Author's Note: The start of Freak and Dex's new adventure, enjoy!

Chapter 1 'It Went a Little Like This'

"Chances lost are hopes torn up pages, maybe this time. Chances are we´ll be the combination, chances come and carry me…" –Five for Fighting

It was a beautiful summer night and Dexter Douglas was sleeping.

Well, sort of.

On the outside in the 'real world' what he was doing was lying in his bed in his dark room, on his back, quite still. His eyes were closed; he did not toss and turn. He breathed in the gentle summer air that trickled into his bedroom from his open window as he lay there. The lights were off, even his computer. His body was in 'sleep mode.'

A portion of his brain however, was most certainly not.

Deep within the portion of Dexter's shared conscious a game was being played.

"F-Freakazoid," It was hard to talk around his laughter, "H-how did you manage to get Luigi through that tunnel?"

"Dexxy, he's a plumber, where's he supposed to go?" The super hero next to him blinked as the little pixel man surged above ground and stomped on an enemy before it could reach Mario way at the other end of the screen.

"Freak, this isn't even part of the game—you're adding things again." Dexter laughter softened as he smacked a button and jumped Mario over an angry turtle.

"Oh, am I? My bad Dex—" Luigi spit a fireball at a monstrous plant and Freak grimaced. "…I keep getting my wires crossed about stuff in this game…uhm, what else is wrong?" The game started fixing itself. Dexter breathed a sigh of relief as Mario could finally cross the blocks and couldn't walk on lava again—that had been startling the first time that solid ground had killed him. Why Freak thought lava was safer than stone Dex would know. He wasn't sure he wanted too.

"Nothing else yet, really, it's funny though, some of the things the internet is telling you is right about Super Mario Bros." Dexter chuckled as Mario sprinted for a leaf and turned in a raccoon or something. At least Freak had programmed that part right, phew! Dex wasn't sure he could take many more surprises. "I'm just amazed you got the tv to stop playing Rat Patrol for once…and that you managed to make a Nintendo and two controllers appear." The geek admitted with a small smile toward the game console sitting before them. The tv beeped cheerfully in answer.

"I know right? Aren't you proud of me!" Freakazoid beamed, the lightning bolts in his hair shimmering just a bit in the dim light of the Freakazone. "Gee this is fun though, even if it's not TOTALLY right." Freak leaned a little into the small body right next to them, their knees touching. Dexter leaned right back after a second, eyes still focused on the game.

"Wah, Freak, watch out for that—"

"I got it Dexxy…oh hey question mark boxes! Yay!" Freak's fingers flew over the buttons, any problems and glitches in the game forgotten as they progressed further into the level.

Dexter blinked. "…Okay I'm pretty sure Luigi doesn't turn into a little pixel version of you when he eats a mushroom." But Dexter was laughing as he said it, and when he tried getting Mario to eat a mushroom—yep, sure enough, there was an 8-bit Dexter scampering across the screen.

Freak was grinning at the screen—he was doing that on purpose, Dexter realized. This was Freak's own designs coming into play, his limitless powers and connection with the internet in the quiet of the Freakazone had caused the game, which Freak had built from scratch, to do whatever the hell Freak wanted it too. It was kind of amazing, if not a little weird from Dexter's point of view.

Still…this was a lot of fun Dexter had to admit.

He was in the process of pushing his glasses back up his nose as the next level loaded when Freak started babbling about everything ranging from South Park's next episode to how much rice there was in China.

"Freak I'm pretty sure the Chinese don't keep their rice in a vault, then they couldn't eat it." The geek pointed out as Luigi picked him up and tossed him in the air so Mario could reach those few extra coins. Freak seemed to take great consideration in Dexter's words for a moment.

"Oh…well in that case maybe next time I'm on patrol I'll head over there and see….oh oh and I can stop to Mexico and pick up yummy tacos Dexxy! How bout that?"

Dex's lips twitched. He couldn't resist, "And will you pick up churros?" Freak lit up and ooed at such a suggestion.

"WILL I!"

Dexter laughed.

F!

Far across the world, but not as far as China or even Mexico, there was a problem.

The power was out.

But not entirely. It was…spastic power surges, it was erratic, dangerous…and it was a little bit freaky because there was no reason for such things.

Roddy MacStew stood in the middle of the dark ended Apex factory next to the PC that still had its internet hooked up. Normally this wouldn't be possible since there was nothing for him to use as a gateway—but he'd made it just in time, and with a little boost from his own supply he'd managed to keep the power on long enough to enter the site before the rolling black outs had grabbed everything.

There was something wrong with the Internet.

