Revolution

by Nick S. Thomas

  Battle cries rang out as the Templars closed on her, and she set off at a leisurely pace to meet them. She crossed their path and thrust at the one on left, aiming for his heart, knowing a well-placed thrust from the koncerz would penetrate the chainmail all the way to his heart. But the man parried off her blade and swung a heavy cut towards her head. She ducked under, and the blade skimmed a strand of her hair as she rode past, and turned about again. They had slowed further now and were approaching at a trot. She went after the same target, determined to finish him before moving on. She thrust her koncerz as she had done before, and his sword came out to parry just the same, but she stopped the thrust short so that his parry flew past without finding hers. She didn't wait a second to seize her moment.

  Her feint had paid off, and she thrust her blade home. It went straight into the eye socket of the Templar and drove home until the blade stopped at the back of the helmet. It became wedged in the eye socket. Blood spurted out around the blade as he toppled dead from his horse.

  "Yes!" Rex cried out.

  The crowd erupted around with jubilation. It wasn't just in support of their teacher, but their blood lust had been fulfilled, at least for the moment. The other Templar closed in and cut down furiously. Luna's koncerz had been pulled from her hand as it went down and embedded in her victim. She was empty-handed. She lifted her right arm and took the blow diagonally across her steel vambraces. The cut slid off and stopped on the spaulder armour on her shoulder. She kicked her stirrups in deep and stormed away as another cut came for her, but fell short.

  "Oh!" the crowd cried in anticipation, as once more she had been millimetres from death, or virtual death anyway. To most of them they were the same thing. Like most other people in the world, they believed doomsday was imminent, and so death meant little to them. It was expected and anticipated. They were in this life to enjoy what they had now, and nothing more.

  "So this game, you can only play as yourself?" the girl opposite Rex asked him.

  He looked up in surprise, as if expecting to find that she was talking to someone else. She was the same age as him, and he knew her name - Emily Silver, or Emi as her friends called her. He coughed as he stuttered.

  "What are you asking him for?" asked another of the girls.

  "Because he knows more about this than you do."

  Rex almost choked on the put down, but she was still waiting for a response.

  "Ye...yes. You play as yourself. Any clothes, equipment, anything aside from your body are optional. You can change little things about your appearance, like real life. Your hair colour for example. But you can only compete in Duel Reality with your own body. That's what makes it great. It's not fake. You take all your real skills and body into those fights. You can't cheat it. You can't jump into a different body or suddenly be the best fighter in the world. In this game you play as yourself."

  "That's silly," said the other girl.

  "Do you follow your favourite celebrities?" he asked.

  "Uh...yeah!"

  "Well, this is no different."

  She was silenced as they turned their attention back to the fight. Luna drew out a narrow shafted horseman's axe. It was little over half a metre long, with a small axe head on one side, and a steel spike on the rear. She kicked her heels in, and her horse reared up dramatically. It seemed to hold there for a moment.

  "Magnificent."

  Rex admired the skill and control she exhibited in everything she did. She soared towards her opponent, and he thrust for her, but she passed off the blade with her axe. She cut around and struck his left shoulder blade with the axe. It was enough for him to cry out in pain, but he stayed upright as he rode past. She could see the first one that she had unhorsed was back on his feet, but still looking stunned as he looked around for his sword. She smiled as she directed her warhorse straight for him, reaching full gallop before he realised what was happening. He horse crashed into the Templar, smashing him aside with ease as she stormed on past. But as she wheeled about she could see that he was up on one knee and getting back onto his feet.

  "Damn it," she cursed.

  The other horseman was still far enough away that she could try again. She lurched forward, as the stunned Templar found his sword. She closed slowly and cautiously now, and he cut towards her. She parried the blow in the crook of the axe head and pulled the blade aside. It wrenched the man's sword down, and before he could recover, she flipped the weapon around in her hand, delivering an almighty blow with the pick onto the flat-topped helmet. It struck in deep, and the man went rigid, toppling over dead with the weapon still embedded in his helmet.

  A cheer rang out along the corridor beside Rex, and it echoed as if the whole school was watching. Many began to clap and whistle. Others were stamping their feet excitedly, leaping for joy. It was as if their team had just scored, but this was better than any sport. She turned back to face her final attacker, but he had already closed on her. The Templar came alongside her and cut down towards her head with immense power. She crossed her vambraces over her head to take the blow. It took the worst of the impact, but her arms were smashed down, and the blade cut down her forehead and to her cheek. She winced in pain, but before she could recover, the Templar punched forward with his chainmail glad fist that gripped the sword.

  She was thrown from her horse, managing to stay conscious as she remained on her feet. Blood was pouring from both her nose and the cut on her forehead. The rider came about to strike her again, but she moved around her own horse, using it to block her attacker. She reached up to try and mount her steed once more, but a cut crashed into the saddle, narrowly missing her hand. She knew she had to abandon her horse, but she grasped the hilt of her sabre just in time as it bolted. She took a few paces back to compose herself as she lifted her heavily curved sabre blade in readiness. The Templar's horse grunted angrily, and the rider looked confident and powerful.

