Note: I do not own any of the characters in this story actually affiliated with Cyberchase…that would just make them less awesomer!!
I bet you're all wondering "Why the hell haven't you updated anything, DQ?! We're starving here!"
I'm sure there's a very reasonable, mature, not to mention well deserved, explanation in order for all of you loyal readers who have been trying to get me to add on to this and a couple of my other fics.
Yep, somewhere, there is definitely a reason for why you haven't seen any updates on this story.
Yes sir…I'm sure there is…You bet ya…
Well, good luck finding it! In the meantime, here's another chapter! Bon Appetite, everybody! ;)
(P.S.- For those of you who've already ready read chapter 5, it's been split in two as I've made some changes to it, making it just a smidge too long to be one chapter. So I've made it a two parter.
Also, if you just want to see what changes I've made, just skip ahead to part 2.)
My One and Only: A Cyberspace Story
By Dramaqueen-8.0
Chapter 5: The Truth Comes Out
Part I
Since the arrival of Hacker's daughter, Cyberspace had become extremely uneventful, as he'd "postponed" his plans for world domination. With him being out of commission for a short time, there was no one left to inflict chaos among the cybercitizens. For the first week or so, everyone was glad to have a break from the tyrant. But as time passed, the people became suspicious as to what he might be up to.
Many of them knew from experience that Hacker tended to have a better plan for destruction if he had more time to think about it, unlike some of his other ideas, which consisted of him coming up with one in just a short amount of time. These, of course, were the ones that would fail even before they were fully put into action.
And, considering the amount of time that The Hacker had yet to show himself, many had become restless, and uneasy. But not nearly as much as Motherboard had become. The same went for Dr. Marbles and Digit, as they too had become nervous upon noticing the fact that Hacker hadn't been seen for a while.
And what of the Cyber squad?
The three Earth children dedicating their lives to saving Motherboard and all of Cyberspace from the clutches of the twisted cyborg. Had they become uneasy as well? Perhaps they, too, were formulating a plan, one that could counter whatever Hacker's might be. After all, they've had plenty of time to do so while being in their own world for so long, without so much as a word from Cyberspace.
In fact, the three young heroes could be devising something dangerous, perhaps even extreme, at this very moment…
"Bored…so bored…"
Jackie lay sprawled out on her bed, a blue, heart-shaped pillow covering her face.
She'd gotten tired of her computer game long ago, becoming desperate for entertainment. When she had gone to her mother for guidance on what to do, she had expectantly suggested that Jackie clean her room. Well, after a bit of grumbling and complaining, the pre-teen had eventually given in, and was soon using a vacuum and window cleaner, adding the finishing touches on her now spotless room.
However, now that she had gotten that finished, along with all of her other time consuming chores, she still had the rest of the afternoon to herself…and her boredom.
Being in the middle of Summer, the lack of things to do was normal. But not for Jackie and her two friends; Inez and Matt. The three of them were used to having all kinds of adventures in the world of cybernetics. Unfortunately, their help wasn't needed, due to the fact that there was nothing to do for an adventure. Everything pretty much revolved around Hacker's activities, which were scarce at the moment.
Jackie gave an exasperated sigh, removing the pillow from her face. "This stinks…"
She rolled off of the bed, trudging over to her computer, only to stop just short of it. She considered playing some of her computer games, but shook her head in disgust. She'd had enough of computers for one day.
She headed towards the door, deciding instead to go and get a soda. It was then that she heard the phone ring. Thinking that it might be for her, she sprinted from her room, racing down the hallway in the direction of the phone.
Before it could ring a third time, she plucked it off the receiver, located on a small table near the entrance of the kitchen. She places it up to her ear.
"Hello?" she asked, energetically.
After a few seconds of listening to the caller, her smile fades. Instead, she begins to say what her parents had told her to in this situation;
"No thanks. We're not considering trading phone companies for the time being. We're very satisfied with…uh-hu…nope…"
She rolls her eyes at the persistent teller-marketer. After a few more seconds of meaningless babble, she sighs, hanging up on him.
"Stupid phone guy…" She then goes over to the fridge, grabbing a Root Beer. She pops it open, standing in front of the jarred door, soaking up the cool air illustrating from it.
Just then her mother walks into the kitchen, a basket full of clothes that had been hanging on the line outside. She glances over at the open refrigerator.
"Jacqueline, don't leave the door open like that. It's not good for it." She goes over to the couch in the living room, setting the basket of laundry on it.
"Okay, okay." She did as she was told, closing the fridge door. She then turned around, heading back into the direction of her room, taking a sip of her soda. "If you need me, I'll be on the shady side of my room."
