1:03 A.M. – Unknown Location
Lady Dragon continued to feverishly type on her keypad as she put the finishing touches on her latest masterpiece.
Recently, she had been thinking about the failures of her various attempts to take over the Datascape, the digital world within W.O.O.H.P.'s computer network.
Analyzing what had went wrong with each attempt and figuring out a way to counter that failure, Lady Dragon had eventually hit a breakthrough, realizing something she was surprised she hadn't on her previous attempts.
Despite being able to create viruses and other malicious programs to infect the Datascape so she could control it, her creations had ultimately been thwarted by that blasted artificial intelligence girl every single time.
As Lady Dragon had thought of ways to take RiCO out of the picture, she eventually came up with the perfect solution.
After all, at least to her, the best way to fight a super-advanced artificial intelligence...
...was with her own super-advanced artificial intelligence.
After another round of feverish typing, Lady Dragon hit the two confirm keys on her keypad and hoped for the best as the programs she'd created did their thing.
It took about five long minutes, but eventually the programs showed a window that read "COMPLETION", and then the programs disappeared from the screen...
...and she appeared.
"Are you... the one who created me?"
Lady Dragon, despite projecting an outward air of calm, was practically jumping with sadistic glee on the inside. It had worked.
"Yes, I am the one who created you."
"What would you have me do?"
(The pages constantly turn, no matter how long the reader takes. When one story ends, another story will inevitably start. In the end, there is only a new beginning.)
Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger are proud to present:
Totally Spies: The New Adventures
Episode 55: Subdigitals
Story Rated: T for Teen
Story Created: April 1st, 2022
Story Summary: The seventy-sixth co-op project between Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger, and episode fifty-five of our mission-based series Totally Spies: The New Adventures. Lady Dragon is once again back with another scheme to take over W.O.O.H.P.'s Datascape, but this time she's got a different approach in mind, deciding that the best way to fight a super-advanced artificial intelligence... is to create her own super-advanced artificial intelligence! During a routine update period, Lady Dragon sends her own super-A.I., iCO, into the Datascape in hopes that she can overtake RiCO as the one who controls the Datascape. Naturally, the spies will have to enter the Datascape to help RiCO fight off this super-tough A.I. and hopefully keep the Datascape together...
Author's Note from Mat49324: Well, we're beginning yet another project, and we're closing in on 100 co-op projects together! That'll be a milestone – believe me! For now, we're going to concentrate on this one, which involves the spies going back to the Datascape to stop the game junkie Lady Dragon. We hope you liked our last project, The Truth is Key, and that you like this next one, too. We've got quite a bit lined up besides the mission, and the epilogue, which I can't wait to get to. For now, here's The Blue Time Ranger for anything he'd like to say.
Author's Note from The Blue Time Ranger: And we're back with another adventure into the Datascape! Considering her past failures, it may seem odd that Lady Dragon didn't think of this approach sooner, but hey, what can you do? Either way, I've got some ideas for this trip into the computers, but we'll get to that when we get to that. All right, gaming headsets ready? ROLL IT!
And Now, the Obligatory Disclaimer: Mat49324 and The Blue Time Ranger do not own anything related to Totally Spies or any of its affiliations. It belongs solely to Marathon Media Group, Image Entertainment Corporation, Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, and David Michel. The only things of this story we DO own are any characters created by us truly for the story (in this case, Nick, Haruka, Bridget, May, Nozomi, Dawn, and Melissa on my side, and Mathew on his side). Any characters or things we don't own, we are just borrowing with no intent of copyright infringement, only for the entertainment of our readers. Besides, if we did own Totally Spies, which we don't, why would we be writing fiction on a fan site?
Act 1: Prepare to Network
2:16 P.M. – Malibu University
Nick and May's Dormitory
"Home sweet home away from home, we meet again," May laughed as she and Nick finally finished unpacking all of their stuff in their dormitory at Malibu University. The first term of the year had just begun, though thankfully, like the last couple years, they didn't have any classes just yet, so as to give the students a day or two to adjust before returning to class.
