Blood and Tears
By Elf Princess

AndrAIa woke up.  Sweat was trickling down her body.  She felt Matrix stir next to her.  Placing a hand over her icon, she felt an odd heat radiating from it.  Go away ,she thought, this is my body!  This is my body!  "GO AWAY!!!"
Matrix sat up.  He stared at AndrAIa.  She was clutching her head and screaming.  His arms shot out to hold her.  He turned her head into his chest to muffle her screams.  He didn't want the neighbors to call the CPUs.
"Andi, calm down."  He started to rock gently back and forth.  Her hysterics were scaring him.  AndrAIa was always so calm and she was like a Chevy truck (i.e. like a rock).  Go away Game Sprite!  This is my body now!  
Matrix had no idea what was processing in AndrAIa's head, but he knew it was scaring her to deletion.  He held her without talking; knowing that silence was sometimes better.  Her sobs quieted to gasps for air.  Her thin arms wrapped around his waist.
"I love you," she muttered into his chest before falling back to sleep.
*~*~*
"Matrix!"  Enzo ran at the older version of himself.  Throwing his arms in front of him, he was going to try to tackle Matrix.  Matrix's hand shot out and he caught Enzo by the back of his shirt.
"Man.  It never works with you."  Matrix smiled bleakly and put the kid down.  Mouse looked up.  She arched her eyebrow at him.
"Where is AndrAIa?"  Matrix glared at her and sat down on the stool next to her.
"Sleeping.  She had a nightmare last night and woke up screaming.  I have no clue what it was about."  He added, reading Ray's mind.  Dot and Bob walked in.
"Where's An-" Matrix held up a hand and quickly explained.  Bob sat down and grinned.
"Just got news from Turbo."  Matrix's head snapped up.
"Is he still fighting the infection?"
"Yes.  He's on his way.  He thinks he may have found a temporary cure."  Matrix grinned.  "Oh yeah.  He's bringing a keytool for you Matrix, since I kind of took Glitch back."  Matrix's grin broadened.
The doorbell to the diner chimed.  Everyone turned to see a sleepy AndrAIa walk in.  She looked around and blinked.
"Why is everyone staring at me?" 
"Well Sugar, Matrix said you were sleeping.  And it definitely looks like you were."  Mouse grinned and AndrAIa stuck her tongue out at her.
"Turbo's on his way."  Matrix said to AndrAIa, putting his arm around her shoulders.
"Really?  He's still on your side then, eh?"  Matrix stared.  Your side, He thought, what does she mean, my side?  
AndrAIa leaned against his chest and smirked.  Mouse was the only one that saw the strange expression.  AndrAIa place her hand over Matrix's icon and smiled wickedly.  Mouse stood up and gently knocked the game sprite out.
"She looks awfully tried.  Take her back to your place so she can get some sleep.  You don't look to good yourself Matrix.  Get some sleep."  Matrix stared for a nano, shook his head and picked AndrAIa up.  He walked out of Dot's Diner.
"Mouse?"  Ray asked. "What was that all about?"
"I ain't sure.  There is something strange about AndrAIa today, that's all I can tell you."
*~*~*
Matrix lay AndrAIa down.  She was sleeping peacefully.  He stretched and sat down next to her.  Mouse was right.  He was tired.  Matrix turned so his chest was towards Andi.  She pulled herself to him and they wrapped their arms around each other in a tight embrace.  AndrAIa smiled and continued watching her lover as her eyes slowly clouded to black.
*~*~*
Matrix woke up suddenly, wondering what had brought him back to the living world.  The small vid screen that he and AndrAIa kept next to their bed was beeping.  He activated it.  Dot's face appeared on the screen.
"Matrix, Turbo is here.  He wants to see you right away.  Can you and AndrAIa come down to the P.O.?"
Matrix nodded.  "We'll be there in a mircot."  He turned the screen off and started to shake AndrAIa.
"Andi, wake up.  Turbo's here."  She stirred and sat up.  She opened her eyes and Matrix gasped and took a step back.  Her eyes were pure black.  He shook head violently and sat down on the couch.
