CARNIVAL (The Spark Form Chronicles Book 2) (10 page)

              "Aww Hell man, I can't even begin to try figurin' that one out. I mean, I can't see either one of 'em givin' in easy. They probably both got a plan in mind goin' into this, but if it came down to it, either one of 'em's capable of jus' throwin' everything they've got at the other, ya know?"

              "Absolutely, and I think that's what a lot of people are expecting too ..." Dirk pauses. "Wow. Can you hear that Sam? And that's before the match even starts! You listen to the fans out there and it's like this is the main event."

              "You gotta believe that whoever takes the win in this one is gonna be a hot favourite going into the title match too."

              "I'm being told that we're about to find out just who that's gonna be Sam. Let's get this thing started!"

Song: Battle Music 79

Band: Emblem Productions

Genre: Instrumental Industrial Music

              With the introduction of the distorted keys, the crowd erupt into an excited scream. The electronic announcer, barely audible now, states simply, "It is time to ... Light. It. Up. Competitors ... Begin!"

              With a smile, Connor Ford swipes across the screen and ends his turn. John Forrester, reacting quickly, sends Carnival forward with a heavy swipe and Jariah easily slides past, stepping into an attack position.

              "Interesting start here from Ford, Sam."

              "He's takin' his time, ain't he? An' look at that, he's just ended his turn again."

              "John sends Carnival forward with a Meia Lua De Compasso, and Jariah blocks, pushing Carnival to the side into a prone position and ... again, she steps back, ending her turn."

              "Look at the smile on Ford's face. He's toyin' with the champ, if ya can believe that."

              "Again Carnival comes forward, this time with a lunge, and Jariah side-steps ... and barrels Carnival over! Jariah now raining down with claw swipes, her opponent pinned to the ground, and the crowd is loving it."

              "Oh, it's on now Dirk. Connor was just showin' that John's switch-up didn't faze him. You look at how easy he got around those first two attacks, it's like he expected the change. He wanted to show that he could take over any time he wanted, and now he's doin' just that."

              "John didn't become champ by shying away from a fight though Sam. Carnival kicks Jariah off but the Vulthera rolls to her feet and charges in while she's still getting up. A hard kick flies in but Carnival slides around behind Jariah and takes the leg, forcing her to the ground."

              "Jariah rolls over and kicks Carnival off, but she's straight back on top again, forcing Jariah onto her back before she can get up and snapping away at her with those big ol' teeth."

              "You gotta love this sudden change Sam, we've gone from stalling to brawling just like that."

              "Jariah flips it and starts firing away a few snaps of her own. They're just firing off everything they've got in their hand right now, but you gotta wonder how long they can keep this up. That's the thing with the semis, once the upgrades are in place, the damage mounts up quickly."

              "Carnival sinks her teeth into Jariah's throat and forces her to the side, hauling herself to her feet and grabbing her opponent's arm. With the upgrade and the base stat, you know that Jariah's bites did more damage than Carnival's but ... Whoa!"

              "Damn man, you hear that snap!"

              "And that roar Sam!"

              "Jariah's arm now hangin' limply by her side an'-ducks under another Meia Lua De Compasso an' darts back-an' she's gonna need another two turns now to slip it back into place."

              "Jariah cries out again as Carnival ducks in close and slams an upgraded heavy slash across her chest. She goes for another and Jariah slams her teeth shut on the incoming arm, rag-dolling the Lopine across to the side and sending her stumbling."

              "An' with a roar, Jariah forces her arm back in place. Carnival's near enough back to full health though Dirk."

              "That may be Sam, but Jariah's straight back on the offensive and using those burning teeth again."

              "Another snap, but this time Carnival weaves under."

              "Jariah's still in control though."

              "An' keepin' Carnival on the back-foot. John's throwin' out some blocks an' dodges but he ain't counterin'."

              "He's not looking worried though Sam, he's still smiling. You think he's enjoying it, even with victory slipping away?"

              "Well, it's not the first time he's been in a situation like this, plus you saw his IV earlier man. He said that he wanted the same ol' Connor Ford an' he's got just that."

              "Hard palm thrust by Carnival snaps Jariah's head back but she fires straight back with a heavy slash and now they're back on pretty much level pegging for health."

