Interphase (64 page)

Several smaller platforms floated out from under the main arena and began to rotate slowly around it. Shalaron narrowed his eyes at David. "I do not know what trickery this is, but I will not be turned back now."

"Nor will I, Shalaron. I don't know how we got here, but I know that
you
aren't going anywhere, ever again," David stated with deadly seriousness.

"Very well. If we must battle to determine the fate of my world, then so be it," Shalaron shouted and raised his hands. Twin lances of flame coursed across the platform toward David.

David had already shifted into Rex, and the flames died harmlessly on his shield. He adjusted his rifle for rapid fire and unleashed a hail of bullets at Shalaron.

Quickly raising a wall of force, Shalaron was driven backward as each successive bullet pushed a little farther through the transparent barrier.

Pausing, David switched to his railgun setting and fired burst after burst at his foe. The heavier slugs tore through Shalaron's defenses, and he ducked from side to side in a desperate attempt to avoid being hit.

Reaching out with his power, Shalaron pulled one of the crystal platforms from its orbit and held it hovering in front of him. Whatever substance it was made of, it was strong enough to deflect David's shots.

David growled and switched to the plasma thrower. He fired a stream of molten gas at the floating disc. Shalaron spun the disc with his mind even as it began to overheat and glow red. David held down the trigger, sure that victory was close.

Suddenly, the disc thrust forward a short distance, and a column of force rippled around it, hurling a stream of plasma back to its source. David dove to the ground, but the burning mass tore through his shield and began melting his armor. As quickly as he could, he shifted to another form.

David reached for his chest and gave a relieved sigh when he felt no burns. His other hand clutched a staff. In his haste he had shifted to Daveth. He pushed himself upright just in time to dodge a bolt of fire. So it was to be a wizard's duel… Sorcerer versus Sage.

Incanting a spell, David opened his palm toward Shalaron and manifested an energy vortex. Shalaron continued to hurl fire at David, but the heat was drawn into the spiral and absorbed. A glowing orb flared atop the lion head staff and grew brighter with every strike the vortex nullified.

David lowered the field and channeled his strength through the staff, joining it with the energy he'd drawn in. A three-foot spike of ice materialized before him and erupted in blue flame. He thrust the staff forward, and the spike shattered into several smaller shards and hurtled toward Shalaron. The Sage thrust his hands outward, and the burning crystals were pulled to the side, only to flip around behind him and course toward David. Again, David threw himself to the ground as his own creation sliced the edge of his robe and severed his staff.

Another quick shift, and David felt the comfortable heft of the lion-handled revolver in his hand. He dashed to the edge of the arena and leapt onto one of the orbiting platforms. With his free hand, he reached into his trench coat and pulled out a clip of glowing bullets. He loaded them into the gun with a glare. Time to see how Shalaron would handle a volley of D-spark bullets.

The first shot took Shalaron cleanly in the shoulder. The Sage staggered backward with a confused look on his face. The second tagged his hip, followed by a third shot to his leg. He stumbled and fell to the ground as the energy from the bullets disrupted his mental connection to the system.

David rode the platform to the far side of the arena and leapt off behind his fallen foe. He held the gun in front of him warily and approached Shalaron. Drawing near, he aimed at Shalaron's head.

Without warning, Shalaron's arm lashed out, now holding the burning staff, and swept David's feet out from under him. Shalaron rolled to the side and leapt to his feet, then delivered an overhand strike that smashed David's shoulder. With a cry, David dropped the gun. Shalaron thrust the staff and crushed the weapon. He moved his shoulder and leg gingerly, but it was clear that the code disruptors were largely ineffective against a being that existed entirely within the system.

David shifted to the Wraith and somersaulted away from his opponent. His shoulder ached from the strike, but it was still serviceable. He drew the Wraithblade from its sheath and pointed it at his foe. If Shalaron wanted a weapon duel, then that's exactly what he would get.

