Tonight, a rather special edition of ReBoot.

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Sort of.



The door opens up with a violent shove, a voice familiar-but-different can be heard before the speaker is seen.

"I can't keep doing this, AndrAIa. We nearly lost that Game!"

There's a pause. Then the speaker steps through, but not enough to see where he is, as he's turning his back to face someone outside.

"How many more Games will we play before we're deleted or nullified? I'm tired of this!"

It's now that it's obvious he had something in one of his hands as he flings something out the door. What it is is anyone's guess.

"I just want a drink. Enough to make me forget about everything."

A softer, more feminine voice drifts its way through the open door to reply to the familiar looking sprite in the doorway.

"I know, Enzo, but we have to keep going. Otherwise, we're never going to get back to Mainframe."

"Mainframe. Yeah. We'll see the Web long before we see Mainframe again..."

He turns around, still carrying on with his complaining before abruptly stopping as he looks up.

Being in a bar is nothing new—this person has been in them before. This bar, however...

"What in the Net? What is this place?"


[On a whim I decided to bring in younger versions of Matrix and AndrAIa into the bar, just for WTF and lulz. This may or may not be a one-of thing. Either way, neither individual will remember this encounter. It would screw up too much Millicanon if they did.

Anyways, have fun.]

Comments

[notascreensaver]

AndrAIa collides into Enzo's back as he stops abruptly, quickly glancing around him to look at what has him so stunned.

"This is...new."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

New like nothing Matrix—er, Enzo [he looks to be the equivalent of fifteen, here] has ever seen before.

And he thought he'd seen everything over the last five or so hours.

"AndrAIa? Where are we?"

Because he doesn't know what else to say.

[notascreensaver]

AndrAIa, unfortunately, looks about as confused as Enzo does, as she peers around the bar.

"I have no fragging clue."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Matrix—er, Enzo looks down at his hip. Gun's there, but like its owner, isn't in the form most people here have come to know.

Still, he feels safe having it there, regardless.

"Should... Should we have a look around?"

Trying not to be frightened or intimidated by Milliways and its utter alienness.

[notascreensaver]

A nod, and AndrAIa moves to shift past Matrix.

"Sounds like a good plan."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Normally he'd insist upon taking point in this situation [mate-guarding - it started on pretty early once they started getting physical], but AndrAIa seems to have better control of the situation.

No. It doesn't look like it's rattling her the way it's rattling him.

"What are these creatures, and how did they manage to get into cyberspace?"

[notascreensaver]

AndrAIa watches these creatures carefully, in case one of them tries something funny.

"You're guess is as good as mine, Sparky."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

They try anything funny [like look at AndrAIa the wrong way (and you know what we mean by "wrong")], and there's going to be casualties.

But they don't.

Some of the people look up from whatever they're doing, then return to their tasks.

Unlike Matrix, they don't seem fazed by the sudden appearance of two sprites.

"Seems safe enough," he mutters, though, with his ever-growing paranoia, his tone suggests he's ready for action should things get ugly, which is what he expects is what will happen. "Basic bar, if unnatural in appearance and clientèle."

[notascreensaver]

AndrAIa's frowning while she tries to make heads or tails of this place.

"They're all beige...brown, too."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

"Monochromatic." Pause. Only now does he realise he's doing a lot of staring. "Wonder what they are..."

[notascreensaver]

The Game sprite shrugs.

"I'm just as clueless as you, and we won't know until we ask someone."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Rarely does he smile, and even more is his non-ironical laugh. This is his ironical laugh.

"I hope you're not suggesting I do the asking?"

Matrix has just enough self-insight to know that if he asked, an ugly and very undiplomatic situation will follow like night after day.

[notascreensaver]

She pulls a face, shaking her head.

"I think we've learned our lesson about that, at least."

[a1enzo]

Enzo is just barely within earshot, balancing on two chair legs with his feet on a table.

It's not the voice that makes him look up from his homework; it is, after all, not quite like anything he's heard before, even if the tone is awfully familiar. No, it's the wording. 'What in the Net' is sprite talk, and it's not coming from anyone... he... knows...

Chair and child hit the ground with a crash.

For an instant, he thinks he's looking at himself, and not just in the 'well, technically...' sense. The newcomer is wearing cadet blues, after all. But the uniform is incomplete, what's left of it is the worse for wear and size, and his face... His face is proof enough on its own.

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

Sound of a loud noise has Matrix's younger self making for and drawing his gun.

Which looks more "pistol" than "high-tech". That's hours away.

"Who are you?"

He's got that "Answer fast," look. Gun's not for show or intimidation—he really means to use it.


AndrAIa if you're planning on making an appearance by stepping through the door make it now...

[notascreensaver]

And lo, the Game sprite appears next to the elder of the two copies, her tone exasperated as she lays a restraining arm on his.

"What are you shooting at now, Enzo?"

Give her a moment, she'll notice the body double in a second.

[a1enzo]

At the drawing of Gun (which doesn't look like Gun, but he's not going to argue), Enzo₂ scrabbles crabwise under the table with a curse that sounds far too shrill. "Dude, don't!" he calls desperately. "It's..."

And then she appears. Legs, first, finned and familiar, and he scoots cautiously forward.

Oh, code. She's only Dani's age.

"AndrAIa?" he squeaks, dry-mouthed.

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

AndrAIa has always had a calming effect on Matrix; now isn't much different.

Gun's still in his hand, but his arm is lowered. Situation under control. For now.

"Yeah. That's her name. Now what about yours?"

Encountering Milliways plus sudden movements that startle him into defence mode has made him temporarily unaware he's looking at himself.

Pause. Gun is lowered further. Confusion has filtered in. They can't possibly know each other, can they?

"Wait. How do you know her name?"

[a1enzo]

Code, oh code, she's beautiful and she's only a few hours older than him... He makes a strangled noise in his throat before his brain lines up with Matrix's... is he Matrix yet?... with his words.

Withdrawing slightly further into the shadows under the table, he says, "Do you promise not to shoot me when you don't believe me?" When, not if.

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

That noise causes Matrix to stand a little closer to AndrAIa.

Don't get any ideas, is his expression.

People who ask not to be shot tend to make him want to shoot them. History has taught him they're always the type he wants dead, fast. Like viruses.

"You're not secretly a virus, are you, to ask me that?"

[a1enzo]

"No! I just don't want to die of irony."

[notascreensaver]

Again, she does her best to soothe her Matrix all the while staring quizzically at the familiar looking sprite huddled under the table.

"Maybe we should hear him out, Sparky."

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

More scepticism. Matrix isn't buying it, but AndrAIa is making it momentarily easy to relax somewhat.

He looks about the area for a moment, then puts gun away.

"Very well. What is it you want to tell me that I won't believe?"

[a1enzo]

Enzo sits silent for a moment, then crawls out from under the table to stand up straight and look him in the... eye.

"Well, me being your accidental copy from the future is a good start."

He's doing a remarkably good job of keeping his voice level, he thinks.

[renegade-enzo.livejournal.com]

There's a five nanosecond pause while Matrix's jaw works.

Then,

"That your idea of a joke?"

You're right about him not believing it.