Interphase (6 page)

Jessica chanted an incantation at Thomas. He had recovered and drawn his longsword. As she completed her blessing, his blade shone with silver flame. While the monster was distracted trying to dislodge Lucas, Thomas easily lacerated its side. David glared, envy boiling inside.

The creature bucked, and Lucas tumbled into a clump of bushes. It dug both blades into the dirt, heaved its body, and slammed heavily against the ground. The impact knocked everyone off their feet.

Ripping a scythe free, it turned and sank the blade deep into a tree. Slowly, the tree turned black and shapeless, flowing across the monster's body and sealing its wounds. Dismayed, the group backed away.

"Okay, that's it." David jumped to his feet, anger and frustration coursing through him. They could continue bashing their heads against this thing and waste even more time, or he could end this. Now.

He accessed his wrist computer, disguised as a bracer for this realm, and brought up the character loading program. Selecting his new avatar returned a 'restricted' warning, but he launched a bypass command and overrode the module.

Daveth the Sorcerer vanished in a flash of light. In his place appeared an angry, titanium-plated space marine.

Let's see how this thing handles Rex.

A visor lowered over David's eyes, and he raised his adaptive assault rifle. Program command: weapon shift, function: ion railgun, ammunition: energized kevlinium slugs, execute. The rifle transformed, the barrel lengthening as charging cells folded out along the sides.

Roaring defiance, the creature lashed out with both scythes, but the blades shattered on David's phase shield. He growled and let loose a full spray from his devastating weapon. The accelerated spikes ripped through the monster's hide. Screaming in pain, it tried to absorb another tree, but a final volley perforated its maw. It fell, thrashing, and he finished it off with a plasma charge. The explosion blasted pieces of the creature all around the broken clearing.

The fragments landed with a wet squelch, losing their form and reverting to dark ooze.

David wiped a dribble of quivering code material from his face but was surprised when it shocked him, causing his shoulder to flare up briefly.

He turned around and found the rest of the party staring at him in shock. Lucas gaped openly at him. "Dude, so not cool. We would have had that thing!"

"Can we move on now?" David snapped.

Jessica pierced him with an angry stare. Too late, David realized he had screwed up. Before he could open his mouth, she tapped a button on her bracer and disappeared.

***

Thomas watched Jessica exit the module and sighed when she was gone. Lucas rounded on his brother. "Way to nub it up, bro. What was the big idea?"

David stared at the spot Jessica had just occupied; he seemed unsure how to react in the wake of her absence. He glanced at Thomas.

Thomas tried to offer a reassuring nod. "I think I know where she is. I'll go talk to her. It will likely take some time though."

David got the message: their excursion for the evening was over. He clenched his jaws and frowned, then lowered his head in acceptance. "Tell her I'll be at home if she wants to chew me out properly." With a regretful gaze, he logged out.

Lucas shook his character's fiery tresses. "Well, that royally
sucked
."

"I'm inclined to agree. I don't know how long I'll be talking Jessica down, but I'd be up for a raid on Kuroon's Cavern later if you're looking for something to do."

"I thought you had a match coming up soon?"

"No, the game against the Warbringers isn't until next week."

"In that case, ring me when you're done. I think I'll go work on my own module for a bit." Lucas waved and faded away.

Thomas gave a final glance at the inert remains of the code beast and tapped his gauntlet. Slowly the surroundings dimmed and were replaced by a connection platform. A gatekeeper appeared at his side. "Destination?"

"Transmit message to Celas's cottage. Request access."

"Awaiting reply." The gatekeeper's eyes closed. While waiting for Jessica to respond, Thomas exchanged his adventurer's gear for something more casual. He considered and decided not to keep his longsword. It wouldn't do him any good in the coming confrontation.

A minute passed, and the gatekeeper's eyes opened. "Permission granted. The way is open." The gatekeeper dispersed, forming a doorway to an ancient moonlit forest. With a determined sigh, Thomas stepped through.

