More people learn about Cyberspace, Hacker attacks Alex, and something happens to Digit. Two-thirds talk and one third action.
10.
A Time for Chaos
Matt, Jackie, Inez, and Lara watched through the transparent greenhouse door at the group within. Inez's parents, which still seemed uncertain about the whole situation, where now joined by Major Hardson and the two guards. As they watched, Hardson took control of the situation, quickly determined there was no escaping the greenhouse, then went about interrogating Inez's parents, finding out what they knew about this situation, seeing that all Hardson knew was that she had just been pulled here by a portal and held captive by a group of kids.
Inez shook her head as she watched all of this. "I hope you're know what you're doing Matt." she said. "If this backfires..."
"I know what the risks are." Matt said. "I'm not too thrilled by this choice either. But the major wasn't giving us much choice, and she could be able to help us in stopping Hacker and getting him back into Cyberspace where he belongs."
"But what about all that stuff about prematurely revealing the existence of Cyberspace to the Real World being a really, really, bad idea?" Lara asked, remembering the stories Matt and Inez had told her about their adventure in a parallel universe.
"I'm hoping we can talk Hardson into keeping it a secret." Matt said. "You know, classify the whole situation."
"Classify something as big as this?" Jackie asked, unbelieving. "Just...filing it away and pretend it never existed?"
"Sure, the government probably does it all the time." Matt said with a shrug. "Besides, judging from what I've heard about this fraction of the army the major is in, they deal with a lot of secret stuff."
"Like the fact that they've been monitoring the portals we use to go to and from Cyberspace since the very beginning." Inez reasoned. "I suppose if they could keep that secret for so long, this shouldn't be too much harder."
"But first we have to let her calm down." Matt continued. "She looked like she was ready to fight still when we put her in there, and those guards would have followed her example, seeing she's their superior officer."
Inez nodded, was silent for a moment, then shook her head again. "What a mess we've gotten into." she muttered. "Hacker on a rampage in the Real World, lives being lost, our parents learning about Cyberspace for the first time, and now the US Army's getting involved. What could possibly happen next?"
Suddenly, an alarm went off.
"Inez, I think you jinxed us. Again." Lara remarked, rushing over to Motherboard's control panel, looking for the source of the alarm.
"Mother B, what's going on?" Jackie asked, as the others followed Lara.
"It is Alex." Motherboard replied, her face appearing on the screen. "His position has not changed; he is still riding in an automobile with his parents. However, I have been monitoring his position by tracing his SKWAK pad, and have detected something of concern. An odd energy signature that does not match anything on the Real World, and is rapidly approaching Alex's position."
The four friends looked at one another.
"Hacker." Jackie surmised.
Alex quietly rode in the backseat of his parent's car, watching his parents nervously. They did not look behind them to see what Alex was up to; they were too busy paying attention to the rode, and focusing on getting as far away as they could, as the government had requested. This was good, because then they wouldn't see the SKWAK pad Alex had on, lying in his lap.
He didn't dare talk into it, knowing that his parents would overhear, so Alex settled with signing out messages to his friend in Cyberspace via a video link. So far, this was satisfactory enough. For reasons unknown, though, he had not been in contact with anybody in Cyberspace for some time. He presumed that something had come up, and was not surprised. Hacker's presence in the Real World no doubt caused a real uproar in Cyberspace, in addition to the Real World.
So, believing he was safe for the moment, he patiently awaited contact again, quietly enjoying the ride, despite the circumstances it had come about.
He was proven wrong.
He became aware of a shadow falling over the car as it drove along, and looked out the window to see what caused it. He instantly panicked when he saw the Grim Wreaker hanging over the car, readying it's laser cannon.
"Drive faster!" he suddenly exclaimed to his father, who was driving. "Now!"
His dad, being on edge as he was, didn't stop to question the command, and stomped down on the gas pedal. The car shot forward, and just in time, for a laser blast struck the ground behind them. Had the car not accelerated when it did, it would've been shot.
"What the..." Alex's dad exclaimed, surprised as the car shook from the blast's shockwave. He saw the Wreaker hanging in his rear view mirror, and quickly started going as fast as he could, taking evasive action.
