The Daemon Conflict
By: LadyBard
Chapter 2 - Into the Fire
Melissa sat stiffly,
looking neither left nor right. Her eyes trained on the vid-screen that allowed
a panoramic view of the sector of the Web through which they travelled. To be
allowed on the bridge of the lead ship, Ravage, was considered an honour
by many, but to Melissa it was little more than a pain in the ASCII.
“Why is she here?” The
viral assassin Nemesis hissed. She and the two others stood in a corner near
the communications centre.
“Really, dear girl,
you’ve asked that so often and each time you have, I’ve given you the same
answer, ‘I don’t know’.”
“Don’t call me ‘girl’ you
wuss,” Nemesis hissed at her companion.
The viral Quicksilver
smiled thinly, although he made no indication that he had paid her insult any
attention, “It’s a moot point really. She’s the daughter of our queen and she
is here. If it bothers you so, speak to Daemon.”
Nemesis snorted, “Oh
sure, talk to Daemon.”
“She might just agree
with you. There’s no love between them. In fact, I believe our queen rather
despises the wretched little thing.”
The more they talked, the
more Melissa’s pride suffered, that is, what little pride she had. She closed
her eyes and leaned back against the uncomfortable chair and concentrated
instead on the sounds that made up the atmosphere of the lead ship.
She knew there were four
battle cruisers besides the lead ship and almost one thousand fighters, twenty searchers;
small fast ships sent on spy missions; and one hundred death strikes;
ships that had only one purpose, to perform suicide strikes against their
enemies that would result in the destruction of the ship itself, but the source
powering the strikes was damaging enough to disable a cruiser. It had
been how they had won the battle against System 101.
Going over these facts in
her mind helped Melissa drown out the horrid words. Then came that malicious
laugh that Melissa so hated hearing and she tensed, her nails digging into the
chair arm.
“She’s not so bad!” A
high-pitched voice sang out. “She gives me so much amusement!”
Melissa fought the rising
panic. No, she would not listen to him.
“You may have time to
play childish little tricks, Chaos,” Nemesis addressed the third viral
assassin. “Some of us have better things to do.”
“You never let me have
any fun,” Chaos muttered.
Of the three of her
mother’s chief assassins, Melissa feared Chaos the most. He was a wild virus,
more malevolent and sadistic than any other viral she knew of, he delighted in
playing mean tricks on her. Since the last one, Melissa had not been able to
get a full nights’ downtime. The memory of waking up, with thousands of viral
worms in her bed had seen to that.
“Sir!” the voice made Melissa’s
eyes snap open. A Guardian stood before General Ashar and handed him a disk.
“Excellent,” Ashar
grinned evilly. “Admiral.”
Admiral Driver, an aging
binome, stood, “Sir?”
“New orders from Mistress
Daemon,” Ashar said. “We have heard from a spy we sent into the system of
Mainframe.”
This news even piqued
Melissa’s interest. While trying not to be too conspicuous, she leaned forward.
“They know of the
armada?” Driver asked.
“Yes, but it matters
little,” Ashar sneered. “Daemon wants to send one of the three ahead to
Mainframe with a small group of fighters. It is obvious that the Guardians will
come to her in the Super Computer, so Mainframe will have little protection.
Her orders are that the Command.com of Mainframe be deleted. Then Mainframe will
be easily subjugated.”
Melissa’s attention had
been on the General but was suddenly drawn to the Guardian who was being
ignored. At the General’s declaration of the impending assassination of
Mainframe’s Command.com, the Guardian had reacted. Yes Melissa was certain of
it! His eyes had widened and his facial muscles had tensed. But that was
impossible - unless -
To Melissa’s utter
astonishment, the Guardian’s eyes fell upon her - and he winked.
No, it couldn’t be!
Melissa stared hard at the burly Guardian and concentrated on the pulse of
yellow at his temple. She saw past the sprite himself and into the infection
and where it had control and it struck her like a laser shot.
He wasn’t under her
mother’s control!
Melissa turned quickly in
her seat and hoped no one had seen his action. Her eyes darted around. Everyone
was going about his or her business. The Admiral and the General continued to
converse, and the three assassins were arguing over who would be sent to
Mainframe. Slowly, Melissa turned again, but now the Guardian had the same
glassy-eyed look as the rest.
Maybe she had been wrong.
Maybe the wink had been an involuntary movement. But even as the thought
occurred, she dismissed it. She was certain of his reaction and of the wink.
So now what should she
do? It occurred to her if the Guardian hadn’t trusted her with that secret, he
would have never given her the signal. So what did the Guardian want her to do,
if anything? She wouldn’t tell, that was a given. They probably wouldn’t
believe her anyway. But why had he entrusted her with his secret? He was always
on the bridge with the General, having been assigned to him by her mother. What
was his name? She couldn’t remember. Melissa wanted to give him some sign that
she understood but she didn’t dare.
“Melissa!”
The voice so surprised
her; she jumped out of her chair, “Yes sir?” Her actions elicited several snide
remarks and snickers.
