They stepped out of the portal and found themselves on the lower observation deck of the Wreaker. For the first few minutes, Jackie was reluctant to believe she and Hacker had actually escaped that bizarre labyrinth of mental torments. What finally convinced her was the absence of the sensation of being in a pet fish simulation. The underwater sound that had filled her ears was gone, replaced with the whirling of ships and tremors of artillery being fired in the distance.

Hacker opened a hatch on the side of the ship, granting them a view of the scene on the horizon. From where she stood, Jackie could see Control Central as a speck in the far distance with fleets of their allies from all across the cyberuniverse converging in.

At a shorter distance away, the stingray seemed to idle, occasionally spitting out more ships piloted by its seemingly endless supply of Hacker duplicates. Despite being shot at constantly by the forces of Mt Olympus and Tikiville, it seemed to absorb even Zeus's thunderbolts with ease.

"Where's Matt?" Jackie asked the cyborg. "And Inez and my mom?" She shuffled over to the machines and leaned against them as she tried to stretch. Her body felt stiff after being tossed around once too many by the portals.

"If Motherboard managed to pull us out, the others should be joining soon." Hacker said. "It looks like Marbles came through with the virus. So your plan worked."

"Of course it did," she boasted, straightening herself. She couldn't get slouchy now, not when they were so close to victory.

Hacker walked up to the open hatch and stuck his head out to observe the ongoing battle. She approached his side slowly, wondering if their journey through metaspace was still on his mind. For having only met them earlier that day, 9000 seemed to know much more than she should have. She'd known practically everything about Jackie's life and somehow read deep enough into Hacker's insecurities to make him lose the will to resist her.

She watched as his hand went to his lower abdomen, over where he wore his belt, the one which activated his Earth disguise. In a flicker of light he shifted back from borg to human.

"Are you okay?" she asked, wondering what could have prompted such a reaction from him.

"Aces."

"I didn't think you liked that look." She smiled, hoping to find the look reflected. Instead he continued to brood, his brow tensing up as one of their ships erupted in a fiery cloud before their eyes.

Jackie brought a hand to her lips as her heart began to race. With their limited scope of the battlefield, it hadn't been immediately apparent to her just how badly they were outnumbered. But with the sting ray showing no signs of running out of ships to throw at them, no matter how many they took down, it might not be enough. And with so many enemies surrounding them, how could Doctor Marbles make it Control Central without being shot down too?

"We have to find a way to stop that ship," she said. "I'm thinking from the inside. That thing is like a fortress, but if we can turn off whatever's making those clones, it'll cut their numbers."

She glanced at the borg again, silently willing him to speak or at least give some kind of indication he was listening.

"Hacker? What's the matter? Don't you wanna give that wannabe Max Headroom what she deserves?" she said. "So what if she caught you off guard for a second? You've never let that stop you before."

Jackie grabbed him by the hand and started pulling him towards the controls. "Come on. This is no time to twiddle our thumbs. We've gotta hit back harder!"

Jackie threw gesture and phrase into her performance, her voice rising to a crescendo with the last sentence as she did everything in her power to psyche the man up.

To her relief a hint of a smile began to creep across his face. "An Earth brat looking for old fashioned vengeance delivered à la Hacker? I'd never thought I'd see the day."

"If you don't have a plan, I think I might," she said.

"Oh? Do tell. You've captured my attention."

Instead of answering right away, Jackie followed the railing to the far end of the observation deck. If she recalled the geography of the Wreaker correctly, there was a garage on this level. Having come to the far end, she reached for a giant switch on the wall.

A series of pops echoed as the lights that hung over the parking garage came on. The space was big enough to dock a dozen vehicles, but at the moment only housed one.

Hacker let out a sharp gasp on seeing the remaining vehicle. His homemade yellow convertible, complete with his plentiful chin smelted onto the front bumper. The solemn mood which had come over him seemed to evaporate as he boarded the lift, bouncing on his heels the entire way down.

"What do you think our chances are of hijacking that thing?" Jackie asked.

"Hard to say. It'll be the two of us against Junior and whoever else they have on board."

