"Boo!"
"You are scaring him, Hack!" chided Slash, whacking the red bot across the head with a clank.
"Ow! I do not think Nibbles likes Peek-a-Boo," Hack replied to his friend, "he keeps squealing."
Hack and Slash had once again been given the less than pleasant task of taking care of Megabytes pet null, Nibbles. They always seemed to get the job after bungling their more important missions; and Megabyte had seemed none too pleased when the bots accidentally blew up his newest weapon. So they once again found themselves in Nibbles's room, feeding and coddling the green creature. Nibbles watched them intently, occasionally squealing and flopping around his crib.
"It is time for his bedtime story," said Hack, holding up a read-me file entitled
The Binome Princess.
"Oh, I love stories," said Slash, clapping his hands together excitedly.
"It's not for you, it's for Nibbles!" replied Hack.
"I can still hear it!"
"You have to get his bottle!"
"Nuh-uh!"
The bots turned their backs to Nibbles, bickering over the story, and the null looked up; this was his chance to escape. These two were not very bright. Time to do a bit of exploring. Nibbles squirmed out through the bars, out the door of his room and down the hall of the Tor.
Slash, finally agreeing to get the bottle if he could hear the story, turned back around and went towards the crib. "Here, Nibbles, Nibbles," he called. He looked in the bed and saw...nothing. Slash tapped a finger on his head, a bit confused. He looked over at Hack.
"Uh, Hack..." he began, "did you take Nibbles out of his crib?"
"No, that I did not. I thought you did," replied the red bot.
"I did not."
"Me neither."
"Then he is gone."
"Yes he is."
They stood for a nano, taking in this information, then gave a loud cry as they realized what it meant.
"Nibbles is gone!" yelled Hack.
"I know! What are we gonna do?" asked Slash nervously.
"Megabyte is gonna delete us for sure!" Hack began to tremble. "We are in so much trouble!"
"He'll erase us!"
"Vaporize us!"
"I don't wanna end file!"
"We gotta find Nibbles," Hack scratched his head. "Where would you go if you were a null?"
"That I do not know," replied Slash. "Where do nulls go?"
"I just asked you that."
"No you didn't."
"Yes I did."
"Did not."
Their voices faded out as they continued arguing, making their way to the base of the Tor. They glanced around, and, certain that Megabyte was not in sight, flew off in search of a very lost null.
They headed towards Lost Angles, occasionally stopping to call out Nibbles's name.
"Do you see him?" Asked Hack.
"Well, I see a null over there, but it's kinda purple," replied Slash.
"Oh! Oh! A green one! There!" exclaimed Hack excitedly.
"And over here!" came Slash's reply.
"And there!"
Nulls seemed to swarm everywhere as they approached the bridge to Lost Angles. A bright green one looked up at them, however, and began slithering away.
"Look at that one. It sure is fast," said Hack.
"Yup, it sure is. It kinda looks like Nibbles."
They watched it go for a nano, and as recognition set in, they exclaimed, "Nibbles!"
"Get him!" yelled Slash.
The two pursued Nibbles over the bridge. Nibbles, for the most part, was enjoying his little walk. He happily zigzagged back and forth among the charred ruins of the Twin City. Every now and then, he would flop from rubble to the broken pavement only to slither upwards again. Like most nulls, Nibbles knew the ins and outs of the remains and soon found himself wiggling his way into the shelter of another virus.
* * *
Hex sat perched on her throne, her cape swaying over the purple cushion, as she continued the task at hand. Creating works of art always consumed most of her time when she felt inspired. This was one of those seconds. Nibbles paused and watched her work, the paint flying and the concentration she actually managed to obtain. Hex brandished a paintbrush as she would a sword, slashing, and then pausing to add one minor stroke. Skuzzy sat in position posing as her model for the piece.
