The crash was the beginning of the end really. Or maybe even the final note in some sort of messed up symphony. We knew Hacker would eventually find us, find out about Motherboard, but we had hoped we had enough time to find the Alganite. We didn't.
He appeared out of nowhere one morning as we were traveling, already tense from Motherboard's rapidly deteriorating condition. Calamore had made her worse, Doctor Marbles had been right that we never should have gone there. Maybe if we hadn't we'd have stood a chance, but we had, and the woman was fading fast. Our main concern when the Wreaker appeared was to keep her safe, play cat and mouse until Hacker gave up. But he never did.
Jackie sighed, closing the journal. It was painful to recall how they'd ended up stranded, but they'd all agreed keeping a record of the journey was important. Even if Hacker won, Motherboard deserved to have her final story told, to be found by future generations. She would be remembered, even if they all died trying to save her.
Matt lunged forward as Motherboard's body fell, just barely able to catch her before she hit the floor, her head scarcely missing the edge of the console. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he looked down at her. Oil stained her lips, dripping down her chin, her face eerily pale.
"What do we do?" he asked, looking up at Marbles for guidance.
The older man remained silent for a moment, his gaze also locked on the cyberruler's face. Tears glittered in his own eyes for the first time since the madness had begun, unsettling all the kids and Digit. They'd never seen him cry before. He coughed, clearing his throat and his mind. Now wasn't the time to lose control over his emotions, not when he had so much resting on his shoulders.
"Take her to the cot, and lay her down gently. Clean away the oil, keep her warm. We'll have to hope she wakes shortly."
The boy nodded, securing his grip before rising. Jackie and Inez flanked his sides as he moved, Jackie reaching to grasp the woman's hand that wasn't covered in oil. Digit watched, aware he'd only be in the way should he follow behind. His eyes fell on the doc, and he knew he'd be more use to the slowly breaking man than his friends at the moment. He stepped up beside him, laying a wing on his shoulder in comfort. No words were exchanged, the little cybird unsure what he could say to ease the man's pain when the future was so uncertain.
Matt laid Motherboard on the small bed as gently as he could, stepping back to let the girls work once his arms were free of her weight. He wondered if any of them would ever forget this moment. He heavily doubted it. Jackie and Inez shared a glance, the bespectacled girl moving to retrieve a cloth and water. The oil was beginning to set, thickening the longer it was exposed to the air.
Inez returned, silently handing Jackie a cloth and taking another for herself. They began wiping away the oil, cringing as the water turned from clear to inky black as they rinsed the cloths. Soon Motherboard's skin was as unblemished as before, though the chalkiness of her complexion remained. Her breathing was ragged, the sound crackling in her chest with each rise and fall. They all winced, knowing too well it was oil sloshing around.
"Do you think we should stay with her?" Jackie asked.
"Probably, but all three of us may overwhelm her when she comes-to," Inez answered.
"So what, take shifts?" Matt asked.
"Sounds good to me. That way someone is always with her," Jackie said.
"Who gets the first watch?"
"Rock, paper, scissors for it?" Inez suggested.
Shrugging, Jackie and Matt circled around the younger girl, beginning the game. Inez smiled bitterly when she won the second round, taking a seat on the very edge of the cot by the woman's legs.
"I'll come switch with you guys in a little while, okay?"
"Okay, Nezzie," Matt said, turning to return to the front of the coupe.
"Don't call me Nezzie!" the girl whispered harshly, causing him to grin. She scowled at his retreating back, the irritation taking a moment to leave her. Sighing, she turned her gaze to the woman lying prone beside her. "Don't worry, Motherboard, we're here."
Motherboard groaned as her brain stuttered back to life. Her entire body hurt, though that was nothing new by this point. She kept her eyes closed, what little light penetrated her eyelids causing her head to pound. And the morning had started so well too.
She heard shuffling to her side, but couldn't bring herself to open her eyes, nausea swirling at the splitting pain in her head. A light touch came to her forehead, a cool cloth gently wiping at her face. She couldn't tell who it was, but the lack of feathers ruled Digit out. Mumbled voices barely reached her, and she was sure if she focused she could make out the conversation, but she couldn't quite muster the will or energy. She exhaled heavily, eyes clenching as the burning pain returned to her chest.
