ILOVEYOU

Hexadecimal

The clickety-clack of her heels echoed through the expansive room as Hex paced back and forth. On her throne, her faithful pet Scuzzy sat forlornly. He watched her with sad eyes, the softest whimper escaping him. She knew he was hungry, and he'd been waiting for microseconds to eat.

But she couldn't be bothered with that now, not when she needed to focus on one simple yet seemingly impossible task: A Valentine for Bob. Since the sun came up over Lost Angeles, she'd been working tirelessly, pacing back and forth, back and forth, one clawed finger tapping her mask frozen in a perpetual stare of deep thought. She heard him whimper again. "Scuzzy!"

He perked up, panting with excitement and anticipation.

"How's this? Roses are red, violets are blue, there's no one I want more, to infect than you!" She struck a pose, smiling brilliantly with creative pride.

He collapsed down on the seat with a whine.

Hex deflated. The document fell at her feet, another wasted file. She screamed and kicked a pile of discarded drafts, files fluttering across the room like rectangular snowflakes. "How can it be so hard to write a love letter?! I just want to woo my Guardian, Scuzzy! How difficult can that be?! Why can't I GET THIS RIGHT?!"

Hexadecimal glared at the mounds of failed attempts to convey her love. She just couldn't get the words right. If only she could show him the amount of effort, the volume of her devotion for him-

"Of course!" she said with a dramatic flair of her hands, her mask full of excitement. A blank document appeared, and she scribbled quickly. With a giggle, she leaned her head back. Reaching her thumb and forefinger down into her gaping mouth, she pulled an inky black worm from between her teeth.

Scuzzy sat up and licked his lips.

"Oh no, Scuzzy, this isn't for you," she purred as she gave the wiggly creature a gentle cuddle. "This is for Bob." She folded the worm into the letter, tucked it into an envelope, addressed it, and sealed it with a kiss. Snapping her fingers, a chocolate cake appeared. Decorated beautifully with several half strawberries and a heart shaped candle in the center, it floated into a simple white box. She tucked the letter into the box.

"Perfect." She called up a VidWindow. It rang twice before a young voice came over. "Enzo's Overwrite Delivery Service! Anyone, anywhere, anyt-ack!" He coughed. "I mean, uh, hi Hex?"

"Hello, my darling boy. And aren't you looking so nice today?"

The young Matrix blushed slightly and tugged at his necktie. "Dot said I should look extra nice for Valentine's Day." He looked around then whispered into the vid, "And the extra tips don't hurt."

"I bet. Speaking of, I do have a delivery request, if you'd be so inclined to help an old virus out?" she smiled.

"Uh," Enzo looked uncomfortable. "I'd love to, Hex, but after that bomb problem-"

Hex dismissed him with a wave of her hand. "Oh, posh. My darling brother has no respect for the small businesses. This isn't dangerous, I promise." She whipped the box around to the vid. "See?"

Enzo's eyes widened. "Oh, wow, that looks delicious! You bake?"

Hex shrugged. "When the mood suits me. Can you deliver it before it melts away? It would mean so much to me."

"Uh, where is it going?"

Hex smiled sweetly. "Why, it's for Bob, of course!"

"Oh." He looked dejected. "He's in the game right now. Do you want me to come by when he's done?"

"Oh no, come now! You can leave it at his apartment. This is something he should enjoy alone, anyway."

Enzo frowned, not understanding what she meant. "Um, okay. I can be there in thirty nanos."

"I'll be waiting. Ta ta!" The window popped out before Enzo could say anything else. The package closed on its own, a red ribbon wrapping around the box and tying it tight. Hex giggled again and ran her fingers across the package. "Oh, I do hope he likes my little surprise," she cooed. She picked up Scuzzy and scratched his head. "Time to eat!"

Enzo

"Frisket, no!" Enzo lifted the package again, narrowly dodging the dog's attempt at stealing. Ever since leaving Lost Angeles, the pup would whimper and try to knock the box out of Enzo's hands. The boy wasn't surprised. The cake smelled amazing, and he hoped Bob would get out of the game before he delivered it. Maybe he'd get a slice for a tip.

A soft growl warned him of the impending attack, and Enzo lifted his hoverboard up just in time. "Frisket, stop!" His arms were getting tired of this game. For such a small cake, it was dense. He accelerated, forcing Frisket to run at his side. "Sorry, boy, but I need to put this down before I drop it. Let's go!" They raced through the streets, and before long, the 8-Ball apartments came into view.

Enzo slowed. He looked at the game cube swirling on the edge of Beverly Hills, then down at Frisket. He didn't have a key, and he couldn't leave the package at Bob's door with his pup around. No matter how good it smelled, he didn't think he could hold it until Bob finished in the game.

"Hi Enzo!" AndrAIa's voice called out to him, and he spotted her at a nearby flower shop. His jaw dropped when he saw her. She wore a simple light red dress with decorative pink and white seashells. Her hair was down and flowed in seafoam green waves behind her. Her arms were full of different colored roses.

"Hi!" he said cheerfully as he hovered over to her. "Wow, you look so different!"

"So do you!"

He looked down at his black and white suit with the bright red bowtie. "Oh, yeah."

She giggled. "You look nice, though."

"You, too," he said, trying not to blush. "Are you helping with the festival?"

She nodded. "Yep! We're building a big flower train to go around Mainframe."

"Do you need help carrying all those?"

She readjusted her arms. "Looks like you've got your hands full already."

"Yeah, I'm just delivering this to Bob's, but Frisket keeps trying to take it - hey, down!" he admonished the dog as he jumped again.

