4.
A Wicked Entrance
Buzz followed through on his promise. He took Delete straight to the Wreaker's medical bay and treated Delete's arm as best as he could. The damage was fairly bad, but nothing that couldn't be handled. Buzz only worry would be that Delete's arm would become unsalvageable and require serious repairs, but they made do. Once Buzz had repaired the arm all he could, he bandaged the rest.
Buzz then made the call he had promised to make. He got an instant reply, and the person, upon hearing the situation, promised to come over, but seemed hesitant if anything could be done. The following day, the person arrived, flying alongside the crippled Wreaker. Getting this person on board was easy. Hacker wasn't monitoring the Wreaker's operations at all like he used to, and it didn't require opening anything major like the hanger bay doors. All Buzz and to do was open one of the smaller side doors, and wait for the person to enter.
He didn't have to wait long. In a rush, the person entered, shot across the room, before coming to a stop. Climbing down from her broom, she turned to face Buzz, adjusting her purple hat, wand in hand as always.
"All right." Wicked said, getting right down to business. "Where is he?"
Hacker was in his lab, quickly assembling a special device. Sparks flew as he wielded in one last piece, and then snapped on the plastic back cover, screwing it tightly into the device. Setting aside his tools, Hacker picked up the device and examined his handiwork. It would suffice, just so long as the device would work. But he couldn't test it until he had done something else first.
The intercom dinged suddenly. Hacker thumbed the reply control. "What?" he barked.
"It's Buzz boss." came the henchman's reply. "There's someone here to see you."
"See me?" Hacker repeated, outraged. "See me? When in the world did I give permission for anybody to see me?"
He got no verbal response from Buzz, but the door to the lab suddenly banged open, and Wicked marched inside, slamming the door shut behind her. She gave Hacker an expecting look.
Hacker returned it with a glare. "Wicked." he muttered. "What are you doing here?"
"Is that really the response I get after not seeing you in so long, Hacky-poo?" Wicked asked, not acting at all hurt.
"If I remember correctly, it was you who left me." Hacker said, pulling out a picture from under a stack of papers and examining it. "So if there's anyone to blame for us not seeing each other in so long, it's you."
"And I have yet to regret that choice." Wicked said, stepping closer to him, hands on her hips. "In fact, I'm not here for me at all."
"Then what are you here for?" Hacker demanded, pulling out a black marker from a drawer.
"I'm here because I received a call from your henchmen." Wicked explained.
"What do Buzz and Delete have to do with this?" Hacker asked, crossing out a figure on the picture right away.
"They say that you haven't been acting like yourself lately, and are worried for you." Wicked said, sitting on the edge of Hacker's desk, despite Hacker's protesting glare. "And when your henchmen are getting worried for you, you know it's serious."
"If they have a problem with me, they can tell me themselves!" Hacker exclaimed, crossing out another figure on the picture.
"They're afraid to, because you aren't The Hacker we all know and love anymore." Wicked said. "And upon seeing you, I'm inclined to agree."
"Of course you are." Hacker muttered, studying the picture for a moment. "Well, Wicked, I will only tell you this once." he turned briefly to glance at her. "Stay out of my affairs." he then returned to what he was doing.
Wicked glared at him for a moment. "You know, that was always your problem." she said. "You always had to put your precious evil schemes first. Sometimes I could understand that, being a bit of a evil-doer myself, if I may say so."
"Oh please." Hacker said, rolling his eyes, and crossing out another figure on the picture with his marker.
"But you always put those stupid plans before your allies, friends, your lovers, even." Wicked went on. "Hence why we are no longer together."
"The Hacker waits on no one." Hacker grumbled, crossing out another figure in the picture. Wicked tried to steal a glance at the picture, but Hacker, aware of her attempts, shielded the picture from her view.
"What are you working on, anyway?" Wicked asked.
"Probably my greatest plan ever." Hacker said, with a glare, crossing out yet another figure on the picture. There seemed to be a fair number of them. "If you really must know, anyway."
"Okay, I buy that." Wicked said, standing up and walking around to Hacker's other side. "The Hacker has come up with a plan so great, he's willing to risk everything in order to pull it off, including his health."
Hacker glared at her again. "What about my health?" he asked bitterly.
"That's another your henchmen are worried about." Wicked explained. "They say you aren't eating."
"I am too." Hacker grumbled, turning to face her. "I ate just over an hour ago."
"But not enough of a meal, and it's your first real meal that you've had today." Wicked said pointedly. "Hacker...I know you have big evil plans and everything, but I think you're getting just a little carried away with this one plan." she paused, then added, "More an usual, anyway."
"This is important Wicked." Hacker persisted.
"But is it really so important that you'll risk not only your health, but the health of your own henchmen?" Wicked asked.
Hacker glared at her once more.
"They told me about your little test run the other day." Wicked said.
"I should've know that would've come up." Hacker muttered, "Look, Wicked, you can't understand just how important this is. This is the very last plan I've got. If it doesn't work...if it somehow fails...if...if..."
"If what?" Wicked demanded. "You'll go mad?"
"Exactly." Hacker said.
Wicked shook her head. "Then it's too late, you're already mad." she said. "You're neglecting your own health, your ignoring the needs of your ship and your crew, your being cruel to your henchmen..."
"I'm a very cruel person!" Hacker objected.
"No you aren't." Wicked said, pressing her nose into Hacker's. "You're obsessed."
"Get out!" Hacker exclaimed, standing and pushing her towards the door. "Get out of my lab! Get off my ship! NOW!"
Wicked shot Hacker one last glance, then obeyed, opening and closing the lab door again noisily in her anger. Hacker stared at the door for a long moment, fuming. Then, forcing himself to relax while smoothing back his wig, he sat back down again and returned his attention back to the picture. Only one figure remained on it that hadn't been crossed out. Hacker circled it with his marker, grinning.
"Perfect." he said.
"Well?" Buzz asked, as he followed Wicked as she stormed back to her broom. "How did it go?"
"How did it go?" Wicked repeated. "How do you think it went? That crazy, obsessed, no-good, rotten..."
"That bad, huh?" Buzz said, worried this would happen.
"Yes, it was that bad." Wicked said, arriving at her broom and climbing back on it.
"So, what should me and DeeDee do?" Buzz asked.
"You really want my opinion?" Wicked asked. "Then get out of Hacker's employment and get off this ship." she revved her broom in preparation to leave. "And the sooner the better, Buzz."
And with a roar, she and her broom shot back out the side door and into Cyberspace. In a matter of moments, she was gone, leaving a very ill-feeling Buzz behind with quite a quandary...