Part II - Settling In
"Dot."
The Command.com turned to see Bob approach. She smiled, but it was strained. "Hey."
The Guardian put an arm around her waist and followed her gaze. Enzo was fast asleep in his bed, a small smile on his face.
"How is he?" Bob asked softly.
"He couldn�t be better. Now that he knows everything�well, most of it�he thinks it was all a great adventure that he missed."
"Dot�"
"I swear, if another virus dropped unexpectedly into this system, his first response would be �Alphanumeric!�"
"Dot," Bob said again, and now his tone was serious. "We need to talk about Matrix and AndrAIa."
"What is there to talk about?"
"Dot, he�s your brother, for User�s sake!" They had to move into the living room so as not to wake Enzo. "He wants so much to be with you again, and you�re completely ignoring him."
"Bob, how would you feel if you were Enzo and suddenly your world was turned upside down? I don�t want him�either of them�to be uncomfortable. I just want a happy, normal life for them."
"Matrix and AndrAIa at least need a place to stay."
Dot nodded. "I know. And I was thinking of doing just that for them�finding them a suitable home." She sighed. "You�re right, I should talk to them now. Where are they?"
"I think Floating Point. Let�s go."
She started to pull out her zip-board, but Bob used his keytool powers to create a portal, and they went in that instead.
"This is exactly where Enzo would go�the park or Old Man Pearson�s Data Dump," Dot sighed, looking around at the quiet park.
"There they are," Bob said, pointing. Up ahead two figures could be seen sitting on a bench. Dot followed Bob.
It was Matrix and AndrAIa. The couple was fast asleep in each other�s arms. Dot was struck by how much they looked like lost children and war veterans at the same time; even in their sleep, the sprites looked world-weary.
"Well?" Bob asked. When Dot didn�t make a move forward, he gave her a "What�s the matter with you?" look and tapped Matrix on the shoulder. "Uh, Matrix?"
The renegade groaned and opened his eyes to stare at his mentor. "What is it?" he asked. AndrAIa stirred in his arms and awoke as well.
"You guys can stay at my place tonight," Bob told them. "Then Dot can find you a real home."
AndrAIa, now fully awake, smiled wearily. "Thanks." The two sprites got up off the bench and followed them out the park.
As they headed their separate ways, Dot spoke up for the first time in several milliseconds. "I need to talk to you two later tonight," she said. "So once you get situated, visit me at the P.O."
"Sure," Matrix said, and with a nod Dot left.
"Sorry I couldn�t get you guys anything more glamorous," Bob apologized as he pulled out the small bed by his car.
"It�s great," AndrAIa assured him, looking around Bob�s garage as he left.
She settled down on the bed next to Matrix, who lay on his back, arms behind his head. "Thanks," he said after a few moments� silence. "At least someone cares about our well-being." There was no mistaking the bitter tone in his voice. AndrAIa gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Miss me?" Bob had returned, and now he sported a pair of headphones in his chrome dreadlocks, and he was carrying a wrench. "Hope you don�t mind if I tinker with my car a little?"
They shook their heads, and Bob slid under his red Turbo V262 and switched on his radio. Soon his bad singing drifted out from under the car as he tinkered and sang.
AndrAIa turned to Matrix and whispered, "Did he always do that?"
His mouth twisted into a half-smile. "Always."
"Duh duh doo doo�whoo, yeah! Sorry." Bob looked out from under the car. "Doesn�t Dot want to talk to you?"
"Yeah. We should go." Matrix sighed and heaved himself up from the bed. "Come on."
He and AndrAIa left on their zip-boards. Bob shrugged and returned to his singing.
Matrix glanced around at their surroundings. "Principle Office hasn�t changed a bit," he muttered.
He and AndrAIa came to a door marked Dot Matrix: Command.com. A binome guarding it took a look at them and, nodding in approval let them in.
Now she�s got guards, Matrix thought a bit disgustedly as they entered the office.
Dot sat at her desk, talking through a VidWindow to a binome. When Matrix and AndrAIa approached, she closed it and smiled at the sprites.
"Please, sit down," she said. They did.
"How�s Enzo?" AndrAIa asked.
Dot smiled slightly. "The same as always�happy, hyperactive, you know." She sighed. "Now to business. I know you two need a place to stay, and I�ve found somewhere. There are several apartments in another sector. All are well-modified, and�"
"Why can�t we just stay at Bob�s?" AndrAIa cut in.
Dot sighed again. "It�s far too close to Baudway, and I don�t want any unfortunate run-ins."
"You haven�t told Enzo yet?" Matrix asked.
Dot shook her head. "Now, I�ve got a good deal, and I want you two to have somewhere to stay, but nondescript."
Matrix was clenching his fists at the thought of being isolated from the other sprites, his irritation showing. To avoid any trouble, AndrAIa said, "That sounds great."
"Good. Now I just need to write you up some rooms, and�" Dot leaned over her organizer, but Matrix stopped her.
"That�s okay, we only need one."
"One?" Dot repeated, staring at them.