When they were ready to go, Matrix opened the door to their house.  AndrAIa let out a shriek and fell back.  He pulled the door shut and spun.  
"Andi!  What's wrong?"  She was covering her eyes and moaning.  
"The light hurts my eyes!  It's burning!  She's winning!"  She passed out.  Not wanting her to wake up outside, he blindfolded her, scooped her into his arms, kicked the door open, and zipped over to the P.O.
*~*~*
Matrix lay Andi down on the table.  He then turned and hugged Turbo.  Of course everyone was staring.  Matrix had never hugged any of them!  Turbo handed Matrix a keytool.
"Its name is Icon.  I figured he might like you, considering he doesn't like other keytools or sprites.  He might like Glitch though."  Turbo said.
"Thanks Turbo.  What's this I hear about a temporary cure for the infection?"
Turbo pulled out an extra PID icon and showed it to everyone.  "See the glowing pulsating green light?  That's some of mine.  I downloaded my Guardian code onto this icon and it took away some of the infection."
"But it's still there.  It's still inside you."  AndrAIa was sitting up.  Dot's mouth dropped open.  AndrAIa's skin was almost pure white.  Matrix took a deep shuddering breath.  
"Turn off all the lights."  Confused, everyone did what they were told.  Matrix turned to AndrAIa and gently pulled the blindfold off.  She blinked and looked around.
"Oh my sweet user."  Bob muttered.
"What in the net?"  Mouse asked.  Matrix shrugged.
"She woke up with her eyes like that.  The skin is a recent development though."  Matrix stared at her.  What in the net was happening to her?
AndrAIa stood up and walked to Turbo.  His eyes narrowed dangerously.  AndrAIa touched his temples.  He recoiled from her touch.
"The great invincible Prime Guardian, taken down by a tiny little bug."  Bob gasped as she gently started to massage the sides of his head.  "Daemon only missed two Guardians, right?  Bob and Matrix?" 
Turbo nodded mutely.  AndrAIa smiled, showing pointed fangs.  Turbo wrenched himself from her grasp and stumbled back.
"What the hell are you?"  He spat.  AndrAIa smiled.
"The question is not what, Turbo, the question is who."   Suddenly, her body was seized by some unknown force.  Everyone backed away.  She floated a few feet off the ground.  Her hands hung slack at her side.  Her beautiful hair was flowing out behind her.  Her eyes snapped open.  Matrix saw in horror that one of her eyes was completely normal, while the other was black and there was a green light, steadily beating behind it.
One side of her body was AndrAIa, the game sprite everyone knew.  The other side had pure white skin, black hair, talon-like feet, claws, and the steady green light throughout that side of the body.  Turbo gasped.  He would be the only one to recognize that.
"Daemon!"  He yelled.  There was a flash of green light and the bodies became one again.  Dark green hair, white skin, talons, AndrAIa's outfit, the creature was terrible.  She radiated evil.  Matrix stared.
"How?"  He asked simply, taking a step forward.
"How?  You want to know how AndrAIa the game sprite and Daemon the super virus became a single entity?"  Everyone nodded.
"Blame your father Matrix."  Dot 's eyes narrowed.
"What does my father have to do with you?"
"He created me.  That's right.  Your father, the perfect sprite, created me to wipe out all evil.  Of course, he didn't know that he had made me perfectly evil as well.  'Evil to fight evil' he would say to me.  I listened at first, destroyed countless other virus', and then I downloaded a little of each virus into me.  Slowly at first, I became more powerful.  His wife's friend had a daughter who was a great hacker.  I went to her, to this Mouse.  I threatened to delete her if she did not hack into the super computer for me.  She did and in my thanks, I did not delete her, I just wiped her memory and deleted her mother instead.  I made it into the super computer.  I was able to download a new body and a new format, super virus."  She paused to let this sink in.  Mouse stared.  
"I remember you now.  You were beautiful.  Dark, almost black hair, green eyes, yes you were beautiful, you are still beautiful Daemon, but in a different way."
