Disclaimer: I don't own Reboot

This was all too much to deal with, but Welman Matrix couldn't let that stop him. Rebuilding a machine which could have possibly been responsible for destroying the Twin City? He could find a way to cope with that.

Having another little Enzo and an older Enzo to take care of? Dot had been easy enough while he was there for them. Surely those two wouldn't be a problem. What was he thinking; of course they wouldn't be a problem. Matrix had apparently grown up to be a strong and brave defender of the system, charging head first at even the horrors of Daemon to protect the ones he loved. And little Enzo was still as pure as the day he was born. Dot was a true princess, putting her people above all else, sacrificing every moment of her life to put her skills to use for those around her. They were all perfect angels as far as he was concerned.

Knowing how much he had missed out on? He could find a way to cope with that after he knew his babies were safe. No matter how much they had grown, he would always be their father, and if that meant living the rest of his life as a null creature, then he was going to do everything in his power to give them everything they had missed out on while he was under less pleasant circumstances.

Being at the mercy of a virus after the humiliation he suffered at the claws of her so-called 'brother'?

Knowing Megabyte was in the Web instead of in a holding cell wasn't as comforting as it should have been. The guardian had assured him that it was punishment enough for the time being, but that didn't change the fact that Welman would have rather delivered the punishment himself. At least if the more intelligent one were at Mainframe's mercy he could have sent the so-called 'sister' to check on her other half. Instead he of all the citizens of the system was the one who had to put up with her useless, unfiltered chatter.

She had to know she wasn't wanted there. Surely even she couldn't be that oblivious to the situation? Of course she couldn't.

In retrospect in was obviously for the best that she didn't have even an eighth of the mind her other half had inherited, but that didn't change the fact that she was clearly the more powerful of the two.

And did she really think that turning into a sprite would be enough for anyone to forgive her of the choices she had made? Did she really think that using what was left of her power to show the slightest bit of mercy was enough for them to just welcome her into the family?

Perhaps she did. After all, how could a virus know anything about the concept of family? Her kind were just disease incarnate; good for nothing more than to revel in the torment of innocents. For all anyone knew this could have just been another one of her little games. That certainly was a believable theory. It wasn't like even she could keep Daemon from taking what Hexadecimal thought of her own little playground. It made sense that she would take this as an opportunity to make this even more uncomfortable for everyone around her, and why wouldn't a virus target the only one who knew how to build this machine that the brilliant CommandCom was going to use in her genius plan?

"So you see, it only makes sense that viruses would have their own way of showing affection." The humanoid monster sounded so casual. It was almost like she really was just having a conversation with her father.

"Is there a point to any of this?" Welman tried to stay calm. She had given him this opportunity to help his real children and he couldn't risk her taking it from him. Unfortunately, she knew exactly how to make everything harder.

"Naming you 'Nibbles' was the equivalent of calling you 'Kisses'!" she shouted happily.

That was the last straw.

"Hexadecimal, I am trying to save the system! I know that doesn't mean much to viruses, but if you will just let me finish this, I promise you, I will find a way to make it up to you! I just don't have time for you right now!"

Hexadecimal looked at him in shock. Her father had time to play with Enzo not long ago. Dot had even gone so far as to bark orders at him. Shouldn't the parent have been the one in control? That was the impression she had gotten from Mike. Then again, not everything you learn from a television is true. Bob had taught her that himself. Apparently she still had much more to learn.

When he saw that the fake sprite wasn't going to lash out at him for raising his voice at her the null scientist went back to building the portal for his true daughter. Hex watched him as he worked. She wanted to help, but she didn't know how. If only she had her powers. Those parts looked so heavy. If she was still in her viral format she wouldn't even have to snap her fingers to build this machine with her father. It would have been their first project together.

What a marvelous bonding opportunity. she thought

Other thoughts soon crossed her mind. What if this machine failed again? Wasn't that how she and her brother were born? Was Daemon going to be fragmented into weaker, cuter viruses? How wonderful it would be to have little sisters! Oh, the chaos they could cause. What colors would they like? Would they be as different as Megabyte was from her? How many would there be? Could powerful viruses create more viruses than a weaker virus would?

Now she almost wished Megabyte were here so she could ask him. He would probably lie to her of course, but at least his answers would make sense. Megabyte could make anything make sense, even when he didn't know how smart he was being. She almost admired how devoted her brother was to what he did to Mainframe. If she was half as interested in her function as he was with his, the Net wouldn't have lasted five seconds. Megabyte certainly would have never put a shock collar on her, that much was obvious.

In a matter of nanos her mind was back on her father and his little project.

"How could a portal machine create viruses?"

Welman didn't have time to think about the consequences of being honest with her. "Your original form was pulled into the machine. Theoretically speaking, some of its code would probably have not survived the trip. The parts that did likely bonded with energy the portal generator, which is why it exploded when you were born."

Welman Matrix paused. Born. That was weird word to describe whatever had happened, but in a way, it was true. Hexadecimal was an incomplete virus, but she was also her own person. She had nothing more than an incomplete brother who had relentlessly tried to use her. She trusted him time and time again. Or at least, she acted like she trusted him.

Looking back on it now, it seemed almost like she had been tolerating him. She had let him get away with so much. She could have easily destroyed him and the rest of Mainframe, but she never did. She had come close, but she always let something stop her. She once had unlimited power, but she didn't do much with it, considering what everyone knew about her potential.

Just when he was about to give her a chance, she remembered something she had read in read-me file with her brother shortly after their birth. It was a time when all they had was each other- before Megabyte became the workaholic she wanted so badly to love. They were trying to figure out what was wrong with her, only to learn about the feminine cycle.

Before the scientist could say anything, her words pierced his heart.

"You're not my father!" The regret was immediately replaced with more embarrassment "You're my mother!"

This was too much to deal with. He could find a way to cope with his new daughter once his family was safe, but right then he had to fix his machine.

"Hexadecimal, go find Bob." At least Bob had firsthand experience with her, and someone had to get the message to the guardian. "When that firewall comes down, we're going to need him to come straight to the Principle Office."

"Yes Ma'am." Hex said with a big smile and complete sincerity.