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| Part 1 Note: Once again, like most of my fics, I use User-time, so I’ll be using things like minutes, seconds, years, days, instead of nanos, cycles, etc. This story begins exactly 150 years after Bob and the rest defeated Daemon. Yes, I know, that is a long time, and over that expanse of time, Mainframe and the rest of the Net had evolved completely. For one thing, Bob, Matrix, Mouse, Enzo, Ray, and Dot have become known as legends throughout the Net. The Matrix’s even had their own holiday, which counted Bob as well, since he and Dot ended up getting hitched and since he doesn’t really have a last name (at least one he’s proud to share), he’s taken Dot’s. So now he’s a Matrix. Dot had her own plaque and statue standing proudly in front the PO, showing off “Mainframe’s best Command.com and fighter”. On the statue beside her were also Matrix and Bob. Bob became the best and most well-known Guardian, and became one of the best protectors of the city. Matrix had made a positive name for himself as well- chief commander of the Mainframe military. Yes there were system wars, and web wars and all that, and Matrix got full credit for every victory. Over the course of time, Mainframe developed extensive ports to the Net, because of the fact that it became the best known city beside the Super Computer. One especial attraction at the Ports was a TOUR SYSTEM, called ”Ray Tracer’s Travel Tours”. It became a booming success. Mouse didn’t have a statue named after her, nor a touring system, but she did have a new business named after her. HACKERS INC., a school/business in which sprites and binomes learned the importance of knowing their way through a computer, etc. Over the course of time more academies were added, until Hackers INC. became Mainframe’s very own Guardian Academy. Enzo had his own share of the wealth as well. Taking over Dot’s business, Dot’s Diner was now called “Enzo’s Diner”, the most well known and most delicious restaurant in town. He became a booming success and was able to live on and retire the most wealthiest sprite alive. However… There were no records of AndrAIa. None at all. No monuments, no stories, no notice, no trophies, not even her name mentioned in the record books. It was like she had never existed. Which is what this story is about. Now obviously it’s one hundred and fifty years into the future, so the people we know and love are long gone by now. A new generation now walks the Net, and we are going to meet four specific young sprites that unlock the mystery and suspense beneath the disappearance of our favorite game sprite…and the horror behind it. The day Haily moved to Mainframe was the day the game cube came to the system. She wasn’t used to games- in fact it had been a long time she had seen the purple cubes. She had moved in from a smaller system, hoping to get a better life and career in Mainframe. It was either that or the Super Computer, but Mainframe had a bigger legend and story, so she chose that. Haily was a pretty girl of twenty-one years old with peach skin and black-blue hair cut at her chin. Wearing a very smart looking black body suit, she attracted the looks of many people as she walked down the street. She wasn’t used to a big city. Back in Apple, she usually kept to herself. Smart and intelligent, she studied everything from computer work and Medicare, to self-defense. Looking for something else, she immediately had herself enrolled in the Mainframe Guardian Academy. Looking up, she saw the Game Cube looming over the city, and felt that heaviness in her stomach again. She had just come from that direction she remembered, the cube having landed by the ports to the net. I hope I don’t get caught in one of those, she thought, hurrying along. She was on her way from her new apartment- the 8-ball Apartment to be exact, to the Guardian Academy. Her first class there ever would start in just half an hour and she wanted to make sure she was there early enough to know who her professor was. It was kind of hard adjusting when she first came. In her home system she was used to the little round zip-boards people used to get around. But in Mainframe, zip-boards were a thing of the past. The only boards remaining were the ones in museums or families that kept them throughout their line. Now people wore hover flats, thin boards inserted at the bottom of their shoes, one for each foot. Sprites and Binomes could literally fly wherever they wanted to go, the boards beneath their feet lifting them up in the air. She had yet to buy those and since she couldn't afford an actual car, she had to travel on foot. Hugging the bag carrying all her books close to her chest, she glanced around, studying the faces of the people she passed. Before long she had