Tron 2.42 – Virtual Server.

Hello Jet.

Jet opened his eyes to the blackness.

There was nothing there.

Have you figured it out yet?

The voice was familiar, but sounded different somehow. Jet’s own voice seemed to be speaking to him from outside his body.

The quantum nature of this world. Surely you must have figured it out by now. Why it exists, why you are who you are while you’re here.

His own thoughts were echoing in his head.

Why don’t you realize yet. You’re heading back and you still don’t know. There’s not long left to realize you know.

Jet tried to reply, to challenge the voice, but there was nothing. A pressure moved against his chest.

You know all the answers now, but you just need to realize it. You can’t keep her forever you know. She’s part of this world and you have to head back to your world.

Jet struggled to breath, to move, but nothing happened.

Mercury isn’t a part of your world. Love can cross time and space just like quantum information, but you cannot. What are you going to do when the time comes to choose.

Jet reached out to grab whatever it was. Some movement occurred. A very little. His finger.

I’ll be seeing you at the endgame.

Jet saw a sliver of light in the distance – a thin line. A green line. It wavered and shifted as he struggled to move is finger.

At the endgame.

The line widened and images started to appear. Jet looked up, opening his eyes. A blurry grey face in a green suit looked down at Jet, lines of green energy down the cheeks.

“My user, I thought you might derez,” said Jade through glowing tear-streaked eyes.

Jet tried to move but he was paralyzed. The pressure against his chest moved slightly. Jet’s mind focused on Mercury.

Struggling to bring his mind into focus with his body, Jet put every last conscious thought into moving his neck. He wobbled a little, then felt his head fall back into a hand.

Jade shifted, then lifted Jet’s head a little. Everything was still blury, but a faintly pulsing blue program lay against his chest still.

Jet smiled and relaxed, Jade letting his head roll back down. Jade stood.

“Kernel, the ICPs are looking for direction.”

Crypto was nearby, his voice clear.

“Make sure the remaining programs are partitioned correctly. We have opposing applications in different areas and I don’t want them coming into conflict.” Jade answered.

Was the Kernel still alive? No. That couldn’t be. The Kernel stayed behind. Jet had a faint memory of the old program giving them a ramp to get to the carrier as it pulled out.

“The old programs have been located separately also, Kernel. They keep asking about the user.”

Crypto must also be nearby.

“Tell them Jet’s alright. He’s just returning to us now.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Came the response.

Jade moved back into Jet’s view.

“Kernel,” came another query.

“Not now,” said Jade. “I need to have some time. Please continue processing. I’ll generate an interrupt when I need to call tasks.”

“Ma’am.” A chorus rang out.

Jade bent over Jet, and he realized then. Jade was the new Kernel.

She shook her head and pushed her palms against her forehead. From the look of her face, she had barely had time to grieve for the program that originally spawned her, yet already the programs around her pushed and demanded attention, each taking their own timeslice.

“Jade,” Jet managed to say.

“Rest, my user. You’re still recovering from the escape sequence. The Kernel .” Jade paused as she said that. “Kernel.exe failed to escape the system failure.”

Jet nodded. “He… saved… us…” he managed slowly. “Me…”

“He had just made it aboard the transit carrier when you called through. The remaining ICPs had held off the watchdogs for some time while we rescued the older operating systems, and those applications critical to establishing a new operating system were already onboard.

“He gave his last cycles so that you may return to your world.

“I know he regretted not accepting your warnings when he had them. He lost his trust in the users so much I think you reminded him of everything he had turned his back on.

Tears were flowing more freely down her face now, some falling onto Jet’s face where they fizzled with a static sound.

“Thankyou my user, for showing him that the users still care for the programs in our system and that not all was lost.

“You helped him regain his belief in the users.”

Jade wiped the tears from her face.

“Your… The… Kernel…now?” Jet asked.

Jade nodded.

“I am next in line to contain the core code of our system. The ICPs look to me now. I don’t think I’m strong enough.”

Jade didn’t look strong now. She looked like she had reached her limit.

Jet believed otherwise. He had seen her strength first-hand.

“Strong… Enough…” he said, then after a rest, “Mercury?”

“With you still my user. She is sharing your pulse. We didn’t move her in case she derezzed. I do not understand how she had not left you. Perhaps you, in your infinite wisdom as a user, understand this?”

“Not… That… Wise…” Jet croaked, making Jade smile.

Some strength was coming back to him now. He lifted his hand and held it up. Jade saw the motion and grabbed his hand, holding it. As his eyes focused, he saw that the circuits on it were almost black now, with a faint blue pulse of light moving through them.

“Have… have you been here since I arrived?” Jet felt his voice start to work again.

“Yes, My user. I have not left your side.” Jade said.

“Thankyou.” Said Jet, then added slowly, “I’m sorry the Kernel stayed behind. I feel responsible.”

Jade shook her head. “He didn’t realise. I didn’t realize. I’m sorry. I thought you were just a user. Please forgive him.”

“Didn’t realise?” Jet asked.

“That you are a creator.” Jade said.

“Creator? I don’t understand.” Jet said. He felt his control over his body come back and she shifted his side over and rolled his head to look at Jade.

She had changed. Her armor was more detailed, more intricate than before.

“We have three kinds of user we worship, my user. There are the users we serve. All programs serve users.

“Then there are programmers. Programmers make programs. They are the ones who create us.

“Then there are creators. Users who build this world. Users’ who created us in the first place. The most revered of users. They who gave us life that the programmers might create us.”

Jet took a deep breath before responding.

“Creators…” said Jet again. “I’m not a creator, just a user. Maybe a programmer, but not as your creator was. I have no programs I have created in this world.”

“But my user, you have, you have me.” Jade said, almost hurt by Jet’s word.

He felt bad. “Of course, Jade, except you. You’re special to me. My program,” Jet said, feeling a wave of nausea pass over him.

Jade brightened.

Jet sat up, Mercury slipping from him a little. Jade ran to the side of the room they were in and grabbed an archive cube and shifted it over behind Jet, Mercury’s head resting in his lap. Her circuits were almost black too, but where Jet touched her, the pulse shifted from Jet to Mercury.

As he shifted, Jet started to light up a little and this transferred to Mercury.

“You came across the void.” Mercury said.

“The void?” Jet asked, leaning back on the archive cube.

“The nullspace behind the transport. The Kernel was too late in bridging the protocols and we shifted out the buffer. The shift register was already empty when you came through.

“Your information caught us and entered the carrier without your transport.

