The Hunted

by etcetera_nine

Summary:

When you're trapped within the walls you've built around yourself, escaping may be the hardest thing you've ever done.

(A season 4 cliffhanger resolution fic, with a little bit of violence and a whole lot of angst.)

Originally posted on FanFiction.net in 2017.

Notes:

Originally posted on FanFiction.net in 2017.

Chapter 1

In the end, it wasn't much of a hunt.

Dot was pacing the corridors, Hack and Slash cowering in silence beside her as she thought frantically, pressing her fingers to her temples and pushing-

The sewers beneath the Principal Office? Those might help her get out, but she needed to get in... The air ducts that traveled through the ceilings? Maybe, but for that to work she'd need a map and-she opened up her organizer again, hoping desperately…

Nothing but static. The communications were still down. With a shout, she hurled the organizer at the wall and sunk down to the floor, dropping her head in her hands.

How long had she been out here? How much time did she have left?

User, she would give anything for a decent virus scan right about now.

She heard Hack and Slash roll to a stop alongside her. "What…" began Hack. Neither of them had spoken for so long. "What are you…"

"G-g-g-" Slash started. If it were any other time, she would have felt terrible. She had never shouted at them like she had before, but doing so had frightened them into a disturbing silence.

"Going to do?" Slash finished.

She had no idea.

"An excellent question, Ms. Matrix."

She raised her eyes slowly. A VidWindow had opened right in front of her. In its frame, a closeup of Megabyte, holding her brother by the throat as he squirmed desperately, gasping for breath.

Hack and Slash trembled, holding each other as they started backing down the hallway.

"All out of ideas?" The virus pouted exaggeratedly. "How disappointing. I expected much more of you, my love."

She shivered. "Don't," she said. "Don't you dare-"

"Don't what?" asked Megabyte, the picture of innocence. "This?" One claw flashed out, stopping beneath Enzo's right eye. He whimpered, trying to twist his face away.

"No!" she cried out, as Megabyte laughed. "Don't touch him- Don't-"

Oh User, it was happening again, her worst nightmare come true. She was going to lose him. Because of her… just because she was still here, still processing, Megabyte was going to hurt him. Oh, Enzo. Not again…

Ever since Megabyte had revealed himself, the guilt-her old friend, familiarly managed-had been building inside her, threatening to overspill. She could handle it, she told herself. She was used to handling it. She had kept it tamped down.

But the terror had finally overcome the guilt, now. She was petrified. Her brain was spinning.

They were trapped here. They were all going to be deleted. All of them. It was all her fault. All of it. She couldn't breathe.

She had tried so hard. She had given all of herself, and she thought it had been just enough. But then, in the end, it wasn't. And there was nothing else left of herself to give. She was so tired.

She was so tired of this.

"Don't," she said again. It came out as a gasp. "I can't- I'll do anything-"

"Anything?" Megabyte asked. She watched Enzo's face. He was terrified, but trying to be brave. For her. Because of her. She couldn't lose him again.

Anything.

"Yes," she whispered.

Megabyte's leering face filled the screen. "Beg me."

 

---

 

Another VidWindow, now. Bigger. Louder.

"Attention, citizens of Mainframe. This is a… personal message for the hacker, the game sprite, the renegade… and the guardian. I am pleased to inform you that your command-dot-com-the lovely Ms. Matrix-and I have come to an agreement. She has surrendered herself to me completely on the condition that I spare her brother from deletion."

A pause.

"How trusting. How brave."

And then: a slash of metal, and a cry of anger and pain. Someone was screaming.

"Come and find us," the virus sang. Slowly, he began to laugh.

The VidWindow shut.

 

---

 

"No," Matrix said, staring at the space where the VidWindow had been in disbelief. "No!" His arm shot out, denting the wall beside him, but he clenched his fist as if he didn't even feel it. He spun around to face Bob. "Whose scream was that?" he demanded. "Could you tell?"

"I think… I think it was Dot's." Bob felt sick. He had had nightmares like this: Megabyte, enraged and insane, Dot screaming. "Why would she do this? What is she doing?"

The two of them had made their way to the Principal Office's small armory and were stockpiling weapons, loading themselves with anything they thought would give them a chance. Glitch had whirred in disapproval, noting the futility of trying to stop a Class 5 Trojan Horse virus with bullets, but Bob had ignored it. Loading a gun was something he hadn't done for a long time, something he had told himself he'd never have to do again outside of a game. But for now, at least, it made him feel a little less helpless.

"Oh, User…" Matrix began. "We have to get back to them, we have to get back to the War Room-"

Bob shook his head. "That's exactly what Megabyte wants us to do, we're going to walk right into his trap! Dot has to have a plan, or else she wouldn't-"

"You mean, she wouldn't give herself up to Megabyte? What kind of plan could this possibly be? I don't know if you've noticed, Bob," Matrix continued, sliding another gun into the waistband of his jeans, "but she hasn't exactly been in the best headspace lately."

She has surrendered herself to me completely. Megabyte's voice replayed in his mind and Bob shuddered, not daring to think about what that meant.

She wouldn't, he told himself. She wouldn't. His jaw clenched as he hefted the gun he was holding, the cold weight bringing back all the memories he tried to keep buried.

She wouldn't, he repeated to himself, to silence out the voice that was whispering to him: Too late, cadet…

Matrix grabbed another round of bullets and headed for the door. "I'm going after her. And when I see Megabyte, I'm going to do something you should have done a long time ago."

The words Matrix threw at him made his heart clench. He was right. If he had just done what he was supposed to do… What any other guardian would have done… But no matter what he did lately, it seemed like someone always got hurt.

Dot's scream echoed in his mind.

"Enzo, wait!" Bob called, as Matrix stalked off through the armory doorway. "We need to stay together!"

Matrix stopped, but didn't look back. "What do you think I'm doing?" he said, his voice cold. "I'm going to help my family. You can stay with me, or you can stay behind."

"I'm coming," Bob said, before Matrix could start to walk away again. "I'm coming. Just wait."

Almost without thinking, he grabbed one more weapon, a dagger, from its place on the armory wall, and bent to slip it into his boot before hurrying to catch up.

"You guys are my family, too," Bob told him, as they started to jog down the hall, but Matrix didn't reply.