AndrAIa laughed. "Frisket, you're supposed to eat food, not boxes!"

"That's the thing, it's got food inside! Hex made Bob a cake!"

"Really?" AndrAIa frowned. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"Yeah! I mean, uh, I think." He looked at the package. It was awfully heavy… "Maybe I should check one more time." He carefully unwrapped the bow and gently lifted the lid. He spotted the cake and a card.

AndrAIa gasped. "Oh, it's so pretty!"

"I know. Do you see anything wrong with it?"

"No." She plucked the card from the box. "Nothing under there-hey!" She cried out as Frisket jumped at her and bit the card.

"Frisket, drop it!"

The dog growled and shook the card. He bit again and yelped. The card fell to the sidewalk, covered in slobber. Frisket pawed at his face and licked his mouth several times.

"Frisket," Enzo whined. "Bad dog!" He picked up the card and shook it rapidly, sending the spittle flying in several directions.

"Ew." AndrAIa made a face and pulled the flowers away. "That wasn't very nice, Frisket." She frowned as he rubbed his nose into the sidewalk. "Is he okay?"

Enzo wiped the card on his pant leg and put it back in the box. "What's wrong, boy?" He held out his hand, and Frisket gave it a nuzzle and a gentle lick. He shivered as the tongue tickled him. Frisket perked up, panting and wagging his tail. Suddenly, his eyes focused on another dog across the street, and he bolted off in excitement. "Frisket!"

The dog didn't stop and tackled the other pet playfully. They rolled around on the sidewalk, yipping happily. The owners tried to pull their pet back to the walk, and Frisket tackled each binome in turn.

Enzo winced as Frisket lavished slobbery kisses on both, before running off to another pup walking farther down. "Uh, sorry!" he called out to the binomes as they wiped the dog spit from their faces. They just smiled and waved, continuing their walk as if nothing happened.

"Does Frisket usually do that?"

Enzo looked back at AndrAIa and his heart stopped. Did she always have such beautiful colored eyes? And such a pretty nose? And such an amazing smile? And a wonderful voice? He could go on and on and on...

AndrAIa

She watched him and giggled. "Hello! Mainframe to Enzo!"

"Hi," he said softly. He watched her with a silly smile on his face.

She laughed again. "Maybe Hex did do something to that cake, because you're both acting weird."

"I am?" He looked at the cake. "But I didn't eat the cake."

"No, but I will if you don't take it away."

His eyes jumped up to hers. "Do you want it?" he offered.

"You said it's for Bob."

"He won't mind." She hesitated and he pressed forward. "He might be in that game all second! He wouldn't want it to go to waste. Would you?"

She gnawed on her lip as she admired the dessert. "It does look yummy-"

"Then it's yours." He thrust the box at her. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

"Hey! I have no hands!"

He looked at the flowers. "Oh right. I'll hold it for you."

"You should at least leave the card for him."

"Oh. Um, don't move." He put the cake down and pulled out the card. Pushing his hoverboard to breakneck speed, he zipped up to Bob's apartment and back down in record time. Packing up the board, he picked up the cake and nodded at her. "After you."

"Have you had a lot of deliveries?" she asked as they walked along.

"A few."

"Anything interesting?"

"Nothing more than you."

She glanced at him and noticed the way he wouldn't stop looking at her, nearly tripping a few times. Despite his stumbles, that silly smile never fell from his face. "Enzo, are you okay?"

"I'm great."

"Really? You seem different."

"I'm happy. Really happy. Never been happier."

"Because of Valentine's Day?"

"Because of you."

AndrAIa almost tripped herself. She looked at him and blushed. He did look happy, smiling from ear to ear even though he was left out of the game. "You're sweet."

"So are you."

She ducked her head behind the flowers.

"Don't do that. Please?"

She peeked up at him. "What?"

"Don't hide your face. It's too pretty."

"I didn't know you were such a sap," she teased.

"Do you like that? Me being a sap?"

"Yeah," she shrugged, "I guess."

"Then I'll always be a sap."

She laughed at how silly it sounded. "Ok, Hex must have cast a spell on you or something!" They reached the flower train, several wooden crates connected in a line and decorated with fake flowers. Several binomes were placing real flowers in strategic spots across each cart. She laid the flowers down on the table and waved to Phong as he listened to a quarrel between the lead designer and the lead decorator. He waved back to AndrAIa and pulled the assistant manager into the discussion, before gracefully bowing out of the argument.

Phong scrolled quickly toward them. "AndrAIa, come assist me with the vendors, they are getting the staging all mixed up."

"Coming, Phong!" She smiled at Enzo and tilted her head. "Want to help me?"

Enzo put the cake on the table and held up one finger. Without breaking her gaze, he pulled a small pink rose from one of the bouquets, snapped off the stem, and tucked it behind her ear. She shivered as his fingers brushed her ear and combed through her green strands. "Perfect," he whispered.

As she gazed into his violet eyes, she realized he was right.

Phong

"This would be so much easier if your sister was here," Phong said to Enzo as he observed the organized chaos. "She can always bring a plan together efficiently. It is a shame the cube came down when it did." He didn't receive a reply and looked over at the young sprites. They were staring at each other and smiling. "Enzo? AndrAIa?" Neither acknowledged him, and he waved a hand in between them.

"Hi, Phong," AndrAIa finally answered. Her eyes moved slowly to his, and they were full of warmth and joy. "You need help?"

"Yes, with the vendors." He glanced at Enzo and back at her. "You can both help. We need to get everyone in the right spots."

"Whatever AndrAIa wants," Enzo replied. She grabbed his hand, and his smile went full wattage.

