Note: I do not own Cyberchase blahblahblah. Ivy is my own creation yaddayaddayadda.

O. M. G! That's right, I'm back, yo! Miss me? I know, I know. I suck for not having anything to do with this story for a ridiculous amount of time. I'll understand if you're a tad mad at me. But hey, it's not like I'm the only person in the world that's suffered from writer's block before…

For, like, 5 years straight…give or take…okay, maybe that's just a smidge longer than average…

*cough* *shuffle feet*

Are you gonna sit there and judge me all friggin' day or are you going to read something?

SHEESH!

Oh, for those of you who haven't read this in forever, ya might wanna go back and get a refresh as to what's going on. Again, sooooo sorry for the delay!

My One and Only: A Cyberspace Story

By LaurenShort-DisneyFan (Formerly Dramaqueen-8.0)

Chapter 7: A Wrongful Rescue

"I don't know about you guys…but to me, something is definitely not right here."

Even as Inez said this, she wasn't looking over at her fellow teammates. If she had been, they wouldn't have returned the gesture, as they were staring at an all too familiar sight before them. And yet, as Inez had stated, there was something different about it…

The large metallic structure that sheltered the Grim Wreaker, normally, was filled with all sorts of debris; scraps of paper, metal, parts from old inventions, some of which the cyber squad recognized from past dealings with Hacker. But now, all that is missing, making the large storage unit rather spacious. As they crept further into the storage area, details are still quite noticeable, such as the lack of dust on the floors and other pieces of furniture.

"It's not just you, Inez," said Matt quietly, looking over an old workbench as they walk past, recalling to have seen it on their last visit to the Northern Frontier, only this time it's completely devoid of any parts that had been there before. It's been dusted and polished to shine. "Since when is The Hacker familiar with spring cleaning?"

"Yeah," said Jackie, just as quietly, not waning to give away their presence. "I don't think this place has ever been so spotless. I mean, I can even see the floor now! Did you guys know that the walls are blue, but the floor is a shade of purple? It's actually kinda tasteful…ya know, for Hacker."

Inez looks down at Digit. "Did it ever look like this when you were here, Didge?"

"Oh, sure." He rolls his eyes, despite his fear. "When he first built it. Then, one week later, bam!" He scans the room again, noticing a closet door out of the corner of his eye. It stood out because it was almost bulging to the point of breaking off the hinges. He ignores it, continuing. "He had Buzz, Delete and me always try to clean up once in a while, but it wouldn't do any good. Sheesh, what a pack rat! He never throws out anything, especially his old inventions."

"That I can believe." Matt scans the room, keeping a look out for anyone besides themselves. "But what if he doesn't live here any more?"

"What do you mean?" questions Jackie.

"Well, what if he sold the place? Ya know, so he can find a different hideout, or something."

"I don't know," said Digit skeptically. "Hacker never liked moving around too often. He never was much for change. Besides, the Wreaker is still here."

"Okay, then maybe he just hired somebody to clean for him, like a maid," Matt insisted, not giving up on a reasonable explanation. "Even bad guys need a good place to work in, right?"

"Matt, please." Jackie looks at him like he's crazy. "What maid in their right mind would-"

She's cut off by the sound of footsteps on a metal surface, and they're moving fast, as well as getting louder. Someone was coming out of the Grim Wreaker.

"Quick," Digit hissed. "Hide!"

The three kids follow him as he ducks out of sight behind another workbench. Once safely out of view, they peer out into the open, watching the ramp leading from the ship in silence. Naturally, the person coming down that ramp is far from what they could have expected.

They gasp as a young girl comes running down the ramp, followed by two metallic figures.

"Come on, Ivy, wait up!" Buzz pants. "Please? Get back up here, will ya?"

"Yeah!" Delete pleads, breathing just as hard as his brother. "Yer not supposed to leave the ship alone…remem-AHH!"

Delete begins to stumble, tripping over his foot. He tries to yell out to Buzz, but falls on top of him before he gets a chance to. They both roll down the ramp, landing in a heap with a loud THUD at the base.

The child continues to run away from her pursuers, not looking back. "No," she cries. "Leave me alone!"

"Who's that?" Jackie whispers to the cyboid next to her.

