Twisted Fate
- Part [x]: Infection

There were several consequences one should be prepared for if they messed with a virus, and the main one was infection. Megabyte wasn’t known for being a particularly insidious virus, however, his many infections and attempted takeovers often occurring quite blatantly where all could see them, so the fact that Dot felt nothing during the first few seconds following her liaison with the man worried her. Perhaps the tarnish on her psyche caused by the mere memory of their union was enough an ‘infection’ for him, she guessed at first, but she knew deep down that that wasn’t right; she had walked willingly into a virus’s arms, and she would have to expect to pay for it. Megabyte was a virus, through and through, so whether or not he might mean to infect her, infection was inevitable either way. He had promised revenge, after all, and Dot knew that his conquest of her couldn’t be the last of it…

After several cycles of this uncharacteristic procrastination, Dot resolved to go and see Phong for a private chat and a scan. She had to find out what Megabyte had done to her before she drove herself insane wondering. The only problem this posed was the fact that she might be forced to divulge everything to Phong. He would probably be the most understanding person out of everyone considering the situation, but still, Phong despised Megabyte as much as the next sprite, and had very good reason to; her actions would be construed as a harsh and shocking betrayal at the very least. It would be better if he found out all the details of this sticky affair from her rather than from the virus himself, though, so she knew that she had to do this now rather than later…

Dot found that Phong was more than happy to see her again, and he showed her into his office as soon as she asked for his help, before he took a seat behind his desk and Dot took up her preferred position on the couch.

“What can I do for you, my child?” he then asked. “I must confess, I have been a little concerned about your withdrawn behaviour as of late, so please feel free to get anything off your chest.”

Dot stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to frame the conversation she was about to have in her mind, but it never came out how she wanted. “Oh Phong,” she sighed at last, running a hand over her abdomen. “I’ve done something terrible.”

Phong blinked slowly at her. “Go on.”

She chewed on her lip for a nano. “Phong, could you give me a full scan? I’ve got a feeling that something might be wrong.”

She then turned her head to meet Phong’s eyes and could see that the old sprite was giving her a most anxious look in return; it didn’t help matters. He then wheeled himself out from behind his desk and drew himself up by Dot’s side. “What do you believe might be wrong?”

She looked down and felt herself tremble a little as Phong placed his spindly hand over her own in support. “I think I might be infected,” she quickly replied.

Phong’s hand did not move. “I see. Perhaps you would like to explain to me how this all ties in with your doing ‘something terrible’?” he asked, “We must take things one step at a time, and it would be helpful if I knew as much as possible before I check your health.”

Dot closed her eyes, afraid that he would be like this. “Please, could we just do a scan straight off?”

She heard Phong sigh and the sprite began to glide off toward his office’s door. “If you wish, child. Come along.”

Dot got to her feet and followed him slowly.

“Your attitude concerns me, Dot,” Phong admitted as they arrived in his small laboratory. “It is not like you to be so evasive. What can be so bad that you will not put your trust in me?”

Dot took a seat on the full-body scanner and shook her head at herself. “I just can’t trust myself anymore. It’s all such a mess.”

“And I presume that, should I give you the all-clear, you shall not tell me the cause of your worries at all?”

Dot kneaded her temples. “Probably not.”

Phong nodded dejectedly. “Well, it is your choice.”

Dot felt particularly bad about things now as she lay back on the scanner and closed her eyes. It seemed to take Phong ages to get the scans done, and she knew things weren’t good when he gasped in surprise as he perused the results.

“Oh my, Dot…” he sighed in amazement. “How has this happened…?”

She didn’t want to know what he’d found. It must be bad, though. She sat up and turned sheepishly to face him, hanging her legs over the edge of the unit. “How bad is it?”

Phong turned his eyes back to the results screens and shook his head. “It is not what I expected at all, but things might become clearer if you are now open with me and tell me what has happened to you.”

She knocked her heels against the unit. “I feel so ashamed,” she whispered. “I’ve been so weak, so foolish…”

“If that virus has harmed you then it is not your fault.”

Dot looked at Phong and realised what he must be thinking - he clearly assumed that she had been attacked and forcefully ‘infected’ by Megabyte - yet she knew that were far from the case. “You’ll hate me for all this,” she confessed. “I did something out of choice that I should never have done.”

