It had taken but a single twitchy finger, for total chaos to ensue. It just goes to show how fragile the balance of calm control can be, especially in a system like Mainframe. The usually calm blue waves of the Energy Sea began to lash mercilessly against the once-peaceful ports of the now gloomy city. Over it all, hanging like a deletion-sentence, was the Web Portal. It pulsed ominously, conveying to all who gazed upon it that Mainframe was about to enter its darkest age; war against the Web.

Frightened by a scout drone flying too close, one of the CPUs had opened fire against the specific orders of the Guardian. All of Mainframe's forces leapt into action, knowing that the scouts now regarded them as hostile. No doubt they would try to return to the web, and when that happened, the attack drones would be sent in, and that would end everyone's plans real fast.

The less than coordinated CPUs bumbled through the skies, trying to make short work of the defenseless but speedy drones. In the end, however, it was all for nothing. The attack drones were summoned, and they rained down like a hellfire of pure destructive energy on Mainframe's hapless forces.

Beneath the aerial confusion, Principle Office ground-gunners picked out any targets that came their way. One of them, a zero binome who boasted several kills already, caught another attack drone in his sights. It was flying a kamikaze towards him. The gunner smiled at the prospect of such an easy target, and pulled the trigger.

*CLICK*

"'Click'?.. uh-oh." The binome shielded his face with his hands as the drone bore down on his position. Suddenly, the air above him rocked with the sound of rapid fire. He peeked upward through his hands at where the drone should have been. Instead, all that was left was a dark cloud of dust and vapor. He heard a muted *plink*, and then the sound a coin makes after you spin it. He turned to his left, and saw Enzo and AndrAIa a short distance away, both giving him a smile and a thumbs-up as their weapons reloaded.

The binome sighed with relief and was hopping out of his seat to take a look at the gun, when he suddenly went head over heels as he slipped on something. He fell to the ground with a thud. Moaning as he rolled over, he could now see that the cause of his fall and the source of the sound he had heard earlier were the same. A present from the drone? It was glowing and giving off a high pitched whine, but it was also... an icon?

The binome's eyes widened as he watched in amazement and fear. He didn't know what it was doing, or how it had got there, but it certainly wasn't acting like any icon he'd ever seen before. What he did know was that it had come from the Web creature, and it was unzipping before his eyes. A bright flash blinded the binome, and when he could see again, he gasped. A tall, pale sprite-like creature had materialized before him; he was wearing red, loose-fitting, and slightly tattered clothing. The stranger's grayish skin shimmered for a moment as his eyes fluttered open.

The eyes... they were a pale blue, and impossibly clear. They gave the impression that the owner was slightly confused, and they absolutely reeked of youthful ignorance. In fact, the only color about him that was not pale or dull, was his jet-black, frayed hair. Those pale eyes then shifted towards the binome, and to the madness that was happening all about them. He opened his mouth and screamed... or at least it sounded like a scream at first. It was only after a moment that the binome realized it wasn't a scream, but Binary. Just as quickly, it changed to Java, Basic, and several other obscure languages that he himself had never become fluent in.

Then the sprite, or whatever it was, collapsed and began to flicker again. The binome, so preoccupied with this spectacle, didn't even notice a small pod soar upwards towards the Web. He also didn't notice the great beam of energy shot after it, so he didn't get to see the gateway to the Web close forever.

No victory celebration was taking place inside the Principal office; with the dismissal of one problem had come a whole flock of new ones. Megabyte had taken control of the air and had shot down most of the CPU fighters. He had also succeeded in banishing Bob to the unforgiving terrors of the Web, leaving young Enzo, who was barely even a cadet, as the system's only Guardian.

Phong's voice boomed over the loudspeakers outside the Principal Office. "All gunners! Retreat into the Principal Office! We have… a new problem. You are needed inside. I repeat, fall back."

The binome looked around helplessly. He couldn't just leave this strange sprite outside. He called to a one binome who was rushing past. "Quick! Help me get him to a holding cell!" The other binome did as he was told, automatically reacting to the first's authority, on the basis that he looked like he knew what he was doing.

The stranger's head lolled as he was dragged through the endless corridors of the besieged Principal Office. He was physically awake, but there was no way to tell just how conscious he was. Certainly not enough to offer any resistance, but he was still carefully placed in a cell, where the binomes decided to keep him until they received further orders.

In the Principal Office control center, people were less than content. An attack on Megabyte and Hexadecimal had been scrapped when an incoming game caught the attention of the young Guardian. Without any clearance, he and AndrAIa had rushed towards the game, leaving Dot and Mouse with no choice but to pursue. Mouse, who had quickly realized that as a game sprite, AndrAIa would be trapped in the game, snatched the seemingly suicidal child off her zipboard just in time to watch Dot, Enzo, and Frisket dive under the cube and out of sight.

