Revenge of the Sis
Chapter III – The Set-Up or How to Know When Your Kids Are Up to Something
It still felt strange, but Welman Matrix wouldn’t give up what he had for a second.
He was a null, at least his form was that of a null, but Phong had been quite instrumental in getting him a robotic body so he’d be able to walk his little girl down the aisle.
The former scientist sighed – well, if a null could sigh, that’s what Welman did. That should’ve been the happiest moment of her life, he thought sadly. And then have that monster Megabyte take it all away.
Welman knew exactly who the virus was; after all, he had been a pet to him since the melomaniac had found slithering in what used to be the Twin City.
From that moment on, Megabyte kept him ‘locked up’ so to speak, within a crib like cage in order to keep him from seeing his children.
And when he thought of his children, the null attempted a smile – abet a rather sad one at that.
His children, at least when he had been a sprite, were a teenage daughter and a toddler son. Now as a null-bot, his teen daughter was now the command.com; his toddler son was now a slightly embittered renegade, who had somehow inadvertently triggered his back up self when he was 01.
So now, he was father to three children. Not that he didn’t enjoy it, he truly did. Perhaps it was the fact that, they had been so happy before and they hadn’t been that way since.
Oh, he had heard about what happened a few minutes ago, when his sons thought evil clones had taken over the system. He had heard it from Phong, who had been one of the ‘victims’.
While he thought it was funny, he was still worried. He had noticed Dot dive right back into work – she was always her father’s daughter – and he could see the toll it took on the young guardian she should’ve married.
Welman had briefly talked with Bob, as the guardian tended to stay away from the Diner and the P.O. – basically anywhere Dot could be – but what he could tell, the null liked the young sprite. He could definitely see he was a good match for his daughter…now if she could only get over her guilt of the horrible Megabyte experience, perhaps the two of them would get married for real.
However, on this second, Welman Matrix noticed a somewhat more…relaxed Dot. In fact, when he went to the first official staff meeting that morning, he could tell something was at play. The first thing he noticed was that Bob and AndrAIa – another lovely companion for one of his children – were throwing glances between them.
Then he noticed Dot; she was smiling – rather smirking – and the fact that she had gone up to her younger, but bigger and taller brother and had hugged him made him wonder as well.
That was another thing that saddened him: the fact that his children weren’t getting along. Well, certainly with this whole ‘clone’ business, Enzo and Matrix seemed to have reached a truce, but it didn’t mean Dot didn’t feel a bit slighted by their reaction to it all.
So now to see her coming up and hugging her brother…instead of making the null bot smile, it made him – well, if he had eyebrows, raise one. Internally. Dot seemed to be in great spirits that morning.
The meeting began, going over any disturbances that lasted after Megabyte. It was standard or should’ve been, had Dot not been checking her email every five nanos. And of course, when Matrix asked about it, Welman couldn’t help but raise that internal eyebrow again at her response.
“Oh, you know. Just my secret admirer.”
Now, Welman Matrix may not have been around as much as he wanted to be to see his children grow into adults, but some things never changed. Dot always had that look when she was up to something.
It was a fleeting one; one that said she had been in the wafer jar before dinner; one that said she had used his organizer for playing games; or one that just said ‘I locked my little brother in the closet’.
So, the null knew this look and he knew, when he saw the look directed at Matrix what it truly meant.
‘I know something you don’t.’
And despite the fact that Matrix acted tough and was a renegade, that small boy was still inside him. And when Matrix saw the look, he gave one back to his sister.
‘Don’t think I won’t find out. And I will find out’
The null shook his head. He had no idea what was going on, but from the looks Bob and AndrAIa gave each other, the former scientist had a good idea that those two knew something as well. Unless one of them slipped up, he would have to sit back and watch it all unfurl.