The Grim Wreaker lowered slowly onto the rocky terrain of Xelophia. The land around the city had no plant life it seemed, except for the moss that drew among the rocks. The sky was of a blackish tint with red clouds seemingly smeared across it like a canvas. The site itself seemed to be dead. Hacker rose from his seat at the console of the Wreaker, getting ready to explore the city for some hint or clue as to the Demon Heart's whereabouts.

"Buzz! Delete! Get out here this instant!" he yelled, seeing that the duncebuckets were nowhere in sight. After a few moments of silence, aside from the Hacker mumbling under his breath, he stormed off to their most likely location- the kitchen.

"Buzzie! You ate all of the doughnuts!" Delete cried, shaking the empty box upside down as the crumbs fell to the floor. Buzz shrugged at that.

"It's not my fault you didn't get to them in time!" he replied. Before Delete could say anything in return, Hacker entered the room, giving them a fierce glare.

"Buzz... Delete... I told you to be ready and waiting by the door! We're already at Xelophia and you know bumbling bafoons are eating DOUGHNUTS!" the borg yelled in contempt. Buzz and Delete forced a smile and got up from their seats.

"Um... we're... ready, boss!" Delete said through his smile. Hacker simply shook his head and motioned for them to follow. Hacker released the ramp on the Grim Wreaker and walked down it, looking behind him to make sure that Buzz and Delete were still following. Buzz's curiosity got the best of him, though.

"Uh, Boss... what exactly are we here for?" he asked as they stepped onto the soil. Delete nodded.

"Yeah, boss! This place looks kinda empty." he said. Hacker turned to reply.

"We're here, my friends, to find a crystal known as the Demon Heart. No one knows where it is... but my guess is that it's in this city somewhere, where the great war took place." he said, pointing to the city whose outskirts were just yards away. Calling it a city seemed was an injustice, for it was simply the remains of a city. There was no activity that they could see. No one seemed to have lived there... well, since forever.

"You mean... that creepy looking city?" Delete said. Hacker rolled his eyes.

"Yes, that 'creepy looking' city... now c'mon!" he said and began walking towards the stone rubble that used to be streets. Buzz and Delete slowly followed, sticking close to one another. As Hacker made his way onto the rubble, he was met by what seemed to be an invisible wall, repelling him back a few inches.

"Hmph. A barrier. It seems someone has been trying to keep this place hidden." Hacker said to himself. Buzz and Delete came to his side, making sure he wasn't hurt. Delete stuck his hand out towards the area, also repelling it back.

"Hey! Boss, what's that?" Delete asked. Hacker mumbled something and walked back to the Wreaker, causing Buzz and Delete to follow. At the foot of the ramp, Hacker turned towards them.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." he said. The two didn't reply. They knew if they cried to Hacker about being there alone then they would just be yelled at and stuck in the same situation. Sometimes it was just better for them to keep their mouths closed. Hacker walked up the ramp and took his place at the console of the Wreaker.

"Nobody can keep out the Hacker..." he laughed to himself as he pushed a few buttons here and there.

"Let's see... the barrier's frequency is 92.4... set the beam at negative 92.4 and..." he pressed a button, causing a laser cannon to emerge from the Wreaker. Hacker pressed another button and the cannon shot a beam of energy at the area of the barrier. With a few flashes of purple light on what appeared to be the barrier, a sounds was heard, like that of shattering glass. Hacker laughed to himself and withdrew the cannon, leaving the console once again to make his way outside.

"Boss! What happened?" Buzz asked the borg. Hacker chuckled as he proceeded past Buzz and Delete.

"Oh nothing... just a little glass cracking is all." he said. The two followed him once again as they made their way back to the city. As they approached the area that contained the barrier, Delete held up his arms defensively, as though to protect him if the barrier were still there. To his relief, he was not met by an invisible wall. Walking a little further, they came to what seemed to be the gateway into the city- a large stone bridge with a suprisingly clean lake underneath it. The lake appeared to be created by a large stream that flowed down the center of the city. As they got half onto the bridge, Hacker stopped in his tracks. Buzz and Delete stopped as well, thinking that maybe there was another barrier.

"Something feels... strange." Hacker said to himself. It felt as though someone had ripped a hole in his stomach, almost like a deep sense of dread. Buzz and Delete came to his side and were instantly hit by the same unexplainable feeling. Delete got closer to Hacker as he wrapped his arms around himself.

"What's wrong? Why does it feel so weird here?" he innocently asked. Hacker honestly didn't a clue. It his mind, or somewhere deeper maybe... it seemed that something or someone was trying to prevent them from going further, trying to warn them perhaps. Hacker knew that the Demon Heart had to be here. There was simply too much trying to stop him from advancing. Fighting the unnatural feeling that had overcome him, he hesitantly continued forward. Buzz and Delete, ever the loyal croonies they were, followed close by.

Back at Control Central, Leia was finishing up some replacements on all of Motherboard's external wiring. The children were mostly finished with the task they assigned themselves when an alarm went off. They stopped in their places and ran up to Motherboard, ready for whatever threat there was.

"Barrier... on Xelophia... destroyed. No one can be allowed... access to the city. Stop them." she said, getting out the little bits that she was capable of.

"Xelophia? Where's that?" Matt asked, taking a step further.

"Xelophia is a cybersite located in a rather desolate area. It was abandoned eons ago due to an ancient artifact known as the Demon Heart." Dr Marbles said as he walked into the room. Leia crossed her arms and joined the group of kids.

"Um... you realize I'm coming with you guys, right?" she said, leaning towards them. Digit flew in and shook his head in protest.

"You need to stay here with Motherboard. We can handle everything." he said.Leia frowned at this. She hated offering her help and then being met with a 'no'.

"Actually, it might be best if she goes as well. If somone has indeed penetrated the barrier, it would be best that there are plenty of people to look around the city for the intruders." Dr Marbles interuppted. Leia nodded and smiled.

"See? Me and the doc are on the same wavelenght." she said. A portal appeared before the five, leading to the cybersite. The kids jumped in first, followed by Digit. Leia stopped just before entering, turning towards the doctor.

"Why was there a barrier in the first place, Doc?" she asked. He shook his head and turned around.

"It's not of your concern. You must simply stop whoever has entered the city." he replied harshly. Leia grumbled and leapt through the portal. Marbles... he could be a real jerk sometimes. Upon exiting, she landed on her feet, but quickly feel to her knees. Raising herself up, she noticed the kids were already on their feet and looking around.

"Man... I hope I never have to do that again." she said. Jackie laughed in response.

"You get used to it after awhile." she said. Leia shrugged and looked around them. They had landed not far away from the Wreaker... which led them to the conclusion that Hacker was the one who broke the barrier.

"I shouldv'e known it was him." Digit said as they all walked towards the ship. Leia scratched her head, for she had never see the Wreaker before.

"Whoever they are, that is one awesome ship!" she said. Her reply was met by several awkward stares.

"That the Grim Wreaker, Hacker's ship. If that's here, then he can't be far off." Inez said.

"Oh... okay, sorry. Still though..." she spoke under her breath, "it IS pretty sweet." The crew made their way towards the giant stone bridge that crossed over the lake, gazing at the remains of the city before. No one spoke during the short walk... probably due to the sense of fear that the city seemed to strike into them. At the foot of the bridge, the five of the paused for a moment, each of them contemplating whether or not go forth... well, everyone except Leia. She soon marched forward, turning around to face the kids and Digit.

"C'mon... you're not scared, are ya'?"