"Whatever you want, Enzo," she said brightly.

"Whatever Dot wants, actually," Phong corrected them. "She is the one who set this up, and she expects it to be in order when she is done with the game." Neither answered, and neither seemed inclined to move. He opened his mouth to speak when a loud crash and screams filled the air. Phong turned to see Frisket bound out from the train, jumping at everyone and slobbering all he could reach. Binomes scattered and Frisket gave chase, jumping playfully off tables and fallen sprites alike.

"Frisket, stop stop stop! You are ruining the sets!" Phong shouted, his voice sharp across the air. The hound paused and looked at Enzo. Phong turned to the boy. "Enzo, get him out of here, before he breaks something!"

Enzo shrugged. "Okay." He whistled and pointed at his side. Frisket gave one last lick to the sprite he sat on and trotted over to Enzo. His tail wagged happily. "Who's a good boy? Yes, you are!" He bent down and made smooching noises to his beloved pet.

Phong shook his head. "No, not a good boy! Look at the mess he made!" Phong waved over at the knocked down tables and the scattered flowers. "Dot is going to delete him if we are late for the parade!"

AndrAIa shook her head. "But look, everyone's fine," she pointed. Phong turned and saw the crews re-staging the sets, helping each other with big smiles. Several were laughing and giving high fives, some were sharing hugs and pats on the back.

His jaw hit the ground. The whole second had been nothing but fist shaking and belly aching over the sets, and now everyone wanted to get along? He hadn't expected that.

"See?" AndrAIa touched his shoulder, and he shivered as he looked at her. "Nothing to worry about. The parade is going to be fine. You'll see."

Whoosh! A jet engine roared overhead, blocking out the sun. Phong observed Ship make a circle and hover not far from the staging area, several small floats trailing behind. A mechanical arm extended from the underbelly and lowered each float to the ground, where binomes quickly tied sandbags to the bottom. Nanos later, Ship pulled over to an open side street and landed.

Mouse hopped out and looked around. The sunlight lit her hair into a halo of fire. It shimmered against her purple skin, and Phong thought she was glowing. He couldn't help staring. He was drawn in, a moth to the flame.

Mouse

Mouse took in a breath of fresh air as she watched the Mainframers work together on the celebration preps. Everyone was in good spirits, and it made her smile to see so many people getting along. She had to admit, the system may not be brand new and spiffy, but it wasn't too shabby either.

She had to commend its taste in Guardians, too.

A quiet voice broke through her thoughts. "Thank you for bringing in the floats," Phong said with a bow. "Dot will be most appreciative."

"Well, Bob can thank me for it later," she said with a cheeky smile.

"You are certainly a master of your Ship," he complimented. "That was very elegant flying."

"Thank you! It's a talent." She glanced around. "Are we almost ready?"

"The vendors have been bickering for microseconds about location. I cannot get them to come to an agreement. Maybe you can win them over with your exceptional negotiating skills?"

Mouse smiled and pulled out her katana. "I'm sure I can give it a shot."

Phong stared at the weapon, a small smile on his face. "You wield your weapon with such grace. You are an artist in many ways, Mouse."

Her smile faltered slightly, a frown creasing her brow. "Um, thanks?" She sheathed the sword and put her hands on her hips. "Phong, are you hitting on me?" she asked bluntly.

The senior sprite laughed, his arms crossing his belly as he tried to breathe.

"I didn't think it was that funny," she muttered.

"Oh, no!" he spit out between howls of laughter. "It is very funny!"

"Why?"

"Because it is true!" He wiped tears from his eyes. "Ah, yes, Bob was right about you. You are much fun to be with." His head tilted to the side as he stared, a dreamy smile on his face.

"Uh, yeah, thanks. But I think I'll go talk to those vendors now." She started backing away.

"I shall come with you! In case you need backup."

"I'm sure I don't," she resisted, her eyes searching for a way out. She spotted Enzo and AndrAIa sitting on a table, eating cake. "Enzo!" She jogged over to him. "Hey, what's happening?" She glanced at Phong as he trailed behind her, a dopey look on his face. "Hey, what's wrong with Phong?"

Enzo chewed slowly on his cake and shrugged. "Seems fine to me."

"You make him happy," AndrAIa said simply. "That's nice."

Mouse looked back and forth between the two kids. They sat calmly, elbows and knees touching, completely content with doing little. They even ate their cake patiently, as if they just wanted to savor each bite. They were completely calm. And that just didn't seem right at all.

Something felt off. She looked around again, her eyes taking in every movement, every sound. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Everyone was happy and friendly. Abundantly so, in fact. She frowned. "Where are the vendors?" she asked Phong as he gazed at her.

He pointed casually out to the main street. "Setting up over there. User knows if they finally figured it out. I was about to call security before you showed up."

Mouse nodded and walked quickly out to the main event area. The street was blocked off and both sides were lined with stalls of various wares and services. Everything seemed in order… and not one dispute could be heard. In fact, nothing but compliments and sonnets of praise echoed throughout. Everyone was on their best behavior, and genuinely seemed happy.

Perhaps a little too happy.

She looked over at the game cube. "I have a bad feeling about this."

At her side, Phong sighed. "Look at that. You got everyone to get along! You are a gift from the User, Mouse."

"Oh, brother," she rolled her eyes. "Phong, what happened before I got here?"

"When?"

"Anytime, before I landed. Did you see someone strange? Suspicious activity? Because there is something going on around here."

Phong stared at her thoughtfully. "It's Valentine's Day."

Mouse arched her eyebrow. "Yes," she said slowly. "Anything else?"