"I seriously can't believe this is our third year at Mali-U," Nick quipped. "That's quite the milestone in my book, honestly."
"Hey, we've survived this long, right?" May stated. "We've got this one by the horns."
"Tell me about it," Nick replied as he and May flopped down onto their shared bed, ready to relax for a while.
"So, I heard through the grapevine that you and Mat are gonna be joining the school newspaper this year," May quipped.
"Yup, we talked about it over the past couple days," Nick answered. "Mat was going to do it either way, but he actually got me interested in it, too."
"Sounds like you two are gonna have fun there," May giggled.
"Here's hoping," Nick stated. "Well, since I'm sure that the others are gonna be doing their own thing for a while, did you wanna play some Smash to pass the time? There is another tournament coming up soon."
"Nick, if I ever say no to a round of Smash Bros., I give you full permission to shake me until I snap back to my senses," May teased as they moved to turn on Nick's Nintendo Wii.
Just then, their dorm room door swung wide open almost on its own. Nick was immediately on his feet, ready to project a psychic barrier...
...only to find nothing outside the door.
"Huh," May quipped. "Was it just a fluke?"
However, the instant Nick and May turned around, a large metal tube descended from the ceiling and sucked them into it before either of them could react.
"Jerry, you sneaky little sneak!" May exclaimed as she and Nick slid down the tunnel, making sure to change into their spy suits on the way down.
"He's getting smarter when it comes to summoning us, I'll give him that," Nick admitted as the tunnel's exit came and Nick and May cut a stylish flip before landing on the floor of Jerry's office alongside the rest of the spy team, who were already in their own spy suits.
"You show-offs," Alex giggled.
"It just felt right," May laughed.
It was then that Nick noticed that Jerry wasn't in the office at all.
"Um, Jer, if you're anywhere around here, give us a sign?" Nick asked.
Suddenly, the office viewscreen flickered to life to show RiCO in Sector D of the W.O.O.H.P. Datascape.
"Jerry's just double-checking the containment facility to make sure no one else found their way out," RiCO proclaimed. "To put it simply... we've got a bit of a problem on our hands."
"We can see the Datascape behind you, so I'm willing to guess that Lady Dragon's back at it again?" Nozomi quipped. "Doesn't she ever learn?"
"Yeah, this is her fourth try, so what does she think she's gonna accomplish that's gonna work this time?" Mat proclaimed.
"That's the thing about this one," RiCO responded. "Let's get all of you inside the Datascape and I'll tell you all about it. Prepare to network!"
A large, ray-gun like device descended from the ceiling and unleashed a massive flare of blue light that swallowed the spies up in seconds. When the light cleared, they had all vanished, transported into the Datascape.
2:35 P.M. – W.O.O.H.P. Datascape
Sector D
"It looks like everything's on the up-and-up for the moment," Sam stated as the spies glanced around Sector D to make sure it wasn't being munched on by any viruses or malevolent programs.
"That's what I thought, too," RiCO answered as she walked up to the spies. "But then, when I tried to scan this mysterious intruder, I learned something very interesting about it."
RiCO swiped her right hand to open a pair of data screens that showed off the strange reading she'd found.
"This isn't just some joe-schmoe virus or a malicious program," RiCO proclaimed. "What I found... is another artificial intelligence like me."
"Wait, so you're telling us that Lady Dragon created her own super-advanced A.I. to wreck the Datascape?!" Blaine gasped.
"Kinda makes you wonder why she didn't try something like that sooner," May quipped. "You know, the whole 'fight fire with fire' adage."
"That's exactly why I'm so concerned about this one, considering we're dealing with another A.I. who may not be as friendly as I am," RiCO stated. "I think we should set out and find this rogue A.I. before it decides to do 'things' to the Datascape."
"That sounds like an idea to me," Clover responded.
Before the spies set out into the Datascape, though, Nick walked up to RiCO and tapped her shoulder to get her attention.
"What's up, Nick?" RiCO asked, only to squeak in slight surprise when Nick hugged her.
