Tobey was in a race against time. If the hacker, whomever they were, managed to access certain parts of the supercomputer, it would put he and Becky's entire operation in jeopardy. Confidential files, criminal background checks, the location's hideout…and even Becky's secret identity itself. All of it was at stake as he typed faster and faster. He'd never felt his fingers fly over a keyboard with such precision, nor such speed. It was as if Becky had given him a sampling of her superhuman speed.
Ugh, come on! Work, damn you! Work! He cried internally, urging himself forward.
Meanwhile, all the commotion had caused Becky to fly into the room. Since the supercomputer was such a vital part of her spaceship, any kind of security breach was extremely noticeable. That, and the clunking of machinery as its vibrations reached a boiling point were difficult to tune out. She'd rushed out of her library and practically zapped herself right beside Tobey. Her eyes darted this way and that, trying to make sense of all of the technological jargon that careened across the screen.
"Tobey! What the hell's going on?!" She cried.
"Some ridiculous bastard's trying to horn in on our turf, that's what's going on!" Tobey yelled back, infuriated that someone would dare attempt such an act.
"Can you stop them?!"
"I'm trying!"
Tobey wanted to take a second a breathe, but the hacker wouldn't allow him. Just as soon as he re-encrypted one section of the computer, another would be invaded. Problem after problem arose, along with the engine's heat. Tobey knew that, at a precise temperature of 200 degrees, the entire thing would explode, rendering the ship completely useless. Obviously, he didn't want that, but he also wanted to survive to see the next day. WordGirl could survive such an explosion. Unfortunately, he hadn't been gifted with such abilities. So, not only was he working to save their entire project, but also to save his own life.
Becky must have sensed his worry, for she placed a hand on his shoulder at that critical moment. Feeling her so close helped calm his frayed nerves and he was able to refocus. Once more, he felt that she was psychologically offering him some of her power. His hands seemed to work even quicker than before, and he soon had the upper hand on the hacker. Finally, he was able to encrypt a shield around the computer's mainframe that was four times as stringent as the previous one. This sent the virus that the hacker had attempted to use into a tailspin, until it was finally killed off for good. Tobey breathed deep and fell back in his chair.
"So…what was that? Who could've gained access to our systems in such a way?" Becky questioned.
"I don't know," Tobey said, "but the good news is, whomever they were, we sent 'em packing."
"Even so, this isn't good," Becky said. "If someone could just break in like that…"
"Easy, Becks, easy," Tobey said calmly. "The new shield I just installed should prevent any further incidents."
Becky turned and looked at Tobey, who offered a smile. She noted the beads of sweat clinging to his forehead. He had worked tirelessly to ensure that her extraterrestrial home would remain safe. She was so thankful for him and for the work he did. She never would have imagined she'd be able to trust him with so much, but he'd proven himself time and again. His sharp wit and tactical brilliance had helped her win many a battle. She never knew what she'd been missing by not having someone in his position.
Even more so, he kept her company around the spaceship. Sure, she had Huggy, but even she had to admit that their conversations could get repetitive. For, after all, there was only so much that a young girl and a monkey could talk about. She needed the companionship of a human her age. Though Scoops and Violet helped make up for it, they couldn't constantly be on board her ship. Not only were there safety concerns, but Violet still had yet to deduce that her best friend just so happened to be the world's greatest hero. Scoops knew…he'd even ventured into the ship itself on occasion. But Violet didn't know and Becky was going to see to it that she never found out.
Yet another reason for having Tobey around, she told herself. Extra physical security against anyone ratting out my secret.
"Becky…you okay?" Tobey asked. "You're kinda staring off into space."
"Hm? Oh, yes, of course," Becky said, blushing a bit and shaking her head. "So, you say this shield of yours will prevent further damage?"
"Theoretically," Tobey said, adjusting his glasses. "I mean, nothing's totally foolproof when it comes to computers, but it is a lot stronger."
"I hope you're…" Becky started, then stopped. "W…wha…what the hell is that?!"
Tobey followed her suddenly outstretched arm to where her finger pointed at the screen. In the lower right hand corner, there stood a video icon. Normally, this was used to simply watch things recreationally. However, it seemed that something had been left there…something dangerous. The blips spoke a warning, one that Tobey knew better than to ignore. It was definitely the supercomputer's virus protection program screaming that whatever was there shouldn't be opened. So, he gingerly began the process of trying to delete it without accidentally infecting the machinery.
"Wait…what are you doing?" Becky asked.
"I'm trying to rid our central mainframe of anything that might damage it," Tobey said curtly.
"But what if it's something important? Like a clue to whomever might have hacked us?"
"It's too big a risk, Becky," Tobey said. "We have to destroy it."
"No!" Becky said sharply. "We can't let evidence like this slip through our fingers!"
"-and I can't allow myself to sit idly by while the brain that runs our entire operation, which I'm responsible for, become entangled in a mass of viral infections!"
"Tobey…" Becky warned. "You may know a lot about computers, but I know a lot about sleuthing, and you can't just throw things like this into the wind!"
Tobey gritted his teeth and tried to remain calm. "Alright, Becky. You wanna know so badly? Fine. I'll open the damn video. BUT…if this goes to hell in any way, I'm not assuming any responsibility. I warned you."
"Fair enough," Becky said.
Tobey reluctantly moved the cursor over the icon and clicked it. Suddenly, the entire mainframe went black, along with the ship's whole lighting grid. Tobey quickly whipped his phone out and flipped on the flashlight to try and gauge the situation. By the time he did, the computer's screen was flashing static. He and Becky both looked up to see one single line replace everything else. It became apparent that this particular "video" was audio only and the dash across the screen represented something truly sinister. Becky, in particular, felt chills running up and down her spine.
Hello, Tobey, a demonic voice said as Tobey and Becky instinctively grasped onto each other. Have you missed me? I know you have. You know, Tobey, I don't like rats. They're bothersome creatures, ruining everything they get their grubby paws on. Poison and traps don't seem to do me any good…so I just have to slice and dice them myself. But human rats? Human rats are even worse…and yet, they're so much more fun to kill. You, Tobey, have become a human rat worthy of extermination with extreme prejudice. Hell is coming, traitor…and I am at its head.