Such was the nature of Chaos.
She sighted on the enormous head of the synapse lord and gently breathed out. At just under one hundred feet, it was possible for her to miss. Unlikely, but still possible. The shot should come as a surprise, she repeated the mantra in her head as she inhaled slowly, breathing controlled and regulated. Gentle...
The plasma charge erupted from the barrel of the rifle and streaked past the synapse lord, striking solidly against the damaged metal wall. The charge then ricocheted off the wall and struck another portion of the wall before the energy of the plasma ball crashed into the ground. There it exploded, creating a small hole at the very foot of the large monster she’d been aiming for. Every single furball, including the synapse lord, stopped and looked at the smoldering hole in the tunnel floor.
She closed her eyes and sighed. Damn you, Murphy.
The synapse lord’s head snapped in her direction and the razor-toothed maw opened in challenge. The beast roared and ducked low as she opened fire, no longer concerned about stealth. The time for that was long past.
“Open fire!” she called out, and the others fired their plasma rifles, each intent on striking down the synapse lord. The beast, however, was too quick for them as it charged forward. With a frightening roar, it was suddenly atop her, knocking her onto her back with a backward swipe of its claw.
The long, diamond-tipped claws of the creature slashed down at her chest. She shouted in surprise at the monster’s speed and tried to parry the blow with her rifle, with minimal success. The creature’s brute strength and sharp claws easily shredded the barrel of the rifle, cutting through it as though it were paper. She kicked at the creature as she tried to get some distance between her and the synapse lord, but again the creature was too quick for her. The beast slipped past her kick, and the long claws aimed this time for her throat, its intent clear.
Tori rolled, and the synapse lord missed her throat, the monster imbedding them into the solid floor. It roared in fury as she scrambled backward, using her elbows to try to get clear. She looked around frantically for a weapon, anything, as the synapse lord ripped its claw free. The creature looked down at its talon and growled, low and dangerous.
She was quickly running out of time. She accessed her inventory as the creature eyed her angrily, the lord’s eyes glowing red in the dark. The large creature stalked slowly toward her as plasma fire from the others flew past it. Heedless to the danger it was in, it concentrated solely on her.
Nobody ever claimed the programming which ran the AI creatures in The Warp didn’t carry a grudge.
She found the code she was looking for and with an exasperated sigh brought it to the ready. She’d been hoping to save her Gilgamesh code, since it was a powerful one-off code she’d have to repurchase if she ever wanted to use it again. She activated the code and exited her inventory, and found the drooling mouth of the creature mere inches from her nose. She swallowed and waited for her most powerful hand-to-hand combat code to charge her up. Or for her to be eaten.
The synapse lord roared and the beast’s hot, putrid breath assaulted her senses. She gagged at the horrid stench as it threatened to overwhelm her. She looked away as her vision began to swim, the stench lessened, and a sudden, powerful current rushed through her. Finally, she thought. The code was ready and fully activated.
Her hand flashed out and struck the synapse lord’s midriff. The creature stepped backward at the force of the blow, and its vicious roar turned into a grunt of anger and confusion. She lashed out her foot into the double-jointed knee of the creature and was rewarded with a crack as it dislocated. The beast howled and jerked away as she jumped to her feet, her strength, endurance, and speed supernaturally enhanced.
The Gilgamesh code was her most powerful code, and quite likely one of the most powerful ones the game. It took the strength of a legendary hero and forced it into the gamer for a brief amount of time. The gamer would be exhausted, with their power levels at zero afterward, but while it was active, it made them more physically powerful than anything in the game.
It was also, unfortunately, a one-shot deal. She’d have to exit the game to buy another copy from the person who had originally written it and uploaded it via her node. It was her last ditch code, the final solution should everything go to hell. No time, she knew, would ever be as desperate as she was in at the moment.
