Elemental Force
by WebMistressGina
Chapter 22 - Mind Games, Part 2
"Miss Matrix, we're being attacked!"
"Deploy what's left of the CPUs! We've got to at least get away before he discovers our location!"
"Dot, sugah, our read outs have been destroyed. I'm gonna try and hack through, but it'll take some time."
"This is too much. Too much right now."
"Sir, ma'am. Megabyte's troops have complete and...total control over the Principal Office."
"People of Mainframe, I suggest you surrender, unless you want more carnage to take place. Your leaders have run away. Bob is gone. The boy and his...fish friend are gone...and I have taken care of Phong. Only Dot Matrix alludes me and...really, Miss Matrix. Do you actually think you can win?"
Dot immediately looked at her surroundings. She was in her office, sitting at her desk, looking at files and vidwindows. Letting go of a breath, she ran a hand of her face. That time in her life, in Mainframe's history, seemed so long ago, but so very fresh in her processor where she had locked away the memories. She remembered that incident very well. It was shortly after they had lost Matrix and AndrAIa and the Principal Office had been taken by Megabyte. She had lost so many loved ones already in the span of about four to six minutes. First Bob, then her brother, then Phong, and now her system.
But it was something she hadn't thought of in hours, shutting it away where she could never access it again.
A sudden knock on the door startled her, until it opened revealing Bob to be on the other side. "Sorry, I was just wondering..." he started, but seeing her and the look on her face, he quickly walked in, shutting the door behind him. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Dot smiled. "I'm fine." she said, standing and walking over to him. "I guess I must've been overloaded with those windows, I kinda dozed off. Had a...nightmare I guess."
Bob just nodded, somehow knowing the torment she had faced.
"I sympathize." he sighed. "I haven't been sleeping too well either."
Reaching up and stroking his cheek, she whispered, "I know. What's wrong, Bobby?"
The guardian shook his head and pulled her closer to him. "I don't know." he said. "I've been in a weird funk lately. And I've noticed it's not just me."
"Matrix and AndrAIa." she said, nodding. "Come to think of it, I just started having nightmares right after you all did."
"It's connected." Bob chuckled a bit. "Sounds like de ja vu, huh?"
Dot gave him a sad smile. "Have you seen Hex recently?" she asked.
"I still don't know what's wrong." he said, a scowl replacing his smile. "It's like...like she's trapped again. Inside her own mind maybe."
"I don't like how things are turning, Bob."
"Neither do I." he said. "And from past experience, I can say it's only going to get worse."
* * *
"It is so boring hanging out in the Principal Office."
Five sprites sat in Phong's office, watching a DVD on a small screen. Or rather, one sprite was watching the DVD, the other four were complaining about being there. "Stop whining, you guys." Kit said, his eyes never leaving the movie. "This is for our own protection, remember?"
"Kit, explain this five element do-hickey thing again." Sabrina said, coming around and shutting off the tv.
The young man sighed and turned to face his siblings and cousins. "Phong says the five elements are fire, wind, water, metal, and earth. We're supposed to represent one of each of the elements."
"I wish Phong would tell us which ones we are." Chip murmured.
"Phong doesn't even know." Kit said in defense. "But forget about that now. What're we going to do about Gain? Ever since his attack on Chip, no one has seen or heard from him since."
"You think he left?" Nikki asked.
"Hardly." Jet replied. "If what Phong says is true, and I think it is, we're the reason why he's here. Why only get two elements, when he came for five?"
"Okay, so where do our parents fit into all of this?" Sabrina asked.
"The way Phong sees it," Kit started. "And I'm with Jet on this. I think it's true as well, they're the original elements. Well, not the original, per se, but they are the originals as of their generation. Besides, they each bring something different to the mix. And like I said, they weren't five until the restart and Enzo appeared."
"So why isn't Gain after them as well?" Chip asked.
"Maybe he is." Jet mused. "Have you noticed they aren't looking too good. Dad hasn't been sleeping lately..."
"Neither have our Mom and Dad!" Chip exclaimed.
"There is something..." Nikki started, but then stopped, unsure of any importance.
"What, Nikki?" asked Kit.
"Well...it just seems to me like Gain is out for more than just us." she said.
"Meaning?" Sabrina asked.
