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| Phong paced in the control room, starting to get nervous. He glanced at the time and was surprised to see that several hours had gone by and Dot, nor anyone else, had communicated with him. Something's wrong, he realized, and almost as if to answer his thoughts, Enzo came running into the room, Frisket at his heels. "Phong! Phong!" The boy yelled, more alarmed then excited. "I overheard the military captain talking to one of the guards in front of the System Archives. Something weird is happening over by the Lair!" "Hexadecimal's Lair?" Phong whirled around and started frantically typing on the console. "Thank you Enzo for telling me, I-" The main vidwindow in the room immediately switched from the view of the Mainframe City to the General of the Mainframe Military. "You called?" The General answered. "Yes, I did," Phong said. "I'm going to you need your aid…fast." Dot's eyes darted from Daemon and Megabyte, to Mouse, Bob, Hex, and Matrix bound up and tied to chairs. Matrix looked the worst out of all of them, hair completely tousled, eyes blood-shot, skin pale. He looked ready to pass out any minute. She felt anger take over. Mouse didn't look quite as bad. In fact, she looked much better. Her eyes widened when she saw them, but she seemed okay, only slightly drugged. Dot could just imagine the poison from AndrAIa’s nails swirling in them. Daemon sure knew how to pick her hosts. Bob looked a bit drugged as well, but he was looking at her with a meaningful look in his eyes. Dot barely nodded in his direction. He blinked his reply, the gag in his mouth preventing him from speaking. Hex was actually unconscious. Dot didn't even want to know what they did to her…or if she was still alive. "I just wanted to thank you all for coming," Daemon said, walking until she was standing directly behind her hostages. She laughed. "I'm sorry, but I thought it was pretty pathetic how you guys cornered Billy about all this." She pouted in Billy's direction. "So sorry about that, hon." Megabyte shifted his position, crossing his arms. It was obvious he was getting tired of all this chit-chat. Billy narrowed her eyes at him, studying him, trying to figure out why Daemon would let him out in the first place. "Billy, you know how Daemon works best, right?" Dot murmured, barely moving her lips. Billy barely nodded. As much as she didn't like this girl, it sounded like the Command.com had a plan. "You're probably wondering why I brought Megabyte back, huh?" Daemon continued, apparently oblivious to their side conversation. She crossed over until she was beside the huge virus, resting a hand on his shoulder. He didn't even flinch at the touch. His eyes moved until he was looking down at her, waiting for her little performance to end before lashing out and killing all of them. "Well, that's for you to figure out," she finished. "I'll get them free," Dot continued whispering, careful not to be too obvious. "Ray…Megabyte." He nodded. Daemon stopped long enough to glance back at her hostages. All three glared back at her. Megabyte smiled in amusement. "Go," Dot said loudly. The three of them moved all at once and in different directions. Billy headed straight for Daemon, noting a small hint of amusement in the super-virus's eyes. Billy was first to attack, giving all she had, punches, kicks, flips, etc. Without a flinch, Daemon seemed to mirror every one of her attacks, blocking it all and sending the same amount back. Ray headed straight for Megabyte, not entirely sure how he could keep this giant distracted long enough for Dot to free their friends. Megabyte reached out before Ray had even reached him, grabbing the surfer by the arms and throwing him across the room. Ray hit the wall with a loud whump, sliding to the ground. His eyes widened, surprised. "Did you really think a scrawny little surfer such as yourself could possibly have any effect against a virus like me?" Megabyte sneered, approaching him. Ray, pressing his hands against the wall, stood up, not sure what to expect. He had never faced someone like Megabyte before. The virus grabbed Ray around the neck and actually started to lift him up off the ground. Ray kicked his legs, grabbing onto his hand, trying to loosen the hold on his neck. Across the room, Dot had run up to Bob, Matrix, Mouse, and Hexadecimal. Reaching Bob first, she immediately started untying his bounds. When she ripped off the gag, he reached out to give her a big hug and kiss. "Are you okay?" she asked him. "I am now," he said, smiling at her. She couldn't help smiling back. Even in situations as these, he still had his charm. "Untie Mouse and Hex," she said, "I'll get Matrix." He obeyed and she went over to Matrix. Using her still processing gun, she put the beam on low and shot at the ropes around his wrists and ankles. They snapped off and he slumped over, almost barely able to hold his own weight. "Enzo!" She caught him before he could fall out of the chair. "Dot, I'm okay," his voice was groggy as he reached out to give her a sort-of hug as he struggled to stand up. Billy was beginning to think she was going to lose this fight. During the time she herself had been taken over the virus, she remembered every fight stance, every position Daemon used. Daemon was, after all, only a lab experiment, and couldn't just come up with things on her own. She used the host's features to her advantage, so now she could tell that she wasn't really fighting Daemon, but AndrAIa's capabilities. "Give up, Billy!" Daemon snarled, slugging her across the face. Billy spun around from the force, losing her balance and falling to one knee. Daemon struck her again in the face and she fell back. Before she could straighten up, Daemon had tripped her. The Guardian hit the floor hard. On the other side of the room, Ray was still fighting Megabyte's hold on his neck as Megabyte slowly extended a single claw from his other hand. "I've beaten Guardians before," Megabyte gloated, "I've lived through the web unharmed. I've taken over this lousy system before, and I've put Bob in the web. What makes you think I can't do the same to you?" "Because," Ray said, "if I have my history right, you've failed at everything you've done and-" he paused long enough to take in a breath, "even if you do send me into the web, I can come right back in. I'm a Web Surfer. You can't threaten me with that kind of stuff." Megabyte narrowed his eyes in anger and drew his arm back, ready to deck Ray out with the claw. Ray's eyes widened and started struggling again when- A gunshot rang out and Megabyte completely released him around the neck, jumping back in pain. Ray dropped