Web World Wars

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ReBoot Episode
The Web Portal looming above Mainframe.
Web World Wars
Episode no.	2.10
Written by	Mark Leiren-Young
Story by	Mark Leiren-Young, Brendan McCarthy, Phil Mitchell, Ian Pearson, Susan Turner
Original Airdate	1 Feburary 1996
Prev.: Trust No One | Next: To Mend and Defend
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[edit] Episode Synopsis

As the massive Web Portal hovers over Mainframe, plans for War are well underway. The Web War is about to begin. Bob scouts through the city as binomes are being herded through the streets of Mainframe, to head for the relative security of the Principal Office and some underground shelters. Enzo and AndrAIa are stationed at the Principal Office just below the Sub-Sphere as gunners. Dot and Mouse prepare for battle at the Armory. Phong and the CPU Chief prepare the War Room. At the Silicon Tor, Megabyte is preparing an energy gun device on the top of a modified ABC. Inside the Principal Office, the order is given for the CPUs to scramble. They board their vehicles and head outside in formation.

Bob gets a message from Megabyte and tells him he needs the hardware Megabyte is preparing. Megabyte, however, is having problems of his own. Bob heads to the Tor to see what the trouble is. Once there he finds Phong and Megabyte in the middle of an argument. Megabyte cannot run the hardware without the software Phong has to download from the Archives. Phong cannot bring himself to work with a virus and refuses to download the software. Bob yells to Phong to download the software immediately. After Bob leaves, Hexadecimal appears. She reveals that the viruses have plans of their own for Bob.

In the armory, Mouse is sharpening her sword as Dot straps on the large gun. Mouse is suspicious of the sprites' bargain with the viruses. She is expecting to be double-crossed. Dot is more optimistic, but is still skeptical. She affirms that all have their parts to play for this to work. Dot doesn't think the two viruses will double cross anyone because the Web will destroy the viruses along with the rest of Mainframe.

Enzo and AndrAIa are deep in conversation about the Web and its dangers, when Bob approaches the group and gives Enzo a puzzling order. He calls Enzo "cadet" and asks why he isn't in uniform. Enzo is perplexed, until Bob downloads guardian protocol to his icon. When Enzo clicks his icon his clothes change to a Guardian cadet uniform. Enzo will now serve as backup in case something happens to Bob. Dot calls Bob and tells him everyone is ready to go.

On the modified ABC in the middle of the city Mouse is with Megabyte and Hexadecimal, hacking into the Web to erase Mainframe's location. She is making it impossible for the city to be found from the Web.

When a nervous binome destroys a Web Spore the battle begins. Web spores start attacking CPUs causing them severe damage. Bob asks what Megabyte is waiting for. The virus says he thought the cities forces were coping admirably but calls on Lieutenant Chauncy and tells him to launch every ABC supporting the CPUs, Chauncy is shocked but the ABCs join the fight. Much of Mainframe is damaged, but it serves a higher purpose: to close the portal to the Web. Hexadecimal charges up the hardware while Mouse preps it and Bob supervises the battle, making sure everyone is all right. When the hardware is fully charged and Mouse's hacking job complete, Bob joins the others at the floating platform: they are going to close the portal to the Web.

Before this can happen Bob is double-crossed by Megabyte. The virus snatches Glitch from Bob's arm and crushes it, then tosses Bob into a missile that appears from below the platform. Before the portal is sealed, the missile containing Bob is shot skyward, right into the Web portal. The Hardware is pointed at the portal and fires a blast, closing the portal -- and Bob is gone.

Dot sadly picks up the crushed Glitch, and Mouse gets them both out of their in her Ship. Megabyte orders Lieutenant Chauncy to have the ABCs destroy the remaining web spores, and then blow the CPUs out of the sky. After the last spore is destroyed the ABCs turn on the CPUs, attempting to destroy the cities exhausted fleet. Binky and Algernon realize the ABC's treachery and quickly contact the Principal Office.

At the Principal Office, Phong receives the alert from the CPUs and tries to contact Bob. Dot and Mouse arrive and tell Phong that Bob can't hear him. Enzo learns that Bob is gone and accepts Glitch from Dot. Hexadecimal and Megabyte turn the hardware around and point it at the Principal Office. Phong swears that Mainframe will fight the viruses to the very last and Enzo vows to protect Mainframe as Bob did.

[edit] References

• Web World Wars is the final episode of the second season of ReBoot, and the last to appear on the ABC Network.
• Bob is not seen again for eleven episodes.
• When Megabyte betrays the CPUs, Algernon cries "It's the ABC's! They've turned on us! Treacherous Dogs!", an episode in-joke making fun of the ABC Network for not renewing ReBoot for the third season and dropping the show completely from its show line-up.
• This episode is the first Megabyte's tanks are given the name ABCs.
• Binomes impersonating Elvis Presley and Indiana Jones are among those being evacuated.
• Feathers McGraw, the Penguin from the Wallace & Gromit film "The Wrong Trousers" makes a cameo appearance.
• The brand name of donuts the CPUs are eating is "Screamin' Donuts".
• The subway station "Piccadilly Circuits" is a pun of the British underground "Piccadilly Circus Tube Station" in London. The Binomes seeking refuge there is a reference to Londoners using the stations as bomb shelters, sleeping in the Underground during the 1940s World War II Blitz.
• The A-12 on the trunks of the CPU fighters is wordplay on "Adam-12", an NBC television police procedural series running from 1968 until 1975.
• The Hardware superweapon is a reference to computer hardware. The physical part of a computer, components, peripherals, including the digital circuitry. Distinguished from computer software that executes within the hardware's storage medium, memory, or RAM.
• Bob invokes "Emergency Code 9510", the episode's production number. Part of this is also visible on Dot's gun.
• This features the only time Hexadecimal switches masks without a hand guesture or other method to hide the switch. It simply changes to an evil expression in full view.