“Where is your processor,
girl? Your mother commands you to accompany the assassin.”
Oh no. “Yes General Ashar.”
“Turbo, you will also
accompany them.”
Turbo! So that was his
name.
“Yes, sir,” Turbo spoke.
Melissa liked the sound of his voice, even as deadpan as it sounded. Or at
least as he pretended to be.
“Mistress Daemon has informed
me of her orders to you,” Ashar addressed Melissa again. “If you succeed, you
may just win her favor. But I seriously doubt you will.”
Melissa wanted to cry a
protest. She had power. She was stronger than any one them knew, although she kept
such things to herself. If it were known just how much power she did have, they
would exploit it in some way. Beside, there was always someone stronger. Yet,
if this was a chance to prove herself she should take it. She had grown weary
long ago of the way she was treated.
“The little wimp probably
doesn’t have the circuits to delete someone,” Nemesis hissed. “So which one
shall it be, general?”
“Since you are so vocal,
my dear Nemesis, you may have the honor of deleting the Command.com.”
Nemesis bowed slightly,
“I am honored, general. I will not fail you.”
“It’s not me you have to
worry about failing,” General Ashar approached Nemesis. He handed her the disk.
“Your target is imprinted on this disk.”
“Good,” Nemesis’ smile
dripped poison, “Am I expected to protect her?” She motioned to Melissa.
“The orders made no
mention of such,” Ashar replied. “However much as Daemon despises her, I feel
that if you were merely to allow her daughter to be deleted, she would not be
pleased.”
Nemesis shrugged, “Just
as long as she stays out of my way.”
“I have my orders,”
Melissa had been pushed too far. “I’m no more pleased about this arrangement
then you are.”
“What did you say?”
Nemesis turned violently to her and her emerald eyes glowed.
Melissa’s first instinct
was to shrink back. Where she had gotten the courage to speak up like that was
a mystery to her. “Y-you heard me.”
Nemesis bared
needle-sharp fangs. “You little --,”
Her tirade was
interrupted by an unpleasant laugh from Quicksilver, “Looks like the little
whelp has some fight in her after all!”
“Shut up!” Nemesis
snarled at him.
“I suggest you both,”
General’s Ashar’s tone held no room for argument, “prepare yourselves for your
mission. You have your orders and failure will not be tolerated. Dismissed.”
Glad to finally be
getting away from them all, Melissa left the bridge and made her way to her
room, deliberately taking her time. Her apartments were in the lower levels of
the ship, despite her being Daemon’s daughter but she preferred them that way,
as she liked the solitude.
So, Nemesis had been
ordered to delete the Command.com. Melissa wasn’t concerned with that at all,
unless - well something the general had said stayed in Melissa’s mind. If she
succeeded in her task, her mother might find favor in her. Melissa didn’t want
to delete anyone, but if it would cause her mother to be proud of her . . .
Melissa laughed at that
thought. She doubted her mother was capable of feeling pride, but perhaps her
life would improve if she carried out her orders, and perhaps, if she
deleted the Command.com . . .
She didn’t want to do
that either. Was Nemesis right? Did she even have the circuits for deleting?
If she failed, it
wouldn’t matter. She had a horrible feeling that if she did; she wouldn’t have
to worry about anything else ever again. Ashar had said as much. Failure would
not be tolerated.
***
“What are you doing
here?”
The bearded binome turned
with a start. His eyes went wide and his mouth gaped with fear.
Matrix took a menacing
step forward, “I asked you a question.”
“I appear to be lost,”
the binome seemed to regain his composure. “I was only trying to find my room.”
“You’re one of the
captains aren’t you?”
“Captain Lynx, Sir
Guardian, at your service.”
“I am not,” Matrix
growled between his teeth, “a Guardian.”
“Oh --,” Captain Lynx
seemed to be losing control once again, “I was told you were a cadet --,”
“You’re not anywhere near
the guest quarters,” Matrix motioned down the hall, “Back that way.”
“My apologies, I meant no
harm,” Lynx stepped back, “By your leave, sir.”
Matrix watched him go and
his strong mouth curled in a sneer. He didn’t trust any one of the captains,
although it was especially so of Captain Syn. Now this Captain Lynx was
wandering around the Principal Office, with some lame excuse about being lost?
“Better go tell Dot,”
Matrix muttered.
***
“Ms. Matrix I think I
have a right to know what you plan on doing about Daemon!”
Dot made a show of
straightening her glasses. She had no idea why she had agreed to see Captain
Syn in her office. She was grateful that AndrAIa was there to, and Phong was
just outside. Dot had left her office door open so Phong could hear everything.
“As I said before,
Captain Syn,” Dot activated her organizer, “Preparations have already been made
to --,”
“To the net with
preparations!” Syn slammed a meaty fist on the surface of Dot’s desk.
“Hey!” AndrAIa walked
fiercely forward to stand before Syn, “Mind your manners!”
“This is none of your
business, fish girl!”
AndrAIa was about to
respond in kind when she looked up and saw Matrix in the doorway. The brawny
sprite crossed the room quickly.
“Matrix!”
