"What is it really that is in your head?
When did the life that you had just died?
I'm gonna be the one that's taking over...
Now this is what it's like when worlds *collide*..."

-"World's Collide" By Powerman 5000

Pain 7

   *   *   *

 
 The city _seemed_ fairly calm. The sectors gleamed blue and bright green. The supports they had stuck in kept it from falling apart. Everything was as it...well not as it _should_ be. But it was supposed to be holding together.
 Except that it wasn't.
 Under the varnish and gloss, something broke off and fell to the sea, turning slowly round and round until it disappeared with a faint plop. A small part, just a screw or a nail. But it shouldn't have fallen.
 The city was becoming slightly restless. Net travel not very common, binomes and sprites had families whose roots went back in Mainframe for months. Whole generations had become attuned to the regular workings of the system. Even dulled by viral slavery, deep in their processors every citizen knew that something was wrong.
 The city was rotting out from under them.
 There was not much time left.

   *   *   *

 "I spend too much time stalking down corridors." Dot thought to herself. "I HATE stalking down corridors. The place never seemed this big before." She made a left. "Then again before I wasn't running around all day serving a virus who only has the faintest idea of the meaning of 'work break'." Dot went down a flight of stairs. "Not that the idea of one would even cross any normal viral's mind."
 She turned past a corner and into another corridor that seemed to stretch into the distance. The sprite paused as she remembered what had happened last time she'd wandered around alone. Then an almost loving wave of relief spread through her. Hadn't Megabyte ordered his guard-flunkies to stay away from her? She'd be fine.
 Dot made it halfway across the place before she remembered to be upset with herself for thinking that way.
 It wasn't the actual emotions as much as the delayed reactions that were getting annoying.
 Dot stopped and looked up, frowning. A weird scraping noise was coming from the ceiling. Craning her neck she saw it was just a broken fan. Shrugging, she was about to continue on when a door in front of her slammed open.
 "ACK!"
 "Vhat?"
 CPU pounding and thanking whatever User that was listening that she'd stopped, Dot stepped back to peer down at the diminutive figure of Herr Doktor.
 "Oh. It is you, mein Frau." He muttered, adjusting his stethoscope.
 "You nearly gave me a concussion with that!" Dot replied, still waiting for her heart to settle.
 "Ja? Vell it's not as if I EXPECTED someone to be standing in front of my door." He replied, not even looking up at Dot as he checked a note pad he was holding.
 "You could at least say sorry!"
 Herr Doktor rolled his eyes and went "Sorry." Dot glared. She knew it wasn't really his fault but the way he was treating her almost as if she were some sort of _child_ grated.
 "Tell me does the word 'sincerity' mean anything to you?" Dot asked brightly. Something in his demeanor had always made her want to strangle him.
 "Not at the moment." He replied narrowing his eye. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have more IMPORTANT things to do." With that the odd little binome set off in the direction Dot came from.
 "Creep." Dot said under her breath. Passing she noticed the door had been left ajar. Out of mild curiosity Dot peered in. The room was a tangled mess of old and new equipment, pieces of broken machines (and what looked like binome parts near the back) and several tanks of...well she couldn't think of any other word than _things_-floating around in colored liquid. All in all your classic mad-scientist's room.
 "Great." She said out loud. "It's just like that _Bride Of Frankenome_ movie Mike kept playing at us. Except less body parts."
 Something in a tank banged against the glass.
 "Maybe." Dot amended.
 The screen of a computer near the back was still on. Curious once more Dot wandered over and looked at it, skimming through the contents. Several words jumped out at her and latched onto her brain.
 "Estimated time to total decomposition-"
 Dot stopped skimming and started reading more carefully. Around her equipment bleeped quietly and tanks hummed. The sound was almost soothing in its regularity.
It seemed such a subdued place to find out such a horrible piece of information.
Dot quickly hooked up her organizer and clicked on 'file copy'. After a chime signified it was finished she grabbed her file folder and rushed out of the room, boots clacking on the floor as she ran.