"That's as far as you go shugah," stated Mouse, as she carried the game sprite back to the Principal Office in a less than ceremonious fashion.

The falling game had dropped on the hardware, which had been held by an unsuspecting Hexadecimal, and it had caused both her and her "little friend" to be fried in an explosion no one could have survived. Mouse, however, was still concerned. If anyone could have survived that, it would have been Hexadecimal. She could withstand things that would easily delete others... and that had been proved on more than one occasion.

On the way back to the Principal Office they made a quick stop at the Diner, or what was left of it, where they found a rather irritated Cecil. They tied him to a zipboard and made their way through Mainframe's now deserted streets.

Upon their return, they found Phong talking to one of the gunners, looking even more distressed than before.

"And you're certain it came from the Web?" he was asking. He seemed to be trying to whisper, but he was doing it so harshly that everyone could still hear him.

The zero binome was shaking nervously. "Well, um… I think so. It apparently fell off one of the drones… and well… I'm not sure."

"You think? Apparently? Do you realize what this means? We cannot afford another problem! Not now!"

Mouse stepped in, sensing a code-attack developing in the old sprite. "Phong, what in the blazin' Net is goin' on?"

"My child, it seems that the way to the Web may not have been closed quickly enough…"

Phong hurriedly explained the situation to Mouse, who managed to keep her face controlled, but on the inside, her mind was already working overtime. A sprite-like creature from the Web… Did that mean the Web was not as hostile a place as it was believed to be? Was there, in fact, some kind of civilization in there, similar to Mainframe? Could this sprite be of any use to them? And most of all did that mean that Bob might have survived after all?

"Phong," she said. "I'd like ta go down there myself and see what's goin' on."

Phong nodded "Very well Mouse. I will accompany you."

Specks, the nerdy looking binome broke in. "Phong, we need you up here to oversee repairs. Megabyte could be back at any moment!"

"Let me go, then!" insisted AndrAIa.

Mouse was about to protest, but then she saw how hopeful the small sprite looked. Mouse remembered how angry and humiliated AndrAIa had felt after Mouse had "saved" her from the game earlier. Even if it was for her own good, she had still been upset that she could not be of any help.

"Alright dahlin, I was just gonna ask you to… come with me to watch my back. I could really use yo' help."

AndrAIa was positively beaming with pride when they exited the control center together.

Mouse and AndrAIa cautiously entered the cellblock where the new sprite was being held. Mouse nodded to a saluting binome, who opened the doors to the stranger's cell, leaving only the transparent force field between them.

The gray-skinned form that lay before them was still. Probably asleep, he looked like he'd been through the wringer at least once. Mouse wasn't looking at him, however, her attention was focused entirely on the icon.

It was triangular, like hers, only upside down. A yellow line ran horizontally across it, around which a second blue line evenly snaked. "What IS this thing?" thought Mouse.

"Mouse, he looks awful! What happened to him?" AndrAIa inquired.

"Ah don't rightly know hon, but Ah'm willin' ta bet that it had somethin' to do with travelin' zipped, and then having to reconfigure to a new system. Heck, if it is from the Web, Ah'll bet it's an even bigger change. Ah myself have never had the pleasure… can't say Ah'm eager ta try it neither."

AndrAIa knelt down in front of the force field and peered in "Poor guy…"

"That 'poor guy' may be the worst thing to ever happen ta Mainframe. User knows what it'll do when it wakes up… on the other hand, it could be our best hope to win this thing…"

The creature's eyes suddenly shot open and caught sight of the two sprites outside.

Mouse brought a surprise with her when she and AndrAIa returned to the command center. Phong's just gonna loooooove this… She thought to herself, as a mischievous grin threatened to appear on her face to replace the genuinely worried look that occupied the space at the moment.

The heavy doors whooshed open to reveal the beehive of activity that was taking place in the command center. Various binomes scurried around in an attempt to return the shields to full power, and repair the lights, which flickered overhead. Suddenly, all eyes were on her, and the entire room was silent. She met Phong's shocked gaze as best she could.

"Mouse…" he began softly. Then his voice intensified into a near shout "You had NO authority to-"

"Oh, keep your microprocessors on Phong, he's here for a reason."

That's when the new sprite stepped through the door. His pale eyes drank in the new surroundings. He began to mutter to himself. "What hit this place?"

"In case y'all haven't figured it out yet," offered Mouse to no one in particular, "this is our guest from the… from the brig. Ah thought he could be of some help. The more the merrier."

Phong watched on in amazement and horror as Mouse casually led the young sprite to a terminal. He sat down, and Mouse pointed at the screen. "Ah don't suppose you know how to work one of these?"

The sprite just shook his head, confused. "No… I mean, I don't think… I don't remember. I can fake it."

"Fake it?!" mouthed Phong to himself.

