Crisis

Standing on Mainframe's creaking docks, those same docks that had once been a port of considerable trade and shipping, were ten sprites. Bob, Dot, Mouse, Ray, Matrix, AndrAIa, Grid, Enzo, and off to the side were Kem and Taazki. They were gathered for a more somber reason than usual. Ray was politely giving his board another once-over as Mouse attempted to say goodbye to the first friends she'd ever had, in the first place she'd ever put down any roots.

She opened her mouth to talk to Bob, but there were no words left to be spoken between them. Instead, she turned her attention to Dot.

"Dot hon, Ah... Thanks for givin' me a home. Y'gave me a pat on the back when Ah needed it, and a kick in the pants when Ah deserved it. You're a real friend."

Dot nodded sadly. "Take care, Mouse."

Mouse addressed them all, but her eyes were on Bob. "Good luck."

She slipped over to where Ray had been patiently waiting. He put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned against him as they turned to leave on their personal adventures. Destination: Wherever the Net saw fit to take them. Ray flipped his board out and put one foot on it, but stopped when Bob's voice drifted towards them.

"Mouse... You're always welcome here."

Mouse turned to Bob and nodded. "Well, of course Ah'll be back, sugah. Ah mean, Ah'll have to come back, for your sake."

"Pardon?"

"Well, Ah mean, how long can you possibly stay with little Miss Perfect? You think that's actually gonna last? Naw, you'll get sick of her complainin' an' Ah'll have to come back to keep you company..." Mouse glanced around at the stunned faces around her, including Ray's. Her serious glare melted away into an amused grin. "Aw, c'mon you ol' sooks! This is a send-off, not a funeral! Yank the nulls outta yer butts an' someone gimme a hug!"

The dark cloud over them was lifted, and everyone had to chuckle a little as Mouse flung her arms around Bob's neck. Bob smiled.

"Well, I can honestly say it won't be the same around here without you."

Mouse winked. "Ab-sah-loootly not!" She looked back at Dot. "You take care of my sweet li'l sugah-pais. 'Cause if ya don't I'll come back and take 'em both with me!"

Dot laughed. "The twins will be just fine here, thanks for the offer. And so will the next one."

"What're you gonna name her?" asked Mouse.

"Her? How do you know it'll be a she?"

Mouse winked. "Bob, Dot owes me twenty credits if it's a girl." Everyone chucked again.

Mouse smiled and went to Matrix and AndrAIa. "Ah'd tell you two to take care of each other, but Ah don't think Ah need to. You've made me proud."

Then she turned to Enzo, and out of habit, knelt down to speak to him. She was taken off-guard to discover that when she did so, she had to look up. She stood again, and shook her head. "Ah don't believe it. You've been growin' like a weed lately. Soon hon, you're gonna dwarf The Mouse. Now you keep yer nose clean, an' stay outta trouble, y'hear? Keep away from any bad influences."

"Don't worry," chuckled AndrAIa. "We'll keep him far away from Matrix."

Mouse winked at the whole group. "Take care Grid, an' keep making things interesting while Ah'm gone. See ya later Kem, Taazki. Ah promise I'll be back some time."

Grid smiled mischievously. "We'll be ready!"

"Yeah, Mouse," added Bob. "We'll see about that! There's a quarantine on this system now, remember?"

Mouse chuckled. "I love a challenge, sugah! Do yer worst!" There was an uncomfortable pause, and Mouse's eyes saddened. "Tell Phong Ah said Ah'll miss him, will ya?"

Rarely did people speak of the aging former Command.com, who spent most of his time these seconds in total solitude in the Principal Office that had long been his home. There was talk of his failing health sometimes, but it would be quickly silenced with the arrival of Dot, or anyone else close to him.

Dot nodded, her voice quiet when she spoke. "I only hope he'll still be here when you get back."

Mouse shook her head. "We're talkin' about Phong here. The old sprite who must have at least nine lives. He'll probably outlive the lot of us."