Syn turned just a nano
before Matrix slammed his fist into the captain’s jaw. Syn went down hard. Dot
sat straighter, but made no move to stop her brother.
“Apologize,” Matrix
growled as he leaned over the fallen captain.
“What! You can’t make me
--,”
Matrix took him by the
collar and hauled him up. The renegade pressed his face close to Syn’s, “I
can’t make you?”
“No, stop! All right, I’m
sorry!”
“Let him go, Matrix,” Dot
managed to maintain an outward calm, but inside she was seething. And was
equally grateful that Matrix obeyed.
“So this is how you
handle your affairs?” Syn rubbed his throat, “With violence?”
“You should talk,” Matrix
clenched his fists. “If you ever disrespect my sister or girlfriend again, I’ll
break you in half, got that?”
“The refugees are
afraid,” Syn ignored Matrix’s threat and turned back to Dot. “There are rumors
going all around that Daemon is searching for the Guardian and your brother.
They’re afraid Daemon will come here. You can’t cover this up forever Ms.
Matrix. People will find out the truth, and you’ll have a full scale upheaval
on your hands.”
With that Syn turned to
go, then had to sidestep as Bob entered the office.
“Guardian,” Syn’s voice
held a sarcastic tone.
Phong rolled in a few
nanos later, “He is a very persistent sprite.”
“Door close,” Dot said.
She stood. “He’s right, you know.”
“About what?” Matrix
threw up his hands in frustration.
“The fact that we won’t
be able to hide the truth forever,” Dot said.
“I take it Captain Syn is
still demanding a full explanation of our plans?” Bob sat down on the edge of
Dot’s desk.
“Unfortunately,” Dot stared
at the figures traveling across the screen of her organizer. Mainframe was in
dire financial straits and she was running out of ideas to remedy the problem.
“I’m afraid he’ll deliberately stir up trouble.”
“That’s all we’ll need,”
AndrAIa said.
“Something else, Dot,”
Matrix said, “Although I don’t know if it’s worth mentioning. I just caught
Captain Lynx sneaking around the back halls.”
“Did he say what he was
doing?”
“He said he got lost
looking for the guest quarters.”
“That’s a lame excuse if
I ever heard one.” AndrAIa muttered.
“We’ll increase the guard
within the P.O.,” Dot sighed. She rubbed her sore eyes with one hand. She
hadn’t slept much lately. Dot caught Bob’s eyes and saw the concern for her
mirrored there. “Mouse and Ray?”
“They’re going to meet us
at the Super Computer after they do some scouting. Mouse knows where to go,”
Bob said. “Dot --,”
“I know,” Dot said. She
stood and sighed in defeat. She looked again at the figures but they blurred
before her eyes and she fought to keep the tears from falling. With a deep
intake of breath, Dot straightened to her full height.
“As you all know,
Daemon’s Armada will arrive here in less than eleven seconds. We’ve already
prepared our forces here and Cascade and Hard Drive have assured us that
they’ll send at least two hundred ships between the two of them to help guard
Mainframe. Whether or not that will be enough, we can only hope.”
“If Mouse and Ray can
give us a count on the ships in the armada, they’ll try their best to get it to
us, but they couldn’t promise anything.” Bob said.
“We’ll have to make due
either way,” Dot went on. “At the first sign of trouble, the refugees will
board the ships and be transported temporarily to Cascade and Hard Drive. Their
Command.com’s are attempting to contact other systems for assistance, but I’ve
received no word as of yet. Everyone is afraid of incurring Daemon’s wrath, and
I can’t say I blame them. Our people will be moved to the lower levels. Phong,
how are we on power?”
“The restart was a User-send.
We are operating at peak efficiency, my child.”
“Good,” Dot looked to
each of them. They were her family, her life. “I don’t need to tell you how
dangerous your mission will be, or to be careful. If I don’t hear word from you
within one cycle, I’ll attempt to send a rescue party.”
“Dot,” Matrix said
grimly, “If you don’t hear from us by that time, don’t waste energy on trying
to find us.”
“What?”
“He’s right,” Bob slid
from the desktop and moved towards her. “You’ll be expending all your energy on
protecting Mainframe from the armada.”
“But --,” the protest
died on her lips. She knew they were right, but the thought of their not coming
back, of never seeing them again --, “You will come back.” She had to believe
that, or she wouldn’t be able to function.
“Dot, we have some last
minute preparations to make,” Bob said, “We’ll meet back here in a
millisecond.”
She didn’t wonder what
else needed to be done, “All right.”
When Dot was with Phong
in the office, the sagely sprite rolled up to her, “Do you remember what I said
to you before my child? About how we would have to fight for peace?”
“I don’t know if I can
keep doing this, Phong,” Dot rubbed at the headache, which was just beginning
to throb in the middle of her forehead. “First I lost Bob, then Enzo and
AndrAIa, and now I may lose them again? I just got them all back, Phong.”
Phong laid his spindly
fingers atop hers, “I told you once before you must be strong. But you are not
alone. Use the strength and the love of your friends and family to sustain you,
young one.”
