(no subject)

[command_dot_com]

Nearly lunchtime. She smiles, settling in behind her desk for the take-out from Al's Slow Food that's set up neatly in front of her. Thank the Code for her delivery service having thrived and expanded during the recent influx of residents to Mainframe; there'll be a grocery order waiting for her at home tonight so she can take the time to cook a full meal for Bob and Mairi, after picking them up after this interview.

There's a buzz from her intercom.

"Yes, Otora?"

"Secured link from the Guardian Collective, sir-ma'am. Should I accept or cancel?"

"Accept; it's my usual minutely call from the Prime Guardian."

Dot sighs and sits back in her chair, watching the vidwindow with a neutral expression, with only the required touch of disdain this conversation would call for.

"Hello, Turbo."

Comments

[nofileext]

"Morning, Ms. Matrix."

Turbo is his usual all-business self. If he notices the disdain, any reaction he might have is buried under all that Prime Guardian professionalism.

[command_dot_com]

Yes, it would be buried wouldn't it?

She's not about to let him forget just what Dot holds so very much against him.

"Sending over the data on Mairi's development, not much has changed since the last compilation though."

[nofileext]

Turbo nods and waits for the data to transfer, then pauses to scan the summary.

"Still have more questions than answers?"

[command_dot_com]

"As always," Dot replies, fingers folding together. "I'm sure the Collective is just waiting for her reconfiguration abilities to show up. From what we can tell those don't look to be happening any time soon. And on that tag..."

Is there anything new coming up?

[nofileext]

"You can't blame us for that," Turbo replies.

Not really expecting an answer, Turbo waits expectantly for whatever other good news she has.

[command_dot_com]

"No, I can't really. The Collective needs all the good news and press it can, after what happened with Daemon." Dot smiles, with the not-entirely innocent smile. "I can not blame them for that either. It was a User who created the entire disaster after all. Whoever they were, they singled out the Guardians as a vector. We just got lucky with that hidden system's resources."

"...speaking of, there has been something I will have to bring up with you about that coverstory."

[nofileext]

Yeah," Turbo replies. "I had a feeling there would be something."

[command_dot_com]

"Well ofcourse you would have a feeling. After all, you and the collective have been watching Enzo so closely at the Academy." Dot purrs back, completely calm.

It's time to lay the data onto the spreadsheet after all.

"After all, you knew he was going to slip-up in that cover-story sometime."

[nofileext]

Turbo nods. He might not have any idea what she's talking about, but he's not going to admit it.

So, a nod is all she's getting. For now.

[command_dot_com]

He's getting a raised eyebrow from Dot before she continues.

"Before you go punishing him too hard for not telling you first thing, keep in mind I swore him to secrecy before he became a Guardian Cadet." She absolutely HATES this, having to give up something to him.

Of course once she does give it up, he's going to be the one that has to handle it.

"There isn't any hidden system. It was the only story that the public would actually buy without causing more of a panic, especially when it came to light that a User-sent Upgrade was what brought Daemon into the Central Computer."

"We have proof that Users exist. The sprites from the hidden system were such beings."

[nofileext]

Turbo goes still as he hears the news about the Users, then his jaw slowly drops.

"So I don't have a hidden system to worry about. Instead I have Users.

"I wouldn't call that much of an improvement."

[command_dot_com]

"It all depends on how willing you are to talk to them face to face like any other person." Dot smirks, taking those words the wrong way as if slightly on purpose. "Don't be too hard on them, they WERE the ones who shared chocolate with us."

[nofileext]

"What do you mean, 'any other person'? They aren't any other persons! They're Users!"

[command_dot_com]

Dot just smiles at that response.

Take a random guess what she means by that Turbo.

[nofileext]

Turbo sighs. Looks like this just became his problem.

"So how do I contact them?

"Don't exactly talk to Users every day."

[command_dot_com]

"That would be the one part of the hidden system story that's true." Dot sighes, she hasn't liked this secret much either. Much less having to explain this part. "I'm not sure about how much of this you'll be able to share with the Net, if at all."

"They're going to end up either contacting me, Bob or Enzo...we're the only ones with access to Milliways currently."

[nofileext]

"Right," Turbo nods. If that's the way it is, then he'll find some way to make it work. Somehow.

"I'll consider carefully how to set the permissions on this. The safety of the 'Net comes first.

"How soon can we get started on this?"

[command_dot_com]

"...If I could have it my way we'd never process any of this outside of Mainframe, ever." Dot sighs, sitting back in her chair. "I think you're going to want to start right away with taking care of the Guardian Cadets...and making sure not a byte of this leaves the school or the collective."

"You're also going to want to talk to Enzo right away. He got lucky in his friends figuring out his access to Userspace, and have agreed to secrecy."

"If you want to ask questions about the limitations of access..."

[nofileext]

"Yeah, have to agree with you on that."

He ponders her last comment. "Not right now. Maybe later."

"I'll access Enzo first and see what he has to say. Then I'll go from there."

[command_dot_com]

"If he can't fill in all the questions you have about Milliways access, I'd be happy to give it a listen and see what I can answer." Dot nods, reaching for her lunch and her PDA. "Oh, and do let me know what kind of punishment you'll have in store for him? I've still got to show my disapproval of his sloppiness."

[nofileext]

"I'll talk to him," Turbo repeats.

"I want to hear his side of it."

Because whatever that side is, Turbo has a feeling it's going to be 'interesting' in all kinds of trouble-making ways.

[command_dot_com]

"Ofcourse, until next minute, Turbo. Take care."