Chapter 2

Notes:

Originally posted on FanFiction.net in 2017.

The door to the War Room was open, and the first thing Bob saw was Mouse, trapped and pacing up on the balcony, caged in a glowing firewall. A large bruise was blooming on the side of her face.

Next to her, in a separate firewall, was AndrAIa. She looked down hopefully at them, cradling her right hand with her left. Bob noticed, his heart lurching, that several of her fingers were mangled and bleeding. Energy dripped down her forearm.

Matrix had noticed, too. "AndrAIa!" he cried, striding into the room. Bob opened his mouth to call out a warning, but he was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Ah, ah, ah," Megabyte said, mocking. "Stay where you are, or…" Dot was standing next to him, one of Megabyte's arms wrapped around her shoulders. His claws stroked a warning at the skin of her throat.

"Dot…" whispered Bob. She stared at him, silent, her eyes blazing, pleading. She was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't understand.

The room was filled with infected binomes. Beside the main console, Specky blinked a dull gray eye behind his glasses. Phong lay, eerily still, near him on the floor. Welman's exo-suit sagged uselessly, his null form thrashing against the glass. Mouse and AndrAIa watched from their firewalls on the balcony; next to them were two more cages, empty and waiting.

And behind Megabyte was Enzo, caged in the final firewall. He had a large cut through his right eyebrow, and his face was smeared with energy, as if he had tried to wipe it off angrily.

Matrix stopped. "What kind of hunt is this, Megabyte?" he asked, scowling.

"I have you where I want you, don't I?" Megabyte replied, leisurely examining the claws on his free hand. "I'd say it was a very successful one." He gestured to the floor in front of them. "Now, weapons. On the ground. All of them. And I'll have your keytool, guardian."

"Don't do it, Bob! Don't give it to him!"

One Megabyte's tentacles snapped behind him toward Enzo, hitting the side of the firewall with a smack. Dot cringed as he cried out in surprise.

Megabyte pulled her closer, his claws flashing. "Your final warning, boy," he said.

"You sick, twisted—" Matrix snarled, but Megabyte broke in.

"Now, now, let's be civilized. There is a child in the room, you know."

Bob could feel the hatred pouring from Matrix in waves, but he turned to address Enzo instead of replying to Megabyte. "It'll be all right, kid," Matrix called, trying to reassure him. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay."

"Everything's going to be okay," Bob echoed weakly, staring at Dot. "We're going to figure this out. I promise." Dot's eyes met his again for a brief moment, then dropped to the floor.

"Yes, guardian," said Megabyte. "Figure this out. Your weapons, or your friends? So much to lose! Such a very, very difficult decision." He grinned, his tongue darting out to run over his sharp teeth.

Bob and Matrix glanced at each other. One by one, they set the guns they had gathered from the armory on the ground, Matrix adding his own automated one to the pile. Glitch was whirring in terror. "Don't worry, Glitch," he said, feeling useless. He cut the keytool off mid-beep and powered it down, then unlocked it from his arm bracer and set it on the floor, keeping his eyes on Megabyte and Dot the entire time.

"I've been wondering…" mused Megabyte. A tentacle shot out, snapping Glitch up from the floor and bringing it back to him. He stuck one claw out and stroked the keytool. Slowly, it turned dark blue.

"Lovely," Megabyte crooned. He fasted it to his own arm with a click. "I'm sure this will come in handy, later."

He can infect keytools, Bob thought, adding it to his mental list of Megabyte's terrifying new abilities. The loss of Glitch felt enormous, like he was missing his own arm. User, as if things couldn't get any worse…

"Get rid of the weapons. Then search them," Megabyte commanded.

A zero approached, patting down a glowering Matrix first. "He's clean!" the zero called.

Megabyte gestured to one of the empty cages. "After you."

Matrix made an audible growling noise, but—

And there it was. An almost imperceptible nod from Dot as she stared at her brother.

She does have a plan, Bob thought, his heart beating frantically in relief. Thank the User, thank you, thank you…

Matrix's face revealed nothing, but he headed slowly up the stairs. The firewall door slid shut behind him with a hiss.

"Now the guardian," Megabyte commanded.

Bob barely paid attention as the zero searched him, desperately trying to figure out what Dot was doing, how he could help. But she wouldn't make eye contact with him anymore. It was almost like she didn't want him to know—

"He has a knife, Lord Megabyte."

"I— what?" Bob glanced down in shock, his heart sinking when he saw the dagger the zero was holding. It was the knife from the armory, the one he had slipped into his boot right before he and Matrix ran out. He had forgotten all about it. Oh User, this was not good…

"No, hey, listen guys—" Bob began. He held his hands up to the other binomes who'd started to steadily approach him. "Wait, let me explain—"

"Oh, guardian," said Megabyte. He tilted his head, regarding him warily. "How unfortunate."

It was over before he even knew it had happened. There was a flash, Dot cried out, and suddenly there were three long parallel lines across her collarbone. Bob watched in horror as the cuts started bleeding, blossoming dark blue onto her white shirt.

"You get no more warnings," Megabyte said.

"No," he whispered. "Oh, no, Dot, I'm so sorry—"

And then they were on top of him, nearly a dozen binomes pulling him down, dragging him up the stairs toward the firewall next to Matrix. He tried to fight them off, but the shock was too much, and before he knew it—

The door slid shut, and he was trapped.

He pounded on the wall. "No," he cried out. "Dot!"

She stood alone in the middle of the War Room, touching the cuts with her fingers. They came back dark blue, and she stared at them, mesmerized.

"Dot!" he screamed again. Everyone was shouting. Next to him, Matrix beat his fists against his firewall so hard that the floor shook.

And then Dot was staring at him, wearing that look of determination that he loved so much, the one he had thought of so many times, when he had needed some of her bravery, her strength, her courage, her confidence, her belief in him. When he had just needed her.

User, how he loved her. He loved her, he loved her fiercely, he had loved her for so long and he would love her forever—

She spun around and addressed Megabyte. "Let's get this over with," she said.

Too late, cadet, the terrible voice repeated. Too late again.

"Let's get what over with?" he said. Beside him, Matrix fell silent along with the rest of the room.

"Dot?" Bob asked.

She turned to him, looking up at where he stood, trapped. "Bob," she said. "Listen to me."