Once she had gotten half way to her room, the phone rang again, making her groan.
She continued walking, shouting over her shoulder as she went. "You can get this one! I got the last joker!"
Her mother rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what she meant. "All right…" She put down the pair of pants she'd been folding, heading for the phone.
She plucked it from the receiver. "Hello?"
"Hi! Is Jackie there?"
Jackie's mother smiled at hearing the young girls voice. "Why, hello, Inez!" She said the girl's name loud enough for her daughter to come sprinting out of her room, snatching it out of her hand.
"Thanks, Mom, I got it!" She smiled up at her.
Her mother sighed, heading back over to her previous task.
Jackie put the phone up to her ear, walking back to her room and closing the door behind her.
"Hey, Inez! What's up?" she asked, setting her drink on her nightstand.
"Not much," was Inez's reply. "I was checking to see if you'd heard anything from Motherboard yet?"
She went over to her bed, flopping back down onto it. "No," she sighed. "Not a word! I'm starting to get worried. I mean, we haven't gone into Cyberspace since Pompadoria, and that was, like, a million years ago! Hacker's never gone this long without doing something evil!"
"Huh," said Inez. "That's odd. I thought for sure she would have talked to you by now."
Jackie sat bolt upright. "Why?"
"Well, she talked to me just a few minutes ago. But the signal was faint, so I thought I would call you guys to make sure that she had still gotten through to you. I guess not."
She shook her head, even though Jackie couldn't see her. "It must be the virus again."
The girl jumped off of her bed, pacing excitedly "So, what is it!? What's going on!? Does Matt know!?"
"Woah! Easy there, Jacks! Matt knows. In fact, he may be at Central Control as we speak."
"Well, okay…but what's going on? Did Mother B. explain anything?"
Before Inez could respond, a portal had opened up simultaneously in each of their rooms. They both stared at the purple object for a moment before speaking into the phone, saying their good-bye's in unison.
"Gotta go!" yelled Jackie.
"Later!" Inez called out.
Then, after hanging up on one another, and Jackie taking one last gulp of her root beer, they each leapt into their own portal, on their way to Cyberspace once again…
Digit paced back and fourth nervously as Doctor Marbles inspected anything that might be wrong with Motherboard's hard drive. Matt, who was preoccupied with his yo-yo, was sprawled out on a sofa, waiting for the arrival of Jackie and Inez.
Once Marbles had emerged out from underneath the console, Digit questioned him worriedly.
"Well, Doc? How's she doin'?"
Doctor Marbles looked down at the robotic bird with a smile, wiping his hands on a handkerchief. "She'll be fine, Digit. I was only doing a routine checkup…you knew that."
The cyboid looked confused. "I did…?"
He then waved a wing, as if coming to a realization. "Oh, sure! Of course I knew!"
"There was nothing really wrong, Digit…well, nothing new, anyway." He walked over to the main control panel atop the console. "It was just the virus…as usual." He said these last words through gritted teeth, thinking of Hacker.
Just then, the usual glow of a portal appeared, allowing the two young girls to walk right through, waving at their friends in waiting.
"Hey, Didge!" Jackie beamed. "Matt! Doctor M.!"
"What's going on now, Doctor Marbles?" asked Inez.
Instead of Marbles answering them, Matt had beaten him to the punch. "Not…a…thing!" He then stood up, putting his yo-yo away.
"And that's exactly why you are here, Cyber mates."
Everyone turned to face the large screen occupying most of the room. Motherboard had just awoken from sleep mode, and was now ready to explain the situation.
"So what is it this time, Mother B.?!" Jackie had become overly excited about the idea of being back in Cyberspace, fighting evil. "Is something wrong on one of the cyber sites…or is Hacker up to no good again?"
"Well, Jackie, that's-just it," she responded through the usual static. "Nothing."
"What do you mean, Motherboard?" asked Inez.
"She means exactly what she says," Matt answered her, walking up beside the two girls. "Nothing's wrong!"
Jackie, not quite getting it, just looks at him blankly for a moment. "But…but, why are we here then?!"
"Because, Jackie," came Digit's reply. "It's quiet . . .too quiet!" He threw his wings up into the air. "We haven't heard anything from Hacker in four weeks! That's almost a month!"
"Well, that's good, right?" Inez pointed out. "I mean, if he hasn't tried to take over Cyberspace, then doesn't that tell us that he might have given up…or maybe taken a vacation, or something?"
"Maybe, Inez." Dr. Marbles stepped forward. "But knowing Hacker, that isn't very likely. You see, the longer we don't hear from him, the more time he has to come up with a plan that we may not be able to prevent!"
