1 nanosecond = 1 second

1 microsecond = 1 minute

1 millisecond = 1 hour

1 second = 1 day

1 minute = 1 month

1 hour = 1 year

Author's note: This story takes place between the times from when Bob was ten relative user years old until now. It is also everything just before the point where the show starts; which it is where it will eventually end. All the characters in the fanfic are either creations of Mainframe Entertainment, or are my own. No copyright infringement intended.

"Dad, can I go play with Mouse today? Please?" asked a hopeful Bob.

"Sure you can, son. Just remember to tell her that you're going away soon," Corel reminded his son.

"I will."

Corel was a Guardian who wanted the best for his son, Bob, and so was sending him to the Guardian Academy in a second. Unfortunately for Bob, he would have to leave Mouse, his best friend, to go to study at the Supercomputer.

Bob had lost his mother, Pentium, soon after his sister, Pixel, was initiated. His mother had become very sick and she had been deleted soon after. Her deletion had taken a huge toll on Corel, and he was never the same fun-loving guy he once was.

Bob bore an uncanny resemblance to his father, with the same light blue skin, chrome hair, and brown eyes. Pixel, however, was a mixture of both Pentium and Corel with violet/blue skin, very dark brown hair with silver streaks, and brown eyes. Pix was only one hour old, though, and she was just learning to talk.

Corel had vowed to Pentium before she was deleted that he'd make sure that both their kids would get Guardian training, one way or another. Pixel would have to be trained at home, unofficially. He wanted her to learn at a young age, which was one thing she couldn't do at the Academy. Girls weren't allowed to enter the Academy before the age of twenty hours. That was one of the many rather pointless rules made up by the current Prime Guardian.

Bob, however, was allowed to go at his age. He had already packed his bags for his long stay at the Supercomputer.

"Y'are leavin' for th' Supercomputer? Why?" Mouse asked, shocked.

"My dad wants me to become a Guardian," Bob explained gently. "I don't want to leave either, but I feel like I owe it to him."

"But ya're mah best friend! Ah'll miss ya so much!"

"I'm sure we'll see each other again someday." Bob then pulled something from his pocket and presented it to Mouse. She opened it slowly, tearing the shiny paper with all the sadness in her heart. Inside the small box, was a gold ring with a flat top. On this top was a carving of a mouse. "Keep this to remember me by." He smiled. "I know you'll like this. There are a few added gadgets to this thing. It has the ability to hold someone in stasis," he added with emphasis, waiting to see her reaction.

It was Mouse's turn to smile. "Stasis, huh? Thanks, Bob. Ah'll never forget this moment, or you." She reached over and hugged him tightly. He returned the embrace.

"I promise you, Mouse, I will see you again; someday."

Bob walked home very slowly that night. He needed some time to think about what he would soon undergo. A tear rolled unchecked down his left cheek as he thought of leaving Mouse. She was his best friend! How could he leave her like this? I can't believe I accepted Dad's offer. What was I thinking? I can't leave Mouse like this! I can't!

By the time Bob opened the door to his house, he was crying openly. He didn't care if his dad saw him cry; he was too upset to care.

"Bob? What's wrong?" Corel asked, concern deeply etched into his features.

"I don't want to go to the Guardian Academy! I want to see Pixel grow up! I don't want to leave anyone. I'll miss Mouse too much," Bob exploded, sobs racking his body.

"Bob, you're suffering the same thing I did when I left for the Academy. It isn't that bad; you'll have fun! The training you will undergo is mostly games training and Protocol. You're a natural-initiated leader. You'll be a great Guardian."

"I never said I wasn't going to go, I just said that I'll be too homesick! I am going. I can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow."

"I can. I know you'll make me proud. Now go to bed; it's late."

Bob turned to walk away. "Dad?" he asked, turning back to face Corel.

"Yeah, son?"

"I love you."

"I love you too. I want the best for you. You'll make a first-rate Guardian. Now go to bed. You have a busy second ahead of you.

The next morning, Bob was up before the sun, getting all his bags ready for the long data-plane ride to the Supercomputer. He ate his breakfast in record-breaking time, wolfing down his beta-bits and serial-toast.

"I see you're feeling better this morning," Corel remarked with a smile as he watched his son wolf down the food.

"I'm not feeling better. I'm just really nervous."

As Bob was about to go out the door, he heard a sound from behind him: "Ba, ba, Bob."

Bob whirled around to see Pixel smiling and waving at him. "She said my name!"

"You should be honored! You're her first real word!"

