area by a stand of directory trees. "I like it here - very peaceful-"

Inspiration struck Enzo like a cold slap in the face. "I know what you're gonna talk to me about, Bob." the youngster said softly, staring down at his feet.

"You do?" Bob replied, surprised.

"Yeah - you're leaving Mainframe, aren't you?"

"Wha- Leaving? What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about it all morning - why you're being so nice to me, and all. And why Dot was crying. An' why that new guy is here, from the net-"

"Enzo-"

"Just tell me, Bob. I can handle it." Enzo said bravely, willing himself not to cry.

Bob started to laugh, than, seeing the pained expression on the little sprite's face, choked it down. He put a hand under the boy's chin lifted Enzo's gaze to meet his own. "Enzo - I'm not leaving. I don't need to have a special reason to be nice to you, you know. I like you - we're friends!"

"You're not leaving? Not ever?" Enzo whispered hopefully.

A shadow passed across the Guardian's blue features. "I made a promise to your sister, Enzo. I'll do the best I can. I take my promises pretty seriously..."

"But... Alphanumeric! Then Matrix isn't here to replace you?"

"Replace me?" Bob laughed. "Boy, that mind of yours is always processing, isn't it? No, he isn't replacing me - although that's not a bad theory, Enzo. I know everything that's happened must have had you pretty worried."

"A little." Enzo admitted. "But - if the big ugly guy isn't replacing you, then what do you want to talk to me about?"

"You may want to rethink calling him that." the Guardian sighed. "Actually, it was Matrix I wanted to talk to you about. C'mon, let's walk for a while." The blue sprite leapt over the car door and lifted Enzo to the ground. "There's a path, right through these trees here. Goes right past a really nice data stream..."

"OK - race ya!" the boy laughed, sprinting towards the woods. "Cool. Too bad we didn't bring Frisket - he'd have a great time here. He was gone when I woke up, I wonder where he is..."

"Handles?"

"Forty." Matrix called out.

AndrAIa stuck her head out from under the command console. "Forty? Will that be enough?"

"Hey - that's what Mouse said. She's the expert." the big sprite answered. He glanced over at Frisket - The red dog was reclining, head on paws, staring intently at him. "He's been staring at me all morning..."

"What?" AndrAIa called.

"Who are you - Al?" Matrix chuckled. "I said - Frisket's been staring at me all morning. Like he doesn't know who I am."

The game sprite pulled herself out from under the console and stood. "That's done." she grinned. "Hey Frisket! Here, Boy!" she called. The red dog lifted his head, stared at her for a moment, then put his head down again and resumed his vigil.

"Yeah Frisket - you and everybody else." Matrix muttered.

"What're you complaining about now, Enzo?" AndrAIa giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him playfully.

"It's that dog - He keeps staring at me..."

"He just has to figure things out, Lover. All of a sudden, there's two of you. And one of you he hasn't seen since you were zero one. It doesn't make sense to him, that's all."

"He's still my dog." Matrix grumbled. "All those cycles, in the games - and now, all of a sudden, he's afraid of me? And it's not just Frisket, either..."

"You really should go and talk to him, you know." the game sprite sighed.

"Who - Frisket?"

"No! You know - yourself. He's probably just as offlined about this as you are."

"He's circuit racing with Bob. Just like nothing ever happened."

"Well, what's wrong with that? As far as Enzo's concerned, it _didn't_!"

"I guess. Maybe after all the show, we'll see. It's just... seeing him, it's..."

"I know, Lover. But neither one of you is going anywhere, are you? So you'd better get used to it! It's actually pretty cool, if you think about it."

"Yeah, real alphanumeric!" Matrix sighed. "And I _really_ don't want to go to that show..."

"Well there you are... Little Brother!" Dot called out. "How's the system reset going?"

"Fine, we're almost done." Matrix tried to smile, forming a kind of half grimace. It broadened into a full grimace when he saw Tracer appear behind his sister.

"Mornin' Mate, Lovely Lady." the Surfer grinned cheerfully. "Your sister's just been giving me the shareware tour of the Principal Office here - very nice setup."

"Thanks. We like it." Matrix nodded gruffly.

"AndrAIa, can you spare En - Matrix - for a little while?" Dot asked, looking towards the wall. "I was hoping we could take a walk."

"Of course, Dot." the game sprite smiled. "We were almost done here, anyway. I can handle the rest of the setup by myself."

"I'll be glad to offer my assistance to the young lady." Ray added, with a small bow.

A glower crossed Matrix' face. "But-"

"But nothing! Go with your sister, everything's under control." AndrAIa kissed him briefly and picked up her toolkit. "I'll see you at the show tonight."

"Yeah, see you at the show." the big sprite said softly. With a last glare at Ray, he followed his sister out of the command room and down the hall. Frisket rose and followed silently at a discreet distance.

Dot turned and smiled at him. "It's nice, the way you two care for each other. I'm glad she was there for you, when - when..."

"Yeah it's nice." Matrix nodded. It was weird - why was he so uncomfortable? This was his own sister! Then it hit him - this was the first time they'd been alone together since he'd returned to Mainframe. He cast a quick glance back at Frisket. "Er... How are things at the diner, Sis?" ~Idiot! What a stupid question!~

Dot slowed, allowing the bearded sprite to catch up to her, and they walked side by side. "There _was_ no diner - not until last cycle, the reboot." she sighed. They walked for a few moments, neither saying anything. Suddenly, Matrix looked up to find himself outside, overlooking the city spread out below him. How often had he dreamed of that very sight? And there it was...

Dot smiled shyly at him for a moment, then turned her glance out at the city. Zip Boards and cars were everywhere, as if the citizens of Mainframe were desperately trying to make up for lost time. Something bothered Matrix, though. For a long moment he couldn't place it, and then it hit him - there was no Tor. He was so used to it's presence, it had been in all of his dreams of Mainframe - but it was gone.

This city was different - it could never be the same, reboot or no reboot. The sight should have filled him with joy, but instead it left him feeling strangely empty. He started, feeling a cool touch in his own. Dot had gingerly grabbed his hand in hers. Matrix stared at it for a moment. That cool, smooth touch - it was so familiar, so comforting - but it felt small, somehow. How could Dot's hand be smaller than his own?

He looked up to see Dot staring at him, her expression unreadable. He met her eyes with his own and tried to speak, but no words came to him. Instead, he squeezed her hand gently and turned back to stare out at Mainframe, and that strangely empty space across the city from the Principal Office.

"You're sure everything is ready, My Child?"

"Of course, Phong." Cecil replied stiffly, as if the mere question were a mortal affront to his sensibilities. "I _am_ a dedicated server. It is my function."

"Yes, yes, of course of course." Phong answered absently. He meticulously straightened a tray of I/O shots on one of the tables. This party had been his idea - a logical opportunity to bring all of the elements of the new Mainframe together - in effect, force them to talk to each other. "I will bring everyone back here after the performance, Cecil. I want them to enjoy themselves. If you need anything, the resources of the Principal Office are yours."

"Of course, Sir." the server bowed. He coughed nervously, and shuffled in place - at least, as close as a legless binome could approximate the action.

"There is something else?" Phong asked curiously, arching an eyebrow.

"Indeed Sir. It's only - well..." The server coughed again. "I was hoping , Phong, that with the reboot and all..."

"Yes?"

"I was hoping that there might be an upgrade for me, Sir. I could perform my function much more efficiently with a pair of legs, Sir."