Even though she was across the room, her words rang out so clearly that he reached out to touch her face, his fingers brushing the sharp heat of the firewall instead.

"I love you," she told him. "I need you to know that, and I need you to remember it. No matter what's happened between us, no matter what's going to happen. I've always loved you. I've always loved you," she repeated. "It's always been you."

Bob realized, with a growing horror, that she was crying.

"You promised that you wouldn't leave me," she continued. "And I need you to be here for me now, to do what I need you to do. I hope, one day, you understand."

Some small, faraway part of him heard Mouse shout from the other side of the balcony.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head. "No, Dot, whatever you're doing, please don't—"

But she wasn't listening. She had turned to Megabyte again, squared her shoulders. With one hand, she wiped away any trace of her tears. He wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms, to hold her, but there was no way to reach her.

"Dot," he called out. "Dot, please, listen to me. Please!"

There was no way to reach her.

"This is all very touching," Megabyte drawled. "Shall we continue?"

Dot stood silently. Mouse was shouting louder now, screaming Dot's name, banging against the firewall. A group of binomes rushed up the steps to try to subdue her.

"I thought you'd request this in private, darling," Megabyte said, nonchalantly. "If I had realized you liked an audience, I'd have done a few things differently."

"Just do it, you sick bastard," Dot spat.

"As you wish, my love," the virus said.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. Everyone was yelling now, the cacophony of shouts blending into a muted din as Bob watched the scene unfold in horror: Megabyte, reaching out his hand, his claws gleaming, hovering right above Dot's icon.

Oh, User, no.

And then...

He stopped.

Dot stepped back. "What— what are you doing?"

"I've changed my mind," Megabyte said. He grinned. "Bring me the boy."

Chapter 3

Notes:

Originally posted on FanFiction.net in 2017.

"No," Dot said, shocked. "You can't— You can't have Enzo, we agreed!"

Megabyte laughed. "And what happened the last time you tried to make a bargain with me?" Next to the console, Specky typed in a code, punching the numbers in mechanically without even looking at them.

Enzo's firewall door slid open.

"Sis, somebody— help!" Enzo shouted. Megabyte's infected binomes began to pull him out, dragging him by his feet as he clawed at the walls of his cage.

Bob could hear Mouse and Matrix shouting, AndrAIa gasping as she kicked her boots uselessly at the walls surrounding her. But he knew there was no way out without the codes. He had helped Phong and Specky design the firewalls in the War Room himself, when they were planning against Daemon. They were for a worst-case, no-win scenario.

They were meant for the enemy, and they hadn't put in a way out.

"No, no! You said you wanted me— You promised that you wouldn't—" Dot took a step toward Enzo, her hand out, but one of Megabyte's tentacles lashed out at her, hitting her across the stomach and propelling her backwards. She hit the wall and slid down, gasping.

"I don't keep my promises!" laughed Megabyte, incredulous. "Perhaps… you were thinking of someone else? Not still a little… mixed up, are we?"

Dot just stared at him, fear and fury all over her face.

Oh, Dot, Bob thought.

"And besides," Megabyte added. "What was it you said to me, in one of our more... intimate moments? Ah, yes." His voice changed suddenly, became a sickeningly perfect imitation of Dot's own. "It's hard for me to trust people, sometimes. I feel like everyone I've ever cared about... leaves me." His voice slipped back to its normal baritone. "You should have learned by now that trusting is for fools."

Bob touched the side of his firewall again, heedless of it burning his palm. He had never felt so helpless. For all his shouting earlier, now he felt like he couldn't speak. I love you, he thought, hoping desperately, uselessly that Dot would look at him, or get up, or do anything. Like his feelings alone would ever be enough. I love you, I love you, I love you...

"I hate you," Dot whispered to Megabyte. "I hate you."

"And I promised I wouldn't delete him," Megabyte continued, ignoring her. "I didn't say anything about infecting him. You're slipping, Ms. Matrix. You should have picked up on that."

"Dot!" Enzo shouted. The infected binomes had pulled him to Megabyte, now. He reached his arms out desperately for his sister. "Sis, help me, please—"

"Now, now," said Megabyte pleasantly. He pulled Enzo tight against his side, stopping his struggling. "Patience, boy, this will all be finished soon."

Enzo twisted in Megabyte's arms, turning toward the balcony. "Bob!" he called. "Bob, do something, please, anything!"

Now was usually the time when, with a blast of adrenaline and inspiration, Bob would think of something that would save them all. An overlooked file command, a last-ditch ask of Glitch, something to throw, something to swing from, something to break.

But he had nothing.

The stakes were higher now than he had ever thought, ever pictured the possibility of. Glitch was gone and his friends were trapped and hurt, and the only woman he had ever loved was crying, bleeding, and the boy who, when he allowed himself to, he thought of like his own son had just been dragged, screaming, towards an insane virus and was begging him for help and—

He had nothing. He felt like he was drowning, like everything was moving in slow motion, like a nightmare where you're trying to run but your feet aren't moving and the monster isn't just coming closer, it's already here—

"Kid! Hey! Look at me!" Matrix's gruff voice echoed from the firewall next to him. It was hard to see through the interference, but he could tell that Matrix was pressed against the wall, trying to get Enzo's attention.

"Why are you doing this?" Dot cried, reaching out her arms to Enzo in a futile attempt to get to him. Megabyte's tentacle kept her pinned and trapped against the wall, helpless.

Enzo looked desperately between them all, his terrified gaze finally settling on Matrix.

"That's right," Matrix said, "Just keep looking at me, and listen to my voice, okay kid? Just listen to my voice." Matrix's own voice had gone remarkably calm, almost gentle, with a rhythmic quality that was oddly steadying Bob's own racing heart.

"Why am I doing this? Because I can," mused Megabyte, to Dot. "Because I want to. And because…" He turned suddenly, glaring up towards the balcony at Matrix with intense hatred. "I know what this boy's potential is. He's going to compile up into the only sprite who has ever come close to defeating me." He grinned. "So… I want him on my side."

Matrix ignored him. "I need you to fight it, Enzo, okay? Think of how strong we are. Think of how many times we've beaten him. Don't stop fighting."

Megabyte snarled. "What nonsense is this?"