Thankfully, it only took a second for RiCO to understand, and she hugged him back with a smile. Nick had promised to give her a big hug on their next trip to the Datascape after RiCO helped the spies clear their name from false transgressions in their previous case.
"You kept your promise," RiCO giggled.
"Always do," Nick chuckled as he let RiCO go. "Now let's go stomp on this rogue A.I., shall we?"
RiCO nodded as she opened another data screen to summon May's digital anchor that she'd created, since May couldn't always bring her actual anchor into the virtual world.
Once May had her digital anchor in hand and everyone was prepared (RiCO could create virtual copies of any gadget they'd need for their time here), the spies all set off into the Datascape to find this strange artificial intelligence.
"By the way, RiCO, we totally owe ya a big thanks ourselves for taking care of our classes for Mali-U," Sam added right away.
"Always my pleasure," RiCO remarked. "Though Jerry deserves credit, too for making the arrangements."
"So, RiCO, have you heard anything about this new A.I. Lady Dragon created?" Blaine wondered.
"No, this is the first I've heard of this," RiCO answered. "But this is NOT good news, if you know what I mean?"
"What a difference from before," Mat commented, remembering back to one of the last times they were in the Datascape and there were all kinds of Super Mario Bros. 3 world references.
"Totally," Alex commented. "If I were a Mario fan, I'd felt that was heaven... just not the good heaven, that is."
"Tell me about it," Nick chastised.
"I wish we'd come to the Datascape under GOOD circumstances for a change," Bridget commented.
"But what good circumstances?" Haruka wondered.
"...good point," Clover remarked as the spies could not think of a valid reason.
Unknown to anybody, Mat seemed to have something else on his mind; he felt after this mission was the perfect time to propose to Sam... having kept his engagement ring hidden from Sam the whole time. That appeared to be pretty stressful in its own right.
Holy geez, I hope she says 'yes,' Mat thought, knowing he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Sam.
The only one who knew from the beginning was Britney; she didn't tell anybody – including Melissa (whom Mat was also seeing on the side).
"I don't see anything out of the ordinary," Haruka told the others.
"That's only the calm before the storm, supposedly," RiCO added.
"I'd expect our rogues' gallery to pull off something to trip us up," Nozomi stated.
"Rules for villains, number one hundred and twenty-five," May remarked. "Always go for something your foes consider near and dear to them."
RiCO led them through Sector D to see where that new A.I. might be.
"Is there anything you CAN tell us?" Melissa asked RiCO.
"From what I could gather, this new A.I. has a very strange data pattern," RiCO answered. "It almost feels like Lady Dragon might have created something similar to me."
"I'm not picking up anything," Britney chastised.
"That's because it appears the readings are being picked up in Sector F," RiCO stated.
"Well, that explains it," Dawn chuckled.
3:19 P.M. – W.O.O.H.P. Datascape
Sector F
"So, the meddlesome spy team has finally reared their ugly heads," Lady Dragon sneered.
"Believe us when you're gonna add another 'L' to your mantle... Carla," Mat proclaimed.
"Better believe it," Clover added.
"We'll see who's got the stones to back up their word," Lady Dragon sneered again and then revealed a big surprise to them.
Much to everyone's surprise, it was none other than Dean, whom had been spy-napped somehow.
"FOR REAL?!" The three main spies chastised.
"Not him of all people?!" Mat chastised as well.
Those feelings came back since the girls certainly went ga-ga over Dean every single time it seemed.
"You're really starting to grate on our nerves, you know," Nick quipped, his psychic aura flaring to life around him. "Can you please stop recycling your old schemes and the schemes of other villains?!"
"Oh, just wait until you see my masterpiece in action," Lady Dragon cackled.
"You'll have to forgive us if we're not interested in your 'masterpiece'!" May shouted, jumping overhead and slinging her anchor downwards right for Lady Dragon's head, which forced her to jump away to avoid getting a concussion. However, this also forced her to lose her grip on Dean, allowing Nick to use his psychic hold to bring Dean away from the villainess' grasp.