"Ah, My Child." Phong said sadly. "You know that it is only by the grace of the User that we receive such bounty. Perhaps, in time, you shall be given what you seek. In the meanwhile, we have all been given our lives back, thank the User. Is it not enough?"

"Of course, Phong. It was not my intention to appear greedy." the server blushed.

Phong smiled. It was so easy to take them for granted... "Do not concern yourself, Child. There is an old read me file which says, 'Only in the act of serving others, may one achieve true independence.'"

"Indeed, Sir." Cecil nodded dubiously.

"Do not despair, Cecil. There is much work to be done, and we have much to thank the User for. Come, let us set out the memory wafers and ram chips..."

"She didn't know what to say to me, AndrAIa. She just stood there, looking at me, then away, then back..."

"Why does she have to say anything?" the game sprite sighed. "She's your sister - your best friend. Isn't that enough?"

"Is she?" the hulking youth said softly. "Dot's only ever had one brother..."

"You're driving me offline!" the girl groaned, exasperated. "Besides, you're not exactly Mr. Personality yourself, Lover. Did you ever think of talking to _her_?"

"I tried, AndrAIa. I promise I did. It's just all... different, somehow. Even the city's different. It's not the Mainframe I left."

"Things change, Enzo. You can't help it. The city changed. Dot changed. I changed. _You_ changed. Now stop worrying about it and let's go inside and enjoy ourselves. You know Mike put a lot of work into this."

"There they are!" Matrix whispered anxiously, nodding his head towards Bob, Dot and Enzo, who were approaching the main auditorium. "I can't handle this..."

"Be a man, Matrix!" AndrAIa hissed. "What are you going to do, never talk to him? If you never talk to yourself people will think you're crazy!"

"Look at that!" the young man growled as Frisket leapt up and tackled Enzo to the ground, licking his face. "Stupid dog..."

"Greetings, everyone." Dot smiled. "All ready for the show?"

"Hi Dot, Bob." AndrAIa smiled, squeezing Matrix' hand. "Hi Enzo - what's processing?"

"Hullo." the boy said shyly, smiling momentarily at the game sprite, then looking away. Matrix looked down at him - the child's face was uncharacteristically solemn. The big sprite met Bob's eyes, and the guardian nodded, almost imperceptibly.

Matrix glanced down and caught himself staring back. The youngster quickly looked away, unconsciously sliding a half step behind Bob's back. A long moment of awkward silence gripped the quintet.

"Well, ain't this lovely? All the gang, together again!' Mouse called gaily, joining the group. The Surfer was a step behind her. "What're y'all standin' out here for? I think they usually hold these kinds of things _inside_ the auditorium, don't they?"

"Of course." Bob grinned. "Shall we go on in?"

AndrAIa grabbed Matrix' hand and led him inside the great hall, Mouse and Ray falling in behind. Enzo felt Dot grab his hand and they followed the rest inside, Bob bringing up the rear. The boy was still reeling, and more than a little shaken, but his remarkable adaptive ability served him well - he was already beginning to file and sort this reality in his head. Still, his views on Matrix were clearly going to have to be re-evaluated. He _was_ kinda good-looking, the more Enzo thought about it...

The front two rows of the theater had been cleared, and the binomes inside made way for the small party, giving them a heroes' welcome of applause and whistles. Bob smiled, Dot blushed, AndrAia laughed. Matrix, for his part, shook his head and muttered something unintelligible. Enzo merely took in the scene, bewildered.

As the group filed down the front row to their seats, Enzo realized, with a start, that he'd be sitting next to Matrix. He turned and tried to slip past Dot, but the woman had already taken her seat next to Bob. The row was filled. "Hey Dot! Switch-"

"Seats with me!" Matrix whispered urgently.

"No!" AndrAIa hissed.

"But-"

"Act your age! He'll hear you!"

"But Dot-"

"Just settle down and be quiet, Enzo!" Dot whispered, the act giving her a warm feeling of comfortable familiarity. "The show's going to start any nanosecond."

"Cursors!" Enzo grumbled. Kicking his feet nervously, he stole a quick glance up at himself. Matrix started straight ahead, determinedly ignoring the fidgeting sprite next to him. The boy looked up at the stage, eyes wide. This _was_ pretty cool, when he thought about it - it would almost be like having a big brother! A half grin crept onto his face and he peeked at Matrix out of the corner of his eye.

Matrix could sense the boy staring up at him, but he couldn't force his gaze down. He concentrated on the comforting sensation of AndrAIa's hand on his elbow. To his relief, the lights dimmed and a swell of music rose from the orchestra pit. All eyes turned to the stage.

Dot's mouth opened in a small 'O' of surprise as she saw a very familiar looking binome stroll to the center of the stage and clear her throat. She heard a faint chuckle from Bob, and elbowed the Guardian in the ribs without looking over. With a dramatic cough, the binome on stage spread her arms and began to sing.

"The web invaded Mainframe..."

"Some party, Mate!" Ray laughed, one hand clasped around an I/O shot, the other around Mouse's waist. "You Mainframers sure know how to celebrate!" Above his head, Cecil whizzed by, a tray in his hand.

"This is a most special occasion, My Son." Phong smiled. "It is not every cycle the we witness a system reboot. We have been through very difficult times - now is a moment for celebration." ~And for marshalling our strength...~ the old sprite thought to himself.

"You shoulda seen these boys before I showed up, Sugar!" Mouse grinned evilly. "I loosened 'em up a little - ain't that right, Phong?"

"Er - yes, quite." Phong smiled. "My sincerest gratitude to both of you - we could not have survived without your invaluable assistance. Mouse's contributions to the defense of the city were indispensable, and you helped bring our two wayward sons home to us, Ray. Mainframe is in your debt."

"All in a day's work, Mate." Ray said softly.

"Yeah, we didn't do anything special, Sweetie. Just bein' neighborly. Besides, Bob and I go way back..."

"Quite. Have you two given any thought to your - well... future plans?"

Ray cast a look at Mouse, who winked conspiratorially back. "Don't rightly know just yet..."

"Pretty good, huh?" AndrAIa smirked around a mouthful of memory wafers.

"It was all right."

"Oh, come on, Enzo, you enjoyed it - just admit it!" the game sprite laughed. "I saw you pumping your first when it was over."

"I _asked_ you not to call me that." Matrix grumbled. "I suppose it wasn't too terrible - although that binome looked _nothing_ like me at all..."

"Yeah, I think I actually saw him smile. Besides - at least you got a few songs in. _I_ was hardly in the thing at all!"

"Their mistake." Matrix snickered, wrapping an arm around her waist and stealing a kiss.

"Did you enjoy the show, Enzo?" Bob asked the little sprite jovially. Dot, hearing the question, watched intently over his shoulder.

"Pixelacious!" the boy enthused. "I didn't know you could sing like that, Bob!"

"Very funny." the Guardian grinned. "I have to admit, Mike did a good job putting that together. I especially enjoyed the casting - I really thought that was you up there on that stage, Dot!"

"Watch yourself, Buster!" she growled. "So, you... liked it, then? What else did you think?"

Enzo, for about the zillionth time in the last millisecond, wished that adults would just say what was really on their minds. "It was cool... It's just - did all that - really happen? I mean - like they said?"

"Pretty much." Bob nodded, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulder. "Did you understand all of it?"

"Kinda..." Enzo answered dubiously. "So - I really was a... Guardian... then?"

"Well..." Dot hesitated.

"Yes, you were." Bob affirmed.