"Yeah," AndrAIa replied. Beginning to squirm under Dot�s stare, she said, "We�we�re used to it from the Games. We really don�t mind, Dot."
"We�re adults, you know," Matrix added. "We can do what we want."
The hard edge in his voice stopped her. "All right," Dot said. She keyed in a few commands in her organizer, then looked back up at them. "It�s done. You�ll go there tomorrow. Good night."
They nodded, and started out the door. Matrix stopped at the doorway and looked at her.
"`Night, Si�Dot." Then they were gone.
"G�day. Anyone here?" the accented voice of Ray Tracer called from outside Ship�s hatchway.
"Ah�m raht here, Sugah," Mouse replied, looking up from the console she was working at. "Come on in."
Ray did, carrying his Baud. Looking around, he gave a soft whistle. "Nice place you got."
"Yeah, me�n Ship have been together for as long as Ah remember. It�s mah home."
"Pretty cozy," the Surfr remarked. "Mouse, I was wonderin� if maybe I could crash here for a couple o� cycles, maybe?"
"Sure thing, Ray. Sounds like a good idea ta me. It�s lonely sometimes." Mouse came over and gave him a long kiss.
"Sounds good ta me, too," he replied when they stopped. Ray sat down on a box and laid out his Baud next to him. "Besides, I needed a place to stay . . ."
"What with the bit o� chaos that�s happenin� with the Matrix family and all?" Mouse supplied.
Ray nodded. "Yeah. I�ve been meaning to ask someone about that. What is it with the kid, Enzo? Is he related to Matrix and Dot, or what?"
Mouse joined him on the box. "It�s a long story."
"I�m willing to listen," he replied. "Won�t be goin� anywhere for a while."
Mouse grinned. "Good."
Bob stepped out of the shower, humming a tune to himself. He turned his icon, changing into his normal silver outfit as he started out the door. He thought it would be nice to pay a visit to the diner.
He stopped for a nano when he passed by the garage. The door was slightly open, and through it he could see Matrix snoring on the bed. Bob grinned. AndrAIa came in from the bathroom and smiled sleepily at Bob. The Guardian nodded back and zipped out the door.
He could�ve used a portal, he knew, but it felt nice to just zip around like he used to, before the war, when things were normal.
Bob decided that he might need a portal, though, when he arrived at the diner and saw Frisket sleeping right in front of the doors. He knew that if he tried to get in, the dog would growl and stop him.
A memory struck him suddenly: Some cycles after he had arrived in Mainframe, he had tried to get into the diner only to be stopped by Frisket. Bob had gone through the window to avoid being terrorized. When Dot had seen him, she had joked, "Ever heard of a door?" Bob had replied, "Ever heard of a Frisket?"
He smiled and decided to take his chances, stepping over Frisket as quickly as he could and making it inside. But there was someone waiting for him when he made it through.
"BOB!"
Enzo launched himself at his hero, neatly tackling him to the ground.
"Hey-Bob-it�s-great-to-see-you-What-are-you-doing-here-Can-you-convince-Dot-not-to-make-me-go-to-school?"
Bob pushed himself up, shaking his head at the youngster�s attitude. It had been so long since he had been knocked over by Enzo, and he had to admit he had missed it a bit. He looked over at the Command.com who stood off to the side, massaging an aching temple. She smiled tiredly at Bob.
He bent down next to Enzo. "Enzo, you need to go to school. You�ll meet some new friends."
The sprite frowned. "Come on, I�m the only sprite my age in the entire system. Who�m I supposed to make friends with?"
"Well, uh, you also need to learn things in school," Bob pressed.
Enzo rolled his eyes. "Aww, it�s all basic!"
"Come on, Little Brother," Dot said, handing him his lunch. Reluctantly Enzo went outside and zipped off with Frisket running beside him.
Bob came over to Dot. Putting an arm around her waist, he kissed her cheek. "Good morning."
"Morning," she replied, sounding tired. "Join me for an energy shake?"
"Sure," he replied. The two of them started to a booth. Cecil came by on his cable. Taking one look at the Guardian, he said, "Wait at ze bar!"
"It�s all right," Dot assured Bob. "He�s always like that, you know."
Bob nodded. Some things never change, he thought.
AndrAIa nudged Matrix in an attempt to wake him up, but the large sprite just rolled over, giving a large snore.
"Come on, wake up," the game sprite sighed. She poked him again, to no avail. She tried one more time. This time she brushed one of the bruises he had gotten in his fight against Megabyte. Matrix opened his eyes and groaned.
"Good morning, Lover," AndrAIa told him. He responded with something close to a grunt.
AndrAIa grinned. "Looks like someone is a bit of a grouch in the morning," she said, nudging him in the side again. Matrix winced as she hit his bruise again.
AndrAIa saw the grimace, and asked, "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I�m fine," he said, waving a hand, as he sat up. When AndrAIa fixed him with a disbelieving expression, he said, "Really, it doesn�t hurt."
The game sprite poked him experimentally in the side.
"Ow! All right, maybe it hurts a little. It�s just a small bruise."