   *   *   *

 Megabyte switched between several vid-windows as he processed the Doktor's report. The Net portals were closed and there wasn't much else to say. There was a slim chance the User would re-open them up manually but that would take time and even might start the system crash earlier than expected. Normally he was good at finding methods to move around these things but there was no real way to get over the fact that they were trapped.
 The virus looked expressionlessly at the screen, hiding his unease. A sudden commotion at the entrance brought back his attention.  Dot's thoughts hammered into his mind. She'd thrown open the doors to the room without warning and the guards were still a bit off-balance. Megabyte felt his fist twitch. Would that sprite _ever_ learn any mental or emotional self-control? She wasn't even bothering to block their mental channels. Not that there were any books written on the subject of empathy but Megabyte somehow felt it was almost _crass_ of Dot to show this much feeling. Sitting up and posed casually inspecting his nails for the benefit of the sprite's sight when she came in, the virus reflected on how extremely passionate Dot became when riled. What had happened to vex her _this_ time? He made sure to close off his end of the link.
 Dot stormed up the isle leading to the throne. Megabyte looked up briefly and at a small gesture two pikes abruptly swung down to form an 'X' barrier in front of his irate commander.
"Ms. Matrix! How kind of you to drop by." He said almost cordially. "Tell me...do you think that in addition to unswerving loyalty and devotion I should make a requirement of being viral the ability to _request_ an audience with their employer first?"
 "It's really very important." Dot replied, trying to keep the indignant rage out of her voice. With a magnanimous wave of Megabyte's hand the pikes lifted. Shaking her head as if to say "about time" Dot stalked her way up the room.
 "I trust you have a reason for this...encroachment?" Asked the virus more coolly once Dot was a few feet in front of him.
 "I do." Dot stated, restrained anger thick in her speech. "It's kind of funny how what with all the _prestige_ I should feel with being second in command I still have to scrounge around for information."
 "Do tell. Such as...?"
 "THIS." Dot held up Herr Doktor's report up where the virus couldn't miss it.
 "Oh. That." With the link tightly closed the only real emotion Dot could read on Megabyte's face was a weary put-uponness.
 "Yes, THAT! What have you been doing?! You can't tell me that this isn't a little problem we can solve in no time! This says the system is _DYING_ Megabyte! We have less than a minute until it crumbles apart underneath us!"
 The guard's faces tried to remain impassive but suddenly their shading seemed paler than normal.
 "My dear Ms. Matrix, if I haven't brought the problem to your attention it's because there's no need for your involvement in it."
 "No need for my-!" Sheer fury gripped her and for a moment she felt freer than she had in minutes. Guilt quickly counterbalanced it, saying 'But this is your master. How could you dare to question him?'
 "Now if you're simply bored, I'm sure we can find something else for you to do." Megabyte said a touch solicitously, turning his chair away slightly as if dismissing Dot's concerns.
 "Bored?!" Dot's heart went thud in her chest and she felt weary all of a sudden. Why did she even care? Why not just give in? What was she holding ON to?
 "Honestly Dot, do you have no faith in me?" The virus tried a charming smile.
 Oh yes. Hating him. THAT was what.
 "Do I have any choice?"
 "Hmm...no. Not really. Now do go along and attend to some of your more pressing duties."
 "But-"
 "I appreciate your concern of course but the matter _is_ well in hand."
  "Of course. Fine! I apologize for taking up so much of your time then, _sir_." Dot tried to get as much sarcasm as was possible with infection into her voice. It wasn't nearly enough.
 "Please, don't mention it." Megabyte muttered then went back to admiring his claws. Dot lowered her head and walked out. Just before she hit the door the virus abruptly delved into Dot's head.
 She froze. This was something he hadn't purposely done since the last gamecube. He seemed to have regained his composure since then. Dot managed to hang on as he riffled through her consciousness. The dark, shark-like buzz of his mind had mellowed somewhat-or, more likely, she was just getting used to it. That thought would bring up another roll of revulsion when she had time to absorb it properly. Abruptly it lifted.
 Pulling out of immediate contact but keeping it open the virus savored what he'd found-anger. HELPLESS anger. The kind of anger that occurred because it was better despair and that was the only other thing left. Why in fact despite infection, which should have melted her opinions to jelly, she still _hated_ him.
 What an oddly invigorating though.
Megabyte smiled. "You may go." He said softly.
 Dot's body shuddered and unclenched. Finding herself under what was left of her control again she tried to get through the doors before anything else unpleasant happened.
She nearly made it.

   *   *   *

A shimmering, liquid oval hovered a hand's span above the ground. It was the color of mercury, from the side the thickness of a line. It was quite an ancient portal command but boosted by the meager electronics in the chamber, it would serve its purpose.
 The figure stared at it for a heartbeat. The old wires moaned as if in pain. If the connection would be used, it would have to be now.
 Glancing around quickly as if the place were not even worth saying good-bye to, the figure stepped through.