"And I failed." Enzo cast his head down.

"No! You didn't fail, Enzo. You did the best you could - I never really had the chance to-"

"Bob!" Dot interjected.

"And then - after I... lost the game..." Enzo could barely bring himself to say it. He took a deep breath and looked up at Dot. "After that, I - you really thought I was..."

"Yes." she whispered. "Both of you."

Enzo could feel a tear forming in his eye, and desperately willed it away. "Dude..."

Dot grabbed his hand. "It doesn't really matter, Enzo. What matters is that you're here, now. We're all here."

"Yeah, but I - I failed!" Enzo spat angrily, pulling his hand away. "I had a chance, and I totally crashed it! Talk about your low-density, basic-"

"You didn't fail, Enzo - nobody did." Bob said gently. "I was the one who was supposed to protect Mainframe. 'To mend and Defend' - remember? We all did our best. And you _did_ bring me back to Mainframe..."

"No I didn't - _he_ did." Enzo sighed, glancing at Matrix, quietly sipping an energy shake in the corner. "I was just the little sprite who screwed up, as usual."

"But - you _are_ him, Enzo - don't you understand?" Dot prodded. "Whatever strength he found, to survive, to bring Bob home - he found that in you."

Enzo said nothing for a long moment, staring at the hulking young man across the room. "Basic... I still can't believe it. We're the same sprite..."

"I just can't believe we're the same sprite." Matrix muttered, shaking his head.

"Me believe it - you both cute!" Princess Boola boomed, jerking the youth's attention away from himself.

"Er - thanks... I guess."

"Him not fight as good as you, though. Not point gun at friends, either."

"I _said_ I was sorry about that..." Matrix grumbled. "What was I thinking, acting like he does all day? Yammering away, jumping on Bob-"

"Ask him self." the Princess added helpfully, lumbering off. "Here you come now." To Matrix' horror, his younger self was striding across the room towards him, a mixture of determination and fear on his face.

The boy stopped a few paces away from the hulking sprite, staring at his feet. After a moment, he lifted his head and glanced sidelong at Matrix. "Hey."

"Hey." the youth responded, staring down.

Enzo finally locked his gaze on his older self, and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "So you're _me_, huh?"

"Guess so." the youth answered.

"You're not all _that_ ugly, I guess - now that I look at you." the boy said grudgingly.

"Thanks!" Matrix chuckled, unsmiling.

"So - what's it like? Being me - only older?" the boy asked, a note of pleading in his voice.

"I... uh..." the big sprite fumbled. "I don't really know - know how to answer that. What's it like - being me, only a little kid?"

"Don't you remember?" Enzo looked away for a moment.

"I - I don't know. I really - I don't know..."

"Can I ask you something?" the boy said softly.

"Can I stop you?"

"How come - how come you never smile? I mean, you look so mad all the time-"

"You wouldn't understand!" the big man growled.

Enzo took a step back. "How could _you_ say that to _me_? Everybody says that! I'm sick of it!"

"I _said_, you wouldn't understand! How could you? You're just a little kid-"

"And _you're_ a basic, DOS-based, single-sided-"

"Aw, forget it!" Matrix growled, with a dismissive wave. "Go play with Frisket or something, and leave me alone..."

The boy sputtered for a moment, struggling to come up with a response. Finally, he balled his hands into fists and turned away, storming towards the Diner's exit. "Wait! I didn't_" Matrix began, but Enzo pushed through the doors and onto Baudway. Dot looked over at Matrix, a forlorn look on her face, and after a moment, followed the youngster outside.

"He'll be all right." Mouse said softly, causing Matrix to jump.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough. When it comes to gettin' inside that boy's head, I'm the expert, Sweetie. He'll be fine. How you doin'?"

"Why don't you ask him?" the youth sighed, and trudged off to get another I/O shot. A few paces away, Phong looked on, his expression inscrutable.

"There's not much left of her, is there?" AndrAIa sighed. A wave crashed loudly onto the rocks, spraying a light mist on the small group of sprites and binomes huddled together against the cold - especially Enzo, who was scrambling wildly over the boulders, Frisket at his side.

"No Lass - I'm afraid not." Gavin Capacitor replied softly, staring down at the foot long fragment of the Saucy Mare's hull in his hand. "Just what's washed ashore. By the code, I'll miss the old bird..."

"That's not all, Captain. I'm happy that Mainframe was saved, of course - but our entire profit margin has been damaged beyond repair - just like the ship. We haven't the credits to replace her anymore..."

"Aye, Mister Christopher." Capacitor sighed. "It's as I told ye - there's some things more important than a profit..."

"You gave up the Mare to save our city, Captain." Dot said defiantly. "We don't have much, but we'll do what we can to help you build a new ship. Besides - we're still partners, remember. We'll figure something out."

"Ar, yer a spirited gal, Miss Dot." the old pirate chuckled. "But yer the Command.Com, ain't ya? Ye got more important responsibilities now."

"Dot will always find time to turn a profit, Captain." Bob smiled fondly.

"Aye, Lad. And I thank ye all fer yer concern. But I been a spannin' the high seas fer a lot o' seconds, now. Mebbe it's time fer me ta settle in one place fer a while..."

"You're always welcome here, Captain." Matrix added. "I'll never forget what you did for me - for all of us."

"Always room for one more." the Surfer grinned.

"I have a thought..." Dot began. Without warning, a claxon sounded, and a purple cube began descending from the skies overhead, accompanied by a soothing feminine voice.

"Warning - Incoming game.

Warning - Incoming game."

"Awesome!" Enzo shouted.

"The first game since the reboot!" AndrAIa whispered.

"This is _not_ good." Bob said grimly. "Without a chance to test the new system settings, there's no way to know for sure how fast the game will run. It could be a very rough ride..."

"Let's go, then - it had to happen sooner or later." AndrAIa hissed.

"Right. Ready gang?"

"Ready!" the game sprite grinned, relishing the thought of a little action.

"We're on it." the Guardian said softly, hopping onto his zip board.

"Matrix - what's wrong?" AndrAIa frowned, astride her board. The big sprite was staring at his feet, kicking the sand.

"Nothing... I'm ready. Let's go..."

"Can _I_ come, Bob? Can I? You said I needed the practice! Maybe this'll be another racing game, d'you think so? Can I come with?"

"Sure, En-" Bob began.

"No!" Dot interrupted loudly, grabbing Enzo by the collar.

"But, Dot-" the youngster protested.

"I said _no_, Enzo!" Dot said firmly, meeting Bob's eyes for a moment. "Maybe next time. We've still got lots of work to do at the diner." The Guardian returned her stare silently, a small frown creasing his forehead.

"Aw Dot!" Enzo complained. "Can't Cecil help you at the diner? I haven't been in a game in milliseconds..."

"We'd better go if we're going to catch that cube." AndrAIa prodded.

"Right." Bob said softly, and sped off towards the game, Matrix and AndrAIa falling in behind him.

"Wanna check out the game, Tracer?" the game sprite called over her shoulder.

"Uh - thanks, but no, Pretty Lady." he shouted back, glancing over at Enzo and Dot. "Have fun!"

"This isn't fair!" Enzo spat angrily, kicking at the ground. "How come _he_ gets to go and I don't?"

"Enzo, don't do this now. Games are no place for a little sprite - you know that..." Dot sighed. "Besides-"

"You just don't want me to learn!" the boy challenged. "You think I'll just crash the whole thing like I did-"

"Say Lad - I had a little chore on my list today - wondering if you could help me with it." Ray interrupted amicably, clapping the boy on the back.

