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Chapter Five Phong had left Enzo alone in the hospital room with Dot. While they waited for the old sprite to return, the boy started asking Dot a whole bunch of questions. "How did you get infected Dot?" "I don't-" "Was she big? I heard it was Daemon!" "Yes, that-" "Was it scary? Were you scared?" "Well, I-" "Was she mean? What did she look like? Was she pretty? Ugly? Plain?" "Enzo, I-" "I bet if Bob were there, he could've saved you." Dot froze, unable to open her mouth to tell Enzo to be quiet. Where was Bob when all of this happened? Why was he so late? She sat down on the hospital bed. Don't overreact, Dot, she thought to herself, Daemon must have done something to him so he couldn't come to my house in time. But what happened? "Dot?" Enzo was suddenly aware of Dot's silence and sat next to her, worried. "Are you okay?" "Enzo?" Dot turned to look at Enzo. "Who found me? Who brought me to the principle office?" "Bob, of course," Enzo frowned up at her. "He went into our house and found you unconscious." "He did?" Dot looked away from Enzo, lost in thought. Just then, Phong came into the room. "Dot?" he said, "I have just gone through some tests. It seems that you are still infected here and there, and things aren't going to get better. The only treatment for you is from the Super Computer, but unfortunately with the sudden emergency going on in Mainframe, we won't be able to get it. We'll just have to hope that you'll get better with the medication we have here. Dot looked at him, alarmed. "Emergency? What emergency?" "You don't know, Dot?" Enzo chimed in. "Ray, Bob, Mouse, AndrAIa, and Matrix went to the lair Daemon had taken over, and Mouse, AndrAIa, and Matrix got taken inside it! The military is all infected, and Ray and Bob are the only ones left!" Dot gasped. Phong frowned at Enzo. "How did you know that?" "I uh…overheard you and Bob and Ray talking." Enzo gave him a sheepish grin. Dot groaned and hid her head in her hands. "My city," she moaned, "it's falling apart and I can't do anything to help it! Bob and Ray are probably getting themselves taken over also about now, and my brother, AndrAIa, and Mouse are infected! What could get worst?" "You forgot the military being infected part," Enzo reminded her. Dot groaned again. ***************** Matrix silently let himself be led to Daemon's room without putting up a fight. He had AndrAIa and Mouse's plan all worked up in his head, and he knew what he was going to do. He just hoped it would work. "So," the guard said on his left side, "Daemon wants you again." "You'll probably be dead by the time she's done with you," the guard on his right snickered. Matrix rolled his eyes and tried his hardest not to bash those two sprites in right now. He clenched his fists and held them firmly at his sides. "Why does she want you all the time?" the left guard asked. "Probably likes this sucker," the right guard snickered again. Matrix had had it. Without a word, he slammed both his fists back, nailing both guards in the face. They went down, unconscious. He glanced at them, made sure they were out completely, then walked the rest of the way on his own. Daemon was standing in the middle of the room, the mirror clearly still in sight. Matrix walked inside, closing the door behind him. He noticed that she was wearing a new outfit again. White leather skirt all the way down to her ankles, with very high slits on both sides. Her shirt really looked more like a string bikini top, and she had white boots and gloves on. Her hair was draped over one shoulder. And she was smiling slyly at him. Matrix rolled his eyes. Oh boy. Here we go. "I'm so glad you're here," Daemon said. "Have a seat." Matrix didn't have the time to even protest. With a reach of her hand, Daemon used her powers and brought him across the room toward her. When he was right in front of her, she pushed him backward and he fell into the chair. "So," she said, sitting on the armrest. "You and I have a little something to talk about." "Oh really." Matrix searched her quickly to see where she could be hiding the key. It was nowhere to be seen. "Tell me…Matrix." She ran a finger along his shoulder and down his arm. "What is your greatest fear?" Matrix didn't answer, but he thought about it. Easy. Losing his friends, especially AndrAIa. But he wasn't about to tell her that. It was too late. It was like Daemon had probed through his mind and read his thoughts. She smiled. "You like that AndrAIa, don't you? You like her a lot." Damn. Matrix swore in his mind. What other powers did this psychopath have? "Well then," Daemon continued. She took his chin in her hand and tilted it until he was looking straight at her in the eye. "I can make you forget all about her." "No you can't," Matrix whispered. But it was too late, and she covered his lips with her own. The kiss seemed to last forever. When she finally pulled away, it was like she wasn't thinking straight anymore. She didn't look at him again, and she stood up, walking away from the chair. Matrix watched her, surprised. Boy, this woman had moodswings. But that wasn't it. Daemon suddenly had fear in her eyes. She was looking at him, almost hopefully. "What am I doing?" she asked herself quietly. She looked at Matrix, and her hands were trembling. "Help me!" she cried, "Help me!" Before Matrix could even speak or react, Daemon had returned to her old self. The scared, childish look in her eyes had vanished, leaving only an unliving soul behind them. She cleared her throat and smiled, trying to push that moment away. "Excuse me about that. I kind of lost control