“Program’s can’t do that. For us it means deresolution. The exterior of the packet transports is the limit of our existence in the beam.”

“Did any other programs make it?” Jet asked as his color started to return, a dark blue glow at first.

“From Sector one? No. The old operating systems were the last programs to board the active partition before we transferred out.”

Jet looked around as Jade continued talking. They were in what looked like a hangar. Several transports sat in here, including the one Jet had cobbled together earlier from Jade’s alphacycle.

This must be one heck of a carrier. Possibly a complete virtual server, Jet realized.

“Sector one derezzed as we left. Those ICPs who remained waiting were the only witnessed to the destruction of our world.

“I felt their dying bytes as they gave up their cycles, to a program, for you.”

Jet pushed his hand through Mercury’s hair. She was close to him.

“I don’t want programs to give up their cycles for me,” Jet said slowly.

“They gave them willingly, my user. I think they realize that they had little time and to them it was the only sacrifice they could make. Please think well of them when they arrive for evaluation in the next world.”

Jet wanted to say he couldn’t do that, but realized it was important to Jade. Important to her beliefs.

It was all she had to keep of the memory of her father – that his dying efforts had not been in vain, even though as grateful as Jet was, he felt responsible for giving a false belief to the programs that he was some kind of god.

“I’m sure that whoever judges those programs when they stand before their creator will value their sacrifice to help all programs who escaped the system this cycle.” Jet said.

“But you don’t believe that.” Jade said, surprising Jet with her candor.

Jet looked up at her, not sure what to say next, but Jade simply bent over and kissed him, unexpectedly on the lips. It was quick, light, and it left a strange tingle on Jet’s face.

Then she pulled her head back, looking away as if she had just stolen something, and stood.

“But I do appreciate your thoughtfulness, and I know you are still a creator, even if you don’t understand what that is to us.”

Jade looked towards the open door at the back of the hangar.

“All programs are forbidden from entry to this sanctum while you are resting, my user, but ICPs are stationed at the entrance. If you need for me, please summon me and I will attend your interrupt.

“Otherwise, please take the time to rest while your consort recovers and I will see that refreshments are brought to you.”

Jade bowed towards Jet, straightened, then looked Jet in the eye.

“My User,” she said, then turned and walked away towards the exit.

As she left Jet noticed something was missing. The typical clack of the weapons she wore was no longer there.

Then it was quiet and silent, except for the occasional pulse running through the circuits of the carrier.

“Mercury?” Jet called softly.

Mercury shifted, twisting her head, causing Jet’s fingers to run across her lips. Her color was slowly lightening now.

“Mercury, can you hear me?”

She didn’t open her eyes.

“Did we make it?” she asked.

“Yes,” Jet said.

“I feel as if you brought me here, I derezzed and you brought be back.”

“Not quite,” Jet said. “We both made it.”

“My betacycle came apart around me,” Mercury said.

“We made it here,” Jet said.

“Your friends?” Mercury asked.

“Are here also,” said Jet.

“The Kernel?” she asked finally.

Jet didn’t answer.

“The kernel is revised, May uptime be the Kernel.” Jade said quietly and softly, almost too softly for Jet to hear.

“I thought you didn’t get on with the Kernel,” Jet said at length.

“He was still my Kernel,”said Jade.

“And am I your user?” Jet asked.

“No,” came back Mercury’s hard answer as she opened her eyes.

Mercury had beautiful eyes. Each time Jet looked into them he found something that stirred him in a way that no others did.

“Then what am I?” Jet asked her.

“My consort,” said Mercury, using Jade’s words. “For I have chosen you.”

“When did this happen?” Jet asked quietly, playfully.

“When I shared my code with you,” Mercury said slowly. “From that day, you became claimed as mine.

“Of course, that may only apply to programs. I don’t know how it works with users.”

Jet smiled.

“My heart was taken by you a long time ago. There’s no other program I want to be with, nor user.” Jet said softly to her.

Mercury smiled as she hadn’t in a long time.

“You look happier now, my love,” Jet said after looking into her eyes, enjoying being close to her.

“I hurt,” she said slowly.

“Me too.” Said Jet. “Not something I expected to make you smile.”

“We’re on the transport aren’t we. You’re going back right?” Mercury said slowly.

“Yes,” said Jet, answering her first question.

“Then you are safe and for the moment, I can be with you, confident in that alone.” Mercury said then closed her eyes.

“And why is that?” Jet asked.

Mercury did not answer. She simply smiled.

Jet sat for a while too, still feeling euphoric about having gotten out of the Encom system even if the pain of it still echoed through his being.

Flynn was woken by the sound of something banging loudly on his cell door. He woke with a start, twisting on his cot before he recognized the face. From the feeling in his head he didn’t think he had been asleep very long, but he was able to move now, so whatever chemical they had used to knock him out must have been wearing off while he slept.

Dillinger stood there banging a stainless steel thermal mug on the outside of the cell, watching for the reaction.

“I though the assholes banging the cup were supposed to be on the inside,” Flynn slurred, still not completely in control.

“You can tell me in a couple of years if they do, if I can be bothered visiting you,” Dillinger said, then made a show of looking at his watch.

“So, you never quite learned your lessons back then did you Flynn. Just couldn’t leave well-enough alone. Just thought you might want to know that the Encom building just came down. Seems the demolition team were a little overzealous.”

Dillinger stood there smiling waiting to see what reaction it provoked.

Flynn felt sick at the thought of Jet being inside the computer when it went down and rolled back on his bed so as not to give Dillinger the satisfaction of provoking a response. He rolled the other way as best as he could.

“Nothing to say?” Dillinger prodded.

“Sooner or later, your latest plans are going to come crashing down, just like the rest.” said Flynn. “Always seems to happen, sooner or later, and this time, you’re going to go down for murder.”

“Right. So you, while languishing in a cell for the rest of your days, are going to do this somehow.” Dillinger said.

Flynn hoped Manny was safe. He reminded himself not to say anything about him. Manny might not be safe yet, and telling Dillinger anything useful was a waste of time.

There was the sound of clacking heels from the corridor.

“Leave him alone, Ed. We need to speak to Major Selley in the operations room. Seems we’ve flushed a few new applications at the last minute and there’s some problems with the wraith retrieval,” came a female voice.

Flynn twisted back to face his captors outside of his cell and confirm his suspicions about the voice.

“Junior? You’re in this too?” Flynn called. His heart sank as he realized he had probably sent Manny straight to the enemy. Gibb’s niece was the late CEO of Encom. Manny was, if he had followed instructions, with Walter Gibbs.

