The flight to Tikiville was silent and tense, nobody daring to voice their thoughts. All Motherboard could think about was Hacker, how he'd changed and what he was now capable of. She worried for her citizens and her world, worried for her friends, and for the children she considered her own. For the first time she felt guilty for pulling them into a world and war not their own and putting them in danger. It was too late to send them away, or she'd do it and seal the portals, keeping them safe but potentially damning them all.
As they drew closer to Tikiville Inez called Creech to let her know what was going on, as no doubt by now everyone had heard Hacker's broadcast.
"Inez! What's going on? Is it true what Hacker said?" the young ruler asked, fear flooding her tone.
"Not entirely, but he is in control for the moment."
"How? What happened?!"
"He destroyed Motherboard's mainframe, but Doctor Marbles saved her. We had to escape Control Central when Hacker came back and we're heading your way. We thought Tikiville might be a good place to hide for a while."
"Of course, you're always welcome here!"
"Thanks, Creech," Inez smiled, "we'll fill you in when we get there."
The landing itself was blessedly uneventful. Motherboard had managed to pilot the craft the entire way, too absorbed in her thoughts to worry about the virus burning in her system. Creech was waiting at the edge of the field as expected, and rushed to greet them as they disembarked.
"Inez! What's going on?!"
"Hey Creech," Inez called back, hugging the young ruler. "It's a long story, but basically Hacker has finally gone insane and tried to destroy Motherboard permanently. We located Doctor Marbles and he was able to save her."
She turned, nodding toward the woman Marbles was assisting down the ramp, his coop having landed not too long after theirs, with Hacker thankfully nowhere to be seen.
"That's Motherboard?" Creech asked, stunned by the beautiful woman leaning on the doctor's arm.
"Yup. Doctor Marbles had been engineering a cyborg body for years and luckily we were able to transfer her in time. Unfortunately, the virus was so deeply embedded in her circuitry that it went with her. Now with no firewall it's spreading fast. That actually brings me to the second reason for asking to stay here. There's a mineral called Alagnaite that we believe may cure her, but we don't know where it is. Have you maybe heard of it?"
The young woman frowned.
"I don't think so, but maybe some of the ancient records mention it!" she said excitedly.
"Ancient records?" Matt asked, having wandered over and listened in.
"Yes! Ever since our people colonized this site we've kept meticulous records of the flora, fauna, mineral deposits, everything! Maybe if we look through the books we'll find a mention of Alganite!"
"That's great! But do you think we can get inside the mansion before Motherboard collapses? And Digit too? Hacker kidnapped him and hurt him pretty badly, and I don't think he's quite up to full speed yet."
Creech looked back to first the little cybird and then her ruler. It was true Digit was lacking his normal energetic hopping and talking, and Motherboard was still leaning against Doctor Marbles, and if she looked closely she could see her tense every so often as if in pain. Frowning, she nodded and beckoned them to follow her into the house, quickly showing them to their rooms.
"Hey Creech?" Inez called before she left. She turned, lifting an eyebrow in question. "Thanks again for letting us hideout here."
"Anytime, Inez. I'd do anything to help Motherboard regain control.
Buzz and Delete cowered in the corner as Hacker raged around, throwing things and generally destroying anything he could get his hands on.
"Those brats! I should have known they'd try anything to revive that useless hunk of junk!" He whirled around, eyes blazing and gaze settling on the terrified robots. "This is all your fault! If you had alerted me earlier that you had found the tin turkey and those meddling miscreants they wouldn't have gotten away!"
"Y-you're right, Boss. Completely our fault. Right Dee-dee?" Buzz stammered, trying to meld into the hulk of the ship.
Delete couldn't answer, too afraid to string together the words to agree.
"We have to find them. Something isn't quite right about this whole situation. There was an extra passenger on that cybercoop, a woman I didn't recognize. But she seemed to know me." He paused, calming slightly as his mind raced through possibilities and ideas. "Buzz! Delete! Find those earthbrats and that delusional Doctor Marbles! Move!"
They scrambled to do as bid, tripping over the various broken monitors and spare parts for the Wreaker that had gotten dislodged in his fit of anger. Hacker turned to look out the window. He knew Motherboard was still out there, somehow, somewhere—even though it shouldn't have been possible—and he intended to find her.
Everyone was spread out across the vast library, each combing through a different book caked in dust. So far, the rejection pile was three times that of the lead pile, which contained a measly three books, and even those weren't promising. There didn't seem to be a mention of the mysterious substance anywhere, or if there was it was a secondhand report, nothing detailing its whereabouts. Things were beginning to look bleak, but they didn't want to give up, not if there was still a chance something could be done.
The silence was broken as Matt tossed a book across the room, uncaring of its age or where it landed.
"Uh Matty, you okay?" Digit asked.
"No, I'm not. This whole thing is pointless! None of these books tell us where we can find Alganite. I say we just start looking for anything that matches its description."
"Matt, I don't think that's such a good idea," Jackie said, gently setting her book to the side.
"Jackie's right. It would take ages to find a sample of all the minerals on this site, let alone all the others," Inez agreed.
