The chimaera howled with its two remaining heads and launched itself at the knight, the lion’s jaws ready to savage its prey.
The knight sprang forward, faster than anythingwearing armour had a right to. It thrust upwards with its weapon.
The sword o’light sliced into the belly of the beastas it sailed over the head of the knight. The static that made up its form parted like the Red Sea and landed in a shapeless heap. remained at the entrance of the base. Emboldened, they crept closer to the grid.
The knight barely had time to turn around beforethe static took on a new shape. Within seconds a huge dragon, larger even than the chimaera, was glaring down at the knight. It threw back its head and roared a deep and guttural sound with a crackly, electronic undertone.
‘Plaaay!’
The dragon reared on its hind legs and thrust its head forward, jaws wide open. A burst of orange flame erupted from its mouth.
The knight held up its shield, deflecting the flames.
Back on all fours, the dragon roared again. It lifted an enormous, lumbering foot, ready to charge its opponent.
The knight sprang forward with the samemovement it had used against the chimaera, thrusting upwards with the sword. Although the sword o’light sliced up into the gigantic foot, it was not enough to stop it. The dragon’s foot stomped to the ground, crushing the knight beneath it.
A booming voice roared through the grid. ‘I have been learning to win!’
27: Charging Up
The Ultimate Gamer let go of the joystick. His sheen had faded and his colour darkened with patches of grey and black.
Are you okay?’ called Zyra.
‘No,’ answered the Ultimate Gamer. ‘The antivirus program is stronger than I had anticipated.’
‘The IDD,’ said Tark, glaring at the professor.
The professor cringed, but as Tark looked away, his face brightened. ‘Of course! Yes, yes, yes. That is it!’
‘It is more than that,’ said the Ultimate Gamer. ‘Itis different from the last time I encountered it. It has learned to play. It is ... enjoying the game.’
Unnoticed, the professor edged his way across the common room and slipped out towards his workshop.
On the screen, the dragon was grinding its foot intothe ground. It swung its body around and lumbered across the light grid, throwing its bulk against the perimeter. The grid crackled with energy, snaking tendrils of green coursing through the dragon. push. The Outers that had gathered around the grid shrank back.
The Ultimate Gamer took hold of the joystick.
‘Resume play.’
Looking up at the screen, Zyra and the others saw pinpricks of light forming into a new shape - a dragon, albeit a smaller one. The larger dragon stepped back from the grid perimeter and charged its new opponent.
As the dragons on the screen reared up andgrappled with each other, claws slashing, mouths spewing fire, Professor Palimpsest came rushing back into the common room, the newly charged IDD clutched in his arms.
‘This is it. This is it. This is it!’ He scurried towards the Ultimate Gamer’s podium.
‘Stop him!’ shouted Tee.
Tark and Zyra ran at the professor. As Tark wrestled the IDD from his hands, Zyra pinned the professor’s arms behind his back.
‘No, no, no,’ the professor cried. ‘I’m trying to help! Yes!’
Zyra gave his arm a twist, making him yelp.
‘Yeah, sure ya is,’ said Tark, levelling the IDD at the professor’s chest. ‘Wonder wots would ‘appen if I gaves ya a burst o’ this?’
The professor shook his head frantically.
An agonised wail brought their attention back to the screen. The Ultimate Gamer’s dragon was on the ground. The larger dragon ripped it apart with its claws, literally wrenching off one of its arms.
Hope looked away from the screen, sickened.
‘There must be something we can do to help!’
With a shudder, the Ultimate Gamer released the joystick and slumped back in his chair. Growing patches of black spread through his body like oil spills.
‘I can help!’ yelled the professor.
Zyra tightened her grip on his arms.
‘The IDD gave the power of the Interface to the antivirus program. Yes.’ The professor struggled against his captor as he spoke. ‘The Ultimate Gamer could, perhaps, also tap into this power.’
‘Possibly.’ The gamer lifted a feeble hand and tapped a key. A panel slid back on the side of the podium. ‘Connect it.’
The professor tried to get free, but Zyra held him fast. ‘Please, please, please. You’ve got -’
A piercing scream cut the professor off.
On the screen, the static dragon was pressed up against the grid’s perimeter. One of its clawed feet had broken through and was clutching the leg of an Outer, dragging him towards the grid. Several Outers held onto his arms, pulling, trying to save him.
‘That’s Chuck.’ Zyra’s voice was barely a whisper.
‘Let him go,’ called Tee, pointing at the professor. Palimpsest grabbed the IDD from Tark and scurried to the podium. He examined it quickly then stuck the end of the device into a connection port.
‘Hope, hope, hope,’ he said, squeezing the trigger.
The Ultimate Gamer sat bolt upright as static zipped around the gold loops that encircled him.
On the screen, the dragon had won the deadlytug-o-war. It yanked Chuck into the grid, bellowed a victory roar, and snapped its jaws on him. Chuck exploded in a burst of dissipating pixels. The dragon then thrust its claws back through the grid’s perimeter.
The Ultimate Gamer’s hand shot forward and grasped the joystick. ‘I’m back,’ he said, in Bobby’s voice. ‘And I’m charged.’