              "But neither one is at
full
strength. Hell, the blood's flowin', the costumes are torn an' both Spark Forms are breathin' a little heavier already."

              "Jariah keeping on top now with a straight jab, Carnival ducks under and Jariah fires back with a diving swipe that pushes Carnival back and off-balance."

              "An' now she follows up by clamping down on that arm an' hauling Carnival over again. Jariah charges in towards her stumblin' opponent an' ..."

              "DATA FRAGMENT ACTIVATE: TRAPPING THROAT SLASH," the electronic announcer cuts over the commentators, the announcement finishing long after the quick fire move.

              "Well now we know what John's got lurking in that Burst Bar Sam."

              "Damn right we do. Jus' as Jariah dove in, Carnival grabbed her in a facelock an' used her momentum to put herself back on balance, then threw in a heavy slash across her throat, uppercut style."

              "With Jariah sent flying, Carnival's straight on top and keeping her pinned down on her back with a series of heavy strikes to the face."

              "An' that means he's rebuildin' that Burst Bar again too."

              "Which he's gonna need if Connor
is
using Blood Lust."

              "It's a good choice of Fragment in that respect too. Trapping Throat Slash is a guaranteed counter, not a straight attack."

              "And Jariah finally escapes the onslaught by raking her claws across Carnival's face."

              "Both Spark Forms are on their feet again an' here comes Jariah with a short range dive-Carnival dances past, grabs Jariah around the waist an' deadlifts ... Boom! Carnival drops Jariah on the back of her head."

              "Carnival rolls through and swings down a swipe but Jariah ducks back and rolls Carnival over, Carnival straight up to her feet and Jariah dives in, slamming her teeth shut around Carnival's muzzle once, twice, and Carnival hits a big hook punch."

              "Now she grabs the arm again like earlier an' there's that sickening crack. A Meia Lua De Compasso floors the challenger but she's straight back up, spitting blood as she stumbles past a dive, ducks under another strike an' forces her arm back in place before landin' a heavy slash."

              "And now she goes for a dive but Carnival rolls under and comes up to land another swipe across the face. She steps in and Jariah immediately retaliates with a swipe of her own then forces her down and starts snapping away, but Carnival counters quickly, grabbing Jariah's incoming muzzle with both hands and forcing it to the side before sliding quickly around and grabbing Jariah around the waist ... and another dead lift slam."

              "These two are jus' dropping bombs on each other now Dirk. The health bars are dropping quickly, but they're pretty much neck an' neck right now. Carnival goes for a grab and Jariah pushes her back."

              "Carnival stumbles a little and Jariah goes for a dive but Carnival side-steps it. We're going down to the wire now Sam, and ..."

              "DATA FRAGMENT ACTIVATE: BLOOD LUST."

              "Aw man, here we go! Blind cards, boosted stats for Jariah, an' no blocks or dodges for Carnival. This is how it's gonna end Dirk! The next ten turns are gonna finish it!"

              "Jariah draws first blood with a heavy slash."

              "We be a long way beyond first blood now man, an' another big swipe by Jariah."

              "DATA FRAGMENT ACTIVATE: TRAPPING THROAT SLASH."

              "Whatever John had there, clearly wasn't gonna counter Connor's snaps."

              "An' he sure as Hell didn't wanna get trapped in that right now Dirk! Diving swipe by Carnival keeps her in it an' Jariah follows up with a big ol' arm bite."

              "Carnival's nearly dropping Sam! We could be about to see the champ sent out-Meia Lua De Compasso!"

              "One of John's favourite cards keeps him in it, but with the lowered leg stat, the damage ain't what it could be. Jariah moves in with another dive, taking Carnival down an'-no! She was rolling through! Deadlift an' ... hard slam! That's seven of the ten down Dirk!"

              "And Jariah's as close to done as Carnival now!"

              "They're breathing heavily, blood trailin' everywhere as Jariah darts in with a hard snap to the face!"

              "That's eight Sam and number nine could end it as Jariah dives in for the snaps ..."

              "DATA FRAGMENT ACTIVATE: TRAPPING THROAT SLASH."

