ReBoot Episode 22 (code 9507)

Synopsis:

Mouse (the woman with flaming red hair, filigreed lilac skin, white top, and black tights) sashays into Dot's Diner where Bob is having an energy shake. The cops are eating donuts when a One reports that Al's waiter has been abducted. Enzo bursts in, and tells Bob that his sister, Dot, is also missing. Miss Brodie, a teacher Zero, confirms the story. (Enzo's friend is AndrAIa, an AI game sprite.)

Bob goes to Al's "Wait and Eat" Diner on Level 31. This is where the low lifes of Mainframe hang out. A waiter with an attitude skates past. Al himself is not much help, he just says "what?". A pair of Ones notice Bob's interrogation; a man with a squinty eye, wearing a disheveled black suit and a pretty redhead wearing a blue pantsuit. [Because Ones don't have noses, the guy does not look as cute as David Duchovny, but Gillian Anderson's mouth and hair are well rendered.]

Him

You ask a lot of questions, Guardian.

Bob

Who are you?

Him

CGI Special Agent, Fax Modem.

Her

CGI Special Agent, Data Nully. We couldn't help overhearing you. You're looking for a missing person?

Bob

Yeah, Dot Matrix is missing. Do you know anything about it?

Fax

There's been a rash of disappearances in Mainframe.

Data

Phong sent us to investigate the most recent disappearance, Al's waiter.

Bob

We should talk.

(meanwhile)

Mike the TV is doing an on-the-scene report. Mouse is trailing them, and making a report to someone else.

Bob

I can't accept that. Mouse is an old friend.

Data

Bob, you've got to be reasonable on this. All evidence points to Mouse. We have eyewitnesses that will testify to her being on or near the scene of each abduction.

Bob

Coincidence.

Data

Tell him your theory, Modem.

Fax

(very dramatic) Her *fangs*.

Bob

Yeah? So? She's got fangs!

Fax

I suspect she's a Web-creature.

Bob

What! Oh, now *this* is ridiculous. These aren't theories. These are--delusions!

Fax

Listen...(foreboding music starts)...when I was just a little node, I saw my sister taken by a strange creature. It had fangs... just like Mouse.

Bob

Excuse me. But is your partner *completely* random??

Data

(in a tired voice) Not--completely. (gives sidelong glance at Fax)

Bob

OK, why didn't it take you too, then.

Fax

I don't know. I was reading comic bytes in bed. When I peeked out from under the covers I saw something hovering over my sister. Then I pointed my flashlight at it, and a moment later, it, and my sister were gone. I'll never forget the noise it made.

Bob

I don't want to seem insensitive, but next you'll be telling me that you've see the User.

Fax

There is no User. That's just induced mass psychosis engineered by the Guardians.

Bob

What?!? But what about the games?

Fax

Sent by the Guardians to promote the User myth.

Data

Another conspiracy theory, Modem?

Fax

One of many...

Bob

So, let me get this straight. There's a web-creature, posing as Mouse, loose in Mainframe, abducting sprites. For what purpose?

Fax

I haven't worked that out yet.

Bob

OK. And Guardians are control freaks, willing to sacrifice the very people they've been sworn to protect by dropping games on them.

Fax

That's right.

Bob

Tell me - did Phong interview you personally for this job? Didn't think so.

Data

Look, this isn't getting us anywhere. What we need is a plan, not theories.

Bob

You ... remind me of someone.

(meanwhile)

Mike the TV finishes up an interview on the scene of the latest abduction. [A picture of the Five is on a milk carton.] When he turns around, Mike's camera crew is gone. He starts to run, then the shadow of a multi-tentacled creature overtakes him. Mike is heard falling, then a flickering white light shines out. The creature screeches, then its shadow is seen running away. Cut back to the diner, where Fax is holding is head, wincing.

Data

Are you alright, Modem?

Fax

(in pain) That's it ... that's the noise the creature made.

Bob

Quick, outside! Now!

(they find)

Mouse bending over the unconcious TV, which has flickering "snow" instead of a face.

Data

Hold it, CGI! (The agents pull out some large handguns.)

