Power Surd
By RoeBoot

Part 3 - Chapter 4 - Corrupt Files

"Feel free to beg for your pathetic lives. I assure you it will fall on death's ears!"
Julia / episode - "Trouble on the Colorado"

Mainframe - Silicon Tor

Megabyte watched his troops withdraw. They had inflicted some losses on Surd's infected CPUs but hardly enough to make s considerable gain. The working ABCs gathered outside the Tor to act as a shield against any retaliation to come.

Nothing happened.

Surd chose to ignore him again.

Megabyte at least wanted to go down fighting!

But wait! Surd had to still be a Lost Angles. If Bob and his little users managed to regain hold of the Principal Office then Surd hold on Mainframe might be in danger. Yet Surd had left his mind controlled Dot inside to greet them.

"You're playing a chest game Surd. And here is your pawn. Miss Matrix. Bob can't delete her. So the question remains can she delete him?"

Megabyte clasped his hands. "But she will get you your codes? Will she do your dirty work? It depends on how good an infector you are."

Hack and Slash were not alone. Several of Surd's CPUs were also present to back up the slightly dented but still hostile looking robots.

"They look a little beat up," noticed Jonny. "Like a truck ran over them."

"But there still armed and dangerous sugah," Mouse said.

"So am I. I'm going out there first. Mouse. Get ready to take the others out the rear hatch. Jessie. Put your radio headset on so I can keep contact with you. "

"But Jonny-" Jessie started to argue.

"No buts Jessie. I still have my Questworld armaments. I'll show the tin heads how a user plays on this side of reality. How is Bob?"

"So far he's fine. But no sign of Dot yet."

"He'll find her," Enzo said. "I know he will."

Bob stalked the hallways of the PO, looking for Dot. He heard the click of her boot heels ever so often. She wanted to keep him in range but stay ahead of him.

He called out. "Dot. Please stop. I want to help you."

She answered. "And I want to kill you!"

"No you don't! Surd is making you think like this. Jonny and Jessie have a devise that will heal you. Please."

"If you want me you have to catch me!" she laughed. "Meet me in the Armory."

Bob sighed. "This is bad. Very bad."

Jonny popped the hatch above the drivers seat on the ABC. He climbed out and stood on the roof of the vehicle.

"We're coming out! Hold your fire!" Jonny shouted putting his hands up.

"Come down," ordered one of the CPUs.

"Do not try anything foolish!" said Hack.

"Foolishness is futile!" added Slash.

"Aww!" Jonny whined. "And I like playing the fool!"

Jonny jumped down. He kept his hands raised as he approached the group. He then saw a familiar object in far corner of the garage. His VR bike stood in between two parked CPU aircars.

"My bike is here Jessie," Jonny whispered into the headset. "I think I am going to have some real fun."

"Don't get cocky Jonny!" Jessie warned.

"Don't worry Jess. I know what I'm doing."

Jonny spoke to Hack and Slash. "You guys really should consider a new line of work. You always end up helping losers."

"Be silent!" Hack warned.

Jonny gazed at their weapon's turrets.

"You guys sure pack a punch in your arms. So do I!"

Jonny's arms morphed into two pile drivers. He hit both robots in their midsections, sending them sprawling across the garage.

"Gut check!" Jonny yelled.

The CPUs were only momentarily startled but it was long enough for Jonny to deactivate the pile drivers and activate his shield.

The weapon's fire bounced off the shield. He took a few steps back before shouting a new command. "Bike! Ignition!"

The bike's engine roared to life. The automatic pilot sent the cybercycle driving towards him. The CPUs were forced to fall back as the VR motorcycle charged up to Jonny. He deactivated his shield and leaped onto the driver's seat. A helmet formed over his head.

"Let's rock!" Jonny said.

Bob saw the open armory door. Dot could access anything in there to use against him. But he figured out exactly what she wanted. He heard the faint hum of engine fans coming from inside the room.

"Oh boy," he moaned.

Bob took a deep breath before he charged in.

Jessie saw a mechanical fist smash the ground near Bob's head.

"Oh my!"

"Jessie? What's wrong honey?" Mouse asked.

"Bob's in trouble!"

"Then let's go help him! No sense in letting him or Jonny have all the fun!"

Bob avoided being stepped on by one of the Exo-skeleton suit's feet. The tail whooshed over his head as he rolled to one side and stood up.

Dot dressed in the circuit-patterned suit needed to control the battle suit. She had a gun holstered to her hip as well. She looked down at him, eyes a mixture of malice and sadness.

"You fool! You had to come here! Fighting Surd is useless!"

"Dot! You fighting too! I see it! You're doing what you're programmed to do, but inside you you're facing a conflict! Let me free you!"

"You can't save yourself! Don't even think about saving me!"

Dot swung the suit's tail around. Bob jumped out of the way. Thinking he needed a safer place to fight Dot Bob ran out of the Armory hoping Dot would follow.

Mouse opened the rear hatch of the ABC. She led the group out, her katana drawn and ready for any CPU daring to come after them.

Mike began announcing the play by play. "Acting as one the group of ragtag rebels begin a desperate mission to liberate all of Mainframe from the evil clutches of its ultimate oppressor... Surd the Terrible!"

