Interphase

by Kira Wilson

  The hallway buckled with tremors that jarred Clyde's teeth. Mierva cried out in pain. "What the hell is going on?" he shouted.

  "Under… attack…" Mierva reached out and touched the cracked wall, and a gap opened between the seams. Clyde saw an image appear: waves of warriors pouring out from a dark gateway. These men had battle-hardened faces; they were soldiers, not another mob of angry children. All wore gleaming white uniforms and carried strangely glowing weapons. A figure bathed in a foul green aura pointed his hand, and the soldiers charged.

  Mierva groaned. "Stop them. For me—"

  Another quake shook the hallway, knocking Clyde over. Suddenly his arms held nothing; Mierva had vanished.

  Clyde jumped to his feet and summoned his rocket launcher. With a shout he charged through the portal, straight into the massed warriors. He felt the press of bodies around him and activated his force shield. Knocking opponents aside, he pushed his way through their line.

  The green figure loomed ahead of him. Clyde stared in horror as the old man from the stadium looked upon him with a baleful glare. He pointed at Clyde and shrieked an order, and the soldiers converged. Clyde charged his shield and studied the approaching warriors. When the ready tone sounded, he pressed the trigger. A sphere of energy swelled and burst, the shockwave flinging soldiers off their feet and into their fellows.

  The old man cackled.

  Clyde aimed the launcher straight at him and fired a salvo. Green streams flew from the figure's hand, catching his rockets in mid-flight. They wavered, then exploded, mere feet away from Clyde. The force hurled him across the lane into a wall. His chest burned, and he tasted blood in his mouth. Looking up, he saw the green figure advancing on him, flanked by scores of soldiers.

  He couldn't beat them alone.

  =David, help!=

  ***

  David watched Analara poke at the fire in the hearth, her eyes staring past the flame at something else. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, and she started. "There's something bothering you. What's wrong?"

  Analara shook her head and jabbed at the burning logs a little harder. "I'm fine. I'm just… thinking."

  "You didn't sound fine when you called me."

  "I wanted to try contacting you from inside this place. Thomas showed me how." Analara paused, bit her bottom lip, and frowned. "I didn't want to be alone right now."

  David reached over and brushed the wavy hair away from her shoulder. It was strange seeing his best friend's face superimposed on Analara. In his mind's eye he still saw her as she was; her mannerisms, posture, even the subtle emotions reflected in her eyes told him that she was the same person he'd fallen in love with. It hurt to know that Jessica was gone, but he kept those feelings in check. Whatever pain he felt, he was not about to add to Analara's suffering.

  It was troubling to see her look so sad, but David didn't know how to get her to open up. She'd never been this withdrawn before. He gently touched her cheek and she leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.

  =David, help!=

  The terror-filled tell stabbed into his mind. David jerked back, startling Analara. "What's the matter?"

  "It's Clyde." =Clyde? What's going on?=

  The sudden communication caused David's heart to pound. Something serious was wrong. =The Anrathians are back. They're attacking the Skyline Mall. I'm in trouble, I need help n—= Abruptly, the channel went silent.

  "Oh hell."

  "What is it?" Analara asked, sounding frightened.

  "The Siathrak have returned. Damn it, why didn't Roger listen to me?" David turned toward Analara. "I need you to log out now."

  Her eyes widened. "I am not leaving you!"

  "Analara, Clyde is in trouble. I have to help him. Inside the network I've got the power to fight them, but you're vulnerable. Please. I can't bear the thought of you getting hurt."

  It looked as if Analara might refuse, but she swallowed and nodded. She grabbed David in a strong hug. "Please be careful."

  David kissed her on the forehead. "Go." He typed in a set of commands as she logged out. He transitioned to Rex while the system transported him to Skyline.

  The mall came into view, and an explosion rocked the ground. Smoke, dust and screams filled the air. =Clyde, where are you?=

  =East wing, near the digi-plex!= He was close. David took off at a dead run, shifting his rifle to a rapid-fire setting. Unlike the fight at the stadium, this time he saw mangled bodies as he ran. The Siathrak had overcome V-Net's safety protocols and were actually killing humans. Clenching his jaw, he blocked the horror of the carnage from his mind and sprinted on.