Jessica's cottage was nestled between the roots of two towering oaks. The front door was open, but apart from flickers of firelight, Thomas couldn't see anything inside. He approached the threshold and paused. "Jess?"

"By the fireplace," she answered.

Thomas steeled himself, and stepped inside. Immediately he noticed Jessica pacing. She had unbraided her hair, and it swirled about wildly, mirroring her mood. Her brown eyes, normally so warm, glittered with frustration.

"Can you believe the nerve?" she exclaimed. "Sometimes he can just be so,
so
…" She released an aggravated growl as words failed her. "If he was in such a hurry, why did he even bother to invite us?"

Thomas nodded silently. He knew that any words from him at this juncture would only compound the situation. Slipping into a chair, he watched Jessica stalk back and forth.

"This was supposed to be an adventure for all of us!" she continued. "An epic journey to find a mysterious land. And despite everything that happened, we were succeeding. Even with that abomination, the four of us facing down something like
that
, we would have won. Did you notice he didn't even apologize for what he did?"

Jessica gave a sigh of annoyance, finally stopping in front of the fireplace. She crossed her arms. "She had better be worth all this," she whispered.

The bitterness in her voice surprised Thomas. He tried to look at her face, but she kept it concealed. Mind racing, he finally put words to his thoughts. "You don't approve of this Analara?"

Jessica jerked her head up, and a slow flush crept over her cheeks. "I, well…" she floundered. "How could I disapprove of someone I've never met?" She turned away and lowered her gaze to the floor. "It's just I've never seen him like this. Not since we were in grade school together. Back then, he would have moved mountains for me if I'd asked. And now, someone else is…"

Pondering, Thomas tried to discern what was really bothering Jessica. David's feelings for her had always been obvious, though she had never encouraged them to Thomas's knowledge. He could see how David would have eventually stopped displaying them openly. But if Jessica had never wanted her relationship with David to go any farther, why would she object to his interest in someone else? Shouldn't she be happy for him?

Thomas got up from the chair and approached her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "What's really the matter, Jess?"

She turned slowly, the firelight reflecting from the tears in her eyes. "I'm losing him, Thomas, and it makes me sad. I never wanted things to be like
that
between us, but until I met you, he was the one constant in my life. The only person who I knew cared about me no matter what I did. But if he finds someone else then…" She closed her eyes, afraid to finish the sentence.

Thomas couldn't bear it any longer. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her, wishing he could take her sorrow upon himself. "Jess, I haven't known him as long as you have, but I am a good judge of character. Even if he found love with another, he would never stop caring for you. Of that I am certain."

Jessica buried her head in Thomas's shoulder. "I know. I've just had him to myself for so long, there's a part of me that doesn't want to let go." She snuggled deeper into his arms. "I have feelings of my own that I've kept in check for a long time to avoid hurting him. So when he started to move on without me, it stung." She sniffed. "Now I feel like I'm just holding him back."

Thomas's heart was torn. He held her close and thought about what she had said. Feelings of her own. He wanted to reveal his own secrets, but he had vowed to himself not to do anything to come between her and David. It was becoming clear that she and David weren't meant to be together, but was there someone else? He had no choice but to ask.

"What is it that you want, Jessica?"

She turned her head up. "I want David to be happy, and to never forget about me. And…" She took a step back and wiped away her tears. She looked resolved, as if she'd just made up her mind about something. "I want to be with you, Thomas. I've wanted that for a long time. I couldn't say anything before, but now that David is moving on, perhaps I can finally follow my own heart." She looked at Thomas hopefully.

A smile spread across his face. "My lady, my heart has been yours for longer than I could express. Your happiness, my only thought or concern. If I am what you have wished for, you needed only to ask." Taking her hand, he raised it to his lips and kissed it.

Jessica embraced him. "My beloved knight."

Thomas held her for some time, as the fire crackled softly. A question came to mind that could not be put off any longer and with a sigh, he let her go. "I am concerned about what may happen if things do not work out for David. What would we do? I know you don't wish to see him hurt. Nor do I."