Flynn didn’t know who was involved now.

“I guess this is a bit of a re-union of all of Encom’s CEO’s isn’t it Flynn. Long time, no see.” Said Gibbs.

“So why is it that the only honest one is inside the cell?” said Flynn.

“Might be because you don’t understand the significance of what’s going on – something you never really understood. You were never suited to being a CEO were you?” came the sharp response.

“Yeah, my homicidal sociopathy was way down on the psych test.” Dillinger shot back. “But I guess I see now who was behind the F-con debacle. It was you all along wasn’t it? Dillinger on the outside and you on the inside.”

“I don’t think I ever objected to F-Con,” Gibbs shot back.

“Yeah, but you never said Dillinger was behind F-Con.” Retorted Flynn.

“Yes, well after your little fiasco, I guess there wasn’t a lot of support for our ex-CEO. You really screwed a lot of us with your little expose. We were on the verge of selling the technology back then even, although I must say I didn’t expect the developments that came afterwards, so perhaps we do have you to thank for that,” said Gibbs quietly.

“My fiasco?” said Flynn.

“You refused to let that old issue about the games go,” said Dillinger.

“You should have just bought him off at the time,” said Gibbs.

“I don’t think Flynn would have gone in for that,” said Dillinger.

Flynn thought about it. There was no way he would have gone in for that. “Of course I would have negotiated,” he lied. Perhaps he had detected some differing opinion between the two. Anything that widened that gap would help.

“Too late now,” said Dillinger.

“So you murdered two innocent kids just to satisfy a vendetta?” Flynn challenged.

“You shouldn’t have let them enter the system,” said Dillinger. “Just another week and it would all be over. No one the wiser, you enjoying your retirement in that archaic amusement centre.

“But somehow you always seem to think you can take back something that isn’t yours anymore.”

Flynn snorted and dropped back to his bunk. Gibbs turned to Dillinger.

“Seriously, get upstairs. Selley wants to see you now.” She said quietly to him. In the solutide of the cells, however, having a private conversation was effectively impossible, unless you put your lips to their ear, something Flynn guessed Gibbs Junior didn’t want to do.

“See you round, Flynn. Maybe,” said Dillinger and stalked off.

Flynn didn’t doubt he would see the former executive again. The man couldn’t stand not being able to taunt him.

Somehow, Dillinger had clawed his way back to the top, set up F-Con and gotten the government interested enough to set up a black-flag operation.

“You know, Flynn, if you help us, we just might be able to help you.” Gibbs said.

“So I talk and I’ll get out of here? Sure. What do you want to talk about. I can talk all day.” Flynn said back.

“Manny Gurimin,” said Gibbs Junior.

Flynn didn’t respond.

“Not interested in talking then?” Gibbs taunted.

“Bout what?”

“His whereabouts,” said Gibbs.

The question didn’t make sense.

“How long do you think a kid can run around the city? He has nowhere to go. Seems he stole your money and left. Even left the safe open. How much did he take from you? Does he have friends in the area? This could go a lot easier on you.”

Walter Gibbs knew about Manny. Flynn had contacted him, through encrypted mail, from a webkiosk.

The question didn’t make sense unless Walter Gibbs and his niece weren’t on speaking terms. Wally certainly would have had an idea what was going on, and possible even who was involved.

That meant Manny was most likely safe.

“Not interested in a deal then?” Gibbs asked.

“You’re not going to release me anyway. Too many laws broken, and murder is still murder, even if it’s in the system. Security cameras show all of us entering the building no doubt. Kill them in the computer or in the building. A judge isn’t going to differentiate and you can’t prove they were in the computer.” Flynn said, then realized how much further than this it had already gone.

“Doesn’t matter.” Gibbs retorted. “To me, anyway.”

“So how many people died in the accident,” Flynn asked.

“Seven,” said Gibbs quietly. “But just because you’re going to be locked away from the world for the rest of your life doesn’t mean there aren’t differentiating levels of quality of life.”

“So you can live your life in luxury no doubt, expensive clothes and lifestyle while I at best languish in here,” Flynn said.

“At best,” said Gibbs. “Anyway I have a meeting. I’ll let you think about it for a while.”

Then the sound of her leaving echoed through the cellblock.

There were no other voices. No crying. No sounds.

If any of the others were here, they weren’t in the same block.

Flynn closed his eyes and tried to block out the sick feeling he got everytime he thought of his godson.

Jet had walked to the corridor where the ICPs were waiting. They immediately came to attention.

“Jade said something might be,” Jet started, but the ICP responded immediately, pre-empting Jet’s request, spinning and removing what looked like a small bowl with vertical cylinder-like sides from the top of an archival cube.

“Sir, May this help your userness.” Said the ICP, holding out the bowl.

Jet stepped forward and took it, the ICPs snapping back to attention as he did. He looked into the cylindrical bowl and noticed it was filled with pure energy. He nodded to two ICPs.

“Thankyou,” he said, then walked back into the hangar. As he left he heard the ICPs talking.

“Is that enough for a user? I mean, how much energy do users use?”

“Hey, forget that, see, I told you he was the same user who saved Jade back at the garrison outside the Spinlock.”

“Nah, that wasn’t a user. The old Kernel said so.”

“I was there, I saw what he did. The Kernel relocated us, but we all knew what we saw.”

The conversation faded to background noise as Jet walked over to the cube Jade had positioned. Mercury was sitting against it.

“Here, this might make you feel a little better,” said Jet, handing the cylinder to Mercury.

“Thankyou,” said Mercury, looking then taking a long sip. “I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I had the pure source.”

“I’d guess it’s been as long as since we’ve been to Sector two the first time,” said Jet remembering the pool.

“Not that same,” said Jade. “The Kernel processes the natural source into this. This is system only. I haven’t had this since I took prime in the last intersector lightcycle circuit. I can’t tell you how long ago that was. There have been no others since, as the Kernel soon closed down the towers after that.”

Mercury took a slow sip. The cylinder wasn’t large, but as soon as she had it, her glow returned full brightness.

“This isn’t the same?” Jet asked.

“Concentrated. Pure capacitance. Double decoupled. This is rare in this world. You have to do something truly special to be gifted such a source.”

Mercury handed the small cylinder shaped bowl to Jet. “See for yourself.”

Jet lifted the bowl to his lips and took a sip.

The effect was almost instant, coursing through his circuits like blood through his veins in the real world. Jet knew he was going because he felt it on the inside.

There wasn’t a lot of liquid in the container to begin with, but Jet held back, even though it felt good, and handed it to Mercury.

