~Chapter Twenty~
Location: Cyber University:
Ada closed her poetry book and sat staring at the wall for a moment, deciding on what she should do with the rest of her night. It was currently 8:00 PM at Cyber University. In her mind she calculated how long it would take her to be ready for church the next morning and thus what time she'd have to wake up.
"Twenty minutes in the shower, plus five minutes brushing teeth, plus twenty minutes drying/styling my hair, plus ten minutes for make-up, plus ten minutes dressing, plus a thirty minute bike ride to the church, equals... one hour and thirty five minutes. Add ten in case of a delay makes one hour and forty five minutes. Church starts at 10:00 A.M. Eleven O'clock minus one hour equals nine o'clock. Take away another forty five minutes... 8:15 A.M. If it takes me fifteen minutes to fall asleep then I should go to bed at 3:00 A.M." she calculated in her head.
So Ada had seven hours left of her day and no homework left to do. She saw that Melissa was still in bed, now having been asleep for about half an hour. Ada would've turned on the television, but she didn't want to wake her friend. She looked so peaceful. Instead Ada got her laptop out and decided to read the latest web headlines on cyber-hoo. She clicked the cyber-net explorer icon and the monitor opened up to her homepage. Her eyes widened in shock and dismay when she read the headline. "The Loss of a Great Leader" was the head title with a photo shown below. In the description beneath the photo read: Today Cyberspace mourns the passing of former cyber-ruler Sir Dalhart. Click for more details. Struggling to process what she was reading, she clicked on the headline.
~It was reported that at 12:40 P.M today, former cyber-ruler Sir Reginald Quantum Dalhart was found dead in his living room at his home in Cybersite Solaria. At half past Twelve, a neighbor heard yelling and gunshot sounds inside the fifty-eight-year-old's house. The neighbor, whom wishes to remain anonymous, peaked out her front window to see two masked cyborgs run out of the house and into a cyber-coupe. She contacted the police immediately but by the time they arrived at the house, it was too late.
"When we walked in the house, he was lying on his back with several gunshot wounds to his chest, head, and arms," says the town officer, "His circuits were sticking out in several places and there was a pool of oil all over the carpet. There was hardly even a need to check the pulse as one could see that his circuits weren't sparking at all. It was already clear from the site that he was dead."
Further investigation will be put into the case, but already the primary suspect of the murder is the infamous Abaddon along with his second in command, General Biff. There will...~
Ada closed the window, unable to read anymore. She couldn't believe it! Sir Dalhart was dead! Worse than that, he was murdered! She looked to her sleeping friend who was just beginning to stir.
"Blimey!" Ada thought, "She just let out all the memories of Abaddon's men killing her own parents. What will she think of this?"
Melissa groaned as she opened her eyes and stretched. "How long was I asleep?"
"Only thirty minutes, love," Ada said.
"I have to make sure she doesn't find out tonight."
"Melissa," Ada said smiling, "I'm going to go visit Marbles and Archimedes. Would you care to join me?"
"Oh no thank you, Ada," Melissa answered as she rose from her bed, "I'd like to continue designing the remote controlled portals tonight."
"Alright love," Ada said in her English accent as she got up from her desk, "Oh and Melissa?"
"Yes?"
Ada thought a white lie may help. "I'm afraid the cyber-net service is down campus-wide. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to do any online research."
"That's quite alright," the sixteen-year-old answered, "I took out several books from the campus library while you were gone."
Ada nodded and left the dorm. She went outside and got her 1900s style bicycle and rode to her boyfriend's dorm.
She had to tell Marbles and Archimedes what happened, that is if they didn't know already. Perhaps they could help her think of a way to break the news to Melissa.
Location: Control Central:
Control Central was on an emergency lockdown. After an attack made on the facility two years ago, Gerald Syntax Williams had decided evacuating was too dangerous for the employees and instead the place was renovated so that there was a special defense mode that would automatically lock the doors to the main control room, the hallways to the bedrooms, and anywhere else that could pose as a primary attack ground. This way, nobody could get in without a password, a password that only employees knew. And when the news of Sir Dalhart's murder was announced at 1:00 P.M that day, Control Central was put in this emergency lockdown until Mr. Williams was sure they were safe from any attacks.