"What?" Enzo asked suspiciously.

"Someone's gotta reset the error correction parameters - make sure all the net connections are functioning properly after the reboot." the Surfer grinned. "Some o' those systems are pretty hard to reach - gonna have to surf up there. Always use an extra set of hands. Whaddaya say?"

"Well - that _does_ sound pretty cool... That is - _if_ it's OK with Dot!" he grumbled sarcastically.

"Fine, fine." she sighed. "Just be careful..."

"No worries, Lovely!" the Surfer winked at her, extending his board.

"Alphanumeric!" Enzo gasped, staring at the shimmering device. "Can I get one of those?"

"Do all your chores and finish yer homework and who knows what'll happen?" Tracer laughed. "Now - climb on, Kid. Just hold on tight and don't let go - this thing doesn't come with a parachute..."

The three sprites stood, a look of grim determination on their faces, as the game cube slowly descended upon them. AndrAIa cast a worried glance up at Matrix, who was nervously shuffling in place. Bob stood a discreet distance away. "What's wrong?" the game sprite asked worriedly.

"Nothing - I told you, I'm fine!" Matrix hissed through clenched teeth. He closed his eyes tightly as the cube enveloped them. When he opened them, the two young men stood on a vast, desert plain, featureless but for a minareted castle a few hundred paces in front of them. AndrAIa was nowhere to be seen.

"Looks like 'Prince of Babylon'." Bob mused, casting his gaze on the castle. "Storm the castle, defeat the guards, rescue the Sultan's daughter and get married. Easy as pi squared."

"Right. Easy." Matrix repeated. "Where's AndrAIa?"

"I have a pretty good idea who the Sultan's daughter is." the Guardian said grimly. He turned his eyes back towards Matrix. "Enzo, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a virus! Ever since the game cube showed up-"

"Don't call me-" the youth started, by reflex, but stopped himself. Bob, as ever, could see through to his soul. "It's just - the last time I left Mainframe... in a game cube - well..."

"I understand." Bob said softly. "But we've got bigger problems right now - if the User gets to AndrAIa before we do-"

The guardian was interrupted as a flash of color and sand whizzed past, spinning him to the ground. "What was _that_?" Matrix gasped.

Bob pushed himself lithely to his feet, dusting the sand off of his jumpsuit. "This is bad - _very_ bad..." He tapped a hand on his icon, a broad frown creasing his brow. "Reboot!"

"Hand me the calipers, wouldya Lad?"

"Sure." Enzo answered, passing the instrument to the surfer. The two sprites were perched on a razor thin metallic plateau, far above the city. "I've never been up here before - this is totally Alphanumeric! You can see the Principal Office, the diner - even my school!"

"Well, just be careful - we're a long way up!" The surfer answered distractedly. He was lying on his back, grunting with exertion as he reached his long arms towards a jumper switch. "Hah - got it!" The tall sprite sat up and wiped his brow. "That should take of things for a while, netwise. These expansion slots aren't exactly up to the nano technology - I never knew Mainframe was such an old system..."

"Hey!" Enzo protested. "We're not exactly an AT clone, y'know!"

"No offense, Kid!" Tracer laughed. He gaped at the city spread out beneath them. "I gotta admit - I've been all over the network, but there _is_ something about this place..."

"Something with red hair?" Enzo smirked mischievously.

The surfer arched an eyebrow at the boy. "Yer a little too smart for yer own good, aintcha, Boyo? C'mon, let's head on back to that diner o' yours - I could use an energy shake."

"Cool!" Enzo grinned, relishing the thought of another ride on Ray's surfboard. He climbed on behind the surfer and grabbed his waist, and they sped off the ridge and into open sky.

"Hang on!" Ray yelled, picking up speed as they dove towards Baudway, wind whistling past them. "So - you and Matrix had a little talk, eh?"

"I guess." Enzo shouted over the wind. "He didn't say much - except to tell me how basic I was!"

"Last stop - Dot's Diner!" Ray called, leaping off the board and neatly kicking it up into his hand. "Quite a ride, huh Kid?"

"You said it!"

"Don't fry your processor too much about Matrix, Lad." Ray chuckled, walking off towards the diner. "He pretty much rubs everybody the wrong way, when ya first meet him. I think he tried to kill me about ten times..."

"But - why's he hate me so much?" Enzo protested. "What'd I ever do to him?"

"Don't know that I could answer that, Lad." Ray sighed. "Might take about a minute to explain it. C'mon, let's get something cold to drink, we did some hard work out there."

"Reboot!" Matrix growled. That peculiar sensation overcame him - he'd never quite grown used to the disorientation, the momentary blindness, the fine shaking of her very core. When his vision returned, Bob was dressed in a puffy red silk shirt and breeches, and held a long, thin sword. "Nice threads." Matrix whispered.

"Thanks - you too." the Guardian answered, suppressing a smirk.

"What the - I'm a monkey!" the burly youth snarled, looking himself over. "I've got a tail! How low-density can you get?"

"I love the hat though - faithful sidekick!" Bob grinned. "We've got bigger problems than your wardrobe, Enzo. That tornado that blew by was the user. If he rescues the Princess-"

"You mean AndrAIa."

"AndrAIa - before we do, we're toast. Game over."

"But - how is that possible?" Matrix protested. "How can the user be running at a faster clock speed than we are? We won't stand a chance!"

"Theoretically, you're right - it shouldn't be possible." Bob answered, starting towards the castle at a dead run, the monkey in pursuit. "But I've never been though a system reboot before - have you? Apparently it _is_ possible..."

"But how?" Matrix huffed. Even in this form, he was built for power, not speed. "And how can we possibly defeat the User?"

"I don't believe in the no-win scenario." the Guardian answered solemnly. "Maybe the system reboot freed up some extra RAM memory, I'm not sure. Maybe when we fixed the system settings we didn't take that into account. But the game sprites should be running at the User's speed - not ours. He'll still need to get past them..."

"But so will we! If only we could get word to Phong, somehow - get the system settings adjusted..."

Bob halted, staring up at the castle, which was guarded by a moat, well below them. Scores of large crocodiles inhabited it, swimming and snapping their jaws at comical speed. "You were a Guardian long enough to know that's not possible, Enzo. We'll have to figure something out ourselves."

"Starting with getting across that moat! I don't see a drawbridge anywhere..."

Bob silently studied the moat, than the walls of the castle. "There - that window." he pointed at a small portal on the surface of the fortress wall. The Guardian searched though his portfolio of supplies, finally settling on a coil of rope.. "Sure could use Glitch right about now... This'll have to do."

The Guardian hurriedly fashioned the rope into a lariat, and took aim at the distant castle wall. With a great heave, he looped the end of the rope around a stone gargoyle, well above the window.

"Nice roping!" Enzo nodded approvingly.

"You play one wild west game, you've played 'em all." Bob responded. "Now - grab hold of me and hang on!"

"I hope your eyes weren't damaged by all that time in the web..." Matrix muttered, wrapping his arms around Bob's waist.

"Hey - trust me. Ow! Not so tight - you're strong as a gorilla!"

"Sorry!"

The Guardian gripped the rope firmly and leapt out over the moat, the muscles in his arms rippling with strain. "This would've been a lot easier if you were still a little sprite!" he grunted through clenched teeth. The crocodiles leapt out of the water, snapping at their heels and missing by a hair's breadth, their jaws a blur. Matrix was certain they were going to slam into the wall, but they rose at the last moment and slipped neatly through the ingress.

