Chapter 1: A Call To Arms
"I still don�t understand why your body-armor doesn�t have any sleeves, Dot." Bob commented from his keypad across the office, grinning impishly. Dot glanced up from the papers strewn about her desk and grinned back, shaking her head in amusement. It was Mouse�s slow drawl that answered, though.
"Not all of us get that tin-can getup you have, Sugah." the mercenary replied with her trademark wink. "And anyway, don�t even tell me you don�t know Dot here well enough by now to know that ain�t nobody gonna get close enough to so much as scratch her arms."
Dot laughed outright at that. "Don�t brag on me too much, Mouse." The merc shrugged, looking over Dot�s shoulder at the files on the desk.
"Just tellin� it like it is, honey."
"Don�t talk to me about tin-can armor, Mouse, not while you�ve got that gold-plated thing on." Bob shot back. Mouse started to open her mouth to reply, but was silenced by a friendly elbow digging into her side.
"Don�t even, Mouse." Dot said lightly, but her tone was amused. Mouse grinned, unapologetic. Dot laughed softly, pushing her papers to one corner of the desk. "I could use a break."
Bob jumped up from his seat immediately. "Couldn�t have said it better myself."
Mouse bent down to look Dot in the eye, concerned. Dot looked confused. "What�s wrong, Mouse?"
"Why I do declare...did I just hear /you/...decide to take a break by yourself? Dot, honey, are you feelin� all right?" Another wink, and Mouse sidestepped to avoid another elbow to her ribs.
"Well, if I don�t get something to eat, my stomach growling is going to distract all of us." Dot replied, standing up from her chair. Bob was at her side in a nanosecond. "Know where Ray is, Mouse? Maybe he�d like to come along..."
Mouse made a face and shrugged. "He�s out web-surfin� again. "
Bob was unable to hide a shudder at the mention of the Web, and Dot laid a comforting hand on his arm. "Web-surfing...I don�t know if that guy�s very brave, or just totally random."
Mouse smiled and shrugged expressively. "That makes two of us."
"You know you like it." Dot replied, smiling at the hacker who had become her friend. Mouse grinned back cheerfully.
"Yeah, you got that right, honey."
The three were nearly out the door when the vid window in Dot�s desktop lit up. It was Phong on-line. Dot stepped back to the desk, taking a seat again. "What is it, Phong?"
"I am sorry to disturb you, child, but I have just recieved a message from Turbo."
Tension was suddenly palpable in the room. Turbo wouldn't have had to send a message unless the situation was serious.
"What?" Bob exclaimed, moving to the desk as well. "What�d he allow?"
Phong looked grave. "He was unable to speak with me directly. It seems that things have become bad for the infected Guardians in the Supercomputer. Turbo is under suspicion, and he said he does not know when he can speak to us again. He has sent us a warning."
"What�s the warning, Phong?" Dot prompted the old sprite after his dramatic pause began to drag on a bit.
"Daemon has discovered Bob and Matrix. She knows where we are. Turbo thinks she will soon try again to get to the uninfected Guardians."
Bob looked bitter, an ill-fitting expression. "And both uninfected Guardians are maverick." He sighed, turning away from the screen. Phong watched him with concern, as did Dot. After a moment, Phong spoke again.
"I suggest we all meet together...Matrix and AndrAIa as well. We must discuss what we will do. Mainframe is again in danger as long as Daemon knows where Bob and Matrix are."
Dot sighed wearily and nodded. "Will do, Phong." The old sprite nodded gravely, then the vid window blipped out. She stood up, walking towards Bob, who still had his back to her. She brushed her fingers across the back of his neck, hoping he mght take comfort from the contact. He turned to her, brown eyes clouded with sorrow. It practically broke her heart to see him that way.
"It�s my fault, Dot. If I wasn�t here, Daemon wouldn�t-"
"No." she cut him off sharply, her vivid purple eyes staring into his earnestly. "Bob, it�s /not/ your fault. These are things we have no control over. We�ll just take it as it comes."
Bob smiled slightly, but sadly. "That�s my line."
Dot�s only reply was to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him into a comforting embrace. He slipped his arms around her waist in return, burying his face in the hollow between her neck and collarbone. She just held him, letting him derive strength from her presence. After a few moments she glanced over Bob�s shoulder and saw Mouse, standing next to the door. They shared a worried glance, then Mouse drawled softly, "I�ll go get Matrix and AndrAIa, and some food for the meeting." Dot nodded slightly, and Mouse slipped out of the room.
