Maddie was scared. She knew she was the one thing standing between Hacker and the safety of all of Cyberspace, including her mother. She knew what he was after, how could she not? She was one of only two people in the whole of Cyberspace that knew the ins and outs of how her mother operated, and before her father had drained his power Hacker had vowed he would one day rule all of Cyberspace. The information stored in her mind was enough to dismantle the supercomputer a thousand times over, and she was determined not to let him get it. She steeled her nerves, locking away her fear.
A robot, she thought she remembered Hacker calling him Delete, kept her immobile. Her eyes darted around, taking in the ship and all possible exits or weaknesses.
"Poor little Maddie, taken from her loving family," Hacker said, and she could hear the jealousy and disdain dripping from the word. "Motherboard will do anything to get her precious daughter back unharmed. But the question is, do I want all of Cyberspace with her still functioning? I think not. So here's what's going to happen. You're going to tell me exactly how to dismantle that heap of scrap metal you call mother. How's that sound?"
"Like a delusion," Maddie spat. She had never liked Hacker, not even when he was still working for her mother. "If you think I'm going to help you do anything you must be crazier than I thought."
"Such spunk. I hate it." He crossed over to her and gripped her face roughly. "Now you listen to me brat, you're going to do exactly what I tell you. If you don't, when I do gain control of Cyberspace, not only will I dismantle Motherboard, I'll throw all her parts in a black hole. Understand?"
His grip was tight, and her face ached. The way he held her left her no choice but to agree, but she wasn't about to give in that easily. If he wanted her information he'd have to download it from her after she was dead.
"I understand," she said slowly, waiting until he'd loosened his grip before biting down on his fingers.
It was metal, and it hurt, but she succeeded in denting his hand. Hacker yelled in pain before back handing her. Maddie's head snapped to the side and she gasped, never having been hit before. Against her will, tears sprang to her eyes.
"There are much worse things than that if you ever contemplate lashing out again," Hacker growled, pure hate evident in his tone.
"Why do you want this so much?" Maddie asked, determined to know what had triggered this new personality.
"Because Motherboard's washed-up, a has-been!" he snapped. "I'm better suited to rule! They never saw my potential, never! Especially after you came along. It was always "Maddie this" and "Maddie that"!
Maddie, Maddie, Maddie! What made you so special? Nothing! You were just an orphaned earth brat that accidentally fell through a portal! Motherboard didn't even want you!
She tried desperately to get rid of you, so did your beloved father! You weren't wanted, at least not until Marbles realized he could use you to maintenance Motherboard so he wouldn't have to! They only want your brain power, not you!"
He was panting as he finished his speech, anger radiating from him in waves. His words stung, even though the girl knew they held only partial truth. She knew her parents originally hadn't wanted to keep her, but they had, and they loved her. They were a family, and Hacker wasn't going to get to her.
"No one is better than The Hacker, especially not a small child!"
He stormed away, and Maddie just stared. She couldn't believe jealousy was behind this. Actually, yes she could. Hacker had always been an a attention hog, often getting angry when he wasn't recognized for something minute.
"Delete!" Hacker yelled. "Toss her into the holding cell!"
She gasped as she was roughly thrown into a clear glass ball underneath the ship. It locked as soon as she was inside, and she knew as she looked at the lock that she wasn't going to be free anytime soon."Come on, Mom," she whispered to herself, "get me out of here."
Motherboard was frantic. Hacker was unpredictable, he always had been, and now he had her daughter. She had all her monitors tracing across Cyberspace in the hope that she'd find his ship. So far they had no idea where he was or what he planned to do, but it couldn't be anything good.
She could feel her circuitry overheating while she searched, and knew she was overworking herself. Dr. Marbles had already sounded the alarm to all Cybersites that Maddie had been kidnapped and that anyone who saw the Grim Wreaker was to report to Control Central immediately. Logically, there was nothing they could do but wait. They had forty-five minutes before Hacker was supposed to check in for their surrender, and since that had never been an option they had to hope someone would spot him. Digit and Dr. Marbles had offered to split up and search for her, but they all knew there was no way they'd find her in time.
"Motherboard, calm down," Digit said, flying into her line of sight.
"Calm down?!" she snapped, something she rarely did. "Hacker has Maddie and we don't have a clue where they could be or what he's doing to her! How can I possibly calm down?!"
She felt bad as she watched the cybird cringe. She knew he was only trying to help, but her nerves were frayed, she was overheating, and she was scared.
"I'm sorry," she said, sighing. "I'm just worried. We don't know what Hacker is capable of."
