"Oh dear," Doctor Marbles said as they entered the control room.
He had been filled in on the damage as they had flown back to Control Central, but he had thought, or rather hoped, that the kids were just exaggerating. The sight nearly sent him to his knees, the only thing keeping upright the thought that perhaps Motherboard could be saved.
"We tried to warn you," Matt said quietly.
Marbles shook himself out of his shock and approached Motherboard's console slowly, still stunned at the massive amount of damage she had sustained. He winced as he took in the severed and sparking wires, the gaping holes, melted casing, and desperate whirring of the internal fans. The kids watched quietly, sensing his distress. The scientist examined what was left of the monitor and console, sighing heavily.
"This is not good, but I can help," Marbles finally said.
"Then you can reboot her?" Inez asked hopefully.
"No, there's too much damage," he answered truthfully, trying to ignore the way their faces fell. "A complete redesign is necessary."
"So she really is gone," Jackie said quietly.
"Not yet. What Hacker doesn't know is that I've had a back-up plan installed for ages should something like this occur."
Years before, when he had first sensed something amiss with Hacker, he had begun work on a secret project. He knew that if Hacker were to go rogue his intelligence would be dangerous to any he crossed, especially his creators. So with that in mind, he began constructing his so-called back-up plan. It was a cyborg shell, specifically designed to house Motherboard should it come down to it. She had never seen it, and he didn't think he had ever mentioned it to her.
"What does that mean?" Matt asked.
"It means there is still a chance I can save Motherboard, but we have to hurry. I'll need all of you to assist me," Doctor Marbles answered.
"Whatever you need, we'll do it," Inez assured him.
"Matt, come with me. I'll need you to lift something. Inez, see if you can get the monitor functioning again. Jackie, clear a path to the console."
"Got it!" the three chorused, scattering to accomplish their assigned tasks.
Matt went to Marbles' side, following him into the halls of Control Central. He led him, not to the storage room as he expected, but to a private lab. Matt looked around in wonder at the various items littering every available surface. They passed inventions in various stages of completion, odd machinery, and chemicals before reaching the back of the room. Marbles flipped a secret panel, revealing a key pad, into which he input a code. A hidden seal released, revealing a door hidden in the wall. He turned to look at the boy with a serious expression.
"Matt, what you are about to see has never been seen by another person, not even Motherboard. It is to be handled with the upmost care, as it is the only way to save her." The boy nodded to show he understood. "Very well."
They entered the room, and Matt's jaw dropped.
Digit was beyond terrified. Hacker had made it clear he intended to punish him for joining Motherboard, outlining in detail what he was going to do to him. The cage was inescapable, he'd tried already, and Buzz and Delete had taken his skwakpad. He was desperate, almost to the point of trying to squeeze through the bars of the cage.
Hacker was beyond terrifying, and normally he was fairly frightening. Digit had never seen someone as hate-filled and spiteful as Hacker, never. He shook just thinking about it.
"I hope the earthlies find out where I am soon," he whispered to himself.
"Think that's clear enough?" Jackie asked, kicking away one last wire.
"Looks like it. There's no wires in their way," Inez said.
"And you got the monitor back on!"
Both girls looked up at the large screen, which while still sparking and displaying scattered cracks and a gaping hole, was indeed functioning. Static raced across the screen in the areas where an image was still available, Motherboard nowhere to be seen.
"Well, the emergency power is still working," Inez answered.
They were interrupted by Doctor Marbles and Matt, who came in carrying something that looked suspiciously like a body.
"Inez, is that?" Jackie asked, pointing to the two.
"I…I think so."
They backed away as the two came closer. Matt gently laid his bundle at the base of the console.
"Ah, Inez, I see you got the monitor functioning again," Doctor Marbles observed as he began hooking up a series of wires from the console to the body." Back up power functioning…no sign of internal core damage…" he mumbled to himself.
"Um, Matt? W-what is that?" Inez asked, pointing to what she now realized was a female cyborg.
He grinned.
"That is Motherboard, or at least it will be when the Doc's through."
"What?"
"Years ago, when Hacker first began to turn against Motherboard, Doctor Marbles set to work finding a solution should Motherboard as we know her be damaged beyond repair. His solution was a cyborg shell, a body created to house her consciousness. It looks like what she'd look like had she been booted up rather than created. He's kept it safe in a secret room all this time. Hacker has no idea it exists," he explained.
"Nor will he until the time is right," Marbles said, catching the tail end of their conversation as he stepped back from the console. He inserted a small chip into one of the remaining parts of the control panel. "If this works Motherboard should be compressed into a small zip file which will then be unzipped once inserted into the cyborg."
"Wait, if this works? You created a living thing, how is this any different?" Jackie asked.
"Creating something is much different. You control the mindset at the time of creation, their intelligence level, their emotions, their initial outlook on life. They're a blank slate. A program waiting to be written. Transferring an already established being or consciousness is far more complicated. They can be damaged in the transfer, their memory harmed, personality deleted, mind wiped. Any number of things could go wrong. They could even reject the body, or the strain could be so severe that they revert to code."
The three kids looked at one another, understanding dawning.
"You mean," Inez began slowly, "that you have no clue if this will work, and if it does it could potentially harm Motherboard further?"
"Correct."
"Then why risk it?" Matt asked.
"Because it's the only way to save her," Marbles answered. "This procedure is extremely rare, and thus not much research has been conducted. When I heard about it, I decided to try it as a last resort only. I pray that she will be one of the few to come through it unharmed."
"If it's possible to download her into another body why didn't you attempt it when Hacker sent her the virus?" Jackie asked.
"Not only did I decide the procedure was too risky, I also discovered it won't cure her virus."
There was a beat of dead silence
"You mean…even if we save her she'll still be sick?" Inez asked.
"Unfortunately," Marbles answered. "Hacker created the virus to meld into her circuits and being, which is her consciousness in this case. Wherever she goes, it goes."
"So, she'll never get better?"
"Actually, there is a certain mineral I was looking into. It's extremely rare, legendary really, but it seems capable of erasing the virus while keeping her memory and programming intact."
"That's great! Where is it?" Matt asked.
"I'm not sure. I'm not even positive it exists." A quiet bing echoed throughout the room, breaking the four out of their discussion. He pulled the chip. "Cross your fingers."
He inserted it into a small slot on the back of the cyborg's neck, his hand shaking slightly. The synthetic skin rippled before sealing over the slot, making it appear as though the small incision was nonexistent. Whirring started up as the chip was processed and the lights flickered. They all watched the cyborg anxiously for signs of life, paying no attention to the rapidly dimming lights as the doctor's words replayed in their minds. When no signs of life were forthcoming Marbles sighed and turned away, unable to accept his failure. The kids continued to watch the cyborg vigilantly, hoping beyond hope that Motherboard would be all right. All was silent and still, even the whirring dying out.
The cyborg's chest jerked upward with the force of a breath.