Reboot: A New Guardian (ON HOLD)

Searching For Secrets

Sorry this is short; having a bit of writer's block for this chapter and the other books I'm writing. (Go check them out!)

So... BYE!!!

~Vocalist_Joi_13/7 says PAALAM

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Austin/Vector's P.O.V.

The next day, we had school. My mom suggested that I could skip it after last night but heroes don't take day-offs. We had a job to do; stopping the Sourcerer or whoever.

I also had to check up on Tamra. Our last mission, while Parker and I were in that mini-game with Enzo, she ran into Megabyte and his sister(?). She claimed that she was such a terrible hero for letting them slip out of her reach but I've done everything to convince her it wasn't.

Although that was from like half a year ago, we've still been trying to track him down. We've had, like, mini-missions but none from the Sourcerer. We've also visited Bob, Dot Matrix and Little Enzo Matrix. Nothing huge. But V.E.R.A. has been on the lookout for any sort of majorly suspicious activity on the net. Plus the Matrix's.

Currently, Trey, Tamra, Parker, my 'sister' and I were down in Room Zero. Recently, V.E.R.A. claimed that she felt a weird 'adjustment' to the Sourcerer's recent codes. She said, "It was as if his source of cheat codes has disappeared and he tried to manipulate it." Her 'normal talk' is getting much better.

For the past few days, we made sure to always be on our 'A' game. Though we couldn't promise that.

Here are my observations;

Our strength, Trey. His father is putting a lot of pressure on him to keep his grades up and for him to stay focused during his basketball games. These past close calls were way too close. Sometimes, he'd just have to skip training, scout patrols, and mini-missions.

Our ninja, Tamra. I already told you about her feeling down for the past year, but there's much more to discuss. She doesn't have her usual energy when fighting and she's a little more silent on missions. I miss her sarcasm, her laughs, even her insults, no matter whom they're fired at.

Our mission control, V.E.R.A. Ever since her 'turning-into-a-teen upgrade', she's been growing more emotional. Sometimes during missions, she could be more demanding or snap at you when you're not being such an attentive listener.

Our mission leader, me. I've been trying so hard to live up to my dad's expectations of being leader. They're supposed to make plans and keep their team out of danger. They're supposed to know stuff, yet I still don't know how I got into this prestigious high school.

And finally, our intellect, Parker. Why did I list him after me? Well, recently, he's seemed a little tense. Like something happened to him last night. We can't have him lose focus, especially since he's the most knowledgeable one of all of us - and the most paranoid. He's also my best friend since ever, just like Jane...

I quickly wiped away a tear that streaked down my face before it fell and hit the keyboard. Just thinking about my sister is making me a little emotional. I've tried to forget her for the past two years; it helped to know that my teachers only knew me for my father.

To get my mind off of you-know-who, I went around the room to talk with the team. First, I went to V.E.R.A., but that was a big mistake. She snapped at me for distracting her while she researched about 'our' father. Once she realized her little mishap, she apologized and slowly returned to her work. That emotional upgrade is really getting to her.

Next, I went to talk to Trey. He was sitting at one of the desks without a computer, reading a book on coding. Because of his father, his normal life is continuing to eat up his hero life. And we all know he can't just quit without a proper explanation. I decided not to disturb his studies and headed on over to Tamra.

Earlier, V.E.R.A. set up a code an our computers so that we can search the virtual world in Room 0. That way, we're not wandering aimlessly, missing anything, or draining our battery. If we're in class and there was dark code detected, it will go straight to our phones. Now to disguise it...

I walked behind Tamra and tapped her shoulder. "How's the search going?" I asked as she turned around.

She sighed. "The same for the last few days; peacefully boring," she summed up, her peachy-pink lips curling into a slight smile at the end.

I took a breath. "Hey, you still remember what I told you every other day, right?" I reminded, trying to be subtle.

"Yeah, and don't worry," she assured me. "I promise I won't beat myself up about it anymore."

My face relaxed into a smile. "Just checking."

Finally, I made my way over to my best friend, Parker. At first, it seemed like he was extremely concentrated on his work. But when you look closely, he was just lost in thought. He was twisting something on his finger, staring at the security feed of Dot's Diner in Mainframe. That was odd, since he'd always be into checking the data-streams and virtual world and such. He loves this geeky stuff.

"Hey Parker," I greeted.

He flinched slightly before turning around in his swivel chair. "Hey Austin," he said, covering his hand with the other. "What's up?"

I hesitated. "Nothing," I answered, half-truthfully. "It's just that everyone seems a little off. Trey and his father, Tamra with her encounter with Megabyte's sister, then there's V.E.R.A.'s emotional upgrade." I took my eyes off him for like a second and his position changed. He wasn't covering either of his hands and had his elbow on the desk. Then there's you Parker-

"Maybe it's all just in your head," he suggested. "You're the leader of this pack, and it is a habit for leaders to over-think things. It's kinda like a flaw for perfection, hubris."

"You mean pride?" I inquired.

He nodded, taking his elbow of the table. "Yeah, when a person's flaw is hubris, they want to live up to the great expectations of themselves. They don't want to let anyone think they are weak and want those around them to see what they want to be."

"How do you know that?"

His face fell. "When we were beginning middle school, you, Jane, and I read the Percy Jackson books and learned about fatal flaws of a hero, remember? We all agreed your flaw was hubris/pride."

I nodded. Jane's collection of Rick Riordan's books is in one of her boxes in her room. "You remember yours?" I asked.

"Mine is feeling of interiority," he responded, seeming a bit hesitant. "Maybe we can try to look for our team's fatal flaw, you know, just for fun. You can try to get your mind off of this whole thing."

I realized by now, I wasn't getting any answers from him about his peculiar behavior. I mean, he is smarter than me, being the brains of this operation, so he probably saw my attempt and quickly tried to change the subject. So I just agreed to his offer and went back to my station.

I'll get the truth out of you soon, Parker. Not just for me, but for the team.