Chapter 11: Splitting Up

It had been about one o'clock in the morning when Fern had been put to bed, so everyone decided to wake her up three hours later, enough time for her to go through a couple full sleep cycles. Becky went to do so before 4:30, and Fern was soon up and relatively awake, feeling much better if not a slight bit tired. She appreciated the others letting her get some sleep though. As much as she wanted to keep sleeping, she knew that wasn't an option at this point. Besides, Becky told her Inez was making breakfast, and she was admittedly still slightly hungry.

When she left her room and went into the hall, she spotted Delete near the doorway into the main room. He appeared a bit forlorn from what she could see, but perked up a bit upon seeing her.

"Hi, Delete," Fern greeted, interrupted by a small yawn. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Delete replied. "Feeling better?"

Fern nodded. "Yes, a little sleep definitely helped me. What are you doing here in the hall by yourself?"

Delete shrugged. "Well, they aren't super comfortable having me in there, you know? Just yesterday evening I was working for Hacker. I get why they don't totally trust me."

"Well I trust you. I mean, I'm still kind of mad about the fact that you helped kidnapped me in the first place, but I really believe you feel bad about it, and you're the one that also helped me escape. I meant it when I said I won't forget it," Fern assured. "It might take them a while to really come around, but I'm sure the more time passes, the more they'll trust you. They seem close to Digit, and I'm sure the same could happen with you."

Delete smiled. "Thanks, Fern. It's nice that at least one of you trusts me a little."

Fern returned his smile. "I'm sure I won't be the only one for too long. Come on, let's not keep them waiting," she said, leading Delete to the table, where the others had seated themselves once again.

Everyone greeted Fern as they came in, and she sat herself down next to Becky. "I hope you're hungry," Matt said. "Inez makes the best pancakes I've ever had."

Inez chuckled and blushed as she placed some pancakes on everyone's plates. "Thanks, Matt. I learned from my abuela," she explained as she reached Fern.

"Wow! I wish I could cook," Fern replied. "I literally can't do anything more complicated than cereal."

"I could teach you if you wanted," Inez suggested, going to sit down as she finished distributing pancakes. "I can't make anything very fancy, though."

"It's okay, simple isn't a bad thing. That could actually be nice," Fern said, enjoying getting to know these other three kids a bit. She knew most of that would have to wait until later though. She looked around and asked as she began eating, "So did you guys come up with anything earlier?"

"We think we might have something," Becky answered. "Delete gave us the idea. See, Hacker's ship runs on something called a power magnetic booster battery. The ship can't get off the ground without it."

"So we think if we can get onto the ship and find it while Becky's fighting Hacker, we can remove it and ground the ship. That way it'll make it easier for her to finish the job," Jackie explained.

Fern tensed up nervously. She truly did wish to help out with the plan, but she wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the idea of going back onto that ship again.

Becky could see the worry in Fern's eyes, and she wrapped her hand around her back. "You don't have to go, you know. I know you want to help, but if the idea of going back on that ship is too much for you, you can always just stay here where it's safe while we deal with it."

Fern was silent for a minute before shaking her head. "No… No, I'm okay. I mean, I don't really want to go back on there. But if it means I get to help save Earth, then it's alright."

Becky sighed and nodded. "Okay then. If that's what you want."

Everyone else smiled encouragingly. "You're pretty brave for being willing to go back on there again," Matt acknowledged.

Fern chuckled a bit. "Thanks, Matt."

"Don't mention it."

"And you don't have to worry, Becky. We'll be with her and keep each other safe," Jackie promised.

"I'm sure you will," Becky agreed with a nod. Knowing this made her feel a bit better. If it had been entirely up to her, she probably still would have made Fern stay someplace safe and out of harm's way. But given that she wanted to help out so strongly, and that she'd be with other kids who were more experienced with Hacker, she didn't want to be the one to stand in the way. She simply had to have hope that it would all work out in the end.

The group soon finished eating, and Motherboard conjured a portal for them, returning them to the real world. They arrived in the woods once again, the Grim Wreaker visible in the distance in the early morning light.

"I guess this is where we split up," Jackie supposed, eyeing Hacker's ship poking out from the little cave.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Becky replied, sounding a bit deflated. She stepped over to Fern and gently held both her hands, giving her a sad smile. "Good luck… You're gonna be fine, okay? If anything happens, I'll be the first one to get to you, I swear."

"I know… Thanks for being okay with this, Becky," Fern said gratefully. "Don't worry about me. If Hacker finds us and tries anything, I'm sure I'll be prepared this time."