Once her back was turned, Nibbles glimpsed at her creation. A Picasso inspired work, rather Cubist. A portrait of her beloved Skuzzy, only very shape-oriented with angular lines. The null continued to explore this space. The blue hexagon print walls, the smooth gray marble floor, and the red sloping slides were so different from his steel bar crib and metallic blue floor at the Tor.
Meanwhile, outside in Lost Angles, two figures frantically searched for something.
"Did he go in here?"
"I saw him go over there."
"But I saw him go here!"
"Here!"
"Here!"
At that moment, a pit opened beneath them and the two robots plunged into the darkness.
"Aaa! I'm falling, Hack!"
"Me too, Slash!"
"It's dark! I wanna get off this ride!" cried Slash.
"This is fun! Whee!" exclaimed Hack, just as they fell through an the bottom of the tunnel, and collapsed in a heap in the throne room of
Hexadecimal's lair.
Nibbles heard a loud clang behind him. Immediately, he began slithering towards Hexadecimal. Hiding safely behind the heel of her boot, Nibbles chirped encouragingly at Hack and Slash.
Hex turned at the sound. Her eyes narrowed at the site of the two bots scrambling to pull themselves together.
"Uh-oh. I think she saw us..." whispered Hack.
"Just go backwards real slow," replied Slash in a loud whisper. They began backing up, holding on to each other tightly.
"Going somewhere, boys?" cooed Hex.
Hexadecimal, being in a playful mood, stopped them dead in their tracks with a wave of her hand. Nibbles chose this particular moment to take his leave. After stopping only once to watch as Hex turned them into a junkyard sculpture, he squirmed away, swishing his tail as he continued his adventure.
"I cannot move my arms," whined Slash, who was now wrapped tightly in vines.
"I cannot move my head."
"I cannot move at all. I do not like these vines!"
"I like your sculpture. It is very exciting," said Hack, who was himself set on a stone pedestal.
"Oh, you do, do you?" came a voice behind them as Hexadecimal approached. "Do tell me more about how much you like my work. Biscuit?"
* * *
Kits was alive and bustling. Compared to the dismal surroundings of Lost Angles, Kits was a nice change. Nibbles continued on his way heading towards the docks. To a null, Mainframe seemed enormous. For the most part, Nibbles slithered along, going unnoticed by the citizens around him. A nanny pushing a baby carriage narrowly missed running over his tail. Another binome sat
on a bench, near the docks, playing a harmonica while another went along tipping his hat and greeting everyone he saw. Eventually, Nibbles found himself at
Mainframe's docking bay.
He ventured up one of the boarding ramps and onto the ship. The ship was a large vessel, stretching several micrometers in length. The null worked his way across the main deck, observing the masts and paneling. If only he had watched where he was going, he would have seen the hatch in front of him. Nibbles realized all too late that he had fallen through the grating and into the hold below, landing in a bucket of potato skins. Looking up, he saw a brown binome with an apron and
chef's hat, steadily peeling potato as if the Net would crash tomorrow.
Nibbles flopped out of the bucket landing on the ground. He made his way to the mess hall and ducked into a barrel; the green null bobbed up and down in the ROM until a hand grasping a mug scooped him out.
* * *
Hack and Slash hovered over the city. After Hex had tired of their whining, she sent them packing back to Megabyte. Luckily,
Meggy's henchmen were so used to having to reassemble the pair, they didn't even bother to ask what had happened to them.
"I saw him go this way!" called Hack, as he headed towards the docks.
"There! No wait...There! I think."
"We better find him before Megabyte finds out!"
"Oh boy, oh boy, we better! Is that him on that ship-like thingy?"
"You mean that ship?"
"Yes."
"Why, yes it is. He is going to fall down that hole if he is not careful."
They watched as Nibbles plunged through the hatch, into the hold of the Saucy Mare.
"Ahh! Get him!" yelled Slash, as they flew quickly towards the ship.
Hack and Slash landed on the deck of the Saucy Mare. Peering down into the hatch, Slash extended his arm, trying to grab the null before he could get away.