She could feel a tightness there, as well as fluid buildup. A light touch came to her hand, and she only then realized she was most likely lying on the cot if the blanket covering her was any indication.
"Motherboard?" a feminine voice asked hesitantly, and it took her a moment to realize it was Jackie speaking.
She debated faking sleep, unsure if she was up to facing anyone at the moment, but her chest constricted painfully and she began to cough, eyes flying open. Oil bubbled up her throat, the bitter taste making her gag. A tissue appeared in her field of vision, covering her mouth and allowing her to expel all she coughed up. Jackie caught it patiently, though she had to fight the disgust crawling up her spine.
Motherboard allowed her head to fall back against the pillow as the fit subsided, eyes slipping closed as she panted for breath. There was still oil that needed to come up, but it seemed she had managed to dislodge most of it. She opened her eyes in time to see Jackie wiping her hands, used tissue disposed of. Guilt washed over her, but before she could apologize the girl looked to her with a smile.
"Hey MotherB, welcome back. How are you feeling?"
There was fear and unease obvious in her eyes, and her first instinct was to lie and calm that fear. Then her logic kicked in. The girl had just cleaned her up from a violent coughing fit, obviously she wasn't okay.
"Sore," she answered honestly for the first time. "My head is killing me and because of that I'm nauseous. And I can feel the oil in my chest."
It was the closest to a whine she'd ever come, including when Hacker had first infected her and every waking moment was filled with glitches and electrical shocks. Jackie was obviously taken aback, fully expecting the woman to lie.
"What can we do to help?" a new voice asked, and she noticed the others, save Marbles, had come to her side as well.
Her CPU thrummed pleasantly as she took them in, touched they cared for her so deeply. She'd known of course, they'd always made it obvious even before she'd been transferred to a cyborg, and they'd proven it more than once since then, but it never ceased to make her incredibly happy. Inez and Matt were looking at her with just as much concern and love as Jackie, and she couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes. Digit reached forward, laying his wing on her arm.
"You okay?"
"Yes, sorry, just got lost in my thoughts," she answered, blinking away the tears.
He reached up to feel her forehead, feathers brushing her skin lightly.
"You're still pretty warm," he said, frowning.
He'd expected nothing less, the angry blush that darkened her cheeks speaking for itself. He knew the kids had been intermittently bathing her face with cool water to try and help, per the doc's suggestion, but it didn't seem to be working.
"I think the fever is the least of my problems at the moment," Motherboard responded bitterly, closing her eyes as the light seemed to brighten further, though she was sure it was only her imagination.
She willed the meager contents of her stomach to stay in place, the pounding of her head and frantic motion from coughing making her stomach flip uneasily. She swallowed, the tang of oil still barely there. But it was enough.
She fumbled to sit up as her body rebelled, though she knew she wouldn't be able to make it off the bed. The kids jumped back, startled by her unexpected frenzy.
"Trashcan," Motherboard gasped out, covering her mouth as her stomach lurched once more.
Matt scrambled to grab the small wastebasket by the foot of the bed, handing it off to Digit just in time. The cybird thrust it under the woman just as she lost the battle with her body, vomiting violently. The kids winced, turning their heads to give her the illusion of privacy.
Motherboard coughed, oil and liquid intermingling as she emptied herself. She retched again, bringing up mostly stomach acid now. Her already sore body screamed as she convulsed, but she continued, unable to stop. Tears fell down her face, embarrassment and agony mixing.
"It's okay, MotherB, get it all out," Digit soothed, wing rubbing at her shoulders.
She'd cared for him as best she could in the monitor over the years when he'd been sick, it was high time he returned the favor. He felt her core heat up further as she dry heaved, stomach apparently empty. If that fever went any higher it would start melting her circuitry, and the situation was eerily similar to when Hacker had ruined her Cryoxide replacement.
When he was sure she'd finished he sat the basket to the side. Motherboard lay partially slumped over the side of the cot, breathing heavily, if possible even paler than she had been. Tear tracks stained her face, a few stray droplets continuing to fall. He gently pushed her back onto the bed, propeller whirring to life to lift him over her so he could prop her up with some pillows.
"I know that was awful, but do you feel any better?" he asked, landing beside her.
She swallowed, taking herself in. Her head was still throbbing horribly, probably worse than before, and the lights were still agonizing in their brightness, but the nausea seemed to have settled for the moment. She let her eyes close.