"Beats me," he answers. "But if she's here, it can't be a good thing!"

"Well, what're we waiting for?" Matt jumps up from their hiding spot. "Come on! We have to help her!"

The others hurry after him, following Buzz and Delete.

Ivy runs outside of the holding area, making her way around the corner of the building. She has no idea where she's going. She just wants to get away from here.

After overhearing everything The Wicked Witch and Hacker had been saying, crying and running are the only things she wants to do right now. She had tried hiding on the ship so she could be alone, but Buzz and Delete had found her. When they asked her what was wrong, she only ran, wanting to be alone again.

Ivy didn't know what to think about all this. She didn't know whether to be frightened, angry, or just confused as she tries to get as far away from here as she can. She turns another corner, making her way to the back of the large metallic structure that she'd known as home, ever since her birth.

Ivy stops abruptly, nearly running into a small, pod like ship. Obviously not a normal part of her surroundings, she looks on at it with both fear and curiosity. For a split second, she'd forgotten why she was running.

She approaches the craft, reaching out a small hand, feeling the cool metal surface. "Where did this come from-?"

"Which way did she go, Matt? I didn't see where she went?"

"Let's try back here!"

She gasps at hearing voices from behind her, coming around the same corner she had. But these were voices she'd never heard before. It couldn't be Buzz or Delete, because that sounded like a girl's voice. And who was Matt?

Ivy looks around frantically, hoping to find a hiding spot. Her heart beats faster as the footsteps of this "Matt" and other strangers get closer. Without giving it another thought, she dives underneath the small ship, her feet disappearing from site just as the cyber squad turns the corner, their sneakers kicking up dust.

"She's gone!" Digit stated, looking in all directions, panting. "Man, that kid is fast!"

"She's gotta be around here somewhere, guys," said Inez. "Hurry. We have to find her before Buzz and Delete find out we're here."

The four of them split up, hoping to spot the silhouette of a small girl. Digit heads into the direction of the cyber coupe, looking into the windows. Meanwhile, Ivy covers her mouth, attempting to stay quiet. Was it a good or bad thing they were looking for her? Come to think of it, why were they looking for her? She'd never seen them before.

"Digit?" Jackie called out from behind him. "Find anything?"

Ivy stared at the red shoes just inches in front of her, hoping he didn't kick up any more dust. It was making her nose itch.

Digit…Where had she heard that name before?

"She ain't in here, guys," he shouts out to them.

"Are you sure, Didge?" Inez yelled back, continuing to squint while taking in the desert-like surroundings "There's no way she could have gotten too far."

Digit sighs. "I'll check again." He activates the propeller on his tail, flying over the coupe to the other side, blowing up some dust as he does so. He checks the other windows thoroughly. "Still nothing," he mutters to himself, looking around scratching his head. "Where could she be?"

Meanwhile, Ivy's eyes begin to water from the cloud of dust. Despite her efforts in covering her mouth, she can't help it any longer. She takes in a few quick breaths, unable to stop herself.

"Ah…ah…ah-CHOO!"

She had sneezed so hard, it sent her flying out from underneath the small craft, plowing right over Digit, who didn't see her in time for him to move.

"Yoinks!" he called out in surprise as she landed on top of him, stirring up still more dust.

Ivy shook her head, not knowing what had just happened. She looks around in a panic, realizing she's out in the open, failing to notice the figure she's sitting on top of.

Digit rubs the top of his head, letting out a groan that causes her to gasp. She swivels her smaller head around to see a large purple bird underneath her. She lets out a shriek, jumping off of him and sprinting towards her previous hiding place. She looks out at him from under the coupe in terror, not knowing what to expect.

"I think, I found her," Digit grumbles.

"Didge, what happened?" said Matt, who, after hearing his call, came back towards their ship, Jackie and Inez closely in tow. "Where'd she go?"

After dusting himself off, he pointed with his wing. The three Earth kids look at one another, then all bending down closer to the ground to see. They're all silent as they only stare at what appears to be a small, green child with black hair and even greener eyes, which are as wide as saucers from fear at the site of four strangers looking on at her.

"Hi there," Inez says gently. "What's your name?"

Ivy doesn't answer. Only breathing heavily out of panic.

