A chapter that talks a little bit about what Lara does now that she lives in Cyberspace and what the newly formed CSC is up to. Widget makes his first appreance ever in one of my fanfics, and Joseph the mouse from "Mishap" makes a return.
2.
Fitting In
"So suppose I were to rewire this circuit from here to here." Lara said, pointing at the diagrams she had spread out on the control panel. "Maybe that would fix it."
"No." Motherboard replied simply.
Lara waited for an explanation, but didn't get one. "No what?" she finally asked.
"Such a rewiring would cause more problems for my circuitry." Motherboard explained.
"Drat." Lara said. "Well, I'm running out of ideas, then." she shook her head, and sighed.
"You will think of something." Motherboard assured her.
"No, I won't." Lara said. "Mother B, I've learned a lot since I arrived in Cyberspace, but I'm nowhere near qualified to be working with your circuitry like this. Can't we wait for Dr. Marbles or Digit to show up, and let them fix this sudden short circuit you got?"
"No." Motherboard said. "It affects my firewall systems. They will still load, but they would take several more minutes longer than normal. Far too long for them to be effective if used at short notice. If Hacker were to attack Control Central and catch us off guard..."
"I know, I know." Lara said, sighing again. "But if it's so important, why can't you call the doc and Digit back early, so they can fix this?"
"They are at an important meeting and the Cyber Grand Council Meeting, and are needed there until the meeting has completed." Motherboard said. "You are the only one left who can help, Lara."
"I know, but I really don't have much clue as to what I'm doing here." Lara pointed out.
"It is good practice, however." Motherboard encouraged.
"Yeah." Lara said, and fell silent, staring at the diagrams on the control panel.
Motherboard watched silently for a few moments. "If I may make a suggestion?" she asked finally.
"By all means." Lara said, thankful for any suggestions she could get.
"We should rewire the circuit from relay alpha, it's point of origin, to relay gamma." Motherboard said.
Lara traced the proposed path on the diagrams. "I suppose that could work." she admitted. "But that goes through several other circuits and components. I'd never be able to reach it."
"Maybe not." Motherboard admitted. "Which is why I know of two who could help in that regard."
"Oh." Lara said. "And when will they get here?"
"They already are." Motherboard said.
A panel on the control panel popped open. Lara started to look into it, then jumped back when the two Motherboard had referred to climbed out.
"Hi!" one of them said in a squeaky voice.
Lara looked at the speaker. It was a cybird, looking remarkably like Digit, only much, much, smaller. The other was...
"A mouse?" Lara said with a snort of disbelief, leaning close to it. "How can a mouse help?"
"Well, tell me what to do, and I'll try my hardest." the mouse replied.
Lara yelped in surprise at the mouse speaking and backed up again.
"Lara, meet Widget and Joseph." Motherboard said. "They are my helpers when doing repairs in usually unreachable areas such as the one we are considering."
Lara looked at the two helpers for a moment. "Why haven't I met you two before?" she asked.
"I, uh, don't get out much." Widget admitted. "Digit usually has me stay here to help Mother B."
"And me you've probably seen before wandering around Control Central, but didn't think a thing about." Joseph added. "Which is okay with me. A mouse doesn't always want all of the attention focused upon it."
"Oh." Lara said.
"But we're here to help, either way." Joseph continued. "I, for one, kind of owe it to the Cybersquad as they were so generous to offer me a new home after helping Matt get turned back from a mouse into his usual self."
"Oh, so you're the one who helped with that!" Lara said, making the connection. "You have got to tell me the whole story about Matt getting turned into a mouse, by the way. I can't get Matt, or anybody else for that matter, to tell it to me."
"Okay, but let's focus on the task at hand." Widget interrupted.
"What do you need us to do, Mother B?" Joseph asked.
"To rewire circuit 19 from relay alpha to relay gamma." Motherboard explained.
"On it!" Joseph said, giving Motherboard's screen a salute with one paw, then ran over to another access panel, pulled it open, let Widget slip inside first, then followed.
Lara stared at the spot they had left through.
"You may watch their progress on the secondary monitor." Motherboard offered.
"Oh, no thank you, Mother B." Lara said.
Motherboard nodded, then paused. "Are you fitting in well at Cyberspace?" she asked.
"Well, it takes some getting used to, but yeah." Lara said. "Really the only things I have to complain about is Dr. Marbles casserole surprise on Fridays and Digit's caterwauling in the shower."
Motherboard grinned. "Those problems are far more minor than I had expected." she admitted.
"Told you letting me stay in Cyberspace was a good idea." Lara said with a similar grin.
They were silent for a another moment.
"What are Didge and the doc up to in that meeting, anyway?" Lara asked. "You haven't said."
"They are discussing with the Grand Council the CSEDS's newest proposed mission, attempting to determine whether to reject it or accept it, and if they accept, what parts they will allow or disallow." Motherboard explained.
"Where does the CSC want to go, now?" Lara asked, calling the Cyberspace Exploration and Defense Society by it's more popular nickname.
"They wish to explore cybersite Proportiona." Motherboard said simply.
"Ya mean the cybersite with all the giants?" Lara asked. "Why would they want to go there?"
"To conduct some sort of study." Motherboard said. "I do not know the details."
"You don't?"
"I did not feel there was any need. I cannot see the council agreeing to such a mission."
"Well, at least it's not Cyantis."
"True, but the CS-1 has little interest in going there at the moment." Motherboard pointed out.
"Right, Major Hardson likes places where there's action." Lara said. "A place full of relics and artifacts is going to be the last place you'll find her or her team at."
"The council is suggesting they explore cybersite Nowhere instead." Motherboard said.
"Ah yes, the site with all the donut lovers."
"Correct."
"Hardson isn't going to go for that, though."
"Perhaps not. But she will have no choice. The agreement with Cyberspace and the CSEDS was that all of their missions would be pre-approved by the council or I, and that they have an escort from the Cybersquad at all times during said missions."
"Really?" Lara asked. "Too bad they can't go to Cyantis then, otherwise, I'd gladly volunteer to keep an eye on CS-1. I would love to visit that site."
"Unfortunately, Lara, no one may visit the cybersite while Hacker is still a threat. There is too many things he could salvage there to use against us, so the site must remain locked out to all."
"Too bad. Of course, with the way Hardson goes on about Hacker, you'd think his days are numbered."
"We cannot confirm it. Besides, the major does not know Hacker like we do. He will not be defeated without a fight."
