The action builds... ;)

7.

Cat and Mouse

Dr. Marbles watched as Inez animatedly explained the long story of her adventures in Cyberspace to her stunned parents. He wished he could here, but case Inez's parents panicked, they and Inez had been locked into the gardens, to hold the conversation in private. Marbles still wished he could take part in the conversation.

"You cannot go in there, Dr. Marbles." Motherboard stated, reading his thoughts. "Inez's parents are quite frightened. They will not react well to a cyborg's presence until they better adjust to the idea of Cyberspace's existence."

"I know, Motherboard, it's just this is a big risk we're taking." Marbles sighed. "We both know the risk we take every time we reveal Cyberspace's existence to yet another Earthling."

"I know." Motherboard admitted. "But there was little choice. If they had not been brought into Cyberspace, Hacker would have killed them."

"And enough life has been taken because of Hacker already." Lara added, sitting curled up in a ball in a corner, where she had been morning the loss of her foster parents.

"How are you holding up, Lara?" Marbles asked, looking concerned.

"Okay." Lara said. "They were good friends, though, almost like parents to me, too. The idea that they're gone is...shocking."

"You are taking the situation very well, however." Motherboard remarked. "Most would break down completely from the shock and pain."

"I've had practice." Lara said. "When my real parents died."

They were silent for a moment.

"Marbles, you do realize that we may have to bring more Earthlings into Cyberspace in order to save them, correct?" Motherboard asked suddenly, changing the subject.

"Yes, I do." Marbles said. "And the longer Hacker stays in Cyberspace, the more damage he will cause, physically and otherwise."

"We need to bring Hacker back to Cyberspace where he belongs, and quickly." Motherboard agreed. "Unfortunately, I see no way to do it."

"I, too, am coming up with little solutions to our dilemma, Motherboard." Marbles admitted. "But I do have an idea, that, with some testing, could work."

"What will it require?" Motherboard asked.

"A barren cybersite, and an assistant." Marbles replied. "Speaking of which, I should tell you that I've contacted Dr. Archimedes, and arranged to conduct such tests at cybersite Eureka, with his help, of course. We shouldn't be disrupted from this work, either. With Hacker away from Cyberspace, it does mean the rest of us are safe from attack by him."

"Yes it is." Motherboard agreed. "When will you leave?"

"As soon as possible, just give the word." Marbles said.

"Marbles, the word is given." Motherboard said. "But before you go, please take my manual controls out of observe mode."

"Very well, but why?" Marbles asked.

"I wish to have someone here to conduct the rudimentary operations while I concentrate on more important objectives." Motherboard explained.

Marbles typed in the command codes that would unlock Motherboard's control panel. "Okay, but if I will be gone, who will operate the controls?" he asked.

"I could!" Lara said, standing up, and thankful for a distraction. "Just give me the lowdown of what I need to do, and I'll do it."

"She will suffice." Motherboard agreed. "Now go, Marbles, conduct your tests. The sooner we have a means to pull Hacker back into Cyberspace, the better."

Marbles nodded, and left, leaving Motherboard to begin instructing Lara.

Matt was still heading for home. He wasn't too inclined to reach it very quickly, so he was taking a pace that was much slower than the breakneck pace he had used to reach Inez's apartment. Shivering, he pulled his black windbreaker closer to his body, even though it had long since stopped raining. He was shivering more in fear of Hacker, coming ever closer.

He sensed the fear was spreading too, for the pedestrians walking on the streets, even though they were at a loss about what was happening, and who Hacker was and where he had come from, seemed much more on edge. He was starting to see fewer and fewer. Matt wondered if the officials had confirmed Hacker as a threat and where advising everyone in his range to stay at home.

Matt knew that if Hacker wanted to get at them, though, staying at home wouldn't do them any good. Which was why he didn't want to go home and sit, awaiting the inevitable, doing nothing to try and fix the problem. The only reason he had obeyed was because he knew he didn't have any better things to do.

For some time he walked, staring at the sidewalk. But then he noticed that the pedestrians who passed him were suddenly running back the way the came. Suddenly he felt and heard dull thuds from somewhere not so far off. he finally stopped and looked up when he heard sirens, and saw several police cars, a couple paramedics, and a fire truck, whizz by.

He turned to see where they were going, and saw in the distance, a cloud of smoke billowing out into the sky. His stomach sank as he realized that smoke was originating from the area Inez's apartment was. But his stomach sank even further as he recognized the Grim Wreaker hovering nearby, lazily circling the area, surveying the damage. Occasionally a flash of light would bounce off the cybercraft's hull, and Matt suspected somebody was firing at it, but causing very little damage.

Matt's theory was suddenly proven right when the Wreaker suddenly fired it's laser cannon without warning down at some unseen target. Another dull thud rang out, and Matt felt the aftershocks ripple through the ground. Terrified of what he was seeing, he started to back up, going past an alley as he stared at Hacker's ship.

Then, without warning, somebody standing within the alley grabbed Matt, covered his mouth, and dragged him into the alley. Matt started to fight whomever it was, but then whoever it was shushed him.

"Shh, it's okay, it's me, Mattie!" exclaimed a familiar voice.

Matt froze, and suddenly forced his way out of the person's grasp. "Digit?" he said, stunned to see the cybird, standing on top of a trash can. "You're here? In the Real World?"

"On a special mission for Motherboard." Digit explained. "We know Hacker's here too. I was here to get in contact with you all."

"Contact?" Matt said. "So the SKWAKs really aren't working right?"