"Mike! Not now!" warned Jessie.

She saw the battle suit in her mind. She suppressed her thoughts. Don't distract Bob! Let him concentrate!

Hack, dented in the chest and very angry came towards them. The robot activated his weapon's turret.

Remembering the time when Bob let him use Glitch before, Enzo shouted. "Glitch! Anything!"

The keytool produced an energy shield. The barrage of small missiles exploded off the wall of protection. When Hack's turret emptied Enzo said. "Glitch! Disengage!"

The shield dropped.

"Get him Frisket!" AndrAIa ordered.

The dog jumped onto the robot and tore him up.

"Ouch!" Jessie winced before telling Enzo. "Nice going guardian."

"Uh... thanks," Enzo grinned.

Jonny chased the CPUs like a herd of frightened cattle. The VR bike was simply too fast to let them get a clear shot. Several of the CPUs ran to hide behind some aircars. They were jumped by Mouse. Frisket chased a couple of others. They scrambled to hide inside the garbage hailer rear compartment. Frisket followed them in, snapping at their heels.

Enzo pointed to the hallway door. "We should find Bob! Where is he?"

Bob backed into the JL Senior statue. He waited until Dot stepped forward before jumping clear. The Exo-Suit's hand smashed the statue.

"JL Senior?"

"I know where that is!" Enzo pleaded. "We have to go!"

"Mouse!" Jessie called.

The hacker slammed the trunk of a CPU aircar locking two of CPUs in. Sydney knocked another out cold using the officer's own helmet. Mr. Pearson sat on another one to keep him down. All Mike did was continue announcing the entire fracas as any report would do.

"Everyone is a bit busy Enzo. I think-"

When Jessie turned he saw Enzo and AndrAIa were gone.

"Great!"

Frisket trotted up to Jessie carrying an unfamiliar and filthy looking sprite carefully in his jaws. The dog whined as he put Phong down in front of her. Jessie understood and knelt next to the old sprite. She hastily removed her backpack to get the VFR.

Bob heard Jessie's thoughts.

**Don't be dead! Don't be dead!**

Dead? Who was dead?

Dot grabbed Bob with the pincer arm. The grip robbed him of his ability to breathe. Dot hauled him up.

Slash had activated his jetpack to fly after Jonny. Jonny saw the robot's intention.

"Big mistake!" Jonny quipped. "Activate forward cannon!"

The missile popped out of the cycle's front and locked onto Slash's heat trace. They opened fire at the same time. The explosion of missiles hitting each other sent Slash into a nearby wall. Jonny and his bike skidded the other way. He turned his bike towards the robot, ready to fire another missile. Slash produced a cutting saw out of his hands and rolled towards him.

"You want to play slice and dice?" Jonny taunted. "Activate wheel blade!"

Jonny popped a wheelie. The saw blade edge sprang from the tire tread.

Slash screamed as Jonny ran him over leaving two perfect halves of robot behind. Spitting out sparks, the robot moaned. "Halt or you will be exterminated."

Jonny pulled over. "No more?"

"Jonny!" Jessie screamed over her headset. "Get over here and help me! I've got Phong."

Jonny pulled his bike up next to Jessie.

"Where are Enzo and AndrAIa?"

"They went to find Bob. And I know he's in trouble but we have to help Phong!"

"I'll go!" Mouse said. "Do you know we're they went?"

"Something called JL Senior."

"Read me rooms! I'm there!"

Mouse ran off. Sydney told the young users. "The CPUs are all offline."

"Good Jonny said. "Now lets hope we can get Phong online!"

The pincer arm pressed tighter on Bob's waste. He gasped. "Dot! You can't!"

Dot's concentration on the task faltered. It must have been the look of pain on Bob's face.

"I have to!"

"No you don't! If Surd really had you fully under his control I'd be deleted! You can't do it!"

"I have to!" she repeated. "It's either you or me guardian! Which would you choose? My deletion or yours?"

"You know the answer."

"Then you have to die."

Jessie lost her concentration. "I can't get this Jonny! I can't!"

Jonny took the VFR pad from her.

"We're nearly there Jessie," Jonny tried to reassure her knowing she saw Bob's plight in her mind.

"He's been offline too long. I don't know if it will work!" she sobbed.

"His read me memory is all intact. It's been badly fragmented. He's in a shut down. Like a coma." Jonny tapped more information into the pad. "I'm setting this thing on maximum file restore."

Jonny placed the calibrated VFR next to Phong. He pulled Jessie to her feet telling the binomes. "Move back! And watch your eyes!"

As they step away Jessie yelled. "Dot! No!"

"Dot! No!" Enzo ran towards her, AndrAIa following him.

"Enzo? AndrAIa?" Dot had not seen the game sprite alive again. It shocked her.

Bob shouted to Glitch. "Glitch! Overload!"

The keytool used the same pulse of energy against the Exo-Suit. The battle suit began to short out. The pincer arm released Bob. He fell to the ground. Dot struggled to keep the suit from toppling over. Bob saw the fear in her. If the suit fell forward it would crush her. Bob activated the Questworld grappling claw. It formed over his arm. He stepped towards the suit's leg, latched on and pulled. The suit fell back to the floor. Dot screamed as it crashed down.