Bob picked Pix up and hugged her. "Light," she said, pointing to the reflection of the sun on his hair. Bob hugged her even harder. He kissed the gurgling baby's cheek lightly.

"Bye Pixel," he said, smiling to himself at the irony of this situation. Last night he had wished he would hear Pix's first word and it had come true! He put her back into her high chair, said good-bye to his dad, and headed out the door for the data-airport.

Bob walked off the data-plane cautiously and hesitantly. He was very nervous and very scared. He hesitated a little more when he saw someone running towards him. He then realized that it must be the Prime Guardian.

"Bob, I presume?" the male sprite asked in an authoritative voice.

"I guess that would be me," Bob said a little reluctantly.

"I'm Cyberspace, Prime Guardian. I've come to escort you to the Academy, which is where you'll spend your next ten hours."

"That's what I figured, since you seem to be the only one who recognizes me," Bob said, relieved that this person was actually going to be nice to him. "Wait a nano, TEN hours? When my father went, it was only for five."

"Your father started at a later age. You will have prime training and will be educated until you are a top level Guardian. Your father and I had a meeting and decided that you'd make the perfect subject for this hour's target."

"Target?" Bob asked. This was getting a little confusing.

"Once an hour, we select a special sprite who will take the full training to become a first-level Guardian. From what I hear, you'll make the perfect top-level Guardian," Cyberspace said with a crooked smile.

Bob was beyond stunned. Me? A top-level Guardian? I can't believe it! Dad had this in mind the whole time and I didn't even know it. I guess that's why he was so intent on my going. I really owe a lot to him, he thought to himself. "Why was I the perfect subject?"

"You have all the qualities required. You're compulsive, loyal, protective, and above all, you're a great friend to the people around you. At least that's what I heard from your dad, and he must know best. We should get going back to the Academy. You've had a rough ride. You'll need a full night of sleep to prepare for your training tomorrow."

The two started off for the Guardian Academy.

"Wow! Impressive place you got here!" Bob remarked as he stood in the main hall admiring his surroundings.

The place was massive, but Bob expected this much; it was the famed Guardian Academy. It was the decorations that made his breath get caught in his throat. There were pictures of every single Guardian that ever existed on the walls. They all went in chronological order, from the oldest, to the most recent. If he searched long enough, he would probably find a picture of his father, but he'd do that another time.

"Well, Bob, I'll show you to your room," Cyberspace said as he motioned for Bob to follow him up the winding staircase to the first floor.

As they ascended the stairs, Bob's mind started to wander back to his home, and Mouse. He wondered if he'd ever see her again, like he'd promised her. Mouse will never forgive me for staying this long! Well, now that I'm here, I guess I'd better do what Dad said and try to make the most of this. This is, after all, a once in a lifetime opportunity, Bob thought to himself dismally.

They entered the room where Bob was to stay. The sight of it was even more impressive than the main hall... for a bedroom, anyway. There were numerous plaques on the walls, each indicating the name of every Guardian that had been in this room. A smile slowly crossed over Bob's face. He was obviously a little more than impressed. He set his bags down on the floor, and got into bed. Soon, he fell into deep sleep.

The next morning, Bob went down to the meeting room where all the new recruits would get their instructions. There were approximately seventeen other new recruits besides himself, and there was also a female Guardian-in-training who explained that she was in her last year at the Academy. She was to explain the basic outline of the training, as well as tell them a bit about herself and her background.

The sprite's name was Chroma and she was twenty four hours old. She had come to the Academy because her parents had been deleted in an accident, and the only thing she could think to do was to become a protector of the innocent to prevent any of this from happening again.

She explained that the Guardian training course was usually based on skill and cunning. The recruits were going to learn how to defend, how to play games and win, how to deal with shady business and other such problems, and, finally, how to make a good image as a Guardian. All these combined elements would make a great Guardian.

After the lecture, Bob walked up to Chroma and said: "Um, hi. I'm Bob, and I did not come here out of my own free will. I want to know how you can stand this place."

"Personally, I love it. At first, as I mentioned before, I did not come here of my own free will. I felt the same way you do now; I didn't want to come. Sure, the normal school-like courses are boring, but the Guardian training courses are a lot of fun." She paused and drew a breath before continuing in a more excited tone. "They teach you survival skills, protocol, basically, everything a Guardian should know. The games survival skill are really amazing. It's like a hyped up version of gym glass."

"Well, it does sound like I'll have a good time in the training part, but not in the school type education. I've always despised school. I don't know how I'll be able to manage a Guardian training course and school work," Bob said with a sigh.

