4.04: Time for some thrilling heroics.

[nofileext]

The Mainframe populace go about their business as usual, if disturbingly cheerfully. The air is filled with cars and zipboards, not CPUs and tanks.

Everything's quiet, more or less.

Of course, given the group that's just coming in from Milliways, that's not liable to last long.

Comments

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

Hex has other things on her mind. "Where's Bob?" she asks, looking around. Where is everybody, come to think of it?

Re: Team Cure

[a1enzo]

That, on the other hand, is not cool.

"Daemon's got him."

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

Her expression hardens.

"Show me."

* * *

Getting into the War Room is surprisingly easy; the corridors are virtually deserted. Once there, AndrAIa programs the main screen to show the battle taking place atop the subsphere... and an unconscious, translucent Guardian sprawled on the roof underneath.

"She's hurt Bob!" gasps Hex in outrage. "We have to do something!"

Re: Team Cure

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

"Like what?" He motions to the screen, showing Danny and Hellboy in a losing battle with Daemon. "They're getting their ASCIIs kicked, and they have powers. What the frag are we supposed to do?"

Even he isn't stupid enough to try and take Daemon head on again.

Re: Team Cure

[notascreensaver]

"Even with those guys we don't have the firepower to go up against her. I don't really see how anyone can take her down."

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

Hex knows someone who can.

She turns on her heel and stalks toward the door.

Re: Team Cure

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Matrix turns and gives Hex a curious look.

"Where are you going?"

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

"To get more firepower," she growls.

Re: Team Cure

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

"From where?"

There wasn't anything in any of the armories strong enough to take Daemon out.

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

"The Core."

She is going to restore her viral power, and User help the program who tries to stop her.

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

The door slides open. Barring Hex's way is Phong, pulling karate poses and making ninja-type noises. Please don't laugh.

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

...what the frag?

Hexadecimal stares down at Phong for a long moment, then picks him up by the neck and drops him to one side before continuing down the corridor.

Re: Team Cure

[a1enzo]

Well, that makes this cure easy. Enzo zaps Phong while he's lying there groaning.

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

Phong twitches as the Word is purged from his code, then continues to groan but in a different way. "What have we done..."

Re: Team Cure

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Matrix moves over and kneels next to Phong.

"You okay, old man?"

Re: Team Cure

[notascreensaver]

AndrAIa hovers over Matrix's shoulder, not wanting at all to follow Hex.

"You did what Daemon told you to do. You didn't have a choice."

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

Phong nods sadly. "She is so very powerful... Megabyte was never able to infect me."

He's read-only, after all. He should be immune. He always was, before. He sighs deeply.

Re: Team Cure

[a1enzo]

"It's okay!" Enzo reassures him. "I brought a bunch of people from Milliways, and two of 'em are distracting Daemon while the others get a truck to blow her up, plus Hex is..."

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

As if on cue, an all-too familiar wicked laugh echoes through the halls of the Principal Office.

A few picoseconds later, a blur of red and black streaks past the open doorway of the War Room.

Re: Team Cure

[a1enzo]

"...um, back."

Re: Team Cure

[nofileext]

She'd forgotten how good it felt. The power, the freedom, the unbridled chaos of it all...

Barely aware of her surroundings, she continues on, toward her eventual destination.