   *   *   *

 Without warning the lights went out.
 Immediately the guards scurried past her to slam the doors shut and dash back up to Megabyte's side. Viral's first reaction-_save the virus. Keep it safe_.
 "What's happening?!" Megabyte hissed. Dot strained her sight in the darkness. The only light came from Megabyte's eyes which were glowing. Suddenly the hall seemed much more vast and empty than it had moments ago-except for those two pinpricks of light. Dot found herself moving back towards Megabyte and the guards. "Amazing how the dark does this to us." She thought.
 The tip of the guard's filelockers flared and shadows sprung up. The virus punched a few buttons on his chair. Vid-windows filled with static came up.
 "Lieutenant? Core-control? Report!" Nothing. The virus glared and snapped "Activate auxiliary power!"
The System voice intoned serenely "Auxiliary power activated. Attempt only 40% sucessful. Communications-offline. Lighting-off line. Core control-online. Data systems-partially on line."
 "Blast." The virus said to himself as the voice relentlessly listed the number of things wrong with the system. "Determined cause of power failure?"
 "Monitors in level 31 detected a large surge of energy before off lined. Estimated damage-non-permanent. System power estimated to be back on line in forty-two micoseconds. System functions need to be re-set afterwards."
 Megabyte relaxed so slightly Dot nearly missed it. She was relieved too. This WASN'T the end she'd been half-dreading, half-hoping for. If they lived through this they should be all right for a while.
 "Warning..."
 "Oh _no_..." Dot breathed.
 "Incoming game."
 The room was quiet. The system voice repeated its message a few times and then stopped as a cube settled in the system somewhere and they felt the faint impact as it hit the ground.

   *   *   *

 Binomes looked up at the cube fearfully. Comments fluttered up and down the street as more and more residents realized that no one from the Principle Office had entered the game.
 "Was anyone in there?"
 "I don't think I saw any legions go in at _all_..."
 "You mean no one special made it in?"
 "_They're_ all doomed."
 A crowd of spectators had gathered at the border's edge, morbidly curious. The whole of sector 31 had been swallowed up into purple.

   *   *   *

 The taunt silence became almost unbearable.
 "Our User hates us doesn't it?" Dot said.
 The two guards looked at her as if she were out of her mind for speaking. Megabyte merely rolled his eyes and turned back to the vid-windows. Frowning he pushed a button that made a few click up in front of Dot.
 "Find out what sector it landed in." he ordered without looking up. Dot took the window which between bursts of static showed an aerial view of Mainframe. After a few tries she made out a purple rectangle.
 "It looks like level 31."
 "At least it's not the industrial sector." Megabyte replied absently.
 "Oh yes. Only _people_ in there." Dot bit back the retort.
 "Communications-partially on line."
 "At last." The virus summoned up a window with a startled viral on the other side. "Clean up crews, prepare to move into level 31."
 The binome saluted smartly and scurried off. Sighing the virus closed the window.
 "Now all we have to do is...wait." he mused. Megabyte glanced at Dot and said more softly "Tell me, does it feel familiar?"
 Even without the connection the flush in Dot's cheeks would have told him he was right. The virus started chuckling and her flush became deeper. The comment was bad enough but to say it in front of the guards who were trying not to SMIRK...
 "Game over." The voice cut Megabyte off. They waited.
 Nothing.
 "Oh surely not..." the virus seemed genuinely surprised.
A few heartbeats later, still no voice.
"They were _successful_?!"
 "They won." Dot breathed. Something stirred. Something so far-fetched her mind didn't even want to think it directly in case it collapsed.
 "_How_?" The virus stared almost suspiciously at the screen.
 "I suppose...maybe they just gotten LUCKY." Dot offered.
Megabyte swiveled and pointed at one of the guards. "You-go and find my spies immediately. I want the sector scoured. Is that clear?"
 "Yes sir!" the sprite moved off quickly.
Megabyte turned back to Dot as if they hadn't been interrupted. His voice was almost chilly. "Ms. Matrix, in all the time before the guardian came do you remember a single gamecube without a sprite that WON?"
 "No." She admitted with a frown, puzzled as to why he seemed upset. They'd been spared after all. "But _someone_ in there saved the sector."
 Dot stopped.
The virus turned away again and said dismissively "Well perhaps a sprite WAS in there. Or it was merely blind luck. Or the disturbance before hand caused something in the game to become corrupted. Regardless I'll need communications back up. Hopefully your organizer is still running and we can patch up something through there."
Dot hadn't been listening. _Someone saved the sector..._
"Dot?"
_Someone..._
"Ms. Matrix..."
She snapped awake and became very aware that the rapidly shortening patience of the virus was about to wear out. Her mind quickly replayed the words she'd been hearing without paying attention to.
"Oh-right away sir." She opened up her organizer and immediately dived into work. Partly to get rid of impossible thoughts. And partly to make sure she wasn't kicked out of the throne room so she would still be there when the spies reported in.