“You need it. I’m a user.” Jet said by way of explanation.

“Just because you’re a user doesn’t mean that you don’t need it too,” said Mercury.

“Yeah, but I don’t need it as much. I got a lot of digital mojo inside me.” Jet flexed an imaginary muscle. There was no muscle under the armor, but his arm did glow a little more.

Mercury giggled and covered her mouth. It was one of the few times she had acted feminine around him. He liked it. It didn’t seem like her usual mood at all, the aloofness gone.

“Consider it my courting gift, oh great lightcycle warrior,” Jet called out.

Mercury smiled, in a way that Jet felt move through him, then blinked nodded her head and lifted the cup to her lips.

“If I take this gift, you are bound to me and must do what I say,” said Mercury, a note of seriousness in her voice.

“Yeah, it kind of works that way in my world too, but I would be honored then for you to accept my gift.” Jet said.

Mercury’s smile shifted slightly to Jet’s seriousness. Then she lifted the bowl to her lips and drank, closing her eyes as the liquid coursed through her. Still with her eyes closed as she removed the now empty bowl.

“You know, I really did need that,” she said, then opened her eyes again and looked at Jet. They seemed to sparkle with the inner energy that Mercury seemed to have. The drink may have helped too.

Jet stood and held out his hand to her.

“Let’s have a look around,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve been alone and safe.”

“How safe?” asked Mercury, taking Jet’s hand and letting him haul her up.

“Safe until we get to the Datawraith system.” Jet reasoned.

“Then what? What’s waiting for us there?” Mercury asked.

“I don’t know, but we can face it together.” Jet said.

Mercury got a sad look on her face. “You need to go back, you know. Otherwise you’ll never be safe.”

Jet shook his head. “No, I just need to get Melanie back. Your user. After that I can stay with you forever.”

Mercury looked away then surprised Jet by bumping into him and snaking her arm around his waist.

“So where to my consort,” she said quietly.

“Where does one usually take a consort, or get taken by a consort?” Jet asked.

“Usually? To a private partition,” said Mercury.

“Why, what for?” Jet asked, then realized the stupidity of the question. “Oh.”

“Because shuttle transports that hold over battlefields aren’t always available,” Mercury answered.

“Have you been in many private partitions?” Jet asked, then realized the greater stupidity of his next question.

“Oh, of course, many times. As champion of the lightcycle circuit, there are many programs who want to spend cycles with you,” said Mercury.

Jet felt a sinking feeling in is stomach.

“Have you ever,” he started then realized he couldn’t complete the question.

“Yes, but only with one. ” Mercury anticipated.

“Just one program?” asked Jet, the heavy feeling settling into his midsection even further. He didn’t want to know but part of him wouldn’t leave the thought alone.

“One user,” said Mercury, turning to face him, letting him off the hook. “I only ever shared code with you,”

Jet looked into her eyes in surprise at the answer. It wasn’t what he expected. Mercury was a celebrity to this world – no doubt coveted as a potential digital mate. Had her cycles been minutes, she would have been Millenia old.

Yet she had never had a program before Jet?

Jet opened his mouth to say something, not sure what the words would be, leaving it open.

Mercury took the advantage and lifted her head, bringing her lips to Jet’s and then kissing him deeply, pulling him tightly to her.

Jet’s mind swam in the feel of it all, his mind racing and his virtual heart beating away the cycles in his head. Mercury’s eyes closed, then she slowly closed her lips and pulled back, opening her eyes as she did, staring directly into what Jet felt must be his soul.

She held there for a quarter-cycle, then slowly pulled away, looked down at his chest then back at his face.

“Sorry, capacitance does that to me, although normally I don’t share my feelings with another. You’re my first and only Jet.” She said indirectly to him.

Jet smiled. “I guess you’re in the mood for sharing code now?”

“Actually, I’m still a little run down and recovering from the way we got in here. Let’s have a look around while I recover.”

Mercury moved to his side and held Jet’s arm with both her hands, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“Hey, I think I-no is wanting to talk to me and I wanted to ask him more about what he said earlier. Let’s go find him,” said Jet.

“Lead the way,” said Mercury, apparently happy to be with Jet and a little more charged by her drink.

Jet made his way out of the hangar. The ICPs were happy to assist with directions, including how to avoid other ICPs and programs on the carrier. There was a command channel that Jade used and she had left an access bit for Jet there as well.

After a squad of ICPs witnessed Jet’s final access to the carrier, Jade thought that Jet might find it easier to stay away from the programs, who had started swapping stories that seemed to become more embellished as they went on.

There was no doubt amongst all now that Jet was a user, even if Jade had kept Jet’s creation of the alphacycle based transport to herself.

The ICPs outside came to quick attention when they saw Jet.

“At ease guys. Can you tell me how to find I-no?” Jet asked.

The ICPs looked to each other, then one started speaking.

“Sir, your userness, if you take the secondary access BUS, Kernel Jade has left you an access bit. Would you like us to activate it?”

Jet looked down at a bit next to the cube where the capacitance had been left.

“No need, guys. Thanks for looking after us.”

“Sir, your userness,” said the ICP.

Jet grimaced at the impromptu title and fed energy into the bit. It glowed brightly when he was done and took off, buzzing out once, then circling back in to see Jet.

“Bit, can you help me find I-no?”

“Yes,” came the bit response.

“Where is he?” Jet asked.

There was no answer. Mercury leaned over and whispered into his ear. “Yes or no.”

Jet understood.

“Can you take me to him?” Jet asked.

“Yes,” came the response.

“Please do, by secondary bus,” said Jet after the bit didn’t automatically respond after a while.

The bit cycled off in a new direction and Jet and Mercury followed it down a corridor.

The corridors were long and empty and the walk to the far partitions that held Jet’s friend left no doubt as to the size of the carrier. It was larger than anything Jet had visited before by a considerable margin.

Jet enjoyed the walk, with Mercury by his side, and seemed to find the correct partition too quickly. Mercury had softened considerably since her drink and Jet was even starting to wonder if perhaps Jade had known something about that and provided the drink deliberately.

Jet found the correct partition based on the symbols, which Mercury was able to read and translate for Jet, and walked through a forcewall separated area. Inside he found a small room which held the twenty passengers from the transport, each an old operating system or functional part of the Encom network at some time in the past.

I-no was standing in the corner and most of the other programs were sitting around, reading datasheets or talking to each other in languages that Jet didn’t understand.

Careful to avoid being seen, Jet moved to the corner and carefully tapped I-no on the shoulder.