He clenches a fist angrily. "We cannot let that happen…I won't let it!"
"Calm yourself, Dr. Marbles." It was now Motherboard's turn to share her opinion in the matter. "We do not know this for sure. But nevertheless, we must not let our guard down."
She turns her attention to the Cyber squad. "I need the four of you to investigate this. Even if The Hacker has decided to take a break from trying to rule over Cyberspace, he still might be up to something. No-exceptions."
"Right!" answered the three adolescents in unison.
"Yeah! We'll take care of it for ya', Motherboard!" Digit puffed up bravely "That creep doesn't scare us!"
True, Hacker didn't frighten Digit much anymore. But he was never comfortable with having to return to his old "home" in order to snoop on his former boss. Still, it was for Motherboard.
"I knew I could-count on you." She then spoke to the doctor. "Since we are not sure about his current location, Dr. Marbles, would you mind if they took the Cyber coupe? I'm afraid that I'm not really feeling up to the task of teleporting today."
"Not at all, Motherboard." He turned his attention to the group. "It should be all charged up and ready for departure. Just be careful. There are a few glitches that still need to be worked out, but only for the hyper accelerator."
"Hyper accelerator?" Jackie raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah," replied Digit. "That's where you can go a lot faster than usual."
"Oh! You mean like light speed, or something?" exclaimed Matt. "Cool! Just like on Star Wars!"
"Actually, yes. That's just another word for it." Dr. Marbles answered, giving him a quizzical look, as he had no recognition of the concept of the movie. "But lately, I've been having some problems with engaging it. So try not to use it, unless it's absolutely necessary."
"You got it, Doc!" Matt solutes him, then turning to head into the direction of the launch bay. "Come on, Gang. We should check out the Northern Frontier first."
"Shot gun!" Yelled Inez, Jackie kicking the ground in disappointment.
"Oh, man," she fumed, following the others. "I never get shot gun!"
"Good luck…and be careful," Motherboard called after them.
Digit waved back at her and Dr. Marbles. "We'll be fine! This is routine for us!" After they had left through the sliding door, it closed tightly behind them.
Dr. Marbles shook his head, looking back up at the large monitor. "I don't like this. Hacker's been quiet for too long. He might have something dangerous planned." He turned his attention back towards the door. "More so than usual."
"I don't much care for it, either, Dr. Marbles," replied the cybernetic leader. "But we don't have a choice. If we do not find out what he is up to now . . .it might be too late to stop him later on."
Dr. Marbles sighed. "I know, Motherboard…I know."
"Besides," Motherboard assured him. "Digit's right. They know what they're doing."
"True," Marbles replied. "I just hope it isn't something that they can't handle…"
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!"
Ivy sprinted down the hall, in the direction of Hacker's lab, a pink piece of paper gripped tightly in her small hand. She was wearing a pair of blue overalls with a light, purple shirt, along with white tennis shoes. She preferred this, rather than a dress. This made it easier to run through the Wreaker without feeling like too much of a "girl".
Upon arriving at the open doorway of the laboratory, she skidded to a halt, scanning the room. After half a second of searching, she had located her father; Hacker was seated at the controls for the machine that had created her. He was hunched over a debris of papers, notes written all over each one. He was asleep.
He'd finally gotten around to looking over the equations that had led to Ivy's "birth", and had been losing sleep in the process.
He also hadn't been wearing his usual attire. Instead, he now wore a short sleeve, pullover shirt with a three button collar, without his pocket protector. He still has his usual black pants and boots, but he's decided that the belt and cape seemed to get in the way, as he'd realized what a pain it was to keep taking the cape off whenever there was something that needed to be done…mainly when it involved anything having to do with Ivy. This included working on her room, childproofing the Grim Wreaker, or just spending time with her.
He actually didn't mind losing sleep over this last one.
Not really noticing his unconsciousness, Ivy runs over to him, standing at his side. She then begins to jump up and down excitedly, chanting.
"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!"
Hacker, scared witless, sits up straight almost immediately. "I DIDN'T DO IT! YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING!"
Ivy stops jumping, staring at him blankly, still clutching the pink paper in her hand.
Hacker whips his head around frantically in all directions, before finally looking down at his side, where upon discovering her.
He sighs in relief, taking a few deep breaths. "Oh, Ivy…it's you."
After a moment of silence, Ivy raises an eyebrow at him. "Didn't do what, Daddy?"
Hacker scratches his head, not knowing how to respond. His outburst had been referring to the time on Sensible Flats, when he had been accused of having too much land. That was the first time that his enemies had actually been in favor of his innocence, as they had merely wanted the antidote to Motherboard's virus in return. Naturally, he didn't give it to them…being an evil genius, and all.
