Hello everyone. I've been feeling so inspired lately to write not only this but also a Beauty and the Beast/Cinderella crossover, based on a Disney theory I came up with all by myself. I will not post it until I've finished this story, but I'm just so glad to finally have new ideas popping into my head.

So with that being said, here's chapter 45.


~Chapter Forty-Five~

"And it absolutely must never come in contact with magnetite. It will erase everything in the system. Centuries worth of files and documentation will be lost forever. It would be the same as blowing up Control Central itself," Richard explained to his new assistant.

"Understood," said Marbles.

"Any other questions?" the chief technician asked.

"Yes actually," the younger cyborg answered, "When you were showing me around the circuitry halls I noticed-"

Marbles' sentence was cut off when he heard the facility's doorbell ring.

"Hold that thought," Richard said as he checked the monitor to see who it was.

"Hello in there," Ada called, she and her mother waving at the camera, "I'm afraid we've forgotten the password. May we come in?"

"Of course," Richard said, recognizing the two women who had been such a help to Cyberspace's well-being.

As soon as the doors were open to them, they came rushing into the main control room.

"Well?" Ada asked her boyfriend, "Has he asked her yet?"

"Has who asked who what yet?" Marbles said in confusion.

"Oh don't play dumb my dear doctor," Ada said.

"Oh dear," said Margaret, "I'm afraid I forgot to tell him."

"Tell me what?"

"Well Marbles," Margaret began, "Last week Antoine came to me asking for my blessing to-"

Margaret's sentence was cut off as the doors opened once more, revealing the ecstatic and stunned faces of Antoine Klemmons and Melissa Sara Benson.

"Ah here's the happy couple," Margaret exclaimed, "Judging by the look on your face, Motherboard, I think I know what just happened!"

"WHAT ARE WE ALL DISCUSSING?!" Marbles shouted in frustration.

"Tell him darling," Antoine said, "You're his sister after all."

Melissa was still too stunned to speak though. Instead she merely raised her left hand, revealing the diamond-studded ring.

Marbles gasped and Ada hugged her tightly.

"Congratulations Motherboard!" she said, "You two make such a perfect pair!"

"Yes congratulations!" exclaimed Richard.

"Well," Marbles said shaking Antoine's hand, "I've always wanted a brother and Archimedes was the closest I ever got to one. Welcome to the family Antoine!"

"Thank you Dr. Marbles, but not so fast. We're going to wait a while first."

"Yes," Melissa said as she broke from Ada's tight hug, "We don't want to overshadow Mr. Williams' wedding. We're going to wait about a year before we make the announcement."

"Well you better hide that ring then," Richard said.

"And I better be your maid of honor," added Ada as Melissa took Richard's advice and put the ring in her purse.

"Who else would be Ada?" Melissa asked.

"Well I certainly hope not the familiar face I ran into at the Cyber Mall today," the younger female cyborg said.

"Oh and who is that?" asked Richard.

"Lauren," Ada answered, "An old classmate from grade school."

"Oh her," Marbles shuddered, "Is she the same as she was then?"

"From what I've gathered yes. And now she has a daughter she named Wicked."

"Wicked?" Melissa repeated, "Who would name their daughter that?"

"Lauren apparently," Ada replied, "But onto other topics..."

"Yes," Richard said, "Dr. Marbles you were trying to ask me something?"

"Finally," he thought.

"Yes. When you were showing me around the circuitry halls, I noticed a socket similar to that of the three computer programmed cyborgs. Does that mean-"

"Yep," Richard answered, knowing what he was about to ask, "It was first installed into the system during the Great Cyber War. At its worst, they were afraid Shift would be killed and the last thing anyone needed during all that was a search for a new ruler. So they upgraded the supercomputer to make it compatible for transferring conciousness, in case the unthinkable happened. Shift ordered it to be a secret that never went beyond the doors of Control Central. In fact his last request before resigning was that only the future leaders of Cyberspace and those in their direct circle know about it. Obviously that would be all of you."

"Its a good thing Abaddon didn't discover it while he was in power," Melissa commented.

"We'd be doomed if that happened!" Richard exclaimed, "Luckily I don't think anyone in his league had ever worked a supercomputer."

"How many people are needed to run that thing anyway?" Antoine asked, observing the massive monitor above them.