"I think he's out for revenge." she said. "He kept saying that Dad was going to get what was coming to him and that he was avenging all those that we had deleted."
Both Kit and Sabrina's faces turned ashen at learning this.
"What do you think he means by that?" Chip asked, seeing the looks on the two oldest. "Guys? You're not spacing on us, are you?"
Kit looked at Sabrina and said, "I told you he knew."
"Hello? Guys?" Nikki said, waving her hand in front of them. "Wanna tell us what's going on?"
"Just know we're in trouble." Kit said. "Really big trouble."
* * *
Gain stood in Floating Point Park, able to blend in to the surroundings. He loved his power as a viral. Here they were looking for him as they had seen him when he had entered, and now he was dressed and even looked like someone else. He smiled, looking out at the Energy Sea. His plan was coming together nicely. As of now, he had the elder sprites in a nightmarish grip. His smile widen. Surely they knew he was aware of the other five elements that were in this system. Or maybe they didn't, as they hadn't pieced tow and two together yet. If he could knock down their defenses, the rest of the elements would be his for the taking.
Two down, three to go.
* * *
Phong stood in the command room, listening to Specky talk about low entry energy levels and the like, but the wise sprite wasn't paying too much attention to the little binome. Instead, Phong was glancing around the room at the other sprites there. AndrAIa and Enzo were working on finding and getting a lock on Alexander Gain. The sprite had mysteriously disappeared from their sensors, causing even more slight panic to those involved. Alex was talking to Matrix, who appeared to be off in another of one his "black outs". Phong noted he had seen the same looks on Bob and AndrAIa's faces and just today, Bob had mentioned Dot was suffering too.
The wise sprite shook his head. What was going on here? All he could tell was that Gain was involved and could possibly be viral, something the system administrator was reluctant to tell the rest of the city. And one alley that could've helped was still laying comatose in the P.O.'s medical ward. So far, the ex-virus hadn't been responsive to any normal treatment, thus rendering her help void. Phong gave a nod as Specky finished his report and hurried back to his office. The current situation only made him worry more. He still couldn't believe he had missed the strong coincidences of those sprites closest to him. True he had noticed the puppy love developed between Matrix and AndrAIa, but he could never fully grasp what would come in those hours.
It all had to have started with AndrAIa...no. The Twin City. If it had not exploded, as Kit had mentioned, then it would not have caused the two viruses in their systems. But it only worked when Dot and Enzo were still in Mainframe. No, he thought. It had to have started with Bob coming. However accidental it may have been, Bob's arrival and then AndrAIa's surely bonded with the Matrix siblings. Phong had always said it was fate that brought Bob to the system, as it was fate that AndrAIa was the first and only game sprite living out of the games, thanks to Enzo Matrix himself. And it had to have been fate when the restart happened and Enzo came back to them.
As Kit said, with Enzo's arrival, the five elements were in place.
And, history was repeating and this time, had far more power than they could ever realize. The Lan siblings were the manifesting product of their father's keytool, now a part of him and perhaps even his wife. The Matrix children were incredibly unique at best, Sabrina predicting game cubes and Chip being the self-proclaimed 'fastest kid in the Net'. Phong shook his head again. How could he have possibly missed this? And how could he not have seen what could be a danger to them as well? Truth was, Phong had never given in to the legend of elements, but just recently, he couldn't help himself but to look more into it. Perhaps that was fate intervening as well.
Either way, they had another battle to go through, one that they might not be able to win.
* * *
Cold.
She was utterly cold.
And angry.
Hexadecimal knew where she was, but was unable to deliver the message she had wanted to for so long. They had a virus in their midst and an evil one at that. She had no idea why he had been so interested in the sprites of the system, especially when he could've had tea with her. But when his questions weren't answered, she had been attacked.
And that wasn't just something you didn't do.
This new virus had now made a very bad enemy in the Queen of Chaos. And she knew he was still in the system. She could sense him, even in her state, she could sense any virus that walked through the door. She would have revenge. That was just a given, but now she was intrigued. Why was he here? To attack her? No. If that was true, he could easily finish the job, but he hadn't. He was here for another reason. She must get free from this prisoner of hers. She must! That virus was here for no good and she wasn't going to let him make mincemeat out of her little system.
On her face, a smile emerged, thinking about how she's be free at any nano.