milliways_bar | Daemon Rising, part 4a

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Daemon Rising, part 4a

[In this installment, a virus approaches Mainframe with her new helpers, a boy plays catch with his dad, seduction is attempted and cut short, and plans are put into motion. Speaking of which, here comes one of those plans now!]

Little Matrix enters the bar with two bots, a dog, and a look of determination. He looks around the bar, mentally reviewing as he does so the tasks he has been charged with. Wait here until someone comes to fetch me. Until then, stay with someone on the safelist. And find Programmers. Someone who can fix the cure so it's more compatible, and find out why it didn't work when Bob tried to...

Oh no! Bob! I forgot to tell Dot...

Matrix freezes, then wheels around and charges back past his escort toward the Door.

It's locked.

[Not plotlocked in any way. Go for it.]

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Matrix looks up from his struggles with the doorknob. "Yeah!"

Then he pauses. "Well, Little Matrix."

Another pause. "Enzo."

Funny, the whole thing is starting to seem kind of embarrassing now.

"Is this part of that 'long story' that Dot mentioned? — I'm Michael, by the way. Michael Donighal. I like to think I'm a friend of Bob's. Is he all right?"

"Kind of, yeah," says Enzo with a weak smile. Then he cocks his head. "You don't go by 'Mike', do you? 'Cause I know too many Mikes already."

His face falls again. "No, he's not, and I gotta tell Dot, I should have told her before and now the Door won't open..."

My name is Michael, he thinks. I am called Michael. You must never call anyone called Michael Mickey. Those of us who are named Michael are very nervous about it. Aloud, he says only, "I don't usually go by Mike, no. Particularly not if the other person knows too many Mikes."

Michael's face falls right after Enzo's. "Bob's in trouble, and you're Bound here? This is bad. Very bad. Is there anything I can do to help?"

Enzo considers this for a moment, then shakes his head. "Not unless you can get the door to open. But maybe you can help with why I'm here. Are you a Programmer?"

"Not as such," he allows as. "My experience with computers is more along the lines of 'point at them, think really hard about what I want them to do, watch them do it'. If you need a Programmer, I'd refer you to Hiro, except that he told me he and YT were going to your system." Sound of metaphorical lightbulb going on over his head. "To help against Daemon. Has she got them, then?"

"She's got YT," says Enzo. "And Mouse, and Matrix." He squinches his eyes shut tight for a moment, in an expression of pain, then opens them and resumes: "Hiro helped make the infection cure, but it didn't work right and they don't have time at home to find out why and fix it, so they sent me to find a Programmer who can do it here."

"Maybe you should put up a sign on the bulletin board asking for programmers." He points to the board. "Or one of those vidwindows, like Bob used to warn people about the tofu."

A sigh. "YT's the only one of those I've met, though Hiro's told me about Mouse, and I'm guessing Matrix is... another brother of Dot's. Or something like that, anyway. Either way, it concerns me as anything that touches a friend concerns a friend."

"Oh! Good idea!" He opens a blank text file and ponders for a moment, then starts to tap away at it.

He gives a wry smile. "Something like that." Normally he loves explaining the Matrix situation to bewildered humans, but he's... not in the mood for it right now.

"It's okay. With any luck, you should be able to make the introductions properly when all this is over."

Enzo nods, and hands the finished notice to Michael. "How's that look?"

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Daemon Rising, part 4a

Re: Millitimed like a rented stepchild.

Re: Millitimed like a rented stepchild.

Re: Millitimed like a rented stepchild.

Re: Millitimed like a rented stepchild.

Re: Millitimed like a rented stepchild.

Re: Millitimed like a rented stepchild.

What does "like a rented stepchild" mean, anyway?

It's from two different ways of beating someone: like a rented mule or a red-headed stepchild.

I see. Why is it a red-headed stepchild in particular? And you'd lose your deposit on the mule.

I don't know why red-headed, and I guess the person doesn't care as much as if they owned the mule.

I wonder where one can rent a stepchild...