"If there's anyone on board they're not doing much. I haven't seen a single shot from them," Jackie pondered, bringing a hand up to her lips. She recalled how Hacker had gotten them on board. A palm scan, likely meaning only a Hacker could get in.

The girl snapped her fingers, struck with a sudden epiphany. "There's no one on board!" she cried.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Hacker said, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Cuz, don't you see? Only a Hacker can get on board. I bet anything they're used to leaving the ship unguarded because they never expected a rogue Hacker to get in," said Jackie. "Remember when 9000 said you were the only Hacker in fourteen universes not to side with his Motherboard? I bet they've always taken them out together in the past."

"You're talking like they don't know I exist." The borg crossed his eyes. "It's an obvious loophole. They'd never fall for it."

"You did."

The beginnings of a smirk spread across Jackie's face and she was barely able to hold back her glee, even as Hacker's face turned beet red.

"Come on, let's get 'em!"

When the lift stopped at the lower level, she grabbed the man by his shirt sleeve and dragged him down to the car. Hacker slipped into the driver's side, reaching into the glove compartment for the keys as Jackie got into the passenger's side and strapped in. Soon they were rolling down the runway at full speed.

Jackie turned her eyes to the horizon as they left the Wreaker behind. It surprised her to see, once they drew closer to the fight, that a scattering of portals had materialized around them. She let out a scream as one appeared directly in their path.

Hacker quickly retracted the car's wings, causing them to take a sharp plummet in the air, only narrowly avoiding the vortex. In the distance, Jackie could see other portals expanding and swallowing up their allies before phasing out. Several ships, like theirs, managed to outmaneuver its force, but it was clear the tactic was making a significant cut in their numbers.

"I thought the virus was supposed to stop her portals," she cried as Hacker swerved out of the way of another one.

"Oh, it will. But it takes a little time to kick in. What you're witnessing now, Sunshine, is a tantrum." He gestured back the way they'd come. "Notice how they only go so far? Her range has been severely reduced." He quirked his shoulders up and down like a see-saw, unable to contain his delight. "One day, I'll show you the ins and outs of virus making. Then you can look back on this day and really appreciate what masterful work you're witnessing."

"So long as you don't try to mess with Motherboard. Or do anything illegal."

"I wouldn't dream of involving you in that. What do you take me for?" said the borg with an exaggerated chafe.

Jackie threw herself onto the steering wheel as another portal opened ahead of them. "Look out!" she cried, her hands trembling as she thought for a moment she felt the tug of a portal against the car. "Can she see us?"

"If so, that would complicate things." Hacker brow tensed as he took the wheel again and began driving more erratically, dipping and diving until they'd come to the underbelly of the stingray. Like before he held up his hand and a hatch opened, pulling both them and the car inside.

The hallway inside the ship was just wide enough for the convertible to park. If there was a crew on board, none came to welcome them. For the first few minutes, Jackie's anxiety had her on full alert. She fully expected another portal to open up and pull her and Hacker back into the metaspace.

"Do you think we're safe?" she whispered to the borg finally. He drew his finger across the controls while she took in the hollow sounds of the ship's interior. He seemed to be trying to remember which of the buttons and switches did what.

"Watch closely, Earth brat." The borg flashed her a crooked smile as his hand fell on a button. Before Jackie could blink, the path that led to the front of the ship had been blocked off by a pink wall made of a stretchy elastic material.

"Is that… bubblegum?" Jackie asked, getting out of the car and dabbing at the substance with a cautious finger. She could sense its stickiness immediately and pulled her finger away in case she wound up trapped in the web.

She felt a violent tear against her skin, as if a piece of duct tape had been ripped off it. A bit of the odd substance had stuck to her finger and wouldn't peel, even as she picked at it.

"A little vinegar and it'll wash right off," Hacker said before shutting off the engine. "It looks like our coast is clear."

"Any idea where those clones are coming from?" Jackie whispered as the two began heading towards the back end of the ship. The hallway they trekked down was long and featureless, without a divergence or widening in path. On either side the walls were black but made of some kind of reflective material that caught the lights on the ceiling. "Is it just me or did this part of the ship look wider on the outside?" she murmured, recalling the odd segments she'd noted while first standing beneath the underside of the ship's tail.