"That doesn�t matter. You�re going to get a diagnostic program, mister."
Matrix sighed, but AndrAIa fixed him with a glare, and he muttered resignedly, "Fine." He clicked into his normal outfit and the two of them started to leave.
"Then later today we�re going to see that apartment your sister picked out," AndrAIa continued. She smiled. "You know, I think Dot�s planning is starting to rub off on me," she said.
"Alphanumeric," her lover muttered, closing the door.
Enzo couldn�t concentrate during his classes. His mind was filled with confused thoughts. One nano he had been minding his business, the next he was suddenly alone in the Principle Office. He had gone outside to find that his whole world had greatly changed.
Bob and Dot had told him what he had missed, of course, but questions still lingered in his mind. Nothing seemed to make sense. Somehow, a portal to the Web had been opened, and Bob had been shot into it by Megabyte because they had been working with him and Hexadecimal. After that Dot had told him vague details: they had hidden in the Principle Office and fought the viruses until the pirates (the only strange visitors Enzo remembered) had come with Bob to stop Megabyte. Hex had been registered and hung around them, and the other sprites�Mouse, Ray Tracer, Matrix, and AndrAIa�worked into it all somehow.
Those last two sprites�Enzo couldn�t help but feel odd around them. AndrAIa was so beautiful, and he couldn�t get his mind off her. There was something in her that he didn�t see in other sprites. Then that Matrix the Renegade guy�Enzo felt totally different around him. The few times they were near one another the large sprite would stare at him, then look away quickly when Enzo looked his way. Enzo felt as if he knew Matrix from somewhere, though, but he had no idea why.
"Enzo Matrix!"
"Uh, yes, Ms. Brodie?" Enzo asked, jolted out of his thoughts. The teacher was giving him a glare.
"Please, keep your mind on the class." A few students snickered as Enzo felt himself go red.
"Yes, Ms. Brodie," he said as the lesson resumed.
After school Enzo zipped to the diner for a shake. He was about to go inside when two figures caught his eye: Matrix and AndrAIa standing still outside. He called out a greeting and started to walk over. But when they saw him Matrix whispered something to AndrAIa, and they left.
"Wait!" Enzo shouted, but they were too far gone. Perplexed, he went inside and found that Bob and Dot were sitting in a booth, along with another couple: Mouse and Ray.
"Hey there, Sugah," the hacker called as Enzo walked in. "What�s processin�?"
"Nothing," the youngster replied, sitting down and ordering his own shake. They drank in silence, then Enzo looked up and asked, "Bob? D�ya think maybe we could go circuit racing or something?"
Bob frowned. "Hmm?"
Enzo swirled his drink around in his cup. "It�s just . . . it seems like I don�t see you anymore, `cause you�re always at the Principle Office or with everyone else talking about stuff." He frowned at the last word.
Bob was surprised. "Uh, sure, Enzo, I�ll go with you."
The little sprite�s face brightened. "Really? Alphanumeric!" He hopped off the stool and started for the door. Bob started to get up as well, but Dot stopped him.
"Wait." She smiled. "I�ve forgotten what it was like when Enzo idolized you."
"Yeah, well, looks like I�m gonna be exhausted again," Bob replied. "Care to join us?"
Dot shook her head. "Sorry, I can�t." Her smile melted into a frown. "I�m showing Matrix and AndrAIa their new place." Her voice dropped an octave lower. "I�m afraid of how it�ll turn out."
Bob put a hand on her shoulder for reassurance. "Don�t worry. Everything will work out fine. See ya." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and left.
Dot pushed herself up from the table and smiled tiredly at the other two sprites. "Well, I�m off as well. I�ll see you guys later this cycle?"
They nodded, and Dot left, her chest tight with anxiety. How would her brother and his girlfriend react when they saw their new home? She couldn�t help but worry.
Matrix actually had nothing to say. He just glared at the pale walls and windows of the apartment, his emotion showing clearly. AndrAIa looked around with a seemingly more accepting expression, but she too was uncomfortable.
"I hope this will be fine," Dot said. She concealed the nervousness in her voice with her usual business-like attitude. "I�ll leave you two to settle in." She left quickly, not wanting to stay.
AndrAIa looked over at Matrix, who leaned against the wall and wore his usual frown.
"Does she even care about our well-being?" he wondered to no one in particular.
"Matrix . . ." AndrAIa sighed. She hated his angsty attitude, and tired of having to comfort him. "It�ll be fine. We can fix this place up; get some furniture."
"What�s the use? This isn�t home. Why should we try to make it like it?"
"I know this isn�t." Finally AndrAIa�s patience wore out. "I give up. Matrix, I�m fed up with you. Nothing is ever just fine for you. We�re finally home, in the place we�ve been searching for for hours�and all you can do is complain! Just shut up," she said when he opened his mouth. "I�ll leave you to think your dark little thoughts," she sneered and left, closing the door.
Matrix gritted his teeth. After a nano he hit the wall with his fist in anger. Nothing seemed to be going right that cycle.