Hacker fired again, hitting to one side of the speeding car, and nearly hitting a passing car. At this point, all the other cars on the highway, seeing that they were in danger, quickly moved aside, trying to avoid the Wreaker's cannon and the speeding car the cybercraft was chasing.
Another blast from the laser cannon shook the car as it nearly hit, nearl tipping the little car over. It's occupants all screamed. Alex saw his SKWAK pad slide off his lap, and quickly grabbed it.
"Alex to Mother B!" he exclaimed into his pad. "HELP!"
Another blast struck directly behind the car, close enough this time, that the force of the blast knocked out the car's back window. It's three occupants screamed again.
"Why is it shooting at us?" Alex's mother screamed.
"I'll explain later, keep driving!" Alex exclaimed, hoping that he would get a reply on his SKWAK soon.
He did. "Alex, this is Inez..." Inez's calm voice was suddenly broadcasted over the SKWAK.
"HELP!" Alex shouted again into the SKWAK, interrupting Inez.
"We're working on it!" Inez exclaimed back. "We're opening a portal, head for it!"
"Dad, when you see a pink light, drive straight for it, no questions asked!" Alex quickly told his father.
"Pink light?" his dad asked, puzzled. "What..."
But then another laser blast struck the ground near the car, close enough that it blew out the car's two side windows. Alex's mother screeched as the glass sprayed around her.
"Just do it!" Alex said.
They didn't have to wait long. Soon a portal flared into existence straight ahead of the speeding car.
"There!" Alex exclaimed, pointing. "Head for that!"
"But..." his dad began to object.
"DO IT!" Alex exclaimed.
The car rocked again as the Wreaker fired another laser blast, getting closer and more deadly with each passing moment. This last blast caused one of the car's tires to blow, but the car surged on at it's breakneck speed. Finally, the entire car shot into the portal, forcing the Wreaker to break off it's attack.
The next thing Alex knew, the car had merged a foot off the ground in Control Central's hanger bay. Due to it's great momentum, the car sailed forward for a few feet, then it's wheels hit the ground with a earthshattering thud and a piercing squeal as the tire rim of the burst tire ground against the tile floor.
The moment Alex was sure the car was fully on the ground again, he shouted, "BRAKES!"
But his dad didn't need prompting this time, who slammed both feet on the brakes. The car ground to a screeching halt, stopping just inches from the nose of the two-seater cybercoop. Silence suddenly fell as the shocked occupants of the car tried to calm themselves down. The pitter-patter of footsteps rang out, and Alex turned to see Matt and Jackie rush into the hanger bay, looking ready to help.
Meanwhile, his parents were looking around in awe.
"Where are we?" Alex's mother asked.
"Cyberspace, would you believe it?" Alex replied, relieved for the moment that he had escaped alive.
"Son, just tell us what this device is, who you were talking to, and where you got it." Peter's father said, holding up the SKWAK pad he had caught his son using. "It's not that hard."
"Trust me, dad." Peter said flatly, leaning against the kitchen table they sat around. "It is."
"Peter, please cooperate." his mother said. "We need to get out of here, the governments issued an evacuation. That alien ship could attack here at any moment!"
"Actually it won't, I know that much." Peter said. "At least, that's if they haven't conveniently forgotten to tell me something."
"And how would you know all that?" Peter's father asked, looking frustrated at his son's stubbornness.
"It's complicated." Peter said. "And even if I could tell you, I wouldn't, because you wouldn't believe me!"
"Try us, Peter." his mother begged. "We're here to listen to you, no matter what!"
"I can't." Peter said. "I promised I wouldn't tell."
"So there is something you haven't told us." Peter's father surmised.
"Yeees." Peter admitted with reluctance. "But trust me, you're better off not knowing. If only you knew all the dangerous stuff I've...unwillingly...gotten into..."
"Like what?" Peter's mother asked, worried suddenly.
"Like life and death stuff." Peter admitted.
"Alright, that's it." Peter's dad said, throwing down the SKWAK. "I've had enough of this game. Peter, you had better tell us what's going on, right now, before I get really mad!"
"No!" Peter said. "And getting mad won't help any!"
"One..." Peter's dad started counting down.