"You showed up." He smiled. "And everything got better. It must be you!"

She covered her face with her hands. "Oh, User, we've gone in circles."

"Like dancing. Oh!" he exclaimed, making Mouse jump up in surprise.

"What? You remember something?!"

"Do you like dancing?" he asked her in excitement. "Maestro! 'And the Waltz Goes On', if you please!"

She groaned in frustration. "Son of a-hey!" she cried out as he swept her around in a circle while the air filled with a lively tune from the band center stage. She shivered as they twirled and bumped into several other binomes. She tried to apologize but realized that they didn't seem to mind. In fact, they grabbed the nearest partner and joined in. Mouse watched in wonder as all of Mainframe seemed to fall in step with the music. The sight captivated her, and she didn't even try to stop dancing. She realized she didn't want to.

She laughed in her elation with the music, and barely noticed a voice boom "GAME OVER."

Dot

The cube ascended and Dot blinked rapidly, the sunlight blinding after several microseconds in a bunker. It felt nice on her face, and she breathed the clean air for a nano. When she felt energized again, she opened her eyes and looked toward Baudway. She spotted a few wayward balloons drifting into the sky, and a lively waltz drifting in the air.

"It looks like they're all set up," Dot said with relief.

"I told you it would be fine." Bob threw out his hoverboard and hopped on. "Now let's go check out the snack stands. I'm starving!"

"You help yourself," Dot said as she also jumped on her board. "I'm going to check on Phong. He looked a bit overwhelmed when he left."

"Can't imagine why, you had everything planned out for him." He gave her a pointed stare. "Like always."

"I can't help it that I know what I want. It just makes things easier… that… way." She trailed off as the festival came into view. Dot slowed as she watched below. "Wha…?" The staging area exploded with pinks, reds, and whites draped across the buildings. Balloon banners danced in the breeze, flower petals rained down from balconies, pink-tinted heart shaped bubbles floated in lazy circles, and the air was sweet with fresh baked delights from the vendor stalls. It was a delight for the senses, surpassed only by the band playing on the stage, and the people below dancing in perfect harmony.

"I think you mean wow!" Bob slowed beside her and whistled in admiration at the coordinated dance party. Everyone was in step with the music, and from the high vantage point, it was a pleasure to watch. "Gosh, Dot, you really outdid yourself this time! How did you get them all to do that?"

Dot shook her head. "That wasn't me! I didn't put a dance number into the agenda!"

"You mean this is like a spontaneous dance off? You Mainframers really know how to party!"

Dot had never seen anything like it. "Bob, how long were we in there?"

"Not that long. You really didn't know about this?"

She shook her head. "Whoever did this, my hat's off to them. This is amazing. They all look so happy, don't they?"

"Well, that's not a bad thing," Bob admitted. "And it is Valentine's Day. People should have a little fun. And maybe be a little brave."

She glanced at him. He hadn't meant anything by that, surely. But something about the tone of his voice made her heart beat a little faster, and she wasn't ready to admit it yet. "Yes, they should."

"And so should you!" Suddenly Bob zipped in front of her, grabbed her waist, and spun her around in time with the waltz.

"Hey, wait!" she shouted in surprise as she wavered on her board. She held tightly to him as she steadied and looked up at him with wide eyes. His grip was strong and comforting. He would never let her fall. She relaxed and smiled, and they gently waltzed down to the street. "You're random, you know that?"

He shrugged. "So I've heard. But I think we all need to be a little random once in a while. Otherwise, it just gets boring."
"Nothing is ever boring with you."

"Really?"

They stopped moving and Bob was looking at her. When did they get so close together? He was staring at her expectantly, and suddenly she didn't know what to say.

The waltz ended, and the street erupted with cheers. Dot jumped in surprise, her eyes scanning the crowd as they applauded the band. A few meters away, she spotted Enzo with AndrAIa. He was spinning her around and laughing. Enzo looked genuinely happy, and it warmed Dot's heart.

Bob spotted something as well, which didn't warm her heart. "Hey, there's Ship! I didn't know Mouse was coming."

"Yeah," she smiled, and hoped her voice didn't sound fake. "I hired her to deliver floats for the parade. Glad she made it on time."

"I'm going to find her and say hi." He closed his zipboard. "You want to come?"

"Nah, three's company." He gave her a strange look. "What? It's Valentine's," she shrugged and walked towards Enzo.

He followed her. "Meaning what?"

"Like you don't know," she rolled her eyes and started walking towards her brother.

Bob cleared his throat and got in step beside her. "She's just a friend."

"Does she know that?"

He looked at her and grinned. Cupping a hand around his ear, his voice dropped to a stage whisper. "Wait. Is that a tone of jealousy I hear?"

She scoffed. "Oh, log off, not on your life."

"Admit it! You're jealous!"

"I am not! Trust me, she's not my type." That brought him up short. His look of shock made her laugh aloud, and she left him to ponder. "Hey Enzo!" she called. Her brother didn't seem to hear her, too focused on spinning AndrAIa in sweeping circles that made her giggle with joy. "Enzo. Enzo!"
"Oh, hi Dot!" he called out without breaking step.

Dot watched them go around and round, amazed they weren't getting dizzy. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

"Nope!"

She frowned. "Is Phong around?"
"Yep!"

Dot crossed her arms. It wasn't like Enzo to give one-word answers, or not want to know everything about the game. But he was fixated on his friend. They were smiling like crazy, and it warmed her heart. She guessed that wasn't really a bad thing. She wanted him less involved with the games, anyway. She was about to say something when Bob stepped over.