Ray shrugged. "With all due respect, I certainly hope not." The silence that followed suggested he'd stepped over the line. He cleared his throat and tried to change the subject. "Uh, well it's been swell. Can't imagine how dull my life would be without you blokes. And... thanks for taking care of Mouse."

With that, Mouse began the slow process of distancing herself from her friends, never taking her eyes off them, until she stepped back onto the surfboard. Ray looked at her sadly.

"Are you really sure you want to come with me?"

Mouse tilted her head. "What do you think?"

"Well, I can't really-" he was cut off as Mouse kissed him long and hard. When she finally let go, he gasped for air and smiled. "Well then, I guess we'd best be off!"

"Oh, that's nothing! Watch this!" Karta dashed a few feet and performed a flawless cartwheel. Turning up her chin, she grinned at her brother, who was favoring his rump some distance away.

"Not bad…" he grimaced. "I still think I could beat you two out of three!"

"Naw! Wouldn't want you to delete yourself!" laughed his sister.

"Can I try?" inquired a small voice.

The two of them both turned and answered simultaneously "No!"

"Why not?" pouted the child.

"Because you're a girl," taunted Galter.

"Because you're too young," explained Karta.

"And because you're a girl!"

"Shut up, Galter!"

"MOOOM! Karta hit me!"

"Wasn't it just last cycle they couldn't even talk?" asked Dot as she watched the children play from the apartment window.

"No," answered Bob honestly. "In a few seconds, Coral will turn five megacycles old."

"Coral…" mused Dot. "It sounds as nice now as the cycle you suggested it."

"You know, if Mouse ever comes back, you owe her twenty credits."

Dot grimaced. "Do you have to keep reminding me?"

Bob chuckled. "Well, I'm off to Floating Point." He hopped out of his chair and made for the door.

"Floating Point? What for?"

"I promised I'd help to decorate it for the big Independence Cycle festival," Bob smiled. "It's been quite some time since we broke free from Megabyte, but I still always look forward to it."

Dot shrugged and nodded. "The rest of Mainframe seems to feel the same way. Everyone loves a good party." She walked over and kissed him. "Hurry back"

The young woman's boots clicked against the pavement, conveying her irritability as she searched, wondering again where he could have pasted to. Taazki had been to all of Grid's regular haunts, but the little sneak was nowhere to be found. Typical. Here she was trying to do something nice for him and… there. There he was. Taazki shielded her eyes from the bright sky that had seen no color but yellow since the cycle the quarantine went up.

She could barely make out the figure of a sprite sitting on the edge of the Principal Office's 'moat', dangling his legs off one of the bridges that ran into the Principle Office itself. She had a pretty good idea where all the other sprites were at the moment. Probably all having fun at the festival without her. Taking a slow breath, she made her way towards the lone form.

Specks did a double-take as his terminal beeped him out of his nap. His screen now showed no unusual readings, but he could have sworn there had been something there a moment ago. Looking suspiciously at the screen, he brought up a vid-window.

"Mrs. Matrix? Come in, please."

The scene behind the Command.com was a sight that warmed his heart. Most of Mainframe had turned out for the event at Floating Point, so it was a moment before Dot could quiet down a group of nearby binomes so that she could hear her assistant. "What is it, Specks?"

"I picked up an energy reading a micro ago, but it's gone now. I thought it might be a malfunction. Would you mind terribly if I asked you to come take a look at it?"

Dot shrugged. "Sure thing. I'll be right over."

"I'll come too," added Bob.

"Grid?" called Taazki as she stepped out onto the ledge overlooking the empty bowl beneath the Principle Office.

The web sprite straightened in surprise, but didn't turn around. "Hi," he merely answered after a moment.

"I've been looking for you…" Taazki bit her lip. "I was… just wondering if you wanted to join me - us - at the festival." She waited in silence. "Um… seeing as how… well… you never go. I thought you might want someone to take you this time."

Grid stood up. "I'd love… I mean, I'd like to, you know… but…" Without turning to face her, he sat back down.

