As the chapt. title suggests, some oof our main characters are reunited. A reference to all of my Cybcerchase fanfics previous to this one is made, and Hacker's proven to not be so sane after all...like there was any doubt to begin with. :P

11.

Partially Reunited

The Cybersquad sat in their bubbles, feeling bored, useless, and increasingly desperate. They knew they had to get out and stop Hacker before it was too late, but they didn't know how to get out, what Hacker was up to, and when it would be too late. And this was information they needed to know in order to do anything.

Matt hovered aimlessly in his bubble, not liking having to be inactive. "Any ideas now, Inez?" he asked.

Inez floated upside down in her bubble, the closest she could come to doing a headstand, something that always seemed to help her think. "Nothing that I haven't already said."

Jackie had her arms wrapped around her legs. "I wish Digit was here." she said. "He knows quite a bit about the Grim Wreaker."

"I don't know about this part of it though." Matt pointed out, gesturing to the bubbles that contained them. "I don't remember the Grim Wreaker ever having something like this before."

"Yes, I came to the conclusion as well." Inez said. "I think this is something new, something Hacker has only recently gotten."

"And you are absolutely correct." an all-too familiar voice announced from the front of the room.

Standing in the doorway was the cyborg himself, Hacker. He grinned at the looks of contempt the kids gave him, and waltzed up to the energy bubbles' control panel.

"Hello kiddies, are we having fun yet?" he asked.

"What are you up to Hacker?" Inez asked, getting right down to the point. "What's your plan?"

"Only one of sheer desperation, no thanks to you three." Hacker said. "If this won't make you listen, nothing will."

"Listen to what, Hacker?" Jackie asked.

"Listen to what I want, and how to get it to me." Hacker said.

"Who'd want to listen to that?" Matt asked, annoyed.

"You'd better." Hacker said. "Because I must have it!"

"Control of Cyberspace." Inez guessed.

"Yes, exactly!" Hacker said. "And why not? Everyone else in Cyberspace gets whatever they want, whenever they want. Except me. You are all trying to exclude me, to kick me out of the Cyberspace fan club."

"For good reason, believe me, Hacker." Jackie said.

"Oh no, I don't think so." Hacker said, pointing an accusing finger at Jackie. "You're all jealous, that's what this is about!"

"What?" all three of the kids chorused together.

"Yes, jealous!" Hacker said. "You know that allowing me to have any influence over Cyberspace's inner workings would mean you would get upstaged! You're afraid that by letting that happen, support would turn away from you and onto me!"

"What?" Matt asked. "That's not true!"

"Yes it is, and you know it!" Hacker said. "And for the longest time, you all thought that I didn't know! Well, now I do, and I know why didn't before! You wiped it from my memory! You're all plotting against me to make my life miserable!"

The kids stared at him for a few moments.

"Hacker, we've always thought that your mental health has been a little bit poor as of late, but you've really gone off the deep end this time." Matt said. "Your whole story is false, every bit of it! You've convinced yourself that it's true!"

"You're just saying that because you think your cover can still be saved!" Hacker said. "But I know better! I was destined to rule over Cyberspace, but you are trying to keep me from what's rightfully my own!"

"You...conspiracy theorist!" Matt exclaimed.

"Hacker, the reason all of this has happened is because you tried to take what was rightfully ours away from us!" Inez said. "We only do this in self-defense! It's your own fault that you've got this way! And the only way to change that is to change your methods."

But Hacker wouldn't hear of it. "When will you realize that the game is up?" he asked. "You've lost! I've caught onto your little scheme, and I will not stand idle and let you get away with it! If things must be this way, then so be it!" And with a flutter of his cape, Hacker marched back out of the room and was gone.

"Well." Inez said after a moment of silence. "That was productive."

"Go figure." Jackie muttered.

Matt shook his head. "Hacker has lost it." he said. "Lost it to the point that he's a threat to himself if he keep this up."

"I thought that we knew that from day one?" a new voice now asked.

The Cybersquad looked up once again and saw Digit enter the room.

"Digit!" Matt exclaimed, relieved. "Thank goodness! How about getting us out of here buddy?"

"Sure." Digit said, sitting down at the control panel and scanning over the various buttons. "But this would go faster if Hacker labeled his buttons better."

"I'm just glad that we're going to get out of these annoying bubbles." Jackie said, floating into a standing position within her bubble. "I kinda miss gravity." she then looked up once more and saw yet another figure. "Who's that?" she suddenly asked.

Digit turned around to look at the figure now edging her way forward. "Oh." Digit said, "That's...uh...uh...the...er...see, what happened was...um..."

"Is that who I think it..." Matt began to say but was suddenly cut off by Inez.

"Lara?" she exclaimed, recognizing the girl before them almost immediately.

"Uh, hi." Lara said hesitantly, grinning sheepishly. "Uh, heard you needed some help, so..."

"You know her?" Matt asked Inez.

"Don't you?" Inez asked back. "I'm sure I've introduced her to you before."

"No." Matt said. "I'd think I'd remember someone else from the Real World who knew about Cyberspace."

"Well, she didn't." Inez said. "Not since I last knew."

"Er..." Lara said, unsure how to explain this.

"Well, things changed." Digit said, finding the right control and pressing it. The bubbles vanished with a pop and the Cybersquad dropped to the ground. "You guys got captured, figured out what Hacker planned to do, and needed additional help. "And she, Peter, and Alex happened to be in a good position to be picked up, so..."

"Wait, she's not the only one you brought into Cyberspace?" Jackie asked, picking herself off of the floor, dusting off her skirt.

"Peter's here?" Matt asked, sitting up. "Isn't that the one kid who's always looking at me weird, like he knows some secret of mine, and is just waiting to use it against me?"

"That's kinda it." Lara said, helping Matt up to his feet. "Anyway, he was right. You guys did have a secret. Having unbelievable adventures in a place no one even dreamed of."

"What, this?" Matt asked, in reference to their current situation. "I've seen far more...interesting...things than this. Like meeting up with my future self, visiting a parallel universe, and getting turned into a mouse, among other things."

"Wow, you guys really have done a lot." Lara remarked as they cautiously left the room. She was silent for a moment, then asked Matt, "You got turned into a mouse?"

"Yeah." Matt replied, "Not one of my better days."

"And all of that has only happened recently." Inez added. "We've had loads of adventures, more exciting than this one."

"So anyway," Jackie interrupted, as they hurried through the barren hallways of the Wreaker. "What's the situation Didge?"

"Not good." Digit replied. "But first, we need to track down Peter and Alex again."

"What, you got separated?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, and it wasn't really by choice." Digit replied. "But don't worry, I have a pretty good idea of where they are and how to get there."

"Okay." Inez said. "But we don't have any real idea what's going on here, so if you could fill us in on the way, Digit, it'd be appreciated."

"Certainly." Digit replied. "But you aren't going to like it."