  A string of curses filled the air, and David dashed around the corner. Clyde had his back to a wall, facing two Siathrak warriors armed with glowing swords. One of the soldiers seized Clyde by the throat and pinned him against the wall; the other thrust his sword to impale the struggling hacker.

  David fired his rifle, killing the swordsman. The soldier collapsed, and his companion dropped Clyde, spinning to face this new threat. David ducked a swing from the strange blade and drove the butt of his weapon into the warrior's stomach. He doubled over, and David delivered a crushing blow to the side of his head. The soldier fell to the ground.

  Clyde coughed and rubbed at his neck, struggling to rise. David knelt beside him and winced at the blood trickling from his mouth and nose. "You're a mess."

  "And you're late," Clyde rasped.

  "I'd say I got here just in time." David looked down at the corpse of the Anrathian he had shot.

  As if reading his thoughts, Clyde nodded. "Whatever they did to the system to enable them to kill us made them mortal too."

  "How?" David demanded. "How could they have broken through the safeties?"

  Clyde grimaced and spat out a mouthful of blood. "The old guy I shot at the stadium. My virus didn't kill him. It… altered him. Now he's leading the attack, babbling on about the will of Siath and vengeance for the Holy City."

  David blanched. "That has to be Totarakh."

  "Whoever he is, he's using the virus to warp the network. It's destroying the system from the inside."

  "And his soldiers are here to kill the rest of us off. Damn it!"

  Another explosion roared over their heads, and debris rained down on them. A familiar voice rang out over the P.A. system. "All civilians need to evacuate the area immediately. Use whatever means possible to depart the module and network. All V-Cops, rally to the central plaza, I repeat, all V-Cops to the plaza."

  Roger.

  David stood up and looked down the lane. "Get out of the system, Clyde, and get yourself patched up. I've got to save my step-father."

  Clyde let out a harsh laugh. "You're gonna take their entire army on single-handedly? Been there, done that, won't work." Slowly he got to his feet. He looked around then created a new rocket launcher.

  David shook his head. Phoenix's most wanted coming to the rescue of the V-Cops. Together they sprinted down the path toward the plaza.

  They rounded a corner and came up behind a group of Siathrak. A flicker preceded the login of a pair of unknowing shoppers. David looked on in horror as Jessica's parents materialized directly in front of the Anrathian soldiers. Before he could shout a warning, they were cut down. "No," he cried. The startled soldiers turned and immediately hurled spears toward them. His shield slowed the weapons, but they sliced through his defenses, grazing his arms and side as they flew past. He dropped to his knees, and Clyde fired over his shoulder. The explosion eradicated the warriors. David stared at the unmoving bodies of his best friend's parents. "Damn it!"

  Clyde tugged at his arm. "C'mon Harris, we've got to go."

  Slowly, David got to his feet and they ran on.

  On a raised platform in the center of the plaza, several squads of V-Cops fired at the main army of the Siathrak. Their weapons, designed to disconnect criminal users from the network, did nothing to stop the flesh and blood opponents they faced. The Siathrak weapons had no
such shortcomings, and David saw the bodies of several V-Cops littering the ground in front of the steps.

  Just behind the front ranks of soldiers stood a figure awash in a green aura, shouting madly and hurling bolts of sickly energy at nearby buildings. Between fits of rage, Totarakh directed his forces to circle the platform and cut off any hope of retreat.

  "Come on," David shouted to Clyde, and fired a hail of shots at the Siathrak line. The soldiers, surprised by the vicious attack from behind, dove away to try and find cover, and David charged past them and up the steps.

  Clyde slipped in behind him and accessed his computer. "Harris, I'm going to lay a distortion field in five."

  David fired at an approaching line of warriors and dove toward the mass of huddled people.

  A bubble of translucent black energy rose around them, bisecting an incoming spear and sealing them off from their attackers.

  David got up and slapped Clyde on the shoulder. "Nice. How long can you hold that?"