The "and he's got my baby" went unspoken, but Digit understood. He was worried for his little sister, but unlike Dr. Marbles and Motherboard he had faith that she could handle herself. The kid was a super genius, if anyone could defeat Hacker it was Maddie. He was snapped out of his thoughts as smoke began to fill the room.
"She's overheating!" Dr. Marbles cried, rushing to the console and typing in several commands and override codes. Motherboard dimmed before flickering away completely, the screen flashing blue with the words "emergency stand-by mode activated" flashing across the monitor. "There, that should do it."
He slumped against the console and Digit flew down beside him. He had his face hidden in his hands, though he wasn't crying.
"You okay, Doc?" Digit asked.
"He took her from behind me, Digit. I failed," the man said, not yet removing his hands.
"Failed? What do you mean?"
"Failed to protect her. I'm her father, I'm supposed to keep her safe, but I didn't. An error occurred under my supervision." He dropped his hands. "What if something happens to her? What if we don't get her back?"
Digit placed a wing on his shoulder, hoping to offer some form of comfort.
"Don't worry, Doc, we'll get her back. Besides, Maddie's a smart kid. If anyone can handle Hacker it's her."
Maddie was pacing in her small prison. There were several options that would guarantee her escape, but only a few that would ensure Hacker would never bother them again. She looked up as she noticed something glittering in the distance. She gasped as she realized where she was. The Spheres of Fear, the creepiest place in Cyberspace, including Castleblanca.
They flew around several of the Spheres until they reached one that was nearly barren. It was one of the smallest ones, barely half the size of its neighbors. She knew what was going to happen even before the gate opened. Her small ball detached from the Wreaker, rolling into the sphere where the gate resealed and her own lock opened. She was reluctant to exit the small ball since she didn't know exactly what awaited her.
She had heard stories of course, all children did, of what lurked in the spheres. Each was was designed differently, contained different common fears and different creatures. The problem was, she had no idea which sphere she was in, therefore she didn't know what was outside. Cautiously, she ventured out, aware the Wreaker was hovering outside. 'Probably to see what happens,' she thought.
When nothing attacked her right off the bat she gained more confidence and began to explore, hoping to find a way to open the lock and escape.
"Boss, nothing's happening!" Buzz said, staring at the monitor that showed them Maddie.
"I thought the Spheres of Fear were supposed to scare her," Delete said.
Both turned to look at Hacker, who was casually leaning back in his chair, a smirk dominating his features.
"Just wait, the show hasn't begun yet."
Unafraid now that she deemed the sphere harmless, Maddie wandered around observing the few plants that appeared to be growing. She was startled by a scream, but it wasn't just any scream. It sounded like her father, and as soon as she determined she wasn't hearing things she was running toward the sound. She came upon her father, at least, it looked like her father, and she immediately wished she hadn't. He was in obvious pain, and a hulking figure was inflicting more torture upon him.
"No!" Maddie screamed. "Leave him alone!"
The figure ignored her, continuing with its work. She soon found she could do nothing to stop it when her various efforts only made it worse. Helplessly, she stood and watched as her father was tortured to death. She saw things no seven year old should ever have to see, and it was made worse because it all happened to her father. Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, Digit's scream filled the air.
She was off again, toward a different direction, and was once again forced to watch as her brother had his feathers plucked one by one. Tears were streaming down her face, and her arms had bruises from where she was hugging herself. She curled into a ball on the ground, sobbing and forgetting the possibility that everything she was seeing was fake. Finally, silence took the place of screaming. Hesitantly, she lifted her head, relieved to find that Digit had vanished.
She slowly uncurled from her ball, wiping her tears and composing herself. Just when she thought it was over, one last scream sounded out. Her eyes widened, and the weight of terror settled over her once again.
"MOM!" she screamed, yet again running toward the sound.
She hit her knees as she reached the scene, too stunned to function properly. Her mother was there, in her monitor, being dismantled piece by piece. A black hole was swirling off to the side, each piece disappearing as it was removed. Maddie began to scream, pulling at her hair and trying desperately to ignore the scene in front of her.
"See, boys? There's the show."
"I don't get it, Boss. What's goin on down there? How are Motherboard and Dr. Marbles here?" Buzz asked.
"You Duncebucket! They're not really here, they're an illusion! This sphere is designed to find a person's worst fears and create them in real life. Apparently the brat's worst fear is losing that mismatched menagerie she calls family," Hacker explained.
He glanced at the timer, which displayed there were only twenty minutes left before Motherboard surrendered.
"Keep watching, there's more fun to come."