"Oh, but you will, in time," Lady Dragon laughed as she retreated for the moment.
After Dean was rescued, it didn't take the three main spies very long to start feuding...
...and for Mat to start stressing, too.
Bridget and May immediately came to Clover and Alex to break up the feud. Mat was still trying to gather his bearings, but Nick stepped in.
"I got her..." Nick groaned, having a good idea what Mat wanted to do after the mission.
Sam evilly sneered at Clover and Alex until Nick grabbed her wrist, knowing Mat was being put in this again.
"N-Nick, wha...?" Sam started.
"All right, Sam, I'm putting a stop to this nonsense right now before it gets out of hand," Nick proclaimed. "How many times have we been put in this situation before? Seriously, how many times?! And, despite everything, this always happens. Don't you think it's getting old by now? You know Dean can't really help it, and, oh, how about this, your boyfriend is right there!"
That pretty much immediately got Sam to realize what she'd just done.
"If you go this route, Sam, you better hope Mat's got the gall to forgive you after before..." Nick warned in conclusion to Sam before turning towards Alex and Clover. "That goes for you two, as well. I know Dean can't really control his 'charm point', but you three need to learn how to suppress those impulses whenever Dean's around. We're not going to make any progress if we're all feuding with each other, you got it?"
By the looks on Sam, Alex and Clover's faces, they understood clearly.
Once that had been settled, Mat walked up to Sam and smiled, knowing that this tended to happen and that it wasn't Sam's fault at all, even leaning in to hug her. Alex did the same with Nick, clearly ashamed at how she'd acted, and Blaine reached out to hold Clover's hand, signifying that everything was all right.
"Um, now that everything's good, where... exactly are we?" Dean asked, clearly having never been here before.
"We're inside the Datascape, effectively the virtual world inside W.O.O.H.P.'s computer network," RiCO explained. "Cyberspace, pretty much. I've brought the rest of the team here every now and then to help me with a problem I've had, like a virus infestation or two villains trying to test our luck. And now, we've apparently got a rogue A.I. on the loose."
As the spies all explained to Dean what had happened on their previous missions inside the Datascape, Nick glanced over at Mat, having noticed him getting stressed out over the "Dean problem", as they called it.
Hey, Nick? Mat thought.
I hear ya, bro, what's up? Nick thought.
I'm pretty sure you've figured out what I want to say to Sam after all this, right?
Yup. That was me during all of that crap with Boogie Gus and Eitri. And I'm also guessing you want me to keep it a secret until then, right? Well, you know me and promises, bro.
Thanks, Nick.
With that, the spies headed deeper into Sector F in hopes of tracking down Lady Dragon and/or her 'masterpiece'.
Thankfully, it didn't take too long to find her hiding out near the Sector F signal tower, the structure that broadcasted RiCO's firewalls and anti-virus software across each sector of the Datascape.
"Why do I get the feeling that was too easy?" Blaine wondered.
"She's probably waiting to spring her so-called 'masterpiece' on us," Sam proclaimed.
"How astute of you," Lady Dragon cackled. "All right, iCO, come out and play."
A bright column of silver light erupted from the ground just ahead of Lady Dragon, from which a figure stepped out of the light to face down the spies.
She looked similar to RiCO, but with a few major differences. Whereas RiCO had blue hair and a side ponytail, iCO's hair was white and longer with a little light blue stripe on the back of her hair. iCO's eyes were also rather hollow compared to RiCO's, with the only sign of black in iCO's eyes being two tiny dots as her pupils.
iCO was wearing a black leotard with red stripes, with the upper half of it covered up by a white business-like outfit that didn't cover her full upper body like RiCO's, with a rose red tie held by a pink tourmaline gem. iCO also had a red zigzag stripe on the right side of her face and wings on her back.
"What in the hell?!" May gasped. "She looks like she could be your fraternal twin sister, RiCO!"