"Your's should now." Digit said, holding up his own, slightly modified SKWAK pad. "The doc gave me this special pad to override Hacker's jamming signal and relay a special programs to all of the other SKWAKs in range."

"Hacker's jamming our SKWAKs?" Matt repeated, as he pulled out his own pad. "How's he doing that?"

"Dunno." Digit remarked. "But there are a lot of questions we asking about all of this."

Matt suddenly remembered one of his own. "Didge, Hacker's attacking something." he said urgently. "I think it might be Inez's home."

"It is." Digit replied. "It's all over the news channels you Earthlings have. Saw one at a store I passed. Government's sending in people to try and stop Hacker, and are trying to evacuate the city."

"That won't do any good, Hacker will only follow." Matt said. "But Inez, do we know if she's all right?"

"I don't, I haven't checked in with home yet." Digit said. "Things have gotten really busy when Hacker's attack started."

"I noticed." Matt said, switching on his SKWAK pad. "If my SKWAK's really working right, Didge, then why hasn't Mother B contacted me?"

"I dunno, but she's undoubtably busy too." Digit said. "She and the doc were working on a way to stop Hacker when I got sent here."

"Right." Matt said, then focused his attention to his SKWAK. "Matt to Motherboard, come in Motherboard!"

A beeping noise rang out in the control room. Lara looked up from where she had been busy adjusting the power flow from Power Station Gamma. "What's that?" she asked.

"Someone is calling us." Motherboard replied, who seemed distracted as she worked on whatever it was she was working on. "Press the button on the control panel on the left hand side to accept the transmission. It should be blinking."

Lara saw the button and pressed it. "This is Control Central, how can I help you?" she said aloud as a video feed was established and brought up on a nearby screen.

"Lara?" came the surprised response.

"Matt?" Lara said, also surprised, but relieved. "Where are you?"

"In an alley connecting Seventh and Huston streets, why?" Matt replied.

"Hacker should be right near you!" Lara exclaimed, worried.

"We know, me and Digit can see him from here."

"Digit? Digit's there with you?"

"Yeah, didn't you know? Why are you there anyway?"

"Hacker attacked my apartment, as well as Inez's!" Lara exclaimed, like the answer was obvious. "We both just nearly escaped!"

"So Inez is safe?" Matt asked, relieved.

"Yes." Lara said, then paused for a moment. "But other life was lost."

"What? Whose?"

"I'll explain later." Lara said, avoiding the subject. "What's going on?"

"Digit said I should be able to call Cyberspace now." Matt said. "I wanted to see if he was right. Who else you got there with you?"

"Just me, Inez, and Inez's parents." Lara explained.

"Inez's parents?" Matt repeated, surprised.

"They would've been killed had we not rescued them." Lara pointed out.

"I can see that, but...how are they taking it?"

"Not well, but at least they haven't totally freaked out yet." Lara said, looking behind here where Inez was still talking with her parents. "Motherboard and Marbles reasoned, though, that we might have to pull others into Cyberspace as well."

"Shoot." Matt cursed, but sighed. "I guess there's no avoiding it now, though."

"How are things going there?"

"It's chaos here. The government doesn't have clue what's happening, so they're evacuating the city, and Didge has indicated they intend to try and destroy Hacker and his ship. Probably by any means possible."

"Can that be done?" Lara asked, wondering if that was all it would take to solve all of their problems."

"Digit is saying here that it depends." Matt replied, looking off-screen briefly. "But he also points out that if we intend to keep Cyberspace secret, we probably shouldn't let them. If they succeed in destroying Hacker's ship, they'll examine the remains, and possibly learn more than we want them to."

"Good point." Lara admitted. "Listen, do you have any ideas, or do you..."

But she trailed off when Matt's face suddenly turned into one of panic as he saw something off-screen.

"Matt?" Lara asked, alarmed.

"It's Hacker!" Matt exclaimed. "He's coming straight at me!"

"What are we going to do?" Digit asked, as the Wreaker suddenly changed course and surged to their location, laser cannon turning to point at them.

"Digit, get out of here!" Matt yelled, getting an idea. "Find everybody else!"

"What?" Digit asked. "And leave you here?"

"Yes, I'm going to distract Hacker and buy you time!" Matt said. "Now go!"

Digit hesitated, but then turned, taking to the air and flew off.

Matt lifted his SKWAK again. "Lara, can you get me a portal?" he asked.

"I think so." Lara said, and conversed with Motherboard for a moment. "Yes, but nothing too fancy."

"Shouldn't need anything like that." Matt said, watching the Wreaker come closer, almost over top of him now. "I just need a portal leading from here to some spot some distance from where Hacker is now, here in the Real World."

"Motherboard says we can do that." Lara said. "But why? What good will that do?"

"I'm going to lure Hacker away from causing more harm." Matt said. "Now open that portal!"

Lara nodded, and started working with the controls. The Wreaker came to hover over Matt, pointing it's laser cannon straight down at him, gearing up to fire. Matt readied to flee just in case the portal wasn't ready in time. But it was. A pink swirl flashed next to him, and before the portal was even open fully, Matt dove into it. An instant later, the cannon fired, blasting into the spot Matt had been a moment earlier.

The ride was quick for Matt, and he popped out the exit portal and landed on another sidewalk on another street within the city. As the portal closed, he looked around, getting his bearings. Then, he saw several blocks away, the dark shape of the Wreaker. It hovered there for a moment, then suddenly adjusted it's course again, taking it towards Matt's new location. Matt grinned. It was working.

"Okay, now again." Matt said into the SKWAK. "Further this time. Let's see how far from the city we can lure Hacker..."