Hey, just a note – I'd like to start writing one-shots or stories on requests for people, too. If you go to my profile, you can get the information, and PM me if you'd like me to write anything for you. Thank you!
Upstairs, Jackie and Creech were sitting on the couch, deep in conversation. Inez had originally been a part of it, but eventually, she had wandered away. She explored the kitchen, garage, and all the closets. Finally, she pulled open a door to find Matt and Slider, casually walking up the stairs.
"Oh!" She said, moving out of the way.
"Hey, there Nezzie." Slider teased.
"Come on, you two; let's get to the living room. Are you hungry, Ire – uh, Inez?" Matt asked, pausing slightly.
"Not really." Inez answered. "What's the plan?"
The three of them sat down in the living room. Slider sat on a couch across from Jackie and Creech. Matt grabbed a chair, and Inez perched next to Jackie, and Digit flew in to sit next to Matt.
Slider quickly explained what he had shown to Matt, and then looked around. "Okay, does anyone have any questions?"
"Who are our allies?" Inez queried.
"Ms. Fileshare, Shari Spotter, Mr. Zero, King Dudicus, Glowla, Spout, Judy, Trudy, Master Pi, Fluff, Blinky, Mummsy, Jules, Abby, and Ollie, and a few more." Creech listed.
The Cybersquad nodded seriously.
"What are Hacker's weakest points?" Jackie questioned. "We need a plan."
Slider took a breath. "Well, so far, I know that he leaves his castle around ten in the morning and comes back at three. During that time, he looks for any remaining resistance and tries to squash it. Other than that, I don't know how to defeat him, or how to get past his guards."
"We need to find Dr. Marbles." Jackie mused. "He might be able to help out."
"The last I heard, he landed somewhere in Solaria." Creech spoke up. "But I have no idea if he's still there or if he's moved away by then."
"Is there any way to find out?" Matt asked.
"We should go and see if we can find him." Digit suggested. "The doc is sure to have a backup plan to fix Motherboard."
Everyone paused for a moment, respectfully silent for their fallen leader. Then, they all stood up.
"How are we going to find him? Should we all go together?" Matt asked. "We'll have a better of a chance of finding him, but we'll also have a bigger chance of getting caught by Hacker."
"Right." Slider murmured. "How about we all go, but we go in separate groups, pretending that we don't know each other?"
"Good idea, but how will we be able to reach each other if we do find him?" Inez questioned.
Slider grinned. He moved behind the couch into the kitchen, and returned with four blue items – Squack Pads.
Inez gasped as Slider handed one to Jackie and Matt. Once she got hers, she held it in her hand, relishing the feeling of comfort it gave her. "I've missed this!"
"We'll split up." Matt nodded, slipping the Squack Pad into his backpack.
"Creech, Digit and I can go together." Jackie decided. "Since two of us will have Squack Pads."
"So then I guess it's Slider, Nezzie, and me." Matt grinned. "We can start at the North side of Solaria."
"Yeah, let's go!" Inez cheered. "And don't call me Nezzie."
"That means we'll start at the South side, and we can meet in the middle." Jackie organized. "Okay, so should we take all of our luggage with us?"
"No, it's fine." Slider reassured her. "If we run out of time today, we can return here and spend tomorrow looking, too. That way we won't be weighed down by anything heavy. Just bring anything that you think you're going to need."
Jackie nodded and slipped the Squack Pad into her pocket. Inez handed Matt hers, and he put it in his backpack.
"Let's go, guys." Matt grinned.
Inez reached up and grabbed Matt's hand. He squeezed her hand comfortingly.
Jackie, Creech, and Digit stepped out into the Radopolis sun, smiling and chatting, as though they were just another pair of friends, spending a day away from responsibilities.
"All right, ready Reeny?" Matt teased.
Inez stuck out her tongue. "Don't call me that!"
Slider joined them, and they stepped outside. He quickly locked up his home before leading them to the Transportation Center. They look a leisure pace, so that they wouldn't catch up to Jackie and Creech.
"I want to go to R-Fair City." Inez declared suddenly.
Matt glanced down in surprise. It had been a long time since Inez had asked for anything, so for her to just announce that she wanted something – well, it was a big surprise.
"Maybe when we have some free time." He finally said, phrasing it so any passerby wouldn't think anything strange. "We'll go when we're free."
Inez nodded quietly.
The rest of the trip was made in silence, everyone absorbed in their own thoughts.
"How long will it take us to get to Solaria?" Inez asked a little while later, just as they entered the Transportation Center.
"It will take us an hour, tops." Slider answered. "I just hope we'll be able to find what we're looking for quickly."
"Yeah, me too." Inez answered.
Matt was silently impressed. Ever since they'd arrived in Radopolis, Ire – Inez had been speaking more than she'd had in the last three weeks back in Smallsville.
Irene was slowly becoming Inez again. He was just wondering when Mike was going to become Matt.