But Bob realized he knew exactly what Matrix was doing. "Oh, User," he whispered. Matrix was talking Enzo through his own infection.

"And when I tell you to," continued Matrix. "Close your eyes."

Enzo nodded quickly, terrified.

Megabyte's eyes narrowed. His claws flashed. "Enough!"

"Close your eyes, Enzo!" Matrix shouted. Bob heard Dot cry out from across the room as Enzo squeezed his eyes shut.

And Megabyte, ever so gently, brushed his claws over Enzo's icon.

Enzo's back arched, mouth opening in a silent, terrible scream. His small body seized once, then again, then slumped in Megabyte's arms.

His eyes opened. Slowly, they filled, turning black, then a sick, putrid green. He stood up.

"Enzo," Dot whispered. She reached out a hand to him, then let it drop back to the floor. She looked around the room, her eyes passing through Bob without seeing him before sweeping up to the ceiling, as if she were waiting for something. "It didn't work," she said dully. "It didn't work. I'm so sorry, Enzo, it was supposed to be me, I thought it would work…"

Since before he had even stepped foot in the War Room, Bob had been trying to figure out what Dot's plan was. Slowly, he had been putting the pieces together: how she had wanted them all caged, protected; the raw, almost painful emotion on her face as she stared at him, like she would never see him again—let's get this over with; her desperation as she grasped for Enzo, her plan crumbling, falling through her hands.

And I need you to be here for me now, to do what I need you to do.

She had planned for Megabyte to infect her. She had wanted it, chosen it—a self-sacrificing but terrible choice. She was the command-dot-com, for User's sake—she had all sorts of codes and access and passwords. It would have been a disaster, a total and complete corruption of the system.

And she wanted Bob to deal with the aftermath.

...to do what I need you to do.

He remembered Mouse's screams, knew that it was because she had realized, too, what Dot had meant. What she would have needed him to do.

An infected command-dot-com with that much power, that much access, serving a Class 5 Trojan Horse with enhanced viral capabilities, the likes of which he'd never seen before… She would have needed him to delete her, before she destroyed the entire system. Or before the two of them made it out to the Net.

I hope, one day, you understand.

But he didn't. He didn't understand, he didn't understand any of it. There was a huge piece of the puzzle missing, and Bob couldn't figure it out. She had wanted Megabyte to infect her, but why?

"Get up," Megabyte ordered Dot.

She stood up slowly. She looked defeated, her clothing torn, her makeup smeared, her shirt soaking up the energy from the wounds that were still bleeding, criss-crossing her collarbone.

"Over here, where everyone can see you," Megabyte said.

Bob's heart twisted at the delight in the virus's voice. "Run," he cried out. "Get out of here, Dot, run!" But he knew that she wasn't listening. She looked half-deleted already, like something had broken inside of her.

As she made her way slowly toward the center of the War Room, Megabyte kept talking. "I must admit, I am surprised at you," he said. "This was far too easy. But, you've been through a lot lately, haven't you, Ms. Matrix? You must be so very, very tired."

Dot didn't reply.

"You know, when you proposed this bargain, I was going to take you up on it, at first." The virus grinned. "To have you, of all sprites, under my complete control." His grin widened, eyes glinting maniacally. "How absolutely delicious. After all, we did have to cancel our wedding night..."

"If you touch her, Megabyte," Bob warned, fighting down a scream, "I'll delete you myself, with my bare hands!"

Megabyte laughed. "Like you could do anything right now, guardian," he sneered. "Look at you, trapped and helpless. Besides, who's to say you aren't already… too late?"

Too late, cadet… "No," Bob whispered. He looked to Dot, not sure what to believe, but she was staring at the ground.

"No matter!" continued Megabyte, cheerful now. "As I said, I've changed my mind. Although it would be useful to have this system's lovely command-dot-com—" He reached out a claw, stroking Dot lightly under her chin. "—under my complete thrall, I do think she's suffered enough, don't you? So very, very tired… We'll just have to put you out of your misery, won't we, my love?" One claw trailed down her chest, stopping right above her icon as Bob held his breath. He looked up at Bob. "See how kind I can be? Maybe your theories about viruses were correct, guardian."

"If you hurt her—" Bob began.

"Again, you mean?" asked Megabyte. "Oh, don't you worry, guardian. I'm not going to delete her." He reached down, patting Enzo on the shoulder in a disturbing, fatherly way. "Enzo will."

Dot's eyes widened, the first sign in nanos that she had heard any of this.

"Ms. Matrix will be the first," said Megabyte. "We'll save you for last, guardian." He smiled, took a step back, and said, to Enzo, "Delete her. Now."

Enzo's head raised, tilted slightly to the side as if trying to analyze his sister. He brought his right hand up to his waist, then extended his arm and his fingers. For a moment, nothing happened, but then, to Bob's horror, glints of metal began to push through the spaces between his knuckles, sharp and hard, extending into claws.

Next to him, Matrix screamed. "No!"

The claws didn't seem to bother Enzo—he didn't react to them extending, didn't even bleed.

"Fight it," Matrix shouted. "Fight it, Enzo, you can fight it! That's Dot, that's our sister!"

Matrix kept screaming, his voice joining with the others, the sound of shouting growing in volume with overwhelming intensity.

"I love you," Bob said through the screaming, staring at Dot through the firewall with a desperation that overcame him, knowing that she couldn't hear him but needing to say it anyway. If this was going to be the last time he saw her, the last chance he had... He placed his arms up next to his head, against the firewall, leaning closer even as it burned him. "I love you, I love you, I—"

Megabyte was laughing, AndrAIa shrieking, Mouse crying out in terror, and through it all, Matrix, yelling, shouting: "Fight it, Enzo! Fight it!"

"I love you," Bob repeated, watching as Enzo stepped closer to Dot. She bent down, twirled his red cap one last time, smiled.

"I love you," he said again, as she whispered something into her little brother's ear and pulled him into one last embrace.

And as Enzo slid his claws into her, she looked up at Bob, locking eyes with him for just a moment.

"I love you," he said. There was a deafening silence.

Then her mouth formed an O of surprise, and she looked down at Enzo's hand, claws pushed into her side, just above her waist.

Enzo withdrew his claws, a terrifying amount of energy pouring out of the wound after them. Dot stared at it, her face shocked, and swayed on her feet.