  The horse rushed forward, and he cut in against her, but she parried it firmly, although the horse carried the man past so quickly she could not return a cut. The most she could manage was to stay alive. He came about and rushed at her once again with an equally heavy blow. She could do nothing but once again parry, as to not do so would be her end. The Templar roared angrily that he could not finish her off, and he knew he would have to close in for a brawl if he was to bring it to an end. He came forward at a trot, cutting one time after another with heavy downright blows as his horse came to a standstill.

  Her heavy sabre was enough to parry every one of them, and though she could not cut in return, he was not able to find an opening. Finally, he swung a horizontal cut for her head, and she saw her opportunity. She stopped it dead with a firm parry with her guard high and blade hanging low. The rider's hand was there for the taking. She grabbed it, locked it between her sword, and yanked him from the saddle. He tumbled off and crashed hard into the snow, rolling to a halt. His helmet flew from his head as he got back to one knee, and reached for his sword. He looked angry, and that made Luna smile. She tapped the horse's rear end with the flat of her blade to cause it to flee and give them some space.

  The man was of a similar age to her. He looked Eastern European and had a bitter anger in his eyes. It wasn't surprising. A woman that he had thought was nothing compared to the might of him and his comrades was beating him.

  Rex couldn't believe it. It was all he could ever have hoped for and more.

  "How is she this good?" Rex vaguely heard the girl that had mocked him.

  "Shhh, Dyna," Emi snapped at her annoying friend that had wanted to do nothing but complain and ridicule Rex.

  But as the two fighters backed away to evaluate one another, and re-think their strategies, it gave a perfect opening for Rex to respond. He was glad to have someone to share his passion with.

  "We've been waiting for this fight for weeks. The Templars were unstoppable for fifteen straight fights, one on one duels and melees. Luna said she could beat them all single-handed, and nobody believed
her."

  "She's incredible," said Emi.

  "And she can do all this in real life?" Dyna asked.

  "Yes, she trains for this, like I do, but she's better. Way better."

  "You? How could you ever fight like this?"

  Emi opened her mouth to speak, but Rex couldn't hold himself back. Emi had given him a chance to speak once, and now it just came out when he was pushed.

  "I practice, everyday. I box, I fence, I go to MMA, kendo, HEMA, Krav Maga, anything and everything I can. Before school, on weekends, and at home."

  "But you never fight back at school?" Emi asked.

  "I don't learn this to fight for real. That's for idiots."

  "But the bullies, you could fight back."

  "I don't want to. This is a game. I don't want to ever hurt anyone."

  "I bet you don't do any of it. You just play video games," replied Dyna.

  He looked away as if not wanting get into an argument. Emi looked sad for him, but it was hard for her to speak out against her friends, especially as others were listening in.

  "Hey, hey, look," said Emi, as she noticed the Templar lunge forward with a thrust towards Luna’s chest.

  She parried it aside and cut back, but he parried her cut, too. A flurry of cuts back and forth followed, none of which could strike home. She nimbly cut at his lead leg using her reach, but he slipped back and avoided it, and brought a thunderous blow back down towards her head. She leapt aside, and the blade sliced into the snow, hitting the hard ground beneath it. She kicked out his lead knee, and he dropped down onto it. But as she lifted her blade to cut, he backhanded her, striking her already sore nose.

  Luna cried out as she fell back and lost the grip of her sword, landing face first in the snow. She looked back in time to see the Templar's blade coming for her. She rolled aside to avoid it, and then back the other way, avoiding the second cut. Instead of going for another, he reached for her leg and grabbed her ankle to keep her from avoiding a third strike, but she lifted her body and kicked him in the stomach. It was enough to set her free, but as she fumbled to go forward, she fell flat again.

  "Game over!"

  The man rushed forward and towered over her, his sword held high ready to finish her. But in the snow beside her she felt something and grabbed hold of it. It was the remains of her lance. He lifted the sword up even higher to summon all the power that he could, but she rose up and thrust the broken lance into his chest. Its sharp jagged edges punched through his chainmail. His sword fell into the snow, and he staggered back in surprise, finally collapsing.

  "Yes!" Rex screamed.

  It was as if the whole school erupted with excitement as they celebrated their teacher’s victory and watched it come to a conclusion. The bodies of the three men vanished, and the ground around Luna elevated to make a podium. The three Templars reappeared on the lower step beside her.

  "Winner, Luna Lee!" a triumphant voice cried out.

  She looked exhausted and relieved as she thrust her right arm in the air in celebration. The viewing figures appeared above her, and she smiled as she saw the figure. Over three hundred thousand people had watched her duel. The Templars looked disappointed, but also impressed.

  "You fight dirty!" said the one who had fought on till the end.

  "Thank you!" she replied with a smile.

  She looked out to address all those who were watching.