"Thank you old friend."  Daemon smiled bleakly.
"I was the one that blew the Twin City.  Mr. Matrix knew what I had become.  I made sure that Mouse was out of the system.  I gave her Ship.  You see, she had helped me, she was my friend, and I always help my friends.  I sent her through the net to a different system, after brainwashing her again.  I knew that when the Twin City blew, I too, would lose my new body.  I needed a plan, a way to conserve my soul, it that is what you want to call it.  I set the place to explode in twenty nanoseconds.  In that time, I started to head to Mainframe.  I knew that the good doctor Matrix's children were there.  Twin City blew up.  I felt myself leave the body.  I was free, but I knew if I didn't find a host soon, I would die, and I am scared of dying.  I saw young Enzo Matrix.  He was crying, his home and his parents were gone.  I came up to him and touched his icon.  I become one with him.  That's when you found him unconscious, Dot.  No one, not even Enzo, suspected anything.  I studied, I learned about Megabyte and Hexadecimal."
"Wait.  None of this explains why you're in Andi's body, and not mine."  Matrix said softly.  He held Andi's trident in his hand.
"When you hugged her when she first joined you, I transferred myself into her.  You see, I find female bodies more appealing than that of males.  Now, as I look at you, I am glad I transferred."
"Why?"  Bob asked.
"Simple.  There are two sides to a coin, yes?  Heads and tails, love and hate, light and dark, life and death; those are literally the coins of life.  I am AndrAIa's dark side.  You Matrix, are the dark side of yourself, while he is the light."  She pointed at Enzo.  "If I had stayed with you and you had gone through everything you have gone through, you would have no lighter side.  You would be pure evil."
"Isn't that what you want?"  Ray asked.
"No.  You see, if I had stayed with him, we would have been pure evil, and in turn, that would end up destroying us."  She turned towards Matrix and her eyes flashed.  His hand clutched his icon.  "You are mine now.  One more Guardian, and I control them all!'
"When you touched his icon!  You infected him!  Yesterday, you did that yesterday!"  Dot screamed.  Daemon smiled, bearing her fangs.
"Always the smart one.  You take after your father.  Now, I will control all of the super computer!"
"That's what you think!"  Matrix's arms wrapped around Daemon.  He had broken off two tongs from the trident.  Whispering words of apology to AndrAIa, he plunged the dagger-like object into her stomach.  Daemon let out shrieks of pain and rage and she slipped through his arms and fell onto the ground.  Matrix turned.
"Bob, only you can save everything.  You. are the. only Guardian that is not infected."
"No!  Matrix!  Fight the virus!"  Dot screamed.
"Matrix." Ray muttered.
"Ray, do you remember what I made you promise me?"  Ray nodded grimly.  "Good.  You won't need to do it."  He plunged the other tong into his own stomach.  Blood gushed from his body.  Dot was screaming.  He kneeled down next to AndrAIa, turned her so her head faced him, and wrapped his arms around her.
"Bob... do me. favor. take care of Dot for me."  His skin was pulsating in rhythm with Daemon's.
"Matrix!  Please, don't leave me, again!'' Tears were screaming down Dot's face as she kneeled next to her dying brother.  "Let her go, there is nothing you can do for her now."
Matrix slowly shook his head.  "Now matter what she becomes or how many people she deletes, I will always love her.  Ray knows this."  Everyone stared at Ray.  "Tell them."  Matrix urged.
"The promise I made him, that promise said that if AndrAIa should ever, for some reason, be deleted, I would delete Matrix without telling anyone."  Ray looked down.  Mouse wrapped her slim arms around his waist.
Matrix lay his head down next to Daemon/AndrAIa's.   Their body's seemed to mix together in a slow dance.  Their bodies shimmered like the air on a hot day, and they disappeared, leaving nothing but blood and tears behind.
FIN


Disclaimer:  none of sprites belong to me, yada, yada, yada, you know the whole thing.  They belong to MainFrame ENT.

Authors note: Please R*R at sailorvic@oasisol.com