Mouse sensed his gaze, and ghosted over to where he was standing. "Don't ya worry your purdy little head none Phong. He can be trusted." She began to move away. "Ah think…"

"Excuse me? Mouse?" called the new sprite. "I can't get anything to work…"

Mouse moved over to the terminal and grunted in disgust. "It's locked up. Just-"

Before anyone could react, the new sprite pulled back his arm, and swiftly elbowed the screen hard. It blanked out for a moment, then fizzled back online, with the cursor blinking normally again.

The young sprite reclined slightly in his seat. "Yeah," he announced. "I know how to work this thing now…"

AndrAIa was explaining to Phong as best she could what she knew of the new sprite. "He was traveling in a zip file, see? And when he had to reco… reck… re-configure to Mainframe, his memory got all messed up. He said he couldn't remember who he was, or where he came from. He looked awful beat-up though. And I think there's something wrong with his eyes…"

"My child, is this all he told you and Mouse?"

AndrAIa shrugged. "Pretty much."

"I see…" Phong said simply as he moved away from AndrAIa. "It only makes me wonder how Mouse could have determined how trust-worthy he is from such limited information."

AndrAIa's nose wrinkled slightly. He was right. She moved over to where Mouse was working on the shields, and stole a quick glance at the strange sprite who was sitting at his terminal some ways away, learning how to monitor power fluctuations. For someone with no memory to speak of, he certainly learned fast…

Mouse saw her approach and smiled warmly. "How ya holdin' up sugah? Won't be long now before the game'll be over."

AndrAIa smiled back, albeit distractedly. Then she got right to the point. "Do you know him, Mouse?"

Mouse was taken completely off-guard. She hesitated a moment. "Who? Mr. Amnesia over there?" Her eyes shifted around warily, and she lowered her voice. "Listen, hon. Can Ah trust you ta keep a secret? I need ta know I can count on ya." AndrAIa nodded enthusiastically. "Alright then. The truth is, Ah DON'T know him. In fact, Ah've never seen him, or anythin' like him before. Ah can't even recognize his format. Ah know you probably don't understand just now, but when there's somethin' that even Ah've never seen, it usually means trouble."

AndrAIa gaped at Mouse with newfound confusion, and worry. "But… then why did you let him come up here?"

Mouse shook her head. "Because, like Ah said, I don't know what he is. If Ah can get these lovin' hands 'o mine on that icon, just for a nano, Ah might be able to find out more. But Ah need ta get chummy with the li'l bugger first, 'cause Ah don't think he'd appreciate havin' his icon lifted by a total stranger. No, we've gotta find out everythin' we can about… that." Mouse snapped out of it, as she realized she was beginning to talk to herself. "So, can Ah trust ya, hon?"

>AndrAIa saluted crisply, and winked knowingly. Mouse returned the wink, as AndrAIa trotted off, thrilled with her new responsibilities. Mouse allowed herself a chuckle as she turned back to the terminal. "User bless momma, daddy, and kids that are easy to please."

The shields were finally back online, and Phong was attempting to talk to the new sprite. He was unable to get very far, as he was constantly interrupted by the youth's questions about the system. It was becoming quite a frustrating task, when Dot and Enzo returned from the game.

"Enzo!!" cheered AndrAIa, who proceeded to run to hug him, slamming them both into the door, some ways away.

"Uh… hi AndrAIa," Began the startled Guardian cautiously.

The new sprite's jaw dropped. "Well… remind me not to make an enemy of her." He whispered to Phong. After a moment's thought, he added "Or a friend. That might be even more dangerous." He quickly drew a similar conclusion about Frisket, when he was treated to the sight of him attacking the doctor binomes on the vid-window.

There were many pleasantries exchanged before the new sprite was introduced. Mouse began. "Well, we couldn't keep the poor dahlin behind bars, Ah figured he could be make for a fine new pair of hands. Trouble is, he's pretty disoriented what with gittin' thrown around in a zip file, an' havin' his memory corrupted."

Dot sat down. "We could use the Mem-Scan program to collect any data that wasn't lost." She turned to the sprite. "Would that be alright? We want to help you. Wewon't hurt you, I promise." Her face radiated the honest gentleness that everyone who knew Dot had come to love about her.

The sprite looked nervous, but nodded after a moment.

Enzo, for his part, was sizing up the new arrival with a critical eye. If this sprite really was from the Web, how had he survived? Enzo watched as Phong placed a headband-styled piece of equipment on the sprite's head, and hooked it up to a nearby terminal.

"This may cause you to feel somewhat light-headed, child." He advised. "Please try to remain still until the scan is complete." The sprite winced slightly in reply.

Dot pressed a few buttons, and the headpiece whirred to life. All eyes were on the new sprite for a moment, until Dot's voice suddenly called out "Hey! I'm getting a readout!"