“I-I’ll keep trying,
Phong.”
“Rest for a little
while,” Phong’s voice was gentle. “I’ll wake you when the time comes.”
The venerable sprite
touched Dot on the forehead and much to her surprise, sleep came quickly; she
laid her head on her arms on top of the desk and drifted off.
***
Bob didn’t want to leave
without saying goodbye to Little Enzo. He found the young sprite at Floating
Point playing with Frisket. Bob sighed. All those young sprites here and Enzo still
had no one else to pal around with?
“Hey Enzo!”
“Bob!” Enzo didn’t catch
him in the flying tackle as usual. Frisket on the other hand stayed true to
form and growled at him.
“I need to talk to you,
little man.”
Instantly, Enzo’s smile
vanished, “You’re leaving aren’t you?”
Bob knelt before him,
“Yes.”
“I knew it,” Enzo turned
away and wrapped his arms around Frisket’s neck, burying his face in the dog’s
soft fur, “Why do you have to go?”
“I told you why, Enzo,”
Bob reached for him and Frisket snapped his jaws once. For the first time, the
junkyard dog was beginning to annoy Bob. “I want to make it safe for you.”
“I-I know,” Bob heard the
sob in his voice, but the young sprite refused to look at him. “I-I guess you
won’t let me go to?”
“You have a more
important job here.”
This caught Enzo’s
interest. The little sprite wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, “I
do?”
“Yes,” Bob said,
seriously. “Daemon’s Web Armada is on its was here. Dot’s going to need a lot
of encouragement and assistance. She can’t handle it alone. She’ll need you.”
“But I’m just a little
sprite!”
“That makes no
difference,” Bob smiled. “You’re intelligent, strong, and kind.”
“I’m not strong,” the
bitterness in Enzo’s voice took Bob by surprise.
“What do you mean you’re
not strong?”
“I’m not!” Enzo cried,
“I’m a weak little sprite!”
“Enzo, where in the net
did you get a ridiculous idea like that?”
“Matrix.”
“What?”
“It was right after the
restart. I heard them talking. Him and AndrAIa. Matrix said some things.”
“What did they say?”
“They didn’t know I was
there. They were in the Principal Office. I was only looking for Frisket.”
“Enzo.”
“Matrix was saying how
he’s tried so hard to be stronger than me, and now I’m back to haunt him. He
said that he thought he had left that weak little sprite behind. He said that I
would remind him day after day about how pathetic he was.”
Spamit, Matrix. “Enzo
--,” for the first time, Bob realized he didn’t have an easy answer for the
little sprite. He’d have a serious talk with Matrix once this was all over.
“Matrix has some things he needs to work out for himself. He mistakenly
believes they’re your fault, when they’re not.”
“They’re not!” Enzo said
hotly. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him, so if it’s anyone’s fault it’s
his!”
Bob wished there was more
time to talk to the little sprite, “Enzo, when we asked you how you felt about
how you were processed were you completely honest with us?”
The young sprite didn’t answer
immediately. Bob could see he was struggling with indecision.
“No.”
“Enzo,” Bob sighed, “When
I get back, and we go on our tour of the Super Computer, I want you to tell me
everything, deal?”
“I --,”
“Enzo we could always
talk before.”
“I know, Bob, but - I
don’t know. This is all so random you know what I mean? I mean I’m not really
me. He’s me. ”
“Enzo--,”
“But I don’t want to be
anything like him!” Enzo cried. “I don’t want to be some mean old renegade. I
think he’s stupid! I won’t grow up that way, I wont!”
“Enzo!”
“Bob!” Fresh tears welled
in the sprite’s eyes, “I won’t be like him will I?”
“Enzo, give Matrix a
chance --,”
“Why?” Enzo demanded.
“He’s not giving me one!”
“Matrix is going to need
you to understand. You know him even better than AndrAIa does. When we come
back, would you try?”
“Sure Bob,” Enzo agreed a
little too quickly.
“Come on, it’s time to
go,” Bob decided it was pointless arguing anymore.
Both sprites decompressed
their zip boards.
“See ya later, boy!” Enzo
scratched Frisket behind the ears. “I’ll meet you here later okay?”
Frisket barked once as
Enzo hopped on his board.
“Like I was saying Enzo,
I’m leaving you in charge here,” Bob said as they rose into the air. “Your
sister is going to come to depend on you soon, although she doesn’t know it
yet. I know you can handle it.”
“I’ll try my best, Bob.”
“You know something else
I’ll need for you to do? Try and make friends with some of the other sprites
your age.”
“I did try,” Enzo said on
a sigh. “They won’t talk to me. They know who I am.”
At first it didn’t
process with Bob what he meant, then it came to him. Of course, his sister is
the evil Guardian’s girlfriend.
“So they’re scared of you
because of me.”
“Yeah. It’s okay Bob. I
don’t need anybody.”
“That’s not true and you
know it. You don’t need Dot? Or me?”
“Of course I do!” Enzo
pouted. “Geeze Bob, you’re my hero!”