She thought briefly before responding. "Perhaps it would be best if we kept things between us secret for now. We can't take back what we've said here, but the others don't need to know just yet." Smiling, she took Thomas's hand. "We shall just have to see how things turn out."

***

David had trouble sleeping that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he replayed the events of the day. Emotion welled up inside him despite his struggle to keep it suppressed. Frustration with failing to find Analara. Disappointment with himself for hurting Jessica.

Periodically he sat up in bed and reached for his earpiece, only to lie back with a sigh. It was late. Jessica was asleep. She needed time to settle. She probably didn't want to talk to him right now.

What would I even say?

David rolled onto his stomach and pressed his face in his pillow with a groan. He couldn't fight back the surge of jealousy over Thomas. Thomas didn't have any qualms about talking to Jessica when she was emotional. He didn't get tongue tied around her, or stumble in any serious conversation. Thomas was just better than—

No, he wasn't going to think it.

With a growl, David rose to his feet and headed for the link alcove. He needed to stab something.

He entered the starting address, and reality was quickly replaced by a stark, melancholy castle. A chill wind blew past, and he drew his dark cape around him. Staring up at the murky night sky wasn't doing anything for his mood. He tapped a pair of buttons on his bracelet, and the nearby shadows began to coalesce.

David unfurled his cape and slipped his mask on. The shadows before him rose from the ground, taking on mass and shape. He unsheathed his sword, and a faint glow shimmered from the edge. He was the Wraith, the master of the night, and no mere shadows would stand in his way.

The phantoms leapt at him, and he twirled away, his sword tracing a bright arc through the night air. It sliced and danced through David's foes, one by one, until the shadows vanished from the courtyard.

David took a deep breath, feeling a bit better. He sheathed his sword and began to pace across the flagstones. His thoughts were clearer now, and he returned to his previous musings.

Thomas wasn't a bad guy; that was the problem. He was actually a decent fellow. As such, he'd always been a threat to David's chances with Jessica.

Sighing, David had to admit that he'd never really made a move. He'd wanted to, but things always began to feel strange with her whenever he'd tried to suggest something other than just getting together and hanging out. They'd always been close friends, able to talk to each other about almost anything. But there was an invisible boundary whenever certain topics came up.

Again, Thomas didn't seem to have any compunctions—

David ground his teeth together. Thomas this, Thomas that. Why did everything come back to Thomas? If it hadn't been for him, David might have finally gotten together with Jessica by now. It
had
been Thomas's fault.

David angrily twisted his bracelet, activating the holo-screen in the air before him. He launched an advanced sub-routine and focused his mind, giving the program access to his thoughts. At the other end of the courtyard, a larger shadow took shape. Different than the previous phantoms, it had more solid mass and texture. It came into focus, and David narrowed his eyes at a dark copy of Thomas armed with an obsidian greatsword.

David launched himself at the shadow with a shout. He tore his blade free from its sheath and bombarded his opponent with a flurry of blows. The phantom silently parried, countering each attack and striking at David. Drawing back a step, he began to circle his enemy.

Blind fury wouldn't be enough to win this fight. David had programmed the simulacra to be an effective opponent. Stepping carefully toward the shadow, he launched a series of strokes planned to exploit the size and weight of his foe's larger weapon.

The phantom met his attacks in pattern, and slowly David gained the upper edge, his blade striking closer and closer to the mark. With a flourish, he snapped the greatsword from the shadow's hand and held his blade to its throat.

David willed himself to deliver the killing stroke as his frustration at Thomas boiled over, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Deep inside, he knew Thomas wasn't his enemy. He was probably one of the few people who could make Jessica happy.

An electrical flicker on the edge of his vision erupted into a flood of pain. Every part of his being screamed in agony. The shock flared, and was gone, leaving him gasping. He looked around the courtyard and noted a distinct waver in the air.

What the hell?

With a concerned frown, David tapped his bracelet and logged out of the network.