4.03 Sudden change of format....

[command_dot_com]

"She's a what?"

Dot brought Hex into the medical section of the Principal Office. The sudden change in configuration, attitude, and powers was unsettling, even for Hex. To speak of the Virus, who was standing behind the two executives, playing with the nulls in their tank.

Comments

[command_dot_com]

"How?" She'll put it on the list of other things she has to deal with. Right under 'Deleting Daemon's ASCII'.

[nofileext]

Phong calls Dot's attention to a window full of code analysis and a wireframe of Hex's current form. An image of her icon enlarges as he speaks.

"When the User did a viral scan of Mainframe, Hex was unaffected."

[red-cg-insanity.livejournal.com]

Hex was standing behind them at a null tank. She was drawing her finger around the glass as a null followed it.

"It tickled," she said and continued to draw across the tank.

[command_dot_com]

Don't Hex... Just don't. Dot isn't in the mood.
Like she ever is...

[nofileext]

Phong continues, "We naturally thought: It is Hex. Go figure."

[command_dot_com]

"So what's changed?" Read as: anything I should worry about?

[nofileext]

"Her power," Phong explains. "It is really quite simple. Her icon held the viral scan, but her power levels were too strong for it to work." You can see where this is going, Dot.

[command_dot_com]

"And when she repelled the Guardians-" Dot's starting to see where this is going.

[nofileext]

Phong nods. "She drained herself enough for the scan to trigger. She used the nulls to try to protect herself." Reflexively, of course.

[command_dot_com]

"But the nulls fled when the game landed!"

[nofileext]

"And bingo, new Hex!" concludes Phong, pointing at the result.

[red-cg-insanity.livejournal.com]

Hex was stacking the nulls in the tank. With the flick of a dainty hand they fell to the floor of that tank.

[command_dot_com]

Dot watches as the nulls just seem to obey her every move, getting an idea.

"Hex... I thought you said you lost your powers..."

[red-cg-insanity.livejournal.com]

Hex looked back at Dot.

"I have," she said.

She went back to playing with the nulls.

[command_dot_com]

"Then how're you doing that?"

Hex can still control nulls! Oh this is GOOD news.

[red-cg-insanity.livejournal.com]

Hex looks at what she is doing, and suddenly understands.

"oh," she said.

Hex stands up.

[command_dot_com]

Dot grabs Hex by the wrist and drags her away from the Null tank. She's got a plan to find her Dad... "Come on!"

[mendanddefend_archive]

Phong asked Bob to come to the medbay, but he wouldn't say why. The Guardian's not terribly surprised to find Dot and Hex there.

"Hi," he says with a cheerful wave.

[red-cg-insanity.livejournal.com]

"Hi Bob," said Hex girlishly.

[command_dot_com]

Dot glares at Hex. Bob is -her- man. Get it through that cracked processor. Dot's. Not yours.

[l33t-mouse.livejournal.com]

At this particular cheerful moment, a VidWindow springs up behind Dot. Matrix and Mouse are on the line. "Dot," says the latter, "we've got an idea..."

[command_dot_com]

Dot doesn't even LOOK at the vidwindow. She trying to stand between the newly sprited Hex and her boyfriend. Territorial this one is. "Not now, Mouse." She raises her hand to the window.

Bad timing.

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

"We have to talk!"

He sounds rather insistent about this.

[command_dot_com]

"Later!" He can be insistent all he fraggin WANTS.

[feminine-menace.livejournal.com]

YT's head and shoulders pop in on Matrix and Mouse's VidWindow. "Dude! Dot! This is important! We've been talking and..."

[command_dot_com]

"LATER." Dot's got a lot of programs running right now, and enough on her processor with Hex hitting on her boyfriend.

She dismissively closes the window turning to give Hex a piece of her mind.

[a1enzo]

Before she can, another window twings open. "Ah must protest most strongly!" cries Cecil, while little Matrix, whom he was told to watch, attempts to use him as a chin-up bar. "I am many things, but I am not a nanny!" He grabs the boy off his back by the back of the vest (Cecil may have limited mobility, but he's got great reach) and holds him up to the window.

Matrix scowls. Renegades don't need babysitters.

[command_dot_com]

"I told you to change out of those clothes!" Dot scolds her little brother, who is REALLY choosing a bad time to pick up on Matrix's bad habits.

[a1enzo]

"No!" Renegades don't listen to scolding either.

[nofileext]

Yet another vidwindow pwings open. This time it's Specky. "Um, sir-ma'am..."

[command_dot_com]

"Not now, Specky!" Dot closes that window as abuptly as it opened and turns to Enzo's window. "Phong, talk to Enzo."

[a1enzo]

"That's little Matrix!" insists little Matrix, before that window, too, closes.

[command_dot_com]

Dot turns to Hex, she is really pissed, upset, and everyone wants a piece of her it seems. "Hex, you're with me. Bob, where's your car?"

[mendanddefend_archive]

"Just outside," replies a very bewildered Guardian. Has everyone gone totally random all of a sudden?

[command_dot_com]

"I'm borrowing it!" She grabs the virus-turned-sprite by her wrist and pushes past Bob outside. She is on a mission right now, User help anyone who decides to get in her way.

[nofileext]

"But... w-where are you going?" cries Phong, who lost track of things about the time Bob arrived.

[command_dot_com]

Dot and Hex as just about out of the hallway when Dot turns back to face them and call back. "To find my father!"

With that, the two are gone.

Hex's madness couldn't be...contagious could it?

[mendanddefend_archive]

Bob is left staring at the closed door, blinking in surprise.

Well, that was weird. But at least it's over now, right?

[nofileext]

Weird is putting it mildly. Phong takes refuge in what he does understand, which is that he has a task to attend to now that Bob is here.

"Well, just slip out of your uniform and hop up onto the scanner. I'll be with you in a nano." He rolls off to fetch the examination doohickeys. Help yourself to a 'zine.

[mendanddefend_archive]

.

.

.

"I'm sorry?"

[nofileext]

Oh, not this again. Modesty is all well and good, but sometimes it is very unhelpful.

"Bob. We need to run a full compile on you." Clothing code gets in the way of deep scanning, you know that.

[mendanddefend_archive]

Actually, at the moment, Bob's hesitation comes from somewhere else entirely. But Phong doesn't know that. Yet.

"No, no, I-I'm fine!" says Bob with a nervous laugh. "Look, uh, haven't you got to talk to Enzo? I'll come back when you're not busy..."

[nofileext]

Hesitate for whatever reason you like, Bob, but do it on your own time.

"On the scanner!" commands Phong in a brook-no-argument tone. "Is doctor's orders!"

[mendanddefend_archive]

Bob sighs and starts taking off his armor.

Might as well get this over with.