A few seconds later, they were all assembled in Phong�s small office, seated around a conference table laden with energy shakes and other foodstuffs from the Diner. The company was solemn as Phong replayed the message he had recieved from Turbo. The Prime Guardian�s rough military voice echoed in the room.
I�m under suspicion now. Daemon seems to suspect I�m not totally infected. After this, I�m gonna have to keep a low profile. I don�t know if I�ll be able to contact you again. Daemon knows where Bob and Matrix are now. She wants complete control of the Guardians. She needs Bob and Matrix�s codes to do that. Once she has all the Guardians, she has the Net. Seems to me her next move will be to attack Mainframe again. I can�t advise you any further, I�m afraid. Best of luck, my friends. Turbo out.
Silence fell over the conference room for a long moment, then AndrAIa spoke. "We need to know more about Daemon before we can decide what to do. Rule number one." She aimed a wise aquamarine gaze at Dot, and a smile. Dot nodded solemnly, a slight smile of her own touching her lips.
"Know your enemies better than they know themselves."
Phong nodded as well. "We must hurry, though. We haven�t much time to research Daemon."
Dot leaned forward, reaching for a notepad. "What do we know about her, then? Matrix, when you met Turbo, did he tell you anything specific?"
Matrix shook his head, frustrated. "No...he told me she was infecting the Guardians, and that me and Bob were clean. So the other Guardians were after us."
AndrAIa piped up thoughtfully, "But none of our attackers /were/ Daemon...just those infected by her. Mostly Guardians."
Dot nodded, scribbling away. "Right...could you see the infection?"
Matrix nodded. "It looked a lot like code degradation, only it had a lime-green glow to it...it pulsed. And it was around Turbo�s temples."
"This is reaching..." Dot paused, biting her lip with a pained expression that had grown familiar to those around her while she fought against Megabyte. "Since we have so little information. But it seems like Daemon is giving orders...it�s up to those she�s ordering to carry them out how they see fit. She�s single-minded. She has one goal in mind, and that�s to infect the Guardians. If that�s the case, then she only wants Mainframe..." Dot stopped, shaking her head. But Matrix finished it for her.
"She wants it because Bob and I are here. If we leave, she�ll probably leave this system alone. If she gets all the Guardians, all the systems will follow. She has no reason to want Mainframe beyond getting to Bob and me."
There was silence again, this time, broken by Bob. "I have to leave." There was no note of query. It was a statement of fact, and they all knew it.
"/We/ have to leave." Matrix corrected. "I have to leave too."
Phong interjected quietly, "Where will you go?"
"To find Daemon, I suppose." Matrix replied darkly. "May as well try to stop this thing, if we can�t stay here."
AndrAIa spoke hard on the heels of her counterpart. "I�m coming with you." Matrix turned to her, but his expression was more of surprise that she would think he might not let her. AndrAIa nearly lived on adventure.v
Dot shoved the notepad away from her. "I�m coming too." She spoke nearly in unison with AndrAIa.
Bob turned to her, hope and fear warring in his expression. "Dot, you can�t...you�re the Command.com..."
"Yes I can. I�m a military commander. If you�re not here, Mainframe will be fine. If Mainframe will be fine, I�ll be with you." She paused, then in a softer voice added, "Bob, I�m on a mission."
Bob smiled sadly, recalling the phrase from minutes ago. And in her burning violet eyes there was another message.
�Don�t ever leave me again.�
�I promise...�
Phong interrupted gently. "Go, my child. You must go."
Dot turned to Phong and nodded gravely. "If anything should happen to me, I suggest Mouse take over as military commander on Mainframe."
The mercenary�s eyes widened as she absorbed Dot�s words, but when she opened her mouth to protest, she saw the complete trust and confidence in the other woman�s eyes. Instead of questioning Dot, Mouse changed her reply to, "Nothin�s gonna happen to you, honey." She fixed her gaze on the tabletop. �I am gettin� soft.� she thought to herself, then smiled slightly. For once in her life, there was nothing wrong with that.
Explaining it to her old clients, however, might be a sticky situation.
Phong stood up and whirred his way to the door. "For now, I recommend you rest, my children. Tomorrow there will be much to do. You must leave as soon as possible, to keep Daemon from sending her forces to Mainframe."
They took his advice. But it was a very long time for all of them before sleep overtook their fears and mercifully logged them off for the night.