"Oh…that," he began, thinking fast. "I was just, uh, having a bad dream, is all." He casually stretched, yawning. "Nothing to worry about."
"M'kay." She then looked down at the paper in her hand, remembering why she was there in the first place. She threw her arms up into the air. "Daddy!"
"Yeah?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Look at this!" She tried to bring the paper as close to his face as she could by standing on her tiptoes.
Hacker bent down and picked her up, setting her down on his lap. "What is it?" he asked, sounding interested, thinking it was another drawing of something.
"Read it! Read it!" She bounced up and down excitedly, holding the paper out to him.
"Okay! Settle down…I'll read it." He took the paper, reading it carefully, mumbling aloud as he did so;
'R Fair City
Presents:
Family Day!
For one day only, all families get a free admission into
Cyberspace's largest Amusement Park; R Fair City!
Come and enjoy a day of fun with what this cyber site has to offer
both parents and their kids!'
Hacker stared at the paper. "Uh-oh…" He looked down at the girl in his lap, right into those green eyes; It didn't take an evil genius to figure this one out.
"Can we go?!" she asked, looking up at him innocently. "Please?"
This wasn't what Hacker needed at the moment, with his lack of sleep…not to mention his lack of studying equations. He didn't have time for childish things like this! He was getting behind in his plans for world domination. And to top it all off, he still couldn't figure out what had happened to cause Ivy's creation. It was driving him crazy!
He looked down at the flyer again, then up at her. "Ivy…where did you get this?"
"From Wicked!" The girl smiled even more. "She brought it with her today!" She clasped her hands together. "So can we?! Please, please, pleeeeeaaaase can we go?!" Ivy batted her eyes adorably. "I'll love you forever…?"
He grinned, raising an eyebrow at her attempt. "Oh no, ya don't!" He pointed a finger at her. "Don't you try and pull that with me, young lady." He attempts to look serious. "Sympathy is NOT in my dictionary, and neither is flattery."
Then, without saying another word, the five year old adolescent's eyes began to glaze over with tears, and she had now stuck her bottom lip out, whimpering pathetically.
Hacker looked down at the girl, feeling horrible, even though he knew that she was only pretending to cry in order to get her way. He was beginning to soften…the cyborg couldn't bear to say no to his little girl…
After a moment of silence, he finally rolls his eyes, sighing. "All right, fine…you can stop now!"
Ivy does so, looking up at her father hopefully.
He shakes his head in defeat. "We can go."
Ivy jumped for joy at hearing this. She embraces his front torso. "Thanks, Daddy!" Before getting back down onto the floor, she gives him a kiss on the cheek, catching him off guard, as she had never done this before.
Once back down on the ground, she starts to head for the door, but stops, turning around to face him. "Is it okay if Buzz and Delete come, too?" She asked. "Cuz they're family, too, right?"
Hacker, who was in a state of shock from her action, just nodded. "Yeah…sure."
Ivy continued to smile as she turns back around, heading off through the lab door, in search of her two robotic friends.
Hacker sits in silence for quite some time, until he finally grins, looking up at the doorway. He was still getting used to little things like that. In fact, he wasn't sure if he'd ever become accustomed to it. The only thing he was worried about was becoming too soft to take over Cyberspace. With this in mind, he holds up the paper, groaning as he reads through it again.
"Perfect," he grumbles. "Not only am I exhausted, but now I have to face all of those sickeningly happy people and their snot-nosed little brats…"
He glances at the door again. "Well, I suppose some kids aren't all bad." He grins slyly. "I bet any other father would kill to have a girl like-"
He stops, slowly glancing down at the pink paper currently in his hand, realizing his mistake. His eyes suddenly went wide with horror.
"Oh…no."
He jumps up from his chair, almost dropping the flyer. He paces back and fourth, not
believing that he could be so stupid!
This 'Family Day' business was exactly the kind of thing that he'd been trying to avoid!
What was the point of keeping the girl a secret if he was considering parading her around in the middle of the day, in a highly populated area that he was well known in…and not in a good way!
He looks down at the paper again, trying to think of how these thoughts had formed in his head in the first place. His eyes dart over to the lab's entrance, cocking an eyebrow at the empty doorway. He shakes his head again, speaking to himself aloud quietly, a confusing thought occurring to him…
"Wicked?"
To be continued…
Well, there's part one. So the next chapter is actually part 2 (duh). It's where I made changes, so incase you don't want to read through both parts 1 and 2, just to see what they are…skip to part 2.
But if you're reading this, than it's too late to give a heads up.
(shrugs) Ah, well.