If you've read A Tortured Soul, you probably already know this is kind of second-hand reading. anyway, i've gone through A Warrior Reborn and made some corrections there to. one major correction was max's age when she joined the warriors of shangri-la. i made her a year younger just so it would fit better with A Black Heart.
I don't own Cyberchase. Max is mine.
Chapter One
Highway to Hell
Previously in Cyberchase: A Tortured Soul . . .
You never give up, do you?" Max demanded.
"Nevah!" Hacker shot back.
"Admit it, Funnel-gut, your ship is too wide and too heavy for half the stuff I can do in this body. Eons of evolution have made us the perfect flying machine." Max said.
Hacker shook with anger. Funnel-gut? Where does she come up with these insults? They're even more pathetic than mine! Wait, did I just say my insults were pathetic? Grr.
"Well, your gargoyle body is missing something my ship has." Hacker announced.
"Like what?" Max said.
"Fire power."
Hacker punched the thrust button and his ship zoomed forward until its nose was almost touching Max's barb again. Max did another spiraling roll which took her away from the Grimm Wreaker.
Which was precisely what Hacker wanted.
Hacker stared at the widened view screen. A flip of a switch brought up a cross-hair targeting system. The Wreaker's cargo bay opened and a gun dropped out. The targeting system beeped as it centered on Max's rear end and Hacker fired.
Max felt the smallest prick of a feather-tipped needle impale her backside. Before Max knew what was happening, she felt dizzy and her eyes grew heavy. Her wings stopped beating and she began to drop.
The tranquilizer gun was replaced with a claw which snatched Max out of the air and drew her up into the ship's cargo bay
"What was that you were saying about 'catch me if you can'?" Hacker taunted.
1
Now the conclusion . . .
It was window-cleaning day in Control Central. As usual, it was Digit's job to do it. Window-cleaning was Digit's least favorite chore because it required him to reach all the windows. Meaning he had to ascend to great heights in order to get to the upper windows in the great control dome where Motherboard's terminal was. And Digit hated heights.
A few years back before Digit came online, Digit's friends – Dr. Marbles and his daughter, Max – had installed a few bars at regular intervals up the windows to the top of the dome. Each bar had enough room for footholds. Max had also rigged a climbing harness and short rope just for cleaning. After Digit returned to Control Central from the Northern Frontier, Marbles laid out a list of chores for Digit to take care of in Marbles' absence and even revamped Max's old climbing harness to better fit Digit – or rather, fit around his bird-like body.
This morning, Digit donned the harness and decked it out with a cleaning rag and window-treatment spray. Then, with the rope skillfully threaded through the carabiner, Digit mounted the first bar, latched the carabiner to a hole in a rafter that curved all the way up to the top, and started cleaning. In order to keep his mind off how far up he was – especially on one of the more higher-up bars – Digit started singing (rather off key) to songs by his favorite band: The Dixie Chicks.
"I said, 'I wanna touch the earth
I wanna break it in my hands
I wanna grow something
Wild and unruly'
I wanna sleep on the hard ground
In the comfort of your arms
On a pillow of blue bonnets
In a blanket made of stars
Oh it sounds good to me
"I say, 'Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can
Into the wild blue'
Set me free oh I pray
Closer to Heaven above and
Closer to you, closer to you
"I wanna walk and not run
I wanna skip and not fall
I wanna look at the horizon
And not see a building standing tall
I wanna be the only one
For miles and miles
Except for maybe you
And your simple smile
Oh it sounds good to me
Yes it sounds so good to me
"Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can
Into the wild blue
Set me free oh I pray
Closer to Heaven above and
Closer to you, closer to you
"I said, 'I wanna touch the earth
I wanna break it in my hands
I wanna grow something
Wild and unruly'
Oh it sounds so good to me
"Cowboy take me away
Fly this girl as high as you can
Into the wild blue
Set me free oh I pray
Closer to Heaven above and
Closer to you, closer to you
Closer to you
Cowboy take me away
Closer to you."1
Just as the last note faded off, Motherboard's terminal beeped.
"You have cybermail!" The tone said.
"Who's it from, Motherboard?" Digit asked. He unhooked himself from the top rafter and fluttered to the deck. "Who sent you the message?"
Motherboard scanned the message, worry etched on her holographic face. "It's from Max." She said.
"Max? Is she okay? What does it say?" Digit said. These days, Max never sent Motherboard messages just in case Hacker was to intercept them. In truth, Digit was now panicking on the inside. Any message from Max at this point could only be bad news.
