Part V
Bob glanced about the ascetic room for the nth time. The leader of the Alpha clan was a neat and organized individual. But to be truthful, Quicken was not exactly a noteworthy leader. He was more like a chieftain who made the decisions which would affect his people the most. Quicken was also the man who bestowed designation and coalition on those who wished to join the clan.
The blue sprite fidgeted in his uncomfortably hard seat in Quicken�s anteroom, next to his living quarters. He knew his �initiation� would be quite different from the hazing he had experienced in his earlier hours at the Academy.
He looked up as a sprite, Maxis, entered. As he had been carefully instructed by Sentra, he followed Maxis out into the hallway, and to the assembly hall, where the majority of the clan members had gathered for this occasion.
All were dressed in the much looser and unusually brightly colored clothing that all wore inside the base. This megacycle, Bob wore his usual somber blue.
Until a moment ago, the crowd had been alive with noise. Now, a hushed silence fell. Bob turned to see Quicken enter the clearing at the front of the hall. Like Maxis, Quicken had donned black, a color rarely seen inside the base except at time of great mourning or notable rituals.
In the clearing before the onlookers, Bob stood in the center, with Maxis at his back, and Quicken before the Guardian.
Quicken raised his hands over his head. Though low, his voice was clear and could be heard by all. �Four minutes ago this megacycle, the Guardian Bob was found, close to deletion and on his way to the Ethernet, by our healer, Sentra. We thought him only to be a weak creature of the Guardians,� - Bob wanted to wince, but schooled his face into stillness - �but in that short time he has proven himself as a sprite of good judgment and as a warrior.�
Bob knew he was supposed kneel at this point, but his body seemed frozen; an eerie resonance reverberated through him with Quicken�s words. The screams of those whose lives he had taken still frequented his nightmares. He felt a weight on his shoulders as Maxis pushed him to his knees, as Quicken now spoke to Bob.
�This megacycle, before the eyes of all present, I give you the new name of Interface, as you shall be known to the clan.� He gestured to Maxis, who drew something from the pouch hanging at his waist. �And now I bestow upon you the marks of the warrior.�
Maxis handed the object to Quicken. Bob could see it now, a two-pronged blade made from the fangs of a certain species of webcreature. The light struck the blade, and Bob could see a miniature reflection of himself on its polished surface. He had known this was coming, but somewhere inside, dread knotted his insides. Bob also knew that, if Quicken saw fit, he would be deemed unworthy and struck down.
Quicken knelt on one knee before him and brought the blade to Bob�s face. �Be brave and still,� Quicken murmured. �The pain will only last a megacycle or so, and I don�t think you�d like to lose an eye.� He slowly drew the blade down the center of Bob�s forehead as the Guardian clenched his teeth, leaving behind two parallel lines of blood. Quicken circled to Bob�s left. He rolled up Bob�s sleeve and drew two more lines down his shoulder.
Quicken stood and wiped the blade clean as Maxis led Bob, now Interface, to his feet. �You have been bloodied as a warrior, Interface. Bear the scars as badges of honor.� He grasped Bob�s hand in a solid grip. �I welcome you into the Alpha Clan.�
The crowd erupted in cheers of joy and welcome, then began to file to the mess hall, where a feast was being readied. The feast that marked Bob�s right of passage would most likely end in the usual drunkenness and a great many passed out celebrants. Bob had come to notice the clan used any opportunity to become inebriated.
A myriad of people he knew, and some he didn�t, stopped to give him a handshake or a slap on the back. Once that was over, Bob, instead of heading to the mess hall, walked to the infirmary. Not finding the healer there, he knocked the door to the room next to it, Sentra�s room.
�Sentra? You in here? I need you to- Argh! Sorry!� Bob quickly closed the door. �I didn�t know you were�uh� I�m sorry.�
�It�s okay.� The door opened. Sentra stepped back to let him in, then finished twitching her shirt into place. The garment matched her deep scarlet hair. �It�s bound to happen sometimes.� To her amusement, Bob was blushing furiously, making her grin. �What kind can I do for you?� she asked as she shut the door.
�Uh, could you fix me up? You know, the bloodletting ceremony and all.� He indicated his forehead by looking up and arching his eyebrows. The purple flush in his cheeks was slowly fading.
�Yes, of course.� Sentra turned and rummaged through a floor-level cabinet and presently brought a small canister and a bundle of bandages. She gestured for Bob to sit on her bed then settled herself beside him. She opened the canister and after wiping away the excess blood, rubbed a small amount of healing balm on the parallel cuts on his forehead.
�Those will heal nicely and should leave no scars, but these-� she indicated the cuts on his shoulder �-will have to remain. Custom, you know.� Bob nodded and Sentra busied herself with cleaning away the blood and binding his shoulder up, so blood would not get in the way while allowing the marks the scar properly.