She frowned and moved closer. "But what? Grid, are you all right?"

He shook his head and muttered. "I remember it… you know?"

"Remember what?"

Grid looked up at her. "Megabyte. I remember working for Megabyte."

"Oh…" was all Taazki could manage. Slowly, she sat herself down next to him. "But I thought… I thought you told everyone you were sneaking into his lair one night, and the next thing you knew you were waking up seconds later in the Principal Office after the restart."

"Well I lied!" Grid broke in. "There, I said it! I remember it. I remember everything that happened! Everything I… did…" He fell silent again.

Taazki's heart sank. So that was why he never went to the festival to celebrate Megabyte's demise… Guilt. "I'm so sorry…" she told him honestly. "Look… I don't know how to help you, I wish I could… Do you feel any better now that you've told me?"

Grid didn't answer. After a long silence, Taazki got up. "I'll leave you alone now… I didn't know." She headed back for the door.

"Taazki, wait!" Grid said a little too quickly as she reached the entrance. "Uh…" He took a long, slow breath "Can I… tell you some things?"

She nodded sympathetically. "Come inside, Grid. Let's talk."

Inside the command center, Bob frowned as he pulled himself out from under a terminal. "Everything seems nominal… Are you sure you caught some kind of reading?"

Specks adjusted his frame. "Almost positive. I'd like to run a full system diagnostic, if that's fine by you."

"All right," agreed Dot. "Let's get started, then."

Bob wheeled himself back under the terminal. "No problem. I'll get on it right away. We don't need any errors or power surges in the middle of a party. I'll be done in a jiffy, it's just like fixing a car."

Dot chuckled. "Specks? Cancel my appointments for the day."

Bob gave her a phony hurt face. "Come on, Dot. Don't you trust me? Hmm… what does this do?" he asked as a small piece fell out of the terminal.

Specks sighed as Dot put her face in her hands for a good laugh.

"I don't believe it…" breathed Taazki, shell-shocked. "How could you do this? How can you keep all of this from the others?"

"They wouldn't understand," insisted Grid, deflating.

"I don't understand! Grid, if what you're telling me is true, Mainframe is in huge trouble!"

"What do you want me to do?!" demanded Grid, choking on the words. "Taazki, they have no choice! They-"

"User, how could you keep this from everyone! How many times were we together and you looked me in the eyes and you lied to me?! You told me you didn't know where you came from, or what your format was, and you've been lying to me! All this time!"

"No!" insisted Grid. "I couldn't…"

Taazki's voice began to waver and the shock was replaced by a look of total betrayal. "What else haven't you told me? Are there any more secrets that could mean deletion for everyone? Have you ever told me anything in all these megacycles that was actually true?!"

Grid opened and closed his mouth, at a loss for words.

"We were your friends, Grid!" she continued relentlessly. "We have a right to know what we're up against! Everyone here does!"

"You can't tell them!" Grid said as he jumped to his feet and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Promise me you won't tell them!"

Taazki shoved him away. "I'm not going to tell them," she sneered with disdain. "You have to do that." With that, she picked up a zipboard and walked out onto the ledge again.

Grid chased after her. "Taazki!"

She spun to face him, all hint of emotion gone. What remained was a stone-faced look that chilled him to the bone. "You can't keep this from them Grid. This isn't some joke anymore. Now you have a choice, and unless you can make it, I don't want you near me or my brother again!"

He could do nothing but watch her go, and still staring after her, he slowly collapsed under his own weight, with no desire to get up.

"Did you hear Pearson back there?" Kem called to a nearby binome.

"WHAT?!" it yelled, straining to hear him over the music.

"Old Man Pearson! The story about Matrix's fight with Megabyte!"

"WHAT?!"

"It gets better every time, doesn't it?" Kem continued as loud as he could.

"WHAT?!"