Something…to do with Apex industries? Or…no?

A sudden screen lit up to his right, and the Scotsman's attention was called to the chat box on the monitor that had appeared. He walked over and peered at the bright screen amidst the black.

"Aye, sure as a snail hates salt, you'be guessing correctly...but it sure came upon us fast." He said to the computer's built in microphone, not bothering to type.

A pause. Another ding.

Roddy's eyes narrowed. He sighed and hung his head for a second, thinking over their options, because he just didn't feel right with the one presented to them. It seemed unfair and too soon…

"So quickly though? Shouldn't we be given the lads some rest, at the very least Dexter? He's still not up to snuff from what I been seeing—"

DING! So quickly and insistent.

"…Alright, alright. I suppose yew would know best, when it comes to those two, aye…you're responsible for one half of 'em anyway…" The man sighed and rubbed his temples. "We haven't a choice no more, dew we?"

The chat box vanished as his answer, the history cleared and the pc screen light up like the fourth of July—but before anyone or anything could take notice of the action, Roddy had already folded into something more or less resembling electricity and had shot through the screen and vanished.

The room went black again as the monitor turned off on itself, and it was like no one had been there at all.

F!

Freak honestly couldn't think of any better way to spend time with his other half, well yes he could actually but it was no longer possible, and anyway Dex kept reminding him not to dwell because it was bad for him or, or something. He didn't want Freakazoid to be stressed over the past, Dexxy admitted one night when Freak's regretful thoughts had become too loud for Dexter not to hear. After that, Dex had started spending at least two hours in this state, body sleeping and mind within in the Freakazone. God his human was so nice and sweet.

Dexter was right here, and everything was alright with the world, right? Right.

"This is really fun Freakazoid, thanks again for suggesting this." Dex commented as they played.

A bomb creature had been set off next to them on screen. Luigi picked up Mario and tossed him far away as it exploded, and Luigi lost a life. Dexter's brow furrowed, it was adorable.

"Freak you didn't have too—"

"I wanted too." The hero grinned.

The geek's face smoothed into a tiny lopsided smile. "Okay, thanks."

"Mhh-hm."

"…at least this time I won't fall asleep on you like the last couple of times." And therein laid the reason Freak had spent the last two days trying to coax his own mind into creating a video game from scratch with information he'd collected off the internet. Dexxy spent so much time sleeping already, his body recuperating much slower than Freak's had, (the worse Freak had was sore muscles, probably from the sudden electricity surging through them constantly, but even that had worn away after a day or so.) It seemed the Chip had mended the broken things together within the geek's body, but hadn't been able to fully heal them. Dex was going to do that all on his own. And god it felt like it was taking forever…at least summer vacation had hit, Dex could afford to sleep most of the day away.

Still…he was here, and he was breathing, and his heart was beating, (Freak knew this, he knew this because sometimes when Dexter was so deeply asleep he'd centralized the Freakazone around the pulse of Dexter's heart and just sat there and listened to it.) and maybe Dexter was right, (he usually was) maybe Freak WAS agonizing over certain things a little too long but, but he couldn't help it!

Freak blinked and sent Luigi over a stack of bricks and followed after Mario toward the flag pole.

"Diing! The coast is CLEAR!" The screen read happily, Dexter grinned and looked over to him. "We did it!" this had been the longest, hardest level yet. Freak would have to work on that bug, it was only the second world and it had taken them almost two and a half hours to reach it.

"We sure did Dex!"

"This really is great Freak, thank you, for doing this, it's almost like—" Dex blinked and stopped himself sheepishly, Freak could tell he felt bad for dredging up old memories that should have been fond but…but Freak's mind took over the rest of the sentence before he could realize it.

"Like before? When we got to spend time together out…out there…" Freak's eyes flicked for a moment as his voice trailed oddly off, and that made Dex pause the game for a second, looking over at his alter ego.

"…Freak? You…okay?" The boy's voice softened. Freak turned to look at him then, staring into Dexter's heterochromatic eyes as they stared worriedly back.

His 'battle scar.' From...That Time.

It didn't seem fair; Freak's face fell into a frown without him knowing, his mask stretching down. Freakazoid didn't have, have anything like that. They'd saved the world from, from themselves and Dex had to be carried away from the wreckage because of how beat up he got, mentally and physically. His own eyes were still one color, not blue and brown like Dexter's. Was it because Dexter was the host, and Freak was the…the parasite?

A thin hand rested gently on Freak's bicep, Dex's small smile was encouraging.

"It's okay, Freakaziod. You're okay."