"It's alright, Kid," says Matt. "We're not the ones you need to worry about."

Jackie elbows him in the side, causing him to shrug at the dirty look he receives.

"Poor thing," Jackie sympathizes. "It's okay. We won't hurt you. We're here to help."

This catches Ivy's attention. She raises an eyebrow at them. "Help?"

"Yeah," says Digit, trying not to sound forceful. "We need to get you outta here before Hacker comes looking for you."

"You do?" she asks, wondering how they know her father, or for that matter, how they knew she was trying to run away. "Why?"

"Well," It's Inez's turn to try and persuade her to let them help. "He's the bad guy, right?"

"He is?" Despite her asking, she already knows the answer.

Matt nods. "Yep. Rotten to the core. The meanest, not to mention most evil being in all of Cyberspace…always trying to take over the world and cause bad things to happen. Ya know, villain stuff."

"What we mean to say is," Jackie says rather loudly, signaling for Matt to shut it. "It's not safe here for you."

"And you don't want him to find you," Digit adds. "Do you?"

At hearing this, her eyes begin to sting as they threaten to tear up again. She thinks back to her father on several separate occasions; the day she had come out of the pod and he'd seen her for the first time…when he had introduced her to Wicked on the phone and in person…when he'd played hide and seek with her a number of times. She also remembered when she had called out to him when she was looking for him, and how he'd nearly had a panic attack from worrying about her.

But this is soon forgotten, as she recalls the events of the day, putting her in the situation that she was now in.

She looks down at the ground, expressing an angry look. "No…I don't want to talk him. Never, ever again."

"Umm, okay then?" Matt says questioningly to the others, who only shrug, just as thrown off by this as him. He offers a hand to her. "Hurry. We should go before someone finds us here."

She looks up at them again, mainly at the strange purple bird called Digit. "Where-"

A crash is heard around the corner of the building, followed up by an agitated voice.

"Deeds, Why would she be in that pile a junk?"

"Well, I don't know, Buzzie. She is pretty small. She could fit in there."

The kids gasp. Matt reaches for Ivy, pulling her out from under the cyber craft. "Come on!" He says in a hushed, yet frantic voice. "Let's get her outta here!"

"Hey," Ivy struggled in his grasp. "Put me down!" She was having second thoughts about going with them. But if she did, they might be able to tell her more about her father. With this in mind, she settles down, allowing the redhead to put her inside of the cyber coupe.

Once everyone was aboard the small craft, Digit started up the engine, flipping switches and pushing buttons rapidly in an attempt to leave before the two dimwitted assistants caught site of them. Matt, seated in front next to him, buckles his seat belt, Jackie and Inez, seated in back with Ivy, do the same. Jackie reaches out to Ivy's sides, strapping her in as well.

"Floor it, Didge!" shouts Inez.

Digit obeys, jamming the pedal down as far as it will go. The jolt causes Ivy to grip the seat below her. She gasps, "No, wait!" She undoes her safety belt, standing to look out the window, beginning to doubt going along with the newcomers. She pushes on the glass dome in hopes of it giving way, letting her out of the ship. But it was no use.

"It's okay, Ivy." Inez did her best to sit her back down. "We'll be off this site in just a second," she says at the top of her voice, as the loud roar of the engine intensifies.

"You don't, understand." She stands up again, looking for Buzz and Delete outside. "We can't leave my friends here," Ivy pleads as they rise off the ground, descending upward. "Go back!"

The cyber coupe continues to rise up and over the Northern Frontier, the five year old's cries gone unheard. All she can do is look down on the two metallic figures, returning the gaze up at her, shouting up at the craft and waving their arms frantically.

For the second time in her short life, Ivy experiences fear, hatred, heartache, confusion and above all else, betrayal. Coincidently, it's all in the same day.

"So," Matt asks from the front seat, bringing her attention away from the window. "Ya got a name, Kid?"

She glances down sadly. "It's Ivy…Just Ivy."

"Well," Jackie begins, glancing over at Inez. "What were you doing in the Northern Frontier!"

"Yeah, and where are your parents?" Digit asked, not taking his eyes away from the empty cybernetic space in front of them. "We should really get you home."

