Matrix sat in the corner and sighed. It wasn't that he wasn't glad to see Bob, it just... Matrix sighed again and rested his head in his hands on the rail. It wasn't right, things weren't the same, he couldn't enjoy himslef.
"I mean, I don't even know who I am anymore...” Matrix let out reluctantly.
"Don't you?” Bob asked from behind.
Bob walked up to console his friend. To Bob that word still meant something: “friend.” It was all that kept him going in the Web, but before that too. Friends were not to be taken lightly, and never to be disregarded. So it was with a great degree of compassion that Bob approached his long-time friend and began to talk.
"Bob?” Matrix said with some surprise, as he sat up again.
"What is it Matrix, what's bothering you?"
"Nothing! Everything should be fine, but..."
Bob let him pause, let him try to find the words he was looking for.
"...it's not how I pictured it would be.” Matrix continued. “I mean, we're suppposed to be on Mainframe, Bob and little Enzo chasing him into games. Back then our biggest worries were 2 incompetent viruses and a clueless user. It didn't matter if we scraped our knees or made a mistake, everything would be all right.” Matrix took another breath and looked away. “Things can never be that way now. I'm not that little Enzo anymore. I'm big and capable, and I've done... questionable things. I have no innocence now, and nothing can change that."
Bob started to reply but was interrupted, “You too, Bob, you can't claim to be the same person either. Even without the accelerated game-time, you've been out here for seconds upon seconds, and the Web has obviously taken a small toll on you."
Bob looked at himself pensively. “It's true Matrix, I've changed as well. I guess we've both lost a little innocence, but it's what had to be done to survive."
"Exactly!” Matrix jumped in. “You and I have done nothing for the past cycles but survive. And where has it brought us, what has it done to us, when did we take the time out from surviving to actually LIVE, Bob? I'm ashamed of myself..."
"So what're you going to do about it? Are you going to let the games, the systems, the viruses, the Web... are you going to let them win? You have a sister to save!"
"Don't you think I know that!? I would do anything to save her, to bring Mainframe back to the way it used to be, like old times. But we can't, Bob! I'm not her brother anymore, and you're not the same either."
"You can't possibly mean that. Enzo...” Bob looked at him plaintively.
"I do.” Matrix stood up.
"Well then, I guess then...” The two of them paused for a nano.
"That's right, this is where you and I part ways.” Matrix started to walk away, then looked back. “I'll miss you, Bob. I always have...” and he continued out of the room.
Bob stood there for nearly a second, then shed a tear for his friend.
Matrix walked down the hall of the Saucy Mare. He thought about the encounter with Bob, about the things he said. He wanted to see his sister, it's true, but there was no way we would face her like this. All the pain of the searching, jumping from game to game in the hopes of one day finding Mainframe, coming home. And here he was, with the very man who held the keys, and Matrix could do nothing but protest. Matrix shook his head.
"What is it, you don't look like you have good news,” said his long-time lover, AndrAIa.
"We're leaving. Capacitor's gonna take us to the nearest Net-connected system and drop us off."
"You can't be serious! What about all the searching for Bob, for Mainframe. Why, Enzo?"
"I told you, don't call me Enzo!” Matrix's eyes flashed with a momentary rage. He cooled down, “We've done all we need to do. Bob and Ray will take the crew and find Mainframe, save my sister from Megabyte."
"And you're going to let them do it alone? You're going to leave your friends in the moment they need you the most?"
"They're not my friends anymore. We've changed, and that's something we're going to have to face. Bob doesn't need our kind of help."
"But Megabyte..."
"The crew can take care of themselves. They have Bob and Ray now, and Bob's a lot more powerful from his cycles in the Web."
"So that's it, then. We're going to abandon our friends.” AndrAIa let out an exasperated sigh.
"Yes."
"I swear, Matrix...” AndrAIa dropped her head in disappointment, and walked off to her room.
Captain Capacitor stood on the deck of his ship as he watched Matrix and AndrAIa leave. “Are you sure you want to do this? We could always use another pair of fightin' hands."
AndrAIa looked away. Matrix said, “No, Captain. This is something we have to do. This isn't our fight anymore. It's taken me a long time to realize this, but all this time I was searching for something I could never reach: my past. My path lies in the future now, and it's time I start walking it."
"Aye, lad, well I can't say I fully understand ye, but if this is what you think you must do, then I wish you luck and bid ye farewell."
Ray nodded his head, “It's going to be tough fighting without you, Matrix. I know we didn't always see eye to eye, but... damnit Matrix you're a good man. Just don't lose your cool. And you, AndrAIa,” Ray walked up to the lady and gracefully bent down and kissed her hand, “it was an honor to be able to know you. I have full faith that the two of you will do just fine, and that we will meet again someday.” Ray stepped back with the Captain.
