Avony looked to Gabby. "What?"
"I'll explain later. We need to focus on figuring out the map." Gabby nudged Milton in the arm and smiled. "Show everyone what you found earlier, Millie."
Milton's voice had been sinking lower in the excitement of the discussion, but after Avony's comment, it returned to its previous falsetto. "Huh, um, yeah."
Milton demonstrated how he could move the zone toward the southwest. He kept his left hand on the map and the others did the same.
Immediately, Mouse squealed and put her hand on the right corner of the map and then moved the zone toward the southeast. Pretty soon, Mouse, Milton, Michael and Avony were standing at the four corners of the map. The zones moved freely in which ever direction they pulled them with their finger, but as soon as they let go, it snapped back into its previous location.
"Okay, we can move it, but they won't stay there and even if we get a zone nearby, we're still in the middle of the Boulevard." Gabby tried to keep the exasperation from her voice but it was hard.
"You keep driving and we'll keep playing with the map." Milton put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure we'll figure out something."
A flash behind them made Gabby glance back. "You'd better hurry, it seems our artistic spider friend has drawn up new enemies for us to contend with."
Blazing through the sky were three smoke lines, rapidly heading in their direction. They'd built up a considerable lead on the spider, but the fliers would catch up soon.
The four began experimenting with the map, their chatter occasionally interrupted by a group glance to the sky to confirm how much more time they had. Gabby noticed furtive glances from Avony in Milton's direction. She was still trying to figure out why the others had laughed.
As the fliers began their descent in formation, Mouse loudly whispered, "Look, look! I got this zone to stick to the other."
Two zones were now floating around on the map together. It reminded her of a game she played with her parents when it was too cold to game outside.
"Did you guys ever play any jigsaw games?" Gabby asked them.
Avony rolled her eyes. "My parents loved those, but I couldn't stand them."
"Didn't like anyone touching your pieces?" Milton grinned.
There was no time for groans, because the heavy hum of approaching fliers made them drop the map and grab their weapons.
The lead flier fired a missile, trailing through the air like a dart on a string. Gabby dodged out of the way, throwing the Frags into the left side. She made a mental note not to swerve hard the other way or she'd lose the three in the back.
When the missile, a meter long paint brush, hit the ground, paint exploded from its tip, sagging the hard pack and turning the desert into a multi-colored wasteland. As different colored drops hit, they transformed the dust into new critters. Vines and trees grew out of green blobs and little mechanical spiders sprung from silver.
The three fliers buzzed over head, loosing their destruction around them, but not getting too near. As they circled around, Mouse took one down with a crack shot from her rifle. The back end exploded and it sailed into the distance ahead.
The other two circled around and fired missiles again. One blew up directly ahead of them and Gabby drove right through. A ball of living flame from a red paint drop hopped onto the back wall and began spreading fire. Michael flung water from the locker onto it and put it out, but not before burning himself. He screamed and fell to the floor, holding his forearm.
Vines tugged at the wheels and a few small spider creatures jumped in but they were quickly stomped to death. As the fliers flew by a third time, the Frags gunned them out of the air.
Behind them in the distance, new larger fliers were appearing. The spider-creature had stopped pursuing and its pencils danced in the air as it skittered around, making outlines of an object much larger than itself. The Frags watched until the shape was unmistakable. They'd never seen one before but the massive guns sticking out from every angle was indication enough. The aerial dreadnaught battleship would pound them into the dust and their weapons would be no match for it.
Michael tapped her on the shoulder and indicated the first downed flier with his outstretched arm. "Go over there."
As they neared, Michael told her to stop. He hopped out under cover from the others and climbed into the cockpit. Two dead raiders lay hunched over their controls. Michael returned with a sword-shaped paintbrush in his hand.
"What are you going to do with that?" asked Avony.
Michael shrugged.
"Get back to the map, you guys, we need to figure it out. I have a feeling we won't survive long if that dreadnaught reaches us.
The Frags returned to their work on the map, flinging zones around with their fingertips. Occasionally, one of them would cry out as they got another piece to stick. The dreadnaught, surrounded by a host of other larger fliers, was looming closer.
The map was not even a third completed. They would be caught well before they could even attach another two pieces.
"Isn't there some logic to it? A shape or something? Maybe the Queen is messing with us again," Gabby told them.
After another sustained silence, Avony said, "Oh wait. I know what this is." Avony sounded way less excited than she should, but Gabby didn’t bother her, because Avony was too busy moving pieces around.
The others cheered at each connection and then they started slowing down.
"Who is that?" asked Milton.
Gabby glanced back. Mouse and Avony were staring at Gabby while Milton and Michael were studying the map.
"What?" Gabby asked them.
When they held up the map, Gabby nearly choked. The map was a picture of Zaela. It was a jig-saw map. A jig-saw map of her best friend.
"You were right. The Queen was sending a message," said Milton.
"You've really aggroed her, haven't you, Gabs?" Avony was shaking her head at the map. "What did you do?"
There was no time for answers as they all heard the drone of the dreadnaught approaching. Even from the sky it seemed to shake the desert floor.