"A bit," she rasped, attempting to clear her throat.
She kept her eyes closed, worried if she didn't the pain would cause her to be sick all over again. She heard water running, turning her face toward the sound.
"Here, drink this," Matt's voice said softly, close to her.
She felt the rim of a glass press against her lips and took a small sip cautiously, the cool water soothing her throat. It also washed the foul taste out of her mouth, something which she was immensely grateful for. She drank a bit more before turning her head, signaling for the glass to be removed. Digit shared a worried look with his friends. He turned back to the woman, brushing his feathers across her forehead once more and wiping away the sweat that had begun to gather. Jackie offered him the wet cloth she'd been using earlier and he took it, bathing her face and neck before returning it to her forehead. She hummed quietly, the cool touch nice.
The group stayed silent, unsure what to say. What could they say? All platitudes and calming words felt meaningless. They settled for perching beside Digit on the bed, the small space cramped but unwilling to leave Motherboard's side.
The lights went down suddenly, casting the room in eerie shadows from passing sites. Their heads whipped toward Doctor Marbles, who'd apparently temporarily set the coupe to autopilot as he was headed their way. He'd heard the full conversation, he'd just been unable to act at the time as he'd been dodging cybertrash and satellites. He came to stand beside them, glancing toward the wastebasket that had been pushed as far away as possible.
Some of the tension had left Motherboard's face after the lights went down, her headache easing up just a bit. Marbles frowned deeply as he looked down on her. Not for the first time he wished he had access to his lab back at Control Central, but he held no illusions that Hacker hadn't destroyed it. He merely turned to retrieve his small medical kit, shooing Digit and the kids away as he returned.
Motherboard opened her eyes as she felt the bed shift, watching the kids retreat to the far side of the room. Confused, she almost called out after them until she noticed Doctor Marbles by her side readying his equipment. He held a thermometer toward her without a word and she opened her mouth in compliance. As she held it in place she noted how worn he looked, guilt once more swallowing her whole. He'd done so much for her, especially after Hacker had given her the virus, and here he was giving even more. Was she truly worth this?
Before she could spiral too deeply into her thoughts his stethoscope made contact with her sternum, the icy cold metal making her jump. She glared at his amused smile, though kept still as he listened to her CPU. His smile quickly faded, apparently uneasy with what he heard. He adjusted the position of the little disk.
"Take a deep breath for me," he instructed. She did so, wincing at the pull in her chest. "Exhale, and again."
She was grateful she had the thermometer still in her mouth, as it gave her something to bite down on so as not to scream. He helped her sit up carefully as he repeated the process on her back. Easing her back against the pillows he removed the thermometer, squinting at it in the low light but frowning at the reading. Assuming his eyes weren't playing tricks on him he was surprised she wasn't delirious.
He retrieved a small penlight next, wincing as he knew he was about to cause her more discomfort.
"Try to follow the light with your eyes," he said, clicking it on. She recoiled, hand flying up to shield her face. "I'm sorry, I know it hurts, but I must make sure your eyes are dilating properly."
He grasped her hand, bringing it down and away from her face. Gritting her teeth, she opened her eyes, fighting the urge to pull away. She obediently followed the light, every pulse of her CPU sending a bolt of pain through her head. Blessedly Marbles didn't keep the light on very long, and she couldn't help the sigh of relief she gave when it turned off.
"Do you mind if I check for any injuries from your fall?" he asked, and it took her a moment to process the deeper meaning there.
Her eyes slid over to the kids, who were obviously watching while pretending not to. He followed her gaze. Unfortunately they had limited space to work with here, there wasn't another room he could take her to for privacy. He patted her leg in reassurance before heading over to them.
"Cybermates, I must ask you to turn around and close your eyes," he said.
"What? Why?" Matt asked.
Inez and Jackie rolled their eyes. Boys, especially Matt it seemed, could be so dense at times. A blush rose on Marbles' face. Examining Motherboard undressed was one thing, saying it out loud to children was another matter entirely. Thankfully, Inez stepped in to save him the trouble.
"Because Matt, he's going to check her back and sides," the girl hinted, raising her eyebrows.