"Oh! Oh! I think I got him!"
"You do?"
"It is either him or a bucket."
"Pull it out! Hurry!"
Slash retracted his arm, but went crashing to the floor when he found that his hand would not pull the object out. He tried again, still the same effect. Meanwhile, below deck, the cook stopped peeling potatoes and stared at the spot his bucket once occupied. After giving the room a quick scan, he found the container dangling from the ceiling attached to a blue hand. He left to find the captain.
A merry tune could be heard from within the mess hall. The cook pushed open the door only to have to dodge a flying donut as he
entered the space.
"Cap'n! We have intruders on board sir! I saw them with me own eye!"
"What's that, lad? Intruders? On my fine ship? We can't be having such a thing here! Mr. Andrews!"
"Yes sir?"
"Go wake the Princess. We have company."
As the binome left to carry out his task, he was met by two voices arguing down the corridor.
"Why do you have to pull my hand so hard?" said a deep voice.
"Because you were stuck!" cried a higher one.
"But that did not mean that you had to be so rough!"
"Oh, stop whining! We have find Nibbles!"
Mr. Andrews slipped into Princess Bula's quarters. He found the princess asleep on her cot.
"Bula," he whispered. The giantess binome opened her eye.
"Go sleepy" she mumbled.
"Bula, the captain says we have trespassers. He needs your help."
* * *
"Shh! What-what was that sound?" asked Hack.
"I didn't hear anything." said Slash.
"There's someone in there," replied Hack, pointing at the dining hall's door.
"It is not nice to point, Hack."
"Will you be quiet?!"
Hack pressed against the door.
"Ah, Princess! Did you enjoy your beauty rest?" a voice said.
"Rest good," came a simpleton reply.
Hack dared to peek inside the room. Upon doing so, he surveyed the space. A cluttered table strewn with various assortments of food and drinking mugs, a party of pirates, and a few barrels arranged around the room. Bobbing up and down in one mug was a green creature.
"Nibbles!" cried Slash from behind him.
At the sound of movement outside, the pirates turned towards the door.
"Now look what you did! They see us!"
"No, they don't! They're looking at something behind us."
"Slash, there is nothing behind us!"
"Oh."
Both stared for a moment before making a move.
"LOGIC ERROR!"
The two turned and scrambled down the hall.
"After those swaggards! They'll not be causing mayhem on me ship! A 200 unit bonus to the swab that catches the bloody rascals!" announced Capacitor. His crew filed out the door and pursued their prey.
Nibbles watched the scene from his position on the table. He had to give them credit; they were persistent. An unexpected sinking feeling told him he was being moved. Glancing behind him, he saw a rusty mustache and a gaping hole. Nibbles swam for his life towards the bottom of the cup. Gavin slammed his mug down on the table and scurried to join his crew in their search. Once he was sure the Crimson Binome was gone, he squirmed out of his hiding spot. Time to see more sights.
Hack and Slash managed to make it to the main deck.
"Do you think we lost them?" asked Slash.
"I do not know," replied Hack.
Looking behind them, they saw no one.
"I think we are safe, old buddy," said Hack, "Slash? Buddy?" He turned around. "Ahh!"
* * *
Nibbles slithered up the steps. He felt a little tipsy from being in the mug for such a long period of time, but he managed to keep going. The green null made his way across the main deck. He paused for a second to watch the celebration. The pirates cheered and waved their file lockers in the air; a few fired energy pistols. Nibbles attention was drawn to one of the branches of a mast. There, hanging upside down and bound together with rope, hung Hack and Slash.
"Whaaa! Whaaa!"
"Aw, Hack! Don't cry!"
"Whaaa!"
"Quiet you filthy laggards! Quit your mangy blubberin'!" declared Capacitor.
"Cry baby," remarked Bula.
"I am not!" Hack whined.
"Ready when you are Princess," stated the captain.