"Well, let I'll let you in on a little secret," Chroma said in a more confined tone. She glanced around and lowered her voice even more before whispering: "The Guardians are terrible at school-type education. Remember that they're Guardians teaching normal courses. They're not expected to do well at things out of their normal field range." Chroma paused briefly to study Bob's expression. To her satisfaction, a small smile started tugging at the corners of his mouth. She continued in the same quiet manner. "If you ever need help, I'll be there. I tutor younger sprites who are having difficulty in their school-type studies."

"You'd do that? Thanks. Do you want to know my... um...." he faltered.

"Situation?" Chroma suggested.

"Yeah. Well, do you?"

"Sure. It certainly would help my aspect of you when I tutor you," she said helpfully.

"Okay, I'll start at the beginning. I come from the Net and was initiated in a system called Powerpoint. I--"

"Powerpoint?!" Chroma interrupted. "That's where I compiled up!"

"Really? We have more in common than I thought! Anyway, soon after my mother gave birth to my little sister, Pixel, just under two hours ago, she got really sick and--" Bob took a deep breath, seeming to Chroma as if he were trying to stifle a sob. "--she was... deleted.

"My father had promised her before she had been deleted, that he'd give both Pix and me Guardian training. Only yesterday, I found out that I was the selected one for the 'target' to become the top-level Guardian." As Bob finished, a single tear rolled down his cheek, and he seemed to go into a deep reverie. He was thinking about his mother.

"I'm so sorry. About your mother, I mean. I'll try to help you as best I can, but I don't know if I'll succeed. Just remember that I'll be trying my best," Chroma said reproachfully.

"I know you'll try your best. Thank you for the offer. Thank you."

"Attention all staff and students. We have a... rather disturbing announcement to make," the secretary said in a choked voice over the school's P.A. Bob set down his pencil thankfully and looked up from his math test. "Our Prime Guardian, Cyberspace, had a fatal core-com attack last night. Early this morning... he was deleted." The voice stopped periodically, as if to calm down, then continued: "Our new Prime Guardian is Turbo, a dedicated man who worked very hard to attain this place. Please make him feel welcome." The intercom shut off abruptly; only to be turned on again as a deep male voice with a distinctly southern accent took over.

"Hello to y'all. Ah'm Turbo, your new Prahm Guardian. Ah will trah mah best tah teach the courses that Cahberspace had, but Ah'm not sure Ah'll do too well for a while. Ah will be teaching Game Survival and Protection. Ah hope Ah'll fit in soon enough. Thank ya for your tahm." The P.A. shut off again to leave Bob's class rather stunned in silence.

A girl sitting in front of Bob, Platter, one of Bob's new friends in his first few cycles at the Academy, turned around and said: "Are you as shocked as I am?"

"Yes, I am. Cyberspace seemed so... full of energy and life. How could he just... let that happen to himself? I don't understand."

"Good. I just wanted to know that I'm not the only one." With that, Platter turned back to her test.

Apparently, Platter wasn't alone at all. In their next class, the teacher made the class write an essay on what Cyberspace had meant to them. The whole class aced the project.

Throughout that whole cycle, the staff at the Academy prepared a remembrance ceremony for Cyberspace. They did everything they could to make it worthwhile. At the end of that cycle, they had the ceremony, and many an impressive and tear-jerking speech was made.

Bob's attention was slipping away from a particularly boring speech when he heard the announcer mention Chroma's name. He jerked his head up and smiled with a dawning awareness as the latter walked across the stage and stop at the podium. Chroma was going to give a speech.

"Teachers, fellow students, and Turbo, our new Prime Guardian, we all know what Cyberspace meant to us. He was loyal, honored, a good teacher, and a good friend. He helped me get to where I am now. Many of us have been helped by his suggestions and prompting. If it weren't for him, I may have even quit the Academy. I just want to say that all of us will miss him as a loyal friend and a great all-around guy. Turbo, I wish you luck as our new Prime Guardian." Chroma wiped away a tear and tried to look composed. It didn't work too well.

The auditorium was thundering with applause by the time she left the stage, everyone was amazed at her moving speech. Bob flashed her a smile.

Just then, Turbo stepped up to the podium. "Ah can see that Ah will be well treated here. With your support Ah may not be all that Cyberspace was, but Ah'll certainly trah mah best. Ah promise, Ah won't let any of you down. If anyone ever needs help in anything, be it in the school part or the training part, Ah'll be there for you. Thank you for your many reproaches to welcome me. Those have not gone in vain." With that, Turbo stepped down from the podium, and the Administrator rang the bell to signal the end of the school and training day.