“Jet,” exclaimed the old program, then he seemed to hesitate as he remembered who he was speaking to now.

“Relax, old friend, I’m the same program in here.” Jet said.

“But, you are a user right?”

Jet grimaced. “Yeah, I am, but only outside of this world.”

Jet looked around to see if the other programs had overheard I-no.

If any missed it, it wasn’t apparent. All of the programs had eyes fixed on Jet and seemed to be moving back or behind cover, as if not sure what a user might do to them, their faces showing a mix of awe and terror.

“So how do I address you, your userness?” I-no asked, starting to bow, but the old program wasn’t built for it and hurt his back. Mercury ducked to his side and helped the old program up.

“Thankyou,” said I-no, then recognizing Mercury, looked from her and back to Jet. “You’re, you’re that lightcycle champion aren’t you?”

Mercury blushed a little. I-no looked back to Jet.

“I see you’ve had the pick of our programs,” he said to Jet with a sly grin, then pulled it in again.

“Actually, she had her pick of the users,” said Jet. “Anyway, old friend, can you tell me what happened after I left your system?”

“Ahh,” said I-no, thinking back. “Well, after you removed the safety interlocks and overclocked the processor, the system started to fail and core dumped. It seems that there was something there none of us expected. The Datawraiths were setting up test systems even before they attacked the main network.

“We would have informed the Kernel, but we were all trapped.

“One cycle, the core network of the en12-82 was melting down. The last thing I remember was a bright light and the next I knew, I was back there, in the en12-82, only it wasn’t the same.

“Signal calls to the EN511 didn’t return – just null echo’s came back. Something wasn’t right.

“Then the Datawraiths came in. Just a few. They examined our operation and checked our algorithmic logic and execution.

“They were friendly at first, even helpful. Cleaned out the resource hogs, eliminated all un-necessary system overhead, even sent a program to help us convert to the new environment.

“Then programs started to just, you know, disappear. One cycle they’re in the process list. The next microcycle, they’re gone. Just not processing.

“I asked liaison.exe to tell me where the programs were going. He insisted they weren’t going anywhere, that I was just reprocessing old logs.

“But they were going, Jet.

“Later I was waiting in the query buffers for my turn to come and liason.exe came by. I asked about the other programs. He told me they were never there. I asked him why he would say that if we were the only programs left – caught him out. He just smiled and told me to wait.

“Then they derezzed the EN12-82. Just gone. I expected to go with it, but I was still there. Still waiting, and this new field appeared.

“It wasn’t real, Jet. We were somewhere else. It was barren, except for all of the old operating systems. They took us all there.

“Jet, we can’t even exist in the same system – I can’t tell you how weird that is, but liaison.exe came back and said it was critical to cross-compile each of us. They built us new interfaces and changed our I/O’s. Brought each of us into the EN511, but in a virtual representation of the EN12-76, and running more cycles than my state of the art 82 could manage.”

“He’s hallucinating.” Said a yellow operating system that appeared to have strong vector lines. “We’re just all here, that’s all.”

Jet looked at I-no.

“So how do you know what happened?” Jet asked.

“Because I know everything. I can see the code in things. I don’t know why the users gifted me like that, but they did, and now I understand why your scripts look so advanced. It’s because you’re a user.”

Jet considered I-no’s original user. He was Walter Gibb’s cousin. Someone who worked on the Encom Algorythmic Translation processors and subcode since the original inception of Walter Gibb’s first experiments with quantum digitization.

It was entirely possible I-no had abilities that stemmed from this that he wasn’t aware of.

“So how do you know it was a virtual server?” Jet asked.

I-no looked annoyed by the question, or perhaps his answer. “I don’t. It’s about the only thing I don’t know, but I do know that multiple operating systems were functioning on the same plane before we were cross compiled. Most of the other operating systems don’t remember much, but I know. I know.”

Jet thought about the F-con server he had destroyed during his last visit – the large data carrier that F-con had planned to use to infiltrate the sectors and possibly even other systems, redistributing datawraiths.

F-con must have had some serious resources to have put that all together, so it must have been going on well ahead of the planned takeover.

There were wheels operating within wheels here.

Jet stepped back and considered what I-no had said.

The first time Jet had encountered the Datawraith was when he had first entered the server as the F-Con/Encom merger was taking place.

The suggestion that F-Con might have been inside the system long before the merger gave Jet a chill. It meant that event had been set into motion far before he had realized and that the likelihood of a connection between the original F-con/Encom merger and the current government situation was almost a certainty.

Somehow, the quantum properties of this network seemed to be tied into it to.

Although F-con had taken I-no’s server virtual after Jet had encountered him, it would have required considerable prior preparation.

It changed Jet’s mind about the reasons for the merger now, as the bigger picture started to come together. The missing programs. The virtual systems established as test environments, and finally, the destruction of the five eleven.

Puzzle pieces started fitting into place and for the first time, Jet glimpsed a small fragment of what the final puzzle might look like when Jet finished putting it together.

“Thankyou, I-no, I think you’re right,” Jet said after a moment.

“I’m right?” I-no asked, not sure what Jet was referring to.

“You do know everything. And not just about the En82-12 either.”

I-no smiled and turned to Mercury.

“Take care of him, champion. He’s a keeper.”

Mercury smiled back. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to meet you earlier. Your system sounded wonderful.”

“Indeed it was, but I’m enjoying this system fine now.”

“Take care old friend,” Jet said and turned to leave, scattering several operating systems that had crowded around to watch what was going on and didn’t want to get too close.

Jet called in Jade’s system priviledge bit and opened the forcedoor to the secondary bus corridor and left with Mercury.

“Have you ever heard of a virtual server?” Mercury asked.

“Yes,” said Jet.

“How could something like this be virtual?” Mercury asked.

“It’s all virtual at some level. In our world, computers are just bits. Lots and lots of bits.” Jet said.

“That coincides with our beliefs that in the beginning there were just bits and the user’s created parity between them.”

Jet laughed a little at that, then stopped when he looked at Mercury’s face, noticing her annoyance at his taking her beliefs so lightly.

“Sorry, Merc. I just sometimes find the differences between this world and mine so familiar and yet so strange. There is more to it than just bits though. I’m completely sure of that now, and I think I understand why this world is.”

Mercury stopped for a while and it took Jet an extra step to realize she was no longer beside him and was waiting for his attention.

“So if you know why this is, please tell me.” She said as he made eye contact.

“I can’t,” Jet said, holding up his hands.

