Spectral Analysis [The Cure, Part 2]

[a1enzo]

Once more, Enzo emerges from the Matrices' closet. "Mouse?" he calls. "You got everything? Did Oracle show up okay?"

Comments

[a1enzo]

How?

"I won't be crowding you?" he asks anxiously.

[ami_imperfect]

... Good point.

Dani shakes her head. "No. Just don't pounce on me."

[a1enzo]

Even Enzo has enough restraint for that in these situations. "'Kay," he says, grinning. "Oh! Here." He returns to the corner near the door and hoists the Guardian bear with some difficulty - it's light, but it's big - and hauls it over to her bedside.

[ami_imperfect]

Dani giggles. "I know; I saw it. Thanks, Enzo."

She's wondering why it had to be so big, though...

[a1enzo]

'Cause he thought it'd be funny? And bigger means more to hug!

(Actually, although they make them in cadet uniforms and in extra-large sizes, there's less market for those so they do not make them in both at once... unless the woman who owns the company tells them that her little brother wants one right away.)

"Y'welcome." He leans it against the side of the bed.

[ami_imperfect]

Well, that makes sense.

"So, how long was I out?"

[a1enzo]

"A millisecond or two after they finished? Not that long." But any length of time is too long for those waiting anxiously.

[ami_imperfect]

Too true.

"I guess everything went okay, then. Though we really won't know until I try out my powers."

[a1enzo]

"Do you want to try yet? Or do you want to rest more first? Are you hungry?" he asks solicitously.

[ami_imperfect]

She shakes her head in answer to the first question. "Better wait until I'm stronger, first. I did just have surgery, Enzo. Could go with a little food, though."

If she's allowed to eat anything now, that is.

[a1enzo]

Enzo looks embarrassed but shrugs. "I wasn't sure. I dunno what it's like."

Well, she should be allowed to eat! Turning, he hollers at the door, "Hey, Dot! Do we have any code freeze?"

[ami_imperfect]

Now it's Dani's turn to ask questions, namely, "We're back in your house?" and "What's code freeze?"

[command_dot_com]

"I'll get some from the frig!" Dot calls back, sounding farther down the hall.

"What flavors does she want? we've got BLACKBERRY, COCOA, #FFFFFF and some Butter Widgets!"

[a1enzo]

Enzo beams. "Uh-huh! In the guest room. You can stay here 'til you're recovered. We've got a big house, so it's the best place to hide you," and Danny's just gonna have to suck it up.

"I think code freeze is kinda like 'ice cream', it looks about the same and it sounds the same from what Jen said."

[ami_imperfect]

"Really? Cool." Dani's grin is pretty much ear-to-ear. Yeah, Danny can just deal.

Well, what kid (cloned or otherwise) doesn't like ice cream? "COCOA sounds good."

[a1enzo]

"COCOA!" he hollers at the door, before turning back to her, grinning hugely himself.

"Danny's staying, too," he reports. (Well, he would, wouldn't he?) "Oracle had to go back, though, 'cause we couldn't leave the Door open too long. Danny's in my room for now" (and you can just bet relations will be a bit strained) "but he can stay in Dot's room while she and Bob are gone."

[ami_imperfect]

She's not surprised that Danny's staying either; in fact, she'd be a bit worried if he wasn't staying.

"Dot and Bob are leaving?" Dani asks. "Where are they going?"

[a1enzo]

"Vacation. In Userspace. They've been planning it for a while, and they couldn't just reschedule 'cause it'd look weird. We had great timing, huh?" He gives her a wry grin. "But that's okay, 'cause Danny an' I can totally take care of you."

[ami_imperfect]

"Cool." But Dani's a little bummed; she probably won't get to see what Bob and Dot look like as humans instead of sprites.

Just as long as he doesn't kill you, she thinks half-jokingly.

[a1enzo]

Well, if nothing else, they'll probably takes lots of pictures. Vacation slideshows are a multiversal constant.

"Maybe they'll let me try being human sometime, if this works! I'd love to visit Userspace," Enzo muses dreamily.

[ami_imperfect]

"Maybe you could come visit Amity Park!" suggests Dani.

Hey, Enzo's getting the chance to show her his homeworld, then she should get to return the favor.

[a1enzo]

"That'd be so pixelacious!" Oh, wow. They'll have to ask Danny about that.

[ami_imperfect]

"I know!" Never mind that she hasn't spent a lot of time there yet, herself. But if what she and Danny talked about earlier happens, that'll be all taken care of.

[a1enzo]

And if it doesn't, well... perhaps other arrangements can be made.

"I hope you won't have to hide me when I visit. I wish we didn't have to keep you in here the whole time. I gotta teach you to play jetball some cycle."

Little Miss NASA ought to love that, just for the jetpack factor.

[ami_imperfect]

Perhaps.

"Well, Dot's trying to keep the spotlight off Danny and everyone else who helped with Daemon, and keep Milliways a secret from the rest of your world," she points out.

She tries not to think about the fact that she only got to sit in the bar and worry while they were fighting the virus, or about what people from the Supercomputer would do if they found out she was a User.