Kem sighed and gave up. Matrix himself wouldn't be at this festival, he had claimed that once you'd seen one, you'd seen them all. Briefly, he wondered if AndrAIa and Enzo were with him, or somewhere in the mass of people. His gaze turned upwards as he noticed his sister making her way towards him on a zipboard.

"Where've you been?" he asked. "The setup here is amazing!"

Taazki didn't answer. Instead, she looked down as she stepped off her zipboard. Kem raised an eyebrow. "What? What is it?"

To his alarm, he noticed that she was trembling. She embraced him tightly and began to sob. He could hear her babbling into his chest, but he couldn't make out what she was saying. He opened his mouth, but she raised her head. "G… Grid…" she stammered. "He…"

Kem frowned. "Grid? What about him?" She didn't answer and his eyes widened. "What did he do to you? Taaz, what did Grid do?!"

A soft beeping siren interrupted them. "WARNING: INCOMING GAME…"

Everyone looked up as a gaping hole in the sky opened directly above them. For that one instant, all of Mainframe stood in absolute silence. Then, all hell broke loose.

Bob jumped at the game announcement. He was still under the panel at the time, so this wasn't a very good idea. Clutching his head, he wheeled himself out from under it. "There's your blip, Specks!" he yelled. "Dot! Let's get moving!"

"We have to hurry," said Dot. "It's landing on Floating Point Park! The kids are down there, along with most of Mainframe!" Swiftly, they exited the Principal Office.

"Everybody! Stay calm! Keep moving!" cried Kem as he ushered binomes away from the Park. Taazki was a few steps away doing the same. There wasn't much room to move around, let alone exit, and the two found they had to take charge of the evacuation. Kem looked up at the descending game cube.

We're not going to make it…

"We're not going to make it!" called Bob to Dot, who was just ahead of him on her zipboard. "We going to have to try a detour! Follow me!" He pitched downward, followed quickly by Dot.

The orderly evacuation that the siblings had started was falling into full-blown panic as citizens shoved others aside in an attempt to reach the exit. Kem looked skyward to find that the game was almost on top of them; he stepped over one of the binomes and tried to reach his sister. "We have to get out of here!!" he shouted, grabbing her hand.

"No!" she replied defiantly. "I have to save them!"

"There's no time!" insisted Kem. "Let's go!"

He began to pull her behind him, but she struggled. Finally, he grabbed both of her arms, and tried to move her from the spot she was rooted to. He felt his fingers beginning to slip. "Taaz!!" he cried as she pulled from his grasp, sending them both sprawling backwards, leaving Kem staring at a glimmering purple wall.

Dot's voice broke the silence that surrounded him. "Oh, this is bad…"

Bob came up behind her. "This is really really bad."

"Mom!" Karta cried, pushing her way through the crowd to Dot. The little girl's body shook as she seized Dot's leg and held on tightly.

"Karta! You're safe!" Dot hugged her daughter. "Where are Galter and Coral?"

Karta pointed back over her shoulder towards the others who were still trying to make their way to their parents. Dot sighed with relief. "Thank the User…"

She felt Bob's familiar grip on her shoulder. "Come on, Dot. This isn't over. We have to find out if those people in there have a chance against the User. Let's get back to the Principal Office."

"I'm coming with you," added Kem.

When the trio returned to the Principal Office, they found that Matrix, AndrAIa and Enzo there waiting.

"Bob…" Matrix said slowly. "You're not in the game either?"

Bob shook his head. "The scanners went out on us, we didn't make it in time."

"So we heard," added AndrAIa bitterly. "Specks is still trying to work out what caused the outage."

Kem nervously ran a hand through his hair. "Is there anyone in that game besides Taaz who can beat the User?"

Bob shook his head. "Not likely, and there's no way for us to know if she'll be able to do it by herself."

"Then we'll have to help them from the outside." Everyone turned to find that Grid Run had joined them.

"I'm open to suggestions," sighed Dot. "Does anyone know a way to influence games from the outside?"

"Hey!" piped up Enzo. "How about that time the User got slowed down right in the middle of a game?"

