Chapter V
FOR WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN A ROUTINE CREATURE HUNT, THE TROOPS returned somewhat later than expected. The citadel's perimeter alert sounded as the Riders crossed the furthest reaches of the security net. It was programmed to go off whenever anything, friendly or hostile, approached the fortress. The degraded sprites who ran the command station had just begun verifying the ID on the approaching Riders when Megabyte entered. He cast a glance towards the viewport, at the tight formation of dark specks approaching rapidly.
[Lord Megabyte,] one of the female Riders acknowledged in her ringing language, stiffening in his presence.
Megabyte grinned slightly. His subordinates' view of him blurred the lines between respect and fear. He, personally, preferred the latter. It played on the most basic of instincts, and often did a far better job of insuring loyalty. Most sprites, if not all, tended to value their lives above their positions. Not that betrayal was something he worried greatly about among his new Web Rider army. Like his earlier force of viral binomes, these warriors were under his complete control. It had almost surprised him how easily he'd infected this wild group of exiles. They had seemed to want a strong leader in the absence of their "Interface"---or as Megabyte had known him, the Guardian, Bob.
[ID confirmed,] the female Rider's voice chimed. [They are our troops.]
"Interesting," Megabyte mused, rubbing his chin. He thought absently about how strange his skin still felt after all this time. It had been hours since he'd merged with that Web creature, and yet it seemed he was still adjusting to his new armor, the gruesome spiny plates that covered his entire body. As desperate as the choice had been, the powers he had gained were almost worth it. He'd been out here for six hours. It wasn't that he was trapped---forming a portal was now within his power, and he could have easily escaped into some system on the fringe of the Net. But he instead chose to remain here, to wait, to build his strength and his army. He was biding his time until he could return in force, and there would be no one to stop him. Or, so he had thought early on. The Web Rider army was now small but formidable, yet he was concerned by the reports that had come back from his spies in the Net---those few that had survived to report anything.
The Guardians were everywhere, not merely one or two to a system now, but dozens, enforcing a strict new regime that placed them on top. It wasn't the sheer numbers that had Megabyte concerned. The Guardians were vastly different than those he had encountered before. They were cold, controlling, aggressive...almost virus-like.
"They should have returned cycles ago," he continued, peering out the viewport more closely at the returning troops. There had been twenty mounted soldiers and a pair of small two-sprite fighters when they had left the citadel earlier. All of them were quickly accounted for. It was the third ship, larger and more streamlined than the fighters, which had caught his eye.
"And it seems they've brought company," Megabyte said, cocking an eyebrow. "Very interesting."
The female Rider seemed surprised and alarmed by the third ship. [What in the Web?] she cried, obviously caught off-guard. Megabyte narrowed his eyes at her---he never tolerated anything less than peak performance, either from his former binome troops or his new Rider army---but she was too busy at the com station to notice his irritation.
Megabyte looked back to the viewport, as the returning troops and the mysterious third ship approached. As it grew closer, and the hazy glow of the Web illuminated the contours of its hull, the ship's origins became apparent. "More precisely," he said, "what in the Net is it. That ship clearly did not come from the Web."
[I've...] The Rider paused. [I'm receiving a message from our troops. They say the third ship is friendly, sir, but...]
"But what?" Megabyte demanded.
The Rider swallowed. [Its passengers are identifying themselves as Guardians.]
My. Isn't this a surprise. "Can you get me in touch with that ship?"
[Hailing...] The Rider woman's rough, segmented fingers skated across her control pad. [Audio channel only, Lord.]
"That will suffice," Megabyte grumbled, waving a hand. Audio would do for now. He would, soon enough, see the faces of these strangers.
"I am the leader of the Web Riders," he spoke loudly. He would save his name and identify for later, if indeed the Guardian visitors didn't already know who he was. "And just whom do I have the honor of addressing?"
A thickly accented male voice came back over the channel. It had a commanding tone, the voice of a leader, and yet it sounded weary with age or strife.
"My name is Turbo, Prime Guardian. I have an offer for you."
"You're a very long way from the Supercomputer, Prime Guardian," Megabyte said calmly, eyeing the tall silver-skinned sprite across the table from him. Making sure that the Guardians' armed escort remained in the landing bay, the Rider guards had promptly led Turbo and the two lower-ranked Guardians who accompanied him to this room, Megabyte's personal chamber. For now, it had to serve as the conference room that the citadel didn't have. When Megabyte had constructed this fortress, he hadn't expected to entertain many guests.
"Just what is this 'offer', which has brought you out this far?"