The two girls then embraced, holding each other tight. "God, I don't want to leave you again, especially so soon after you got back…" Becky bemoaned.

"Me neither…" Fern agreed, gently rubbing Becky's back.

"There's… something I'd like to do… You know… just in case worse comes to worst," Becky spoke up, giving a sheepish grin.

"What?" Fern asked, intrigued.

Without another word, Becky planted her lips against Fern's. They only touched for just a few short moments, but in those moments they both felt lighter than air, as if they were absorbed in their own little world for mere seconds. It was easily one of the best moments of their entire lives.

"Aaaawww…" Jackie and Inez uttered, touched by the little romantic display.

Matt looked on as well, and Jackie glanced over at him and elbowed him in the arm when he had been doing so a tad too long. "What?" he asked quietly but indignantly. He had secretly always wanted to see two girls kiss in real life. I mean, come on, what guy doesn't?, he wondered to himself in exasperation.

Becky and Fern finally parted, pausing a few seconds before letting their hands go. Becky then silently turned and flew away towards town, high in the slowly brightening sky, her bright yellow cape flapping behind her in the wind. Fern couldn't look away as she did so, gazing in awe at the sight, which was so much more beautiful to her now than it had ever been before. She sniffled a little bit, wiping away a stray tear.

"You okay, Fern?" Inez asked, walking up from behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Fern nodded, wiping her red face and eyes dry. "M-hm…" she replied with a tiny nod.

"She'll be okay. She IS WordGirl, you know."

Fern looked out at the pink horizon towards the city where Becky had disappeared, smiling brightly. "I know… I'm sure she'll be amazing…"

The occupants of the Botsford household had not expected to be awoken so early in the morning that day. They also had been quite surprised to see the town's superhero at the door.

"WordGirl?" Mr. and Mrs. Botsford asked with confusion in unison after answering the door in their pajamas, Becky standing on the front step.

"Did somebody say WordGirl?!" a voice from inside spoke up excitedly. Within seconds, Becky's brother TJ appeared in the doorway between his parents. He immediately lighted up upon seeing his idol. "WordGirl! What are you doing here?!"

Becky was amused by TJ's reaction to her appearance, but she maintained a professional composure. "Well, citizens, it appears that there's potential for a large attack on the city."

"Oh dear!" Mrs. Botsford fretted, putting her hand to her face.

"Yes, it's a troublesome situation," Becky said. "And for reasons that must unfortunately remain classified, you are all potential targets for the bad guys' plans. I'm afraid I'll have to escort you to a safe, undisclosed location."

"Well fiddlesticks!" Mr. Botsford objected, snapping his fingers in frustration. "That's going to mess with our plans for today."

"I apologize, sir, but that's the situation. It's for the sake of the city."

Mrs. Botsford sighed. "Oh very well… Just let me go wake up my daughter Becky first."

Becky panicked a moment. That detail had totally slipped her mind. "Oh! I, uh, there'll be no need, ma'm. I was informed that your daughter was away tonight at a sleepover. Is that correct?"

"Oh right! Of course, how silly of me to forget. Will she be okay, though?"

"No worries, ma'am. I simply advised her to remain at her current location once I learned where she was, since it's believed that it won't be a target for the attacker."

"Good enough for me!" Mr. Botsford said with a content shrug. "If WordGirl says she's safe, I believe it."

Becky sighed, relieved that this had gone over well. Once she had her family taken care of, she went and did the same at Fern's house, bringing her parents to another safe place where they wouldn't be found. Having accomplished all this, she returned to her own house once more and found Huggy asleep in her room.

"Huggy! Huggy, wake up!" Becky called out, gently shaking the monkey awake.

Huggy stirred and rubbed his eyes. Once he saw it was Becky, he squeaked in greeting.

"Hey, Huggy. I'm glad to see you too."

Huggy squeaked, a look of confusion on his face.

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry I wasn't here last night. Mom and Dad didn't tell you anything?"

Huggy shook his head. He had been a little worried when Becky hadn't come back since dropping him off at home the previous afternoon.

"A lot of stuff came up. Remember that ship I told you I saw yesterday?"

Huggy nodded.

"Well it turns out it's owned by this new villain named Hacker from a place called Cyberspace, and he wants to take over the planet. It turns out he's been hiding in the woods the past week or so staking out the city, and when he found out I existed, he actually went to the effort to find out my secret identity…"

Huggy's eyes widened and he squeaked loudly, startled to hear this.