Then, three things happened in quick succession:

Dot swayed again, then collapsed, her body spilling onto the floor next to a widening puddle of energy.

The room was suddenly bathed in a golden, glittering light.

And as the rest of them looked around, they heard it: a voice, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere at once, clear as a bell, saying:

ATTENTION: INCOMING VIRUS SCAN. ATTENTION: INCOMING VIRUS SCAN.

Chapter 4

Notes:

Originally posted on Fanfiction.net in 2017.

In the War Room, everything glittered. The system voice echoed around them.

“Virus scan…” Bob whispered, finally, finally putting the last piece of Dot’s plan into place.

And it was working. The golden glow surrounded everything, almost blindingly bright. Binomes were shaking themselves, blinking and looking at their surroundings in confusion.

Glitch fell from Megabyte’s arm with a clatter, hitting the floor next to where the virus stood, mouth gaping open in disbelief.

“No,” said Megabyte, shaking his head. “Impossible! Do you know how many virus scans I’ve passed through unnoticed?” He looked up at Bob, snarling. “What makes you think it’ll work this time, guardian?”

“I don’t… I didn’t...” Bob managed.

Megabyte’s eyes narrowed. “Dot,” he growled, and turned towards where she lay sprawled on the floor. “I should have known. You were always the brains behind this operation, weren’t you? Let’s see if my new protege managed to do his job properly, shall we?”

Megabyte started to walk, slowly and deliberately, toward Enzo and Dot, his footsteps echoing on the hard floor. He extended his arm, claws unsheathing further with a metallic grinding noise. Enzo turned to face him, his expression still eerily blank, his eyes still shining with the sick, green infection—but as he stood over the body of his sister, Bob’s first thought was that his stance was protective…

ATTENTION—

In the middle of the War Room, the golden light gathered around Enzo and pulled him, hovering, off his feet. It circled around his body, spinning him rapidly, then burst, scattering throughout the room with a powerful flash. Enzo crumpled to the ground, sprawled next to his sister.

ATTENTION: INFECTED FILES REPAIRED.

The same light began to surround Megabyte, lifting him up off the ground like it had with Enzo, but this time, it formed bonds like ropes that began to swirl around him.

ATTENTION: VIRUS FOUND.

“What? No!” Megabyte cried out, struggling as the system voice echoed throughout the room. He looked around frantically.

Enzo began to stir, noticing the body of his sister next to him. “Dot?” he whispered. “Dot?” He reached out a hand to her, and then, seeing that it was covered in energy, pulled it back.

She didn’t move.

“You’ll never be rid of me, guardian,” Megabyte said, still struggling. The bonds of light rose to wrap around his torso. “I’ve taken too much from you, from the ones you love. And even if this infernal scan succeeds in constraining me, you’ll never be able to delete me.” He smiled, tilting his head as he stared at Bob with malice. “Not you, guardian.” The bonds rose higher, climbing up the virus’s neck.

“Bob won’t delete you, Megabyte,” said Enzo. He was standing now, his fists clenched, staring at the virus with hatred. His eyes were a clear, dark violet; his right hand had lost its claws, but was still covered in his sister’s energy. “He won’t have the chance to delete you.”

The last Bob saw of Megabyte was the virus’s shocked face as he looked at Enzo. Then, the golden bonds rose to cover him entirely, and in a flash of light, Megabyte disappeared.

ATTENTION: VIRUS QUARANTINED.

“I’m going to do it first,” Enzo said, and ran out of the room without looking back.

The glittering light faded, then vanished completely.

There was a moment of silence as they all tried to process what had just happened. It was Mouse who broke it.

“Specky!” she screamed. “The firewalls, input the codes, let us out!”

The binome jumped, his eye blinking behind his glasses as he began to tap a series of keys on the console in front of him. To Bob’s relief, it was his firewall’s door that slid open first.

His heart racing, he dashed out of it, sprinting to leap over the balcony before landing heavily in a crouch on the main level of the room. He crossed the last few steps to where Dot lay, slipping a little in her energy before collapsing to his knees next to her.

He tried to keep calm, hoping that all the hours of training he had would take over automatically, like it always did. But this was Dot, bleeding out next to him, Dot lying on the floor, and his hand shook as he pressed it to the wound in her side to gauge how bad it was.

It was bad. He reached up, ripping the arm off his uniform so he could tie it around her waist, to try to slow the bleeding. As long as she wasn’t flickering, she was all right, he told himself, trying to take comfort in the solidity of her as he tied the fabric around her.

He pressed his hand to her wound again, and she flickered. “No,” he whispered.

“Is she…” Matrix stood next to him. Bob had never seen him look so afraid.

“Matrix,” Bob said. “I need you to find Enzo.” To his relief, his voice was steady.

“But Dot…” Matrix began, reaching out a hand to his sister.

“I’ve got her,” Bob told him. “Just find Enzo. And take care of Megabyte.”

Matrix nodded. “He’ll be in Quarantine,” he said grimly. “They both will be.” With a last glance at his sister, he turned to follow his brother’s trail out of the room.

Bob turned back to Dot. Her body flickered again. He hadn’t wanted to say anything to Matrix, but—he pressed his hand tighter against her side—he didn’t know if she was going to make it.

“Hey— Hey, Dot, stay with me.” He pulled her into his lap, forcing back a sob as her eyes fluttered open, her body flickering again. He didn’t want her to be lying on the floor when it happened. “Can you hear me? I’m here, I’m right here with you.”

He didn’t want her to be alone.

“En— En—” she said, her voice a whisper, stuttering.

“Shh,” he said. He pressed his hand tighter against the wound in her side. “He’s fine,” he lied, hoping desperately that Matrix would find him. “He’s with Matrix, he’s fine. Everything’s going to be fine. The virus scan got Megabyte. Your plan worked.” He forced a smile.

She smiled, too. Her eyes closed again.

“Open your eyes, Dot. Please, for me. Help is coming, just hold on a little longer...” Next to him, Mouse was crying silently, one hand over her face.

He knew that there was no one coming, that there was no way anyone would get to them in time, but he said it again, to convince them both. “Help is coming, just stay with me."