The boy looked at her in utter confusion before understanding dawned, his face turning a bright crimson. He turned without another word, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. The girls giggled as they followed suit, giving Digit's wing a tug to turn him around as well. Relieved he hadn't had to make a fool of himself trying to explain the situation, Marbles returned to Motherboard's side, offering her a hand to help her stand.
She bit her lip but accepted his assistance, her own blush burning brightly as she lowered the zipper on her back. Her dress pooled at her feet, and she stepped out of it, now clad only in her heels and underwear. Marbles took up the penlight again, flicking it on and beginning to examine her. Dark bruises lined her sides and back where she'd fallen in the past few days, contrasting starkly against the normal powder blue of her skin. He prodded at a particularly nasty looking one gently, noting how long it took the oil to return to the surface. Motherboard hissed, stepping away and glaring at him. He smiled sheepishly, but it was necessary to determine the severity of the injury.
Luckily most of the abrasions seemed well on their way to healing, and he couldn't determine any further damage than that to her skin and vessels underneath. The nanites were doing their job at any rate and repairing them. Satisfied, he clicked off the light, pulling her dress over and opening it for her to step into. She braced herself on his shoulders and gladly did so, pleased to be covered once more. She resettled herself on the bed, even just standing for those few minutes having tired her out.
"The good news is that your nanites seem to be repairing the damage you sustained from falling. The bad news is that your CPU is working overtime to combat the strain of the fever and the oil leakage in your lungs. Without my scanner I can't pinpoint a definite cause, but it's safe to assume the virus has done something internally to the lining of your lungs and the vessels that transport your oil throughout your body. With the existing damage to your CPU I'm worried the extra exertion is only diminishing its capability to operate at full power. As for the fever, it's dangerously high as we've known, but what's more surprising is that you aren't delirious from it. A lesser cyborg would be."
"Perhaps I'm simply used to it by now," she said, eyes slipping shut.
"Or perhaps that's what's draining your power reserves so severely and leaving you constantly exhausted. I designed this body to have beyond unlimited power, I believe that alone is what enables you to continue to function." He sat beside her heavily, gripping her hand. Her eyes opened and met his, blue on orange. "We must find the Alganite. Your body is breaking down around you. You don't have much time."
A muffled gasp broke their focus. The kids had been so quiet she'd honestly forgotten they were there. Their heads whipped to face them, and Marbles winced. He hadn't intended for them to overhear that.
Inez and Jackie were openly crying, neither trying to hide it. Digit was too, though he was battling against the tears as he attempted to offer the girls comfort. Matt's face was red as he obviously fought back tears, but his eyes were suspiciously shiny.
Her heart broke for them, CPU sending a jolt through her body. She had done this. She had made them cry, not only now but multiple times. Her earlier guilt returned tenfold. Who was she to cause such anguish, to command such loyalty? She was merely a living computer program, nothing more, nothing special. Once more she wondered if she was truly the best option for Cyberspace.
As she let her eyes wander over each of their faces she asked herself once more, was she worth it? A voice whispered back "no".
Hacker paced back and forth on the control deck. After he'd taken care of that washed up wizard, Frogsnorts had easily given control over to him, especially once they saw exactly what he'd done to the young Shari. All was going as expected, and yet.
Motherboard still lived.
He grit his teeth, hearing the metal scrape and screech from the pressure. The old bitch. He still wasn't sure what the bubble-headed doctor had done to ensure her survival, or even how it was possible, but it still stood that she was indeed alive.
"But she's weak," he murmured to himself. "If I can just figure out where the little miscreants are headed I can cut them off and end this."
Buzz and Delete watched from afar, too afraid to get any closer to their boss. Finding out that Motherboard still walked among them was a relief for them, but they knew that it had enraged the larger borg. As long as she was alive he'd never have total control of Cyberspace.
"Buzz! Delete! Get over here you moronic metalheads!" Hacker bellowed, sending the two robots scrabbling into motion.
"Yeah, Boss?"
"Where are those notes we stole from Control Central?"
The two henchmen glanced at each other, a shared thought passing between them.
"Uh, what notes, Boss?" Delete asked, playing dumb.
"Yeah, we didn't take any notes," Buzz added.
They knew full well what Hacker was referring to, but perhaps they could keep him from getting his hands on them. Maybe then Marbles and Motherboard would have a chance.