Maddie was sure she was in hell. Once she had finished watching her mother get dismantled it began all over again. Over and over it went, she witnessed her family's demise in several different ways, all unique and things she had never considered. She had just finished watched her mother get killed in her cyborg form for the fifth time when the door to the sphere hissed open. She ran for it, uncaring that she would most likely be swept back into the Grim Wreaker.
Sure enough, a metal claw grabbed her as soon as she was near the door. She wiped her eyes. She decided she was done playing Hacker's little game. She was going home and he was going to pay.
"Are you ready to tell me those secrets now, girlie?" Hacker asked as the claw released her. Maddie remained silent, head bowed submissively. Hacker smiled in glee, thrilled at the thought that he had broken her will. "Answer me, brat."
Maddie's head snapped up, and the look on her face slightly scared him. She was scowling, pure hatred evident in her features. Her eyes flashed, seeming for a moment almost electric. He gulped, for the first time afraid.
"Hacker," Maddie growled, "this is the last time you mess with me."
She surged forward, her fist colliding with his face. She winced as she felt her knuckles tear open, but it was worth it for the sound of crumpling metal. She ran her hand across his chest until she found his power pack, forcefully yanking it away and severing the wires connecting it to him. He wouldn't be able to hold a charge anymore, nor charge period. Buzz and Delete watched in horror, never having seen anything like it.
Maddie dropped to the floor, power pack in hand. The gaping hole where it had once been sparked and fizzed, raw wires exposed. She exhaled, her anger leaving her. Exhaustion filled her, and she turned to the two cowering robots in the corner.
"Take me home," she said quietly.
They nodded furiously before moving to the controls.
"What are you doing you duncebuckets?!" Hacker cried. "Don't listen to her!"
His words fell on deaf ears as the bots piloted the ship back to Control Central. Before Maddie left the Wreaker she reprogrammed its course for the farthest edge of Cyberspace. Hacker tried to stop her, but without his power pack he was quickly losing energy. She gave him a final glare before jumping down onto the entry ramp to Control Central. She remained outside until she was sure the ship was far away.
Dr. Marbles had just rebooted Motherboard when the alarm sounded, alerting them that someone was outside. He was in the process of putting up the shields when the doors opened. Expecting Hacker, he turned to face him. He was met with the sight of a bruised and disheveled Maddie.
"Maddie!" Digit cried before he could utter a word.
He flew across the room and wrapped the girl in a hug. She hugged him back, beginning to sob once more, relief and the last of her fear presenting itself. Dr. Marbles snapped to attention, taking a step toward them, but stopped when he heard Motherboard's pained gasp. He turned back and quickly downloaded her into her android form. They both rushed over, worry dominating their emotions.
Digit was trying to calm the girl, whispering calming words. He backed away when he heard them come up behind him. Maddie looked up at her parents, new tears forming. Motherboard stepped forward and took her daughter into her arms, hugging her close and kissing her head. Dr. Marbles wrapped his arms around both of them, also kissing her.
"He's gone," Maddie whispered.
"What?" Motherboard asked.
"Hacker, he's gone. I took this," she showed them the power pack, "and sent his ship to the edge of Cyberspace."
"Without this he won't be able to charge," Dr. Marbles said, astounded.
"I know, that's why I took it."
"Maddie, where did he take you? What did he do?" Motherboard asked, finally examine the various bruises across the girl's body.
"The Spheres of Fear. He just hit me, once, that's all. I'm fine, I promise. Most of these are my fault. Really," she tried to convince them.
"What happened to your hand?"
"I may or may not have punched him in the face."
It was silent for a moment before both adults burst into laughter.
"Maddie, violence isn't the answer," Motherboard attempted to scold, though she was smiling.
"It was this time." Maddie yawned, nestling closer to her mother. "I'm sleepy."
"All right, let's get you cleaned up and then you can have a nap."
While she cleaned the girl's cuts and bandaged her scrapes, Dr. Marbles gave Cyberspace the news that Maddie had returned and Hacker had been defeated. He was concerned about what had happened in the Spheres of Fear, but he didn't want to push. Maddie would tell them when she was ready. Motherboard returned with a freshly bandaged Maddie and allowed her to settle in front of the large monitor. He looked at her questioningly.
"She asked me if she could, and I just...I need her nearby right now," she explained, and he nodded in understanding.
When they were sure Maddie was sleeping soundly, he transferred her back into the monitor. Both pretended to be oblivious when the girl worked her way back so that she was pressed against the console. They were glad she was back, but both couldn't help but wonder what the lasting effects would be. They weren't stupid, they had seen the change in the child's eyes, something had dimmed and faded. They just hoped she hadn't been severely scarred.
They would just have to wait and see.