She opened her eyes again. They were so dark, so beautiful. “St-st-stay with m-m—”

“I will,” he told her. “I will, I promise, I won’t leave you—”

“I n-need to... t-tell you—”

“I know,” he said. There was no way he could wipe his eyes without letting go of her, so he just let the tears fall. He kissed her forehead, her mouth. “I know, I love you, I know—”

She drew in a loud breath, then flickered again, growing fainter in his arms.

“No, no— please,” he begged her. “Please don’t go, Dot, please don’t leave me—”

Her eyes closed.

Too late, cadet...

He moaned, sobbing, drawing her closer to him. She was still holding on, but barely. He knew it would only be a matter of nanos, now. “Please,” he begged again, hardly knowing what he was saying. “Please open your eyes. I need you, I can’t lose you again. Please, Dot, please, please…”

“Bob.”

He was dimly aware of someone saying his name, but he didn’t want to let go.

“Bob, hey, listen to me.” Someone put a hand on his arm.

He looked up. It was AndrAIa, crouched next to him. In her other hand, she held out Glitch. It looked like the scan had repaired it—it was back to its normal colors.

“I know it hurts, Bob. But we can still save her,” AndrAIa said. She spoke calmly, but her eyes were intent, clear and focused. “I need you to make a portal. Take Glitch. Make us a portal into the Super Computer’s hospital.”

It was hard for him to think. “The… hospital?”

“We can’t get help here in time. It’s the only thing I can think of.” She took Glitch, pressed its power button with a finger on her left hand. The ones on her right were swollen, bent disturbingly, still bleeding.

Bob watched as she pressed Glitch to his arm bracer. Its face spun as it powered up.

“A portal to the Super Computer’s hospital,” AndrAIa repeated. Her eyes were still calm and steady. “They’ll have the facilities to help Dot. Take her through first. I’ll follow with Phong.” She stood up. “We have to move quickly, Bob. Let’s go.”

He nodded, held out his arm. “Glitch...” He didn’t trust his voice to talk any more than that, but thankfully, Glitch didn’t need him to.

A portal opened in front of him, the towers and lights of the Super Computer gleaming just beyond their reach.

Mouse helped him to his feet. He clutched Dot to his chest tightly, one arm around the back of her knees, trying to be careful of the wound in her side.

AndrAIa picked up Phong behind them. The old sprite’s head lolled against her shoulder. He didn’t think it was possible, but Bob’s heart broke even more, seeing him cradled like a child.

“Bring them back to us, honey,” Mouse said, her voice cracking.

Bob nodded, and stepped through into the cool calmness of the portal.

Chapter 5

Notes:

Originally posted on FanFiction.net in 2017.

Dot let the door slam behind her. She dropped her bag on the floor, kicked off her boots next to it, and was about to head down the hall towards her bedroom, but stopped when she noticed another pair of shoes lined up on the floor next to hers.

“Mom?” she called.

“In the kitchen, Dottie!” her mom called back.

“What are you doing home?” Dot asked, walking into the kitchen. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

Her mom had her head in the fridge, rummaging for something. “And miss my daughter coming home from her very first day of high school?” She stood up, slamming the fridge shut. “I told them I had a doctor’s appointment,” she said, her eyes sparkling. “Shhhhhh.”

“Troublemaker,” Dot teased, sitting down at the table. Her mom held out a glass of milk and gestured to a plate of cookies on the table. “Wait, did you bake?”

She laughed. “Me, bake? I picked these up from the store on my way home.”

Dot grabbed one. “You had me worried for a nano. Oooh, chocolate chip…” She took a bite, considering. “Hmm. Mine are better.”

Her mom laughed. “So?” she asked. She took a seat across from her, bouncing up and down slightly, like she could barely contain her excitement. “How was it? Did you get lost? How were your classes? Did you meet anyone? Did you—”

“Mom, slow down!” Dot laughed. “Can I answer one question before you start asking a billion others? It was fine, I didn’t get lost, classes were okay, I met a couple of new people but no one that interesting—”

“Any boys?” her mom interrupted. She grinned.

Dot rolled her eyes. “Mom…"

“Sorry, sorry!” Her mom laughed. “It’s just… you work so hard, Dottie! You have your whole life to work, you’re young, you should enjoy yourself, have some fun!”

“I don’t have time for a boyfriend, mom, I have school and my volunteering and there are a bunch of clubs I’m thinking of joining. I think I might try to get on the student council, then when I’m a junior I can run for an office, and when I’m a senior I can be class president—”

Her mom was smiling at her, fondly.

“What?” Dot asked, through a mouthful of cookies. She took a swig of milk. “What did I say?”

Her mom reached out, smoothing Dot’s hair. “You’ve got everything all planned out, don’t you honey?”

Dot shrugged. “Just high school.”

Her mom laughed, and Dot stood up, grabbing one more cookie to take to her room.

“Wait,” her mom said. “Before you go, sit down for a nano. Speaking of plans…” She grinned. “There’s been… a slight change in ours. I have some news.”

Dot sat back down. “News?”

“Good news. You’ll think so too, I hope,” she said. “I did, actually, go to the doctor this afternoon.” She was beaming, like she couldn’t contain her excitement.

“Well?” Dot asked. “What’s processing, Mom? Tell me already, before you drive me random!”

“I’m pregnant,” her mom said, in a rush. “I’m pregnant, I was going to tell you before but I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay, I was so worried, but— Anyway, so I went to the doctor today and everything’s fine, they said he was fine.” She took a deep breath. “Well? What do you think?”

Dot stared at her in shock. “You’re… pregnant?”

Her mom nodded. “Congratulations, big sister.”

“I…” Dot began, trying to process everything. “He? Did you say he? It’s… a boy?”

Her mom nodded again.

“Does Dad know?” Dot asked, still a little dazed.

“He does,” said her mom, smiling.

“I’m going to have a brother? I’m going to be a big sister?”

“Yes!” said her mom, laughing. “That’s usually what it means when your mother is pregnant, yes! Will you tell me what you think, already, Dottie? Now you’re going to drive me random!”

“I think… I think… Oh, Mom,” Dot said. She stood up quickly, crossing to the other side of the table and throwing her arms around her mother’s shoulders. “I’m so, so happy!”

“I’m so glad, honey,” her mom said. She kissed the top of her head and returned the embrace. “You’re going to be a great big sister.”