Shalaron charged toward David, who sprinted at him in turn. The initial clash of their weapons drove both combatants several steps back. David focused all of his thoughts on speed and accuracy, blocking every swing, countering every thrust, and returning ones of his own. He and Shalaron were evenly matched, and neither could gain the upper hand.

After a furious exchange of blows, Shalaron danced back several steps and swung his staff in a wide arc. A jagged line of ice circled around and darted toward David, who slashed the Wraithblade through the attack, diverting it. A momentary opening was all Shalaron needed, and he struck with a wave of force that threw David toward the edge of the arena.

David vainly tried to hold his balance, but he slipped over the edge, and the Wraithblade fell away into the void.

A gravity well beneath the platform pulled at him as he clung to the edge. Every time he tried to climb back up, another surge would try and tear him away. Shalaron stood at the center of the platform, watching the struggle, and in his grimly triumphant face David saw the end of his homeworld.

Not like this. Not now…

Another pulse racked his body, and his elbows slipped, pulling him farther beneath the platform. Only a sparse grip remained between him and total failure.

David.

A glowing figure appeared in front of him, floating against the gravitic tide. It drew closer, and a soft, warm breeze flowed over him.

My friend, you've come too far to give up now. Our companions and our world need you.

David stared in amazement as the outline of the figure solidified. His heart wrenched.

Is this real?

Jessica smiled at him and drifted nearer. She stretched her hand out and touched his cheek. The sensation was faint, but it was there.

You have the strength to overcome Shalaron. Release the barriers within your mind and become whole. What little power I have gathered, I give to you.

"Jessica, don't go," David cried out.

I'll always be a part of this world, David. Goodbye.

Her face became translucent, then transparent, and at last faded away. A quiet power filled David, and he closed his eyes. His body floated, unaffected by the turbulence around him. Releasing his grip on the platform, he rose slowly until he was level with Shalaron. As he stepped forward, he opened his eyes and leveled his gaze at his foe.

Shalaron watched him warily, as if unsure of what to make of this development.

David reached down to his wrist interface and prepared to load one of his avatars, then stopped himself.

Release the barriers within your mind…

David pulled the interface off of his arm and cast it into the vortex. He closed his eyes and opened his mind to the system. "Thank you, Jessica," he whispered, and commanded the network to load everything.

His forms, every talent and ability, every characteristic of his scattered personas… they filled David, realigning, merging, interfacing into a single program. It hovered just out of reach, waiting for him.

David shifted.

A full suit of silver platemail flowed over his skin, as powerful as Rex's shielding, but light and flexible, with an image of a great lion embossed on the breastplate. A broad-brimmed hat, more stylized than the old fedora, settled on his brow, and his mind cleared, honed by years of deduction and critical thought. A black cloak cascaded from his shoulders, rippling against the waves of gravity rising from below. As it settled into place, he could feel his reflexes sharpening, his strength and speed growing. Throwing the cloak back, David grasped his weapon: the ancient sword of his family, shining with an inner light. He drew the blade, and in his mind he heard the lion on the pommel roar its challenge.

If Shalaron was surprised by David's alteration, he masked it well. Staring into David's eyes, he gave a faint nod.

For my love, and for the salvation of Phoenix.

David charged Shalaron. The Sage responded by summoning his staff in one hand and drawing a frigid wave of energy into the other. He lashed out, and David was forced to roll aside to avoid the icy razor claws that leapt from his opponent's fist.

Springing out of the roll, David swept his blade toward Shalaron's feet and drove him into the middle of the arena. David feinted with an overhead strike then pulled the blade back and thrust, only to be blocked with a swing of Shalaron's staff.

Shalaron let the staff wink out of existence and lunged at David, striking with his hands and the leaping claws almost faster than David could deflect. It was obvious that the training from Shalaron's human host had remained in his mind. David ducked under a high kick and struck Shalaron in the waist with his shoulder.

David twisted away from Shalaron's next attack and sprang away, holding his sword up in a defensive position. Shalaron lowered his hands, and the icy claws extended and shattered. He raised an open hand, and the staff returned, smoldering more intensely. The Sage closed his hand around the weapon, and blades of ice extended from the ends of the staff, igniting with white fire.