Tori didn’t know why, but the creature stepped back and paused to reassess the situation. She approached slowly and cautiously, the physical strength of a god coursing through her being as she lowered herself into a fighting stance. The synapse lord roared a challenge, its massive body rising to full height. The creature extended its arms in a classic “come at me” posture she’d seen many gamers exhibit before they waded into a fight they weren’t certain they could win. She screamed back defiantly, her throat quickly raw and her cry feral, as she extended her arms and pounded her chest with a closed hand.
Fists clenched tightly, she charged the synapse lord. The beast slung its body down and flashed quickly to the side, its speed unnatural. She matched the creature’s move, though, allowing it to remain out of her range as she swung around. She kicked while in mid-pivot, using the ball of her foot for leverage and additional torque as she tried to connect with the creature’s injured leg once more.
The synapse lord bounced back and swung a mighty claw in a wide, circular motion at her head. To her, it seemed slow, and she easily blocked the swing with her forearm before she stepped inside the creature’s guard. She shaped her fingers into a dagger-like form and locked them in place as she began to jab quickly, striking the synapse lord’s stomach in rapid succession.
Each time she drew her hand back for another strike, it was coated with more and more black ichor, the substance rank and sticking to her fingers. It dawned on her through the hazy rage that it was the synapse lord’s blood. Her fingers, hardened by supernatural strength, had become stronger than metal as they ripped into the beast’s abdomen. She continued to strike, unaware or uncaring that the fight, for all intents and purposes, was over.
She pulled back and then spun, hand closed into a fist as she pivoted to deliver a backhand punch to the head of the synapse lord. Screaming blindly in rage, her knuckles smashed into the creature’s head with a sickening crunch. The synapse lord dropped to the floor, its body twitching while adrenaline continued to pump through it as the code within refused to admit it was dead.
Tori panted as her vision, enhanced by the code, spotted a heat signature on the other side of the metal wall where the synapse lord had been mere moments before. She strode up to it, ignoring the plethora of dead furballs on the ground. Her foot stepped on one, but she gave it barely a moment’s notice as she pulled her foot out of the ruined mess. The wall was thin here, she recognized immediately as she looked it over. She grabbed one of the metal beams which held up the wall and exhaled.
With a grunt, she tore down the entire section of the wall and heaved it aside. The dust made her cough slightly and would’ve temporarily blinded her had she not been enhanced by the Gilgamesh code. The four-foot section she’d removed and set aside revealed a very nervous, and very thankful, Shane crouched behind it.
She strode forward and offered her friend a hand. Shane looked up at her and smiled, but shook his head. The burgeoning rocket scientist scrambled to his feet and looked at her curiously. She cocked her head, confused. Shane pointed at her eyes and cocked an eyebrow.
“Gilgamesh?” he asked curiously. She nodded.
“Yeah,” she replied. She looked at Shane, confused. “How’d you know?”
“Girl, your freaking eyes are glowing.”
“Oh,” shesaid lamely, scratching her head and brushing off the remaining debris from the wall as the code began to return her to her mortal form, bleeding off the excess strength it’d given her. She shook slightly as the power wore off, too soon for her liking. She knew she could become addicted to the power the code offered her, as it offered
her the chance to no longer be afraid of anyone. Or anything. “Well, that explains the synapse lord’s reaction when I charged him.”
“How long does it last?
“I’ve got no idea,” Tori admitted, “but since we’re free, let’s get out of here.”
* * *
“The FBI wants to take over our servers to hunt down Gargoyle,” Vilim growled as he walked into Leo’s office unannounced. He pulled back a chair and plopped down into it. He scowled as his boss motioned for him to continue. “I think they’re just upset because we cut them out of the investigation during the Crisis incident and are muscling in to make certain they get all the credit for his apprehension. Stupid Feds.”
“We knew they’d try that, mate,” Leo said with a delicate shrug, his accent more pronounced as the stress seeped through his normally calm exterior. “It’s not as if they’ve had any leads in the past year and a half.”
“The timing is a bit odd,” Vilim said as he picked his nails. “Gargoyle showing up right when the Nexus starts acting funny.”