Hacker didn't take kindly to being taken for a fool. He jerked Buzz up by the antenna, letting him dangle several feet above the ground as he looked him in the eye, causing the small robot to quiver. Delete helplessly reached out for him, but didn't dare to actually help his brother, aware the punishment they'd receive would be far worse should he interfere.
"Do not lie to me," Hacker rumbled, anger rolling from him in waves. He gave the small bot a violent shake, wrenching the antenna he held partially loose, electricity popping and running up his arm. He didn't flinch, and Buzz bit back a scream. "I know you bumbling buffoons took a few pages of paper with you when we left that crumbling cybersite. Now where are they?"
Buzz couldn't answer, pain pulsing through his entire body. Delete trembled in silence, stunned Hacker had actually hurt one of them. He'd threatened of course, but he'd never followed through before.
"Do I have to take you apart circuit by circuit or are you going to answer me?!"
"I-I'll get it, B-boss," Delete stuttered, tripping over his own feet as he rushed to retrieve Marbles' notes.
He handed the stack of papers over, hand shaking. Hacker dropped Buzz to the ground, ignoring the pained yelp the bot released as he struck the cold metal floor. Delete helped his brother up, wincing as his antenna flopped in his face. He gently lifted it back into position, cringing when it fell back over. Buzz reached to cradle his head, tears in his eyes. Somehow, even though Hacker's sanity seemed to slip further and further by the day, he'd never thought he'd actually hurt them.
"Let's see, these seem to be notes on some sort of mineral. A crystal perhaps?" Hacker flipped through the pages, stopping to gaze at an illustration. "Alganite, the elixir of the Gods?" he read aloud, quickly skimming the page.
His face paled as he realized what Marbles was searching for. Taking advantage of his distraction, the two henchmen slipped away, hoping he wouldn't notice their absence.
Hacker's thoughts raced. Who knew if they were close to finding this mysterious crystal? Where would such a thing even format? He looked back to the page, heaving a relieved sigh when the location was unlisted. Perhaps the outmoded oligarch had no idea where to begin. A wicked smile curved his lips. But he did.
He strode down the halls to the jail cells, grin growing wider as the site heads cringed away from the bars. Even the bolder regents uneasily stepped back, all of them thrown after seeing the state of the little witch from Frogsnorts. He approached her cell, chuckling as she attempted to put as much distance between herself and the bars as possible.
"I know you know what those brats and that demented doctor are searching for," he began, leering at her. Her eyes widened. "Alganite, the cure-all crystal, correct?"
Shari averted her eyes, though she couldn't stop herself from trembling in fear.
"Come now, we both know that's exactly what they're on the hunt for. What I want to know is, did they happen to mention where they were going when they so rudely avoided my grand entrance?" The girl didn't answer and he sighed. "Must we have a duplicate performance? I do detest repeating myself."
Shari's head snapped up, the wound on her face pulling and stinging at the motion. She never wanted to re-live that pain.
"Calamore. They asked…" she paused, swallowing the lump that came to her throat. "They asked the Professor for a map and provisions."
He frowned. That hadn't been what he'd expected. Surely Marbles knew better than to waste his time scouring that frozen tundra.
"You wouldn't happen to be lying, would you little witch? Because I detest liars!"
Shari cringed back, straining against the wrist cuffs to try and get further away from the insane cyborg. Tears sprung to her eyes and fell freely down her face.
"N-no, I swear! That was where they were going!" she sobbed.
Hacker studied her closely. Her body language and facial expression tended toward the truth, but it wouldn't be the first time someone had turned on the waterworks to try and fool him. He grit his teeth, debating on pressing her further or taking her word at face value. Turning on his heel, he decided nothing further could be gained from speaking to the terrified child.
Surely they'd moved on from Calamore by now. The question was, where would they go next? Arriving back on the bridge, he pulled up a map of Cyberspace. He crossed off Control Central, Tikiville, Frogsnorts and Calamore. While he was at it he removed any sites that weren't known to produce crystals or were incredibly small and uninhabited. Still so many choices and possibilities. He growled, tossing the pen down. There was no apparent path they were following, each site oddly distanced from the others.
He wracked his brain. Such a crystal would most likely only format once every few eons, else they'd be everywhere and no one would have need of mechanics or doctors. That let out a dozen more sites, most having only come into configuration within the last few decades. It would be powerful, immensely so, but then that was obvious. He scratched off a few more sites, and though the map had shrunk considerably there were still dozens of possible sites to examine.