  "Fifteen minutes, tops. I have to recode this thing constantly to keep it up against the virus's interference."

  Not a lot of time. "Keep working on it."

  "David!" a voice called out from the knot of V-Cops. David turned and saw Roger push through the nervous crowd. He had a gash across his temple, but otherwise he seemed unhurt. "What the hell are you doing here?"

  "Right now, trying to save everyone we can. If I hear anything more about the impossibility of an alien invasion, I'm going to hurt someone."

  Roger's jaw went rigid, and he glared out through the field. "They blindsided us. They're not part of the system, so our weapons had no effect."

  "How many V-Cops do you have here?"

  "Forty-seven," Roger answered stiffly. "The rest of them were cut down in front of us."

  David sighed. "We've got to get you all out of here. The Anrathians are doling out real death. If we—"

  "Filthy barbarians," a voice shrieked. "You seek to hide in a rat-hole? Come out and face your destruction with some measure of dignity."

  David could vaguely make out the figure of Totarakh standing outside the field. Energy radiated off of his body like a diseased cloud. He could feel the High Priest's gaze settle on him, as if Totarakh's sight could penetrate the field. "Come out, boy," he hissed. "If you and your infidel brethren beg for mercy, I will grant swift death to you all."

  Fists shaking at his sides, David glowered at the half-hidden priest. Totarakh had ordered Analara's execution, invaded their world, and murdered countless innocents. There had to be a way to stop him.

  "Foolish cowards," Totarakh roared. He raised his arms, and streams of energy slammed against the field. The globe wavered, but held. "You can not halt Siath's wrath!"

  David took a quick scan and turned to Clyde. "The virus is still present in his system, it's just gone dormant. We have to reawaken it so it can finish destroying him."

  Clyde looked thoughtful, then nodded. "That would do it. You want to take the shot, or should I?" Outside, Totarakh assaulted the barrier again.

  "This bastard is mine," David said menacingly.

  Clyde transferred a file from his computer and David loaded it into the rifle, shifting modes to deliver a single high-powered shot.

  "Ready?" The rifle settled into its configuration and David took aim, bracing the weapon against his shoulder. Totarakh struck the barrier a third time, and the field flickered.

  "Drop it," David yelled. The field vanished. Totarakh roared and raised his arms, power crackling around him. David squeezed the trigger, sending a glowing green burst directly at Totarakh. The explosion hurled everyone to the ground, and the last visible trace of the high priest was a flicker of green energy that vanished.

  Chapter 26

  Three Siathrak warriors closed in around Thomas. Carefully stepping around the rubble of a mall store, he menaced them with a wild swing of his sword, flinging drops of blood onto their white tunics. In the distance, a horn call sounded, and his enemies paused. A moment of confusion passed between them, then, as one, they turned and ran.

  Thomas roared in anger as his prey eluded him. Several other soldiers appeared around a corner and started to run past him. He intercepted the nearest one and clotheslined him, knocking him to the ground. The startled warrior gazed up in horror at the fury in Thomas's eyes and tried to crawl away. "No! In Siath's name, I beg you, have mercy."

  The very mention of the Anrathian god sent Thomas's rage boiling over. He lifted his greatsword and skewered his foe, cutting off the soldier's fearful pleas. There would be no mercy for the wicked.

  Thomas stepped over the body and searched about, but the mall was now empty of Siathrak. They had escaped him again. He pounded his fist against a wall in frustration.

  A tell message from David intruded on his anger. =Everyone, the Anrathians are falling back. Meet up in the castle. We are going to end this war!=

  Thomas growled and departed the shattered module. He reappeared inside the castle entryway. David and Clyde were talking together as Lucas rushed in, looking frantic. "Bro, have you seen Dad? Is he okay?"

  David tried to calm his brother down. "Yeah, he's fine. We got to him just in time. He's already out of the network."

  "If any of those creeps had hurt him…"

  Footsteps echoed through the hall, and Thomas turned. His heart pounded as he watched Jessica stride forward, armed and garbed as Celas. Thomas shook his head. Not Jessica. Analara. David walked past him and approached her, already shaking his head. "No. Absolutely not."

