Through It All
Written by Airstrike Brant
Part 4: To Change It All
Bob almost had to laugh when he thought of what was called the docks in this system: a rickety pier that might house three boats, if none of the boats were that big. It was nothing like the docks back in Mainframe. The Saucy Mare II could have never docked here.
It didn't take long to find out what the problem was once he had found the binome who had contacted him. Still, he could barely believe the story he was told.
"So, let me get this straight," Bob said, "You were creating a BackUp command for an individual who said the command was for the Guardians. Then, this same individual just broke into your warehouse here and stole the command?"
"Correct."
"You have to be kidding me."
"Oh, no," the binome insisted, "He just came right in and stole the command."
"I believe that," Bob said, "but what were you doing actually creating this command?"
"I told you. He said it was for the Guardians."
"And you never thought to check?"
"Well, we just thought..."
"Let me guess," Bob interrupted, "You didn't know if this guy was telling you the truth but he was paying you enough you decided not to be too curious."
The binome's silence served as an answer.
"I don't believe this," Bob said, "Still, I have to find that command. It could be dangerous in the wrong hands and, after the story you just told me, I don't see how it could be in the right hands. So, what did this guy look like?"
"He was a tall sprite, very muscular in build. He had green skin and he was wearing some sort of silvery helmet over his head."
Bob couldn't believe his ears. "What?" he managed to ask.
The binome repeated his description, but Bob wasn't listening. Once again, his mind had taken him into a journey into the past. After the explosion, questions had buzzed about the Principal Office like a swarm of angry bees. Over and over the same question was asked: didn't anyone see anything. At first, everyone responded negatively to the question, but then....
"I did," a binome named Richard spoke up hesitantly.
"What did you see?," Phong asked.
"Well, I saw a sprite walking back towards Ms. Matrix's office. He was a big guy, uh, green skin and he seemed to be wearing some sort of shiny hat or helmet. It kind of looked like him." Richard pointed at Matrix.
"Sir? Sir?" A voice was calling impatiently, bringing Bob back to the present.
"What?" Bob asked, "I'm sorry. That description, uh, matches a wanted felon."
"I asked what are you planning to do about this. You would not believe the units it cost to build that command. I can not afford to lose that much."
"Listen," Bob said, "That command could cause a lot of damage. It could change everyone's entire lives as they know it. And all you can do is worry about monetary loss. I'm going to find that command, but this matter is going to be reported. You were breaking the law and you know it. If all you lose are those units it cost to create that BackUp, than you better get down on your knees and thank the good User that's all you lost." Furiously, Bob left the port, but his racing thoughts ebbed away at his anger.
Matrix had been furious even at the suggestion that he had killed his sister. Of course, it hadn't been Matrix. He had been with Bob the entire time. Besides, even if Bob hadn't been with him, Bob knew that he could have never done anything to harm Dot. Unless...
A new thought occurred as he arrived back at his apartment. Finally, the pieces of the puzzle begin to arrange themselves to form a picture, but it was a scary thought. Still, it made too much sense to ignored. "I have to get back to Mainframe," Bob said, aloud.
"Now you want to go back," Hexadecimal said, materializing in front of Bob, "I thought you said you never wanted to see it again."
For once, Bob was glad Hexadecimal had not done as he had requested and had left. "Hex," he said, "I need to go to the Principal Office in Mainframe. I think -" Before he could finish his sentence, he realized he was already in the Principal Office.
"Thank you for traveling with Hexadecimal's Inter-System Transport," Hexadecimal announced, smiling, "Fast, friendly service with a smile."
"Bob," Phong said, as he came into the room, "I am glad to see you, my son. Although, I do question the company you keep." He looked disapprovingly at Hexadecimal who, for her part, appeared not to notice.
"I need access to a BackUp command," Bob announced, skipping all formalities.
"But -"
"I know it's against regulations, but I need you to trust me!"
"My child," Phong began in a soothing tone, "I can not allow you to use the command. As much as I miss Dot, the BackUp can not be used to change the past. We have to accept the things that happen."
"You don't understand," Bob insisted, "Dot was never meant to die and I'm not just saying that because I loved her. Phong, someone traveled from the past and deleted her. In the very system I was just in, a sprite, matching the description that Richard gave us, stole a BackUp command. They even mentioned the fact he was wearing a shiny helmet. It has to be the same guy. That's how he knew where to set the explosive. I don't want to change the past, I want to correct it."
Phong looked at him solemnly for a moment. "I trust you," he finally said, "And I truly hope that you are correct." He led Bob out of the room and to the place where the command was kept.
"Thank you, Phong," Bob said as he activated the BackUp command and disappeared from the room.