Freak swallowed, and let out a shaky sigh, lips twitching into a tiny smile. "…you too, right?" Because the following days after Dex just hadn't been himself…hell, he was still under weight and looked exhausted in the real world—Freak has suspicious that Dex was only appearing to look healthy in their shared mind because he knew it would help Freak focus better. God, his little geek was so sweet.

"Yeah, me too." Dexter nodded once, seriously. "I'm okay too."

The high buzz that trailed forever around his body slowed a little in Freakazoid, the same effect like when humans sank into steamy warm baths…he relaxed.

"'Kay Dexxy."

Freak watched him glance back at the Freakazone's tv, and then back to him with a tiny smile, his face illuminated by the glow of the box and highlighting his somewhat hollow cheek bones, the way his shoulder hunched over his small frame. Dexter's exhaustion and paleness was due to the strain splitting and rejoining had been on him, Roddy had said. His doctor had said it was just hormones and perhaps Dexter was getting ready for a growth spurt. Roddy had rolled his eyes and snorted. At least this point Dexter was better than he was a few weeks ago, he could hardly walk without having to rest every few moments back then.

God he was still so little, still so fragile, if it weren't for the slightly minor fact Freak could no longer touch him in the physical plane, he'd pull his geek into his lap and wrap his arms around Dexter and never ever let go again, keep him safe.

"Well it's…it's almost one I think Freak…I'd better get going." Dex suddenly murmured quietly, though he didn't stand up. Freak sensed his boy's hesitance and while it made his heart swell, because he could also tell Dexxy was thinking of staying because of Freak's actions a moment ago, Freak knew even better his boy needed sleep. All humans need sleep, and that's what Dexter was. Freak was the computer bug over here, he'd be fine.

"Unless you need…." Dex was still hesitance to say 'me' to actually hope to believe someone needed him as badly as Freak. Ah well, Freak would work on fixing that bug too.

"Dexxy I always need you, but you need sleep more, okay? I'll be right here."

"…you sure?"

"Yeah…now go get some sleep partner." He'd started using that last word more and more lately, more and more affectionately. Well it was true—they'd learned the hard way they just couldn't function very well separately, to Freakazoid there was no one but him for Dexter Douglas, he'd listen to the boy no matter what.

Because loosing Dexter, watching him die—because yes the tiny geek was alive and moving now but God Freak had felt his heart stop, that's not something you get over, even if your world does come back to life—it had…had been his fault. If he'd listened to the way the boy was unsure and hesitant to send him back to his mind only a couple hours before, he could have soothed his boy's thoughts before they were lying half dead on a building in the middle of Washington's biggest electrical storm.

But now…well now it was behind them. Freak was a big believer in put your past behind you—mostly because sometimes he couldn't remember enough about the past that he kept looking toward the future and growing, like the Internet was—but this was something he couldn't forget, and he didn't want to. It was the only way to learn from his mistake, right? Right.

So he'd keep being a superhero. But he'd keep. Dexter. Safe. If it was the last thing he did.

"…Freak?" The superhero blinked from his thoughts and looked up to Dexter standing just in front of him. Oh….had Dexter heard that?

The geek chuckled softly. "No, but I heard THAT." The link had been repaired better than ever it seemed, and Dex's own growing telepathy had strengthened it further on his end.

"Sorry Dexxy, just, just thinking. About stuff." He clarified, setting his controller on the coffee table before them, and when Dexter did the same the Nintendo console vanished from the screen and from the table. Freak's mind shifted lightly and noiselessly…and then suddenly an opening scene of Rat Patrol was playing.

Freak light up, momentarily distracted, and missed Dex's fond head shake as he patted Freak's shoulder and prepared to leave to his own side of their brain.

"…g'night, Freak." He waved a thin hand, and Freak made sure not to think too long on how the boy's large over shirt looked even more sloppy than usual settled around his thin frame. Dexter couldn't hide anything from him, no matter how many illusions he tried to put up in their shared mind. Freak could see Dex in the mirror every time the boy looked.

"Night Dexxy." He chirped back as his other half receded slowly…and was gone.

The Freakazoid leaned back on his couch and stared at the closed windows of Dexter's eyes across the room. He let his eyes close, but sleep did not come. It never did. The soft hum of his high voltage thoughts started up again, but Freak paid them no notice for once.

Dexter's mind began follow its body's example and started to shut down, dropping into its own type of sleep mode. Freakazoid's part of their brain curled around his and waited contently until morning, nuzzling close and cushioning Dexter's dreams, so that his geek thought of only happy images and wonderful thoughts.

Computer glitches don't sleep, after all.