"Maybe we should have traded places for that..." Bob gasped, rubbing his arms.

"Let's not do that again!" the big youth panted.

"I told you to trust me." Bob grinned. "Come on!" The two sprites set off at a run towards the center of the citadel. "She'll be at the top of the east tower - there'll be an access staircase somewhere."

"Well guarded, no doubt."

"No doubt." Bob answered. "Look!" Two shapes were barely visible, their forms blurred. "Looks like the guards are just as fast as Mr. User. Maybe they won't even notice us - think we're statues. Come on..."

"What's the matter, Sugar? You look worried."

"I am, My Child. I don't like the looks of these readings from the game." Phong answered. He craned his neck, staring at a set of dials in the center of the command console.

"Lemme see." Mouse leaned over the old sprite's shoulder, studying the readings. "That's funny - the game shouldn't be processin' at that speed, should it?"

"Speed is relative, Mouse." Phong murmured. "I fear that the reboot has altered the playing field, if you will. We are in uncharted territory here..."

Mouse frowned. "If we used the same configuration settings as before, but the system is faster - more memory, maybe? Speed is relative..."

"Yes, my child - our Guardians may not be running at the same speed as the game. In which case..."

"They won't stand a chance, Sweetie! The User'll run rings around 'em! We gotta do something!"

"We cannot, Child." the old sprite fretted, wringing his hands. "If we change the config settings while the game is in progress-"

"It might crash the game!" Mouse finished the thought. "And if the game crashes while Bob and Matrix are inside-"

"They will be deleted. Yes, Child - a Hobson's choice, I'm afraid." The old sprite opened a vidwindow, Dot's face appearing. "Dot - you'd better come to the Principal Office at once."

"Why?" the startled woman answered. "Is there a problem with the game?"

"Possibly. I'm sure it is nothing to be concerned about..."

"I'll be right down." Dot answered grimly. The vidwindow closed, leaving Mouse and Phong alone in the command room.

"This is indeed a dilemma, Mouse." the old man sighed. "I am not sure what we must do..."

"Hang on, Bob!" the red haired sprite whispered, gripping the edge of the console tightly.

"So far, so good." Matrix murmured, watching the sword battle play out at a blinding pace across the great hall from their position.

"We'll see." Bob replied. "Maybe the guards will notice us, maybe they won't. But there are other obstacles in this game..."

Without warning, a blaze of black zipped by them, disappearing through a doorway at the far end of the great hall. "Looks like the User got past the first guard... Come on, that's the eastern stairwell. Let's go."

"Why do I get the feeling the user is gonna be one step ahead of us all cycle?" Matrix growled.

"What do you mean, we can't do anything? Phong, that's my brother in there - and Bob! Not to mention AndrAIa... We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"Easy, Pretty Lady!" Ray soothed.

"Patience, Dot. I fear that we are powerless to help them. Any action that we take may prove fatal to our friends."

"Bob'll think of something!" Enzo said defiantly. "He always does."

"How could this have happened? Why weren't we prepared for this eventuality?" Dot snapped.

"Have _you_ ever engineered a system reboot before - Sugar?" Mouse answered in a low voice. An uneasy silence gripped the command room.

"This isn't helping." Ray finally said. "I don't know much about this game stuff, Mate - is there any way one of us can get inside and help them?"

"I am afraid not, Surfer." Phong replied. "It would be of little value, in any case - any of us would be at the same disadvantage that Bob and the others are."

"Cursors!" Dot fumed. "We _can't_ lose them again - not now! The User can't possibly fail, can he? Not processing at that speed."

"There is one other possibility..." Phong mused.

"_Not_ good!" Bob sighed. Matrix and the Guardian stood in a long corridor which tapered down to a sprite's width at it's end. A staircase spiraled up at the terminus, but between the two men and the stairway rose a formidable barrier - two razor sharp steel blades, rising and falling at a furious rate to meet with a metallic snap.

"Yuck!" Matrix gasped.

"The user made it through there - but one of the guards wasn't as lucky, looks like." Bob added unnecessarily, turning away from the unsightly pile of entrails at the foot of the guillotine. "At normal speed, we could make it through there - but right now we don't stand a chance."

"Is there another way up?"

"No - that's it. I've played this game before." the Guardian said softly.

"But - there has to be!" Matrix protested. "We can't just give up! Maybe we can... I don't know, destroy that thing, somehow..."

"With what? Those blades are harder than anything we have at out disposal. There _is_ another way, Enzo - but I've been trying to avoid it unless absolutely necessary."

"What is it?" Matrix whispered, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Your icon." Bob smiled bleakly.

"Of course!" Matrix slapped himself in the forehead. "Why didn't I think of it before?"

"Game sprite mode." the Guardian nodded. "Theoretically, in game sprite mode we should be at the same processing speed as the sprites in the game itself - and the User."

"Theoretically?"

"Hey - this is all new territory for me!" Bob sighed. "You know better than anybody, Enzo - if you run in game sprite mode, you'll compile faster - that's time you'll never get back out there."

"Hey - it's that or be deleted." the big youth growled. "But - you haven't got-"

"No - but I have a Guardian icon. It should be able to run in emulation mode."

"_Should_ be? But you're a Guardian!" Matrix protested. "Can you run at game sprite mode, even with a game sprite icon?"

"I don't know." Bob admitted. "There's only one way to find out..."

"Give me your sword." Matrix said softly, extending his hand.

"What?"

"You heard me - give me your sword. There's no reason both of us should risk being deleted, Bob. I know my icon works - I've used it before. I'll go and rescue AndrAIa."

"Enzo-"

"Dammit Bob, let me do this!" the bearded sprite snarled. "You said yourself, you don't even know if a Guardian can run in game sprite mode! You've - you've got Mainframe to think about. And Dot. And - and... Enzo. My whole world is here, in this game. Mainframe doesn't really need me..."

"Mainframe needs you! Dot needs you - and so does Enzo. Don't be a fool!" Bob sighed. "Besides, I made you a Guardian before, remember? So if it worked for you, then - it should work for me, now. Theoretically."

"But Bob-"

"Give me your icon." the Guardian ordered.

"But-"

"_Please_, Enzo - we haven't got all cycle! 'To mend and defend', remember? Your icon!"

Matrix stared at his friend for a moment, then, with a defeated shrug, handed him his icon. Bob studied it closely for a moment, than removed his own. Gritting his teeth in concentration, the Guardian held the icons a few spans apart, and a stream of white light passed from Matrix' icon to Bob's. "You can _do_ that?" Matrix gasped.

"Don't you just hate me?" Bob replied, not looking up from his work. He handed the young man his icon, and replaced his own.

"I guess there's not much point in me telling you not to do this?"

"Nope." Bob smiled. "See you in speed central!" The Guardian reached and gave his icon, now a disc nearly indistinguishable from Matrix' own, a quick half turn.

"Good luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu." Matrix voice faded into a low, steady drone as a momentary disorientation overcame the Guardian. When he regained his bearings, Matrix stood before him, nearly as still as a statue. The motion of the guillotine, by contrast, was now easily visible to Bob's eyes.

"Come on, Enzo!" Bob fretted, watching the nearly still form of his friend. An eternity seemed to pass, then the low drone of Matrix' voice phased into a decipherable articulation.

"Uck!"

"What took you so long?"

"Long? It was barely a nano!" the youth protested.