"Hey, Enzo! Nice suit," Bob called out.

"Thanks!"

"Want to grab an energy shake and hear about the game?"

Enzo pulled AndrAIa to a stop, laughing and panting for breath. "You want to hear about the game?" he asked her. She shook her head and Enzo immediately answered, "No thanks Bob."

"I'm hungry," AndrAIa said between giggles. "Let's get more cake."

"Come on!" Enzo pulled her off between the crowds before Dot could even call his name.

Bob frowned at Dot. "Did that seem odd to you?"

"No, he usually runs that fast for cake."

"I meant about the game. He didn't even jump me!"

"You want someone to jump you, Sugar? 'Cause that could be arranged."

Dot rolled her eyes as the hacker sauntered up to the Guardian. Her smile was wide and beckoning, and her eyes never left his, not even to acknowledge Dot's courteous greeting. The red-haired beauty wasted no time in taking possession of Bob's lips.

"Hey Mouse-mpff!" She swept up in a kiss nearly too graphic around children and the intensity made him shudder. Dot covered her eyes and coughed loudly. The hacker didn't seem to care, and Bob didn't seem to object.

Her mouth tightened. It shouldn't bother her, she reminded herself. But even with Mouse's competitive nature, this seemed excessive. Almost like Mouse was claiming her territory. Dot knew better than to take the bait. Yet, knowing and doing were two completely different things. Paying for a lemonade from a nearby vendor, she took a sip, nodded with approval, and poured the rest on the unsuspecting hacker.

"Hey!" Mouse shouted. The Guardian looked dizzy, a goofy smile on his face. He nearly fell backwards as she pushed away from him to confront Dot. "What's the big idea?"

"Sorry, I thought I saw smoke," Dot quipped. She offered another cup. "Thirsty?"

Mouse looked her up and down once, and then smiled. "Parched, actually. But not for kids' stuff. Hey, Bob," she called over her shoulder. "I have a vintage bottle of 3M Scotch from the Macallan system. Why don't you join me on Ship for a taste?" She looked Dot dead in the eye, her voice low and seductive. "You know, like the good old days? I'm sure Dot won't mind. Right, Sugar?"

She felt her cheeks start to warm but kept her tone even. "That's up to Bob. I'm not his keeper."

"Oh, you're not? That's news to me, the way you keep him on such a short leash."

"Excuse me?"

Mouse got in her face. "Don't act like you don't want him all for yourself. But guess what, Dot? He doesn't like controlling women. So, you may as well just back off."

Dot narrowed her eyes. "Mouse-"

"Was just leaving!" Bob suddenly jumped in, his daze gone. He stood between them and held up his hands at Mouse. "It was great seeing you, but Dot and I have to get back to the Principal's Office and brief Phong on the game."

The hacker's eyes pinned Bob to the spot, boring into him angrily. "You're choosing her over me?"

"Huh?" Bob shook his head. "Wait, no. I'm not choosing anybody - what's going on?"

"After everything we've been through, you're settling for some half-downloaded, two-bit pencil pusher?"
"Hey!" Dot snapped, but Bob kept her back.

"Mouse, knock it off! What the-?"

"You know I can do better than her." She grabbed his arm. "Come back to Ship with me and I'll show you."

"Mouse, no-"

Dot blocked Mouse. "He's not interested, Mouse! Drop it."

The hacker slammed her hand hard into Dot's chest. She shivered and pinwheeled as the force knocked her off balance. Bob caught her before she crashed into a table. "Mouse, stop!"

She could see Mouse fume, but any reply died away. It really wasn't that important anyway, not while Bob's warm hands held her waist. His forearms felt strong under her fingers. The air around her filled with the scent of fresh baked cookies, chocolate dipped fruit, and clean cotton with a twinge of sweat that was distinctly Bob. She looked up at him as he argued with Mouse and her heart melted at his closeness. Suddenly, she understood exactly why Mouse was getting upset.

She didn't want him to leave either.

Ever again.

Bob

"What has gotten into you?!" he hissed at Mouse.

She glared at him, unbridled hatred glowing in those amethyst eyes as she stared at Dot. "She has no right! You were mine first!"

His face warmed in embarrassment and anger. "Yours? What are you - have you gone completely random?!"

"No," Dot spoke up from his side. He looked down, having nearly forgotten she was still standing in his arms. Her eyes scanned between his. "She just wants you to answer the question."

Bob frowned. "What question?"

"Her or me?"

His eyes widened. "What?" He looked back at Mouse. "Is this some kind of joke?! Cause it's not funny!"

Mouse ignored him and glared at Dot. "Get away from him, Dot. He doesn't want you."

"Let's see," Dot challenged.

He turned to her in shock. "Wha-?" Her fingers wrapped around his neck and pulled his face to hers, stealing his words away with a passion filled kiss. It took the breath right out of him and his fingers dug into her waist as her tongue traced his lips. He shivered and pulled her closer, desperately needing to feel as much of her as he could. It was like kissing sunlight, the way she was so sweet and warm, and he couldn't get enough of it. Her fingers tightened in his hair, and he moaned as she deepened the kiss.

He shivered again, hard enough to hurt. His code was fighting something, and it brought him back to reality. He gasped and yanked away from her, breathing heavily as he kept her at arm's length. "Dot, wait, something's wrong-!"

"See? He rejected you! He's mine!" Mouse lunged at them and pushed Dot away.

"Mouse, don't!" Bob was too late. Dot fell back into a crowd of dancers, knocking several to the ground. A few screamed in surprise. Others shouted angrily and pushed back.