"I'm not sure what to make of this." Motherboard said. "What do you see?"
Digit read the message which Motherboard displayed on a lower screen.
"Motherboard. It's Max. I don't know how but you-know-who found me. Track me through my serial number and send help, fast. I'm pretty sure you-know-who has some dastardly plan for me that neither of us is going to like. PS don't include Dad in this. I don't want him getting caught either. Even if I go, he'll still be able to find a cure for your virus. So, please don't get him involved. Signed, Max."
"Motherboard! What do we do? Hacker has Max!" Digit said.
"He does? Digit, you contact Dr. Marbles. I'll get the kids." Motherboard said.
"But Max said don't get the Doc involved with this." Digit pointed out.
"I know. But he'll want to know." Motherboard said.
Well, Digit couldn't argue with that. He headed off to somewhere a little more quiet and private and contacted Dr. Marbles. No answer. Digit tried again. Still no answer. About the third time he redialed, Marbles finally picked up.
"Yes, what is it, Digit?" Marbles asked.
"Doc, Hacker's found Max." Digit gasped out.
"What? How – how is that possible? I thought she was being careful." Marbles said.
"I don't know. He just found her. Motherboard is tracking her serial code, now. She asked me to summon you. She thought you would like to go with the Cybersquad to retrieve her." Digit said.
"Tell Motherboard to send me a portal." Marbles said.
"Will do."
"Final load."
In only a few minutes after his conversation with Marbles ended, Motherboard opened a portal and deposited Marbles and the Cybersquad unceremoniously on the floor.
"What's going on, Motherboard?" Matt asked.
Motherboard fuzzed out and couldn't answer so Digit responded instead.
"The Hacker's got Max."
"Hacker has Max?" The Cybersquad said.
"Yep. Motherboard has been able to track Max's signal from over Cybersite Foresteria. It has, effectively ended at the Northern Frontier. She hasn't moved from there since." The cyboid said.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Matt said.
"Wait. I want to save Max as much as the next person, but what exactly is Hacker doing to her?" Inez said. "I think we should know so we would know what to expect."
"We don't know." Digit said. "But, with Max being the one person bent on destroying him, you can bet it won't be pretty . . . or pleasant."
"Then we must hurry to retrieve my daughter before he destroys her." Marbles said.
"Agreed. Portal please, Motherboard." Jackie said.
The Cybersquad and Dr. Marbles were deposited, roughly, onto the hard, dirt ground a short league from Hacker's compound. They got up and dusted themselves off.
"Not one of our best landings." Digit said.
"I suppose not. The virus has only made Motherboard's portals hazardous to dismount from." Said the Doc, adjusting his zip-up jacket as one who had "dismounted" from several rabid portals before.
"Well this should be interesting." Matt said. "I mean, we've rescued Dr. Marbles on several occasions from Hacker, but we've never actually worked with you."
"This will be a new and pleasant experience to me, as well." Dr. Marbles said, kindly. "Something I very much look forward to. But we do not have time to discuss the uniqueness of this particular moment. We must hurry if we are to prevent Max from going offline."
The Cybersquad agreed and the five figures stole across the lawn toward the compound; skirting brush and swivel-head security cameras as they went. Then, when they came upon one of the wide windows of the compound, they peeked inside and immediately wished they hadn't.
Max's scarred body was stretched out on the floor. The prosthetic arm and leg had been removed and were thrown in a box of scrap metal. A chain was wrapped multiple times around the wing ridge and was even pass through holes in the leathery membrane – rendering her unable to fly. Her barbed tail was secured to the floor with a steel hoop just behind the barb. Her right arm and leg were held to the floor with shackles. Chains circled her body laying between each ridge and were secured to the floor with hoops. Max looked so sad and helpless laying there that the Cybersquad felt sorry for her.
Marbles gritted his teeth and exhaled through his mustache while his hands clenched into fists.
"That monster!" He nearly shrieked.
"What's wrong, Dr. Marbles?" Inez asked.
The good doctor pointed to the manacles and chain and hoop. "To the average eye, all you see are restraints on a big, defenseless beast. A closer look will tell you a different prerogative."
Digit squinted at the hoop."You mean that cable?"
"Correct, Digit." Marbles said. "Those restraints may have originally been programmed to restrain. But Hacker reprogrammed them for a much more vile purpose."
"Like what?" Matt asked.
Marbles face went stony with worry. "Electrocution."
"What?" Inez exclaimed. "Hackers going to electrocute Max again?"
"He can't do that!" Jackie added. "He'll kill her!"