"I know, I know, but I had no idea he was spying on me," Becky said in defense. "He's honestly thought his plan through pretty well. So then what happened is when I was at the library, I stumbled in on these three kids who - and I couldn't believe it when I saw it - opened up a portal and just jumped into it! So I followed them, and I ended up in Cyberspace!"

Huggy narrowed his eyes and squeaked, not entirely convinced.

"I swear I'm telling you the truth, Huggy," Becky assured, though she understood why he was skeptical. "I met and talked to those three kids, and they can vouch for me. They're all pretty nice."

Huggy shrugged, deciding not to worry about it.

"But you see, the worst part is that once Hacker found out who I was, he learned about my crush on Fern… and so he kidnapped her and threatened to… well… kill her if I didn't surrender…" she explained, holding back a few tears. "Turns out she was in that box I told you I saw those robots carrying yesterday…"

Huggy was completely taken aback. This was perhaps the most serious situation Becky had ever found herself in. He hopped up on the bed, reaching over and rubbing her arm sympathetically.

Becky sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Th-thanks, Huggy… but don't worry. There IS good news. One of the robots seems to have had a change of heart, and he actually saved Fern and brought her back to us! And also, it turns out Fern likes me back!"

Huggy brightened up, relieved to hear the issue had been solved, and glad to hear Becky's liking for Fern was mutual.

"Yeah, at least that's over. But Hacker is probably still going to try and invade the city today, and Fern wants to help the rest of us try and defeat him. I'm not totally comfortable with it, honestly, but she really wants to do it. And she'll be with the others, and it turns out they've been fighting Hacker for years in Cyberspace. So I'm just going to trust that she'll be safe with them."

Huggy put his hand to his forehead and squeaked. This was a lot of information to have suddenly unloaded onto him.

"I know, it's kind of confusing. I'll explain any details you want later. Before we left Cyberspace a little bit ago, we decided it'd be best to split up. You and I are going to fight Hacker when he enters the city in his ship. Meanwhile, the others are going to sneak onto the ship before it takes off and start looking for the power source. When they find it, they're going to take it out and ground the ship so you and I can handle him more easily. I just got back from the woods, that's where we split up… I actually kissed Fern goodbye, just in case anything happens…"

Huggy squeaked and smiled coyly, nudging Becky's arm.

"What? 'Ladies' girl?' Please, it wasn't that complicated, just a quick peck on the lips," Becky said, crossing her arms and blushing.

Huggy squeaked once more.

"I don't know… We haven't officially agreed to be girlfriends or anything. I'd really rather not think too much about that until after this is all over. Then she and I can talk about it."

Huggy nodded understandingly.

"So anyway, that's basically the plan. Let's go grab you something for breakfast and get you into your superhero outfit. We need to be ready as soon as possible for when Hacker gets here."

Back in the woods, the rest of the group made the short walk to the Grim Wreaker, or the short flight in Digit's case. They were all careful to sneak through thicker groups of trees and avoid more open spots so that there'd be less of a chance of being spotted in case Hacker or Buzz were awake.

"Wow… That thing's really big…" Fern remarked as they poked their heads out from the bushes. This was the first good look she'd been able to get of the ship.

"Hacker likes having a big ship," Delete explained. "He thinks it looks more impressive and makes him seem more threatening when he lands somewhere."

"Well, mission accomplished," Fern replied. "That thing will probably look scary flying over the city."

"It'll be a lot less scary when it's in a heaping mess on the ground," Jackie interjected.

"Delete, how are we going to get on the ship?" Inez asked, glancing over at their new accomplice. "You said you could get us in there, right?"

"Uh, y-yeah, I did..." Delete answered.

"Do you have a remote or something that'll lower the ramp?" Matt asked.

"Well, um… No, no I don't."

"Then how are we supposed to get in there, huh?" Digit asked pointedly.

Delete looked up at Digit and said defensively, "I don't know, I thought I'd figure it out when we got here!" It was then that he spotted the bird's chest hatch. "What stuff do you have with you?"

"Oh, in here? I've got lots of stuff, let's see…" Digit rooted around inside himself a moment before pulling out a really long, thick rope. "Could this help?"

Delete smiled confidently. "Yeah! I know just what to do! Follow me, but quietly," he directed, stepping out from the bush and attempting to make as little noise as possible, while the others did the same. They sneaked under the ship and parked there for the moment, hoping they'd be well out of sight. "Digit, take the rope, fly up to the top of the ship and drop the rope down, but hold onto one end of it."

Digit nodded, finally getting an idea of what Delete was thinking. "Righto," he said, giving a thumbs up before doing as Delete advised. He landed on top of the ship and pulled the rope out, holding onto one end as he dropped it down. Thankfully it was plenty long enough to reach the bottom.