"Richard," P.C said from outside the chief technician's bedroom door, "Are you going to be ok?"
"Just leave me," came a voice from inside the room.
"He's still in there huh?" Gerald asked quietly, just coming down the hallway to check on the chief technician.
"Where else would he be, Gerald?" P.C asked, "We've been on lockdown since 1:00."
"And we've been off lockdown since 5:30," Gerald pointed out and then knocked on the door, "Richard? Its me Gerald. Do you want to talk?"
Richard knew that Mr. Williams would understand if he didn't want to talk, but still he was the ruler of Cyberspace. Richard opened the door and let Gerald in. When Gerald saw the tears stained on his technician's face, his heart broke for the older cyborg. And it was even worse to know that several of the former cyber-ruler's associates were in this same shocked state. But Richard surely was the one hurting the most for he had been closer to the cyborg than any of the others. Gerald's mind raced back to earlier that day.
~Flashback~
Gerald and Richard were in the main control room communicating through the supercomputer with the mayor of Poddleville about upping the security of the Cyber Power Vault Building. Upon disconnection, there was another call waiting to be answered. When Richard pressed the accept call button, the monitor displayed the distraught face of Solaria's Governor Proxy.
"Hello, Governor Proxy," Gerald greeted warmly.
"Is everything alright?" Richard asked noticing the look of distress on the governor's face.
"I wish it was Richard," Proxy said, "Mr. Williams... Sir Dalhart is dead!"
"WHAT?!" both cyborgs exclaimed.
"One of the neighbors heard gunshots at his house. When the police got there they found him dead. They say it was a homicide. I would strongly recommend putting Control Central on lockdown."
"Will do, Proxy," Gerald replied as he tried to hide his shock and grief, "Thank you for this information."
The transmission ended and Gerald turned to see a look on Richard's face that he had never seen in the time he knew the technician. The older cyborg was staring wide-eyed at nothing, lost in his own world of shock and devastation.
"Richard," Gerald said quietly, "I'm so sorry."
"Gerald," Richard choked, "If you don't mind I would like to spend the lockdown in my room."
"Of course. Go on," the cyber-ruler said.
The cyborg ran out of the control room and to the winding staircase outside connecting the balcony to the bottom of the main control room, the whole time avoiding contact with anyone. Meanwhile Gerald sounded the facility lockdown warning so that everyone could get to a secure and comfortable place before he activated the lockdown system.
~End Flashback~
Gerald and Richard sat down on the edge of Richard's bed.
"I'm really sorry about what happened with Sir Dalhart," Gerald said consolingly.
"He gave Abaddon what he wanted," Richard said slamming his fist against the bed, "Why does he still feel the need to kill him? That cyborg just never stops!"
"I know Rich," the current cyber-ruler said, "The cyborg lives up to his name, no doubt of it. But there's nothing that we can do about it. We just have to focus on not letting anything like it happen again."
"That's what he said after Clyde and Eileen were killed. That's why Abaddon got into power in the first place!"
"Well we are certainly not going to let that happen again, I can assure you," Gerald replied. He knew the whole story with the Bensons and even knew about the children, who were still being under the guise of 'dead,' even though he had never actually met them.
"Reg never wanted for the economy to go down so much," Richard said getting up and pacing around the room, "He was just desperate to get Abaddon off his killing spree. Reg was a great cyborg but he was so vulnerable at the time. I...I... oh god! Reg is dead!"
"I know Richard," Gerald said, "But he'll never truly be gone. He's still in Heaven. We'll see him again. But if he were here he'd tell you stop ranting and working yourself up like this. We're gonna find this killer whether its Abaddon or..."
"It IS Abaddon!" Richard nearly shouted, "He sent me an email an hour ago boasting of his victory, like he always does."
"And we will find his new hide-away," Gerald said sternly as he stood up, "I refuse to let this... this scum roam our world any longer!"