"Hey, is she really a princess?" inquired Slash.
"No. You wanna tell her any different?"
"Go bye bye," Bula said while waving to the bots.
"Bye bye?"
Bula untied the rope from the mast. The pirates cleared away.
"Hey! What's going on?"
Bula slung the two over her shoulder and walked to the railing of the ship.
"Bye bye," she said again. Bula waved the rope in the air as she would a lasso. After a nano of repeating the action, Bula released her grip on the rope sending the two bots flying over the energy C. This was met with the cheers of the pirates.
"Back down stairs, lads! We have more celebrating to do!"
No one noticed as a small green creature slipped down the docking ramp and disappeared into the system.
* * *
"I told you not to say anything but NO!!!" said Hack.
"Oh, sure. Put all the blame on me! You were the one who opened the door!"
"Yes, but you weren't supposed to say anything!"
"Yeah? Well, at least I'm not a big cry baby!"
"Cry Baby?! I am not a cry baby!"
"Hey! Hey! Wait a nano!" Slash said.
"What is it now?" complained Hack.
"Weren't we supposed to be doing something right now?"
"Yes! We are supposed to be looking for Nibbles."
"Nibbles!" they screamed in unison.
And off they went in search of the null again.
* * *
Nibbles, for the most part, found this part of his trip interesting. He had seen many fascinating machines at the Tor but nothing like this. He was currently looking into the rotating cement trucks trunk. How odd. There was a loud crash from behind him and the sound scared the null. Nibbles, in a scared state, jumped into the cement mixer. He thought he was going to be sick. The null flopped repeatedly around in the rotating cylinder, around and around. The world was spinning, and then he was falling. Nibbles glided out of the truck and into the newly paved sidewalk. Shaking himself clean from the cement, he moved towards the unfinished building. It was mostly just a bunch of red beams laced together with bolts and other materials, but soon sprites and binomes would inhabit the space once it was finished.
"Hey! You guys are slacking on me!" called the foreman, Jimmy, referring to the impression that Nibbles had left in the sidewalk. "Look at what you left undone! Now we have to redo the whole thing!"
Nibbles slinked through the yard. He caught a quick ride on the elevator with two binomes carrying lunchboxes.
"So you hear what the guys on the ground level did?" said one.
"No, what happened?"
"Well someone ruined the sidewalk and they had to re-do the whole thing. Talk about not doing your job right!"
"Oh-ho! I'd hate to be them when Jimmy gets through with them." The two laughed. The elevator dinged to let them know they reached their destination. As the binomes got off and sat down, Nibbles stayed close. The binome with the mullet opened his lunchbox.
"Aw, crimony! Marie packed salami and cheese again! I've told her to lay off already!" he cried. He settled for opening his chips and eating them for the moment.
Nibbles, taking the opportunity at hand, climbed into the lunchbox and proceeded to dine on the unwanted sandwich. Once he finished, he quickly scurried away and explored more of the site.
* * *
"Oh! Oh! I think I see him!" exclaimed Hack, hovering over a section of Baudway.
"Really? Where?"
"There he is!"
"Uh, Hack? I think that is a hot dog," said Slash.
"Oh. So it is."
"Hey! There he is! He's on that red thing!"
"Yes that is most definitely him!"
They raced towards the construction site.
* * *
Nibbles sat at the very edge of the beam surveying all he saw. The view was amazing; he could see all of Mainframe from up here. He watched as cars zoomed in the distance across a skyline of a perfect blue. Below him, he saw binomes going about their every day routines. A mother fussing at her child; two old men playing Chinese checkers; another man in a business suit reading a newspaper; all of them looked smaller than he did from here.
"Stop right there!" came a voice behind him.
"Yeah what he said."
Nibbles turned and faced Hack and Slash.
"You have been a very bad boy, Nibbles!" complained Hack.
"Yes! Shame on you for making us worry!" added Slash.