Phong removed his glasses and looked her over carefully. “And that is?”

She ran her hand over her hair and stared at the floor. “It goes back to what happened with Bob… and the fake Bob. Or Megabyte.”

“I see.”

“And the way Megabyte announced his hunt, then just… vanished.”

“Yes, that was quite out of character for him.”

“It was because he was hunting me, and me alone.”

“You?”

She nodded.

Phong pondered on this for a moment. “So why did you not share this with any of us sooner? We could have helped you.”

She reluctantly met Phong’s patient gaze and sighed another time. “Oh, you know me, Phong. I sometimes think I can handle everything myself.”

Phong nodded in concord. “That is one of your weaknesses, my child.”

“So I tried to deal with it all on my own. Megabyte confused me at first, but I thought I could throw him off, and stop him from playing games with me, but…” She sighed deeply. “I couldn’t. I just got tangled further and further in his web until I couldn’t get out…”

When Phong placed a comforting hand onto hers again, she suddenly became angry with herself - she wasn’t being honest at all. She had to tell the truth. “No, that’s not it at all!” she snapped, throwing off Phong’s hand and getting to her feet. She paced furiously across the room and put her head into her hands whilst she tried to collect herself.

“What is it, my child?” Phong asked after a pause, his voice filled with unease.

Dot turned back to face him after another moment. “I allowed myself to get tangled in his web. I wanted to get tangled in his web. I--” She chewed on her lip for another second. “Phong, I was attracted to him. He played me just like a movie file - better than one, even - and I had to know whether the Megabyte who had been Bob, who had held me and kissed me like I wanted to be held and kissed… I had to know whether elements of that man still existed in the virus. I couldn’t let go of what he had made me feel - when he had been Bob, that is. For a time, I loved him. I denied it, but it was true. In fact, it became just too much to bear, and I ended up giving in and walking right into his arms…”

Phong’s face was a picture of shock, just as Dot had expected it to be. “So am I to assume that you and the virus became… quite intimate?” he asked in a very tense and slightly disenchanted way.

Dot wiped a tear from her eyes. “Yes.”

Phong nodded and clasped his hands as he wheeled himself over to her, hanging his head in thought. “I am surprised to hear this news, child, and greatly disturbed. I feel that I must have failed you as a mentor and friend. You should have confided in me, but I can only assume there are reasons for you opting not to.”

“Oh Phong, isn’t it obvious? How could I begin to share all this with you when I couldn’t face the facts myself! I just couldn’t accept that I felt such treacherous emotions…”

“But to let it go so far…?”

“I know… I’m stupid,” she sniffled.

“But this does explain your condition.”

She paused, only just remembering her scan, and stared at the old sprite. “What is it? What has he done?”

“I think the question is what have you both done, child,” Phong replied, looking her straight in the eyes. “You have done what I thought was impossible. You and a virus have… ‘co-processed’ another.”

Dot blinked at him. “Another sprite…?”

Phong replaced his glasses and straightened them on his nose. “Not exactly. You see, Megabyte is a virus, child. He cannot produce a sprite from his code.”

“I’m having a baby?”

“Yes, to put it plainly. But it is neither sprite nor virus. It is an amalgamation of both codes. A mutant being.”

Dot shook her head. “Why would he do this? Why would Megabyte do this?”

“He may not be aware of his own abilities - perhaps his Trojan Horse capacity has allocated this kind of ‘faculty’ to him - but I am more than certain that he knows what he is doing. He has, after all, still infected you… just with a part of himself.”

“Are you calling my child a disease?”

Phong sighed. “I am calling it all a mess, my child. Megabyte is no fool. And seeing as you two are on such good terms, I advise that you take this matter up with him at once. We can then talk about disclosing this to Bob and the rest of your family and friends later on.”

Dot felt terrible. “I’m so sorry, Phong,” she sighed.

“I know you are, child. But deeds cannot be undone.” He ushered her to the door. “Now go. And return soon. I do not want to lose you to his power like this again.”

Dot didn’t say anything as she left Phong’s office and then made her way slowly to the Tor 2.