"Really, it won't!" Peter said, but started to get leery about the wrath his father was threatening to unleash.
"Two..." Peter's dad continued.
"All right, all right!" Peter exclaimed, and hurriedly continued, explaining. "The device is called a SKWAK pad, a mix between a walkie-talkie and drawing board, I was talking to a friend, named Lara, you've met her before, and I got it in Cyberspace."
His parents gave him blank looks.
"Okay, I had you there for a moment." Peter's mother said, puzzled. "But I lost you at the last part."
"The SKWAK pad, I got it in Cyberspace." Peter repeated, annoyed. "That was one of dad's questions, right?"
"Right." Peter's dad said, frowning. "Cyberspace?"
"Uh-huh." Peter said.
"You're right, I don't believe it." his father said.
"Maxwell..." his mother said, frowning in disapproval of her husband's remark.
"Trust me, I wouldn't make this up." Peter said. "Not for any old reason, anyway."
Peter's father scratched his head. "Cyberspace." he repeated yet again, looking as if he was considering it.
"That's right."
"How could you get something like this from Cyberspace?"
"Oh, if only you knew."
"So, let me get this straight." Peter's mother said. "You got this...SKWAK pad...from Cyberspace, which you've actually been to?"
"Once or twice, yeah." Peter admitted with a shrug. "I'm a bit of a newcomer there, actually."
"How does any of this fit in with what's going on here?" his mother asked next.
"Well, you know that alien ship out there?" Peter said, pointing out the window, even though the Wreaker was no where in sight out it. "It's not alien. It's from Cyberspace. It's not supposed to be here, though, so it's causing quite an uproar in several places. But it's controlled by this really bad dude named Hacker."
"Hacker." his father repeated skeptically.
"I know, the name's stupid." Peter agreed. "But it's true. He's here to seek his revenge on a group of kids, including me, which have been going into Cyberspace periodically to stop Hacker's occasional attempt to take over."
His father stared at him.
"I know it's hard to believe, it's really something you have to see in order to believe." Peter explained.
"So where's your proof?" his father asked.
Peter opened his mouth to reply, but then suddenly caught sight of something outside the window behind his parents. There was Digit, standing there, waving, trying to get Peter's attention.
"Talk about timing." Peter remarked, and walked over to open the window, allowing Digit to fly. "Here's my proof." he said, as Digit hovered inside, and landed on the table. "This is Digit."
Digit looked at Peter's stunned parents, and bowed politely. "How do you do?" he asked.
The parents just stared at the cybird.
"How much have you told them?" Digit asked. "I heard about your situation here, so I figured you'd give in sooner or later."
"I did. I was just beginning, really." Peter said, coming to stand beside Digit. "You know, just covering the basics."
Peter's mother suddenly stood, and backed away from Digit. "What is it?" she asked, unsure about the newcomer.
"'It?'" Digit repeated, undignified.
"He's a cybird." Peter explained. "He lives in Cyberspace."
"So wait, there's actually life in Cyberspace?" Peter's father asked.
"Yeah." Digit replied for Peter.
"How?"
Peter thought for a moment. "I don't know." he admitted. "There just is. To be perfectly honest, it perplexes me as well."
"So how do you get to...Cyberspace?" Peter's mother asked, reaching out and poking Digit in the beak, just to confirm the cybird was real.
"By portal." Peter said.
"We can show you." Digit added.
Peter glanced at Digit. "You sure about that?" he asked.
"It's not safe here." Digit explained. "You're the only left who's not in Cyberspace. Besides, we're hoping that by getting all of you in Cyberspace will lure Hacker back in Cyberspace, where we can deal with him better."
Peter glanced at his parents, who looked like they only partially understood this. "I'm not sure how they'll react to that." he stated, unsure.
"It seems to vary on the parent." Digit admitted. "Inez's parents freaked out, but they've been the only ones so faaarrr..."
Digit suddenly trailed off, then tipped over, unconscious. Peter's parents yelped and backed up.
"Digit?" Peter exclaimed, coming to the cybird's side. "Digit!" Seeing his SKWAK pad left on the table, Peter grabbed it and switched it on. "Hey, whomever I'm talking to! Something's wrong with Digit, we need a portal, now!"