"At least fifty," his fiancee answered automatically, "They're not called supercomputers for nothing. There are so many different functions it performs, fifty people is the minimum needed to work it all."

"It almost makes me wish we did just transfer our leaders into them. We sure wouldn't need such a large staff if it had a mind of its own!"

The group laughed as a pink haired female cyborg came up to them.

"PC," Richard said to her, "Don't usually see you around at this time!"

"I just wanted to introduce myself," PC said as she turned to Melissa, "Hi Motherboard. I'm Petunia Crownsbarry, but you can call me PC. I work in the lookout cockpit at night with my friend Mac."

"Its nice to meet you PC," Melissa said shaking her hand, "I'm sure we'll get to know each other real well."

"I hope so," she said, "I've really admired you, ever since you and your friends here stopped Ann Arky that one time."

"Oh it was nothing."

"I guess Richard or Gerry told you about the time slowing down? Crazy stuff isn't it?" PC said.

"No..." the new ruler said looking very confused.

"What is she talking about Richard?" Marbles asked the chief technician, equally perplexed.

"Its another secret that hasn't gone beyond the doors of Control Central," Richard explained, "Though people are bound to figure it out sometime. As you're all well aware, we've been monitoring Earth for the past few centuries, seeing as we obtain so much media from there, and we've noticed the difference in time is getting progressively smaller. As you know its highly speculated that Cyberspace came into existence with the use of the first telephone in Earth year 1876.* Well, way back during Tab Lock's rulership, his technicians calculated that for every year on Earth, about one hundred eighty six point four years had gone by in Cyberspace. That calculation seemed to be correct until around the time of the Great Cyber War, when Shift Key's technicians determined that about ten cyber-years were going by for every Earth year. But by the time Gerald Williams came into office, the technicians and I were counting only two cyber-years for every Earth year."

Melissa, Marbles, and the Lovelaces stood with mouths agape in astonishment.

"Weird right?" PC asked.

"So time in Cyberspace is currently twice as fast as time on Earth," Melissa concluded.

"How is this possible?!" Marbles exclaimed, "There's no logic behind it!"

"I'm as confused as you are," Richard admitted.

"I guess the powers that be thought we were advancing too far too fast in comparison with our 'sister-universe'", Margaret said, putting quote hand signs along the last words.

"That's probably the best explanation we'll ever have," PC said before turning her attention back to her leader, "I just thought it might be something to keep in mind, seeing as you're always discussing the idea of 'bridging the worlds.'"

"She's right," said Richard, "We may not have to wait as long for the people of Earth to become advanced enough for something like this. Though they're certainly nowhere near ready now. Just imagine what some of the governments there would do if they saw what we have."

"Well..." the cyborg known as Motherboard said, "We could just bring in every day citizens. Nobody said we have to get the governments involved right away. We could just bring in a few ordinary humans and swear them to secrecy."

"Believe me Motherboard you are not the first ruler to consider this," Richard said, "I believe Shift was the one who first spoke of connecting the worlds and Sir Dalhart had considered it many times and said the same thing you're saying now. Of course back then we had no way of bridging the worlds so it was a useless thought anyway. But I'm telling you right now this isn't a good idea. Not now. We need to wait."

"What if we just brought in children?" Melissa responded, "They're innocent and would never think of abusing our technology. Even if they did, nobody would believe them when they say they've been to another dimension. They'd say it was just their imagination running wild. We could start with that and then, based on how they react, we can decide when we want to start contacting the governments."

"That does sound like a safe bet," PC replied.

"And she isn't called Motherboard for no reason Richard," Ada added, "She would take good care of them while they're in our world."

Richard sighed. "I suppose that is a little less risky. But I still don't like it. You're the one in charge though, Motherboard, not me. I can't stop you. I can only advise you. Go ahead and bring a few kids in if you want. But I still think we should wait."

"Of course," said Motherboard.

"Now if I'm correct," Richard said as he glanced at his watch, "Your trainer should be here in about fifteen minutes so you might want to get changed."

"Trainer?"

"Gerry didn't tell you that either?" said PC, "Man I love that guy but he's got such a bad memory sometimes. Every leader has had a combat trainer, just in case enemies break through the security system."

"And there's leading the defense team," Richard added, "Though I suppose you'll probably sit that one out."

Before Motherboard could reply Antoine cut in.