"At least it worked. Come on - that User has a head start. Those blades shouldn't be too much of a problem now."

"If you say so." Matrix whispered, watching the angled blades, still coated with the remains of their last encounter, rise and fall.

"Just a question of timing." Bob said confidently, preparing to jump. "Oh, and Enzo?"

"Yeah?" The Guardian discreetly gestured at his backside. "Oops - good thought!" Matrix grabbed his tail and wrapped it around his waist.

"See you on the other side." Bob grinned, and leapt through the singing blades.

"Bad choice of words, Bob..."

"Any change?"

Phong studied the readings carefully as Enzo nervously fidgeted, pacing about the command room trailed by Frisket. Tracer and Mouse had retreated to a corner, well clear of the agitated Command.com. "There has been an increase in energy levels, Dot. I am not certain of the cause."

"This is the worst!" Dot fumed. "Not being able to do anything to help them..."

"I _told_ ya - Bob'll think of something, Sis!" Enzo declared.

"I'm sure he will, Enzo..." Dot answered distractedly, not sounding nearly as confident as the little sprite. "At least we can be ready for them when they come out!" she opened a vidwindow. "Captain!"

"Yes, Commander?" the security chief barked crisply.

"I want recovery teams to sector seven immediately - med units and security detail. I want those sprites brought to the Principal Office as soon as that game cube clears - do you understand?"

"Of course, M'amm!" the uniformed binome saluted.

"Very well." Dot sighed, closing the window. "For all the good it'll do them..."

"Well, _that_ was easy."

"Don't worry, they get tougher on the higher levels." Bob replied, wiping his sword on the breeches of the fallen guard and replacing it in it's scabbard.

"Don't they always? What now?"

"Through there." Bob pointed through a stone archway. The two sprites sprinted through, entering a narrow room with no other points of egress. A forest of spikes dotted the floor in one corner, below a small ledge over which flickering torchlight spilled down. "We need to climb up there."

"Great!" Matrix snarled. He gingerly picked his way through the spikes and reached for a tiny handhold in the stone wall. "Wouldn't want to slip here..."

"You said it." Bob echoed. "Oh, and Enzo - when you get to the top-"

"Heads up!" Matrix roared, as a black-clothed figure abruptly appeared above them, hung for a nano in the air, and plunged, narrowly avoiding knocking the bearded sprite off of his precarious handhold.

"Ooh!" Matrix whispered, closing his eyes tightly.

"That will ruin his day." Bob added.

"So much for the User."

"He'll be back - they get multiple lives in this game. He'll restart on the previous level, but it gives us the lead. Watch yourself when you reach that ledge, Enzo - our porous friend down there didn't fall on his own."

"I see what you mean!" Matrix gasped, pulling himself onto the ledge. A bearded game sprite loomed in front of him, brandishing a scimitar of fearsome appearance. Hastily the youth reached down and pulled Bob onto the short, narrow shelf on which he stood.

The Guardian drew his sword as soon as he gained his feet. "_Not_ good... This guy's tough - and you aren't going to be much help to me here. This ledge is only wide enough for single file."

"So just give me your sword - you've got Gli - sorry." Matrix hissed as the swordsman approached them, brandishing his curved blade with a flourish.

A look of pain flashed across Bob's face. "Glitch can't help me that way - not anymore. The one sword is all we've got."

"But - "

"S'cuse me!" the Guardian said politely, worming his way between Matrix and the swordsman. "Come on, come and get me..."

The two blades met with a screech of strained steel. "Can't...get... past his... guard!" Bob panted. "Only way is to... push him... back!"

The guard launched a furious offensive, driving the Guardian back towards the ledge over which they'd just climbed. Matrix braced himself and planted a shoulder in Bob's back - the Guardian could retreat no further without taking them both down into the steel spikes below.

"Thanks... for the assist!" Bob huffed, stopping a furious blow aimed at his head. With a grunt, he planted both feet in the guard's chest and kicked, hard. The swordsman was pushed back several paces but retained his feet.

Bob smiled and advanced a few paces. He feinted at the game sprite's belly, then brought his sword into a swooping arc towards his head. The swordsman blocked it but fell backwards a few more paces. "Lose...a game...and be.. deleted... after... working so hard... to... come... home?" Bob grunted. "I... don't... think...so!" In a blinding array of feints and thrusts he drove the swordsman slowly back, until, a surprised look on his face, the game sprite disappeared off the ledge.

"Pixelacious!" Matrix gasped. "That was - ...Wow!"

"Thanks." Bob panted. "That's one less obstacle for the User now, Enzo. We've got to keep moving!"

"Where?"

"Up there!" the Guardian pointed. A small archway broke the featureless surface of the wall, fully five times Matrix' height above them.

"But - how? We can't possibly climb that high!"

"Don't have to!' Bob grinned. "There's a little potion, y'see..."

"You mean this one?" Matrix reached for a red bottle, sitting on a receded, torch-lit shelf in the wall next to them.

"Enzo - No!" Bob shouted, grabbing his arm. "Poison. No substitute for experience..." The Guardian carefully studied the wall for a moment, then gave one of the stones a gentle shove. A section of the wall rotated, revealing a blue bottle.

"Alphanumeric!" Matrix chuckled.

"Lighter than air potion." Bob said knowingly. "Tastes like monitor cleaner." With a grimace, the Guardian drained half the bottle and handed it to Matrix.

"Down the input!" Matrix nodded, finishing the flask. "Eeyech! That's worse than any drink AndrAIa ever mixed up - and that's saying something..."

Both sprites were now semi-transcluscent, and a strange queasiness set in. "Always hated that stuff..." Bob grumbled. He bent his knees and leapt, soaring through the air and grabbing the lip of the archway as he flew by. He pulled himself through the portal and reached out a hand.

Matrix leapt, but misjudged the distance, overshooting the archway by an arm's length. The Guardian grabbed him by the belt as he drifted by and pulled him to the ground. "Whew! Thanks Bob."

"No problem." The Guardian grinned. "One more level, and we're home. This stuff wears off in a couple of nanos..."

"...do them."

"Patience, Child. They have survived the web - they will find a way to defeat the User. Somehow..."

"Look!"

"I see him. Just keep moving." Bob huffed. "She'll be locked up just across the tower."

"That User is really moving - game sprite mode or no game sprite mode." Matrix panted.

"Well, we've eliminated every obstacle for him - why shouldn't he? Whoa!" The Guardian skidded to a halt, arm on Matrix' chest. An abyss yawned before them, and a torch-lit doorway, seemingly inaccessible, across it's width from them. "She's inside that room - there..."

"How do we get across there? Another potion?"

"No more potions." Bob mused. "Do you trust me?"

"Always."

The Guardian grinned. "Remember you said that!" He turned and took a long stride into the abyss.

"Bob!" Matrix screamed. To his amazement, a narrow catwalk materialized, another plank appearing under each of the Guardian's footfalls. "Alphanumeric..."

"Like I said - no substitute for experience." Bob called back. "Come on, Enzo - it's go time!"

The bearded sprite held his breath and strode onto the plank, gingerly picking his way across. Bob disappeared into the torch-lit room, and Matrix followed hot at his heels. He screeched to a halt, narrowly avoiding crashing into the Guardian.

"Dude..." A barred cell was recessed into the far wall of the room, and inside AndrAIa sat motionless - at least to Matrix' eyes. What really attracted his attention, though, was the figure that stood before the cell door - a huge, bearded sprite at least half again his own height, and just as wide. The huge figure held a scimitar in each hand, each blade as long as Matrix' entire body.