down to the ground to see the virus spin around. They both looked up to see Dot standing there, her arm outstretched, gun pointing toward the virus. Smoke was still coming out of the barrel. She fired again and again, each time Megabyte swirling around, crying out in pain. “You’re going down for good, Megabyte!” she screamed. Daemon froze and turned just in time to see the other virus fall back. Her prisoners were now free, out of their bounds, standing beside the Command.com. She looked back down to see Billy smiling up at her from the floor. It was a mocking smile, something she didn't like at all. "Looks like you're going to loose, Daemon," she said. Daemon shook her head. "You want to know why I brought him out of the web?" Reaching down, she grabbed Billy's collar and yanked her up so she could whisper in her ear. "Because of this." Releasing the guardian, she stepped back, smiling. The next second, AndrAIa's eyes closed and she slumped to the ground in an unconscious heap. Hearing the sound, Dot whirled around, gun pointed at them. Billy held up a hand in protest. "Wait! Stop!" Dot froze, gun still pointed. Billy reached over, inspecting AndrAIa's body. Looking up she said, "she's herself again." "Then where's Daemon?" Matrix inquired, looking around. "She could be in anyone of us," Bob realized. He looked over at Ray who was running over to them. Megabyte was still staggering over in pain from the gunshot. There was a long uncomfortable silence as they looked at each other, no longer trusting one another. Their eyes darted from one face to the other, trying to determine where she was. Just as they were starting to get real uneasy, Megabyte lashed out, snarling, his one claw still extended. The others jumped back in surprise, but Dot wasn't so lucky. He went straight for her and just as she turned around to shoot him when- Click Out of ammunition. Megabyte smiled and his face would stick in her mind forever. Merciless, sinister…evil. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent scream. Everyone froze as she jerked, her gasps for breath blocked off, letting out only a tiny sound. Her eyes screamed pain, but nothing came from her mouth. Megabyte's claw had gone all the way through right below her shoulder. "NO!" Bob screamed, running at him. Mouse reached out to stop him but he tore away. Dot's eyes shifted until she was looking at him, then her head fell back and she fell out of Megabyte's grasp, hitting the ground, her head rolling to the side. Bob yelled a whole jumble of obscenities as he jumped the virus, giving him all he had, too angry and too furious to even think about his glitch powers. All he could think about was killing him, killing him, killing him. "Bob-no!" Billy shouted, but before she could help him, Megabyte had already swung his arm, sending Bob across the room and slamming against the opposite wall. Then the virus let out a bone-chilling laugh. A very, un-Megabyte laugh. And suddenly it all made sense. The realization hit everyone like a slap in the face. Bob, breathing hard, struggled to his feet. The next second, everyone had attacked him. Bob, ignoring everything now, only crawled over to Dot, blinking away the tears threatening to roll down his cheeks. Taking her in his arms, he checked for a pulse, anything to tell him if she was still alive. Billy looked at him just in time to see his face crumble and take his love into his arms, rocking back and forth, no longer ashamed of the tears rolling down his face. She stared, hoping it wasn't true, but her hopes were smashed when Bob buried his face in her hair, tightening her arms around her. Dot didn't even move or respond. No! Normally Megabyte liked to control his actions, always keeping his moves subtle and commanding. He knew what he was capable of and only used the extent of his capability only when it was necessary. But with Daemon controlling him now, all that no longer mattered. He fought back with unmoving aggression, claws extending mercilessly, slashing at anything he could get at. Mouse was one of the first to go down after giving her a pretty nasty cut on the waist and leg. Ray was good though. He kept coming back no matter what was sent in his direction. But Matrix was the best out of all of them. Despite his missing gun he fought back, all the anger flowing out of him, the whole fight giving him a very familiar feeling. But he hesitated when he looked over and saw Dot lying motionless in Bob's arms, and for a minute, forgot everything as he looked on at his sister. The look on Bob's face seemed to say it all. Daemon took that chance and slug him in the face, Megabyte's powerful build making the hit even more satisfying. Matrix spun around from the force, and for a moment everything went blank, but then the pain kicked in and everything turned bright red, then black. Billy and Ray were the only ones fighting that were still in their best condition. Billy was hit next and sprawled across the floor, leaving Ray alone to fight the monster. The Guardian scrambled for her weapons, but they had all somehow flown out during the fight. That's when she saw gun lying between her and Dot and Bob. Eyes wide, she grabbed it. Same model as the one Matrix used, only not hooked up to his eye. She fiddled with the weapon, trying to figure out how to change the settings. Please let there me at least one more shot in there, please, please, please- Then she saw what was wrong with it. The setting was wrong and she fumbled to change it- When a shadow covered her. Looking up she saw Megabyte's huge form looming over her, all claws extended. Everything belonged to him except for the eyes. She knew those eyes. Daemon reached one arm back, pointing all the claws in Billy's direction. She let out a scream, expecting to share the same fate Dot had when- The walls of Hexadecimal's Lair suddenly blew away, and a whole bunch of binomes burst in, wearing the Mainframe Military uniform. Each held a weapon, pointed at Megabyte. Frisket burst out of the crowd, running straight for Dot, sensing something was wrong. At the same time Bob had looked up long enough for reality to come flying back to him, seeing the virus towering over Billy. Hands shooting up, a beam of energy burst from his hands, enveloping Megabyte in some kind of energy field, keeping him from striking Daemon looked up, startled, and that's when Billy fired. A strong blast exploded from the barrel, penetrating the shield and heading straight for the virus's chest. Billy wasn't able to see if she had hit the target. Right after firing something hit her, and everything went black. To be continued…. |
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