Megabyte himself was seated in his throne, just behind the long, narrow black slab table. Turbo stood directly across from him, eyes calm, arms folded across his broad chest. The two other Guardians, both young, nondescript males with a disturbing lack of emotion, were guarded carefully by four of the Riders. Megabyte kept his eyes on the pulsing green veins at the temples of all three Guardians.
"I'll be brief, Lord Megabyte," Turbo replied, stressing the title "Lord". Whether it was meant as sarcasm, Megabyte couldn't tell. "The Supercomputer has changed since you left Mainframe. The Guardians have come under a New Order, allowing us to spread our control to nearly all of the Net. We no longer hunt and destroy viruses like yourself...unless they threaten us."
Megabyte leaned back slightly in his chair, resting his chin on a finger. "Interesting." He waved a hand. "Continue."
"We were sent here by our..." Turbo's drawling voice faded for a moment, as he seemed to be sugarcoating the next words---not for Megabyte's sake, but rather for his own. Finally he compromised, "By the new head of the Guardian Collective. She wishes you to come to the Supercomputer, to discuss terms of a possible alliance."
Now that was interesting.
"You must think this is all very amusing, Prime Guardian," Megabyte said, trying to mask the scowling tone he could still hear seeping into his voice. "I certainly do. The Guardians want to ally with a lost virus who has spent six hours trapped in the Web. Really."
"I assure you that it is no joke," Turbo said.
"I never said it was a joke," Megabyte countered coolly, narrowing his glowing red eyes. "No, it sounds more to me like a trap. And one which I am rather insulted to think you expected me to fall into."
Turbo shrugged impassively. "I'm afraid I have no way to prove myself to you. If it will comfort or persuade you at all, she has given me permission to allow your troops to accompany you to the Supercomputer."
"Really," Megabyte mused, carefully controlling his tone and expression. It still sounded suspicious, yes, but if this new Guardian leader was intending to trap him, inviting him to bring his army along was not the best way to do it. She was either sincere, or else abysmally stupid. Or her army was so vast and well trained that she knew nothing he could have possibly built so far could stand a chance against her. That last option was quite disturbing.
"Just one thing continues to puzzle me, Prime Guardian," Megabyte said, leaning forward and tapping his clawed fingers together. "If this new Guardian Order controls such a large part of the Net already, what exactly does your leader need me so desperately for, that she would be so generous and trusting? Even an army this small has taken me six hours to build. As formidable as these Riders are," he smiled darkly towards the menacing guards standing at the doorway, "I can offer no real military prowess that would aid you."
"It's not an army that she needs." Turbo met the virus's gaze and held it. "There is one system which is serving as a hideout for the only Guardian to defy the New Order. That system is Mainframe."
Megabyte had to force back the rage that swelled inside of him. "So," he bit out sharply through clenched metallic teeth. "Mainframe is still online."
He'd suspected that, hours ago when he captured Mouse, but it had seemed more likely that the hacker had simply escaped to save herself as the system crashed. It was an action that befitted her. But no. Mainframe was still there, all of his enemies still alive. He clenched his right hand so tightly that his sharp talons bit into his palm.
"That certainly says something about the determination of its citizens," he growled. "That still does not explain why you need my help."
"The rogue Guardian must be apprehended and assimilated before he can train others, if he hasn't done so already. We have reason to believe that you have the means with which to open Mainframe to us."
Megabyte nearly bolted upright. How could the Guardians have found out about Mouse...? He looked at Turbo, and then calmed, easing himself back into his throne. No, the Guardian had to be fishing here---he could not have even known that Mouse was here, let alone for what purpose.
"I see. Let us suppose that I can get into Mainframe for you," he suggested. At the moment, he wasn't entirely sure that he could, but the Guardian didn't need to know that. "In return for my assistance I would receive---?" He leaned forward and raised his eyebrows curiously.
Turbo's eyes and voice remained as calm as they had been throughout the entire discussion. "She is prepared to offer you direct control over more than fifty thousand systems as her second-in-command. And your command will, if you like, be located in Mainframe."
The virus's initial reaction was an almost painful rush of anticipation. For a split nanosecond, he could almost see it, visualizing his glorious future. A restored Megaframe, from where he could spread his grip across thousands of systems. The power he had always dreamed of. Reality caught up in no time at all. Such an offer was all but completely impossible. The vision burst like a fragile soap bubble.
"An enormous offer. Your leader will be hard-pressed to keep this promise. And she thinks highly of herself and of you Guardians to offer me Mainframe before you are even able to lay siege to it."
For the first time yet, one of the subordinate Guardians spoke up, and scoffed. "It should be almost effortless for us to take over such a small, poorly-defended system."
"536," Turbo said sharply.