Dot got to her feet and pounced Mouse, knocking her back into the lemonade stand. The table upended and liters of sugary drink splashed down on people passing by. Some laughed and danced. One sprite punched the lemonade stand owner. The owner swung back, knocking out a binome and starting a brawl.

Behind them, Bob spotted Enzo sitting with AndrAIa on the sidewalk. They were both drenched in the sticky liquid, but neither seemed to care. Enzo stared at AndrAIa as she fed him bites of chocolate cake. He didn't even notice that Mouse was sitting on Dot, hands around her throat and slamming her head into the ground.

"By the User!" Bob grabbed Mouse and pulled her arms back behind her. "Glitch, restraints!" The keytool morphed around the hacker's wrists, forming thick steel shackles. Mouse howled like a rabid animal and threw her head back, catching Bob's nose. He yelped and stumbled, losing his grip on her. She fell sideways into a group of onlookers. He wiped at the energy dripping from his nose and shook his head to clear the dizziness.

A scream broke out over the crowd. His head snapped around, heart in his throat. He barely had time to avoid the punch flying at his face. Stumbling back, he threw his hands up to block another punch, and his jaw dropped as he recognized his attacker.

"Phong?!"

"You dishonor my lady! For that, you must pay!" With a classic karate cry, he spun and threw several chops and strikes, moving fast for such an old sprite. Bob blocked as many blows as he could, but the sprite was faster than he anticipated, and Bob took an uppercut to the jaw. He staggered back and toppled over another binome. With a shout, he landed hard on his back, knocking the wind from him.

Phong moved over him, two fingers pointed at him and ready to stab out his eyes. "No one insults my lady! You are not worthy-ahh!" The older sprite cried out as a large pipe hit him from behind, knocking him meters away into a rowdy crowd.

Bob looked up in surprise at Dot, casually spinning her makeshift club around. "And no one insults my man," she said with a sexy smile. She reached her hand out to him. Mouse tackled her before he could move. The two collapsed and rolled across the street, disappearing into the mob.

Bob stood up and watched the party disintegrate into madness. Everywhere he turned he saw sprites and binomes arguing and fighting, scuffles turning quickly into full on assaults. Over the din of angry voices, Bob could make out the sounds of stands torn apart and wares smashed to the ground. Then, a flash and an explosion as two tears burst out from a storage tent. Some sprites screamed in fear and ran, but panic didn't spread through the crowds. The tears were moving towards the unsuspecting citizens, too involved in throwing fists to see the imminent danger.

Bob immediately looked for his friends. Dot had Mouse in a headlock. "Dot!" He pulled her back. "Dot, we've got tears! We have to get everyone away! Glitch, return!"

Dot shoved him away as Mouse regained her feet and slashed down with her katana. Dot blocked with her pipe, and the battle raged on. The tears floated closer, destroying everything they touched as they grew bigger, headed straight for the dueling women.

There was no time. "Glitch, portals to anywhere!" An energy beam shot out, containing the first tear and stabilizing it into a sliver portal. As Glitch stabilized the second tear, Bob ran at his friends and shoved them into the separate portals. "Glitch, close!" The portals blinked out.

Throwing out his zipboard, Bob shot up into the sky. He quickly scanned the crowds for any other immediate threats. Glitch detected no further tears. The only danger remained in the utter chaos below.

Bob stiffened. Chaos.

And suddenly it made perfect sense.

He called up a VidWindow. She was lounging across her throne, dangling chocolate covered strawberries over her gaping mouth, razor sharp teeth reaching up for the kill. She turned the sickening smile toward him. "Bob!" she cooed. "What an unexpected surprise!"

"Hex, what did you do?!"

She blinked several times, her mask and tone changing to one of innocence. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean," Bob snapped, not in the mood for her flirtatious ways.
"Oh, no," she replied sadly, her mask dropping with sorrow. "You didn't like my little gift?"

"Gift?! Hex, this isn't a gift, it's a nightmare!"

"Nightmare?" she growled, eyes glowing red as she bared her teeth. "Is that how you thank me for expressing my love?" She snapped back into her chair, one finger tapping her chin as her mask reflected her thoughtfulness. "Though I guess nightmarish would be quite a compliment for me." She pressed her face close to the VidWin, her eyes narrowed. "But that wasn't the reaction I was going for."

"And what reaction were they supposed to be going for, fight to the death?!"

"What in the Net are you talking about?"

"This!" Bob turned the VidWindow down toward the battleground below. "If this was a gift, then it better be returnable!"

"Oh, my." Hex's face showed amused shock. "Well, that wasn't supposed to happen."

"That doesn't make me feel better, Hex." In fact, it made him wonder what was supposed to happen, and that made him nervous. He moved back into the VidWin's view. "Look, whatever you sent me, I'm sure you meant well, in your unique, viral way. And I'm grateful, really. But people are getting hurt. Tell me what it was so I can fix it." He took a breath. "Please?"

Hex sighed. "I gave him one task. You'd think he'd have gotten it right."

Bob frowned. "Who?"

"Enzo and his delivery service!" she fumed. "I just wanted him to take you a cake with a nice surprise. And somehow, he let it loose."

"What, Hex?"

"Just a little lovebug, one of my pet worms."

Bob smacked his hand against his forehead. "A worm, of course! Glitch, scanner!" His body tingled as Glitch locked onto the bug attempting to replicate and modify his programming. "Glitch, uninstall." The Guardian winced at the slight burn as the infection erased. Glitch scanned him again and gave him the all clear. "Glitch, execute mass uninstall."