Bob went up to his dorm and slept deeply. The next day was a holiday. He was looking forward to spending time with Platter. He didn't know why they were so close. He was beginning to fear that Platter would replace Mouse. No, he thought to himself, I'll never let anyone replace Mouse. Platter and I are only good friends. I guess I need a best friend here, though. Who can it hurt to have her as a very good friend?

"Hey, Bob! I've been looking forward to today. So, did you talk to... um... what's her file name again?"

Platter and Bob were in the main hall the next morning with high hopes of a great day together. Platter was a little... too excited. So, excited in fact, that she had forgotten most of what she had wanted to tell Bob so badly.

"Her name is Chroma, and yes I did talk to her." Bob paused, just for a nanosecond. The look on Platter's face goaded him to continue. "She said that she came here under the same circumstances I did-- more or less. She said she'd be happy to help me with my school-type work, as well as a bit of training if I need it." Bob took a breath and stole a look at the Guardian-to-be who was standing at the end of the massive hall.

Chroma was looking rather depressed. Bob's only guess was that she was upset that Cyberspace had been deleted as soon as he had. He felt sorry for her. Poor Bob hadn't known the former Prime Guardian long enough to really show much emotion about his sudden deletion.

"So, what do you want to do?" Bob jumped as Platter's smooth voice broke his concentration on his thoughts. He turned to face her once more.

"I dunno. I actually think I want to call off our little rendezvous for today. I'm really feeling homesick. I'm gonna take it easy this second," Bob said a little reluctantly, nervous that Platter would be really disappointed at this statement.

"Oh. Okay," she said a little dejectedly. "I guess I'll go study for a little while. Um... bye. I guess..."

"Bye," Bob said, then added, "Wait!!" It was too late. Platter was already out of sight.

Bob was at his desk in his dorm, writing a letter to his best friend. Dear Mouse, he wrote. I'm so sorry I had to do this to you; but it gets worse. I'm gonna be here for ten hours! My dad and Cyberspace discussed a few things and... well... I was selected as this hour's "target" for becoming a top-level Guardian. I'm so sorry. I'm going to try to visit you this Christmas, but I don't know if I'll be able to.

So far, the hour has been going okay, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to stand this for ten hours. I'm gonna have to take a few million breaks so I don't go random.

Well, that's just about it. Try to write to me if you can, it would be really appreciated. Your best friend, Bob.

P.S. I'm going to start writing a log next cycle, I want to chronologue my entire stay here.

Bob set down his pencil with a sigh. He meandered over to his bed, and picked up the read-me file he was reading. He had only read a few lines before he fell into a fitful sleep.

That was strange, somehow, he had found his way back to Powerpoint. But... how?! He in the Guardian Academy in the Supercomputer. How did he get back? Stranger than that, he was much bigger, almost as if he had skipped about ten hours. He was also wearing the Guardian uniform, along with a key-tool. Wow, is that strange! Oh well, Bob thought to himself, since I'm here, I'd better look for Mouse.

He took his zip-board, hopped on, and zipped on over to Mouse's house. Once he was there, he rang the doorbell. Mouse's father opened the door. "Yes? What is it?"

"Um... is Mouse home?" Bob asked tentatively. This was not like Mouse's dad. He had always greeted Bob with a smile. Now, he looked almost annoyed with his presence. What was going on?

"Yeah, she's upstairs. Why don't you go and apologize to her?" Mouse's dad asked with a sneer.

"Apologize? For what?" This was getting stranger by the nano.

"For abandoning her like you did ten hours ago. You went off to the Guardian Academy and never gave Mouse a word after that. Why didn't you call, or even come on Christmas?"

"Ten hours ago?" Now Bob was just plain lost. He decided to play along. "I wanted to visit her, I was too busy at the Academy to come."

"No, you weren't! You had time to go to your girlfriend's house."

"Girlfriend?? I've never had a girlfriend!"

"Yes you have. Her name is... Platter, I think?"

"Platter? She's just a friend! I have no attraction to her whatsoever."

"Not according to Mouse. She saw you two hours ago. She told me about everything, and it wasn't pretty in her words. I--"

"Dad?" Mouse's voice interrupted his rambling. "Who's there?"

"It's... an old friend, and a new enemy."

"Oooh. Enemy? Send him up here!" Mouse called.

"Go upstairs," Mouse's father told Bob, a menacing glare in his eyes. Bob suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.

He went upstairs ready to face his best friend with questions and protests. As soon as he entered her room, he stopped dead in his tracks. Mouse had certainly changed. She was drop-dead gorgeous. Bob's jaw went slack as he saw the look on her face. She did not look happy.

