Virtual Kombat (Pocket Money Puffin)

by Chris Bradford

  I’m losing consciousness, still feebly pressing the button.

  The Maori warrior roars at me, raising his spear to deliver the Killing Strike.

  But a kombatant in shorts and T-shirt jumps between us. Her samurai sword slices through him. The spear drops to the floor, hands still attached. The warrior’s life-bar flickers critical before Kat-Ana finishes him off.

  Sheathing her sword, she begins to sing. ‘London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down …’

  My vision pixelates, breaking apart as the signal corrupts.

  Kat-Ana slaps me hard in the face. ‘Stay with me.’

  ‘What did you do that for?’ I mumble, confused and swimming in pain.

  ‘You need to focus on being alive. And stop moaning. It’s only a virtual slap!’

  Kat-Ana hauls me to my feet.

  ‘We’ve got to get out of here,’ she says, dragging me in the direction of the drawbridge. ‘And stop pressing that stupid button. There is no escape.’

  Reality Check

  ‘There has to be some mistake,’ I gasp as Kat-Ana lays me gently on the floor of a cave.

  She hands me a health pack. My wound heals in seconds, my life-bar regenerating to 75%.

  ‘No mistake,’ she replies. ‘We’re plugged into the Grand-Arena.’

  I stare at her, stunned. The official fighting world of VK2! A series of interconnected Battle-renas where kombatants have to fight their way through to the Crown.

  ‘But I was entering Special Projects. I shouldn’t be here.’

  ‘None of us should.’

  ‘You mean there are others?’

  Kat-Ana nods.

  I sit up, my head throbbing. ‘It feels as if my brain’s been fried.’

  ‘It has. You almost died back there,’ she points out.

  ‘But this is just a game!’

  ‘No. This is reality,’ Kat-Ana insists.

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘Yesterday, when I left you to go training –’

  ‘Kate, you’ve been gone four weeks,’ I interrupt.

  Her mouth drops open in shock. ‘You lose all track of time in VK,’ she explains, slumping down next to me.

  A far-away look enters her eyes and she begins to hum ‘London Bridge’ again.

  ‘Are you all right?’ I ask.

  Kat-Ana snaps out of her daze. ‘Sorry. Anyways, I headed to the Training Zone. The restricted-access door was open. I saw a boy being wheeled past on a stretcher. The top of his head was black and smoking. The Analysts said the DNIs were too powerful. The second “Burn Out” that week.’

  A cold chill runs through my body at her words.

  ‘The VK2 program demands too much,’ she adds. ‘Our brains blow like a fuse.’

  ‘Are you saying if we die in the Grand-Arena, we die in the real world too?’

  ‘Apparently so.’

  ‘But why didn’t you tell anyone?’

  She smiles apologetically. ‘I tried to, but they sealed the doors before I could escape. Strapped me into the PlayPod. The next thing I knew I was fighting for my life in the Grand-Arena, the ESCAPE button disabled.’

  I punch the wall in anger. ‘So we’re just lab rats for Vince Power!’

  ‘Pretty much. But we’re not only testing the game, we are the game.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You know the advert: WHERE EVERY ENEMY HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN.’

  I nod slowly, not wanting to believe what she’s about to tell me.

  ‘Well, we’re the enemy, Scott. That’s why Vince Power needs so many kids to feed his system. And now we’re part of the game, every VK2 player in the world is out to kill us!’

  Back Door

  ‘We must keep moving,’ says Kat-Ana, anxiously peering over her shoulder.

  I follow her gaze down the long deserted road behind us.

  ‘Why?’ I ask, taking a rest upon a rock. My stomach’s still sore from the attack.

  ‘VK2 will send Skirmishers. Electro-bots to drive us towards the next Battle-rena. We need to avoid trouble until your life-bar fully regenerates. You’ll need all of it, if you’re gonna survive.’

  My bar pulses green. 89%. ‘Give me a minute.’

  Reluctantly, Kat-Ana sits down next to me. She starts singing again. ‘London Bridge is falling down, falling down …’

  ‘What’s with the nursery rhyme?’

  She stops and blinks, as if she’s forgotten where she is. ‘It keeps me connected to the real world. Reminds me of my dad. He used to sing it to me as a child.’

  Tears run down Kat-Ana’s face. ‘It’s the only thing that keeps me going,’ she sobs.