Bob grinned at his young
companion, “Okay then. Don’t give up, all right, Enzo?”
Enzo returned the smile,
“I’ll keep trying.”
They arrived at the
Principal Office. As they were walking down the hall towards the War Room, they
saw Matrix and AndrAIa coming from the opposite direction. Bob glanced quickly
at Enzo and saw his small frame go rigid at the sight of his counterpart.
Matrix carried two
backpacks and AndrAIa carried one of her own. Bob didn’t need the supplies
really. He had his own plan for defeating Daemon, but he didn’t mention it
because in all honesty, he couldn’t guarantee it would work. It involved coming
face to face with the super virus. If his plan failed, he wouldn’t get a chance
at a second strike.
“Everything in order?”
Bob asked as they approached.
“We’re all set,” Matrix
handed Bob one of the packs. “Your contact in the Super Computer is expecting
us?”
“Yes,” Bob turned and the
door to the War Room slid open. Enzo moved in ahead and Bob guessed it was so
he wouldn’t come in contact with Matrix. It was Bob however, who saw the
unusual sight in Dot’s office.
Dot’s head was down on
the desk and immediately; a twinge of concern hit him. But then Phong touched
Dot lightly on the temple and she came awake, seeming more alert than he had
seen her in a long time.
“They are here, my
child,” Phong said.
Dot stood as Bob entered
the office.
So this is it, Bob thought. He wished he could
have a few moments alone with her.
“We have received an
encrypted message from your rebel contact, Bob,” Phong handed Bob a disk. “A
Mistress Katiyana?”
Bob smiled at the
pleasant memories the name invoked. “Yes, she’s an instructor at the Academy.
Actually, she’s the Keytool Master.”
“Keytool Master?” AndrAIa
said.
“The Keeper of the
Keytools,” Bob smiled. “You didn’t get one unless you went through her and
believe me, she made you work for it.”
Bob inserted the disk in
the player on Dot’s desk. A vidwindow opened and the coordinates flashed before
him. “I know where this is,” Bob said. “Not the best neighborhood to land but
we’ll take the chance.”
Dot walked around the
desk and stood to face him. “Just get in there and do the job and come back.
Don’t take any random chances, understand?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“And don’t call me
ma’am.”
Bob pulled her into a
tight embrace. “I’ll be back soon.”
They said their goodbyes
and their, ‘be carefuls’. Then Bob opened the portal. The spires of the Super
Computer appeared within the shining globe.
“May the User be with
you, my children,” Phong called.
“Take care of things
here, old friend,” Bob looked back. “Take care of your sister, Enzo.”
“I will Bob, I promise.”
The three sprites leapt inside
and the globe collapsed into nothing.
***
Enzo wanted to cry out to
Bob not to go. He had lied again and Enzo hated lying to Bob. No one really
knew how he felt. How could they? He was a fake! Well maybe not a fake, but a
carbon copy. And now he might never see Bob again and he had told Bob he would
give Matrix a chance and Enzo had no intention of giving Matrix anything.
In fact, Enzo decided
that he was going to do everything he could not to be like Matrix. And
the first thing he would do is take care of Dot. Not abandon her like Matrix
had done.
Enzo took his sister’s
hand. It was shaking in his grasp. “Don’t worry, sis, they’ll be back safe.”
Dot smiled gratefully at
him.
“I’ll take care of you, just
like I promised Bob,” Enzo attempted to stand taller. “I’ll help you run
things.”
Dot didn’t speak, but
knelt and hugged Enzo tightly. Enzo looked over her shoulder and saw Phong
smiling at him. The old sprite adjusted his glasses and rolled quietly from the
room.
***
The portal deposited them
in a narrow alley between two squat dilapidated structures. The place smelled
of refuse and Bob wrinkled his noise against the odor.
“Where are we?” Matrix’s
voice was laced with disgust.
“Well it’s called Outlook
Sector, mostly warehouses and storage facilities, but this particular place is
Hacker’s Alley.” Bob said. “This is not a place you want to be caught alone at
night. But this is no where near the Main Cities where Daemon has her seat of
power, so we should be relatively safe.”
“This way,” Bob motioned
them deeper into the shadows. The three carefully picked there way through
piles of trash and recycled data. AndrAIa gasped as a rat scurried across her
path, causing Matrix to turn quickly and reach for Gun. AndrAIa gave a quick
shake of her head.
The alley dead-ended and
at the wall to the building on their left was a heavy iron door. Bob approached
it and knocked five times. Right above the door a rectangular panel slid open
and a small crystalline globe floated down to hover before Bob. The globe
pulsed with a musical note several times and Glitch pulsed in time with it.
Then the globe disappeared back into the panel.
The door slid open with a
ponderous groan and a voice whispered from the darkness beyond, “Come in,
quickly!”
The three sprites
squeezed through the small space. The door slid shut, bathing them in darkness
save the red glow from Matrix’s eye.
The statuesque woman that
stood before them raised her right hand and whispered, “Tracker, light.”
It was only then that
they realized she wore a keytool. Another shining crystalline globe appeared.