The keytool launched from his arm and shot across Mainframe to the Principal's Office. Bob hovered over the crowd, fists opening and closing in frustration as he waited, helpless to do anything below without being infected. His code may have extra anti-viral software, but he wasn't immune.

"Come on, Glitch," he muttered.

"You never were the patient type."

Hex's voice rolled over him like warm honey. It made him shudder. "Apparently, neither are you. Next time you want to give me something, call me. I'll come to you." It's safer that way, he thought.

"I will take you up on that," she said, tone sultry. "Believe me." She chuckled. "But I must admit this is most amusing. I'll have to remember this for next time."

"There better not be a next time," he gave her a pointed stare.

"I make no promises, Guardian."

He groaned internally. "I would be in your debt."

Her mask changed to one of delight. "Well, in that case, I guess I can make an exception."

"Great." The din beneath him suddenly ceased, an eerie silence filling the air. He looked down, and everyone was still. Their PID's blinked as Glitch performed the mass uninstall. Bob held his breath, his eyes scanning back and forth over the crowd as he waited for some sign it worked.

Then, as if a switch flipped, everyone woke out of the trance. They looked around in confusion at each other. Bob sighed with relief. "All right, Glitch."

"Oh, goody," Hex said, her voice anything but excited. "Back to boring."

"I think we've had enough excitement for one second," Bob replied. "Thank you."

She smiled brightly into the screen. "You're welcome, my love. Don't be a stranger now! I can get so lonely out here, you know."

"I'll be by sometime. I promise." He sighed again as the VidWin cut out. "The things I do in this format," he muttered as he rubbed his eyes. As he looked down at the citizens he swore to protect, he knew it was worth it. He spotted Phong milling amongst the crowd and descended to meet him. "Phong!'

The older sprite looked up in surprise. "Bob! I did not hear the game cube leave. I'm guessing it went well."

Bob frowned. "Yes, it was fine. But, how are you?"

Phong blinked a few times. "Fine. Though I feel as if I have forgotten something… and I am most sore!" He looked around. "Why does everyone look so confused? And what in the Net happened to all of the set up?!" His jaw dropped in surprise. "By the User, the whole area has been torn apart! Bob, what happened?!"

Bob chuckled as Glitch floated down and landed on his arm. He gave the keytool a pat and it beeped in reply. "It's a long story, Phong."

"Well," Phong said as he looked around at the wrecked festival, "it better be a good story, or Dot may self-destruct." He frowned. "I'm surprised she is not here."

Bob's eyes widened. "Oh Dell-"

"BOB!" The tuxedo-clad boy launched through the air and knocked Bob to the street.

"Oof! Ow," Bob said as he saw stars.

"Bob! When did you get out of the game? Why didn't you tell me? What was it this time? Was it hard? When are you going to talk to Dot about letting me go into more games? Where is Dot? Is she okay?!"

Bob held up his hands. "Whoa whoa, dial it down, sport," Bob coughed as he sat up on his elbows. "I'm glad you're back to normal. I'll tell you about the game later. I'm trying to find your sister now-"

"Did something happen in the game?!" he asked in a panic.

"No." He pushed himself up and put his hand on Enzo's shoulder. "Everything's fine. But I want you and AndrAIa to go with Phong, have him make sure you guys aren't hurt."

"From what?"

"Some tears broke out earlier, created some problems."

"And I missed it?! Aww, I miss all the cool stuff," he whined as he went over to Phong.

Bob smiled, glad that Enzo seemed unhurt otherwise. "Glitch, call Dot." He waited but there was no answer. "Call Mouse." The hacker came on the screen immediately. "Mouse! You okay?"

"Hey, Sugar. Uh, I think so. I'm just not sure what I'm doing at the park," she looked around behind her. "I don't remember how I got here."

"There was an infection, but it's cleared now. Are you hurt?"

"Ah, that would explain a few things," she said as she rolled her shoulders. "Well, everything seems fine. Nothing I don't usually deal with on an adventure with you." She smiled suggestively.

Bob shook his head. "Yeah, you're fine. Head back over to the festival if you can, it looks like we're going to have a big cleaning party. Oh, and is Dot with you?"

She looked around. "Haven't seen her. I'll be over there in ten nanos."

"Ok, thanks." Mouse blinked out and he tried Dot again. She still didn't answer. Bob started to worry. "Glitch, where did you send Dot?" He beeped and Bob's eyes widened. "Seriously?" The keytool whistled and Bob sighed.

"Phong, I'll be back as soon as I can to help with this."
"Is everything okay?"

"I sure hope so." He accelerated up into the sky and sped across Mainframe toward the last place he expected Dot to be. Within nanos, he descended to the door and made his way into his apartment. "Dot?"

He looked around nervously, but everything seemed to be exactly as he left it. He slowly stepped inside. "Dot! Are you here?"

"Uh, yeah." A quiet and embarrassed sounding reply reached his ears.

He breathed with relief as he moved through the apartment. "Are you all right? I tried calling you - whoa." He stopped dead at his bedroom door.

Dot sat on his bed, body covered in a stunning ruby red corset that perfectly accentuated her curves, her legs covered in red fishnet stockings and tucked under her. Two thick red ribbons secured her wrists to his headboard, preventing her from moving. She flushed with embarrassment. "I promise there's a perfectly good explanation for this." The blush deepened. "I just haven't figured it out yet."

"Hex," Bob managed to spit out. "Uh, Hex is the explanation."

"Oh, thank the User- I mean, uh, that's bad, but, uh-!"

"It's okay, Dot," he assured her. "You're not random."

She sighed. "Yeah." She looked around at anywhere but him, and after a nano, started to fidget. "Um, help?"