left the main neighborhood part of the system and entered the working world. The crowds got larger, the streets grew noisier, and every now and then she'd see people flying above on hover flats. She frowned at the sight. How could zipboards be so ancient now? She stopped walking when she passed the Principal Office. Standing proudly in front was a huge monument statue of three figures. She recognized them immediately. Dot, Bob, and Matrix. Enzo Matrix. She stared up, studying the statue, reading the inscription below. "The three who saved Mainframe." "Three?" her frown grew even more as she studied the crude imitations of the three sprites. The one who was Dot wore a black body suit, almost identical to the one Hailey wore. She looked very attractive with short hair, her whole stance just yelling out; Buisness. The statue of Bob looked almost comical after studying the expression for a moment, With hands at his hips and face looking upward at his side, it looked like he was trying to put on one of those heroic stances. She suppressed a smile, but when she looked at Matrix, the urge to smile disappeared. The sprite looked mean and harsh as he stood there, his stone features glaring down at the sprites and binomes passing by. In his hand he held Gun, and it almost looked like it was pointing down at her. She was still staring up at the statue, holding the bag still against her chest, when someone rudely knocked into her, practically forcing her to the ground. Surprised she dropped the bag, which was automatically swooped up by gloved hands. Looking up she saw a swarm of teenage sprites and binomes yelling comments as they bumped past other people walking the streets, grabbing purses, bags, and other items along the way. Almost every one of them wore the new Hover Flats on their feet and looking at the way they were dressed, she realized they were some kind of street gang. "Hey!" she shouted, trying to grab her bag back, but the kid who grabbed it just ran off. She pursued but more teenagers slammed into her as they passed, causing her to trip and fall down. Getting to her feet, she watched in awe as the whole gang floated up in the air on their Hover Flats, yelling down at the people on the streets and throwing things down at them, laughing all the while. The people below them were crying out in surprise and even fear, dodging out of the streets. Haily stayed where she was, not quite sure what was going on. She watched as the gang started laughing amongst themselves, and she silently estimated their numbers. About twenty of them all together. That's when they noticed she was still there. The leader, a green-skinned, yellow-haired, crude looking teenager wearing street clothes and a mean looking gun floated towards her, shaking long wavy brown hair out of his eyes. "Hey baby," he sneered, coming too close for comfort. "How's it going?" She gave him a dirty look. No way was she going to be hit on by the likes of him. The boy laughed and turned to his companions who also laughed. The girls in the gang only watched on, glaring at her. The boy turned back to Hailey, expecting her to maybe run or scream for help, but what he got instead was a fist in his face. He cried out in surprise, floating back, and Hailey kicked high, causing his legs to move horizontally and lose the hover effect. He went crashing to the ground. Before he or any other gang members could respond, she grabbed the gun from his hand and pointed it at his face. His friends froze, hovering on their Flats, staring at her. She could see hate burn in all their faces now. "Get the hell away from here," she said to the boy. He only laughed, ignoring the gun pointed at his nose. "You can't do anything against us, baby," he said, "we're the ABC's." She frowned. "ABC's?" Before he could answer something hit her hand hard and the gun went flying. Turning to see where the blow came from, she saw another gun, this time pointed at her face. The owner of the gun was another member of the gang. A young woman with turquoise skin and long black hair. Her face gave off a remarkable resemblance to the stone woman on the monument just behind them. Hailey froze. The rest of the gang members started crowding in on her now, and she was now seriously afraid they were going to do something to her. All the while, the girl holding the gun smiled cruelly. Hailey looked around, looking for some sort of escape route. There was none. The gang members continued to crowd in on her, muttering to themselves and taking out nasty looking weapons. She was starting to sweat. She had no weapons. "What's going on out here?" The female voice carried firmly over the noise of the crowd, and they all turned to see a woman standing in front of the Principal Office, arms crossed. She had dark blue skin and short