The library was big and quiet, and Irene instantly relaxed once she was wrapped in its comforting embrace. Mike moved to sit in one of the chairs lining the wall, while she wandered around the huge bookshelves.
A few books caught her eyes, but she ignored them. She didn't like picking books that didn't seem completely worthwhile to read. If she was at home, she would have gone to the computers and looked up reviews on certain books to gauge other readers' reactions. Now, however, she could only do her best to decide.
A rather dusty book seemed to call out to her. Irene glanced around, but no one was paying too much attention to her. She surged forward and pulled it out.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens fell into her arms.
A book from home. Irene stared at it incomprehensibly. She hadn't seen titles from Earth in Cyberspace – ever. Every time she came, Irene would ask the librarian if a certain book was in, and the librarian would stare at her in confusion and tell her the book didn't exist.
And now, Charles Dickens was in her hands.
Irene carefully opened up the book and skimmed the first page. The words of home reached out to her and sucked her in.
Mike found her like that, sitting against a bookshelf, absorbed in the book, twenty minutes later.
He took a moment to smile fondly at the girl in front of him. Whenever she read or argued, it was like Inez was sparking up inside of Irene. He missed Inez, more than he missed Irene.
Mike took a moment to review his schedule for the day. He didn't have anything incredibly important to do, so he pulled a chair out and sat near Irene. He'd let her read the book for the rest of the day. If she hadn't already yanked him to the front door, the book was probably not something she wanted to checkout.
Irene finished the book and flipped it over. Her eyes began to droop sleepily. She had gotten almost no sleep the night before, even after she'd broken down in front of Donald, and she still felt drained. Her eyes shut and she slid into sleep.
Mike watched her fall asleep. He waited until he was sure that she wouldn't wake up if he touched her, and then pulled the book from her grasp. He returned it to the shelf and picked up the sleeping girl. She snuggled into his arms. He grabbed her big coat and draped it over her, like a blanket.
"WHERE ARE THEY?"
Mike looked up. At the outside of the library, a huge crowd had formed. Standing at the head of it was THE HACKER.
He backed up quickly and hid behind a wall, so he could see outside, but no one could see him. He cradled Irene protectively.
"I know the Earth brats are here. I know that you know where they are. Either you tell me where they're hiding, or I'll throw each and every one of you into Bernie's Black Hole, one by one, until I find where they're hiding." The Hacker threatened.
"Please, sir." One woman stepped up. "We have searched far and wide for the Cybersquad. They are not here. They're not in Smallsville."
Hacker paused, as though considering the woman's words. Then, he lunged forward and grabbed her, making the crowd shout out.
Behind him, Buzz and Delete pulled open a curtain, which revealed a cage. The woman was hurled in, screaming.
"You'll be the first to go." The Hacker snarled. He turned back to the crowd. "Find them – or you'll all die!"
With that, he flipped his cape and stormed to the Grim Wreaker.
Mike looked down to see Irene. Her small hand curled around the front of his shirt in barely suppressed rage and frustration. He could see the tears forming.
"That was Miss Gerald." Irene whispered. "She's the teacher at the school."
Mike nodded. He'd recognized her after a moment, too.
"Matt." Irene hissed. Her words were barely making a sound, so Mike didn't reprimand her. "We can't let all these innocent people die just because we're in hiding. You know Hacker's ruthless. He won't stop until he finds us; and he doesn't care who gets in the way. We have to stop him!"
Mike pressed his lips together. He knew what he should say – no, they needed to pick and move out of Smallsville and somewhere safer. But watching Hacker throw an innocent woman into a cage, to be tossed into a black hole, for telling the truth? It sparked a fire within him. Hacker needed to be brought to justice. This had gone too far.
Irene looked at Mike hopefully. He put his arms around her and picked her up.
"Come on. We have to go tell Jackie and Digit that we're taking a vacation. To Radopolis."
Irene beamed at him, the first genuine smile she had given in days.
Mike shook his head. Mike, Jessie, Donald, Irene. Matt, Jackie, Digit, and Inez.
The Cybersquad was back.