Everyone turned to the screen. Everyone, that is, except for the young Guardian. Enzo, gaped, unseen as the strange sprite suddenly went from timid, to purposeful. He watched in terror, as the pale eyes began to darken, and were soon a burning, deep blue. The machine hissed slightly, and Enzo heard confused whispering among the others. He tore himself away from the spectacle to see what had happened.

"…just gone!" Mouse finished. "I dunno, maybe it was some kinda nasty feedback from an old scan, but now the blasted hunk o' junk aint readin' a thing!" Enzo glanced back quickly, and noted that the sprite's eyes had turned their usual pale blue again.

Dot shook her head, perplexed. "Did we get anything readable?"

Phong shook his head. "The information is jumbled, and corrupted, just as he said. However, there does appear to be one term that is repeated many times, and it does appear to be comprehensible." He turned to the sprite, and adjusted his glasses. "My child. Do the words 'Grid Run' mean anything to you?"

The new arrival glanced around. His eyes narrowed in thought, and he finally turned questioningly back to Phong. "My… name?" he suggested.

Enzo could hardly wait for the tactical meeting Dot had called that night. He tore into the commander's office that now belonged to his sister. The other major officers of Mainframe's defence, Dot, Phong, and Mouse shortly joined him. AndrAIa and Specks, who were allowed to stay, also followed them. He sat patiently as issues that would normally have fascinated him to no end, dragged on.

Enzo began to tune in and out to Phong's nervous voice "… small lance of CPUs in sector… defense net set up… viral force has advanced to…"

He shook himself out of it, and tried desperately to pay attention. He thought of simply blurting out what he had seen during the Mem-scan. But no, he just couldn't. He was a Guardian now, and he didn't want to mess it up. He had to prove that he could be mature. He could be professional. He could be like Bob. He could-

"Guys, there's something you should know!" he spluttered as he leapt to his feet

Nice going "Guardian"… he thought. All eyes were on him.

Phong paused a moment. "Guardian, we are in the middle of-"

"I know! I know!" Enzo apologized, sitting down with all haste. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it…"

Dot shook her head at Phong. "No, it's alright Enzo. Let's hear it."

Enzo timidly took the floor again. "Um… you know that Grid guy? Well, I noticed something kinda weird when you guys were scanning his memory? Just before the doohickey started doing that random stuff, his eyes went all weird, and… well, I don't think it was an accident all that bad data flooded the terminal."

Dot looked suspicious. "Are you suggesting he tampered with Mainframe's equipment?" she asked, shooting an accusing glare at Mouse, who gave no indication she had seen it.

"Well… I'm not sure, but I know what I saw-"

"My child," Phong interrupted, "much as I do not trust Grid Run, he had no opportunity to sabotage that device."

Mouse chimed in. "He's right sugah'. Trust me. I know every trick in the book, and more, and what you're suggestin' just can't be done."

"I just ran a system check, and there's no sign that anyone's tampered with anything at all. Well, besides the obvious scorch marks on the outside…" offered Specks.

Phong moved over to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you are eager to prove yourself, Guardi-"

"You all think I'm basic, don't you?! Well I know what I saw!" Enzo retorted, his voice beginning to break up. He bolted out the door. Once it had closed behind him, he sagged against the wall. Perfect, he thought. That'll show them how mature I am…

Grid caught sight of Enzo slinking past, and he moved to greet him. "Hey, you're the one they call Guardian, right? I've been meaning to ask you, what is a Guardian anyway?"

Enzo brushed past him, as if he didn't even exist, and left the command center. Grid stared after him. "Fine. I'll just have to guess. Guardian means moody little creep… and they're probably no fun."

"Guardian Matrix" sat for what felt like seconds outside on the rim of the Principal Office moping to himself, and feeling more than a little betrayed. He whirled around as he heard the approach of footsteps. It was AndrAIa and Dot.

He turned away as they came closer and looked at the smoky skies. "No one believes me. No one ever does."

Dot sat down beside him. "We came to tell you that we believe you."

AndrAIa joined them. "I did not say it before, but back in the holding cell, I saw the same thing. I told your sister after you left."

"You saw it too?" Enzo began to brighten up. "Then… you don't think I'm off my processor, Sis?"

"I never did. Still, it could mean anything. I do think you're jumping to conclusions… but never let it be said that I took a Guardian's warning lightly. We'll keep an eye on him. You keep your mind on your duty. To mend and defend."

Enzo smiled and got up. "I will!"

Dot put her arm around his shoulder. "We all trust you Enzo. You did very well in the game, and I want you to know I'm very proud of you. Don't worry about trying to impress us. You have your whole life ahead of you."

Meanwhile, Grid sat in his new sleeping quarters. He quietly removed his icon, tapping it once. It changed into a small Vid-Window.

"Status report." A deep, gruff voice sounded at the other end.

Grid smiled glumly. "Insertion successful."