“But, you just said you know why it is?” Mercury said, now puzzled by what she perceived as Jet’s honest answer.

“This world is, because my world is. They are connected. They aren’t the same world, but they co-exist because they just do.

“I can’t explain why my world exists either. It just does. But I do know that the reason this world exists is because my world exists.

“Something from my world came over, across the bridge so to speak, and created this world. Something that the world of users doesn’t completely understand yet.”

Mercury waited for a moment to let Jet know she didn’t understand what he was talking about.

“Quantum Mechanics, Merc. Something in the quantum nature of the universe came between worlds and created this world. That’s why it looks so much like my world, except it’s also so alien.

“That’s why you resemble your own user.

“That’s why you cause a huge quantum feedback loop everytime the two of you exist in the same space – because something that is you is being you across space and there’s a delay between the physical embodiment of your quantum nature and the instantaneous nature of your simultaneous being.

“It’s like being in two places at once. You’re body simply cannot accept it. Whatever passes for matter in this world doesn’t want to be matter anymore. It just wants to be quantum energy because the energy you already have is all your being can handle.

“And yes, it means that your lifeforce is attached to your user. You’re the same being. Can one co-exist without the other? Possibly, but without balance. My mother managed it somehow but what was left wasn’t really her anymore – just a reflect of what and who she was.

“I think I understand part of it, but that leaves so many more questions. I’m assuming the Datawraith’s have made the quantum connection, so what I haven’t worked out is why they want to take this world and destroy it.

“Why they had to shut down the EN511 and why they took some programs and applications away before they did so.

“That’s what’s still missing from what I’ve figured out.”

“I don’t understand any of that,” Mercury said, looking as though she was trying to get her head around it.

“How about you and your user are one?” Jet asked.

“But I always knew that,” Mercury said.

“Yes, but I didn’t understand what it meant. Now I know, I’m one step closer to understanding. Maybe it seems strange in this world, but in my world, not understanding something can be very distracting.”

Mercury smiled at last as if something finally clicked within her mind.

“I think I can understand that.” She said. “So what do we do now?”

“First thing, I need to find Jade and thank her. I think she did more to help us survive getting over here than I realized. You know, sometimes, It’s almost like she is my program.”

Mercury made a grimace.

“Not Jealous are you Merc?” Jet teased.

“No, she would never have you as her consort,” Mercury said.

Jet was surprised by the answer.

“You sure about that?” he pushed.

“Yes,” said Mercury as if there wasn’t any doubt in her mind. “I am, though I don’t doubt she would do what you asked.”

“And you? Will you do whatever I ask?” Jet asked.

“No,” said Mercury, in a way that let Jet know it was something she had already considered. “I would do only those things which I choose to do.”

“I’ve noticed,” said Jet.

“Noticed what,” asked Mercury

“That you have a mind of your own.”

Jet reached a T-Intersection and looked down both corridors, then called up the access bit that Jade had left him.

“Where can I find Jade, Bit?” he asked.

The bit sat there spinning.

“Can you take me to Jade?” Jet rephrased the question. He understood his mistake immediately, but it still took him time to work with these simple items in this world.

The bit took on it’s warm appearance. “Yes” it said.

“Show me the way,” Jet said and the Bit shot off to the left, stopping a little further up to wait for Jet so it wouldn’t move completely out of sight.

Mercury didn’t respond to Jet and Jet noticed that despite her self-assured attitude at the moment, she was acting quite warmly to him compared to the way she had been when they were under pressure. The more she acted differently, the more Jet realized that there was something different between then and now.

Something had changed even in the short time they had been onboard the transport to the other system. Jet wanted to ask what it was, but didn’t want to ruin the feeling of being with an unstressed Mercury, so left it.

They walked through the secondary bus corridor until they reached a large forcewall where the bit had stopped. It moved to an access lock on the side of the portal and opened the wall allowing Jet to walk through before it moved to a similar lock on the other side and reactivated the door behind them.

The room Jet had just entered appeared to be the control room of the carrier they were all presently in. An ICP at the rear of the room seemed to notice and activated a bit on the wall.

A strange digital tone played and all of the ICPs came to attention.

“User on bridge,” said an ICP next to the door.

Jet looked around him. The signs had helped him locate this section, but it wasn’t like anything he had expected.

He had walked in through the back, just behind a chair where Jade sat. Jade’s seat sat at the rearmost section of a huge hemispherical space, with a large curved area ahead that had forcewindows separating them from the outside.

Beyond, the beam itself heading in the direction of the external network seemed to head on out into infinity.

Around the main chair were numerous ICP screens, each containing panels which ICPs stood before, watching and reporting as event thresholds occurred.

Standing to one side of the main chair where Jade sat was an additional seat next to which stood a large ICP that Jet recognized.

“Hello Section leader,” said Jet as he walked through, using his full title.

Jade finished standing and turned to Jet, bowing her head briefly and then walking around to see him.

As she did, the former Section leader made a cough, then looked as sheepishly as an ICP was capable of and corrected Jet.

“Actually, Sir, it’s Syslog now. My routines have been upgrade and I’ve received elevated permissions permanently attached and group re-assignment.”

Jet realized his error. “My apologies, General, I didn’t realize. I should congratulate you on your promotion then.”

Section straightened, as if taking pride in the compliment Jet offered recognizing the position. “But you’re still welcome to call me Section, Sir, if you prefer.”

“Do you object to Syslog? I still see you as a friend, but a friend should acknowledge a new friend’s title.”

“No sir, I think I prefer Syslog”

“I’m still Crypto,” said Crypto, as he looked out from behind a panel to the other side.

“No promotion?” Jet asked.

“Yes, Sir, but as I now control network stacks, I don’t feel your assigned title is in any way inadequate,” said the former conscript program.

Jade looked over at Crypto and shot him a glance that let him know he needed to let Jade speak. “Yes Kernel,” he said briefly then returned to his work.

Jade, having successfully interrupted the brief reunion occurred interrupted any further talking as she stepped before him, her presence pushing him back slightly.

“You look to have fully recovered, my user. Would you care to discuss your requirements in the command buffer?”

Jade moved her hand to one side, indicating she wanted Jet to follow. She had acted quickly upon Jet entering, so Jet realized she wanted to speak to him before he started wandering around the Bridge or talking to the other programs further.

Jet stepped back allowing Jade to lead the way. There was a small room to one side of the bridge area that held a number of consoles and a long table that looked like it could be used to rez in different briefings, much like they had done on the approach to the sectors in the briefing room.