there." Lost control? Matrix frowned at her. What did she mean by that? Daemon walked back up to him, staring down at his face with her beautiful green eyes. Suddenly, though, she let out a small cry and ran back. Looking around, she stumbled, then ran out of the room. Matrix sat there, stunned. What had just happened? She was acting crazy! Not like she already wasn't. He slowly stood up and looked around the room. He remembered the key, but Daemon still lingered in his mind. And even though he knew how deadly and dangerous she was, he still had one emotion for her. Worry. ************ Dot was released from the hospital, but was ordered to stay at home and get some bed rest. Phong had given her a bottle of pills, telling her to take two each day. But they didn't seem to work, and she seemed to get worst. Even though she knew it was wrong, she still felt she had a ton of work to catch up on. Climbing out of bed, she walked out of her house and into Dot's Diner. People were waiting to be waited on, and Cecil wasn't being any good help either. She walked behind the cash register, where a line of binomes stood, waiting. "Welcome to Dot's Diner," she said in a tired voice. "How many?" "Five," the binome replied in a snooty voice. "And we have been waiting all morning! Where has the service been?" "I'm terribly sorry," Dot said. The room was suddenly getting very hot, and she started to sweat with exhaustion. She wanted to lie down, but all this responsibilty kept her from doing so. "Please…sit wherever you want." The binome glanced around. All the seats were full, including the bar. "Where do you suggest, then?" Dot shrugged heavily, but her vision was blurring and she couldn't see any empty seats, even if there were. "I don't know," she replied breathlessly. The binome looked around in disgust, then turned to look at the others. "Let's leave," he said. He and his whole crew left the diner, shaking their heads. Dot rested her elbows on the counter and put her head in her hands. The room was getting hotter and hotter, and her vision got so blurry she couldn't even tell what color design was on the diner wallpaper. Just then, Cecil came flying by, and he paused when he saw Dot. "Madam?" He asked in a soft, worried voice. "Are you alright?" Dot winced. His voice was pounding in her head, and she wished he would quit yelling. She was getting really tired. "Madam?" Just then, a group of binomes burst into loud laughter on the end of the diner, and their laughter echoed through Dot's head, joining with Cecil's 'madam?'. The room was getting hotter, and she couldn't see clearly anymore. "Madam?" Cecil was really worried now. I shouldn't have come in here, Dot thought to herself. It even hurt to think. Finally, everything turned bright red, then black, and she fainted, falling off the counter and hitting the diner floor. ************** Somehow, Billy had regained consciousness long enough to stagger down the hall and fall into a bathroom. Why Hexadecimal even put on there, she didn't know. She felt really nasious, and she gripped on the sink to keep from colapsing. Where am I? She thought. What am I doing? "What's happening to me?" She screamed, and the voice echoed around the room, giving her a splitting headache. Looking up, she saw herself in the mirror and gasped. That wasn't her. It couldn't have been. But it was. The new, transformed version of her, otherwise known as Daemon. The reflection smiled, even though Billy hadn't changed her horrified expression. "You can't win, Billy," it sneered. "No!" Billy yelled, "you can't do this! Leave me alone! You're hurting people!" "You can't win, no matter how hard you try," the reflection said, "I'm much more powerful than you." "You aren't!" Billy shouted. "You couldn't even get Matrix to like you!" The reflection froze, and it suddenly looked very angry. Billy felt fear wash through her body and she stepped away from the mirror. The reflection didn't, though. "Look at yourself," Daemon snapped, "Or, look at me. I control you now, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. You can try all you want, but there's nothing you can do." "You're nothing!" Billy shouted, "you were grown in a petridish! You were nothing!" "Yes, but now that I have you, I am something," Daemon said, "and I won't let you take that away from me. Not in a million years." The reflection smiled horribly, and Billy stepped back again. *************** Morse Code was a guard standing on duty outside the bathroom in the hall, and he could hear his mistress screaming inside. Frowning, he knocked on the door. When he heard silence, he pushed it open and, gathering his wits, walked inside. Daemon was huddled up against the wall, shaking. He frowned. "Your leadership?" he asked, "is there something wrong?" Daemon continued to shake, but after a moment, she stopped. She looked up at him, her expression calm. "There's nothing wrong with me, Morse Code," she said, "why do you ask?" Morse Code looked at her skeptically, but he didn't dare argue. "I thought there was something wrong…" "There is nothing," Daemon snapped. "I have an order for you. Send everyone except the three newcomers to Mainframe. We are attacking once and for all, killing every living creature in sight." ***************** Enzo walked timidly inside Dot's bedroom, closing the door softly behind him. He looked over at his sister, sleeping in her bed. She had been that way for a long time since she fainted in her diner. As she sat down on the foot of the bed, though, she heard her groan. His eyes widened. Was his sister awake? "Dot?" he asked. "Dot? Are you okay?" Dot groaned again and shifted