With a booming laugh, the barrel-chested figure began spinning the blades in a dazzling display of swordsmanship. Bob looked on impassively as the behemoth twirled the blades a final time and raised them over his head, falling into a crouch, prepared for battle.

"Very impressive." the Guardian smiled. Without a further word he reached into his boot and pulled out a small dirk, which he promptly hurled at the giant, scoring a direct hit on his icon. The swordsman fell to the ground with a satisfying thud.

"A little something I picked up in a role-playing adventure game." Bob grinned sheepishly at Matrix. "Something about a lost ark..."

"You're the Guardian!" Matrix chuckled. "Sorry I haven't been more help to you, Bob. Some monkey I was... Guess you must think I've gone pretty basic-"

"Nah - winning the game is all that matters - not how you do it."

"But Bob-"

"Forget it, Enzo. Let's just free the Sultan's daughter and get out of here."

"How do we get the cell door open - spell? Acid? Magic word?"

"Nope - key!" Bob answered, rifling the fallen behemoth's pockets. He held up his prize. "This ought to do nicely!"

"Hey - what about the-"

"User?" Bob finished, as a black-clad figure scrambled into the room, gaze passing between Matrix and Bob. He drew his sword and slowly advanced, grinning confidently. With a weary sigh, Bob pocketed the key and drew his own weapon.

"No - allow me." Enzo said softly. Before the stunned swordsman could react, Matrix, with a scream, barreled into his chest and sent him toppling into the abyss.

"Very stylish." Bob chuckled dryly. He turned to the cell and took out the key. "Looks like AndrAIa's never switched into game sprite mode. I think she's got the right idea. We don't want to be in GS mode when the game ends."

"Agreed." the youth nodded. "Ready?"

"Ready." Bob nodded. Each sprite gave their icon a half-turn, and, after a momentary sensory deprivation, they stood before the cell - this time containing a very animated AndrAIa.

"Bob! Matrix - What in the-"

"We'll explain everything, AndrAIa." Bob reassured. He unlocked the door and the game sprite stepped out into the room.

"But - where did you come from? I couldn't see what was going on - everything was a blur. What's the game?"

"The game's over." Bob grinned. "You missed all the action, I'm afraid."

"But - how? It's only been a few nanos..."

"Say - the game _isn't_ over!" Matrix frowned. "What's going on? We freed the Princess..."

"Princess?!"

"Hmm." Bob mused. "I think we need to kiss the Sultan's daughter." He turned to Matrix and smiled. "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Finally - something _I'm_ good at!" The big sprite wrapped an arm around AndrAIa's waist and pulled her close.

"Something is happening. I believe it is almost over." Phong said softly. The others crowded around the console.

"Already?" Dot fretted. "Oh my..."

"At that speed, I'm surprised it took this long Sugar." Mouse noted. Dot reached for Enzo's hand and, finding it, clutched it tightly in her own.

"Game Over"

A deafening silence gripped the command room, each sprite waiting for the dreaded words they feared would follow. A nano passed, then two. A smile crept to Mouse's face, and then, as one, the room burst into delighted celebration.

"Yes!" Dot hooted, pounding her fist on the console.

"All right, Bob! Yeah! Woo-hoo!" Enzo enthused, slapping hands with a laughing Ray. "_Told_ ya he'd do it!"

"Thank the User." Phong breathed. "I am getting far too old for this kind of tension..."

"Come on, let's head over to sector seven and make sure they're all right!" Dot breathed, trying to temper the relief that washed over her. Until she saw them, whole and uncorrupted, she wasn't going to believe it...

"Game sprite mode? You were in game sprite mode the whole time?"

"We had no choice, AndrAIa." Matrix countered defensively. "If we hadn't done it, we'd all have been deleted!"

"I'm just mad _I_ didn't think of it!" AndrAIa fumed. "No wonder it went by so fast - and you two had all the fun!"

"Looks like the welcoming committee's out!" Bob smiled. Dozens of security vehicles and medical transports were spread out before them. "Phong must've figured out what was going on in there..."

"You're unbelievable, Bob!" Matrix chuckled. "I don't know how you do it - no matter what, nothing knocks you off balance-"

"Bob!" The Guardian spun, just in time to see a blur of red, blue, white and green hurl itself through the air and land squarely on his chest.

"Well, almost nothing." Matrix sighed.

"Bob! How'd you do it? We were totally offlined, Dude - we thought you were deleted for sure! But I knew you'd make it! We-"

"Nice to see you too, Enzo." Bob smiled.

"Bob - thank the User you're all right!" Dot breathed. "En - Matrix, AndrAIa - you're OK?"

"Never better, Sis." Matrix said softly. "Processing at a hundred percent."

Bob pushed himself to his feet, neatly hoisting Enzo in one arm. "Thanks for the welcome, guys - but it wasn't really necessary. Just doing our jobs, that's all."

"_Our_ jobs?" Matrix sighed.

"Dude..." Enzo whispered. "I was really worried there for a while. If anything happened-"

"Well, it didn't!' the Guardian grinned, tweaking the youngster's nose and setting him down. "Remember that promise I made?"

"How'd ya do it, Mate?" Tracer asked. "When we saw the speed that game was processing, we thought you were gonna wipe out for sure!"

"Game sprite mode." Bob said wearily. "It was the only way."

"Game sprite mode?" Dot gasped. "But that's - what if..."

The Guardian grabbed her hand and squeezed gently. "I had to make it home, Dot. And that was the only way. Don't you trust me?"

"Of... of course I do." she forced a smile. "I was just worried, that's all..." Bob wrapped an arm around her and drew her closer.

"Are you gonna kiss again?" Enzo grinned.

"Enzo!" Dot gasped.

"Maybe..." Bob mused, and then, turning back to Dot, they did.

Enzo walked over and glared up at Matrix. "I'm glad you're OK."

"Thanks." the big sprite answered tentatively.

"I bet it was fun." the youngster challenged.

"Enzo-"

"Come on everybody - let's head back to the diner and access a bite. I'm famished." Bob called, arm still wrapped around Dot's waist. Enzo darted over and grabbed his hand and they started back towards sector one. "And then I think we need to have a little talk about system settings, Mouse..."

"I'm on the case, Sweetie." the hacker chuckled.

"You guys go ahead - we'll catch you later." Matrix called out.

"Matrix?" AndrAIa frowned.

"You all right, Enzo?" Bob stopped, looking over.

"I'm great, Bob. Optimal performance. Just a little tired, that's all." The big sprite trudged off, a frowning AndrAIa a step behind.

"Dude! That was totally alphanumeric! You mean you ran in game sprite mode the whole time?"

"Pretty much." Bob nodded wearily. "The first rule of being a Guardian, Enzo, is you do whatever you have to do to win the game."

"Awesome! What's it feel like, Bob -game sprite mode? I wish I was that fast! Can you-"

"It really doesn't feel any different, Enzo - everything else is still processing the same speed you are."

"Can _I_ try it, Bob? Maybe I can go into the game next time-"

"Look, Enzo - It's not that easy. Game sprite mode is bad news - you compile faster, you know. What do you think happened to Matrix?"

The youngster's face darkened at the mention of his older self. "I'm sorry, Bob. I wasn't thinking, I guess."

"That's OK, Bud." Bob smiled. "Just remember - games are serious business. You have to think about the whole sector, not just yourself. That's why Matrix and I did what we did. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Enzo nodded solemnly.

