* * *
Hexadecimal was sat on her throne, completely still; every few micros her mask switched, but other than that she didn't move. She was too busy concentrating on keeping her thoughts from meandering to move.
Hexadecimal was trying to think about one specific topic: the two men she loved and whether or not they loved her. At the moment, this was very important to the Chaos Virus.
* * *
I think he loves me.
It was an odd thought to occur to a Chaos Virus, she knew. But Hexadecimal never worried about such things. After all, it wasn't every Chaos Virus who had a Guardian like Bob in her system. Or who was created when an Infector was grabbed in mid-upgrade by an experimental gate.
Not that she really knew what a gate was.
But she knew what love was. After all, wasn't that what she felt for Bob and Megabyte?
She didn't think Bob loved her, though. He was always trying to get her to act like a boring sprite. People who love you don't try to change your nature, right?
But Megabyte tried to change her.
No, he tried to make her control herself.
He tried to delete her. He had sent her a mask rigged with explosives once.
He had given her a mask made of gems once, too. Precious, precious gems. Even she could recognize that it was an expensive, expensive gift.
He must love her, if he was willing to spend so many credits on her.
Right?
* * *
Hexadecimal stood abrubtly and teleported from her throne room; she arrived in Floating Point Park. Ignoring the screams of the terrified binomes, she picked a daisywheel from a nearby plant and began to pluck off the petals.
"He loves me."
Of course he loved her. He was her other half. How could he not love her?
"He loves me not."
How could he love her? Power was the only thing he loved. It was the nature of Infectors and he was such a fine example of that kind of virus.
"He loves me."
She had power. Lots of it. More power than he had with all his slaves. She could throw raw energy about with no thought to its loss because her power would never run dry. His power was based entirely on how many lesser beings he had infected.
"He loves me not."
He loved control and mastery, as well. She had no control. Control was order and order was an anathema to her. She was the Queen of Chaos, after all!
"He loves me."
He loved her. He had to. If he didn't love her, what would she do? What would any female virus do if she loved two men who did not love her?
She stood up abrubtly, dropping the daisywheel. Of course, he loved her! He just didn't know how to express his love properly! He was a male, after all.
She teleported to her throne room.
* * *
Bob looked around the park cautiously. There seemed to be no sign of Hexadecimal but that did not mean that she wasn't lurking around, waiting to snatch him up.
He knelt down and picked up the single daisywheel. Now why had Hexadecimal been ripping petals off this daisywheel? And what had distracted her so that she didn't get the last one?
The End