  "Thank you all for watching. Please subscribe if you haven't already, and this is a shout out for all the students of Murphy High School. You rock! I'll be back soon. If anyone thinks they have what it takes to win, I welcome the challenge, and remember; I didn't get this far on hopes and dreams. I followed them. This is a game of skill. Whatever you want in life, pursue it. Art, science, the science of combat, anything you like, take what you love. Learn, practice, and do it! That's all for now, thank you all again for watching!"

  The signal ended, but the school kids around Rex were still chanting her name. He saw the look on faces of two teachers that passed them by. They were not impressed, but they were powerless to stop her. Everybody loved Luna, and she was the biggest reason the kids kept coming back to school every day, when so many others skipped it.

  Chapter 3

  The White House

  Washington, D.C., United American Nations

  Incognito's message played on a screen projected at the back of the Oval Office, the same message that had interrupted Luna's duel. The President, Leo Simmons, watched it with both curiosity and anger in his eyes. He was squeezing a stress ball in his right hand as he felt the anger brew and tried to settle it. He was in his late fifties and still in remarkable shape. Though his hair had long gone almost entirely grey, with just small strands of the dark head of hair he used to have. His face was chiselled and stern, with piercing blue eyes. He could barely believe what the man was saying, and he couldn't watch to the end.

  "How the hell is this asshole still hacking us? Why the hell can't we stop him?"

  He slammed his hand on his desk. A number of advisors were standing about the room, his nearest being Piper Hughes, his closest and most trusted advisor. She was in her mid-thirties and well dressed. Calm and calculated at all times. Simmons turned his fury on one of the advisors in particular, the head of Homeland Security.

  "Well? What are you going to do about it?"

  "Mr President, our cyber defence experts have been working around the clock to shut down the individual known as Incognito. But simply put, he has not presented any physical threat to our nations."

  "No great threat? He undermines us at every turn. He spreads lies and false propaganda."

  "Propaganda maybe, but not lies, Sir," replied Piper.

  "What?" he snapped.

  "Not once has Incognito lied. His facts are strong. They are just not often ones that we would like being shared with the public."

  "So his sources are good, that is what you are telling me?"

  "Yes, Sir." She turned to the head of Homeland Security, Julian Rice.

  "Why do you think he is an individual?" she asked inquisitively.

  "Well....he..."

  "You assume it because there is one man on the screen. Tell me, when you see one representative of Homeland Security on the news, would it be right to assume that you have a staff of one, based on that evidence?"

  Rice stumbled to find his words, and the President was furious.

  "Get out. You're fired," he said as calmly as he could. He was shaking slightly as if he was about to boil over.

  "But Mr Pre..." began Rice.

  "Get out! You're fired! Get out of my sight! Go, get out!" he bellowed.

  The President was a firebrand, and everybody knew it. Rice looked humiliated as he quickly shuffled out of the room. There was no point in arguing with the President. He had no patience at all. The room was silent as everyone waited for him to go on.

  "We face the threat of nuclear war each and every day. We have lunatics like Dun who would gladly watch the world go up in flames, and we can't even stop this anarchist?" he demanded.

  Nobody had any answers, and so he turned to the head of the CIA, Troy Sparks.

  "Homeland is incapable of sorting this, but what about you?"

  "We have some leads, Sir."

  "Then pursue them, and fix this."

  "I will put my best team on it immediately, Sir."

  "You do that, and get me some damn results. This is pathetic. We are the greatest nation on Earth, and these cretins are fooling us. Now get out, all of you!"

  Though he nodded for Piper to stay. The room soon cleared out, leaving the two of them.

  "It's a joke, isn't it? I feel like everything around me is falling apart, but what more can I do? I have given everything to this administration."

  "We live in difficult times, and I think you are doing as much as anyone in your shoes could do, Mr President."

  He nodded in appreciation.

  "Now, if I may beg your leave, for I, too, have a lot to
do."

  "Of course," he said.

  She turned to leave, and the expression on her face changed immediately. Her confidence in Simmons was a facade. She closed the door to the office behind her and found Sparks waiting for her.

  "It's not getting any easier, is it?" he asked.

  She shook her head.

  "We are all in a tough spot."

  "But he talks like he is shouldering all of the work."

  "The President does plenty, a lot more than you ever see. He is a good man. Trust me."

  "But he’s not the one we need right now, is he?"

  She looked hesitant to answer.

  "Would you have voted for him?"

  "Yes, I would have, because I am not sure who could have done a better job."

  He could see she meant that at least, and it surprised him.

  "So, your best team?"

  "One of," he replied with a smirk.

  * * *

  New York, 1.02pm

  Carter pulled off his V set and stretched out, reaching for the fresh coffee that had arrived ready for him.

  "Another?" Mason asked.

  Carter took a sip and looked at the time.

  "Life gets in the way. We've got five minutes until real life kicks back in."

  "That's enough for one more round," he protested.

  But Carter was already shaking his head.

  "Damn it, how am I supposed to beat you if I never get the chance?"

  "You had your chance," replied Carter with a smirk as he turned to a newsfeed projecting from the table. He flicked through it with his hand, without making a physical contact. The device was recognising his movements.