No one dared to voice that they didn't have that kind of time. Matt scowled, kicking at the wall before storming out. The three girls and Digit shared a look before following him, hoping to get him to calm down and talk to them. Doctor Marbles and Motherboard sighed, both irritated by his behavior and understanding at the same time. Motherboard rubbed at her eyes, feeling a headache beginning to form, and set her own book aside, leaning her head back against the cool marble of the wall.
It was quiet for several minutes as Marbles continued to scour through several scrolls, the oldest material in the collection.
"I regret it sometimes," Motherboard said suddenly, keeping her eyes closed.
The shuffling stopped abruptly.
"Regret what?"
"Bringing them here, to our world. It isn't their place, and yet here they are."
"They're here on their own terms," he said gently.
Motherboard's eyes flew open and she sat forward, anger radiating off her.
"No they aren't! They're here because I brought them here. They never would have come had I not created that portal." She slumped back once again, feeling the familiar zap of electricity at her core, her muscles jumping and tensing at the pain. "I feel like this whole situation is my fault."
Doctor Marbles churned her words in his mind, searching for a way to ease her worries. Hesitantly, he scooted closer to her and covered her hand with his.
"The children are here because they enjoy being here and they want to help you. They've made friends here, and now it's as much their world as ours. As far as Hacker goes, I take the blame there. Obviously something went wrong in his initial data creation and boot up, something I should have kept a close eye on. Regardless, we're here now, and it isn't ideal. But we'll get by, just as we have been. Perhaps not as quickly and easily as before, but we will get by. Hacker won't win, not now, not ever."
Motherboard looked at him once more and smiled softly, turning her hand over to give his a squeeze.
"Thank you. I don't know what I would do without you here to provide a logical input."
"My pleasure." She winced, reaching her other hand up to cradle her forehead. Marbles frowned in concern. He really did have to start tracking the virus. "What's wrong?"
"A headache I think. Along with a few painful electric surges. This is the only thing I miss about the monitor, the system was practically immune to pain."
"Do you mind if I-?" he asked as he raised his hand.
"By all means, please. Perhaps you'll find a way to relieve the pain."
He touched her forehead gently, feeling for any imperfections in the underlying circuitry and boards, and when he found none slid it down to her neck. He felt the steady thrum of electricity and reasoned that everything was functioning as it should, though not in top condition due to the virus. He also noticed she felt incredibly warm, as though her system was attempting to overheat.
"There doesn't seem to be anything of concern, though you do feel rather warm," he said, sitting back.
"Do I? I suppose I have noticed an increase in my core temperature now that you mention it, but I had assumed it was normal."
"I'm afraid not. Another side effect it appears. Strange, now that you have a cyborg body the virus seems to be adapting and acting as any other virus. Fainting spells, muscle pain, and now a fever. Interesting indeed."
Motherboard couldn't help but smile as she watched him descend into his thoughts. She always did enjoy watching him work out a particularly difficult puzzle.
"You can ponder it later," she laughed after a few minutes, pushing his stack of papers back toward him. "Right now we need to keep looking for clues about Alganite."
"Matt wait!" Jackie called after her friend.
He kept walking, acting as though he hadn't heard her.
"Matt!" Inez yelled.
"What?!" he snapped, whirling around.
His eyes were red, and he angrily scrubbed at his face.
"We just, well, just wanted to see if you were okay," Inez answered quietly.
"I'm fine," he grumbled, attempting to turn away once more.
"It's okay to be scared," Creech said softly. He stopped, facing them again. "I'm scared. Without Motherboard in power and Hacker on a rampage who knows what will happen?" Digit shuddered as he recalled just how violent Hacker had become, but stayed silent. "But we can't give up. If we do that we may as well literally bow down to that psychopath, and I'm not about to bow to anyone."
"Creech is right," Digit said, stepping forward. "Hacker has to be stopped. He's not the same borg he used to be, and I don't want to think about what would happen if he does manage to take over."
"I don't want to give up, but it's so frustrating!" Matt said, stamping his foot. "We haven't found anything that we can actually use yet. And, if you haven't noticed, Motherboard isn't getting any better. I just...I just feel…."
"Like a failure?" Jackie said quietly. "You're not, Matt. None of us are. We didn't know the first portal was a trap, how could we? But we did save MotherB once already, we can do it again."
"We're all scared, Matt, but that's what friends are for. To support each other. We can do this," Inez said with a smile.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Positive," both girls responded.
"I'm sorry for throwing the book, Creech," Matt said, wrapping an arm around his waist in embarrassment. "I shouldn't have done it, I know it's important to you."
"It's okay, Matt. Just be more careful from now on, okay?"
"Deal," he said with a grin. "Last one back is a rotten egg?"
His friends exchanged smiles before they took off back toward the house, spirits lightened just a little.
The following days were actually enjoyable for the group. When they weren't busy researching Alganite they were hanging around with Creech, visiting the local beaches and just generally having fun. Motherboard took the opportunity to spend time with some of her citizens as one of them, getting to know the everyday life on one of the sites. Sometimes she went to the beach with Digit and the kids, enjoying the warmth of the sun, the splash of the waves, and the ability to be able to enjoy it all. It felt good to be able to do that, to get away from her responsibilities as leader even though she knew it was anything but a vacation.
