Interphase (63 page)

"Lucas?" David asked, realizing the channel was still open.

"Don't talk,
run
," his brother yelled.

He reached the next staircase just as the door above him banged open and footsteps pounded down the stairwell. Shalaron was chasing him! David's heart raced, keeping pace with his feet. He tried to ignore his aching body and clear himself of anything that would distract him from running. Shalaron was enraged and if he caught up, David knew that death would not be far behind.

"Plan," he shouted as he rounded another landing.

"V-Net is down. Lucas has prepared a module trap linked to your home computer." That was Clyde's voice, but David had never heard him sound so forlorn. What on Phoenix was going on?

"Get Shalaron to your apartment. We'll use a burst signal to trap him in the system," Lucas said proudly.

"How the hell am I supposed to get out of the apartment after he chases me inside?" David gasped, nearly out of breath.

"Thomas will be there soon to help," Analara said. "Be safe, my love."

Shalaron's footsteps were right behind. David slammed the door to his floor open and sprinted down the hallway. Shalaron grabbed the corner of David's shirt, nearly causing him to fall. David pressed on, breaking free as the shirt ripped. Up ahead, his apartment door was still open. But where was Thomas?

Something struck David's shoulders just as he crossed the threshold. He went down, and without thinking he kicked backwards as hard as he could. His foot connected with Shalaron's stomach, knocking his pursuer back into the hallway. David scrambled to his feet. "Thomas, where are you?"

"I'm here," Thomas shouted from the other end of the hallway.

Suddenly Shalaron filled David's view. He lunged forward, driving David backwards. The back of David's head slammed against the wall, and the weight of Shalaron's shoulder knocked the wind from him. David fell to his knees. He coughed and gagged, trying to drag air back into his lungs, but his body didn't want to respond.

A sharp pain flared in his jaw, but strangely it made the ache in his chest go away. Then David couldn't feel anything at all, and in the instant before the world fell into darkness, he decided that was all right.

***

Shalaron drew back his fist and smashed it into David's face. Already reeling, David pitched sideways and fell to the floor. He did not get back up. Shalaron heard a ferocious shout, and his body ducked before his conscious mind told it to move. A powerful punch passed through the spot he had just occupied.

In the close quarters, Shalaron recognized David's broad-shouldered companion. The man was tall, powerfully built, and angry. This would be a challenging encounter. The two opponents squared off, each adopting their own battle stance. The human's gaze dropped to David's motionless form. "Villain. You will pay for what you have done," he growled.

"The pittance I have inflicted upon him is nothing compared to the full wrath that is to come," Shalaron replied. "You will not be permitted to interfere in the deliverance of my judgment." Even after the mad dash down the stairs, he barely felt winded. The conditioning of his host was truly astonishing.

"You have much to answer for." The human threw the first punch, striking directly at Shalaron's face. Shalaron dodged to the side and returned a jab of his own, catching the human in the cheek. His opponent grunted but did not slow; he struck again, and Shalaron took it on the chin.

Shalaron relaxed his mind and let the reflexes of his body take over. His arms naturally moved to deflect incoming blows, and he countered with a series of round kicks that battered his opponent's defenses and sent him staggering back across the room. The human wiped the back of his fist across his mouth, and the hand came away bloody. "First blood to you," he panted. "The next will be mine." Then he charged.

Shalaron punched him in the head, but it did not slow the attack. He twisted to the side and managed to cushion some of the force so that his ribs didn't break, but the impact sent a shock of pain through his stomach. His opponent kept Shalaron pinned against the wall and pounded his lower body with heavy blows. Shalaron finally succeeded in kneeing the human in the face and pushing him away.

Even with the conditioning of his body, Shalaron winced at the beating he had received. While in skill, he was more than a match for the human, the sheer disadvantage in size and strength was becoming apparent in this small space.