With the map complete, the Frags could remove their hands from the edges. The picture of Zaela stayed, but their 'X' was still in the middle of the zone, a part of Zaela's left cheek.
The Bridge was only one zone away. A small piece of upper lip lay between them, but they were nowhere near that zone. They were nowhere near any zone.
Gabby glanced back at the dreadnaught and then slowed the vehicle to a stop.
"Shall we make a last stand?"
Avony blew out a sigh. "It's not like we're going to outrun it."
The Frags arrayed themselves in a semi-circle with Gabby in the middle and Mouse and Avony on either end. Everyone but Michael had their weapons pointed into the sky. He was messing with the brush-sword.
A massive shadow from the dreadnaught overtook them. Crimson and chrome guns bristled from the aerial gunship, but declined to fire, clearly confident in its mastery of them. Fliers buzzed around the dreadnaught like waiting hornets, readying to strike.
Gabby reached her hand toward Michael. She wanted to touch him one last time, but Mouse had already grabbed his free hand on the other side. Michael hadn't noticed. He was waving the brush-sword in the air.
"Can I see the map?" Michael asked.
"What's the point?" said Avony, who had it stuffed in her back pocket. "Let's at least go down fighting."
"Just give it to me. There's no time."
Gabby wanted to look at what Michael was doing but her attention was captivated by the approaching dreadnaught. Its inexorable approach seemed to fill the whole sky. Gabby checked her ammo and clicked the semi-automatic off safety.
As the fliers dipped toward them, Gabby lifted her weapon and took aim on the lead one. She cleared her mind and took a cleansing breath. She could see the ends of the brush missiles flaring up in preparation to fire.
"Do that again," said Avony.
Gabby was about to glance b
ack when the dreadnaught unleashed its battery of guns, concussing the air until Gabby was crouched on one knee. A hail of multi-colored death flew in their direction.
Chapter Nineteen
Determined to go down fighting, Gabby pulled on the trigger and let the steady vibration of firing sooth her frustrations. An approaching flier might have turned to flame, but Gabby could hardly tell amid the swarm of ships.
Her clip clicked to empty and she reached for the Desert Eagle, smiling grimly at its irony, before lifting it to the sky. A tugging sensation on her arm distracted her momentarily. She shrugged it off. There was enough time to take one more flier out if she could aim.
The insistent tugging didn't stop. Gabby shrugged a shoulder trying to break loose and sighted one silvery aircraft speeding toward her.
"Gabby!" yelled Avony. "We have to go!"
Gabby became aware that Avony had been screaming her name. The black outline of an open door waited on the sand. The others stood in a tunnel through the door. Avony yanked on her arm and Gabby gave in, rushing toward the opening.
As they crossed the threshold, Michael slammed the door shut behind them, entombing them in darkness. For one tense breath, the door shook violently and threatened to come off its hinges. Then it quieted and the Frags were left in a dark tunnel.
Gabby moved her hand in front of her face. She could see nothing.
"Anyone got a light?" asked Avony.
Milton's smirking voice followed. "Whoever is grabbing me, could you do it a little higher and to the right?"
"Michael, can you draw us one?" asked Avony.
"I think I'm out of tricks," he said. "When I came through the door, the brush turned into a sword. Roman era if I know my war history."
"Zone specific rules, I guess."
"Speaking of zones," said Gabby, "what zone are we in?"
"I think that upper lip section before the Bridge," explained Michael, "or at least that's what I was trying to do. I wrote the zone name on the door before I opened it. If it is that zone, we just need to get to the Bridge, or Zaela's nose, and that will lead us to the Spire."
"This really is like Final Raid," whispered Mouse.
"Then taking a moment to metagame," said Gabby, "what does destroying the Black Heart do?"
Based on the silence, Gabby imagined a host of shrugs.
"Then at least tell us what the name of the zone is," said Gabby.
"Shadow Twin."
After feeling around on the walls in the dark, the Frags organized themselves. They'd gotten enough of a glimpse of the tunnel from the light of the desert before they'd been plunged in darkness to know that it was barely wide enough for one person, probably based on the size of the door Michael had drawn. He'd saved them from certain death so nobody complained about the confining space, at least for the first hour.
After confirming their weapons were on safety, the Frags clasped hands and started walking down the tunnel. Avony led with Milton right behind her and then it went: Gabby, Michael, then Mouse.
At first, Michael's hand was comforting in the dark. Then as the hours wore on, clammy palms made her embarrassed. They stopped occasionally and nobody spoke. Gabby heard strange noises in the darkness, but didn't bother mentioning them since no one else had.
Distant light in the tunnel began outlining Milton ahead of her. As they approached, details filled in. They reached the end of the tunnel not long after. It appeared they were coming out of an aqueduct into an ancient city. Night blanketed the city in darkness, except for patches of light scattered through the streets. Patrols of armored guards walked in troops of five. Red plumes extended from their helms and polished armor glimmered in the torch light.
"Do you smell that?" asked Michael.
"What?"
"No. It's gone. I thought I smelled flowers for a moment there."
Standing in the shadows of the aqueduct, Gabby noticed Milton and Avony still holding hands.
