Cyberchase: From Past To Present

Ticking Towards Trouble

Hours stretched into days as the clanging of metal and the crackle of static echoed through the dimly lit expanse of Hacker's lair. Buzz and Delete worked tirelessly, moving with surprising precision despite their usual clumsiness. Each sound of their labor brought them closer to completing the time machine, a feat that, even to them, seemed almost impossible.

"Pass me that wrench, Delete! And make sure those wires are connected properly," Buzz demanded, his voice tight with authority.

"I'm trying, Buzzy, but these wires are impossible! They keep slipping out!” Delete complained, fumbling with the tangled wires in frustration.

Buzz sighed, clearly running out of patience. “Come on, Delete! We don't have all day. If we mess this up, Hacker will have our heads!” He snapped, his irritation bubbling over.

"Do you think Hacker's plan will even work, Buzzy?" Delete asked, his voice tinged with doubt as he wiped his brow with a grimy sleeve.

Buzz shrugged, a determined gleam in his eye. "Who knows? But if it means getting rid of the Earth kids once and for all, it's worth a shot." A sly grin crept onto his face. “Just think, DeeDee – with the time machine, those kids will never even know what hit them!”

"You know, I've been thinking. Is getting rid of the Cybersquad really such a good idea?" Delete quietly asked.

Buzz paused, generally shocked as he stopped in the middle of hammering a nail. "Of course, it's a good idea! Why wouldn't it be?"

Delete looked down, nervously fiddling with a bolt, he hesitated before answering. "I mean… sure, the Cybersquad always gets in our way, but what if, you know… things get worse without them around? Who’ll stop the Boss if he goes too far?"

Buzz squinted, scratching his head. "Too far? What are you talking about, Dee? The Boss just wants to rule Cyberspace. With the Cybersquad out of the picture, we’ll finally have everything we want!" He returned to hammering with a sense of confidence as if that settled it.

Delete sighed, his gaze shifting to the half-finished machine in front of him. "Yeah, I get it, but… what if we’re making a big mistake? The Cybersquad's saved us a few times, you know? They don’t always treat us like… like we’re just bad guys."

Buzz stopped hammering again, this time more thoughtfully. "Huh… I guess you’re right. They did help us those few times in the past. And they didn’t have to."

Delete nodded, glancing toward Hacker’s direction to make sure he wasn’t listening. "Exactly. And what if… without the Cybersquad, the Boss might go through with all his wild ideas? Like, really bad ones?"

Buzz looked at Delete, trying to shake off the growing unease. "Look, Dee, this is what we signed up for. The Boss is counting on us. And, well, I don’t know what else we’d do if we weren’t here building his stuff."

Delete sighed, nodding reluctantly. "Yeah, I guess you’re right. But… I still think maybe it’s okay to wonder, just a little bit if this is really the right thing to do."

Buzz gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Hey, don’t sweat it. We’ll be fine. Once this is all done, we’ll be living like kings in Hacker’s new world!"

Meanwhile, in another part of the Wreaker, Hacker and Ledge huddled over a sprawling blueprint, the stark glow of their work lights casting long shadows around them. They spoke in low, intense voices, their excitement growing as they refined the final details of their plan.

"Every component has to be flawless," Hacker stressed, his sharp gaze locked onto the schematics. “There can be no mistakes.”

Ledge nodded, his mind racing as he traced over lines and circuits. "Agreed, Hacker. When the time machine is complete, we’ll need to select just the right moment to interfere in the timeline."