Doctor Marbles spent his days in the vast library, looking not only for the elusive mineral but researching any way possible to stall the virus and buy time. He had begun tracking its progress, pleased that it seemed to be slowing down for the time being. Unfortunately nothing could be found to provide his friend relief from its effects, save rest and the occasional cool compress. He admired how she pushed on even on the days he and the others knew she'd rather be alone and resting.
News filtered in occasionally of Hacker's exploits, and of the cybersites he'd conquered. What was worrying him was that most of the sites weren't too far from Tikiville, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they were forced to move on. He dreaded the day, knowing it would be hard for Digit and the children to leave their friend behind, but also understanding that she couldn't abandon her people anymore than they could abandon Cyberspace as a whole.
….
A month had passed before anyone knew it, the calm atmosphere of the site helping to alleviate part of their panic and stress. Unfortunately, they had yet to find a solid location for the Alganite, merely coming across more legends and lore. That was quite frustrating, and on top of it was the news of how close Hacker was getting to Tikiville. Everyone knew it would only be a matter of time before he decided to challenge Creech and take over, so they began helping her with strategies to fend him off for as long as possible. The citizens helped as much as they could, contributing food and clothing should they need to evacuate or take refuge.
Between projects Doctor Marbles and Motherboard began to plot their course, deciding which sites may prove useful in their search. Frogsnorts would be their next visit, hoping that such a magical stone would be there, or at least detailed records of it. The kids agreed that Frogsnorts was best, and secretly hoped Merlin or Sherri could offer Motherboard some help.
While the virus had finally slowed in its progression, the symptoms that had manifested were growing worse. Her headaches were coming more frequently and with varying severity, sometimes rendering her immobile for days at a time. The fever, which had come unexpectedly, hadn't left, but thankfully hadn't yet gotten worse, but still made daily activity tough more often than not. Everyone was worried, but tried not to show it, hoping not to add to the already immense stress she was under.
Digit had healed exceptionally well surrounded by his friends and endless distractions of a popular vacation site. He still didn't have quite as much energy as they were accustomed to, but he acted more and more like his normal self every day. The only reminder of his time with Hacker was the night terrors that wouldn't seem to leave, and the kids had learned that it was best to leave him to Doctor Marbles' or Motherboard's care when he awoke screaming.
All in all they supposed that while things could be better, they could most definitely be worse. And the situation was definitely about to get worse.
Mornings were typically spent at the beach enjoying the views before it got too hot, and then it was back to the mansion to further hunt through the site's history. That routine was what saved them.
"Uh guys?" Matt called out as something blocked the sun. It looked like a black dot, but it was growing larger by the second. "What is that?"
"You don't think—?" Inez asked, afraid to finish her question.
"I hope not," Jackie answered, though none of them looked away.
"Hacker!" Digit yelled once they could clearly make out the Wreaker descending toward them.
"We've gotta get back to MotherB and Doctor Marbles!" Jackie yelled, already turning to run.
"Hurry! I'll get everyone in motion for defense and meet you back there as soon as I can!" Creech said, darting off in the opposite direction.
The four ran back toward the house, only to be met with a flurry of activity from both the site's residents and their guardians.
"Did you see?" Matt panted once they got inside.
"Yes, we did. Come now and help pack the cybercoops, we must leave immediately!" Marbles said, shoving various books and notes into their hands.
"But what about Creech?" Inez asked.
Doctor Marbles paused, a shadow covering his features.
"I'm afraid staying to provide aid is too risky and could potentially condemn us all."
"Doctor Marbles is right, Inez," Motherboard said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "I know it's hard, and it feels wrong to leave her here, but we can't stay. And I don't think she would want us to."
"You're right," a voice said, slightly out of breath but still strong. Creech stepped around the corner, a laser gun strapped to her back, looking completely out of place with the peaceful ruler. "I don't want you guys to get hurt because of me. You have to help Motherboard, Inez. You're our only hope of beating Hacker for good."
Inez stepped forward to her friend, tears brimming in her eyes, and hugged her. They held on tight, fully aware that they might not see each other again.
"Are you sure you won't come with us?" Inez asked as they separated.
"I can't," Creech answered sadly. "My place is here, with my people. Go."
The youngest member clearly wanted to protest, but was gently urged away by Jackie.
"Bye Creech," she said, unable to look at her as she tugged her friend along.
"Bye guys, good luck."
Doctor Marbles merged the two coops back together, deciding that they couldn't afford to be separated should Hacker follow them. He was readying the final controls for take off when the girls boarded. Digit and Matt shared a look with them, all of them upset at the thought of leaving their friend to deal with Hacker alone, but unable to abandon Motherboard. As they took off Inez stared down at the rapidly vanishing site, just barely catching a glimpse of Hacker beginning to wreak havoc.
No one said a word when she seated herself beside Motherboard and leaned against her shoulder, nor did they say anything when she began to silently cry. The coop was silent, the knowledge that their journey had just begun at the forefront of their minds, as well as the thought that from then on, danger was around every corner.