Title: Partial Code

Author: Interface

Rating: T

Summary: With Bob and Glitch mysteriously parted it's time to restore order amongst the chaos. Megabyte isn't the only one causing trouble. Something sinister is growing in the heart of Mainframe.

Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one.

Author: I couldn't bring myself to leave you all hanging for much longer. Been painful not being able to write as much only another... 3 weeks and my exams are over. Roll on summer writing =]

Chapter 13

Slumped against half a wall the two sprites contemplated their next move. Finding the Web Riders could prove to be a difficult task. The Web was so big now and in his previous visit he'd had no way of negotiating his location. At that nano the whole task seemed far bigger than the both of them. Bob let out a soft sigh and ran his fingers back through his silvery hair. He looked to Dot; in her hands she held the Gibson Coil pike in its two halves.

"I don't know what we're going to do with that," he whispered, "Probably have to carry it with us and take it back to Phong"

"Yeah..." Dot murmured in quiet reply.

"Maybe we should just go back to Mainframe," he sighed leaning his head back against the wall.

"Bob you know it's not an option. We need to find those Riders"

"Right" Letting out a long sigh he pressed his hands to his knees and got up slowly, "I guess we'd better do it then" Dot handed the Gibson Coil up to him before climbing to her feet too.

"Alright turn around" As he tied the Gibson Coil onto the back of her Web suit he wondered if the other Code Masters had sensed Lens' demise. He bit his tongue slightly as he made the final adjustments, "He never told me you know... what exactly is in Mainframe"

Dots curious purple eyes met his, "We need to hurry with this now. We've seen what this thing does, to Sprites, to Code Masters; who knows what it does to Viruses"

"Hexadecimal is processing. I can feel her" Dot rolled her eyes; now was not the time for discussing all the ways in which Bob could feel Hex.

"Let's get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps"

--

Back in Mainframe hope was slowly dying amongst the remaining citizens. In the war room the only sound came from the beeping of machines; the low hum of the fans and the continuous typing from the hacker. Matrix sat on the metal steps; his large green hand settled firmly on Frisket's head. He sighed and looked to AndrAIa. She always had the right thing to say. Staring back at him she shook her head sadly.

"I've just lost another four"

Phong looked up to Mouse, there was a sadness in his eyes that had never been there before, and it was something his read only memory would never forget. Since Bob and Dot had left for the web Zeros and Ones had been disappearing at an alarming rate. AndrAIa's Game Sprite abilities couldn't sense it; even Frisket's super sensitive nose hadn't been able to pick anything up. The only way to track its movements was by scanning the active PID's. By Mouse's calculations, it was coming for them.

"It's possible that it knew there was an active portal open," she said continuing to type away.

"So what... It's coming to escape?" Matrix grumbled. Mouse looked up at him; her silent stare said it all. Her purple eyes looked right through into his processor, as if they could see the fear hidden within him.

"Of course it's coming," she snapped impatiently, "I will not tolerate that attitude you've got going on there. You're sister might let you get away with speaking that way. But I won't, I will sub divide you if you carry on sugah, do you understand me? We have a system to save here. We're a Guardian down and no Command . com to lead the way"

"But we have a..." Matrix stopped looking down to his icon. He froze and stared for a long few nanos in thoughtful silence, "I know what we can do" he sighed finally.

--

"Are you sure you want to do this my son?" Phong asked again for what seemed like the 100th time.

"Phong I have nothing to lose by trying to save Mainframe. I was a little sprite before, but I can protect everyone now. I'll show Bob that I deserve the protocol, I'll prove them all wrong," Matrix held his hand out inches from his gun. It shot into its master's awaiting hand.

"My son, this is not Megabyte we're dealing with here"

"I know," the Sprite growled in reply, his teeth clenched tightly together.

As the War room doors slid shut behind him, Mouse stared expressionless at them; she bit the inside of her mouth. Nothing good would come of this; but what could she do? She'd tried and AndrAIa had tried to convince him that there were other ways. Dot would never forgive her for letting Enzo go and commit this act of pure insanity. Looking up she noticed Specky watching her, she frowned at him and shaking; he returned silently to his work. Never in all the days she'd processed, did she think that she'd one day be running and attempting to save a dying system. After the longest pause she dared to take, Mouse returned to what she did best, she typed; she typed reels of code, endless reels. It was all she could do to help now. Matrix was practically alone otherwise.

--

He strode along finally reaching the end of the bridge connecting the Principle Office to Mainframe. With his one remaining eye he glanced back at the huge wreck of a sphere. As his synthetic eye glowed with its red 'M' he scowled and strode on; now it was his turn. With the coordinates of the last disappearing PIDs safely downloaded into his eye he was able to walk in the right direction as though he had a purpose. What he hadn't told Mouse was that he simply didn't feel as though he had a purpose any more. He'd almost been able to feel the fight within him leave with the Guardian protocol. What was left now was the empty shell of the boy who'd had his childhood stolen. Without his meaning, without feeling himself answering the call of the Guardian he felt lost.

Once he's reached the coordinates he stopped walking. His eyes darted from side to side; finally he found what he was looking for. He aimed his gun at an old data bin; as the energy bullet hit the bin burst into light. A Tear sparked and shone before him.

"Alright Mouse, don't let me down"

He turned away from the Tear for less than a nano. And there it was, reflected in his wide eyes.

Then nothing.