black hair, her business suit going well with the whole ensemble. She might have even looked nice and welcoming, but now she looked upset and angry. Hailey noticed that the girl holding the gun had vanished, along with the weapon. The gang members looked at each other, then stepped back, leaving Hailey alone. Muttering and casting evil looks at her they left all together, hovering over the street and disappearing around the corner. Hailey watched them go as the woman who had saved her walked up to her, arms crossed. "Can you tell me what happened here?" the woman asked, stopping at her side. Hailey looked at her, slightly taken aback. Up close the woman looked even more angrier than she did far away. Hailey wasn't sure how to answer. The woman must have realized the situation she was in then, because her face softened and she smiled a bit. "My name's Tanner Matrix, Command.com of the system. I saw the whole thing coming out of the Principal Office." Hailey blinked. "Matrix?" Tanner nodded, still smiling. "Yes. You really know how to handle yourself, don't you? I saw. If you weren't against such odds you might have even won." Hailey still couldn't get over the first part. "Matrix?" "Yes. My great grandmother was Dot Matrix, first female Command.com of Mainframe." She pointed up at the statue. "Are you new here or something?" "Yeah, I just came from a smaller system, kind of far from here. First day. Who were they?" Hailey looked back the direction the ABC's had just left. "Those were the ABC's," Tanner explained. "Mainframe's biggest and only gang. They're also the most dangerous. They didn't become a big thing until awhile ago. They got their name from one of Mainframe's biggest enemies back when Megabyte was a problem. But that's all historical stuff. So you're new here, are you?" "Yeah I am." "Welcome to Mainframe. Are you living with anyone?" "No, I live alone. I came because I enrolled in the Guardian Academy." "Did you now?" Tanner's smile because more natural. "My two kids go there, maybe you'll see them. Robert and Nilia, they're about your age, how old are you?" "2.1." "Yeah, they're 2.1 also. Twins." "Wow." Hailey pretended to be impressed. She glance up and down the street. People were slowly starting to come back out now that the gang was gone. "I'm late now, though, and the ABC's stole my bag. I had all my books in there." "That's too bad," Tanner said. "Well I might be able to help you there. I have some books which I can go run and get for you, and then maybe I can provide a ride for you to the Academy." Hailey smiled. "Thanks, I would appreciate that a lot." "No problem." Hailey waited as the Command.com disappeared back in the PO. Maybe this system was so bad after all. There was a lot she had to catch up on though. This was some first day. The Guardian Academy was huge. That was the first thing she noticed as she stepped out of the cab onto the front steps of the building. It looked so sophisticated as well with impressive architecture and twenty stories high. Hailey stared up at it for a moment, then climbed the steps, holding her new bag of books close to her body, keeping a firm grip on it. She was not going to lose this one. The main office was on the first floor, and after figuring out where her class was, she rode the elevator alone to the fourteenth floor. As she stepped out into the hallway, she took a deep breath. She could handle this, she was always good at doing new things. The hallway was huge and long, with several wall tables and flowers decorating the floor. She walked slowly, counting every step, sensing every moment as she neared the door which would open up to her new classroom. She wondered what the teacher would be like. She wondered what the students would be like. Finally approaching the door, she reached out and grasped the handle. Taking another deep breath, she pushed the door open. Inside were several rows of desks filled with students of all ages. At the sound of the door opening they all looked up at her. The teacher, a middle-aged woman with bright orange skin and red hair, turned and looked at her questioningly. The whole room was so quiet, a pin could've dropped and she could've heard it from the doorway. Swallowing hard, Hailey stepped in, closing the door behind her. "Mrs. Tracer?" "Yes?" the teacher replied. "I'm your new student." She handed her the slip of paper the office had given her. Mrs. Tracer took the paper and read it, then smiled. "Well Hailey Intel, glad to have you in our class. I'll be your political/Mainframe history teacher, going over the history of Mainframe and its guardians, and what you should know about the legal system." Hailey nodded because she didn't know how else to respond. She looked at the classroom. Most of the kids, now that she could see, where