At that moment, a crane started up and began its task. The stack of beams Nibbles chose to sit on began to sway in the air as it was picked up.
"Oh no!" screamed Hack and Slash.
Nibbles was carried away from his pursuers, much to his delight. The beams landed as gently as possible on the ground. Nibbles squirmed off of them. He glanced up at where he used to be. Hack and Slash were looking at him.
"Nibbles," Slash called, "do not move! We're coming right down!"
The null took this as incentive to move on with his tour of the city. "Now where does he think he's going?" pondered Hack.
"I do not know but we better follow him before we lose him again."
"Good thinking, buddy."
But before the pair could move, they were pulled by an unseen force upwards. The magnetic crane had returned to finish its job; however, this time Hack and Slash had been a little too close to it. They were now glued to the magnet and could only watch as their target wandered aimlessly into the streets of Mainframe.
* * *
The streets were packed bumper to bumper. Nibbles could tell this was what his master referred to when he mentioned "rush micro traffic".
"Don't move a muscle!" demanded Slash.
"Yeah. Reach for the sky!" Hack exclaimed.
"Well, how can he do both at the same-?"
"I don't know."
"Reach for the sky and then don't move!" they said.
At that moment, the light turned green and the cars began their never-ending dance of moving a few feet, then stopping abruptly and honking their horns. Nibbles was caught in the middle of it all. Hack and Slash weighed their options and decided to tempt fate and retrieve the null. The pair stepped out into traffic; almost immediately a delivery truck slammed on its brakes, narrowly missing them.
"Slash, buddy? I don't think this was a good idea."
"I think were doing fine so far."
They continued their trek into the streets. Nibbles, being low to the ground, easily glided through the mess unscathed. To the observer, Hack and
Slash's quest looked similar to a game of Frogger. A small-brained pair screaming and dodging as much traffic as possible to get to the other side. Nibbles stopped and watched the display. They were so incredibly clueless.
Nibbles was exhausted from his second out. He looked away from Hack and Slash and scanned the area for somewhere to rest. Seeing nowhere inviting, he scampered off in search of downtime. A few blocks away he found an old lady waiting at a bus stop. Nibbles climbed into her bag and curled up. Within milliseconds, he and the old lady were on a transport bus heading for G-Prime.
* * *
The bots stood outside the door to Nibbles room, their loose parts clanking as they shook nervously.
"We are deleted."
"Erased."
"Megabyte is gonna use us for scrap metal," whined Hack, "I don't wanna be turned into a trash can, Slash!"
Slash twiddled his fingers together. "He might do something even worse when he finds out!"
"We can't tell him we lost Nibbles!" Hack gulped.
"But he's gonna find out any nano when he checks on us!"
"It has been very nice working with you, dear Slash."
"Yes, it was very fun, and I hope I see you one day as a trash can."
"You mean you want to see me as a trash can?"
"I mean when we are turned into trash cans, I hope I see you."
"You did not say that!"
"Yes, yes I did! Stop shoving!"
"Let my antenna go!"
They were so absorbed in their quarrel that they did not bother to look over at Nibbles's crib. It was Hack who saw it first- a little green null sleeping peacefully in his bed.
"Uh, Slash..."
"Yes Hack?"
"Do you see Nibbles over there?"
"Why yes, yes I do."
They paused. Then together, exclaimed, "Nibbles!!"
"Oh, you are back!"
"We were so worried!"
"We aren't gonna be deleted!"
"Erased!"
"Off-lined!"
Hack furrowed his brow and began to think, which required great effort on his part. "Slash?"
"Yes Hack?"
"I do not think anyone should ever know we almost lost Nibbles."
"That is a very good idea, my friend."
"Then we should not tell anyone."
"No one will ever know."
"Not a soul."
"Well never mention it again."
"Never ever."
They left Nibbles room, running into each other with a clang as they exited the door. Nibbles raised his head a little, let out a small squeak, rolled over and went back to sleep.
End.