"Why didn't ya come to visit me, when you had time fer that slut of a girlfriend of yares?" she asked, pointing an accusing finger at Bob.

"I wanted to, I really did. I... I'm sorry," Bob said in a quiet, pleading tone. He was feeling small and sad.

"Sorry ain't gonna cut it, Honey. Ah'm sorry, but Ah'm gonna have to take you out."

"What?"

In response to Bob's query, Mouse punched him in the jaw. It hurt. Bob stumbled backward and looked at Mouse questioningly. Why was she doing this? Bob just didn't get it. Mouse socked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He staggered backward and fell to his knees. As soon as he regained his breath he asked, "Why are you doing this?"

"Ah'm just getting mah revenge, Honey," Mouse said as she dealt Bob a very painful blow to the middle of his spine. He collapsed and his world went black.

Bob's eyes snapped open as he sat bolt upright in bed. He was panting, and his sheets were soaked with sweat. "A dream..." he muttered in relief. "It was only a dream."

He got up and walked over to his desk where the letter to Mouse lay. He picked it up, and replaced the "I will try to come at Christmas" with "I will come at Christmas" ; for he felt that the dream may be a foreshadowing of his future.

Bob pondered the part about Platter being his girlfriend. He had to admit that this was possible. He found himself wondering how he would ever get to liking her in this way. Maybe when he would eventually hit puberty... but he didn't want to think of that just yet.

He walked back to his bed and picked up the read-me file that had fallen on the floor. "Hmmm... only fifteen-forty. I still have time to study before I access my supper," he said, lying down on his stomach with his feet up in the air. He started studying Shakespeare once again.

After about a millisecond, Bob was beyond confused. "I'm gonna have to talk to Chroma about this," he mused. "Oh, User! I don't understand a word of this!" He picked up his pager and sent a message to Chroma about his Shakespeare.

Soon after, a vidwindow popped up displaying a yellow flashing neon sign saying, "SUPPER TIME! NOW OR NEVER!"

Bob left his room to go access his dinner.

The next day, or rather the next second, Bob was sitting in science class looking very bored. Suddenly, Turbo's voice echoed over the Academy's P.A. "Would recruit number 452, meaning Bob, come to my office immediately? That's Bob, recruit 452, to my office immediately."

Bob visibly jumped. A look of worry overtook his bored and indifferent expression. It was obvious that he was just a little more than worried. Just as he left the class, Platter gave him a look that clearly stated, "Good luck."

Bob's footsteps echoed eerily as he walked down the ominously empty hall way towards Turbo`s office. He got more and more nervous with every step. As he neared the Prime Guardian`s domain, he prepared himself for the worst.

Bob took a deep breath before entering the office. Once inside, he was surprised to see Turbo smiling pleasantly at him. Bob donned a confused look as he sat down across from the big Guardian.

"Ya don't need ta be scared of me, ya know. Ya're here fer a good reason. Ah'm not punishin' ya or anythin'. Ah'm upgradin' ya," Turbo reassured Bob with a friendly smile.

"Pardon?" Bob asked, astonished.

"Correct me if Ah'm wrong, but ya find your classes boring and easy, am Ah raht?"

Bob was suspicious. "Right, but--"

"And ya pass all your tests with high marks?" Turbo pressed.

"Yeah. What are you going to do?"

"Bob, you're ahead of everyone else in all your classes. Ah'm puttin' ya an hour ahead. Of course, if Ah see that ya're havin' trouble, Ah'll do mah best to help ya. Ah can only put ya ahead if it's alright with ya, though. And ya're gonna hafta teach at the Academy for an extra hour to make up for the tahm. Are ya prepared to do this?"

"Yes, sir!" Bob replied firmly, "Trust me, I won't let you down."

"Good. Startin' tomorrow, you'll startin your new classes."

"Thank you, sir. You don't know how much I appreciate this."

"It's your work, Bob. Ya deserve it. Ah'll be seein' you round, recruit." With that, Bob was dismissed.

Bob's Log, November 16th, 199X, first entry.

What a second this has been! I've just been placed an hour ahead. That's one less hour of training! I can't wait to tell Mouse. I'm actually starting to like it here. I just started Games Training, and already, I love it. We're learning the art of fencing. This stuff can be useful outside of games, also.

Chroma finally seems to be happy again; which is good for her. I was really worried about her for a while there. I'm really gonna miss her in two hours when she leaves for her assigned system. I'm hoping to have her for a teacher next hour. She really is a great friend.