"Oh no, do we have to climb this thing?" Inez asked warily.

"Guess we don't have any other option," Jackie shrugged, grabbing a hold of the rope and beginning to climb up the ship's side.

"One at a time, Earthlies!" Digit called down to the group as Jackie ascended. "I can only hold so much weight, ya know!"

"Ooh, I hate this!" Inez moaned, covering her face with her hands. "Isn't there another way I could get up there?"

"Come on, Inez, I'll help," Matt offered, cupping her back and gently moving her towards the rope. "I'll stand right at the bottom while you climb. That way if you slip and fall, I'll catch you. Okay? Take a deep breath."

Inez looked up and shivered a bit seeing how high it went. But she took Matt's advice and breathed deeply and deliberately for a moment. "Alright…" she relented, grabbing on and beginning to climb.

"Just don't look down and I'm sure you'll be fine," Matt encouraged.

Inez gulped and nodded, remembering his words as she went up. In a matter of minutes she had reached the top, and Jackie pulled her up and hugged her. "You did it, Inez!"

Inez giggled. "I know!" She turned behind her and called down, "Thanks, Matt!"

"No problem!" Matt called back, beginning to climb up himself.

Now only two others remained at the bottom. Delete glanced over at Fern as she looked up towards the top. "Think you can do this?" he asked.

"I guess… but I've never climbed a rope so high before, and I'm not that strong…" Fern replied.

"Hmm… How about I climb up before you. That way you'll be the last one, and maybe we can just pull you up?"

"I suppose that could work…" Fern said with a nod.

Delete smiled and grabbed the rope, beginning to climb. "Great - I'll climb up and tell them the plan."

When Delete reached the top, he told the others his idea.

"But what if she accidentally slips and falls?" Matt pointed out. "That would be a long drop."

"Oh yeah, I didn't think of that," Delete answered self-consciously.

Inez then got an idea. "Hey, Digit - How about while the rest of us pull the rope, you fly down and hover below Fern, just in case?"

"Hey, good idea!" Digit replied, taking off and flying down to the bottom.

Everyone at the top grabbed the rope. "Ready, Fern?" Jackie called down, peering over the edge and seeing Fern standing at the bottom next to Digit, holding the rope.

"Ready!" she called back, giving a thumbs up.

It was then that they began pulling on the rope. Luckily there were four of them, and Fern wasn't very heavy, so she wasn't too difficult to pull up. At the other end, Fern glanced down at the ground, getting slightly nervous as she was pulled up.

Digit smiled up at her encouragingly. "Doing great, kid! Just keep holding on tight!"

"Thanks…" Fern replied, trying not to focus on how high up she was too much.

A couple minutes later, Fern appeared at the side of the ship at the top, and they kept pulling until she was pulled over entirely from the edge. "Great job, Fern!" Inez praised, helping her get to her feet.

Fern giggled. "Thanks for pulling me up. That would have been a tough climb."

"You have no idea," Jackie remarked, rubbing her hands, as they had been irritated by the rope, as had Matt and Inez's.

"So what now, Delete?" Matt asked.

"Right over here," Delete said, gesturing to a handle several feet away. He squatted down and pulled on it, revealing a ceiling hatch. "Climb in! This'll take us inside."

No one was particularly eager to go in, of course, but Fern was especially hesitant. Matt noticed this and patted her shoulder. "You'll be fine, Fern. Don't worry about a thing. You'll be safe with us."

Fern sighed. "I know… I just really don't want to see Hacker again."

"Tell you what - If we do accidentally run into him, we'll be the ones to deal with him," Jackie offered.

"Yeah, that big green narcissist doesn't scare us," Inez agreed confidently.

"Just stick with us and you'll be totally fine," Matt assured.

Fern smiled. She appreciated all the encouragement she was getting, and was quickly growing to like these kids. "Okay, if you're sure…"

"We're totally sure," Jackie said with a firm nod. "Once we get in there, we're gonna find that power magnetic booster battery. And when we do, Hacker won't have anywhere to go, and Earth will be safe."

"Go on in. We're right behind you," Matt said, pointing to the hatch.

Fern nodded and slowly approached the entrance. As nervous as she was, she wanted to stay strong. As she had said less than an hour ago, this was the big adventure she had always wanted to go on, and she didn't want to chicken out. She wanted to be brave for once in her life. With that, she stepped into it and placed her foot on the rungs of a ladder, leading down into the darkness of the ship. She looked back up at the three kids and Digit and smiled. "Alright then - let's go find that battery."