The next day, Inez woke up back in her house, trying to remember how she got back here. She held her head; the headaches were getting to her.
Slyder never really told us about how long the side effects were going to last; we've been there for about a week. What more harm it's going to do to us?. She ran the bath so it was steaming. She stripped her yesterday's clothes and emerged into the hot water, instantly becoming light headed.
She had to review her plans. So far, Matt was in no good condition to come back for now...for the second time.
She didn't want to push things, they had time to get ready to attack Hacker. They needed to do a few things. Knowing the way around his security system undectected would be nice?
Well that's just impossible right now.
Slyder isolated himself to focus on the matter of fixing Digit ASAP. He was, after all, a loyal and important factor of the Cybersquad; and he was still family. But how long will it take for Slyder alone to fix someone so broken like Digit?
Where did that leave the squad?
/
Max was anxious to see Dr. Alvin, but he too isolated himself in order not to bring attention around them. Though, Max no longer trusted him personally, so it made him anxious on what he was planning behind his back. Cyberspace was soon falling under lockdown with Hacker. So he really didn't have a choice but stick with that squad.
That were apparently split up.
He teleported to the house of one person who could manage to tolerate him. Naturally, he sat on top of the roof. Five minutes past as she left the house, unaware of his presence until he spoke.
"What's going on?" He demanded. Inez was almost startled by his voice. She turned to face him; her deep brown eyes gleaming in the sun.
"I'm going over Slyder's house, if you mind getting off my house." Inez raised a slightly bugged brow. Max jumped down on his feet with his hands in his pockets.
"That's not what I meant mortal." Max growled.
Inez scoffed, "Mortal?"
"Whatever you're planning on doing you're out of your damn mind." Max pointed out. Inez feinted with surprise.
"Well, my plan was to actually go down there all by myself." Inez sighed almost a bit too loudly. Max raised a red brow.
"I already told you the deal. You can't go in if you're going to haul a half-ass group in there." Max said sharply. Inez stopped and turned around.
"Or, I could always have you help out." Inez stared darts into the android's eyes challenging him. Max tried to see if the mortal girl was trying to trick him. Most likely yes, she was. But he could absolutely not let her go by herself down there with the ways that things are getting. Not with his plans.
"This is one of your tricks to get me to help you." He glared at her. Inez smirked with victory. Max growled loudly; his voice box vibrated with a filter effect.
"I swear I would put my hands on you." Max threatened with shaking fists. Inez rolled her eyes as she continued walking. "Or, should I start talking dirty?"
"Dirty?" Inez glanced back. Max chuckled with a hard grin.
"You should be careful about hanging around me little mortal." Max warned. "You don't want to...mix your feelings."
Inez's anger flared immediately. She did not know how to handle this rage. Her entire body fired up as she felt all her strength shove Max into the nearest mailbox. He landed on it with a loud clank. Her brown eyes glaring into his dull blue eyes, with sharp anger and impatience as she held him by the neck collar. She could feel the profain words blind her expanded vocabulary.
"You listen here." Inez said deadly low. "You listen well, you conceded fucking robot. There's is no way; no goddamn way, I'm going to let you go. And not because of any stupid fucking love triangle you're fantasizing right now. I swear on my life if I find out there's some sick idea of interfering with me, or Matt, so help me I will find a way to end you, miserably."
Max stared blankly at the ferocious young mortal. Finally sparked? How long I've been waiting for that?
"Of course." He paused with a harsh grin.
And for the rest of the walk to Slyder's house, it was dead silent.
/
Inez did not have to say a word to let Max know he wasn't invited inside. He decided to chill out as his attention was directed to a stray cat.
Inez made her way upstairs, minding the darkness of the house with the curtains closed. She opened the door to see Jackie sitting on the chair watching Matt. He curled on his side, fast asleep.
"Jacks?" Inez checked. Her head turned as she looked at Inez.
"Inez." Jackie started. "I beg you, don't do this."
Inez protested. "I have to. It's only going to be for a day." Grimacing at the thought of when she saw Hacker with her own eyes. Taller, greener, more angry and defiant. She didn't want to encounter him again.
"At least warn Slyder. He's probably not aware..." Jackie trailed off. Inez nodded as she watched her go to his laptop, hesitantly touching it. She turned it on.
"You don't have to do that." Max appeared beside Inez as she jumped back and hit her head on the door. She growled. Jackie stood up, her face a harden sneer.
"What are you doing here?" She asked bitterly.
"Assisting, Jackie." Max retorted and he stood nose-to-nose with the dark-skinned mortal. Inez stared at the ceiling as she silently prayed as to why she had to be the peacemaker. She stepped between them, putting her hands on either one.
"Back up you two." Inez told him, glancing at her best friend and the robot. Jackie groaned as she pouted in Slyder's swivel chair. Max stepped back with his arms behind his back. His attention turned to the sleeping mortal known as his half-brother.
"What is wrong with him?" He finally said. Inez knew he was referring to Matt, as she touched his arm.
"Since we've travelled through Cyberspace with the help of Slyder's laptop, it's been frequent that we've suffered from the side effects...except he has the worst." Jackie stared at the window.
Max scanned the sleeping mortal, then Inez, then Jackie. He also scanned the superb laptop that had cyber-technology and other strong structures to sustain it. His eyes narrowed.
"It's for certain that the technology you're using is highly dangerous. It's not Hacker's doing of this." Max concluded. Inez turned around and stared at the android.
"How do you assume that? You're probably trying to convince us that it's not safe to go there anymore." Inez retorted. "Motherboard worked at par compared Slyder's laptop and we can there 3 seconds flat."
"That's the thing, mortal girl." Max snarled, "Things are different. If Hacker has another motherboard running cyberspace, it's easy to say that things are coded more tightly and you disrupting that is basically exposing your bodies to dangerous toxins of that dimension."
Jackie ran a hand through her hair as she paced. Inez sat with her head in his hand as she thought.
"Then what is your plan?" As the room was alert that the sleeping boy awoke from his slumber, sitting up with dark shades under his eyes. His hair a matted mess as he tried getting up. He winced as he laid back.
Max stood over the boy, creating a tense aura that would alert the people around them to step back, but he simply turned around and paced three steps.
"Inez proposed a offer." Max said bitterly. As this made Matt flinch. What was Inez planning to do while he was sick again?
Inez took a breath and sighed, "While Jackie stays here with you while you get better, I was going to go down there-"
"No." Matt said bitterly as his eyes darted to the red-headed android. He could see a hard smile plastered on his face.
"Matt you didn't even let me finish!" Inez tried to say.
"I don't need to when I already know! You can't go. I don't trust him." Matt clutched a fist, as he awaited the moment to strike the first blow.
Max's hard smile wavered, "Naturally, brother."
And in a fleeting moment Matt leaped from the bed and tackled the android down the stairs.
Thanks for leaving the door open.