  "This is not your fight alone, David." Analara closed her eyes. Before David could reach her she drew an arrow from the quiver, nocked it, and fired. It whizzed toward the ceiling and nicked the chandelier overhead. A single crystal fell into Analara's waiting hand. Thomas swallowed hard, the memory of their confrontation in the forest fresh in his mind.

  "How did you do that?" David asked, sounding awed.

  Analara shrugged. "This body remembers how to do it. If I relax, it simply… happens. I won't stand by and watch Totarakh steal my home from me again."

  "Bro, come on," Lucas exclaimed. "You have to let Annie come. She's got as much of a stake in this as we do."

  Both Thomas and David turned to him. "Annie?" they asked together.

  Analara raised an eyebrow at him, and Lucas shrugged. "I think I prefer my full name," she said.

  Thomas sighed, his patience wearing thin. "We have no time for this. The Anrathians are getting away!"

  "Not exactly, Lancelot." Clyde watched his wrist computer with a concerned frown. "They're already massing at the gateway for a new assault."

  "Exactly how do you know that?"

  Clyde looked at him with a challenging gaze. "Because I'm Clyde Verell. This is my world."

  Thomas felt his body go cold, an icy rage building inside him. "Verell?" he repeated in a voice scarcely above a whisper. He knew that name. It had been etched in his mind at the trial ten years ago, and to hear it spoken aloud felt like a dagger sliding between his ribs. "The son of Owen and Faith Verell?"

  Something in his tone made Clyde look up again, and the resemblance struck Thomas like a blow. The ice became a raging inferno. He crossed the room, pulled his arm back, and slammed his fist into Clyde's face.

  Dismayed voices erupted around him, but Thomas paid them no heed. He watched Clyde stagger and clutch at his jaw. Before he could recover, Thomas grabbed him by the neck and threw him into a wall. His plated hand dug into Clyde's throat. "You are a terrorist and a criminal, just like them," he shouted.

  "Thomas, stop!" An armored fist braced against his chest and forcefully shoved him away from Clyde. The hacker collapsed, gasping, and Thomas looked around at the others. David and Lucas stood in front of Clyde, and Analara was staring at him in open fear. Seeing Jessica's horrified face cut through the red haze that filled his brain, and he released a shuddering sigh.

  "I'm not going anywhere with that filth!"

  "What the hell is wrong with
you?" David demanded.

  "You knew who he was," Thomas shouted at him. "You knew and said nothing."

  "Knew what? His parents were executed for causing some trouble a decade ago, but what does that have to do with him?"

  Thomas snarled. "They didn't just cause trouble, they were terrorists. They were the leaders of the entire damn Non-Conformist rebellion!" He glared at Clyde. "The day before they were caught trying to destroy VERA, they set a bomb at the New Terra Power Station. The station where my parents worked. Over two hundred people died, including my family, just so they could try and knock out VERA's defenses. His parents masterminded the entire attack!"

  Clyde coughed and wiped the blood from his chin. "I was twelve years old, you overgrown idiot! I didn't have anything to do with the crap my folks pulled."

  "You're following in their footsteps even now. You're just like them!" Thomas started forward again, but David pushed him back.

  "That is enough!" David gripped him by the shoulders. "Thomas, I didn't know what happened back then. I'm sorry about your parents, but we have a greater threat to deal with now. If we don't stop Totarakh, thousands more will die." David swallowed, and his expression became anguished. "They killed Jessica's parents today."

  "What? I was supposed to meet them at the mall, to get Jessica's birthday…" Thomas's words failed, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Analara's face go white.

  "We have to end this," David said. "All of us."

  Tears of anger stung Thomas's eyes, and he turned away from the group. It wasn't fair. Sean and Ambeth had been like a second family to him. They'd been the parents he had lost so long ago. Taking Jessica from him hadn't been enough; the Anrathian barbarians had to destroy his entire life. He fought to keep his feelings in check, shoving his anger and hatred deep inside. He turned back, his face hard, and nodded.