Shalaron thrust his hand forward, and a rippling wave of force hurtled forward. David stepped into it and swept his cloak around, deflecting the wave away. Turning back to his foe, he raised his blade just in time to block a lightning quick thrust.

A flurry of close strikes and parries left both fighters with minor wounds. The burning blades of Shalaron's staff were able to slice through David's armor, but David was quick enough to breach the Sage's defenses. After several minutes of combat, the two opponents backed away from each other.

Despite its power and abilities, David was quickly growing fatigued with the effort of holding the new program together, whereas Shalaron had total control over himself. If the battle stretched on for much longer, David knew that he would lose.

He thought back to the battle against Halathas. If he could maneuver Shalaron into committing to a wounding strike, perhaps he could deliver a finishing blow of his own.

Advancing on Shalaron, David launched into the same series of strikes that he had used against Halathas. Shalaron's defense was nearly identical. Slowly, the pattern of blows moved toward the stunning strike that had knocked David down and nearly cost him his life. At the critical moment, David lowered his guard and moved into the oncoming strike.

A freezing burn erupted in his side, and David raised his sword to deliver the fatal counterstroke, but Shalaron sensed the impending attack. He ripped the spear from David's body and backed out of range.

Oh hell…

David limped backward, holding a hand to his bleeding side. That hadn't turned out the way he'd planned at all. He felt the edges of his control slipping, and the program started to fray. The ancient sword darkened, and the edge dulled as it reverted to a mirror of the real weapon.

I can't just give in. I have to do something.

A plan formed in David's mind. It was a gamble but the only option he had. Unloading the blade, he opened Rex's profile and summoned the rifle. He didn't have the power to fire anything at his foe, but Shalaron couldn't know that. The weapon materialized in David's hands, and he pointed it at Shalaron.

The Sage's eyes widened in recognition, and he rolled forward on the ground and thrust the spear at his foe, but David was no longer there. He dashed to the side when Shalaron's roll began and struck with the butt of the rifle. Shalaron took the blow in the side of the head and fell to the ground. Disoriented, he stumbled to his feet and tried to bring his staff up for a strike, but David pulled the rifle back and swung it like a club, knocking Shalaron's head back and spinning him around. He collapsed back to the ground.

David fell to his knees and coughed up blood. He felt the program fading away from him, his strength and equipment vanishing. With all the concentration he had left, he loaded his revolver. It was simple enough that he could probably fire a shot if needed. He climbed to his feet and walked over to where Shalaron lay. The Sage struggled to get up, but the last blow had clearly struck home. David knelt down beside Shalaron and pointed the pistol at his head.

Blood dripped down the side of Shalaron's face as he gazed at the weapon, and then up at David. A look of resignation crossed his face, and he laid his head back and gave a deep sigh. "I submit."

"What?" David demanded. "What did you say?"

"I… am beaten. For the first time in my life, my powers were not sufficient."

David gripped the pistol with both hands. "I don't believe you. This is some sort of trick."

Something broke in Shalaron, and David heard pain and weariness creep into his voice. "Among my people, a Sage is only ruler until he is overcome by the next challenger in line." Shalaron raised a hand to his cheek and pulled it back, staring at his blood. "Despite our enmity, you have triumphed over me in battle, and I must submit. To do otherwise would taint me as it did Etahk, the Sage I defeated. His refusal to acknowledge his passing, and the betrayal it spawned, would be my people's darkest hour. I will not see those sins repeated."

David sat back and lowered the pistol. It really was over.

With a painful grunt, Shalaron lifted himself into a sitting position. "You and your kind have won the right to rule this world. Do not… squander it. As we did." With a final nod, he vanished.

In his place, the Warden reappeared. "The prisoner has been determined and is now incarcerated. This program has fulfilled its purpose and will return to stasis soon. Please stand by, you will be returned to your body shortly."

A faint tremble ran through the Warden, and his eyes lost their glow. He collapsed to the ground, and David was shocked to notice a splash of blood on his shirt.