              "And Carnival grabs her on the way through, dragging herself to her knees before hauling Jariah up and slamming those burning claws into her throat! Both Spark Forms stumble back and drop to their knees, eyes fixed on each other and teeth bared, but neither player hits their last card. John Forrester and Connor Ford have locked eyes across the field Sam. They know. They know that whoever hits this next move is gonna go to the final."

              "This is respect Dirk. Respect an' showmanship. They're holdin' off because they respect each other. They respect the way the battle was played. That, an' they know that those cheers, those duelling chants for Carnival an' Jariah are gonna keep growin' until they pull the trigger."

              "They nod to each other and hit their screens at the same time. Here we go! Both Spark Forms dive forward and meet mid-air. Jariah hits harder though, forcing Carnival back and throwing her mouth open wide ..."

              "Carnival rolls through an' slams one, hard, bone shattering strike across Jariah's face!"

              "He did it Sam! John Forrester beat the legend and the crowd are going absolutely insane!"

              Carnival collapses on top of her fallen foe and for a moment the rise and fall of her body is the only visible movement. Finally, the electronic announcer chimes in with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, your winner, John Forrester," and she forces herself slowly to her feet. Still hunched over, Carnival spits up another mouthful of blood, throws her back and howls, the crowd once again howling back.

              "And that just says it all, doesn't it Sam? You look at how close Carnival is to collapsing right now and you can see just how close we were to seeing a guaranteed new champion this year. And that final attack ... I really thought Connor had it."

              "Looked that way, didn't it? You see on the replay here, Jariah had the weight an' the momentum going into the dive. When they collided, she forced Carnival back over herself so that she'd land hard on her back, but Carnival used that momentum to roll herself around in the air an' take the top position."

              "And from there, all it took was that one, last blow to the head."

              "That's right. It's like you said, whoever hit that last attack was taking the win here."

              "OK, I'm being told that we've over-run a little with this one so we're gonna have to cut things short here. All I can say is, what a way to start day two!"

              "An' if that's the start, jus' imagine what's still to come!"

              "Until then, I'm Dirk Wylder."

              "I'm Sam North."

              "And you've been watching the forty third annual Spark Form World Championships."

              "Peace!"

              The screen fades to black.

              After the glare I've been giving it for the last fifteen minutes, I'm almost beginning to feel sorry for the changing room door by the time Finn finally walks through it. He takes a moment to check that there is nobody else in the room then asks, "Miss De La Cruz? Is something amiss?"

              For a moment I simply continue my silent stare, then crack my neck and relax back in the comfier chair with a loud sigh, bringing one hand up to my eyes as I tilt my head towards the ceiling. "I've just been speaking to Corrigan."

              "I see," he replies, finally stepping further into the room and taking a seat opposite me. "Am I to take it from your demeanour that Mr Corrigan called with some less than satisfactory news?"

              "I called him actually," I say, shifting my head back down to watch my creation. "You remember all that stuff I told you about what happened after you were deactivated last night?" He nods. "Well, what I didn't tell you was that Carnival dropped by again first thing this morning. Don't worry," I say, waving him down as he goes to respond. "It was amicable. Enlightening, actually. She wanted to make a deal."

              "What sort of deal?"

              "That doesn't matter."

              "With all due respect Miss De La Cruz ..."

              "Whoa there V-5.3," I cut over him, "I'm not nearly done talking yet. Carnival wanted to make a deal and I agreed to consider it. I rang Corrigan to see which of her terms we could meet, which turned out to be all of them by the way, and I got to thinking. 'Lana,' I thought, 'Isn't it a bit odd that he's just agreeing to everything right off the bat? Shouldn't he be arguing this or trying to negotiate things a little?' So do you know what I did Finn? I asked him outright. I said, 'Hey Corrigan, you're normally an asshole. So how come you're so open to all of this?' OK, so I didn't call him an asshole, but I thought it and that's good enough. Do you know what he told me?"

              "I could not say for certain," he replies, "but I ..."

              "Oh, I think you know," I cut in again. "But you know what, let's pretend that you don't for a moment. He told me, Finn, that he was already aware that I had made direct contact with 'the target' before I filed my report because you already reported to him the moment I set you to standby. He told me that from the moment I first loaded you up, you have, upon deactivation every night, provided him with a full report of the day's events. He told me that he had read your analysis of the situation and potential outcomes several times over, analysis I might add that were based not on mock emotional responses and predicted counter-responses but on direct calculation of cold data."