Bob opened his eyes and found that he was standing near the entranceway of the Principal Office, looking out at the battle. It was just as he remembered it. He could even see Matrix and himself preparing to use the Constrictor. He turned away, not wanting to see anymore and ran through the entranceway. This was, no doubt, the way the perpetrator had gone. Up ahead, he could hear footsteps and he began to shake with barely controlled rage. He was not going to let the past repeat itself. He rounded the corner and saw someone crouching in the floor. Bob felt his anger rise when he realized that he was witnessing the bomb being set. "Stop!" he commanded.
The individual turned around and Bob was shocked beyond words, although he realized a part of him had already known. Richard had stated that the individual he had seen had looked liked Matrix, but no one had really believed that to be a fact. In a sense, it wasn't. The individual did not look like Matrix - it was Matrix. The only difference was the silver helmet he wore upon his head.
"Gun!," Matrix yelled and his gun disengaged itself from his hip.
"Wait!," Bob cried, "What are you doing?"
"What is supposed to be done," Matrix responded in a flat, emotionless tone.
"Daemon," Bob whispered. It was a scary insight, but it was the only thing that made sense.
"She has been deleted, but her cause and warriors remain."
"But how?"
"She wouldn't allow herself to be deleted in vain. She had warriors who remained behind and gave them the ability to spread her influence even after she had ceased to exist."
"You mean she gave them the ability to spread her infection?"
"The wording is unimportant."
Bob shut his eyes as if trying to ward off the truth. At a point in the future, Matrix had been infected and he had traveled back, just as Bob had, to complete the task of getting revenge on Mainframe. Then, he heard Matrix again, but he sounded farther away. A shot was fired. Bob opened his eyes and saw Matrix, the Matrix that belonged in this time frame, standing over his exact image, despite the fact the fallen figure wore a silver helmet. The figure was unconscious, but unharmed.
"Matrix," Bob said, relieved.
"Who? What?," Matrix stumbled, "What in the net is going one here? I thought I saw someone come in here, but what is going on?"
"Dameon was trying to seek revenge because she knew she couldn't win," Bob answered, "She sent him from the future to finish the job."
Matrix still seemed confused. He knelt by his future self and took off the helmet. Just around the temples, he saw the glowing evidence of Daemon's infection. "This helmet must protect them from the Constrictor's sound frequency."
"It's the only thing that makes sense," Bob said.
Matrix looked up at Bob, a hurt expression clearly written on his face. "Was I about to hurt Dot?," he whispered.
"No," Bob replied, "Daemon was." As far as Bob was concerned, that was the truth, plain and simple.
"You came from the future too, didn't you? That's why there's one of you right outside and one of you here."
"Yes."
"I thought so."
The infected Matrix slowly began to fade from view. "What's happening?," Matrix asked.
"I suspect that his device has a time hook on it so that he could return to the future," Bob said.
Matrix looked up and saw that Bob was fading as well. "Do you have a time hook, too?"
"No," Bob replied, softly.
"You're being deleted, aren't you," Matrix realized.
"No," Bob repeated, "The future I came from is being deleted. All the sadness and pain never even occurred."
"Bob," Matrix said.
Bob smiled. "Remember, you said it yourself, I'm right outside."
"Watch out!" Matrix yelled, shooting a Guardian that was just behind Bob. "Crank it up! It's all or nothing now!"
Bob nodded and set the Constrictor to its highest setting. The screams intensified, and Guardian after Guardian began falling from their zip boards. It's raining Guardians, Bob thought to himself, unhumorously. He looked up and saw Daemon's reaction for the first time. She was clutching her head, just as the Guardians were but it looked as if her ebony sides were bulging outward. All at once, the right side of her torso exploded, and a purple liquid spewed from the wound. She fell backwards into the portal, while screaming in agony. A cheer went up from all the inhabitants of Mainframe for they had beaten the virus back.
Matrix turned and actually smiled a bit. "We got her!" he exclaimed, "If she's not deleted, she's hurt bad enough not to show her face in this system anytime soon."
"Yeah," Bob agreed. He looked down at the fallen Guardians. "And if Mouse is right we should be able to completely erase Daemon's influence from the other Guardians."
"We should be able to," Matrix said, but then his face became dark. "I just thought of something," he said, "What if this wasn't all the infected Guardians? What if Daemon left some behind?"
"I never even thought about that," Bob said, "But you might be right. For now, she's probably taken refuge in the Super Computer since all the Guardians, at least all we know about, are here."
"Then we'll just have to take our battle there," Matrix said.
Bob nodded and turned toward the Principal Office, his mind drifting away from the thoughts of the upcoming battle. That's where Dot is, he thought as he looked at the Principal Office. Suddenly, he felt he had to go see her, perhaps hold her in his arms, at least for a nanosecond, before they headed for the Super Computer. He couldn't understand why he felt this urge so strongly. Perhaps it was love.