Some were sites he had yet to visit and enslave, but others were already in his control. 'But that doesn't mean there aren't traitors in the midst who are still loyal to Motherboard,' he thought. 'Although it would be risky for them to attempt to land on any cybersite loyal to me.' He hesitantly crossed off several more, though kept the idea of…interviewing…his current stooges in charge in the back of his mind.
"Still so many sites. What to do, what to do," he mumbled, eyes boring into the map.
It seemed that the only thing he could do was to start traveling to each site one by one and personally check for their presence. Tedious, but sometimes being meticulous was the only way to achieve a goal. The Wreaker was already on course for Poddleville, he'd stay the trail, and if he was lucky perhaps spot the cybercoupe on the way.
Motherboard stared at the ceiling of the coupe, the only sound the quiet hum of the engines. Doctor Marbles' diagnosis had been a lot to take in, not for her per say as she'd always known they were fighting the clock, but it had done a number on Digit and the kids. It had taken the better part of an hour to calm them, and she wasn't entirely convinced they'd come to terms with her prognosis. She suspected they'd only quieted so as not to add anymore stress to her shoulders, even though their distress was all her doing.
Marbles and Digit had returned to the console, the cybird conversing with the doctor quietly. She hoped he could give the little bird some peace about their situation. The kids had refused to leave her side, piling on the floor beside the small cot. She was still too weak to get up, but thankfully the migraine that had plagued her since she'd regained consciousness had begun to abate. The lights had stayed down even after Marbles had returned to the console, no doubt that had helped.
Unfortunately that also meant it no longer pained her to think. With little else to do until her body recovered enough for her to move she was left alone with her thoughts. Even before she'd gotten sick that had never been a good thing, prone to overthinking as she was. She supposed it came with the territory of unlimited knowledge.
The regret from earlier was still fresh in her mind, the thought that she wasn't worth the trouble of the site-wide scavenger hunt lingering unpleasantly. She'd never had doubts about her abilities and stature before, but the virus had changed more than her power levels.
Her heart and mind were at war. She didn't want to be the cause of such anguish, but she couldn't very well give up. It went against her very purpose to even consider letting Hacker win, even if part of her thought it may be better in the long run. 'What would hurt them more?' she asked herself, glancing at the squad beside her. 'Forcing them to watch me waste away, or forcing them to see me surrender to Hacker?'
There was no answer she could come up with that seemed correct. She let her eyes slip closed, the conflicting thoughts wearing on her. No clear solution, no clear resolution. If she sat idle and did nothing there was every possibility she'd die before the Alganite was found, if it was found at all. But if she gave herself over to Hacker, maybe he'd at the very least let her send the children home so they wouldn't have to witness her death. And the pain would end.
She didn't know what to do.
The room had no exits. Perhaps any other cyborg would panic, but she'd only ever known the confines of a monitor, and rarely the inner workings of the portal system. Claustrophobic she was not. She was, however, on edge.
It felt like something was watching her, and while she was used to being stared at, this was different. Spiteful even. She glanced around slowly, careful to keep her movements slow and face neutral. It wouldn't do to show fear.
A low chuckle started up, and the hairs on the back of her neck rose. She'd know that laugh anywhere. She stilled, keeping her gaze locked on the wall in front of her. She wouldn't cower from him. Not the one she'd once considered her son.
"So you think you've outsmarted me?" Hacker asked, footsteps clanking on the floor as he approached. "Me, who holds your very life in my hands?"
He entered her field of vision, grinning maniacally. She smirked bitterly.
"That isn't true, not anymore."
"Isn't it?" He came closer, and despite her previous convictions she flinched. "You may have a new body, but my virus still burns inside you. Only I can cure you."
"You would never," she retorted, anger licking at her belly.
"Of course not, why would I? I have everything I could possibly want. Except of course, for your demise. No matter, that will come soon enough."
"So confident, just as Doctor Marbles and I designed you to be," she said, taking pleasure as his face twisted in a snarl.
He'd always hated to admit he owed much of himself to them, and she saw no better time to point it out than now, when they seemed to be alone and free to speak their minds.
"You may have created me, but I made myself all that I am. Never think for a nanosecond that you are responsible for my greatness."