The burst of light enveloped Phong. Jonny bit his lip as the VFR washed Phong's lifeless body in its restoring power.

"Come on," he said. "You worked for AndrAIa. Work again!"

But AndrAIa had been a game sprite. She was programmed to be restored if deleted. But what if the VFR went beyond that? Could it restore other dead file life? Did they hold the power to bring back the most deleted sprites?

The rush of power Surd enjoyed in Questworld truly became more ominous now. No one had the right to play a god.

Surd had his time to kill. They had their time to heal.

They watched. Frisket whined. Phong's hand moved. Jonny smiled.

Enzo began to run to his sister but Bob stopped him.

"Enzo! I'll get her! Keep back!"

Bob deactivated the grappling arm and walked to the battle suit. He reached the harness area. Dot looked unconscious. He took off the harness and control pads from her forehead. He reached for her icon but Dot woke as he touched it.

"Hands off!" she snarled.

She punched him in the face. As Bob fell off the suit, Dot drew the gun from her belt.

Jessie gasped at both what she knew was happening to Bob and seeing Phong's hand move. When the VFR turned off, the old sprite moaned. Frisket came over and licked his face.

Phong looked at Jonny and remarked. "Ah. So that is what you look like without that helmet on young user."

Jonny screamed in absolute joy.

Sydney was overwhelmed. "They can do stuff like this?"

"I saw them do miracles before," Mr. Pearson said, "and I still can't believe it."

Jonny helped Phong stand. The sprite tried to steady himself.

"And I thought Megabyte left me with a headache."

"Are you feeling alright Phong?"

"I am fine my son. I am glad to see you. Where is Bob?"

"In trouble," Jessie informed him. "Big trouble!"

Mouse entered the room to see Dot pointing a gun at Bob's head.

Bob warned Mouse. "Keep the kid's back."

Enzo begged Dot. "Sis! Please stop it! You can't shoot Bob! You can't!"

"Who would you rather see deleted Enzo? Him or me?"

Bob spoke. "Why have a choice Dot? We can both live. Give me the gun. We can help you."

"Shut up!"

Surd studied the reading he possessed of Dot's PID profile and life signs.

They were fluctuating up and down.

"Live or die?" he asked her. "What will you choose Miss Matrix?"

The voice sounded like someone else's. No. Julia's voice. Part of the programming Surd put in her had shades of the woman he heard in Questworld.

"Dot," Bob kept talking. "I know you're there. You're not all under Surd's control. If you weren't you wouldn't have fired that gun by now."

"I can fire it! I didn't expect Enzo to be here! Why hurt the child this way by having him see me destroy you?"

"But you won't shoot me. Not as long as Enzo's here."

"Send the boy out then. I'll make sure to erase you on the first try."

"No. You have to kill me in front of him."

"Don't do this to him!"

"Don't do this to yourself Dot! You love him too much."

"One of us has to die Bob! Isn't it better for him to loose you then me?"

"That is a voice of compromise. Surd wants you to pick. I don't want either choice Dot. We love Enzo. We both need to be here for him. We can't let Surd take it away. Give me the gun and we'll save you."

Bob put his hand out. "Give me the gun."

Surd watched Dot's readings start to dive.

He sighed and told Hexadecimal. "Looks like the diner going to need a new owner."

Jonny, Jessie and Phong arrived along side Enzo, AndrAIa and Mouse. Dot now had both hands cradling the gun, fighting to hold it steady.

Bob asked her again. "Please Dot. Give me the gun."

**Bob. Tell her how you feel about her.**

Bob listened to the thoughts coming from Jessie.

**You love her. Tell her.**

He swallowed and said it once more. "Give me the gun."

Phong wheeled closer. "Dot. Listen to Bob."

She looked at Phong. Her face paled. "Phong. You're supposed to be deleted."

"No my child. These two children restored my functions. They are not the User. Surd is not the User. But he is a user. A corrupt user of people, of systems and of cities. Not much different then a virus. These children are not the enemy. Surd is the enemy."

Bob repeated Hadji's words again. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. At first Dot that only meant surrendering trust and making a truce in what I felt was a war. A deal with a devil is what many Mainframers believed because of Surd. But the only monsters here we should be facing are Megabyte and Hexadecimal. Jonny and Jessie have come to help us get rid of Surd. If I ever find the User he or she maybe understanding or ever caring like Jonny or Jessie. I hope so. They are my friends now. And they will be yours too. But if you pull the trigger on that gun you'll belong to Surd. Don't let him win. Give me the gun."

"I can't," she sobbed.

"You can, Dot. Everyone here loves you. We want to help you come back to us. Please give me the gun."

Trembling Dot forced herself to drop the gun. Bob sighed in relief. It wasn't what he asked but the result was more important.

Dot put her hands to her head and started screaming in pain. Bob reached for her. She fell in his arms still shrieking. Her green tinged eyes started rolling back.

"No! Dot! Don't!" Bob hollered at her.

Surd shrugged. "Sorry Bob. Crashes happen."

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