"Parents?" Ivy looks out the window, watching the site she's known to be her home for the past few months shrink into the distance.

Matt turned around to face her. "Ya know. A Mom, or a Dad?" He pauses, observing her silent response as she continues to look glumly out into space. He looks over at the two girls who only shrug. There was obviously something strange about this little girl, but none of them could put a finger on it.

Inez leans forward to get a better view of her. "Ivy?"

Ivy looks over at the speaker, her eyes filled with so many emotions it's impossible for them to tell what it is she's thinking.

"You, do have parents…don't you?" she asked gently, hoping they didn't get the answer they were all expecting. If she was on the same site as The Hacker, with no parental supervision, not to mention being chased down by two robotic henchman, then there was a good chance her parents, if she had any, were still back with the tyrant. And if that were the case, they hoped it wasn't too late to go back and help them.

Ivy just looks on at the four strangers surrounding her, receiving their full attention. Even the purple cybernetic bird at the helm listens intently, stealing glances at her in the rearview mirror.

"It's okay, Ivy," Digit finally says. "You can trust us. We're the good guys! We're with Motherboard and Doctor Marbles."

After a moment of silence, Ivy takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She didn't know why but she suddenly feels very tired, physically drained, as if she hasn't slept in days. It didn't help that she had to explain to these four individuals she'd just met a few minutes ago that she'd been conjured in a pod, instead of being born the conventional way.

But despite this, she does have a father. She knows she must tell them at least that much.

She thinks back to earlier that day, to the last time she'd spoken to him; how he'd promised to take her to an amusement park, just the five of them. She hadn't asked him, but she wanted Wicked to come along. She liked her, and she knew that her father liked her too, but he would never actually tell her. Ivy's intentions were to get them together for a day of fun. Maybe then things would be okay.

But now? Now she just wasn't sure of anything anymore.

She looks at each of the teenagers before looking down at her dangling feet.

"Yes…I, have a daddy." She glances up at them again, this time not just with fear, but with tears in her eyes. "He's back there…in his lab, with Ms. Wicked."

She pauses, observing their raised eyebrows before she continues. "But they're busy talking. Something about him not changing his ways. I don't know." She wipes at her eyes and under her nose. "But, it's not a good idea for you to go back there, though." Ivy looks up at the rearview mirror, catching Digit's eye. She shakes her head. "I don't think he likes Doctor Marbles very much."

Hacker had hardly moved an inch since Wicked left him alone. He could only stare blankly at the crumpled up papers in front of him, unable to focus his eyes on the numeric equations written upon them. His hands had become numb from being folded up under his chin for so long, much like his entire body.

He felt nothing, as if he were asleep. But he knew he wasn't. What had just happened a few moments ago was no nightmare. It was real… Ivy really hated him. And he only had himself to blame. The more this thought ran through his mind, the more he wanted to wake up.

Finally, he unlocks his fingers, slowly folding back the top of each page of notes, doing his best to focus his mind on something else, trying not to think about what horrible things Wicked might be telling Ivy that very second-

Hacker froze. His hand tightly gripping the second to last page in the unkempt stack of observations. His eyes dart back and forth on the top part of it, catching site of something out of the ordinary. He pulls it out from underneath the other papers, scanning further on down the page. His brow furrows with each bit of notes he reads.

Something he'd caught site of hadn't made sense. It was the analyzed data used when he'd first began construction on the pod that had created Ivy. Not just the pod, but the energy used in powering it…

His eyes widen as he goes over the same notes again. He then frantically sifts through the pile laid out before him, reading over another set of notes. He shakes his head.

"This, can't be right." He says in disbelief, looking between the two pages.

Hacker is suddenly stricken with terrible realization, jolting to his feet, forcing his chair back a few feet in the process.

"Oh, God," he states. "Ivy!"

He turns and rushes out of the lab at a full sprint, now in a hurry to find the young girl, afraid he might not have caught site of this horrible error in time.

To Be Continued…

Holy crap! Ya know, he probably should've had that little talk with her about not taking rides from strangers…Strangers being four kids and a purple bird wearing tennis shoes.

Stay tuned…

Oh, and if anyone actually still has feedback out there and wants to share it…awesome! Go for it!