Mouse

hiss (as she bares her fangs).

Bob

Mouse, what are you doing?

Mouse

It's not what you think. Bob, you've got to let me go.

Bob

You know I can't do that.

(standoff)

Mouse gets to her feet, then glances behind the agents. They follow her stare, and are dumbfounded when Mouse pulls a katana sword from her boot and slices their guns in half.

Bob

Don't make me do this, Mouse.

Mouse

Trust me. (She kisses him, and runs off while Bob is dazed.)

Bob

Glitch: tracer (Glitch sends out a dot which embeds itself in Mouse's boot.) You two look after Mike; I'm going after her. (Bob jumps on his zipboard and speeds away.)

Data

(taps on Mike's glass until he wakes up.) Are you OK?

Mike

Ooo! It bit me!

Fax

Calm down.

Mike

It was the light. The light I tell you! The light saved me. (babbles)

Data

Just like your sister, Modem.

Fax

Wait here. I've to get something from the CPU.

Mike

I can't think straight. I can take it. Tell me the truth. Tell me the camera was rolling.

Data

(shakes head)

Bob tells Phong that they're dealing with a web-creature, but that it's not Mouse. Mouse uses her wrist communicator to tell someone named Turbo that they have confirmation of the web-creature but continues on to free the Mainframers. She slides down an elevator shaft. At the bottom, there is more evidence of the creature shedding its skin. She walks past a trash can, and the cliche happens - a small animal jumps out and runs away. (Instead of a cat yowling, it is a Null, a brightly colored slug.) She looks up and sees several bodies encased in cocoons, arranged in neat rows. Drawing her sword, Mouse advances until she gets to Dot and frees the woman.

After the other abductees are freed (including a Nine and a clown), Mouse stays behind to get physical evidence that the web-creature exists. The web-creature arrives. It has jaws bigger than a person, and a near infinite number of small spheres that make up its arms. One of them grabs Dot. Fax and Data show up, and use their incredibly bright flashlights to immobilize the creature. It drops Dot, and Bob catches her.

Data

You were right. It can't stand the strong light.

Fax

(in a somewhat smarmy voice) I'm sure there's a *very* scientific reason for it.

Data

But...we don't know what it is!

Mouse continues transmitting to Turbo, an imposing man wearing a Guardian's suit. There are other Guardians around him, half in shadow. One of them states that creature is Class M, with portal-forming abilities. [We have never seen any Guardian other than Bob. Is this a cabal, or some sort of Star Chamber?]

Mouse explains that she has been working for Turbo (that's why she was in the neighborhood when the distress call went out) and that she's just called in the cavalry. Bob informs her that the Guardian protocol for discovering a web-creature is to destroy it and everything around it.

Turbo and the others in the high command release the codes that will trigger an explosion. Turbo asks the others to leave, "I'd like to be alone - Bob and I go way back." When they are gone, Turbo turns the virtual hourglass over again - this gives Bob a little more time.

Data

Hurry, Bob. We're running low. We don't have much time.

Bob

(uses Glitch to determine that Mouse's communicator is the bomb.)

Data

Guardian, we can't hold it for much longer. (Their flashlights go out just as security team brings up more spotlights.)

It goes off in a big explosion, and tears a hole in the sky. The swirling in the hole becomes eight small tears, and then one giant tear. The glowing green and white ball of plasma illuminates Mainframe like a carbon-arc lamp. The light is strong enough to reach the lower levels. The web-creature appears to gain energy from its spectrum, and smashes a hole through several layers of concrete to the surface.

Bob barely escapes the blast. When Phong tells him that the web-creature has escaped, Bob is most distraught. "It's a Class-M! It can use the tear energy to form a portal to the Web!" The web spore merges with the tear and the portal is formed. It is a sphere as big as Mainframe filled with radially-symmetric tendrils.

Fax

It just broke free.

Data

We couldn't stop it.

Fax

You see, Nully--the Web *is* out there.

Data

No, Modem--it's here.

Bob

This is it, Phong. Prepare for war.

Next time, on Reboot: All the security vehicles (police cars) are lined up waiting for battle with the Web.

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