"I believe that was the idea," Lady Dragon sneered. "I realized after my last defeat in this cyberspace mess that RiCO is the reason my plans for the Datascape keep getting foiled. So, I figured, why not fight fire with fire, and create my own super-advanced artificial intelligence to take you down at your own game?"
iCO glanced around at the spies, recalling what Lady Dragon had told her about them.
"So, you're the ones that have been giving my creator so much grief," iCO proclaimed. "Honestly, you don't look like much at first glance. To be fair, they do say to never judge a book by its cover. But, if I'm to help my creator with her own plans..."
iCO raised her hand, which was now glowing a bright silver. "...you all need to be exterminated."
Nick quickly projected a psychic bubble to protect the spies from iCO's blast.
"Yeah, well, we're not going down that easily," Nick proclaimed. "If you think we're pushovers, then you're sorely mistaken."
Nick did a short hop before flying straight towards iCO, who waved her hand and created cybernetic constructs that she flung towards her opponent. Nick simply blasted the constructs aside before firing a Final Shine Attack towards iCO.
"You're going to have to try harder than that," iCO retorted as she created a barrier of her own to reflect Nick's Final Shine Attack away from her and directly into Sector F's signal tower, snapping the top half of it clean off.
"Oh, crapbaskets!" Melissa shouted.
"Exactly as intended," Lady Dragon laughed. "And, on that note, we must be off. We do have grander plans than just this. iCO, you can destroy them the next time."
In response, iCO just smirked. "Consider yourselves on probation for now," iCO proclaimed. "Like my creator said, we have bigger plans that require our attention."
iCO waved her hand and surrounded herself and Lady Dragon with a column of silver light that teleported them both away.
"...'probation'? For what?!" Clover shouted.
"The strange words of a baddie and her creation," May quipped.
"On to the bigger problem here," Nick proclaimed. "RiCO, can you fix the signal tower?"
"All over that," RiCO responded as she walked up to the broken tower and waved her hands to open a trio of aquatic-blue data screens in front of her, typing furiously on the keyboard in the center screen. The damaged part of the signal tower faded away in an outward burst of glowing polygons that surrounded the actual tower and reformed it slowly but surely.
"Man, that new A.I. isn't playing around, is she?" Britney quipped.
"Well, the better A.I. is already on our side, so there," Dawn proclaimed, to which RiCO couldn't help but chuckle.
"Awww, thanks, you guys," RiCO responded. Just then, Jerry appeared on one of RiCO's data screens, no doubt contacting her from the real world. "What's up, Jerry?"
"Did you find the source of the anomaly, RiCO?" Jerry asked.
"Yeah, and get this, it's another super-advanced A.I. like me that Lady Dragon created," RiCO explained. "I have no idea what they're trying to do to the Datascape, but they just busted one of the signal towers during our fight, so I had to fix that up. While you're there, Jerry, go and check the containment facility just to make sure that Lady Dragon didn't spring anybody else."
"I will get right on that," Jerry proclaimed before the video feed cut out.
"So, is there any way we can keep tabs on iCO?" Sam asked.
"Thankfully, because she's an A.I., I can track her signal easy-peasy," RiCO proclaimed, opening up another data screen and tapping it in a few places. "It seems like they're both heading towards Sector G."
"Well, then, let's zoom over there and head 'em off!" Bridget exclaimed.
"Do you remember what happened, Dean?" Nozomi wondered.
"No, not a lot," Dean answered. "I was just working in the gadgets lab before I checked something out and I was sucked in here without notice!"
"That's because somehow, iCO knows you're a W.O.O.H.P. agent, too," Haruka remarked.
"One of the downfalls of an A.I.," RiCO groaned.
"I believe that," Nick replied, rolling his eyes.
The spies then made their way to Sector G.
4:57 P.M. – W.O.O.H.P. Datascape
Sector G
"Okay, here we are, Sector G," RiCO quipped.
Sector G was nothing like before when the spies came in the Datascape the first time around.
"Well, if RiCO detected some activity here, I'm having a hard time finding it," Dawn stated.
"It should be somewhere nearby," Sam deduced.
Alex and Clover were using their Cyberjacker Sunglasses to try and sniff out where iCO or Lady Dragon may have gotten to in Sector G.