Jade entered, the wall going out for her without the seemed need for a bit to deactivate it. Jet and Mercury followed.

The new General Syslog started to walk towards the room, but the forcewall came up before he entered, allowing only the three of them into the small room.

“Did you want to discuss something Jade?’ Jet asked.

“I wanted to discuss several things with you,” Jade confirmed. “I think you’ve noticed that the ICPs are responding differently to you know.”

Jet nodded. “Except Crypto and Section, I mean, Syslog, sure.”

“I think those two programs have come to accept you as their adopted user,” Jade said, “which is something else I need to discuss also.”

“It’s your meeting,” said Jet. “What can I do for you Jade?”

“Direction, My User. I’m lacking directions.” Jade said quietly.

“I see that you’ve become the Kernel now,” Jet said. A slight look of pain crossed Jade’s features for a moment and she looked away, then back at Jet.

Jade didn’t respond, but then, Jet hadn’t asked her a question.

“I wish there was some way I could thank him, for what he did when Mercury and I weren’t going to make it.”

Jade swallowed hard.

“The Kernel realized his error when the UPS started to fail and again when you saved the programs at the Terminus.

“He never trusted users. Ever, that I could recall. Always talked about how they only cared for what they could take from our world, never giving back unless it benefited them in some way.

“Said they were cruel, would reformat partitions without notice. Countless times, he asked users to confirm their destructive intentions, but they rarely ever indicated that they weren’t sure, only to request undelete after they had destroyed everything.

“I don’t think he ever met a user he looked up to until I was brought to him as an altered algorithm and he took me into the system group and raised me in priviledge.

“Even then he believed that I was just an error, a simple logging program modified by a user for their own purpose without consideration for the applications around them.

“But I became more than that and when you released me further I think he started to see that users did care for their creations, that users could be kind and considerate as programs were.

“That users might have emotions also.”

Jade’s eyes were brimming with the sublime light of the liquid energy that served for so much in this world.

“Jade, it’s alright, if you don’t want to talk about it,” Jet said, but Jade shook her head, shaking away the pooling liquid.

“Jet, you showed him that he was wrong. I believe that’s all he ever wanted – for a user to prove he was wrong. He told me you came once before and he wondered if you were here to provide salvation from the user Thorne.

“Thorne represented everything the Kernel believed users to be, while you seemed to represent the will of the code, the core of the network mind.

“Mercury pleaded for your release onto the game grid when you first claimed the blasphemy and you escaped the grid but the Kernel tracked you.

“He told me he finally caught you after you led the assault on the corrupted partitions.

“ICPs talked of a program that stood against the reapers and corruption, creating a clear channel through to the core of the partition, to the very heart of Thorne’s evil, allowing the ICPs to bring him down.

“The Kernel used that clear channel to beat you to the root of the partition and even then told that he found you there, that you were unscathed by your efforts.

“He was about to crush out the corruption from this system once and for all, before you stopped him, bringing him down in a way that no ICP or program, perhaps even the great Tron, could have, defending the corrupted and fallen one.

“Yet as he rebuilt his remote access to the partition to continue the fight against both the corrupted on and yourself, the corruption was sectioned from this network and removed.

“Then as he tracked down the source of infection, discovering the Datawraiths, he had only just located the server that the Datawraiths had used to access this system.

“Again, he saw you, moving into the server on a packet transport protocol just before it left and that threat too was destroyed.

“The Kernel was always in two decision states about you. You removed the corruption, yet you protected the corruption. You access the Datawraiths, yet their virtual server is mysteriously crashed and reformatted.

“Finally, you show up again without warning and tell of impending destruction to our world, saving me when no program or debugging routine could have, and then despite the Kernel’s treatment of you, you still agree to help the system’s programs to find sanctuary.

“Jet, you showed the Kernel that users could do more for programs that did not purely benefit them. That they could care about this world and about us.

“You gave the Kernel reason to believe that his programs will still be safe in another system, something that he cannot guarantee.

“For that, for you, he willingly gave his last cycle.”

Glowing lines of liquid now flowed freely from Jade’s otherwise perfectly calm face, the only indication of the turmoil of emotions going on inside her.

Jet didn’t know what to do or say. It wasn’t what he expected. He’d simply assumed the Kernel had done what he had in the line of duty, in the course of his programming.

He’d never even paused to consider that the Kernel might have made a decision to sacrifice himself, to send his daughter, adopted though she may be, off into the unknown just to save the life of a user.

A user of the users that he detested and despised.

That he blamed, quite rightly, for the events unfolding around him. For the world they had created and administered so brutally and casually.

Jet didn’t know whether to walk up and hug her, to same something or to share in her grief as he indulged his shame for not having considered the possibility.

Mercury saved him. She stepped forward and hugged Jade, Jade returning the hug as he spoke.

“He was a good Kernel. Honest and fair in scheduling. He typified the obfuscation level we all desired after the MCP came to pass and built a free system where programs could access their own timeslice.

“There is not a program that escaped the system will not remember the Kernel for his sacrifice to them.”

Jet continued to stand there, still dumbstruck.

Jade wiped her face on her sleeve armor and smeared the glow across her cheek before it evaporated.

“I’m sorry, my user, I did not mean to burden you with my concerns at this time.”

Jet felt the words hit him hard in the conscience.

“Jade, I’m truly sorry that I didn’t get to spend more time with him, to learn about the real Kernel, but I can promise you that if Mercury’s user and I succeed in returning to the real world, our world, the Kernel’s sacrifice will be remembered by the users.

“He was a good program and the system will be worse off for his absence.”

Jade looked at Jet strangely.

“Yeah, that sounded corny I guess. Look, I really wish he hadn’t given himself to help me. Inside here, I’m just a program. I can’t do anything that I can do in the real world and I’m trapped.

“The Kernel wasn’t a bad program. I could see he really cared about the programs in this system and if there was any way I could go back and stop him, I would.

“And I truly feel your pain. I think perhaps you were closer to him that you even really told me about and you’ve been a good and close friend, helping me save Mercury and standing behind me, even in front of me, when the Kernel didn’t agree with me.

“I know you’re going to be a good Kernel, Jade, and I know the the Kernel would have been proud of you.

“I just hope I can one day live up to his expectation. I’ll try. On my word as a user.”

Jet stopped talking, not sure how to say what he wanted to. He looked down at the floor, to his feet.

When Jet looked back up Jade was smiling.

“Thankyou my user. I cannot express how important that is to hear. It helps.”

Jet nodded his head as Mercury stepped back.

“So, what to do next?” Jet asked.