“I’ll try!” Dot laughed. “I’m going to love him so much, Mom, I just know it.” Her eyes were starting to tear up. She buried her head in her mom’s shoulder, hugging her tightly. “I’m going to love Enzo.”

Enzo.

In the back of her mind, there was, suddenly, a low buzzing sound. Dot pulled away from her mother slowly, standing up and taking a step back. She looked around at the kitchen, the table. Everything suddenly seemed blurred around the edges, too fuzzy and pixelated to be real.

Enzo.

“You’re deleted, mom,” Dot told her, her voice steady.

“I know, Dottie,” her mother said.

“What’s… what’s happening?” Dot asked. The room began to spin, the walls warping disturbingly.

“It’s just a memory,” her mother said. “It’s fading now. Don’t be afraid.”

“But does this mean that… Am I deleted, too?” The buzzing at the back of her mind grew louder. She thought she could hear shouting.

Her mom shook her head. “No, not quite. This was a nice memory though, wasn’t it?”

“It’s one of my favorites,” Dot admitted. The floor shook, and she reached for the fridge to steady herself. “I was so happy when you told me about Enzo.”

“Aren’t you happy now, Dottie?” her mom asked. “You have so many people who love you.”

In the distance, someone was crying, calling out her name.

“They’re not you,” Dot said. She reached for her mom, but the room lurched, and she staggered back. “Stay with me mom, please.”

“I can’t, Dottie,” her mom said. She continued to sit at the table, unaffected by the walls falling, dropping around them. “I want to, so badly. You know I do. But I can’t.”

“Please,” she begged, trying to steady herself. “Please, there are so many things I need to tell you!”

“I love you, Dot. Don’t be afraid,” her mom said.

The ceiling started to cave in, huge chunks of it falling through the kitchen. One landed on the chair she had been sitting in just nanoseconds ago.

“Mom,” she screamed. “Mom!” The crying was louder now, someone was calling her name, calling for her, begging her. It broke her heart to hear it.

“You have so many people who love you, Dot,” her mom said to her, before everything went black. “Just open your eyes.”

 

---

 

“Mom?” she murmured.

Dot opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Mouse, grinning at her.

“Hello there, sleeping beauty!” Mouse said. She leaned in closer. “You had us scared there for a bit, sugar. How’re you feelin’?”

“Like ASCII,” Dot muttered. Everything ached. She’d never been so sore in her entire runtime. “I had this dream…”

“Nightmares again?"

She shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut and putting her hand up to her temples, pressing where they ached. “Something about my mom… and Enzo…”

Enzo…

She gasped, sitting up straight and trying to scramble out of the bed. Enzo— Megabyte had him, he was infected, he was—

“It’s all right,” Mouse was saying. She put her hands on Dot’s shoulders, pushing her gently back into the bed as she fought to get out. “It’s all right, sugar, just calm down for a nano, I’ll explain everything, everyone’s fine—”

“Megabyte,” Dot gasped, “He’s—”

“Deleted,” Mouse said, calmly.

Dot stopped struggling against her. “What?”

“And Enzo’s fine, I told you. He’s in a room down the hall. Matrix is with him right this very nano.”

Dot collapsed back against the pillows, looking around the room. White walls, one dresser, a TV mounted from the ceiling near it. One large, long window, a bit too far away for her to see the view. Against the opposite wall there was a short sofa, upholstered with an ugly flower pattern, with a pillow and blanket folded up on one arm. She looked down at herself—she was in a pale blue paper gown. Wires trailed up from her arms and connected to several beeping machines next to her bed… which had a railing on it.

“We’re in… a hospital?” asked Dot.

Mouse nodded. “We’re in the main hospital in the Super Computer. You’ve been out for about three seconds, Dot.”

“The Super Computer…” Dot whispered.

“Bob and Turbo pulled some strings, got us the entire wing for security,” Mouse added.

She blinked at Mouse’s mention of Bob’s name. Memories were starting to fall into place, and she could remember Bob holding her in his arms, and he was calling her name, and crying… She touched her side, and her neck, which both burned. She could feel bandages, patching her under the hospital gown.

She shook her head, trying not to get herself caught up in the memory of Bob’s face as she faded in and out of consciousness. “For security?” she repeated. Her eyes narrowed. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her accelerating heartbeat. “Wait—how do I know that you’re you and not—”

“When Bob caught me tryin’ to hack into the Super Computer hours ago, I kissed him and ran out when he was still standin’ there with a dumb look on his face,” said Mouse, promptly.

“Mouse!” Dot scowled. “That’s the memory you use to prove your identity to me?”

“And you said my name just like that the first time I told you about it, too,” Mouse replied, pleased. “Mouse! ” she mimicked. She grinned.

Dot sighed, and after a moment, smiled too. “I’m glad you’re all right. How’s your face?”

“Fine, fine,” Mouse said, waving her hand as if to brush away the suggestion that she could have possibly been hurt.

“And Enzo’s really okay? And Megabyte’s really…”

“Gone,” Mouse nodded. “I checked, scanned the whole system, multiple times. No trace. I’m not sure what went on, but maybe Enzo and Matrix’ll tell you, ‘cause they ain’t talkin’ about it to the rest of us. They were in Quarantine with him when it happened. And Enzo’s all right, Dot. Promise. They ran dozens of scans on him already, all clean, and they’re just keepin’ him a little bit longer for observation. He’s been askin’ for you.”

Dot let out a breath of relief. “And is Matrix all right?” she asked. “How’s AndrAIa’s hand?”

“Matrix is fine—not a scratch on him. And AndrAIa’s hand is busy terrifying the doctors by how fast it’s repairing itself,” Mouse said. She laughed. “Her and her game sprite code, the whole hospital is talking about her.”

“And Phong?”

“Woke up a second ago. Told me he was disappointed he always manages to miss out on all the excitement, the old coot. They’re letting him go back home, soon.”

“And Dad? Is he…”

Mouse shook her head. “The suit doesn’t work anymore, since Megabyte infected it. AndrAIa said she’ll try to fix it with Phong, but who knows how long that’ll take. But he’s safe in his little…” She paused, looking for the right word. “Terrarium? Aquarium? ...thing, for the moment. I thought about bringin’ him here, to see you, but I figured he’d give the hospital staff the jaggies…”

Dot sighed. “I don’t suppose you know where Hack and Slash got to?”