�Now: take off your shirt.�
Bob immediately jumped away. �What?� He had a very odd look on his face.
Sentra sighed, rolling her eyes and slacking her shoulders exaggeratedly. �The bandage on your side, null-for-brains,� she said, gently teasing.
�But it�s been four minutes. Shouldn�t it be healed now?� Bob looked fairly relieved.
�I�m the healer here, Guardian. Wounds like those can take a long time to heal, especially in the Web. I just wanna make sure it has healed properly. Now, remove your shirt.�
�Yes ma�am.� He quickly pulled the dark shirt off, exposing the white binding and blanched blue skin that, despite the protection of Web armor, had still degraded slightly further since his arrival. The silver scarring ran up and down his sides, forming an odd glinting pattern. With careful fingers, Sentra removed the binding and observed the three long scars with satisfaction. �Looks fine to me. Now, tell me if this hurts.� She poked one of the scars tentatively.
Bob yelped and leapt away from her once again.
�What? That didn�t hurt, did it?�
He grinned at her. His smile, as usual, transformed his usually distant face. It sometimes�always made her feel light-headed. �No, I�m just ticklish.�
�Ticklish, you say?� A predatory gleam came into her eyes.
Bob tried to leap away, but she was too swift for him. Sentra tackled him from behind and immediately he felt her fingers running up and down his sides, drawing a rather loud peal of laughter that ended in muffled giggles.
He wriggled out from under her. �Okay, you asked for this.� Before she could react, he had Sentra�s boot off and her right foot in his hand. His fingers produced a squeal. Encouraged, Bob continued until tears of laughter were running down her lilac cheeks.
�You give up?�
�Yes!�
�Are you sure?�
�Yes! Let go of my foot!�
Grinning triumphantly, Bob released her foot and moved to help her up. In the process, he tripped over her discarded boot. With a startled grunt, he toppled onto Sentra.
Blue eyes met brown. Sentra felt the warm tickle of his breath on her face. She hadn�t been this close to him, or anyone else, since the cycle they had been attacked by the Vector clan. This time, his eyes were not clouded by despair and rage, but wide with surprise and confusion and something else altogether.
Move move move move move before you do something you�ll regret sang a voice in his head. Bob started to mutter an apology.
Sentra swiftly grasped the dark locks that hung over her face and pulled him down, kissing him. Their lips locked for what seemed like an eternity, until Bob pulled away, breathless and flushed. She couldn�t tell what he was thinking as he sat up and looked at her. �Bob?�
�Sentra, I�m sorry�uh�I didn�t mean for things to go this way��
She stood and glared down at him. �What do you mean? You�re the one that came to my room.�
Bob was taken aback. Yeah, he�d come to see her, but not to�
�I should have known better,� Sentra said darkly. I should have known. �I thought�I thought wrong, obviously.�
Bob pushed himself to his feet. �Sentra, did I hurt you?� he questioned gently.
The last barriers broke. �Yes. Yes you did!� she screamed at him. Tears surged down her face. �Just when I thought things were going fine, you had to come along and twist everything!� She buried her face in her hands, muttering unintelligibly to herself.
She felt a touch on her hands, then Bob gently pried them from her damp face. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes gauging. �I didn�t know you felt that way.�
�Of course you didn�t. All you do is lament over your precious Dot.� The words were cruel, but Sentra had been hurt, and felt like returning the favor.
He looked wounded, as she thought he would. �Because I love her,� Bob said simply.
Sentra snatched her hands away. �How can you? You don�t even know if she feels the same�or even she�s still alive�� Her voice trailed off, ashamed.
He smiled wearily. �Doesn�t matter.� He carefully took her hands again. �I know it sounds corny, but as long as I live, there�s a chance I�ll see her again.�
�Bob�� Sentra sighed. It was futile. She had opened her heart, and he�d twisted everything again. Stupid, stupid, stupid� She crumpled against him. �I�m sorry,� she whispered.
He hugged her tightly. �It�s okay��
They stood like that for a time. Sentra took comfort in his warm body, taking refuge from the pain in his arms, even though he was the source of it. All too soon, she felt Bob, with a chaste kiss on her forehead, pull away and leave.
Bob quietly shut the door to Sentra�s room and made his way back to his own quarters, pulling on his shirt as he went. After he entered his room and closed the door, he sat heavily on his bed.
I miss Dot he thought moodily. He ran a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. Things between him and Sentra�well, it was probably going to a bit awkward from now on, but he hoped she didn�t hate him. Sentra was maybe the only person her he could truly call his friend.
Bob laid back and tried to rest, but sleep was a long time coming.