“Directions,” Jade said again.

Jet nodded. “Can everyone stop acting like I’m so different?”

Jade coughed out a light chuckle, her face brightening.

“Sorry, my user, but the programs know. Perhaps with time they will come to see you as other than they do, but for the moment they will act as they do.

“I can issue a command instruction if you like.?”

Jet shook his head slightly.

“No, I guess I’ll just wear it for the moment, although continued access to the secondary bus would be appreciated.

“I’ll deal with the problem later when we arrive. Can you let me know when we’re close?”

“Yes my user,” Jade said. “And thankyou.”

Jet thought it strange to be thanked when Jade and her father had given so much to him, but it wasn’t the time to argue.

“I must return. We’re still reallocating partitions within the server to accommodate more programs than we expected. Please excuse me, my user.”

“Certainly,” Jet said.

Jade turned, then her bit railed in to sit, spinning, just ahead of her.

“Please show user Jet to his accommodation for this trip. Grant access to all requests. If you don’t have access, please bring any unfulfilled requests to me.”

“Yes,” said the bit, then Jade stepped around it and the forcewall rezzed out just long enough for her to walk through.

“We should rest,” said Jet, feeling a little tired.

“We should,” said Jade.

“Bit, can you lead us to our quarters?” Jet asked.

When the bit didn’t move, Jet clarified “Our accommodation.”

“Yes,” said the bit, then moved off, the forcewall going out for all of them as they walked through.

Jade was already briefing ICPs, stopping only long enough to flash a smile in Jet’s direction before returning to her task.

“Catch you after some rest,” called Crypto, looking up from a data pad.

Jet waved back and followed the bit back to the secondary bus. He waited until they had left the control room and talked to Mercury.

“That was a good thing you did back there, Merc,” Jet said.

“She lost the Kernel, Jet. The Kernel was someone all programs looked up to.” Mercury said by way of an explanation.

“He also tried to derez you, if I recall correctly, which I do because I was there.” Jet said quietly, as if not wanting any programs to hear him. They couldn’t because the corridor was empty except for Jet and Mercury, but he felt that way.

“I don’t think you understand, Jet. I stood against the Kernel for a long time. Only when we took the communications tower did I finally realize the users had left our world alone, just as he said.

“All programs respect the Kernel. All of us. I’ve been running with escalated permissions for far longer than I can remember and I’ve seen more of the Kernel than most programs. He was a good program, Jet.

“When I realized, well, became certain, that you weren’t coming back, the fight between programs who believed the users would return and those who followed the Kernel was still raging. It’s not something you stop with a little news. It’s ideology.

“I can’t tell you how many programs perished in that fight. Programs that only wanted to return to their partitions with their family. So many were still to fail.

“By surrendering to the Kernel’s deresolution I was able to bring that conflict to an end.”

“But it doesn’t mean that I didn’t respect the Kernel. I think you don’t understand that.”

Jet struggled with the concept. “But Mercury, to let the Kernel kill you? To derez you? Did you want to die?”

“No, Jet, but without you, without the users, I didn’t want to go on either. My only reason for existence is to be by your side. I know you’re a user and I’m a program and maybe we can’t ever be together, but I would give my last cycles for you also.”

“I would too, Mercury.” Jet started, but Mercury interrupted him.

“And that’s just the problem, because I know you would. Jet, I don’t act like you’re a user, because I don’t know how to act around a user and because I just want to be with you, but you’re not of this place. You’re not a program. You need to find a way back to your own world and if I see you again then it’s a blessing of the users.”

Jet stopped walking and pulled Mercury close to him.

“Mercury I don’t know if I want to go back to the real world. I don’t want to be apart from you either.” Jet said.

“Jet, this world is dangerous for users. I don’t know why you made it this way, but it’s true isn’t it. If you derez, you cease.”

“Only because the digitizing pads are offline, otherwise I’ll just wake up in a day or so with a headache I suppose.”

“Then when you’re here under those conditions, I won’t worry, but otherwise, unless you can recompile yourself, I’m in fear of your safety every cycle.”

“Mercury,” Jet began to protest, then quietly added, “I think I understand, and I’m sorry. Those times I took risk, you’ve been protecting me haven’t you?”

Jet felt Mercury’s nod against his chest, then turned side-on to start walking again.

There were no more words said. Just the quiet pressure of the program he loved pushing up against his side as they walked to their own partition while the carrier settled in for the trip outbound.

The Bit found an entry to an open area that seemed like a large hall and derezzed the panel. There were other programs there as Jet walked through, huddled in small groups, refugees from a system that no longer existed.

But here they were, suspended within a virtual server, trying to find a new home in the space of their enemies.

It was where Jet was headed also.

The Bit led them across the hall to a series of rooms that sat side-on to the main hall, and on several levels. A forcewall derezzed as Jet approached and he walked inside with Mercury. The bit came in, closed the wall and then de-energised onto a bit-pad near the door.

“I guess we can re-energise him when we come back out.”

Jet walked in further and discovered a larger screen at the far end, around a corner so it couldn’t be seen from the door. A large cubic primitive looks like a basic bed, while there was a small supply of liquid in containers near the wall in a recess.

“Capacitance?” Jet said, looking.

Mercury glanced. “Just the same as we found naturally in sector two.”

Jet picked up a small container and drank some. It felt good, but left him feeling as if he would need to drink a lot to recover if he was low on energy.

Moving to the far screen, like a huge forcewall, Jet could see he was looking to the front of the transport.

Ahead, a huge beam, on which this transport moved, glowed and pulsed, light swirling around it as it did so.

Jet stood looking, captivated by the show of light when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He put his own up to hold it, but it kept on pulling, insistent of his attention, of tearing it away from the visual show.

“This is beautiful, isn’t it Merc.” Jet said, but the pressure remained.

Jet finally turned, expecting Mercury to say something, but there she stood, just smiling.

Her armor had thinned now, some pieces disappearing entirely and her form took on more of the curves that even the thickest armor hadn’t quite hidden before.

She placed her other hand on the back of his neck and pulled him back in the room towards the large bed-shaped primitive.

“Merc,” Jet stammered, but something he caught in her eye caused the words to catch in his throat. She was smiling now in a way she hadn’t quite since they were here. Maybe it was what she had drunken earlier, but looking at her face, Jet didn’t think so.

“Jet, now. It’s what I want now. We don’t know what these new cycles will bring up when we arrive at the Datawraith server, so be with me now.”

She pulled his head gently to hers.

Next Chapter: 2.43 Bluescreen.

``