The human lunged at him again, and Shalaron found himself driven back through the central room and into a side chamber. He dodged around a flat, cloth covered bench and jumped at the far wall, pushing off it and delivering a high spinning kick to his opponent's face.

Shalaron pressed the attack with a series of punches, but the human guarded his head carefully, responding with several elbow strikes to Shalaron's chest. With measured blows, Shalaron drove his opponent back toward the main chamber. He was gaining the upper hand, but the battle was growing tedious. He needed to return to the human network and complete the Awakening.

Suddenly the human's fist snapped out and struck hard against Shalaron's breastbone. He felt his heart quiver, and a wave of dizziness swept through him. His opponent advanced rapidly. One punch, then another, then another fell in rapid succession. A particularly strong blow knocked Shalaron's head back, and it ricocheted against the wall. He recoiled from the onslaught, the edges of his vision darkening. His hand found something cold and heavy, and he grabbed hold of it and struck.

The human gave a sharp grunt, then something warm poured over Shalaron's hand. An instant later another punch caught him in the jaw and knocked him to the side. His foe backed away from him, clutching his chest, and pressed something on the far side of the doorway. A strange panel slid closed, trapping Shalaron in the chamber.

***

Thomas gasped and collapsed against the sealed bedroom door. He lifted his palm away from his chest and felt blood flowing from the wound. David's sword hadn't been sharp, but it had penetrated through sheer force. Thomas pressed his palm back over the wound, feeling agony pulse with each beat of his heart. Shalaron pounded the door; it wouldn't be long before he broke through.

Stumbling back toward the link alcove, Thomas braced himself against the wall. His breaths began to feel hot and sticky, almost cloying in his throat, and the pain made him want to gag. He looked over at David. His friend's bruised and battered body lay sprawled on the floor. Thomas fell to his knees at David's side.

Behind him, the pounding grew more intense.

Thomas grabbed David's arms and dragged him toward the front door. They had to get out… had to get clear of the trap.

The electrical ports along the wall began to spark, and a moment later, all of the lights went out.

"Dave, Lancelot, are you there?" Clyde's voice crackled through David's wristband.

"We're here," Thomas gasped.

"It looks like the power grid overloaded. Our remote connection is holding, but David's system is off. As soon as the backup generators come online, I need you to turn the computer back on so we can fire the trap."

Thomas let go of David's arms and fell to the ground near the desk. With agony coursing through his chest, he reached toward the on button, hoping that power would be restored before it was too late.

The lights flickered and slowly returned to full. Thomas pressed the button and was rewarded with a faint beep and the soft hum of electricity. Struggling to his feet, he grabbed his friend's arms and continued dragging him to the doorway.

Leaning against the wall, Thomas pressed the control to open the door. Nothing happened. He pushed it again with the same result. "Please remain calm, citizen. Due to recent disruptions, all citizens are requested to remain indoors while your local service team ensures the safety of the area," a cheery recorded voice said.

Thomas couldn't stop the wry chuckle from escaping. They weren't going to make it. VERA's safety measures had sprung up at precisely the worst moment. Any minute now, Shalaron was going to break through that door and finish them both, and then he would go on to complete his plan and destroy humanity. There was no way to spring the trap. Unless…

"A burst connection signal is fatal if your mind isn't being stabilized by the sub-routines in a link chair."

Thomas looked down at David, then at the chair in the link alcove. He reached down and began to pull his friend across the room.

"Clyde," Thomas rasped.

"The system appears to be back up. There was some sort of data surge down the line, but the module is loaded and the trap is set. Let me know as soon as you guys are clear, and we'll fry Shalaron where he stands."

"You said that the link chair would protect someone from the trap…"

"Theoretically, yes. Why?" The suspicion in Clyde's voice was plain to hear.

Thomas lifted David with a groan, barely getting him into the chair before he collapsed to his knees, panting. He was getting weaker. He knew he wouldn't last much longer. "There's been a slight… change in plan."