Bob stepped forward and embraced Matrix. “If you ever change your mind don't hesitate to find us. You'll always be our friend, that will never change."
Matrix struggled to suppress a tear. “Good luck, Bob. Beat the code out of 'em."
"You know we will. Good bye, Enzo."
At this point Matrix and AndrAIa walked off the ship into the port, the crew lined up along the rail waving at the two of them as they left, all shouting their fondest farewells. Matrix and AndrAIa walked down the pier, into port, and began their new life on the Net.
(Matrix's voice): I travel the Net, through people and systems to this place: The Outer Fringe. My format: Renegade, to explore and restore. To explore my new-found systems, and restore them from... their enemies (Music swells up, we creat a montage). They say the user lives outside the system, and inputs games for pleasure. No one knows for sure, but I intend to find out. (Music concludes). Reboot!
Daemon's Touch v3.4.1 (forked)
Matrix, AndrAIa, and Frisket walked into the small bustling town outside the port. Binomes were trading in the streets, vendors were selling their wares, but no activity seemed to be coming from the ports.
"Does any of this strike you as weird?” AndrAIa asked.
"You mean all the obsolete technology around here? They're not even trading with credits, they're bartering."
"Well that too, but look at the port. Look how dead it is."
Matrix looked back at the port. There wasn't a ship in sight.
"That's not too surprising,” Matrix said, “The guardians put a halt on unauthorized Net travel."
"Well that's the other thing. If that's true, then how did we get in without a fight? Where are the guardians?"
"Good point,” Matrix thought for a second. “If we're going to find any answers, we're going to need to find the Principal Office. Something tells me things work a little differently around here."
"No kidding,” AndrAIa said, and they were on their way.
The Principal Office was a rounded sphere, just like Mainframe's. The Office looked like it was in good condition, bridges extended out into the rest of the system for access. When the sprites crossed the one nearest them, they were greeted by a 1 binome with plastic-frame glasses, a shirt and tie.
"Oh, visitors! Greetings, I'm Reynold,” he said to them.
"Hi, Reynold,” Matrix replied, “We're looking for the COMMAND.COM. Can you take us to him?"
"COMMAND.COM? Well I don't think we have one of those, but you can talk to me."
"What about a wise one? A person who gives your system guidance? Someone in control?"
"I think I'm about the closest your going to come to that here out on the Outer Fringe."
"The Outer Fringe?"
"Um, yeah. Why don't we talk inside?” Reynold led the three sprites into the Principal Office. As they walked he continued, “We don't get a lot of visitors out here on the Outer Fringe, Net travel is pretty rare."
"You called it the Outer Fringe again. Is that the name of this system?” AndrAIa asked.
"Well, yes. This system and others. We're on a far reach of the Net, a place a little out of the way for most travel, hence the name,” Reynold pointed at a map on a table in the center of the room they just entered, “You see this? This is a topographical map of the Net."
"Topographical?” Matrix asked. “We're used to seeing it geographically."
"Oh, I'm sure you are, but this is a lot easier to navigate. You see this clump here?” Reynold pointed at the center of the map, “That's the Supercomputer and nearby systems. We call that the 'Inner Cluster.' They're kind of like a hub for net travel. Most travel has to go through there... All the surrounding sectors, like these here, " Reynold pointed again, “these support the Inner Cluster's commerce. Net travel is also pretty common there.” Reynold paused a moment to let the group take it in.
"Then what's this stuff out here?” Matrix pointed to the edge of the map.
"Those are sectors like ours: isolated, out of the way, unimportant and occassionally inaccessible without a portal. Few people bother to come out to places like the Outer Fringe."
"So you've mentioned. Well then, what do these colors mean?"
"Ah,” Reynold looked down at the floor, “those are the systems controlled by Daemon."
"The supervirus?! You've heard of her?” AndrAIa asked. Frisket growled slightly.
"Of course."
"But, but...” Matrix fumbled, looking back at the map, “According to this she controls over 60% of the Net!” Matrix exclaimed.
"And it grows with every second,” Reynold said. “I'm afraid soon there won't be a system out of her control, even out here."
"We've got to do something!” Matrix said.
"Well I'm afraid out here our resources are limited. We pretty much depend on the inner sectors to suppress viruses."
"Don't worry about that, that's what we're here for,” Matrix said, “Are you with me AndrAIa? We have to stop Daemon before the whole Net is hers!"
"I'm with you wherever you go. We'll send Daemon back where she came from!” AndrAIa replied. Frisket yipped.
"Then you must hurry,” Reynold said, “From the pattern of the systems she's reaching out to, we don't have much time."
"If we're going to do this we need help. Are there any other sprites-"
Matrix was cut off by an ominous deep male voice saying the far-too-familiar words: “WARNING: INCOMING GAME"
Matrix and AndrAIa exchanged looks, then fled to find the game.