Platter isn't talking to me because of the switch. I'm not too happy about that. She's too stubborn to see that it's no my fault it was too easy; I just got advanced schooling in Powerpoint. Well, I guess that's it for now. I'm tired and I want to go to bed.

--END OF ENTRY

For the next few hours, Bob passed all his courses with flying colors. He got Chroma as a teacher of Protocol, and, at the end of that hour, said a sad good-bye to her. Over those last few hours, Bob also changed considerably both physically and psychologically. He visited Mouse a few times, and was always greeted with a smile by her father.

Now, at sixteen, Bob was having trouble at the Academy. His courses had become much more difficult, and Platter still stubbornly refused to talk to him. Bob was in the midst of getting tutoring from Turbo, who was now a close friend and mentor. His tutoring was helping a great deal, but he just had to talk to Platter. The thought of her ignoring him disrupted his concentration in his studies.

Back at his room, he picked up his pager and sent Platter a message. He couldn't bear the thought that she'd ignore him forever.

Later on that second, Platter dropped by. As soon as Bob opened the door, she started on a long chain of apologies. The two talked for a while, and then, suddenly, Platter asked Bob out on a date. Bob was struck dumb, so he just kissed her and hoped that she'd get the message.

She did.

Well, Bob had thought that their date had gone well, right up to the point where Platter came up to him a few cycles later and dumped him for Norton. She had found a better guy. Bob was grief-stricken for the next minute. He finally decided that she wasn't "the one" after all.

When the time came to graduate, Platter was engaged to Norton, and, to Bob's dismay, Platter had started avoiding him all over again.

Bob graduated with first-class honors. He had made it to top-level Guardian, and he could see his dad smiling proudly in the audience. Pixel, however, was not there.

When Turbo gave Bob his new gold and black icon, he said in a low voice, "You've made me proud... Guardian." Bob just smiled and shook Turbo's hand firmly. He was now known as "Bob, Guardian 452."

Now, at age nineteen, he was looking forward to his two hours of teaching.

After the ceremony, Turbo told Bob that there was someone he wanted him to meet. Confused, Bob followed, wondering who that person might be. As it turned out, that person was not a person at all, but a key-tool named Glitch. Bob had learned early on that key-tools selected their Guardian, and that only a select few Guardians had them.

Apparently Bob had been chosen by Glitch. "I've been chosen?" Bob asked, a little confused.

"Yes, you have. Glitch here has been monitoring your progress through the Academy and he is mahty impressed with your achievements. He has chosen you, Bob, to be his Guardian. Congratulations," Turbo said with a warm smile as he handed Glitch over to Bob.

The key-tool immediately acknowledged its presence by making a few bleeping sounds and flashing. In Bob's mind, a distinctly male voice said, "Bob, I am Glitch. I am certain that we'll have a promising career together." Bob stared at the key-tool and blinked. How was that possible? It only bleeped a few times. How could it speak?

Seeing Bob's look of bewilderment, Turbo said, "Ah forgot to tell ya that key-tools can talk to the wearer. Glitch will give ya tutorials as ya learn to use him. He's very helpful and will always be there when ya need help."

"Thanks Turbo," Bob said, "I really appreciate this."

"Bob, Ah told ya before. It's ya're work, and ya deserved it. Now ya're a top-level Guardian. Ya'll always be welcome back here after ya leave."

Turbo then moved aside to reveal Bob's father who had apparently come in while Bob was receiving Glitch. He spoke. "Bob, I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do this, and you even surprised me by finishing an hour ahead of time. Along with that, you got a key-tool. That's better than I've ever done." He smiled proudly. "Your mom would be proud."

"Where's Pix?" Bob asked, looking around.

Corel's face fell. " A few minutes ago, she ran away. She left me a note that said that she had left looking for you. I've talked to Turbo about sending a few Guardians to find her. She misses you, Bob. She still remembers the day you left, amazingly. She's eleven hours old now."

"Poor Pix. Tell her I'm sorry, will you? Tell her I'll visit her someday. I miss her too." Bob paused, gaining a look of sudden remembrance. He continued with renewed enthusiasm. "What about Mouse? Where is she?"

"The Academy would only allow the immediate family to be present at the graduation. She really wanted to come, and said that she'd see you sooner than you thought. I wonder what she meant by that?"

"Who knows with Mouse? She's never changed. She's always been that spunky kid, hasn't she?"

"Yeah. Listen, Bob. I have to get back to Powerpoint. You take care of yourself, okay?" Corel then hugged his son tightly. "I'll miss you."

"Bye, Dad. I'll miss you too. Good-bye."

With that, Corel strode out of the room leaving a saddened Bob standing in the center of it.