  It’s strange to see a tough warrior princess crying. But I know that behind the avatar lies the real Kate. I put my arm tentatively round her. Hoping it’s some comfort.

  ‘Most kid kombatants you meet in VK2 have forgotten who they are,’ she says, wiping her eyes. ‘The game’s taken over their minds. There is no other world to them.’

  The thought of becoming lost forever in VK sends a shudder of terror through me. It spikes my determination. ‘There must be some way of escape.’

  Suddenly she’s Kat-Ana again, her eyes blazing with fiery strength. ‘My dad was an IT consultant. He said programmers always left a back door in their code. A way in and out. That’s what I was looking for in the castle.’

  ‘Any luck?’

  ‘I found a clue scratched on a wall in the dungeon. Don’t think it’s meant to be part of the game. A message.

  ’Tween Heaven and Earth lies ESCAPE,

  Nearby the Crown seals your fate.

  ‘The only place I haven’t looked yet is the Citadel,’ she says, pointing to it in the distance, its battlements poking through the clouds. ‘That’s where the Crown is. But we’ll have to fight our way through every VK player.’

  ‘Who dares wins,’ I reply, my life-bar now at 100%.

  In the distance, a whirring electric hum speeds towards us.

  ‘Time to go,’ says Kat-Ana, jumping to her feet. ‘That’ll be the Skirmishers.’

  The Forest

  Three gleaming metal droids roar over the hill, their electrified spikes crackling menacingly. They force us off the road and down a narrow track into a forest. We barely make it to the tree line when the Skirmishers suddenly halt their pursuit.

  ‘Stay alert,’ says Kat-Ana. ‘That means VK players are ahead.’

  Trekking deep into the forest, the sunlight gives way to a gloomy darkness. We enter a clearing. It’s eerily quiet.

  ‘A Battle-rena,’ whispers Kat-Ana. ‘Let’s cross before anyone else gets here.’

  We’re halfway when a shadow drops from the trees.

  Drawing her sword, Kat-Ana confronts the tiny black-cloaked assassin. A curl of red hair is clearly visible through his mask.

  ‘Ginger Ninja!’ I exclaim, delighted to see our friend.

  He stares at me, his eyebrows wrinkling in suspicion.

  Then he throws a gleaming star.

  Kat-Ana shoves me aside. The metal star strikes a tree trunk behind, then explodes. Burning wood flies everywhere.

  ‘Ginger Ninja. It’s us! Scott and Kate!’ I scream as we run for cover.

  ‘He doesn’t recognize us,’ shouts Kat-Ana, diving behind a rock.

  Another tree bursts into flames above our heads.

  As he throws a third star, more kombatants enter the Battle-rena. A Special Forces soldier attacks him from behind. Ginger Ninja stands no chance.

  I dash out to save my friend, driving the soldier back with a flying kick. Ginger Ninja thanks me by punching me in the face.

  ‘Don’t fight me,’ I plead as he unleashes a series of lightning-fast strikes. I block his attacks, not daring to retaliate.

  ‘But that’s the whole point of VK!’ Ginger Ninja replies, landing a devastating side-kick that sends me flying across the clearing.

  I collide with a tree and crumple to the ground. My life-bar flashes 70%.
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br />   Just as he’s about to follow up with his Killing Strike, a Shaolin warrior monk attacks him. Ginger Ninja disappears in the mayhem of combat.

  I feel a hand grab my arm and turn to defend myself.

  ‘Come on!’ insists Kat-Ana.

  ‘But what about Ginger Ninja?’

  ‘We can’t help him now. He’s lost to the game,’ says Kat-Ana, cutting a path through the seething mass of fighters. ‘We must get to the Citadel before the same happens to us!’

  The Citadel

  ‘There it is!’ exclaims Kat-Ana as we burst out of the forest.

  The Citadel hangs in the sky, tethered to the ground by a seemingly endless stone stairway.

  The fight out has been bloody and messy. My life-bar hovers below 40%, Kat-Ana’s 50%. We share the last of her health packs, but afterwards we’re only at two-thirds strength.

  Knowing the other kombatants aren’t far behind, we sprint up the flight of steps. Halfway to the top, I hear the masonry cracking. Slabs of rock peel away and spiral towards the ground, hundreds of metres below.