about her age and maybe a little older. There was one particular boy that stood out. He had dark turquoise skin with wavy blond hair. He looked smart from the way he appeared and dressed, and he was smiling at her. He was also very cute. She smiled slightly back as she made her way to one of the empty seats in the room. She took the one toward the front so she wouldn't have to look at the stares and at least be close to take in the teaching. She had just barely sat down when Mrs. Tracer started the lesson. Hailey scrambled for the right book and supplies, then listened as the teacher went into a detailed lecture of the legal system and what was considered right and wrong in an emergency situation. Hailey was just starting to get into the note taking when the door to the classroom opened. Mrs. Tracer immediately fell silent as a young woman stepped inside. Hailey's breath caught in her throat. It was the same woman that had held the gun to her head earlier that morning. She didn't look any different either. She had dressed up a little bit more though, but she still wore the revealing clothing that most of the girls in the gang had worn. Her make-up was dark and she carried no books. Hailey saw the woman look in her direction, and a sign of recognition passed between them. The woman had no chance to say anything though, even if she had planned, because Mrs. Tracer spoke then. "Miss. Nalia Matrix, this is the third time you've been tardy," she said firmly. Hailey's eyes widened. This was Nalia Matrix? "Sorry Mrs. Tracer," Nalia said, her voice monotonous and obviously uncaring. "There was a slight accident on the street on my way over." She glanced over at Hailey. Hailey tried to go unnoticed, turning her attention back to her notes. "If this continues to go on, you'll be kicked out of the Academy," Mrs. Tracer said. "This is a serious school for serious people. Very few people get accepted into this school. You're lucky your mother is the Command.com because if she wasn't and with your work habits, you wouldn't have even made it in." Nalia didn't reply. She had heard this lecture a dozen times already. "This is a Guardian Academy, not a public school," Mrs. Tracer continued. "It won't happen again, I'm very sorry Mrs. Tracer," she said without a hint of sincerity in her voice. She made her way across the room and sat down in the only empty seat in the classroom. The one in the very back. Hailey tried not to look back at her, but she could tell the young woman was glaring at her from behind. She had to go to class with her now? When class was over for the day, Hailey gathered her books, trying to keep her eyes away from the back of the room. She did not want to go through another confrontation with Nalia. It didn't work. As Hailey was bending over her desk to scribble down last minute notes, she felt a shove from behind and she nearly sprawled over her desk. She managed to catch herself and look back, just as Nalia passed by. That was it. She knew how dangerous this girl was supposed to be, but she was not going to allow herself to be shoved around like that. Grabbing Nalia's arm and whirling her around, she demanded, "What's your problem?" Nalia looked at her surprised, then narrowed her eyes at her. "Take your hand off me or I'll kick your ASCII." "You want to try? Come on!" Nalia looked like she really was gong to attack, someone stopped her. "Nalia, come on, don't do this." They both turned to see the same young man who had smiled at Hailey earlier that day. He looked even cuter up front. Hailey looked up at him, surprised. Nalia stopped whatever she was about to do, glaring at Hailey. Hailey raised her eyebrows. 7 The young man remained where he was, until finally Nalia stepped back, which surprised Hailey. The man didn't seem to be starting anything. He didn't even sound mean. But Nalia listened to him. "You're not worth it," she sneered at her. Then she turned and left the classroom. Hailey watched her go, frowning. "Uh…I didn't really need any help, but thanks." "Hey, I didn't want her to go starting fights with new people," the man said, his voice light and charming. He smiled down at her. "Name's Robert Matrix." Her eyes widened. "You're Nalia's brother!" He frowned. "Yeah, how'd you know that?" "Uh…same last names?" The frown disappeared. "Yeah, that would give it away, wouldn't it? You're Hailey, right? Hailey Intel?" She nodded, "yeah." "Cool. So how about I take you to dinner? Show you around, tell you about Mainframe." She smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that." Together they walked out of the classroom and down the hall. Only a few students were still there, talking, hanging out. "Cool. We can go to Enzo's Diner." To be Continued... |
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