“Correlation doesn’t necessarily mean causation,” Leo reminded him. “Still, it’s probably a good idea to consider the possibility. Any word from Laszlo yet?”
“Nobody’s seen or heard from him,” Vilim replied sourly. “It’s almost as if he’s disappeared into a black hole.”
“What about that kid from down in Oak Ridge who contacted us? Grimes?”
“He’s got some whack-a-doodle theory about quantum folds in the brain and it’s why we can run the virtual reality so well,” Vilim said in a disparaging tone. “I think he might have smoked a little too much in college.”
“Okay, but is he right?” Leo asked.
Vilim shrugged. “Dr. Lee thinks so, and she invented the interface visor in the first place. She thinks he might be onto something. I’m not certain, but then again, I have some of my own biases.”
“Your relay device.” Leo nodded as he thought about Vilim’s personal project for the eventual Warp 2.1 patch release. The engineer had come up with a way to keep the VR device from lagging between the host servers of The Warp and the interface devices. It didn’t have a name yet, merely a project codename to keep the rival developers in the dark. Though Leo would be the first to admit Project Hermes was a very thin cover.
“Dr. Lee also believes the Nexus is drawing power from the minds of the users themselves using the quantum folds theory,” Vilim said, this time amusement in his tone. “Now that one is pretty far out there.”
“Okay, that one’s a bit absurd.” Leo chuckled.
“Dr. Lee suggested we shut down all the worlds of The Warp and ban users from even attempting to access the Nexus until we can figure this out,” Vilim stated.
“That’s not happening, no way and no how.”
“I agree.”
“Okay, let the FBI know we’re going to cooperate fully with their virtual manhunt,” Leo said and sighed. “Who knows, they might get lucky and find him. Have someone in your department keep trying to get hold of Laszlo Zalan. I really need to talk to him about his quantum net. Combined with Hermes this could be huge. Call me ambitious, but I think we’re twenty years away from instant teleportation if his product works as advertised. I want to be at the forefront of that race. Keep Dr. Lee in the loop and offer to bring up Doug from Oak Ridge. Am I missing anything?”
“You’re paying for about twenty people to stay in posh hotels down in Orlando while they hunt for the issues within the Nexus,” Vilim reminded him.
“Right, Tori and her group.” Leo paused and tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Ah, why not? Leave them down there and pick up the tab for them. It’s not costing us too much, and it’s all a tax write off anyway. Besides, I owe that girl. She saved us. The least I could do is pick up the tab for her vacation.”
Vilim nodded and left the office as quickly as he’d arrived. Leo watched him depart and pursed his lips thoughtfully before he picked up his cell phone from his desk. He pressed a button.
“Dial: Doctor Kristen Lee,” Leo said and the phone chirped in reply.
* * * * *
Chapter 10
Tori got out of the shower and dried off quickly. The temperature in the suite was set to “icebox”, and after the blast of scalding hot water the change was almost too much. She tossed the towel on the floor so housekeeping would know it was dirty before she ran to her suitcase and grabbed a pair of jeans, a clean shirt, and her bra. She quickly threw on her clothes and sighed as she no longer felt she was in the middle of an Ice Age.
She turned on the blow dryer and began to brush out her hair. The blue in her hair was beginning to fade slightly, which meant she’d need to get it touched back up when she got back to Virginia. She checked for her roots and was pleased to see that they weren’t showing yet. She wasn’t quite certain she was ready to go back to being blonde. She couldn’t describe the feeling or even put into words why she needed to have her hair dyed. There was just something inside her that resisted the thought of returning to her childhood hair color. So until she felt better about herself, she’d continue to rock the awesome colors her hair stylist recommended.
Once her hair was dry she threw herself onto the bed and checked her cell. She blinked as she realized she’d missed four calls from Dylan. There were also numerous text messages from him. She opened them and began to read.
Changed flight. Hope 2 c u soon read the first. She smiled.
Y r plane seats so small?