"Good point," Hacker replied, pressing his hand against one of the walls. Something about its touch seemed to intrigue him and he drew himself closer until his cheek had come up against the surface.

"What is it?" Jackie asked, tentatively copying his gesture. As soon as her eyes had come up against the wall, she understood what he'd realized.

The walls that lined the hallways on either side were not just reflective metal, they were constructed out of a kind of glass. From a distance, they seemed to only bounce light, but once Jackie's face was pressed against it, she could see through into a room inside.

"These are the clone pods," she said, her breath escaping her. At first the walls of the room seemed featureless but Jackie noted the wall seemed to be broken into segments, indicating something was meant to emerge from those spaces.

"That must be how they construct their ships," Hacker said, before she could ask. The borg continued sliding along the length of the wall, peering in at intervals to confirm another pod was behind it. "They must be all hooked up to a central computer," he added, quickening his pace towards the tail of the ship. "If it was in the main control room I would have noticed it, so it must be—"

He fell silent as a pair of automatic doors at the end of the hallway slid open. The doors lead into a large, circular room with a machine occupying more than half the space and towering up to the ceiling.

"Astounding…" Hacker gasped as he began walking the length of the machine, running his hand over the mass of wires that went into the wall on either side of the room and seemed to connect to the pods outside.

Jackie approached what stood out to her first, a floor to ceiling length tube that seemed to open at the center. The inside was not visible, but at its side was a kiosk. When she went to tap the screen, it responded.

"Hacker, come look at this," she hissed. "I think this is what controls it!" She swiped her finger along the screen, unlocking more opinions. "You were right, they do construct the ships here."

She continued to scroll through, fascinated by all the different settings available, everything from underwater compatibility to something called molecular reduction. Upon reaching the end of the menu screen, she was struck with an idea. "You've gotta come and check this out, Hack. I know exactly how we're going to hijack this place."

"Do you?" He came over, reserved, yet intrigued.

Jackie began swiping through the settings quickly with her finger, selecting the ones she wanted in view of Hacker. "It looks like you can skip having to design a ship altogether and release clones directly into the hallway. Those walls outside must open up to let them out. All we have to do is start cloning you until we have enough yous to take out the other yous."

"I appreciate the faith, Sunshine, but I'd rather avoid getting into that thing if at all possible. I doubt a clone of me would be much help around here. Besides, what are we going to do after we've won and we're stuck with twenty Hackers running around?" He gave his neck a scratch, visibly uncomfortable at the notion.

"R-right," Jackie said, momentarily caught off guard by his flat refusal. She would have thought he of all people would leap at the chance to involve himself in something like this.

"Let's just figure out how to shut this thing off and get out of here," he said, taking her place at the console.

"Sure." Jackie nodded. "Maybe there's something in the back I can unplug." She stuck her head in between the machines, attempting to get a good look at what was in the back. Aside from the mass of wires connecting the two sections of the machine, nothing was discernible. "I can't see anything," she announced to the borg. "I'm going to try and squeeze through."

"Just don't get me in trouble with your mother," he hissed as she slipped out of his reach.

The area between the machines was only about as wide as the distance between Jackie's shoulders. Much too narrow for Hacker or even Matt to pass through. Maneuvering comfortably required her to enter sideways, her back pressed against one of the towering slabs of metal. She could feel the sockets of various plug-ins poking at her backside and the heat released through the exhaust ports.

Once she hit the back wall her eyes lit up, spotting a power socket just around the corner. "I see it!" she called out to Hacker. Whether the borg was unable to hear her or was simply too focused on whatever he was up to, he gave no response. "I'm going to try and loosen it."

Silence again.

She glanced back at the opening between the machines, wondering what the borg could be up to and if she should check on him. Just as she was about to start crawling back out, she heard his voice seeming to come from just around the corner.

"Careful now."

"R-right."