“Greetings Guardian Bob.”
Then woman had an angular face of metallic silver and almond-shaped eyes of the
same color. Her royal blue hair was in a thick braid down the length of her
back.
“Katiyana,” Bob bowed.
“I think we can dispense
with the formalities,” Katiyana said. “Come this way.”
The corridor down which
they traveled was cramped and as odorous as the alley outside. The only sound
in the confined space was their hurried footfalls.
Katiyana make no further
attempt at conversation. Bob knew that was her way and didn’t force anything
from her. He knew she would explain all once they arrived at their destination.
They made a few turns and
came to another iron door, where a binome was sitting in a chair beneath a weak
blue light. He stood up at Katiyana’s approach.
“Is that the Guardian?”
He whispered. “Thank the User!”
“Do you have them?”
Katiyana asked.
The binome reached under
his chair and picked up a small steel box. He opened it with a tiny brass key.
“Here.”
Inside were two red metal
armbands. Katiyana handed one to Bob and the other to Matrix. “Put these on and
keep them on. They’ll prevent the other Guardians from tracing you through your
protocol codes.”
The two sprites obeyed.
“Let us in,” Katiyana
turned back to the binome.
“Yes ma’am.” The binome
turned to the door and tapped in the code on the security keypad situated
within the wall.
“You will generate
distrust at first,” Katiyana said. “I had to convince the other resistance
leaders to accept your help. They believe you may betray us to Daemon to curry
her favor.”
They were led into an
immense room, which Bob realized was some type of warehouse. There were stacks
of crates and barrels and sacks of various supplies. Dozen’s of sprites and
binomes all seemingly intent on a variety of duties, passed them by with only a
cursory glance. They came to a centralized area of the room were a command
center had been haphazardly set up.
Bob could tell the
computer system was ancient. He wondered what their capabilities were. Three
sprites sat around a circular control panel in the middle. Two vidwindows were
open as they conversed with two binomes on the other side.
One sprite, a young woman
with purple hair and yellow skin looked up, and then motioned with her hand to
the others. Three pairs of suspicious eyes turned to stare at them.
“My friends,” Katiyana
said, “this is Guardian 452, Robert Lan and his companions.”
The purple haired woman
stood. “I’m Desdemona. Second in Command of the Resistance. And I want to go on
record that I don’t trust you in the least and I will be keeping my eye on
you.”
“That’s understandable,”
Bob said. “But I can assure you that --,”
Desdemona waved a
dismissive hand and snorted, “There are no assurances in this war, Guardian.”
Desdemona spoke Bob’s rank as though it were a curse. “We thought the
Guardian’s were all powerful. That no one could take control of the
Collective.” She laughed bitterly. “My home sector was one of the first to be
overrun. The Guardian there, perhaps you know him, Guardian 107?”
“Cooper Black.”
“He is - was - my
fiancé,” Desdemona’s bitter smile contorted her features, “He tried to delete
me.”
“I’m sorry,” Bob said.
“I’ll just bet you are,”
Desdemona turned to the other two sprites. “This is Dom Markup.” She gestured
to the small sprite that was almost boyish in appearance. In fact he reminded
Bob a little of Enzo, that is, young Enzo, with a smooth green face and an
explosion of curly hair a shocking neon pink. “He’s our tech guy.”
“Hello,” was all Dom
said.
“And he,” Desdemona
motioned to the third sprite, an elderly tan-skinned man with unkempt dark
green hair, “is Neuron Cyber.”
Cyber came half way out
of his chair and nodded. “Neuron is our weapons expert. He’s also our fight
instructor. The people you see here are just ordinary citizens, but we are
teaching them to fight and defend themselves.”
“That’s a good idea,” Bob
realized Desdemona reminded him of Dot. “This is the cadet, Matrix.” Bob
motioned to Matrix who nodded. “And his companion AndrAIa.”
“Some chairs for our new friends,”
Desdemona smirked.
A binome brought three
chairs to the console. Katiyana took her own seat.
“The information I am
about to divulge was obtained by the loss of much life,” Desdemona said. “So if
the three of you are spies I swear I’ll find some way to make you pay if you
betray us.”
“Desdemona, that is quite
enough,” Katiyana said.
“Is it Mistress?”
Desdemona said. “All the lives ruined or lost? All the destruction and mayhem?”
“Des, do you trust my
judgment?”
“Of course!”
“Then trust me in this.
Bob can assist us.”
“I trust you, Mistress.
It’s them I don’t trust.”
Desdemona sat down and
tapped some keys on the control panel. The cylinder of light flickered
uncertainly, but after a time, it solidified enough to present a distorted
image. “This is the only picture we have of Daemon.”
Bob squinted at the image
of the tall lithe being, that reminded him of Hex in some aspects. Many terms
came to his mind as he looked upon his enemy from the first time. Even though
it was only an image, it seemed to exude darkness and malevolence. She seemed
to have no eyes, only black sockets that stared back at them. Her skin was blood
red and six insect-like arms protruded from her back. There was little else
they could discern about her physical appearance from it.
“So,” Bob said, “There is
our enemy.”