Next time? First class.
OMG ATL is HOT!!!
I want a Disney hat
Think Im cute w/this? There was a picture attached. It showed Dylan smiling goofily with a pair of mouse ears on his head. She realized this meant he was already in Orlando. She checked the time of the text and saw it was over two hours ago. A new message suddenly came through.
Dinner at Rainforest? I want a macaw.
She giggled at her boyfriend’s seemingly insane rambling. His text messages were oftentimes cuter and more honest than any conversation she’d ever had with anyone. His inability to focus on one thing at a time was one of the many reasons she loved him.
She knew it was silly, and Dylan was probably going to be dressed in shorts and a shirt, but she suddenly felt the urge to look pretty. She looked over her clothes and frowned. She really didn’t own anything “dressy,” unless one counted the bridesmaid dress she wore to her dad’s wedding. She hadn’t brought it with her to college or Orlando though; that would’ve been pointless.
She grabbed the small phone next to her bed and dialed for the concierge. After a few moments someone picked up.
“Dolphin concierge, how can I help you?” the woman asked.
“Hi, I’m staying in the hotel, and I want to wow my boyfriend,” she said as she looked out the window. Outside she could see people at EPCOT riding rides and touring the theme park. Off in the distance she could almost make out the Magic Kingdom. “I don’t have anything nice to wear, though. Is there somewhere I can get a dress of some sort?”
“Well, what are your plans? Is this a seduction sort of thing or simply make him wow?”
“Uh, just a wow thing,” she amended.
“Instead of a dress, may I recommend a skirt and a nice top instead?” the woman on the other end of the line suggested. “While fall is cooler here in Orlando, it’s still quite warm out. A nice skirt can both keep you cool and look good. Paired with the right top you can easily wow him.”
“Should I wear sneakers or boots?” she asked, suddenly worried. She had a debit card but how much should she spend? She knew she could afford it but her father had instilled into her a reluctance to spend money. She’d been that way since she was a child.
“I wouldn’t wear sneakers, and only boots if you want to look like a lady of the night,” the concierge replied. She blushed as she realized just what “lady of the night” meant. The lady continued. “I’d go with sandals or wedges personally.”
“Yeah, no hooker look fo
r me,” she muttered.
“If I may, what size are you?”
“A four. I think.”
“Okay, I’m going to call our shop here in the hotel and set you up with a friend of mine,” the woman said after a moment. “The Ictus shop is down on the first floor next to the boutique shop. Ictus has all sorts of fashionable clothing that isn’t too revealing but can still have the ‘wow’ factor. You can bill it to your room as well.”
“I can do that?”
“You can charge everything to your room bill here at Disney World,” the woman informed her. “You should’ve received that info when you checked in.”
“Oh, the limo driver checked me in,” she replied as she looked around the room for the small bag she’d been given a few days before. She shoved her travel bag aside and looked on the small sofa. “He brought everything up to my suite. I’m sure the info is around here somewhere…”
“Oh. Oh! Miss, may I send up something for you from the shop so you don’t have to make an extra trip up to your room to get dressed?”
“Uh, you mean you want to pick something out for me?”
“Of course!”
“Why?”
“It’s not every day I get to dress up a celebrity,” the lady replied. She sighed.
“I’m not a celebrity,” she countered.
“Then may I dress up a hero?”
Dang it, she mentally sighed. So much for anonymity. “Okay.”
“Thank you so much!” the woman practically gushed. “I promise you won’t regret it!”
She hung up the phone and sighed. She picked up the cell and texted Dylan back.
Need 2 get dressed. C u soon.
He replied a few moments later.
Look for the macaw.
“Wait…is this a real date?” She wondered aloud.
* * *
She’d faced down terrorists. Stared down men who were evil to their core. Squared off against her best friend. She’d even gone off to college before her seventeenth birthday while her father remained in a foreign country across the Atlantic. Yet the prospect of a real, honest-to-goodness date terrified her to the very core of her being.
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