"Bob? Can I talk to you for a while?" Platter asked while Bob was on his break at lunch from his first day of teaching.

"Sure. What's processing?" Bob queried.

"Well, I just want to... apologize for anything I might have done. I'm sorry I just stopped talking to you like that, but, you know, Norton really is a great guy. I'm sorry I let you go so suddenly."

"Apology accepted. You know, I've been over you for a long time. I just want to have you back as a friend it that'll do."

"Just what I was about to propose to you. Oh! I was meaning to tell you something. You know today in games survival you taught us about the Funhouse and how impossible it is to win?"

"What about it?"

"Well, My best friend's cousin got caught in the Funhouse. He lived to tell about it, too. I think his name is Mac or something like that."

"Hmm. Interesting. I'll try to remember that. Thanks."

"No problem. I have to go study now. See you later, Bob."

"Bye." Bob waved slightly and sat back in his chair. He sighed in content. He was happy that had gone well, now he just had to live though two more hours of teaching. He closed his eyes, wondering about what kind of system he'd be assigned to in the future. Soon, he was fast asleep.

He was standing in front of what looked like a Principal Office in the center of a system. The P.O. was a big white ball. That's interesting, he thought to himself. He looked around him and saw that he was is a circular-shaped system. He entered the big white sphere tentatively.

As he entered, a guru-type sprite with gold skin and a long black beard looked up. "Ah, you must be our new Guardian! Welcome to Mainframe!"

"Um... hi. I'm Bob, Guardian 452, and I guess I am."

At that a female sprite with green skin, short black hair and deep violet eyes entered the room through what appeared to be her office.

"Ah, Dot. You're just in time to meet your new partner. This is Bob, our new Guardian."

Dot smiled and stepped forward. Bob offered her his hand in symbol of a new friendship and greeting. She took it and smiled again. Bob noticed that her eyes practically shone when she did so. "Dot Matrix," was all she said.

Bob tried to look nonchalant, but failed miserably. He could only stare at her and marvel. She was gorgeous. She appeared to be somewhat pleasant also. This could be the beginning of a promising friendship.

"Uh..." he stammered, "So, what do you do here actually?"

Dot grinned and said, "You want it alphabetically?"

Bob was stupefied. "What?"

"I do a lot. Mainly I'm the Commander and I own and am in partnership with a lot of businesses. Listen, I've gotta get back to work. I'm in the middle of a Net conference."

"HEY!!!! GUARDIAN!!!" It was Turbo. Bob was jostled awake, still half-groggy and mystified from his dream. "It's about tahm ya woke up. We got an intruder. Go to the south port, now."

"Uh... yes, sir!" Bob exclaimed and rushed out the door, only to return a nano later to get his key-tool, then run out again.

At the south port, sure enough, someone was hacking in. As the portal opened, Bob readied his key-tool. His arm and jaw both dropped when he saw who it was. He put his arm up again.

It was Mouse.

"Glitch, binders." Pair of gold binders materialized on Mouse's wrists as she looked at Bob in horror.

"Bob? What are ya doin'? It's me?"

"I know, Mouse, but I can't let you do this. You're violating the rules. I'm going to have to detain you."

"But, Bob! What happened to ya?"

"I'm only following my own set of rules. You... are under arrest. You have the right to... remain... silent."

Mouse shot him a tearful glance as Bob shoved her forward. He felt terrible. He had just arrested his best friend.

"Nice job, Bob. Prahm arrest. But why so grim? Ya arrested that girl," Turbo congratulated, then interrogated.

"She's my best friend. She only hacked in here to see me," Bob said regretfully.

"Ya did what ya had to do. Ya did tha raht thing."

"I'm not so sure," Bob admitted.

Bob taught at the Academy for a two hours, making new friends, seeing Platter become a Guardian herself, and seeing her marry Nelson. Before long, it was time for him to go to his assigned system.

"Well, Bob, I guess this is it. Your new system is waitin' for ya," Turbo informed him.

"Well, where do I go?" Bob asked excitedly.

"Your new system is in the Net. It's called Mainframe."

Bob's eyes went wide as he smiled subconsciously. He couldn't believe it. His dream had become reality.

The whole way to Mainframe, Bob could only think about his dream. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe he'd never meet that ebony-haired beauty. Dot was like a dream to him. He just had to meet her. He had felt something special while talking to her in that dream; something he didn't quite understand. No matter. He'd find out soon enough.

As Bob exited the data-airport, his jaw went slack. The city was exactly the same as the one in his dream. He pulled out a zipboard and hopped on. He zoomed over to the big white sphere at the center of the system.

