"Yes sir, ma'am! There was definitely some sort of energy surge, but we're having a hard time pinpointing the source."
"Very good, keep me informed." The acting command dot com of Mainframe rubbed the bridge of her nose and leaned over her terminal, pressing a few buttons to open up a vidwindow. Bob's face appeared in front of her. "Have you found anything?"
"Not yet," he replied, "but I've still got a couple of sectors to go. Don't worry, Dot, we'll find him."
"I know," she said, allowing herself a small smile. "Thanks, Bob."
"No problem, commander." The guardian gave her a cheerful mock-salute. "It's what I'm here for."
The vidwindow closed, and Dot slumped over her terminal, her shoulders drooping. They'd been searching for seconds without a clue, and it was beginning to look like they weren't going to get any sleep tonight. Nearly everyone in the Principal Office had been dragged out of bed for this emergency, and though they all followed orders well enough, the tension was palpable. They had nothing to go on--Dot wasn't sure they'd know what they were looking for even if it walked right into the Principal Office and introduced itself.
Tapping a few more buttons, she pulled up the report they'd compiled so far. It was depressingly short. The exact time of disappearance; glowing lights; untraceable energy buildup--it could have pointed to anything from a practical joke to an alien invasion.
"What's the news, Sugar?" Dot's head jerked up from her report on hearing the familiar drawl. Mouse sauntered into the command center with the air of someone who knew she could own the place if she wanted, but simply didn't have the time for all the fuss. She came to stand in front of Dot, then put her hands on her hips expectantly.
"Mouse, I'm so glad to see you!" Dot threw her arms around her old friend, which earned her a bear hug in return.
"We came as soon as we could."
They pulled apart after a moment, and Dot slipped her commander's face back into place. "Where is the Surfer, anyway?"
"He's out with the boys," Mouse said lightly, striding over to her old terminal. "We ran into Matrix on the way in, and he went rushing off to find...whatever it is you're looking for. You know how men are."
"Certain men, anyway."
"What did you do to my terminal?" Mouse cried out with horror. "It's...it's all..."
Dot smiled in spite of herself. "Clean?"
"Yeah, that's the word. I'll have that fixed in no time." Her fingers were already working the buttons, pulling up code to analyze with her hacker's mind. Dot felt better just seeing her there--it had really felt like something was missing without her sharp wit and colorful language to spice up even the worst situations.
Then a twinge of guilt wiped the smile off her face. The only reason Mouse was here at all was because Phong had disappeared, and now it was their job to find him. She turned back to her report, even though she knew it didn't have any answers.
She'd barely had time to reread the first paragraph when another vidwindow popped up in front of her. "Dot?" Her not-so-little brother's face looked down at her from the window. "Sectors three through six are clear. The Surfer's finishing up seven now, and then we'll head back."
"Understood, see you soon."
It wasn't long before they'd returned, and Bob followed shortly thereafter, reporting that AndrAIa was doing a second sweep of the docks, just in case anyone was trying to make a quiet getaway. Everyone's together again, Dot mused sadly as they all worked at their respective stations. I just wish it could be for happier reasons.
"Sir, ma'am!" Speccy pushed up his glasses and trotted over to Dot's terminal, a report clutched in his hand. "We've got something that might be helpful." Dot took the report and read it quietly while he explained for the benefit of the others. "The energy buildup from the office didn't seem to be coming from anywhere--the source seemed to be right there in the office. Since we haven't found anything there, we can only assume that it was on Phong himself."
"How does that help us?" growled Matrix.
"Well...it doesn't." Matrix glared at him, and he continued, a bit hastily. "However, after analyzing the residual radiation, it seems that the energy was polarized."
Matrix still looked puzzled, but Mouse's face lit up. "Perfect!" she shouted, and turned to her terminal, tapping away with dizzying speed. "So there's got to be a buildup of opposing energy somewhere, too. If we find that, we should find the source."
"And Phong," Dot added, with more than a little relief in her voice. "Good work, Speccy." She turned to address the staff with renewed determination. "Okay everyone, we know what we're looking for now! Let's focus our scans to find a matching energy signature, on the double!"
"That's more like it," said the renegade, settling back in his chair. "Just point me at the right coordinates, and I'll bring him back."
Bob rested his hand on Matrix's shoulder. "Take it easy, Enzo." Matrix bristled at the sound of the name, but Bob didn't seem to notice. "We're not even sure what we'll find there. Besides, with AndrAIa still out there, it might be quicker to send her."
"What's taking the lady so long?" Matrix turned to glare at Ray; he'd been so quiet that he had hardly noticed him there. The Surfer leaned against a wall, looking more relaxed than any of them felt. "She's been out a long time--maybe we should check on her."
"AndrAIa can take care of herself."
"I hate to say it, but Ray's right," Mouse said. "We don't know what's out there, but we know it's powerful--it's probably best to stick together until we find out what it is."
"Good thinking, you two." Dot touched a few buttons, and a vidwindow opened up with AndrAIa's face in it. "AndrAIa, have you found anything?"
"No, just a lot of water and boats--I'm on my way back right now."
"Good. We've got a lead, but we'll explain when you get here."
"Be there in a nano."
The vidwindow closed, and Matrix muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "I told you so."
Dot looked across the room at Bob, and he shrugged, grinning slightly. She couldn't help but grin back. Together again. Disaster or no, there was something almost magical about having them all in that room, working together like a well-oiled machine (with the occasional one-eyed gun-toting sqeaky gear) to solve whatever problems life threw at them. It was right; it was the way things should be.
Since Daemon was defeated, they'd all gone their separate ways; Mouse and Ray were the only ones to actually leave Mainframe, but the rest had their own lives to live. Even Bob had grown a little distant. Dot didn't begrudge them for going in their own directions, but she still missed the old days, or rather, the good parts of the old days. The companionship and camraderie, not the fighting and struggle.
But that was the dilemma, after all. Without the fighting and struggle, they probably never would have found each other in the first place, much less become such a tight-knit group of friends.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the command center doors opening. AndrAIa walked in, but once the doors closed behind her, she stopped, leaning against the wall a few feet from Ray. She looked up, slightly embarrased at the curious looks she was getting. "Is anybody else noticing anything really weird happening?"
"What," Bob said, raising an eyebrow, "you mean like Phong turning all glowy and then disappearing?"
"No. I mean like this." She raised one hand in demonstration, nodding to her forearm.
Everything about her arm looked perfectly normal, except for a section of it maybe four inches long that seemed to be composed completely of static. Tiny white and black dots swirled furiously in the band of missing skin. The Surfer let out a low whistle, and Matrix leaped up from his chair and rushed to her side.
"It just started a few nanos ago," she said weakly. "It doesn't hurt or anything, but, um...it's a little scary, you know?"
Bob shook his head. "This is bad."
"Very bad," said Dot, putting her head in her hands.