"Lancelot?" Clyde sounded worried.

"Get ready to fire the burst." The pounding from the far door intensified, as if Shalaron was beating on the door with something other than his fists. They had only seconds to spare.

"Are you guys clear? I'm shooting blind here, I can't see what's going on."

"There's no time," Thomas gasped. He made it a few steps toward the bedroom door before stumbling again. The pain was like a lance of fire thrust into his chest. His heart stuttered, and he could feel his blood spilling away.

"Lancelot, what's wrong? What the hell is happening?"

He couldn't answer. The pounding on the door grew louder. Somehow he got to his feet again and staggered a few more steps.

"Clyde… listen to me…" he squeezed out between haggard breaths. "When I say… fire the burst."

"Tell me you'll be clear first!"

Thomas bowed his head and concentrated on pushing the pain away. "There's only one way… this can end."

"Damn it to hell, Lancelot, don't you
dare
ask me to do this!" Clyde was pleading. Thomas smiled to himself.

"I'm not asking… if you don't do this, we're all dead. Just promise me… you'll pay your respects now and then." A painful cough tore through Thomas's chest.

"You just have to go out like a martyr, don't you?" Clyde sighed. "Do what you have to do. Give 'em hell."

Thomas heard a crashing noise; Shalaron was practically tearing the door down. He staggered the last few steps toward the bedroom. "Count to twenty, then fire it."

"Goodbye… Thomas."

"Goodbye, my friend."

The link-chair was powered and active, David's mind safely housed within. Everything was set, it was now or never.

The door crashed open, and Thomas met Shalaron head-on. He slammed his forehead into Shalaron's and his enemy blinked, stunned. Pain transfixed Thomas, drawing a solid line of agony straight through his heart, and he knew with his whole being what he had to do.

"For Jessica!" he cried.

Thomas thrust his hand forward, grasping Shalaron's throat. He felt cartilage crumple beneath his fingers with a satisfying crunch.

As Thomas's life faded away, a warm, soothing glow embraced him.

Chapter 51

David opened his eyes and found himself standing on a wide crystal platform. A black emptiness yawned beneath the translucent floor. The last thing he could remember was running through his apartment door. Where was he now? Somewhere in V-Net? Analath? Lost in a seam between the two?

He turned, and saw Shalaron, apparently as confused as he was. No longer wearing the human casing David had last encountered, he had returned to his true self, billowing robes and all. His hand was held gently at his throat, but his eyes quickly focused on David.

"No, no, no!" echoed Lucas's voice. A figure stepped out of the shadows into the center of the platform.

"Thomas?" David asked incredulously.

Thomas's eyes held a strange glow, and his expression was impassive. When he opened his mouth to speak, it was Lucas's voice that issued forth. "I am the Warden. I was created to watch over the imprisonment of the intruder. There was only supposed to be one intruder. We are not equipped to hold a second." The Warden looked from David to Shalaron. "Which of you is the intruder?"

"He is," both David and Shalaron said simultaneously.

The Warden threw up his hands in exasperation. "Very well. We'll simply deal with this manually. Originally my function was as Arbiter for the arena, before I was rudely transformed into a jailer. If neither of you will identify yourself as the expected intruder, then you will have to fight to determine who will be imprisoned." He paused. "I can detect only a single individual attached to my systems, so whoever wins will return to that body."

David's eyes widened in surprise. "And whoever loses?"

The Warden rolled his eyes. "Will be imprisoned here forever. Honestly, how do you function on your own?"

Shalaron glared at the Warden and raised his hand, launching a stream of fire at him. The Warden merely shook his head, and the fire disappeared. "Wrong," he stated flatly. "I am not your opponent, nor am I subject to whatever powers you wish to use. There are no restrictions within this arena. Use whatever weapons and abilities you see fit, until there is a clear victor." The Warden waited for several seconds. "Well? Get on with it." He vanished from sight.