Nullified

HIATUS OVER EVERYONE CHEER

__

"Here we are!" Theo gestures to the enclosed space as you stumble, Herobrine moving to support you. "Base-sweet-base." You blink up at the room, turning to look at the void through the iron-bar windows. The structure is made up of stone bricks, and you look down nervously at your feet. "There's a layer of obsidian underneath all of it." Theo adds, watching you. "So if we accidentally break a block, we don't plummet straight into the void."

"Oh." You shift, feeling a bit safer. "And you're sure no Endermen know we're here?" Behind you, Manfred nudges your shoulder. "Other Endermen, I mean."

"Yep." Theo confirms. "This is built out in the middle of the void, and the top is covered with half slabs. They can't spawn here."

"Okay." You let go of Herobrine, wandering forward to explore your new hideout. There's a few barrels along one wall, and you open one to find it stocked with food. Another alcove holds beds, towards which you steer yourself. It's been a rough few days of sleeping on rocks, and you're miserably sore.

As you approach, Herobrine helps Manfred over, sitting him down on the edge of one of the beds. His leg seems to have started to heal, thin tendrils of black stretching over the wound. You hope that's a good sign.

"So we have no reason to believe that Null can find us here." Notch speaks, gazing out the window.

Theo shakes his head. "None. Assuming he doesn't have any sort of tracking program, we should be safe here." You purse your lips.

"Yeah... assuming..." You sink down on Manfred's other side, leaning against his shoulder. Manfred tucks an arm around your side with a quiet sigh.

"So!" Theo claps his hands together. "Before I picked you all up, I did a little digging on Null." He looks to Notch. "You weren't able to break into his files, correct?"

Notch nods. "I was hoping you could, since you successfully broke both me and Herobrine."

"I did do that." Theo agrees. "And... well, I can access them, sort of. But... so, Notch." He places a block and sits down. "When I broke you, I kind of broke the game. Like, all of it." Notch raises a brow.

"I suppose that's understandable."

"Notch is an intrinsic part of the game's code." Herobrine cuts in. "If he was gone, it would all fall apart. That's why I don't understand Null's motives - he wants me to kill Notch, but that would effectively kill him too."

"Yeah, that is weird." Theo frowns. "Anyway, Null does that too." A beat of silence.

"What?" You ask.

"If I destroy Null- or lock him away, or whatever - the game breaks." Theo elaborates. "He's deeply embedded in the game's code. It's possible I could rewrite it around him, but..."

"Why??" You break in, stunned. "What's so important about him??"

"He was the old mob spawning engine." Notch says with a heavy sigh. "Before he gained sentience and created a form for himself. It stands to reason that everything is built around him."

"Oh..."

"I also looked into what he's done to the two of you." Theo gestures to Notch and Herobrine. "Take away your teleportation. Uh, I think he's accessing the code I wrote to get rid of you two back in the day. Just, not to the same extent."

"Probably due to the same failsafe that keeps him from killing Notch." Herobrine muses. "And me, apparently."

"Because you were made from a direct copy of my code." Notch agrees. You blink.