Location: Cyber University:
Ada got to the boy's dorm in ten minutes flat. She went inside and knocked on one of the doors. Archimedes opened it.
"Hello Ada," Archimedes greeted the teenaged girl and stepped aside, "Please come in."
"Thank you," Ada said curtsying and then walking into the dorm room.
"Good evening my lady," Marbles said as he got up from his desk and kissed his lover's hand.
"Good evening," she said curtsying again, "Boys, I need to talk to the two of you about something."
"What is it Ada?" Marbles asked now noticing the worry on his girlfriend's face.
"Have you two heard the recent news?"
"No I can't say I have," Marbles answered, "My cyber-net homepage doesn't give the news."
"I did," Archimedes said quietly, "I overheard some students talking about it while I was looking through the bookshelf at the campus library... I didn't really know how to break it to you Marbles, since I knew you and Melissa were close with him for awhile."
"That's why I came here," Ada said turning to her friend, "Melissa was already very upset today. I refuse to let her know tonight. But I don't know how to tell her period."
"BACKSPACE!" Marbles interrupted, "Tell us what?"
Ada and Archimedes looked at each other than back at Marbles.
"Lad," Archimedes said, "Sir Dalhart was killed earlier today."
Marbles gasped. No, he didn't remember his relationship with the former cyber-ruler, but he knew that he was a great cyborg from everything he read about.
"Abaddon is the primary suspect," Ada continued, "I know that your memories are faded dear. But we all know that Melissa's aren't. She'll be devastated when we tell her."
"There's no point in telling her ourselves my lady," Marbles said sorrowfully, "There will surely be a mention of it in the sermon tomorrow morning."
"You're right Marbles, but either way she will be beyond devastated," Ada replied, "Marbles, I know she would not be pleased with me for telling you this, but today I watched her cry over your parents' death. Straight out sob."
Marbles HAD to sit down for this. He had seen his sister shed a few tears when she had been thrown off the swing by bullies way back when and he had even seen her whimper a little while watching sad movies with Ada, but never did he see, nor even imagine she would ever in her life, sob. She just seemed too strong for that.
"She was affected more than you realize Marbles," Ada continued, "She's been trying to be strong for you all these years. That's why she won't speak about your parents as much as you'd like her too."
"Poor Lassie," Archimedes sighed.
"So the point is," Ada said, "What can we do?"
"We just have to be there for her," Archimedes answered, "If she needs a shoulder to cry on we'll be that shoulder, if she chooses not to think about it or discuss it, than we let her be."
The young couple nodded in agreement.
"Alright," Ada said.
The four students rode their bikes to church the next morning at 9:30. Amongst the campus, twenty different houses of worship existed: synagogues, temples, churches of several different denominations, e.t.c.
"I must say, it is generous of the school to make religious gathering places for everyone here," Marbles noted as they rode their bikes to the church.
"It is indeed Marbles," Archimedes replied, "Shall the four of us race to see who will get there first?"
Before anybody could answer this proposal, Archimedes skidded off on his bike. Marbles quickly followed after him as the two girls watched, not wanting to get their hair messed up after working so hard on it. After a couple of seconds though, they decided to join in on the race. The four arrived at the church, Marbles having won the race. They all sat at the front bench as they waited for the choir to begin the first hymn. After the congregation had sung a few, the pastor came up to the podium.
"My fellow brethren," he announced as the congregation sat down, "As many of you know, the life of our former cyber-ruler was taken yesterday. I would like to take a moment to say a prayer for the friends and loved ones of Sir Reginald Quantum Dalhart. He was, by far, a remarkable ruler and he is amongst the angels in Heaven now. Please, bow your heads with me."
As the pastor made this announcement, Melissa's eyes grew wide. How did she not know about this? Killed? It couldn't be? It couldn't have been HIM again? Could it? She let the questions out of her mind as she joined in the prayer. When the prayer was finished, Ada glanced over at Melissa, seeing the confused look on her face.
"All I can do is be there for her," she thought to herself as she opened her Bible to the chapter being used for the sermon, "There's nothing more I can do."