She was just wasting time, worried over nothing. They needed to hurry and save their friends. Jackie shut her eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to psyche herself up and keep going. But before she could open them again, she was jolted by the sound of a body being slammed against metal.

"JACKIE!"

She felt the machine her back was pressed against whirl to life. Panicked, Jackie spun back towards the exit, her heart nearly stopping when she saw the face that peered back at her from the gap.

"You," she breathed. She tripped over the cables on the ground as she stumbled backwards trying to get away.

The green borg that stared back at her was not the one she knew. His eyes were focused and brazen, almost seeming to taunt the girl for thinking she could escape. He swatted at her through the gap, only brushing the air beside her arm.

Undeterred, he stretched out his fingers, unleashing a set of metal cords that wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her back out into the open. She pressed her hands against the walls of the machine on either side, trying to find something to cling to, but the strength of her bindings was much more than she could fight.

"What luck!" the green borg cried, dandling her effortlessly over his head. "A traitorous wreck accompanied by an Earth urchin. Once I present the two of you to Motherboard, I'm sure my earlier mishap will be overlooked. More importantly, I have a feeling with you in my possession, it won't be long before the ones who think they have a claim to this universe issue their surrender."

Jackie's gaze darted wildly throughout the room as she kicked and pulled in an attempt to free herself. "What did you do with the Hacker?"

"It's hard to believe you've subscribed to that ridiculous form of address," the borg said, a mirthful cackle escaping his throat. "Motherboard told me the two of you have had a rivalry of sorts for years. How cute. I'm starting to think that idiot's only purpose is to fight whoever happens to be in charge. I'm almost embarrassed to call us the same borg."

As she continued to fight against his grip, Jackie noticed a deep rumbling continuing to emanate from the cloning machine. For a moment she froze, realizing what had happened. Which settings had she inputted again?

The armored borg's attention had turned to the capsule as well, free hand outstretched in anticipation of his look-alike's emergence. As she noticed smoke start to billow out from the door, Jackie let herself go limp in the borg's hold. She knew she couldn't fight his strength, but all she needed to do was provide a distraction.

Her moment came as the armored borg's gaze shifted back to her, confused by her sudden lack of resistance, at the exact moment the doors to the capsule slid open. Despite her hopes that Hacker would rush out and tackle her captor to the ground, the borg did not immediately emerge from within. By the time the smoke had cleared, she could see him lying on his back inside, his body completely motionless.

"What did you do to him?" Jackie cried, kicking at her bindings, her plan immediately discarded.

"Silence," the borg hissed, squeezing her tight enough to force the air from her lungs. He seemed fixated on the sight of himself laying in the capsule, as if the occurrence was as unexpected to him as it had been to the girl.

As he approached the door he suddenly stopped and took a step back. At first Jackie was puzzled by his hesitance, but after a heartbeat she could detect the sound of an engine that seemed to be independent from the sounds of the cloning contraption.

Before she could pin the source of the noise, the world before her became a blur. An unseen force pulled her into a somersaulted through the air, robbing all sense of direction as she felt her body slam against the ground. Jackie cried out in pain, still too disorientated to process what had happened. She instinctively began kicking again, her arms and legs scrambling to pull herself back onto her feet.

It wasn't until she had risen into a kneeling position that she realized she'd been freed from her restraints. She started to look around her, her peripheral vision catching sight of Hacker, the Hacker, looking as disturbingly ordinary as ever as he pulled her onto her feet and shoved her towards the door.

Jackie snuck a glance towards the machine. The tail bumper of Hacker's convertible was sticking out of its short circuiting wreckage. The armored borg was nowhere in sight, but she spotted the binds he'd used to trap her strewn limply across the ground.

"Way to go, Captain!" she chuckled, before her laughter devolved into hoarse coughs. She felt a sharp jab of pain that told her something was broken.

They were almost done. She just needed to bare it for a little longer. What she needed after a day like this was a really long nap. Unfortunately for her, she'd hardly passed the threshold before she was forced to stop.

Packed into the hallway was a crowd of identical faces, each staring back at her expectantly.

"H-Hacker?"

"Yes?" replied each face in the crowd.