Megabyte smiled at the younger Guardian. "Let me offer you some advice...Guardian 536, is it? Do not underestimate Bob, or his companions. I did." He waved a hand over himself, over the grotesque armor plates. "I think you can see the results for yourself, quite clearly."
Guardian 536's efforts to remain composed were valiant, but Megabyte still could see the young soldier fidget uncomfortably, either from embarrassment or from fear of facing a similar fate. It was actually rather refreshing to finally see some kind of emotion from him.
"Should this bargain be struck, Megabyte, she will keep her end of it. If you keep yours," Turbo cut in with finality. He spread his hands. "The offer is simple. Take it or leave it."
Megabyte took a few nanos to think about it. He had always considered himself intelligent and intuitive, and at face value this alliance seemed outrageous, even dangerously so. It was almost too good to have been a dream, let alone a reality. But as intelligent as he may have been, he had one powerful weakness, one that he had identified and accepted long ago.
That insatiable hunger for power. And it was gnawing at him again right now.
"You say that I may bring an escort of my Web Riders with me to the Supercomputer to meet this..." he waved a hand, "...leader of yours?"
Turbo nodded. "As many as you like."
Megabyte nodded also, considering anxiously, before he finally locked eyes with the Prime Guardian. "I will meet with her. And we will see what comes of it."
The Prime Guardian's mouth curved into a small smile. "I'm glad to hear it. We'll leave immediately."
"Not just yet," Megabyte disagreed, putting up a hand. "I have some...unfinished business here, and I will also need time to assemble my troops. We will depart next second."
"Very well." Nodding over his shoulder at the two younger Guardians, Turbo turned on his heels and headed silently for the door, with 536 and the other soldier close behind him.
"Oh, and Prime Guardian?" Megabyte called after him. Turbo did not turn to face him, but he stopped in the open doorway. "Yes?"
"Does this leader of yours have a name?"
Keeping his back to Megabyte, Turbo paused for a moment before replying softly, "Yes. She does." Without another word, he and his Guardians left the chamber.
Stroking his lower jaw, Megabyte gestured for the Rider guard standing beside his throne to step closer.
[Yes, my Lord?] the soldier asked.
"I want you to begin preparations for my departure. Assemble three regiments of my finest soldiers and ready my command ship. Make sure that we have a full fighter complement aboard as well."
[I obey, Lord.]
"Oh, and one more thing," Megabyte called after the Rider as he began to leave. The soldier turned back to him. "I think it's time we put our newest weapon to use."
Even amongst his army of mindlessly loyal Web Riders, Megabyte made sure that the hidden chamber was protected under an almost paranoid level of security. The first entrance, located about halfway down the corridor to the main hangar, was camouflaged, and four large, armed Riders guarded the chamber it led to. The second door wasn't hidden, but it was far more difficult to get past. If the guards weren't enough to stop an intruder, the locks were programmed to accept only the pattern of Megabyte's voice and those of half a dozen of his techs. The lasers mounted in the ceiling would delete anyone who tried to get in without being recognized, before they even had the chance to lift a finger to key the doors open. This chamber was a combination of a storeroom, and the heart of the citadel's mechanical systems. An impressive collection of functional and damaged equipment filled the long, rectangular room. All of this technology, the Riders had scavenged from various corners of the Web. The majority of it had been discarded by other systems, tossed into the Web as refuse. A few other items had been stripped from probes and search engines, or else had belonged to the few individuals who were unfortunate enough to find themselves out here.
It was startling, the variety of equipment that they'd come across, everything from encryption devices to food synthesizers. Megabyte's small group of techs worked diligently here in this chamber, repairing and installing anything useful the scavengers returned with. All of the citadel's critical systems ran from here, where only a select and trusted few could access them.
For the moment, Megabyte had no interest in any of the equipment, save for the stasis chamber at the far end of the room.
He walked over to the cylinder of energy, gazing through the flickering blue field at the unconscious form suspended within it. This was his key to Mainframe. This was his new weapon. "Is the transmitter in place?" he asked.
One of the techs standing nearby turned to him and nodded. [Yes, Lord. It is functioning within acceptable perimeters, and she has already been programmed with her orders.]
"Excellent." Megabyte watched the hypnotic waves of energy rippling over the hazy violet silhouette. "It is time. Deactivate the field."
[Yes, Lord.] The tech reached over to his console and keyed a brief command. With a groan, the field generator powered down, and the beam of energy slowly faded and disappeared. The sprite inside slumped against the back of the chamber, moaning softly. Slowly, groggily, she lifted her head.
Megabyte grinned. "Good morning, Mouse," he greeted. "And how are you feeling?"