  ‘Go! Go! GO!’ I urge.

  We take the steps two at a time, the staircase collapsing behind us as we run.

  The higher we climb, the harder it is to stay ahead of the advancing destruction.

  Just metres from the Citadel, the floor beneath Kat-Ana’s feet disappears. Screaming, she drops like a stone.

  I snatch for her outstretched hand.

  Somehow I get a grip. Glad to have my avatar’s extra strength, I pull Kat-Ana to safety.

  We collapse against the Citadel’s entrance, breathless and shaking.

  ‘That was too close,’ I gasp as we watch the stone stairway reconstruct itself – a deadly VK trap.

  ‘Thank you,’ says Kat-Ana, kissing me with relief.

  I stare at her, slightly taken aback.

  Suddenly realizing what she’s done, Kat-Ana blushes.

  ‘It’s only a virtual kiss!’ she blusters. ‘Come on, we’ve got to keep moving.’

  Striding over to the great gate, Kat-Ana shoves it open.

  Smiling to myself, I follow her inside.

  We enter a huge baronial hall. The final Battle-rena.

  Flags line the walls and a blazing VK emblem hangs over the throne at the other end. A shiny marble floor stretches before us, a vast mosaic map of the world etched into its surface. At the centre upon a glass pedestal rests the gleaming Crown.

  ‘Fame and fortune,’ breathes Kat-Ana, suddenly transfixed.

  ‘Forget that!’ I say, grabbing her. ‘We must escape. Remember the clue.’

  She nods slowly. ‘’Tween Heaven and Earth lies ESCAPE.’

  I point to a small, unassuming wooden door in the far corner of the room. On the floor is the world map. Above the door, an ornate engraving of a heavenly angel.

  The Crown

  ‘It really is a back door,’ Kat-Ana says in surprise.

  I make a move towards it, but am yanked back.

  ‘Another trap!’ she warns as a great curving blade shoots past, inches from my face.

  Six golden scythes now swing across the hall like massive pendulums of death. Their razor-sharp edges whistle as they slice through the air.

  ‘We’ll have to time our crossing perfectly,’ says Kat-Ana.

  Taking a deep breath, we step out into the Battle-rena. It’s hard to gauge when to move as the pendulums keep changing speed and direction.

  ‘Behind you!’ I shout.

  Kat-Ana rolls out of the way of a lethal blade. I’m driven forwards by the second scythe. Leaping past the next two, I make a dash for the door. I’m almost there when I realize Kat-Ana’s still in the middle of the Battle-rena.

  Heading for the glass pedestal. Reaching for the Crown.

  ‘No, leave it!’ I shout.

  ‘But this is the ultimate prize,’ replies Kat-Ana dreamily.

  Her eyes are glazed over. She’s lost to the game.

  Nearby the Crown seals your fate.

  ‘Kate, remember who you are!’

  But she’s no longer listening.

  ‘LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN, FALLING DOWN …’ I sing at the top of my voice, prancing around like a court jester to attract her attention.

  The nursery rhyme breaks her trance just in time. That’s when I notice the gates to the hall burst open and a muscle-bound boxer stride in.

  Destroid has come to claim the Crown.

  ‘Run!’ I shout.

  But it’s too late. Deftly avoiding the blades, Destroid blocks Kate’s path.

  She tries to skirt round him, but he slams her with a hook punch. Thrown back against the pedestal, Kate crumples to the floor.

  Standing over her unconscious body, Destroid raises his fists for the Killing Strike.

  ‘No!’ I scream.

  Ignoring the deadly pendulums bearing down on me, I launch myself at him. I land a powerful flying kick. But Destroid barely registers the impact. He blasts past my guard and palm-strikes me in the chest.

  My life-bar flashes 60%, pain flaring as I feel a rib break.

  I try to fight back, but Destroid is too strong. 50%.

  My punches and kicks bounce off him. It’s like hitting a brick wall. 45%.

  Driven toward the rear wall by his onslaught, I’m almost sliced by a passing pendulum. He catches me with a punishing uppercut. 30%.

  My vision pixelates. I’m on the verge of blacking out. 25%. Destroid prepares to deliver his trademark Skullcrusher.

  In a last-ditch attempt, I recall Kat-Ana’s training and focus all my brainpower on his every move.