He snapped out of his daze. "Right!" Bob jumped forward and started working at the knots. "Sorry. It's been a crazy second."

"What happened?"

"Hex used Enzo to send me a gift with a worm. It must have been in the cake–how did you get these so tight?–and I think Enzo got infected from eating it." He grit his teeth as he fought the ribbon. "Anyone he came in contact with contracted the worm, and it replicated itself into their programming until their whole function became the worm's purpose–there! One down." He carefully leaned over her to work on the second bind.

"What was its purpose?" Dot asked.

"I don't know. Hex was surprised everyone was infected; apparently that wasn't the point. I mean, it started out friendly enough." The ribbon came free and Dot hissed as she rubbed her wrists. Bob moved back and looked out the window toward the festival grounds. "Hex called it her lovebug, and it did make everyone happy and friendly and, uh," he glanced at her, "romantic." Her eyes met his and she blushed again. He casually looked away, hiding his own embarrassment.

The covers shifted as Dot moved off the bed. She cleared her throat. "Yeah, what could go wrong with that?" she asked lightly as she booted back into her comfortable - and much less revealing - jumpsuit.

He managed to keep the disappointment from his voice. "It didn't take long before everyone went mad, in classic Hex fashion. So, don't feel embarrassed, you weren't the only one who got whammied."

She shook her head. "I wish I could say that makes me feel better, but I don't remember anything. And that makes me really nervous." She turned and headed out of his room.

He followed her. "No one else remembers, either. The worm copied the memory files and hid them away. They were erased with the worm during uninstall."

"You remember." Dot looked at him. "Right?"

"That doesn't mean much," he said. "I've never been one to kiss and tell." He winced at the poor choice of words.

She stopped abruptly and turned, nearly running into him. "Who were you kissing?"

"No one!" he said quickly. "Bad example! Nothing happened, nadda, zip. Everything's fine."

Her eyes narrowed, and she put her hands on her hips. She wasn't buying it. "No, it's not. You're hiding something."

He started to sweat, his mind racing. "Uh, well, yeah, everything's not fine, actually. The festival might have kind of been, you know, uh, destroyed."

"WHAT?!"

He held up his hands in defense. "But it was a great party! I promise you; they had a blast! Until a tear or two blasted through, and people started fighting. But it was awesome up till then! You really outdid yourself." He smiled. He wasn't lying, technically. That kiss was awesome…

She stared at him a nano longer, and then relented. Her shoulders sagged and she put her head in her hand. "Great. Just great. Was anything salvageable?"

"I, uh, didn't really get a look. I was kind of busy preventing deletion."

"Right." She looked up at him. "Well, thank you for saving us, again. And I'm sorry, about-"

"Don't worry about it."

"Right." She turned toward the front door and abruptly turned back again. "But you know I'd never do anything like," she gestured at the bedroom, "if I was in my right mind. Right?"

"Well, yeah. I wouldn't expect that." He scratched the back of his head and looked at the floor. "Though I probably wouldn't mind if you did."

He felt her eyes on him and he peeked up with a teasing smile. Her shocked reaction was priceless, and so worth it. Before she could reply, she disappeared behind a VidWindow.

"Bob, did you find Dot? Is she okay?" Phong asked, as Enzo, AndrAIa, and Mouse stood behind him.

"Yeah, Phong, I'm here." Dot stepped around, glancing at Bob before focusing on the screen. "Bob was just filling me in on the disaster. How bad is it?"

Mouse answered. "We're almost done cleaning up, and except for some trashed stalls and busted floats, it should be good."

"But we could use your help settling some disputes over here," Phong jumped in.

"Vendors again?" Dot sighed.

"How did you know?" Mouse chuckled.

"I'll be right there." She looked at Enzo. "And hold off on any more deliveries until I get there."

Enzo looked at her with wide eyes. "Why? What did I do?"

"Just wait." She closed the window out. "Kids." She glanced at Bob again, and suddenly seemed nervous. "I'm going to go take care of that now. You want to…?" She pointed toward the door.

Bob smiled. "Yeah, but I need to swing by the Principal Office first, make sure the worm is gone. We don't want another crisis."

"Right. Good call." Nodding, she looked at the door then back at him. "Then I'll catch you later. Um." She hesitated, and then quickly brushed a kiss on his cheek. "Thanks." She turned to leave.

Bob caught her wrist, stilling her movements. She looked up in surprise and he leaned down, kissing her softly. It had no urgency, but it didn't need to. It was simple, and to him, perfect. When he pulled back, her eyes were closed, lips smiling gently. Her violet eyes slowly opened and met his. "Happy Valentine's Day, Dot," he said quietly.

Her smile widened. "Happy Valentine's, Bob." The tip of her tongue wet her lips and she ducked her head down as she moved to the door. "Oh." She bent down and retrieved something from the floor. She handed it to him. "Somebody loves you."

He frowned as he examined the crumbled and dirty envelope, the words Bob: "ILOVEYOU" written in elegant script. He glanced up and spotted an amused look on
Dot's face before she shut the door behind her.

He let out the breath he was holding. She wasn't mad. Whistling to himself, he tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter. It read, " .vbs" coming from me. There was no signature, and he frowned… until he saw the black worm in the envelope. "Oh, shif-!"

A soft boom sounded through Kits. The 8-Ball shot up into the air and bounced back down next to the apartment complex. It slowly rolled away under the hundreds of replicated love letters showering down from the windows and the top of Bob's apartment. And from inside, a muffled cry echoed through Mainframe.

"HEEEEEEX!"

The End