For the first time ever, the kids saw Dr. Marbles start to cry. Digit had seen him cry once before and was startled to see him do it again. Then, Digit considered the distinct possibility that Marbles may have cried when he discovered Max had been kidnapped.
"I believe that Hacker's prerogative at the moment." Marbles said, his voice was tight.
Inez patted the doc's shoulder, comfortingly. "We'll free her, Dr. Marbles. Just like we freed you on multiple occasions."
The doc looked at her. "I do not fear that you will free her. What I do fear is the condition she will be in when you do."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get her!" Digit said, powering up his propeller he began to hover but Matt pulled him down.
"Wait! Look there!" Matt said, pointing.
Hacker had arrived at the scene with Buzz and Delete in tow. Both robots were armed with video equipment which were trained on Hacker who was garbed in royal attire: a large purple cape trimmed with a black and white feather hem, and a golden crown atop his pointy head. Hacker strutted, purposefully to Max's side and grinned down, evilly, at his captive. Then, he turned back, to a camera-toting Delete.
"Citizen's of Cyberspace. You are watching The Hacker Network. Featuring the one and only Hacker in his greatest triumph ever.
"Now, I have been asking around as to the whereabouts of Max Marbles. Many of you claimed you didn't know where she was or if she was even still around – well, for those of you who ware skeptic, here is the proof! Max still lives. But she won't be alive for too much longer. Behold the Defender of Cyberspace!"
Delete turned his camera in Max's direction and zoomed in on her face.
Meanwhile, Digit had rooted around in his chest hatch until he found a viewer and dialed into The Hacker Network. Then, with his four companions huddled behind him, he watched the grave play out.
"It appears he sedated her." Marbles observed in a whisper. He tapped the screen with a finger. "See how her right eye is barely open. That's a positive sign of a sedative."
"That's disgusting." Jackie said.
"It's just a sedative, Jax." Matt said.
"No. I mean how he's flaunting his victory on TV like that. It's disgusting." Jackie corrected.
"You're right, Jackie. Hacker wants everyone to know that he cannot be defeated by even someone like Max. Everyone knows he's been looking for her and he wants to prove he has her." Marbles had been looking at Jackie while he was speaking. Then, he turned back to the spectacle on Digit's viewer. "He wants everyone to see Max in this pitiful state. And, he wants everyone to see her die."
The camera went back to Hacker who was now proudly pacing the room; hands folded behind his back.
"Some of you may remember the times when gargoyles were considered a danger to Cyber-civilization. They deleted a good number of us and we retaliated.
"Some of you may also remember the pact that was made between the gargoyles and Motherboard. The pact was that no gargoyle is to cause harm to any Cyber-citizen, intentionally or unintentionally. Max is accused of planning to cause harm – that is premeditated and it punishable by death.
"Now I know I'm not a Cyber-citizen, but I live here, same as the rest of you. I have a right to live, same as the rest of you. So for Max to plan to delete me, that is a severe crime and since her crime is against me, I'll be the one to dish out the punishment.
"I know some of you might remember Max as the precious little Cyborg who stood alongside Dr. Marbles. But, look at her now. She's a gargoyle. Therefore, our laws against gargoyles now apply to her. You know this so I don't want to hear any complaints."
Hacker strode to a large generator stacked in a corner. Delete skillfully followed his boss with the camera. Hacker flipped a few switches and put his hand on a lever. He turned and grinned at the camera.
"Say good-bye to the 'Defender of Cyberspace'!"
His green hand pushed down on the lever. The generator sparked and spat. Max's body lifted off the floor, straining against the chains and hoops. She convulsed and shook and screamed and roared.
The sight was awful to say the least, horrible at most. The kids looked away. Inez and Jackie hugged each other and Matt covered his face with both hands.
Hacker turned off the generator and Max gave out a low exhale and relaxed. He faced the camera.
"You all know that strong doses of electricity is dangerous to a gargoyle. But it's the easiest way to unplug them, as the saying goes." Hacker said, switching the generator back on. The camera panned back to Max while she stretched against her restraints then back to Hacker as he turned the generator off.
Beside her, Inez could feel Marbles shaking with anger and fear. She sympathized with Marbles. Max was more than a project he designed and created. He was his daughter. It was difficult for him to watch his child be tortured so.
Hacker turned up the dial on the generator to twice the volts he was using before. He grinned wickedly to Max.
"Good-bye, my little sister."
"Stop!"
1"Cowboy Take Me Away" Dixie Chicks