Mouse rolled her eyes. “The pair of them are the lousiest bodyguards I’ve ever known. They’re probably still cowering in the Principal Office somewhere, but when I find them I’ll—oh!” She raised her eyebrows. “We found Frisket, he’d been locked in the Archives. Burst out of a storage container, nearly took Hugh Branch’s face off. Cecil’s watching him at the Diner—he won’t leave.”

Dot laughed. “Poor Frisket. Poor Cecil!”

Mouse smiled back at her. “Anyone else you want to ask about, sugar?”

Dot felt her own smile slip away.

Mouse looked back over her shoulder, to the small sofa that lined the opposite wall of the room, with the pillow and folded up blanket. “He’s been stayin’ here every night, Dot, waitin’ for you to wake up.”

Dot frowned. “He shouldn’t be. I… I don’t want to see him. I don’t think I can.”

Mouse sighed. “Dot...”

“I don’t want to talk about Bob, Mouse.” It was so hard to think about him without feeling terrible, and desperately guilty. She had ruined everything, everything between them, and even if Mouse had been right before, when she said that he would forgive her, she wasn’t sure she could ever look at him again without hating herself even more than she already did.

“Fine,” said Mouse, sounding annoyed now. Dot saw a flash of her fangs. “Far be it from me to think the two of you could finally start communicatin’, like actual adults. So let’s talk about something else. Like what the FAQ you thought you were doing, gettin’ Megabyte to infect you—or even trustin’ him in the first place!”

She didn’t want to have this conversation, either. “Do you think I had a choice? I had a plan, Mouse.”

“The most null-headed plan I’ve ever seen in my life, from you or from anyone!” Mouse raised her arms, exasperated. “Why would you think Megabyte infecting you would trigger a virus scan? Daemon didn’t even trigger a virus scan when she infected the whole system!”

Dot shrugged. “Daemon was different. She didn’t set off any virus scans, throughout the whole Net. Look, Mouse… I didn’t know for certain it would work, but… He was so different than before. So powerful. I thought that maybe all that power, when it was transferred to a sprite—to the command-dot-com—would trigger… Remember when Hex had that power surge, and it turned her into a...” She frowned, then sighed. “It was the only thing I could think of, the only thing I could hope for. It did work, though, Mouse, in the end.”

“But you knew… you knew that there was no guarantee, even if it did work...” Mouse’s voice was shaky, and Dot looked at her, surprised.

“There was no guarantee that the scan could uninfect you... And if it didn’t, then you knew we’d have had to...” Mouse trailed off. She looked away, towards the window, and Dot felt terrible. Mouse had been with her through the whole war, through Megaframe, and had never needed any comforting of her own. Dot had never seen her like this.

“I knew,” she said, quietly. “I knew that.”

“You really think Bob could have deleted you?” Mouse said, still not looking at her, staring determinedly out the window.

“Bob’s Mainframe’s guardian,” she said. “He’s responsible for the whole system. It’s in his code. If I became a danger to it...”

“You didn’t see him,” Mouse said. She shook her head, then stood up and began pacing the room. “You didn’t see him when you were lyin’ that on that floor, bleedin’ everywhere, flickering in and out like you were about to delete any nano. You didn’t see his face. It was like he wanted to follow after you—” She stopped pacing and her face crumbled, like she was desperately trying to keep a hold on her emotions. “He could never have hurt you,” she finished. “Never.”

Dot swallowed, on the edge of crying herself. “...Mouse?”

Mouse started pacing again. “Matrix couldn’t have done it. He’s your brother, he worships you. And AndrAIa? Matrix would never be able to look at her again if she hurt you.” She stopped again, facing Dot this time. “No,” she said. “It would have come down to me.”

Dot said nothing. She couldn’t.

“How could you make me do that? I thought I was your friend, Dot,” Mouse said, and then she was crying.

“Mouse!” Dot stretched her hands out to her. “Oh, Mouse, don’t cry, I’m so sorry. You are my friend, you are. Come here, Mouse, please—”

Mouse stepped closer to the hospital bed, then stumbled to her knees beside it, still crying. Dot leaned over the bedrail, wincing as she felt the patch on her injury stretching, but pulled Mouse close to her, all the same. She felt stunned. She had never seen Mouse cry, ever, and during their time together while they were hiding from Megabyte and his army, she had had plenty of reason too.

But Mouse was still, well, Mouse. She let Dot put her arms around her shoulders and embrace her for a nano or so, but then pulled back abruptly and wiped her eyes. She sat back down in the hard plastic chair to the side of Dot’s bed.

“Just so you know, this chair is really uncomfortable,” she said, her voice still thick with tears. She sniffed.

“I’m sorry, Mouse,” Dot told her. “Not about the chair,” she amended. “About… well. All of it.” 

“Yeah, well.” Mouse sniffed again, wiping at her nose with the back of her hand. “Just… don’t you go getting yourself deleted again, all right?”

“I’m not really planning on it,” Dot said, trying not to smile.

“Good,” Mouse said. She cleared her throat. “Before I forget, I brought you something. I went into your apartment last second, I hope you don’t mind.” She shifted in the chair to dig around in her pocket, then pulled out a black cylinder, a little smaller than her palm, and handed it to Dot.

“My lipstick?” Dot asked, strangely touched. “You went back for my lipstick?”

“I know you feel weird without it,” Mouse said, staring at the floor. “Figured you’d want it when you woke up.”

Dot opened it slowly, twisting the base so that the red pushed out the top. Mouse was right, she did feel weird without it, didn’t feel like herself if she wasn’t wearing it. Even when they were in hiding, during Megaframe, Dot always kept it in the pocket of her armor. With it on she felt better, more put together, able to get things done, able to take control. Like it was a little part of her armor, too. “I don’t have a—”

Something flashed in front of her eyes: Mouse’s katana, hovering just before her face. “You can use this.”

“Thanks,” Dot said, suppressing a laugh, and used the blade as a mirror as she filled her lips in. She capped it, passing it over to Mouse, who placed it on the small table by the bed. “Thank you, Mouse.”

“It’s all right,” Mouse mumbled, as she put the katana away. “I’m still mad at you, you know.”

“I know,” Dot said. “It’s all right.”