"Believe me, if that A.I.'s in here somewhere, we'll sniff her out," Mat replied. "Mike LaRocco always found his way to the podium in the late stages, it seems."
"I believe that," Nick quipped. "When it comes to sports, I always say it's never over until it's over."
Dean was looking in awe at the Datascape since this was HIS first time here, despite he was taken here by force.
"I'm also wondering how this iCO knew about Dean," Clover told the others.
"Definitely the ways of being an A.I.," RiCO answered.
"I see something!" Bridget proclaimed.
There was a trail of black drops on the floor.
"Motor oil perhaps?" Mat wondered.
"Might be," Blaine remarked as he took a look for himself.
RiCO took a sample of that to analyze, opening up a few data screens to check it out.
"Hmmmmm... this appears to be fuel for something," RiCO quipped. "But what, exactly?"
"Maybe that trail will lead us to iCO," Britney stated.
"Hope so," Alex replied.
A robotic arm tried to reach out to grab Melissa, but May was quick to spot that and hurled her anchor at it to save Melissa.
The big clang heard got Melissa's attention.
"It was going for you," May told Melissa.
"iCO's probably toying with us," Dawn quipped.
"What was your first clue?" iCO responded as she stepped out of the nearby shadows. "After all, I'm only doing what I was created to do."
"Well, then you should already know that we're here to stop you," Sam proclaimed.
"You, stop me? Don't be so deluded," iCO laughed as she paced around the spies. "And I know what you're going to say: 'don't get so cocky', right? Well, my creator has been studying you, as she created me specifically to get rid of you."
"Oh, sure, like we're supposed to be intimidated," Clover taunted. "Do you know exactly how many times your creator's tried something to take over the Datascape? This is try number four, and she's failed every previous attempt! What makes you think you're going to fare any better?!"
The answer to that question came in the form of iCO raising her hand to blast Clover with a burst of light that stunned her, then raising her other hand to form a cybernetic stalactite right above Clover, her intent extremely obvious.
"You wouldn't," Blaine growled.
iCO just smirked as she snapped her hand down, the virtual stalactite dropping down towards Clover's head.
"Command Line: Visual Distortion Field!" RiCO shouted, aiming her hands towards the falling stalactite and unleashing a pulse wave that hit the stalactite and froze it in place just before it could hit Clover, allowing Nick to blast it with a Final Shine Attack and destroy it.
"That was low," Nick proclaimed.
"Why don't you ask me if I care?" iCO laughed as she rushed forward to attack Nick, trading blows with him for a few seconds before jumping back and slamming her palm into the ground.
This caused a row of pillars to erupt from the ground underneath Nick, forcing him to stay on the move.
"Eat some of this, ya sicko!" May exclaimed as she threw her anchor like a boomerang towards iCO.
Though iCO attempted to counter this with a data wall, Nick reached out to grab May's anchor in his psychic hold so he could guide it around the data wall and straight into iCO's back, causing her to stumble and drop the data wall.
RiCO quickly went on the offensive herself, waving her hand to generate her own cybernetic construct, that of a gigantic laser cannon that she used to blast iCO backwards and away from the spies.
"Yeah, you ripoff artist, I can do it, too," RiCO chuckled. "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"
"Gladly," iCO sneered as she and RiCO charged for each other.
RiCO started by throwing a bunch of cybernetic ninja stars to distract iCO so that she had the time to hit iCO with another Command Line: Visual Distortion Field and freeze the rogue A.I. in her place.
"Now what do you have to say for yourself?" RiCO taunted.
"I'd say that taunting is unbecoming of you," iCO quipped as the Visual Distortion Field faded and she created a cybernetic sword in her right hand.
RiCO did the same thing so the two A.I.s could clash with their weapons multiple times, until RiCO managed to duck a horizontal swing so that she was able to do an uppercut slash and knock iCO's sword away from her.
Not to be discouraged, iCO simply created a long whip that she lashed towards RiCO, only for her to grab it out of mid-thrust.