  The rippling of his muscles. The clenching of his fists. The deep-throated growl as he brings them down.

  Behind him, a scythe slows its lethal swing.

  I’ve entered Trigger Time.

  Destroid’s fists almost grind to a halt as I move out of their path. Then, selecting my Mega-Punch, I hammer Destroid in the gut. He staggers backwards in slow-mo. Straight into the path of the pendulum.

  The strain of Trigger Time is too much for me and the game speeds back up. Destroid’s scream rises in pitch like a jet engine taking off.

  Though my win awards me an endorphin boost, I’m still weak. 40%. But I’m glad to see Kate’s recovered. She gets back to her feet as two more kombatants enter the Battle-rena.

  ‘Kate! This way!’ I urge.

  ‘Kate?’ she says, shooting me a confused look. ‘I’m the warrior princess, KAT-ANA!’

  Drawing her sword, she charges at the new arrivals.

  Face-Off

  ‘NO!’ I shout, dashing to rescue Kate.

  I won’t lose her to VK. Not after everything we’ve been through.

  But a kombatant, in a black leather jacket and shades, jumps in front of me.

  ‘Time for our final Face-Off!’ he snarls.

  ‘Shark?’

  He grins, his avatar’s teeth filed into sharp points. ‘It’s BLAZER to you!’

  Clenching his fists, two pulse-blades burst into life from his knuckles. A high-level Mod.

  With the speed of a panther, he slashes at me. The lasers rake across my bare chest, singeing my flesh.

  I stagger away, blood pouring from the wounds. 35%.

  He comes at me again. I block his thrust, a Blazer passing within a hair’s breadth of my face. I retaliate with a front-kick, a hard jab and a spinning backfist that connects with his jaw. Shark grunts in pain as two teeth fly out.

  Seizing the advantage, I select my Mega-Punch.

  But nothing happens.

  I’ve used my last charge against Destroid.

  ‘Blaze ’n’ burn time!’ growls Shark, attacking in a furious blur of pulse-blades and flying kicks.

  I duck and weave, narrowly missing a pendulum slicing me in half as I retreat. I look to Kat-Ana for help, but she’s engaged in brutal kombat with a Shaolin monk.

  My only hope is Trigger Time. But I’ve never done it twice in the same game. There’s a chance I’ll Burn Out.
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  With no other choice, I focus on Shark’s every move.

  His attacks still come fast and furious. He catches me in the head with a roundhouse-kick. 30%.

  Dazed as I am, my brain aching under the strain, I desperately try again.

  This time, the Battle-rena slows.

  I evade Shark’s laser fist and launch a knife-hand strike to his neck.

  Just as my hand reaches its target, Shark speeds up. A pulse-blade cuts across my arm. I scream out in agony. 20%. He kicks me in the chest and I’m sent spinning into the central pedestal. 15%.

  VK compresses back to normal time with a thunderclap of sound and vision.

  ‘Think you’re the only one who knows that trick!’ laughs Shark.

  I’m too shocked to move. He’s mastered Trigger Time!

  The pain in my head now rages like a forest fire as Shark grabs me by the throat. Squeezing his other fist, its pulse-blade burns bright orange as he levels it with my right eye.

  I’m going to die – for real!

  ‘Don’t you … want … fame and fortune?’ I splutter, nodding at the glittering prize.

  Glancing up, Shark spots Kat-Ana, bloody but alive, going for the Crown.

  ‘Not before I slice you into shark bait!’ he spits, tossing me into the path of a speeding pendulum.

  As Shark and the wounded Kat-Ana battle for the ultimate prize, I struggle to my feet.

  The blade arcs towards me.

  I realize there’s only one way to save her.

  I dive for the door.

  PlayPods

  I blink as the Hoody comes off.

  Ripping at the Velcro straps, I clamber out.

  My body feels bruised and battered, my head throbs.

  There’s a drip in my arm. I yank it free.

  Glancing round, I’m completely disorientated. No longer in the Training Zone, I’ve been moved to a low-lit warehouse. For a moment, I can’t believe my eyes. Rows upon rows of PlayPods stretch into the distance, kids plugged into every one.

  There must be thousands of them.

  Each pod has a vuescreen displaying their tag, Battle-rena, life-bar, vital signs in real life and their date of entry into the game.