Dot paused a moment, then, quickly opened up a vid-window. "Hack, Slash! Get up here, on the double!"

"Slow down?"

"A game?"

"Slow down a game?"

"How do you slow down a game?"

"I don't know."

"Well that's what she asked us!"

"I don't know!"

"I don't either!"

"Well don't yell at me!"

"Well, sorry!"

"Aw, I can't stay mad at you."

"Thank you."

Dot cleared her throat forcefully. "Gentlemen?"

"Sorry Dot."

"Sorry."

Dot nodded. "Alright. From the top. Some time ago, I was inside a game cube. The game slowed down. You two had something to do with it. I want to know what it was that Megabyte made you do that slowed down that game."

"Megabyte!" cried Hack.

"Megabyte's baaaaaad."

"We don't work for him anymore."

"We most certainly do not!"

"He was mean!"

"Yeah, but he's gone."

"Gone for good."

"Finito."

"Ixnay."

"Istory-hay."

"A leech command," interrupted Bob. "That's what they used. I remember now. They drained the energy from the game, causing it to run slower than normal, without affecting the people inside."

Sighing, Dot sat down. "Thank you, Bob. Now, do we happen to have any such commands lying around?"

Grid stepped forward. "We have something almost as good. Me. I can store the energy from that game if I have something that'll let me drain it."

Everyone stared for a moment. To their knowledge, it was the first time Grid had admitted knowing about his excess energy banks. Kem wasn't fazed for long. He eyed Grid suspiciously. "All right. We'll both go. I'm sure the armory has something you can use."

Bob shook his head. "No Kem. Grid doesn't have a personal stake in this crisis. You do. I know you want to help your sister, but it would probably be best if you stayed here."

Grid nodded. "I don't need anyone in my way. Now, I'm going to make a quick stop at the armory, and then I'll head for the game cube."

"Stay in contact," warned Dot. "We'll need to know what's happening so that we can monitor readings once we have scanners back."

Grid made for the exit, but was blocked by Kem. "So, what's got you feeling all selfless all of a sudden?" he whispered, glaring at the Web Sprite. Grid returned the stare, then silently stepped around him.

Slash broke the awkward silence that followed. "So… they're going to save the people in the game?"

"Yes they are."

"And we helped."

"Yes we did."

"Mrs. Matrix?" called Specks. "We have scanners again. Cause of the outage is still unknown."

Dot looked up. "Good job, Sergeant."

The binome shook his head in confusion. "I didn't do anything…"

"What matters now is that we have them. First thing's first. How many people are in that game cube?"

"One moment…" Specks muttered as he tapped at the panel. His eye went wide. "Oh dear…" he whispered.

"Report, Sergeant!" ordered Dot. "How many people are in the game?"

Specks gulped. "Scanners show that nearly one third of Mainframe didn't make it out…"

The web sprite fixed his gaze on the purple wall in front of him. It shimmered and pulsed with energy. He realized now that he may have bitten off more than he could process. Still, Taazki was in that game… and if there was the slightest chance he could do anything to help her, he was determined to do it.

He slipped the black pair of mechanical gloves on. Supposedly these would allow him to draw energy out of the game and into his code. It was crude, but it just might do the job. He brought his zipboard about halfway to the top of the cube and waited by the wall. Turning around, he spoke. "In position. Waiting for your signal."

Inside the Principal Office, the rest of Mainframe's sprites watched Grid on the monitor. "Do you think that device will really allow Grid to drain game energy?" Bob asked his wife.

Dot shrugged. "There's no way to tell. First, there'll be a short time when the device itself powers up. Then… we'll have to wait and see. This isn't the Supercomputer, Bob."

Bob sighed. "So I've been told." He turned to address the monitor. "OK, Grid. Get started. We may not have much time."

They watched as Grid drew a deep breath and plunged his hands into the cube. There was a blinding flash and his body began to hum with power. Slowly but surely, the device began to draw energy from the game.