"Good. Now get some downtime - it's been a big day. Dot and I need to talk for a while."

"OK, Bob. Uh - are you gonna kiss her again?" Enzo grinned.

Bob looked at the boy for a long moment. "Enzo... When I kiss Dot, it means that I care about her - a lot. It means that she's very special to me."

"I get it." the little sprite giggled.

Bob smiled a wry smile. "Is that - OK with you, Enzo? I mean... how do you feel about that?"

"I think it's totally cool, Bob - I promise. Dot's only been waiting for you to do that for like - hours!"

"She has??"

The boy rolled his eyes. "Duh! You mean you didn't know? The password on her organizer is 'Guardian'! How low-density can you get?"

"Huh!" the Guardian mused. "Well... I'm glad you're OK with that, Enzo. See you next cycle."

"Bob, can we play jetball tomorrow? We haven't played in seconds! Can we?"

"Maybe... You know Enzo - why don't you ask Matrix to play jetball with you? He used to be pretty fond of it, if I remember..."

"Matrix?" Enzo stuck out his tongue disgustedly. "He's no fun, Bob! Can't _we_ play?"

"But Enzo-"

"Don't you wanna spend time with me, Bob?" the boy frowned.

Bob let out a weary sigh. "All right, Pal. You win - jetball tomorrow - _if_ you're good! Understand?"

"Yeah! You bet, Bob - I promise!"

"OK. See you tomorrow, then. Good night, don't let the software bugs bite." Bob smiled, turning to go.

"Bob?"

"Yes, Enzo?" the Guardian turned warily back.

"Can I go into the game with you next time? Please?"

A frown creased Bob's forehead, and he looked away. "I don't know, Partner. We'll see how it goes."

"But - how am I gonna learn if I don't play the games, Bob? I really wanna be a Guardian just like you-"

"Enzo - it's... not that simple." Bob sighed. "There's a lot to think about..."

"You mean if _Dot_ will let me!" Enzo fumed, crossing his arms in front of him.

"We'll see, Enzo. No promises. Now, you swore you'd be good, remember? Jetball?"

"OK, OK!" the little sprite relented. "Good night."

"Night."

"Bob?"

"_Now_ what is it, Enzo?" the Guardian groaned.

"I'm... really glad you're OK. I was real worried. I didn't wanna let Dot know - she was kinda scared..."

"Thanks."

"Anyways, I'm glad you're OK." the boy grinned.

The Guardian smiled down at the boy. "Yeah. Me too. Night."

"This energy shake is terrible." Matrix snarled, tossing it aside. "Dot's let things go at the diner..."

"Enzo-"

"Docking bay's really uncomfortable too." the bearded sprite grumbled.

"We've only been back in Mainframe a few cycles, Lover. Bob's garage isn't exactly a luxury hotel, you know. Don't worry - we'll get our own place soon..."

"Yeah." Matrix said softly, folding his hands behind his head. "I guess..."

"Matrix, this act of yours is starting to wear thin!" AndrAIa muttered. "No matter what happens, it's never good enough. At least you're home - and all you can do is complain!"

"It doesn't _feel_ like home!" Matrix protested. "Everything is... different. I just can't get comfortable here-"

"At least you _have_ a home!" the game sprite half shouted. "At least you have a family- a sister, Bob. You _had_ parents. And Enzo-"

"Enzo!" the youth rolled his eyes."

"Gack! You're driving me offline!" AndrAIa growled. "Why don't you stop and appreciate what you've got instead of complaining about it? I never had any family - any home at all-"

"_I'm_ your family!" Matrix protested. "Aren't I?"

"I love you!" the girl replied fiercely. "But sometimes I don't like you very much. I wish I had a little of what you have, Matrix - and you don't appreciate any of it. How hard did you work to come home? How long did you fight - how many games did you win? And now look what you've got - what more could you possibly want?"

"I know, I know!" the young man sighed. "It's just... that game today. I felt totally useless in there, AndrAIa - I felt like an EISA card or something..."

"Why?" the game sprite said softly, holding his face in her hands. "You won, didn't you?"

"_Bob_ won. He didn't need me there... I was totally basic, I just got in the way..."

"Bob can't help being good at what he does, you know."

"I know. He's the best. But that's it, see - he _is_ the best! He doesn't need my help - Mainframe is in good hands. Bob can handle the games, and Dot has her brother back. They don't need me here..."

"Oh, Matrix.." the game sprite sighed, resting her head wearily on his shoulder. "Be patient. It'll all work out, I promise. And I'm tired of running..."

"You're getting pretty good at putting Enzo to bed, huh?" Dot smiled wearily.

"Yeah!" Bob chuckled, sitting down next to her. "He seems to like it, so..."

"And I don't think I'm his favorite person right now..."

"He's just a little sprite, Dot. He'll get over this game business."

"Will he?" Dot sighed. "I'm not so sure. Especially with Matrix around. Enzo doesn't like feeling left out."

Bob scratched his chin thoughtfully, casting a wary glance at Dot. "Maybe - maybe I _should_ take him into a few games. Do you think?"

"Why? So he can almost be deleted when the game runs too fast?"

"Dot, that was a fluke - you know it. It was due to the reboot - Phong and Mouse won't let that happen twice..."

"I know. But it'll be something different next time. Games are _dangerous_, Bob - and he's only a little sprite!"

"Sure." Bob said dubiously. "He's _your_ little brother format, Dot. It's your decision. It's just - do you think it's fair, never to let him go into the games after you did for so long? He doesn't understand why things are any different now."

"He wants to be like you, Bob." Dot said softly "He wants to be a Guardian. That's all he's ever wanted - from the nano you came to Mainframe."

"I - I'm not trying to take him away from you..."

"Aren't you?" Dot turned, eyes burning. "I already lost him once, Bob. Do you have any idea what that was like? _Could _ you have any idea?"

"I - No, I guess I couldn't..."

"I'm sorry." she sighed. "I didn't mean-"

"Dot, do you think - I mean... I never intended anything to happen to Enzo. But if it's what he wants - and he's good at it..."

"Let's not talk about what you intended." she whispered.

"What are you saying?" Bob said in a low voice - one rarely heard by his friends.

Dot shook her head. "Never mind. Let's drop it, talk about something else. It's been a long cycle, we're all tired..."

The Guardian stared at her for a long moment, then turned away. "If you say so."

"I'm sorry..." she mumbled. "Are you coming by next cycle?"

"Yeah - I told Enzo I'd play jetball with him. Is that OK?"

"Of course it's OK." Dot smiled wearily. "You know Enzo always has fun with you, Bob. Why shouldn't he?"

"_Now_ what?_" Bob sighed.

"Well - it seems like all you and Enzo do is play games, have fun - and I'm always the one who has to say no. Maybe you should try saying no once in a while."

"This just isn't my cycle, is it? I can't help it if Enzo wants to do stuff with me, Dot. He likes me. What do you want me to do - ignore him completely?"

"Of course not!" she hissed.

"Well, why are you telling me this - now?"

Dot locked eyes with the Guardian. "Things are a little different now. Between you and me. And that means between you and Enzo, too." An awkward silence hung in the air for a nano. "Aren't they?"

Bob said nothing for a moment, instead lightly brushing his hand on Dot's cheek. "I'm not sure what I think right now." he finally whispered. "I think I need to access some downtime, Dot. See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow." she answered softly. The Guardian kissed her lightly on the forehead and was gone.