              "Miss De La Cruz, corroborating reports are standard procedure within all departments of Emblem. Unless you are intentionally misleading Mr Corrigan with your own reports, I do not understand why you are so upset."

              "Upset? I'm not upset Finn, I'm full on pissed. I'm pissed that he saw fit to modify my programming to include his own sets of fail safes, directly affecting your potential responses to stimuli and thereby nullifying large chunks of my own research in the process. Most of all though, I'm pissed that, despite your overriding function being to act in my best interests, you have seen fit
not
to tell me that he'd pulled this crap."

              "Would I be correct in assuming that Mr Corrigan explained his reasons for the modifications to you?"

              "He did."

              "Then you must surely understand that I have indeed been acting in your best interests by not discussing the matter with you. Your own nature dictates that upon discovering my additional functions, you would seek clarification as to why they were installed, much as you have done today. Given your reaction to Mr Corrigan's reasoning, it is not unreasonable to ..."

              This time, it is my laughter that cuts Finn short rather than an angry snap. "Fantastic," I say at last. "Absolutely fantastic. Finn, do me a favour would you?"

              "Certainly Miss De La Cruz."

              "I want you to say out loud why Corrigan did what he did. Humour me here, OK? I promise not to overreact."

              Finn nods, then states emphatically, "Mr Corrigan does not believe that you are capable of completing the project on your own and wished me to ensure that you obtained Robert Forrester's research."

              "And why did he view it as so important that I retrieve the research?"

              "He believes that, while his prototype is likely incomplete, Robert Forrester was, in the context of the project, more efficient than you. As such, it is his hope that the prototype would be sufficiently advanced that you would have no issue completing the work and so negate any further potential errors and delays that you could make with your own research."

              "And you thought that my reaction to this would be?"

              "I believed it most likely that your behaviours and thought processes would become erratic."

              "And that," I say with a triumphant fist pump, "is a big 'fuck you' to Corrigan."

              "I apologise Miss De La Cruz, but I am afraid that I do not follow?"

              "See Finn, if you really understood me, you'd know that telling me something like that would just make me more driven. Sure, I may have initially become 'erratic' as you put it, but it would really have just given me an extra kick to prove him wrong. So why the mistake? Well, it's unlikely that Corrigan's tampering screwed up too much of the stuff I put in place when it comes to reacting to me, so that leaves only one likely possibility. I fucked up and left you with a response engine that's fallible. All that means though is that you are entirely capable of making errors in judgment, and that is in itself a very human trait. In that respect, you're actually closer to the final product than any of the previous Finn's I've made, thusly proving that Corrigan is an ass and that I am perfectly capable of creating something indistinguishable from human life, even if I am still a long way off."

              Finn sits silently, his soulless eyes watching me as I wait for a response that doesn't come.

              "You know what?" I say, with a smile, "I'm just going to pretend that your silence means I've stumped you rather than accept that you've just decided it would be in my
best interests
not to give your opinion. Right. Let's discuss what you've set in place and how we're going to pull this off."

              "Miss De La Cruz, should we not first discuss the terms of your negotiation with the prototype?"

              "Nope. Corrigan already knows and the terms have no real effect on the planned testing, so there's really no need to go into it. Besides, you'd only tell me I'm making an error of judgment. I love that you're calling Carnival 'the prototype' rather than 'it' now by the way. You're adapting your language as you read the situation. Oh, I had a call from Hong Chan too. It sounds like Meera's adapted her behavioural patterns based on what Fahrn said last night. Must be the day for evolution, huh?"

              "Should we be concerned?"

              "Nah," I reply, my annoyance now a distant memory. "She'll still behave to type where it matters, I made sure of that when I built her. Although, that kinda limits how far she can grow, doesn't it? Still, with the way Carnival views herself and the possibilities that opens, it makes me glad that I added some internal revelations to Meera's shut down program. Yes, yes," I say, waving off the beginnings of his protests, "I'm going off on a tangent. Where were we? Right. What you've put in place and how we're going to pull this off. Now, onward to the explanation."

              Finn shakes his head and gives a pretty good imitation of a sigh. "Very well."