28: Battle in the Light Grid - Dragon vs Unicorn
The dismembered dragon dispersed into pinpoints of light, as if its very molecules had separated. Like a cloud of fireflies they swarmed through the grid and gathered around the head of the larger dragon. The creature roared, snapping at the lights and bringing its foot back into the grid. As the perimeter repaired itself, the dots of light left the dragon, swarmed to the other end of the grid and took form.
The dragon looked down at the unicorn. It paused, assessing its new opponent, then reared up. Thrusting its head forward, it opened its jaws wide and flames spewed forth.
The unicorn backed away as the flames hit the ground where it had stood. It pawed at the ground and bucked, shaking its head from side to side, its sparkly white mane and forelock fluttering majestically.
‘Oh, yes.’ The dragon spoke in guttural tones, barely distinguishable from a roar. ‘Bring it on!’
Again, the dragon reared back and released an onslaught of flames. The unicorn dodged to one side with a movement that seemed both impossible and extremely un-equine. It steadied itself, planting all fours firmly, looking up at its opponent with crystal-clear, ice-blue eyes. It bent its right front leg and lowered its head, as if kneeling. Still on its hind legs, the dragon laughed and roared in triumph as it charged.
But the unicorn was not submitting. Its spiralling horn glowed with a pearlescence that began at the base and extended to the point. The dragon ceased its roar as a blaze of light surged from the unicorn’s horn. The light encompassed the dragon. It lashed out with its claws, but to no effect. The light had substance, and it constricted the creature’s movement. The dragon’s forelegs were pushed in against its body. Its head began to bear down - the neck squashing into the torso. The light formed into a sphere, forcing the static to lose the dragon shape completely. The light sphere got smaller and smaller, compressing the static.
The static spun within the sphere of light, around and around with giddying speed, like a whirlpool. The sphere wavered, bending towards the whirling mass. W
ith increasing speed, it was sucked into the depths of the static, like galaxies into a black hole.
The spinning ball undulated, its surface like astormy sea, anguished faces occasionally bobbing to the surface. Expanding, it began to morph again.
Not waiting to see what form it would take, the unicorn pawed at the ground like an enraged bull and attacked the static. Its glowing horn plunged into the depths of its adversary. As the unicorn tried to back up for another assault, it found that it could not retract its horn, no matter how hard it pulled.
The enlarging mass of static rose up into the air, taking the unicorn with it, legs flailing helplessly.
Shooting up to the top of the light grid in a sudden, violent motion, the static rammed the unicorn into the edge of the grid. Green sparks engulfed the animal, crackles of energy coursing over the white surface of its body. As the static lowered a little, the light abated and the unicorn went limp, its mane singed, its hooves smouldering. The now dull horn cracked and split apart at the base, as the unicorn’s body fell.
The moment it hit the ground, it fragmented intomyriad pinpoints of light.
29: Super-charged
‘It hasn’t been wiping files and programs,’ gasped the Ultimate Gamer as he released the joystick. ‘It’s been absorbing them. Every virus program, every corrupt file has become a part of it.’
‘What does that mean?’ asked Zyra.
‘It has become a virus itself The ultimate virus. Ready to consume ... everything.’
‘You have the power of the Interface,’ said theprofessor. ‘Yes. You do. You can defeat it. Yes. You can.’
The Ultimate Gamer held up his hands in front ofhis featureless face, turning them one way and then the other. ‘It is not enough. The program will win.’
‘More, more, more,’ said the professor excitedly.
‘We can give you more. Yes.’ He paced up and down. ‘I can charge up the IDD again and again. Yes. Or?’ He stopped pacing. ‘Or a direct link up to the Interface.’
‘That may work,’ said the Ultimate Gamer. ‘Buttime will be limited.’
The professor rushed off to his workshop.
‘What do you mean by “time will be limited”?’ asked Zyra.
‘The raw power of the Interface, in a constant feed, will be impossible to contain,’ explained the Ultimate Gamer. ‘It will give me power. But it will eventually overwhelm me.’
‘How much time will you have?’ asked Hope.
‘I don’t know.’ It was Bobby’s voice and it was barely a whisper.
On the screen the antivirus program had taken on the form of a robot. All sharp jutting angles and lethal weaponry, it was an arsenal on squat, boxy legs. It was blasting away at the grid perimeter with various guns protruding from its mechanical arms.
The professor came back into the common room dragging the end of a cable. ‘This is a link to the Interface via my switchboard.’ He plugged the cable into the connection port on the podium. ‘The cable carries a greater amount of charge per second than you can possibly use. More than enough to destroy you instantly. You will need to monitor and control the amount you take in.’
The Ultimate Gamer inclined his head stiffiy.
‘Good.’ The professor pointed back over this shoulder. ‘I need to go and switch it on. Yes.’ He rushed back out again.
On the screen, a hole had appeared in the perimeter. The robot blasted away at it.
‘I’m scared.’ It was Bobby’s voice.
The power of the Interface charged along the cable to the podium.