“As you know, she’s made
her base of operation within Guardian Hall,” Desdemona said. “There is only one
way inside.”
Desdemona continued
typing. The image of Daemon disappeared and was replaced by a 3D map. “The
reservoir. You’ll have to swim underwater to this pipeline. It leads into the
Hall’s water treatment facility - the map turned to give them a better view --
we have a contact within a facility and he’s going to open the pipe for you to
gain access.”
“This sounds too risky,”
Matrix commented, “Are you sure your man will be there to let us out?”
“No, we’re not sure,”
Desdemona glared at him. “I told you there were no assurances. You wanted a
plan to get inside the Hall, this is it. We’re not miracle workers. Frankly,
I’m curious as to what you plan on doing if you get inside. Walk up to Daemon
and say, ‘Hi, I’m Guardian Bob, I’m here to delete you?’”
“Des, I said that was
enough!”
“No,” Bob raised his
hand. “I have my own plan for defeating Daemon.”
“And that is?”
“I’m afraid I can’t
divulge it,” Bob spoke softly. “Besides that I’m not certain it will work.”
“Let me see if I’m
understanding this,” Desdemona said. “You have a plan to defeat Daemon and
you’re not even certain it will work? I’m sure you realize if it doesn’t work
she’ll delete you in the next nano? Or worse she’ll take you prisoner and
torture all of our secrets out of you?”
Desdemona stood, “I’m
sorry Mistress, I don’t approve of this at all.”
“I agree,” Neuron spoke
for the first time. “All our lives depend on this unknown plan. I’m not willing
to take the chance.”
“Neither am I,” Dom
chimed in. “Mistress, you’re heard the stories of the horrible tortures Daemon
inflicts on captives. Sprites and binomes being thrown to the viral bugs or
worms.” The small sprite shivered. “I’ve seen her handiwork. I’m sorry. I think
these three should leave.”
“Yes.”
“So do I.”
“No,” Katiyana turned to
Bob and stared evenly at him. “I believe I know what Bob plans to do and no, he
cannot divulge it. If Daemon is too powerful it won’t work, but if it does, she
and everything she uses to control others will be utterly wiped out.”
“So,” Katiyana continued,
“we will accept Bob’s help. What choice do we have? We’ve no other option.”
“So you’re overriding our
decision?” Desdemona whispered.
“I’m not ‘overriding’
anything,” Katiyana leaned back and steepled her fingers. “I am saying, if
anyone has any other ideas voice it now. The longer we wait, the more difficult
it will be to defeat Daemon. Her armada is already on its way to Bob’s system.”
“At least we don’t have
to contend with that,” Dom muttered.
“I suggest we make
preparations to move to our emergency facility,” Desdemona said, “In case they
fail.”
“Agreed,” Katiyana said.
“May the User protect us
all from treachery,” Desdemona said. “Very well. Do our guests have any
questions?”
“What about the Academy?”
Bob addressed Katiyana.
“All the instructors were
infected by Daemon. The students weren’t, however they are in a dismal
situation.”
“The Guardians are
unbelievably cruel to them,” Dom said. “The students are still permitted to
learn. In fact Daemon wants it that way. Just more Guardians for her to infect.
But now --,”
“It’s not the same,”
Katiyana said. “The instructors confer cruel punishments for any minor
infraction. The Read Only Room has been locked up. No one is allowed to access
any information or histories. There are no freedoms, no respites, and no
communication with the outside world. They are prisoners.”
“And Keytool Hall?”
Katiyana smiled, “That is
the one good thing. I managed to seal it off before I made my escape.”
Bob expelled a breath,
“Good.”
“Not that they would have
been able to use the Keytools had they gotten in.”
“I’m sure they wouldn’t
have knowing you.”
“Do we have any reports
on the interior condition of the Hall?” Matrix asked.
“Very vague ones,” Dom
said. “No one goes into Daemon’s inner sanctum and comes out alive. There are
reports of viral worms and bugs running rampant and completely under Daemon’s
control. They say the entire place has been desecrated, but we’re not sure how.
We can’t tell you if there’s been any radical changes.”
Dom turned to Bob, “When
was the last time you were within the Hall?”
“It’s been awhile.”
Dom sighed, “Then you’re
going to have to rely on your memories.”
“Yes,” Bob downcast his eyes.
His memories were of a better time. When a sprite gone bad had been caught in a
compromising position by a young High Guardian Turbo, and had been offered a
better life at the Academy by said sprite.
“Bob,” AndrAIa spoke for
the first time, “I can swim in the pipeline first and check to make certain the
contact is there.”
“No AndrAIa, it’s too
dangerous,” Matrix said immediately.
“Hey, Sparky, are you
forgetting I can breath under water?”
“You can?” Desdemona
looked at AndrAIa incredulously. “How is that possible?”
“It’s a skill of mine,”
AndrAIa smiled, “What do you say Bob?”
“All right, AndrAIa,” Bob
acquiesced.
“Bob!”
“It’s as good a plan as
any, Matrix,” Bob said, “Katiyana, when can we begin?”