"Your greatness is everyone else's misery," she snapped.
She was no queen here, only a woman, a woman who had been hurt by the very being she'd sworn to love. Her words brought the smile back to his face.
"Exactly as I intended. Although it seems that's the one quality we share, isn't it Mother Dearest? Hurting everyone around us, intended or not?"
The term of endearment seemed even more twisted now than it had on that Halloween when he'd claimed to have changed. Then it had been saccharine, overly sweet, and yet hearing it in his mocking tone of present wounded her far more deeply. She'd known he was lying then, this time his words were heavy with truth.
"I share nothing with you!" she snapped, squaring her shoulders.
Though she knew he was right, she'd never give him the satisfaction of admitting it.
"Ah, ah, ah," he tsked, coming ever closer. "Lying is wrong, isn't that what you always told me?"
His hand shot out in a blur, gripping her by the throat. Her eyes widened, her own hands coming up to claw at his. To her surprise, he didn't squeeze, merely held her still. He leaned down so that he could whisper in her ear.
"You hurt them, didn't you?" A bright flash lit the room, a picture of the cybersquad appearing before her, all the kids and Digit frozen with happy smiles on their faces. Tears welled in her eyes. "The ones you swore to protect? The ones you love above all others? Your children?"
A sob wrenched its way from her throat, and she turned her head the best she could, unable to look at the kids. Hacker smiled even wider, relishing in her pain.
"Oh yes, I'll quite enjoy the looks on their faces when they fail to save you. All their effort wasted. All their life-threatening missions in vain. Best of all, they'll realize just how unworthy you were of it all, including their love."
"That will never happen," she gasped, her CPU momentarily stalling as cold dread washed over her.
"Of course it will. Just look at you!"
He released her unexpectedly, stepping aside to reveal a mirror. She dared a glance at her reflection. The woman she saw was the furthest from a world leader as she could imagine.
Dark circles ringed her eyes, the brilliant blue dulled by the same fever that caused the angry blush on her face. Her shoulders were curved, exhaustion weighing her down and making her seem even smaller than she was. Her hair was a mess, and the longer she stared the worse her appearance became. Was this what everyone saw when they looked at her?
"You're not even strong enough to eliminate my virus, why do you think you're deserving of their love? Their loyalty? You're nothing more than an antiquated autocrat, and it's showing."
"Stop," she whispered, head dropping.
His laughter made her cringe.
"You deserve nothing! Look at me!"
He jerked her chin up to face him, and suddenly it wasn't the Hacker she'd come to know, but the young boy she'd called her son. Her tears flowed faster. She'd never quite gotten over Hacker's betrayal, even when she'd made her peace with her own emotions concerning the corrupted cyborg. That wound tore open anew as the child shed always wanted continued to speak.
"You never deserved anything. Not the praise from the sites, not Doctor Marbles' friendship, not my brilliance, and especially not the adoration of the earthbrats. All you'll ever be is an outdated computer program."
She sobbed, unable to bear hearing her own thoughts and fears spoken aloud.
"I loved you. I love my citizens. I love my children. Isn't that enough?" she asked brokenly.
"What do you think?"
Motherboard woke with a choked gasp, unaware she'd even fallen asleep. It took a moment, but she recalled her dream, her CPU burning as realized her fears were true, she wasn't worth the torment she was causing. Her sobs began anew, and it wasn't until she heard a flurry of motion beside her that she remembered she wasn't alone.
"MotherB, what's wrong?" Jackie asked.
"Are you alright?" Inez threw in.
"Was it another nightmare?" Matt questioned.
She turned to face them, pushing herself into a sitting position. Her eyes slid from face to face, studying them. Each child looked at her with concern and fear, but also love. It was obvious that they cared deeply for her, they'd told her as much, and hadn't they already stood by her side through difficult times? Why would they abandon her now?
She reached out to cup Jackie's face, the girl leaning into her touch but looking at her in confusion. They held such belief in her, such hope. How could she ever have considered abandoning them? She could never.
Her tears began to slow. Her doubts were her own, and it was obvious the children in front of her did not share them, nor did her old friend who'd created her body. She may not be as all-knowing and unshakable as they believed her to be, but she was strong enough to continue to fight for Cyberspace.
To fight for them.