He was greeted by Phong, and a little sprite was with him. Phong introduced himself: "Greetings, Guardian Bob. We have been waiting for you for quite some time."

The little sprite stepped forward, a certain eagerness is his sparkling violet eyes. "Hi! I'm Enzo Matrix! Are you really a top-level Guardian? Can you make me one too? Do you want to meet my sister?" He paused briefly to catch his breath. He seemed about to continue, but Bob spoke up.

"Um. Whatever. Phong, can I have a tour of the system?"

"I cannot give you the tour myself, but your new partner can." Phong turned towards the back of the cavernous main hall. A woman walked out of a concealed room. It was Dot. She walked up to Bob, smiled, and held out a hand.

Bob smiled back and took it. "Bob." He kept wanting to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming again. He didn't dare.

Dot glanced at Enzo who was beaming, then answered, "Dot Matrix. Welcome to Mainframe."

Dot gave Bob the full tour of the city, not skipping a bit of space, not even the city's spookiest sector, Level 31. She had no fear. Bob had to admire her. He was no longer obsessed with her, but he knew that they'd soon become very good friends.

Later on that day, around 13:00, Dot and Bob went to Dot's Diner to talk and get better acquainted.

"So, Dot," Bob began, "you never once mentioned your parents. Who are they?" As soon as he had asked the question, he knew it had been the wrong thing to ask. Dot, previously cheerful, had drifted into an apparently painful reverie. Bob thought he could see tears in those beautiful clear violet eyes.

"About five hours back," Dot began, her voice shaky, "there was an experiment back in the twin city." She took a breath, then continued in a more steady tone. "My parents conducted that experiment. They were trying to turn nulls back into sprites, but..." she faltered, "...something went terribly wrong. The experiment went out of control. The twin city, along with my parents, was destroyed."

Bob looked at her sympathetically. He gently laid a hand over hers. There was nothing he could say that would cheer her up, he'd just make things worse. That action was probably the only one that could help her. It meant: "It's okay, you're not alone."

Dot immediately got the message and gave Bob an inquiring look. He began his long and complicated story. It took the better part of the afternoon to tell, but, when he had finished, Dot understood. She smiled.

Suddenly and without warning, a vidwindow popped open in front of the two. Enzo was on it, and, as usual, he was beaming. "Bob!" he exclaimed happily. "Phong wants to explain how the system works." He turned to Dot. "He wants you there too, Sis." The window snapped shut.

Without a nanosecond's hesitation, Bob and Dot got up and sped towards the Principal Office.

"Well, well. What have we here?" Megabyte mused, sitting on his throne in the Silicon Tor. He was watching a vidwindow on which was displayed a pair of sprites speeding towards the Principal Office on zipboards. "A new sprite in town?" He turned to one of his viral spies inquisitively.

"Sir! The tap dance shoes are laughing, and the desk chairs are having a party," the binome replied mechanically.

"What?" The virus was beyond confused.

"Sir! The new sprite in Mainframe is our new Guardian. Guardian Bob."

"Well now. This is a surprising turn of events, isn't it? This may prove to be fun, after all." He turned to his henchman. "Hack! Slash!"

"Yes Boss?"

"At your service oh great one!"

"You know, he isn't really a one, he's not a binome."

"I meant one as in person you idiot!"

"I knew that!"

"No you didn't, you just said..."

"Who cares what I said?"

"I do!"

"I just said that!"

"No you didn't, you just said--"

"Enough, you bumbling fools! Listen carefully. I have a plan to get rid of that wretched Guardian of ours. You two go and tell him that I have a little favor for him to do. I'll take care of the rest."

"Yes sir!"

"At once!"

"Right away!"

"Sure thing, you can count on us!"

"You can trust us."

"I just said that!"

"No you didn't, you said--"

"ENOUGH! I'll take care of it myself!"

Back at the P.O., Phong was going through the routine with Bob, when a vidwindow popped open if front of him. It was Megabyte. Dot smiled as she saw Hack and Slash lying in pieces in the background; obviously the result of making their boss mad.

Bob turned briefly toward Dot and smiled. The pair were already best friends. Bob no longer worried about what Mouse might think. she and Bob had grown apart since he had arrested her.

Megabyte addressed Bob and told him about the "favor". Bob agreed to do it, but he had a counter-plan in mind...

He left the P.O. to sabotage Megabyte's plan with one thought: I'm gonna love it here. Great friends, a great system, and a great life.

**Author's Note: I ended it here purposely. If you want to know what happens next, watch the show!