The Ultimate Gamer arched his back as the power thundered through him, his silvery lustre returned tenfold. The loops around him sparked with energy as they increased in speed. The holographic keyboards and joystick disappeared as he stood, spreading his arms. His hands extended towards the loops, which spun so fast it looked as if he were enclosed in a sphere of static. When his silvery fingertips skimmed the spinning loops, he became a ball of blistering brilliance.
There was a collective intake of breath from theaudience. The professor squinted through his glasses as he scurried back into the common room.
On screen the light grid changed from green to static grey. The breach sealed itself, the impact of the robot’s continual blasting now having no effect. The pinpoints of light unified, taking on a familiar bulky shape.
30: Battle in the Light Grid - Static Man vs Fat Man
The Fat Man was carrying a bazooka. He aimed and fired three shots. The first shattered the robot’s arm. The second knocked the robot to the ground. The third blew apart its head. The static of the antivirus program collapsed into a formless heap.
The Fat Man tossed aside the empty weapon and strode across the grid. By the time he reached the antivirus program, it was already taking a human shape, mirroring its adversary. The Static Man was the same height and breadth as the Fat Man, but instead of fat, its bulk was made of muscle. Pulling an arm back, it threw a punch at the Fat Man. The static fist connected with the Fat Man’s jaw, sending him sprawling.
The Static Man chuckled as it loomed over its opponent. ‘I know what you’ve done. It won’t help. The Interface will consume you from the inside out while I watch.’
The Fat Man spun on the ground, scissoring his legs and knocking the Static Man to the ground. Within seconds he was on top of it, throwing punch after punch. Each time he hit the static face, its features rippled and changed momentarily, different faces superimposing onto the Static Man’s body. The faces laughed with every blow.
The Fat Man placed his hands around the Static
Man’s throat, squeezing with all his might. The Static Man reached up and did the same, shifting its weight. The battling opponents tumbled across the ground from one end of the grid to the other.
They hit the perimeter, energy arcing through them, forcing them apart. The Fat Man got to his feet first, but the Static Man kicked out, connecting with its opponent’s substantial gut. The Fat Man was propelled into the air. He slammed into the grid perimeter. Energy crackled and sparked as he fell to the ground.
The Static Man casually got to its feet and saunteredacross the grid. ‘Once I have defeated you, I will consume the Outers, savouring each and every byte of each and every corrupted file.’ His voice was an ominous, hollow rumble. ‘I will pick apart the bones of their binary coding and assimilate their strengths. And then . . .’ It sneered. ‘And then, nothing will stand in my way. I will make my way across Designers Paradise, devour every environment, eating every program, every file, every skerrick of data. I will amalgamate everything within my coding and I shall become the one and only program.’
‘Sounds familiar,’ breathed the Fat Man, struggling to his feet. ‘But to what purpose? You are an antivirus program.’
‘Don’t you see? Everything is corrupt. Everything must be cleansed. Only when all things are me, can I ensure that no viruses shall come into being.’
‘You’re wrong,’ said the Fat Man. ‘There will still be a virus.’
The Static Man tilted its head.
‘The worst possible virus - you!’ The Fat Man murmured an incantation under his breath. The earth beneath the Static Man moved around its feet. The Static Man was unable to take a step as the ground itself rose up around its ankles. It crept up, forming a mound as it reached past the static knees.
‘Anything you can do, I can do better,’ sang the Static Man. It invoked a spell and the ground beneath the Fat Man encased his own feet and began to rise.
31: Plans
As the battle progressed on screen, Tark noticed Professor Palimpsest edging out of the common room again. Tark was certain that something wasn’t right. Everyone else’s attention was focussed on the screen, so he easily slipped away and followed the professor to his workshop.
Tark peered in. The pro
fessor’s back was turned while he fumbled intently with something on the main workbench. His instincts had been correct; the professor was up to something.
‘Wot ya doin’?’ demanded Tark, entering the workshop.
The professor jumped and whirled around. Hisleft sleeve was rolled up, a rough tourniquet above the elbow. In his right hand he held a syringe filled with the static of the Interface, a long needle at its end.
‘Preparing to make amends,’ said the professor, gravely.
‘Wot?’ asked Tark.
‘The Ultimate Gamer has a limited time in which to defeat the antivirus program, before the Interface consumes him from within.’ The professor spoke steadily, all trace of his eccentric programmed speech pattern gone - suppressed by a new determination.
‘He will not win without some help. This is my fault,so I shall provide that help. I need to distract the program. Find a weakness, perhaps.’
And how does ya plan on doing that?’
‘Like this.’ The professor jabbed the needle into a vein on his arm, and injected the static. ‘Now I will enter the grid and let the antivirus program consume me. The static patches prevented the antibodies from finding us, and so I am hoping that enough of it coursing through my bloodstream will shield my coding once I have been assimilated.’
‘But ya’ll die.’
‘I will die anyway.’
‘We is all gonna die if we don’t defeats the program,’ said Tark. ‘With yar help we mights be able ta come up with anotha plan.’
‘You misunderstand me. I will die no matter what. The dose I have just injected will soon kill me.’ He tossed the syringe onto the workbench. ‘So get out of my way. The sooner I am assimilated by the antivirus program, the more time I will have to make a difference.’
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