her position. "Mmph." "Dot!" Enzo's face lit up. She was going to be okay! The fainting spell must have been a minor thing then. "Dot! Wake up, Dot!" Dot moaned again, then opened her eyes. She blinked as she stared up at the ceiling. Then her gaze shifted and she sat up. "What…?" "You fainted at the diner, Dot!" Enzo rushed in, "and Cecil called me, and we had to carry you in here. Are you feeling better? Are you? Maybe that faint was nothing big, you think?" "Huh?" Dot looked at her brother with a confused expression. "Who's Dot?" she asked, "who's Cecil? And who are you?" Enzo looked at her in silent shock. He searched her face for signs of laughter, but there was none. She was dead serious. She didn't know who he was or, for that matter, who she was. "Oh no," he whispered. **************** Bob and Ray were still floating outside the lair, waiting for any sign from Mouse and AndrAIa. The morning was coming up, they had stayed out there all night. "Do you think they made it okay?" Ray asked. "I don't know," Bob admitted. "I hope so." Ray was flying back and forth on his surfboard impatiently. Finally he stopped and said, "It's taking too long! We should do something!" Bob opened his mouth to make either a protest or agreement, when the darn vidwindow thingy popped up. Enzo's face appeared, and he looked very stressed. "Bob!" he cried, "there's an emergency with Dot!" "Dot?" Bob cried, alarmed. "What, is she okay? Has she waken up yet?" "Yeah, she has. But she's been getting worst, and I think she's lost some of her memory! She doesn't even remember who she is, let alone me!" "Oh no!" Ray cried. His heart immediately went out to the Command.com. He always felt this way when something happened to his friends. Before they could do anything, though, a deafening noise sounded, and the shields around Hexadecimal's liar opened up. Bob was so shocked, he disconnected the vidwindow. Ray surfed beside Bob, as they watched the shields disappear. A giant door opened, and a whole bunch of sprites came flying out on zip boards, heading for Mainframe. The two quickly ducked around the building, hoping not to be seen. "What are they doing?" Ray asked. "They're attacking Mainframe!" Bob realized. "We've got to stop them! At least warn Mainframe!" "But what about Matrix, Mouse, and AndrAIa?" Ray asked, "what are we going to do about them?" Bob pondered that thought quickly, then reached a decision. "Ray. Make a portal to the web, and try to find the webriders I stayed with during the time I was stuck there. They should trust you now. Tell them that Mainframe's under attack, and I'll need their help. I'll get Matrix and the others." Ray nodded, then looked around. "I'll need a tear." Bob looked around, then cranked up his powers and blasted away a section of a nearby building. That area wouldn't nessessarily have worked, but this building still had its power, even though it was abandoned. The building section blew away, leaving a blue tear behind. Ray smiled and nodded again in Bob's direction. "Thanks, mate." He headed for the tear, and Bob watched as the surfer changed it into a portal directed toward the web. Turning and giving a small salute, he turned and left through it. Bob sighed. That was done, and he trusted Ray with this. He turned toward the lair, surprised to find that the shields were going back up. As fast as he could, he flew forward, and disappeared through the closing door. ************* Daemon felt power flowing through her body as she led her army toward Mainframe. She was in the front, dressed all in black. Leather pants, a tight leather tank top, leather boots that went over her pants, and her sunglasses were covering her eyes. This time, she was going to succeed. If she couldn't get Matrix and Bob under her command, she'd destroy Mainframe, making them join her. And this time, she knew this plan would work. ************* AndrAIa tugged at the chains chaining her to the stone wall. "If only I had my trident, or if I could get my hands free, I wouldn't still be in the state." Mouse looked around. "If only I had my sword." "If only Matrix were here." "Yup. If only. But we can't just play 'if only', we've got to do something! No one else is here, Daemon has left the building. We have to take advantage of this opportunity." AndrAIa nodded. "Okay. Do you think there's a way we could call Bob?" "The only way is if he'd call us." Almost as if he were thinking their thoughts, a vidwindow popped up from Mouse's belt, and Bob's face appeared. He was walking down a dark hallway. "Mouse, AndrAIa," he whispered, "are you there? Are you okay?" "Um, we're chained to the wall," Mouse replied, "and we're hungry and weaponless, but other than that, we're swell." "Where are you?" AndrAIa asked. "Somewhere inside the lair. Wow, Daemon sure fixed up the place. I need to know your location so I could come and get you." "I'd love to give you that, sugah," Mouse said, "but I'm afraid we don't even know where we are. You'd think things would be easier since no guardians or guards are here, but obviously it isn't." "Okay, well I'll try to find you as soon as possible," Bob said, "a scan might be useful. Why didn't I think of that earlier. Anyhow, I'll be there as soon as possible-aaah!" He cried out suddenly and the girls could see him fall down, then hear a crashing sound from his side of the connection. Then the connection broke, and all they could see was static before the vidwindow vanished. "Oh no, Bob!" AndrAIa cried. She exchanged frightened glances with Mouse, and they both knew that it was useless now. ....2 B Continued |
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