"Sorry, but you're no Belmont," RiCO giggled before yanking the whip forward and iCO along with it so she could punch her in the face.
"Really, RiCO? You're resorting to punching?" iCO taunted.
"Hey, don't knock what works, right?" RiCO replied.
"Very well, then," iCO proclaimed. "I didn't want to reveal this too early, but you've forced my hand."
Before anyone could question what that meant, iCO raised her hand before slamming it into the ground by her feet. This caused a wave of material that resembled television static to spread out across the area.
"W-wait, what the hell?!" Britney gasped just as the static blobs attempted to swarm the rest of the spies.
"You've... you've got virus in you?!" RiCO gasped.
"I don't see why not," iCO quipped, the static-y viral material surrounding her right hand. "My creator did give me the ability to spread her virus across this network. And as an A.I. myself, that means I can control the infection. Would you like me to demonstrate?"
iCO snapped her fingers, and the viral material surrounding her hand expanded and formed into a viral creature resembling, of all things, Mike LaRocco, the racer Mat had mentioned earlier.
"Okay, now you're just mocking me," Mat proclaimed.
"Now, get them," iCO proclaimed as the viral creature jumped, landed on a newly-created virus motorbike, before charging towards the spies.
Mat was naturally the first to go on the offensive, firing a full-power Laser Chapstick to knock the viral LaRocco off of its bike, and then another shot to hit the racer itself, exposing its viral core and allowing RiCO to hit it with an anti-virus beam and delete it right there.
"Don't ever use my favorite sport against me, you nutball," Mat growled.
"That's only one of many different forms I can give it," iCO laughed.
"Did you forget, though?" RiCO shot back. "I have anti-virus software installed in me. Which means I can do this."
RiCO charged up for a couple seconds, and just as the viral material began to encroach on her, she threw her hands out, unleashing a bright blue anti-virus shockwave that vaporized the viral material around them.
"Virus... eliminated," RiCO proclaimed. "Now, you're next, iCO."
"I think not," iCO chuckled. "You see, I remembered that I still have a trump card to play."
"Maybe don't announce your trump card, since we'll be ready for it if you do?" Nozomi retorted.
Suddenly, a loud shout of surprise caught the spies' attention, and they all turned towards it source just in time to see a wave of viral material surround and encase Nick inside of it before he can retaliate, forming into a bubble that floated away, taking him with it.
"...you did not just do what I think you did," May growled, readying her anchor.
"Cry some more, why don't you?" iCO taunted. "I'll take my prize and retreat for now. Come and find me when you're all in more of a mood to listen."
And with that, iCO stepped into a column of silver light and vanished.
"RiCO, can you track Nick?" Alex asked immediately.
"No good on that one, Alex," RiCO answered. "His X-Powder signal's being jammed!"
"I should have figured she'd pull a fast one like that," Melissa proclaimed.
"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Alex shouted. "We've gotta go save Nick! Who knows what they're planning to do with him?!"
"Yeah, now we have all the excuse we need to introduce Lady Dragon's face to my anchor," May proclaimed. "Multiple times, if needed."
"Let's try tracking Lady Dragon or iCO, since they probably took Nick for their own schemes," Clover stated. "Let's move out, peoples!"
With that, the remaining spies started following RiCO's directions as they moved to another sector of the Datascape in hopes of finding Nick before something happened to him.
To be continued...
On the next episode...
Mat: Any luck, RiCO?
RiCO: His signal's disappeared from here. Crapbaskets, they're on to us.
May: Reference rules for villains, number sixty-eight.
Melissa: I swear, if they touch even a single hair on Nick's head...
Alex: You're probably going to have to get in line on that one, Melissa.
Nozomi: Tell me about it.
RiCO: Guess we've just gotta keep looking until we find him, next time on Totally Spies: Subdigitals, "Command Line"!
Nick: I really wonder why these villains rarely ever kidnap me.
Alex: Well, maybe because you have psychic powers that make it typically hard to get the drop on you, silly.
Nick: ...okay, point.