"With our weapons," remarked Milton, "getting through this zone should be like playing at kiddy levels."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that," said Michael. "Every zone seems to have new surprises."
Michael seemed to be on the verge of a coughing fit, but he held it back. The shadows in his eyes matched the ancient streets below.
"We'd better get moving. We still have no idea where we're at in relation to the other teams." Gabby moved ahead, crouching as she descended the slope. "And let's not engage in a firefight until we know the story of this zone."
Once they reached the street level, Gabby motioned for Mouse to take the lead. The diminutive girl was the best at stealth. After leading the Frags through the streets for a while, Mouse dropped to her knees and began picking up tiny shimmering objects scattered between the paved stones. Gabby picked up one at her feet and held it to the meager light.
"Shell casings," whispered Mouse.
At least one other team had made it this far. They didn't know if everyone had to follow the Zaela map, or if each group had its own design. It was possible the other team could be moving on to a different zone than the Bridge.
The group searched around the site for other clues. Michael found blood trails. The other group had gotten into a fight, but there were no signs of blood on the street. Had the fight only taken place in the alley? And clearly the guards didn't have their advanced technology, because they found no bullet holes either. Wherever the other group had pointed their weapons, Gabby couldn't see. The Frags moved on once they finished scouring the area for clues.
Along the route, Gabby spied wash buckets and brooms at back doors. The alleyways were the preferred avenues of the poor. Peeking in a window, she saw a middle aged couple curled up on a woven mat. Gabby sighed quietly and then felt her face flush in embarrassment for feeling that way, even as she pressed her lips to the stone feeling the day's heat still leaking out of them. Gabby continued moving when Milton tugged on her shirt.
Mouse stopped them at a crossing street. They waited in a pocket of inky darkness as a patrol moved languishingly down the street. The guards didn't appear to be paying much attention, other than chatting amongst themselves.
Gabby heard a sharp intake of breath. She knew why the moment she got a good look at the guards. She saw their faces reflected back. The Crimson Queen had used their likeness for the denizens of the zone. Gabby had the urge to check back into the window to see if she recognized any faces with the older couple or if the doubling was regulated only to the guards. What would she and Michael look like in twenty years? Or was it Mouse and Michael lying curled up together?
Seeing herself dressed in polished brass armor, complete with helm, shield and sword was disorienting. The guard-Gabby was laughing along with guard-Avony, probably from a joke that guard-Milton had just told. Guard-Michael appeared healthy and whole, sending tingles across her lips as she remembered the first time she'd kissed him in the Black Gate.
No one made mention of the doppelgangers when they moved across the street to another darkened alleyway, but Gabby saw it in their eyes. The doubles reminded Gabby of how unreal the eye-screen games were and that anything could be hidden beneath them. Those guards could be avatars for semi-autonomous AI or real people.
Gabby wasn't sure why the last zone hadn't sparked her thoughts, not that they'd had much time for thinking once the fighting had started. Being chased by a building sized spider made of art supplies had been real enough, or at least the danger had, that she hadn't questioned. Now the absence of immediate danger, though there was plenty of it implied, drew out the peculiarities of the illusion.
Mouse led them deliberately through the city, pausing at junctures and doubling back when the alleys led to dead ends. Gabby could tell that Mouse was using algorithmic searching patterns in her movement across the city and somehow that comforted her. Most of the knowledge she'd gained in LifeGame was only useful for LifeGame. In a life without it, she wondered if she'd fit in.
The feel of the stone walls they passed bec
ame an obsession for Gabby. The individual grains of the stone she felt on her fingertips, made the illusion real, even though deep inside she knew it was a trick.
As they passed more body-double guards, she felt compelled to touch the stones even more, trying to determine what was real. Even going as far as moving into the light at times to touch.
They could be actually moving through a real place, she told herself. Gabby knew there were old adobe cities from the millenniums before her ancestors came to the GSA and Southlands.
If she knew the houses were real, it might calm her fears that nothing was real and the Crimson Queen had completely erased her hold on reality. As soon as she'd come to the Southlands, Coyote and Panner had seduced her into forgetting about Zaela and the GSA and why she'd come there in the first place.
And touching the stone kept her from touching her arm where Damon had implanted the program. If she knew the rest of the Frags would be safe and that she could escape the Southlands, she would consider the program, but without those guarantees, she was stuck.
A quick check of the map showed they were nearing the end of the zone. Gabby clutched her semi-automatic tighter, expecting hordes of guards to come streaming down the street to stop them. The Crimson Queen had laid traps for them at each zone, preying on their expectations. Had they unknowingly seen the trap and avoided it or were they about to step into it?
The others seemed on edge, heads on a swivel, lips pressed together until they were only grim lines, shoulders hunched over their guns in anticipation. They stepped up their formation, covering each other at each new corner, rather than just sneaking through the darkness. The exit was around the next block after routing through a blind alleyway.
Before making the final dash to the new zone, Gabby huddled them into a corner. She spoke in hushed tones. Gabby noticed Milton and Avony standing hip to hip in the circle and mentally smiled.
"I'm worried we're missing something."
She got a mixture of shrugs and nods in return.
"It can't be this easy, right?"
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