The next morning, after breakfast, Sarina launches the teens from Animal Jam and sends them soaring back into cyberspace.
"Good morning," Sarina greets. "I have multiple pieces of news for all of you. Which would you prefer to start with? Good? Bad? General?"
"General," Leonardo says.
"I have found a way to get all of you into Annalise's Minecraft server in time for her contest stream." Annalise's relief is evident as Sarina adds, "Don't worry, I will record the whole thing for you. If you like, I can edit it as well?"
"Uh, sure, if you're up for it," Annalise says.
"Excellent. Now, for the good news," Sarina continues. "I've got a reading on Circa and have locked on to her digital trail. I have uploaded the scans to your suits and you should be able to follow her without my guidance, should the need arise."
Donatello reaches to his suit and presses a button, making a small map pop up in the corner of his visor. Sure enough, there's a trail leading away from him labelled "Circa".
"I've got sights on her," he reports.
"Okay, so what's the bad news?" Raphael asks.
"This is just speculation, but from what I've noticed, Circa may have some powers that I did not take into consideration. One is deleting coding, and the other may be retrieving anything she wants from the depths of the Internet, even if that thing has been erased."
Annalise raises her hand. "Actually, she tried to post one of my deleted videos a few weeks ago," she says.
"Classic example of 'once it's on the Internet, it stays on the Internet'," Destiny mutters.
"Alright, so that is a sure thing," Sarina says. "The other power, deleting coding, is what I am concerned about. I have noticed her erasing things from the websites she's passed through and when I try to reverse the effects...long story short, I am unsuccessful."
Michelangelo frowns. "So what's the big deal?" he asks.
"In the process of sending all of you into cyberspace, your bodies were broken down and reformed into computer coding," Sarina says. "I'm sure you can guess why that is a major concern."
Casey's face pales. "We could get deleted?"
"Yes. Your organic bearings may offer you some durability, but there is no guarantee. Be on your guard."
"Aw, dude, that's so whack," Casey grumbles. Nobody offers their two cents at his comment. He pretty much summed it up in the simplest of terms.
"We'll destroy her before she gets the chance," Leonardo declares. He reaches to his chest and presses a button, pulling up his map. "For now, let's follow her trail." The group follows his lead.
As they go, Sarina's voice sounds in Donatello's visor. "Donatello, if something happens to me, I am sorry," she whispers.
He looks around and judging by the straight-faced expressions of his companions, she's only speaking to him. "Nothing is going to happen to you," he insists, eyes narrowing. "I won't give Circa the chance."
There's a beat of silence before she speaks again. "Just...look out for yourself, darling. I love you."
His shoulders sag a little and he dons the faintest of smiles. "I love you too."
"Incoming website!" April's voice sounds suddenly, making the group jolt to attention. "Hold on!"
Right on cue, the bright lights around them twist and shake before they're plunged into blackness. The weightlessness that they felt before entering Animal Jam returns and they free-fall for a moment before landing.
YOU ARE READING
Digital Mutation (Book Five)
FanfictionShe's a YouTuber with a small fanbase and big dreams, but the path she's taken has made her stop and look back. She misses the privacy. She misses the simplicity that being a "nobody" brought. She misses the girl she used to be, but she can't go bac...