Specks nodded with approval. "The device is almost charged. Draining should begin at any moment- Wait!"

Everyone turned in the direction of the binome. "Energy build-up!" he shouted. "The game! It's going to-"

"Grid! Disengage!" cried Dot. She watched as the cube shuddered violently.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the face of the game cube. They caught a glimpse of Grid being thrown from his zipboard.

Kem dashed for the exit. "I'm going to go get him!" he shouted.

"Kem, wait!" called Matrix, a micro too late.

"Confirmed…" said Specks solemnly. "The game is about to leave."

Dot and everyone within earshot spun towards the screen. The cube slowly began to rise. "Medical teams to Floating Point…" Dot heard herself say.

Grid felt himself being lifted from the ground and placed on a zipboard with someone. He half heard Kem's voice, but he couldn't make out the words.

"Did it work?" Grid asked. But it ended up sounding more like "Il-erg?"

"GAME OVER" announced the voice.

There was a pause as everyone took in the image on the view screen.

Bob's jaw dropped. "Ohh… no…"

"THE USER WINS…"

Nulls… hundreds of them. Not covering just the ground of Floating Point park, but piled up in a giant mess of slimy colors, and high-pitched cries.

No one said anything for a long time. "

This can't be happening…" Matrix finally managed.

"Status report," Dot ordered, quietly and evenly. "Status report," she repeated more forcefully when Specks didn't reply.

The binome poked at his console. "Multiple tears opening," he began mechanically. "Floating Point is offline… And the medical teams are still en route."

"Cancel them," the Command.com ordered after a pause.

"But ma'am-"

"Cancel them!" Dot closed her eyes and dropped her head. "There's nothing they can do."

"All those people…" AndrAIa thought out loud.

Dot looked up suddenly. "Where are the children?"

"Whoa! Check this out, you guys!" Karta shouted to Galter and Coral.

"What a mess!" Coral added as she stepped over a small piece of debris that might once have been part of the festival. "Where did all these nulls come from?" she asked.

Galter shrugged. "I dunno… they were here when the game left." He grinned at Karta. "Hey. Ever pick one up?"

"Galter! You're gross!"

"I double-dare you!" he insisted. "But you have to go first."

Karta stuck her nose up in the air. "Fine! Then I'll watch you chicken out!"

She peered at the ground and found one that had just slithered in. The brown null looked at her curiously. Giving Galter a confident smile, she moved to pick it up. Much to her surprise, the brown null jumped towards her when she got close. Karta backpedaled with a yelp. Galter and Coral began to laugh.

Karta blushed. "I think it wants to fight me!"

Galter grinned. "Good idea. Five credits says the null can take you!"

"Very funny…" Karta knelt down and moved towards the null slowly. She extended her hand. "Here boy…" she called softly. "Here Mr. Null…"

The null shook slightly and lunged at Karta, catching her finger. The girl leapt up with a shriek. "Ow!! It bit me!! The basic thing bit me!"

Galter was on the ground laughing by now. "Karta's scared of a null!" he teased.

"I am not!!" Karta insisted through tears.

Coral frowned. "What's wrong, Karta?" she asked.

Karta gripped her finger tightly. "It hurts…" she softly cried. "It hurts… I want to go home…"

Now it was Galter's turn to frown. "It's just a null… they drain your energy… I knew it was going to do that to you. Come on, it can't hurt that much!"

Karta suddenly began to shake and fell to her side. "It hurts!" she yowled. "It hurts! What's happening?!"

Galter began to panic. "Come on Karta, it was just a joke! Get up, we have to get home!"

His sister opened her eyes, but stared right through him. "Galter?" she asked between frightened, erratic gasps. "Why… Why is it getting dark so early?"

For all his youth, inexperience and confusion, something inside Galter Matrix snapped, and instinct took control. "Coral…" he began. "Get Mom!"

"But Galter-!"

He spun towards her, with wild eyes. "Get her! Now! Hurry!!"

END PROGRAM