   *   *   *

 Someone dashed quickly down an alley away from where the gamecube had been and paused for breath.
Games. He hadn't seen one in ages. He'd missed them in fact.
 The binomes from the gamecube were probably far behind by now. And they wouldn't bother to follow him this far even if they weren't. The figure looked down at his bulky armor and sighed. Here in this system it was too hot for comfort but he'd still need it to blend in. After all, these were the darker levels.
More slowly as if trying to figure out if this was home or not, he walked down the back street. The figure stopped as he reached an insignia on the walls.
Two bright green slashes for eyes with a lower slash in the middle for a nose and four underneath to represent teeth.
Oh..._damn_.
Bob leaned back and took off his mask.
"I tried." He said at last, sounding weary. "I swear. I _tried_."
The universe did not seem impressed.
He stared blankly at the sign carved in the wall. Absently he laid his helmet on the ground then stood back up. The sprite tried to keep a calm grip on his emotions. The battle to get a hold of them showed on his face. None of it was pleasant.
The spy holding the camera was much more interested.

   *   *   *

 Dot's mouth opened a bit. She felt like giggling.
 "Bob? Are you positive?"
 "He looked a little peculiar but I'm sure it was Bob."
 For the first time in minutes she found herself smiling widely.
 "So the guardian survived the Web, did he?"
 The virus could _feel_ Dot's smile, even without any link to help. What DID reverberate along her link was something she shouldn't have felt at all. Hope.
 Megabyte's fist clenched. This would be a wonderful opportunity to finally leave this dying place, set up a more stable system. The guardian had come back to the ruins of his home and unwittingly saved his enemy's life. He should have found it satisfyingly ironic.
 And he would have if not for Dot's grinning.
 Dismissing the spy and ordering Herr Doktor to make preparations he swiveled to Dot.
 "And incidentally you can stop doing that now _commander_ Matrix."
 Dot tried to hide it but it didn't help.
 "Hmm." She said blandly. "I wonder how many more times you'll have to try to kill him." Her mind seemed to sing.
Megabyte scowled deeply. Dot was grinning again. It struck him that she was enjoying his discomfort the way, to a much lesser degree, he'd enjoyed hers. She was trying to MOCK him? How DARE she have the _audacity_...
Dot shook her head slightly, relieved not to go through with a chewing out. She couldn't believe her own audacity there and her viral part was screaming guilt at her but she couldn't seem to help saying the words.
She was going to pay. It was high time her will was finally crushed anyhow. Slamming down on their connection and about to hiss out a sharp reminder about who owned whom he paused and became still. He settled back, obviously deep in thought over something.
Unable to glean much from what Megabyte felt now Dot tried to mentally steady herself. She began to feel fear for Bob. He was trapped alone in a completely hostile system-but he came back. She hadn't though it was possible but he'd come back. She'd given up on him. It was silly to think it but some part of her kept insisting "It's Bob, he saved you all before, everything's going to be okay. It's Bob. It's going to be all right." She tried to repress it for fear of being hurt when inevitably disappointed but there it was-hope. At last, some _hope_. Why?
Standing there in the middle of Megabyte's throne room she admitted it to herself. Because she had cared about Bob and he was the last link of her former life and he'd come back. User, he'd actually come back.
 And nothing the virus did could take that fact away from her.
"Dot." She looked up at Megabyte. He held her eyes for a moment then smiled slowly, very deliberately, as if seeing a particularly funny joke. "Ah. _You're_ going to be of particular use to me quite soon."
"Why?"
He moved the chair closer till they were only an arms length apart and leaned forwards.
"I'm going to use you for something very special." He said, voice low.
"Such as?"
The virus leaned in even closer until it was all Dot could do not to jerk back.
"You're going kill Bob for me." Megabyte said softly, still smiling.
 And hatred flowed.

Chapter 8