“Tomorrow night, if we
hear from our contact. We need to verify the exact time he’ll be waiting for
us.”
“Us?”
“I’m going with you.”
“What?” Bob said,
“Katiyana, you can’t! The resistance needs you!”
“I’ve already discussed
this with my comrade’s in arms. They like it no more than you do, but I must
go.” Katiyana suddenly did something very unlike her. She reached across the
console and laid her hand atop Bob’s. “Like you, I have my own way of defeating
Daemon. I must return to the Keytool Hall. You must follow your own path.”
“Yes,” Bob said. “What
can we do in the mean time? We’d like to help.” “Well, Dom, could you use some
tech support?”
“Yes,” Dom stood, “Either
one of you know about computer systems?”
“That would be her,”
Matrix motioned with his thumb at AndrAIa
“I assume you could assist
me with weapons and training, Matrix?” Neuron asked the muscular sprite.
Matrix nodded.
“Bob, you come with me, I
want to show you something,” Katiyana said.
The Keytool Mistress led
Bob through a maze of stacked crates, scaffolding and small areas partitioned
off with crude curtains. Bob suspected the undersized spaces were the
resistance fighters had their downtime.
When they reached the far
wall of the building, Katiyana led him to a flight of stairs that ascended to a
catwalk, which, Bob guessed, encompassed the entire building. There were small
offices along the catwalk, and Katiyana opened the door to one and led Bob
inside. “Tracker, light. Please sit down, Bob.”
There was a mini-consol
in the office and Katiyana activated it. Bob looked around noticing the clutter
of disks, chips, and various small mechanical devices.
“My office, yes I know,
it is quite messy.”
“Not like you at all,”
Bob smiled.
“What you see here is all
I could save from the Academy.”
Bob looked away, “The Academy.
Is it that terrible?”
Katiyana looked up from
her programming of the console, “Yes.”
Again a cylinder of light
rose from the consol surface, “I didn’t want to say anything about this in
front of the others. They don’t know about Hexadecimal.”
“At all, or the fact that
she’s Daemon’s daughter?”
“Both,” Katiyana replied,
“but here’s something you don’t know.”
An image appeared within
the cylinder, one of a ten-hour-old girl. Bob leaned forward as a shudder raced
across his skin, “Oh no.”
Had she been a regular
sprite, Bob would have thought she just an innocent child, who could perhaps be
a playmate for Little Enzo. But the sight of the familiar mask; although gray
instead of white; and the cinnamon coloring of her skin gave Bob an all too different
opinion of her. She had no back appendages. In fact, she looked more like a
sprite than viral. But there was no denying who she was.
“Daemon’s daughter?”
“The last of her strain,
or so I’m told.”
“Oh no,” Bob repeated.
“Bob, are you certain
that Hexadecimal is benign? That she is no threat to us?”
“I’m almost positive, but
you know I can’t give you a definite answer,” Bob couldn’t imagine how Hex
would react when she discovered she had a baby sister.
“We know next to nothing
about her. Just that her name is Melissa. We think she’s on the lead ship of
the armada, but we’re not certain. Information about her is sketchy or has been
proven untrue.”
“Katiyana,” Bob said
carefully, “Why are you showing me this?”
The Keytool Mistress
didn’t reply immediately. She stared for a time at the image of the little
girl, “You know why Bob. She may be within Guardian Hall. You may have to --,”
“No, I won’t!” Bob said,
“She’s an innocent child!”
“An innocent - Bob, for
User’s sake, she’s Daemon’s daughter! Do you think she wouldn’t hesitate to
delete you at the first possible opportunity? And if she’s allowed to compile
to her full potential then we may very well be lost!”
“She’s still a child,”
Bob protested.
“I know. I don’t like the
idea any more than you do,” Katiyana said, “If you can take her alive, then all
well and good. Perhaps we can use her as a bargaining chip.”
“That’s no better than
--,”
“Bob, what would you have
us do? You were lost in the Web for so long. You don’t know what it’s been
like. You’ve only had an inkling of what we’ve been through. Your Web World War
was a cakewalk compared to this.”
Bob leaned back in the
chair and closed his eyes, his hands gripping the armrests. He fought to blot
out the image of the little viral girl, “Maybe I can help her like I did Hex.”
“She’s not insane from an
injury, Bob. There’s no healing needed. Either we take her prisoner or --,”
“I’m going to try,” Bob
smiled. “Maybe I’m the insane one.”
“Don’t let your
compassion be the deletion of you, Bob.” Katiyana pressed a button and the
image disappeared, “Don’t tell your companions about this until you away from
the others. They should know. Come on now, I’ll show you where you and the
others will be sleeping.”
As Katiyana closed the
door behind them, Bob couldn’t help but wonder about the young viral. He would
try his best to help her. But then again, Katiyana might be right. What if she
didn’t need or want help? What if . . ?
Why couldn’t things be
simple just once? Now even if he did destroy Daemon, she had an heir and if
this child was anything like Daemon --
Bob didn’t want to
consider what he may be forced to do.