"I will be taking her place," he said, "I'm her bodyguard after all."

"Antoine I'm perfectly capable of fighting with the defense team," Motherboard argued, "Its part of what I agreed to when I took the position."

"Motherboard you are a woman," Richard said, "You aren't physically strong enough to fight against the cyborgs that try to take us down. Sir Dalhart was specifically programmed to have exceptional strength and even he nearly lost an arm once. Just imagine what they'd do to you!"

"I have to side with Antoine and Richie on this," said PC, "Its super risky and I personally don't think any of the leaders should've been out on the front lines. Half the time its them that the attackers are after."

"Please don't call me Richie."

"Sorry."

"Of course you should still learn how to fight back in case, like I said, someone breaks through the security system," Richard said, "It just... shouldn't be something a woman willingly puts herself into."

"They're right Motherboard," said Ada, "Especially PC. How can you lead Cyberspace if you get injured out there? Or worse, killed?"

"And I would rather not lose my only surviving relative to a gang of vicious rebels," Dr. Marbles added.

It was her brother's words that swayed her to the compromise.

"Very well," Melissa sighed, "I won't fight with the defense team."

Location: Happily-Ever-After-Ville:

"I don't believe it," Sir Gregory said as he stared at the face in his computer screen, "You're alive?! How?!"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Abaddon said on the other end of the contact line, "I'd like to make a deal with you Greg."

"I know the type of deals you make Abaddon! I want no part in them!"

"Oh you will for this one," said the cyborg with a sinister smile, "Here it is. You help me get rid of Motherboard so I can rule Cyberspace... and I'll put you in as my co-ruler."

"Really?" Sir Gregory sneered, "You think I would agree to work with scum like you?! How dumb do I look?"

"Do you want me to answer that question honestly?"

The politician glared at him. "I'll never join forces with you Abaddon. I'd rather die."

"Is that so Greggy boy?" asked Abaddon as he discreetly pushed a button on the small communicator in his pocket.

"Don't think for a moment that I won't inform Motherboard of your plans!"

"Oh don't worry," Abaddon smirked, "I already planned ahead."

Before the politician could ask what he meant, he heard the sound of his front doors being knocked down, followed by footsteps running up the stairs. Within seconds he was surrounded by ten of Abaddon's men disguised as bodyguards. Sir Gregory was quickly locked in a choke hold, a rag stuffed in his mouth.

"You will help me whether you like it or not!" was the last thing the cyborg heard as his world faded to black.


*"Cyberspace is the "place" where a telephone conversation appears to occur. Not inside your actual phone, the plastic device on your desk. Not inside the other person's phone, in some other city. The place between the phones. [...] in the past twenty years, this electrical "space," which was once thin and dark and one-dimensional—little more than a narrow speaking-tube, stretching from phone to phone—has flung itself open like a gigantic jack-in-the-box. Light has flooded upon it, the eerie light of the glowing computer screen. This dark electric netherworld has become a vast flowering electronic landscape. Since the 1960s, the world of the telephone has cross-bred itself with computers and television, and though there is still no substance to cyberspace, nothing you can handle, it has a strange kind of physicality now. It makes good sense today to talk of cyberspace as a place all its own."

— Bruce Sterling

I'm fully aware that my explanation of time in Cyberspace vs time on Earth makes no sense whatsoever, but that's not fully my fault. We all know from the first episode that time moves faster in Cyberspace than it does here but how much faster? In episode 410, Creech says "Thousands of cyber years ago..." and I'm like "WHAT?! Wasn't the computer invented in 1936?!" According to the guy I just quoted Cyberspace can only possibly be as old as the telephone, if not, even younger. But according to Creech, thousands of cyber years have already gone by. At that rate, every time the kids visit another century or so should have gone by, but nope! Everyone appears to be the same dang age! So my only conclusion is that time gradually slowed down in Cyberspace. Why? I don't know! Just because I guess :/

But that's it for now. A pretty uneventful chapter but I need some filler as we slowly approach the final showdown. It won't be long now. Oh I'm getting choked up just thinking about it. After all these years, we're finally getting to the end.

Please leave reviews and let me know if there's any specific characters you'd like to see a little more of before the fic comes to a close. Oh, and tell me what your favorite parts of the story have been thus far. I love those types of reviews!

See ya in Cyberspace!