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.
He rested in the link chair and drew deep breaths as the burning sensation faded away. Perhaps the system accident hadn't left him as untouched as he originally thought.
How had the Storm allowed him to break through a part of V-Net? Had he been permanently damaged by the lightning strike?
Unanswered questions were piling up, and finding the mystery module felt like the only way to get answers.
David stalked back to his bedroom and flopped down on the bed. He dozed off and awoke from a dream of wandering through a lush landscape hand in hand with Analara.
Whoa now. Getting ahead of myself.
He'd only met her once, under some very strange circumstances. He knew nothing about her except for her name, and the fact that she'd saved his life. And yet, she intrigued him. This beautiful, mysterious woman who had rushed to save the life of a complete stranger.
David wanted to thank her, and maybe, if luck held, a chance to get to know her.
When the opportunity presented itself, he needed to make amends with Jessica. Despite his own insecurities, she'd been his one true friend for longer than he could remember.
But first he had a new plan to locate Analara. It would likely be more successful than his prior endeavor.
It was also highly illegal. Finding Analara and her module would be worth it though.
David just needed a way to convince Clyde that the risk would be worth it to him .
Chapter 7
The board was set. A slow, simple beat pulsed inside his ears. He always worked better to music.
The pieces were about to make their opening moves. Clyde cracked his knuckles; he fixed his gaze on the data streams and let his fingertips hover above the keyboard. He nodded in time with the rhythm. Now .
At exactly 9:13 AM, the assault on the V-Cop mainframe began. Sophisticated anti-intrusion algorithms immediately locked the network behind a firewall and logged the attack. Kill-bots flooded the area, like a body's immune system responding to a threat, seeking targets to destroy. Clyde sent his program charging into the line of defenders. It struck a weak point, and two of the bots went down, allowing him to slip past. A second wave swooped in milliseconds behind, but they couldn't catch up before his program slammed into the
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.
He rested in the link chair and drew deep breaths as the burning sensation faded away. Perhaps the system accident hadn't left him as untouched as he originally thought.
How had the Storm allowed him to break through a part of V-Net? Had he been permanently damaged by the lightning strike?
Unanswered questions were piling up, and finding the mystery module felt like the only way to get answers.
David stalked back to his bedroom and flopped down on the bed. He dozed off and awoke from a dream of wandering through a lush landscape hand in hand with Analara.
Whoa now. Getting ahead of myself.
He'd only met her once, under some very strange circumstances. He knew nothing about her except for her name, and the fact that she'd saved his life. And yet, she intrigued him. This beautiful, mysterious woman who had rushed to save the life of a complete stranger.
David wanted to thank her, and maybe, if luck held, a chance to get to know her.
When the opportunity presented itself, he needed to make amends with Jessica. Despite his own insecurities, she'd been his one true friend for longer than he could remember.
But first he had a new plan to locate Analara. It would likely be more successful than his prior endeavor.
It was also highly illegal. Finding Analara and her module would be worth it though.
David just needed a way to convince Clyde that the risk would be worth it to him .
Chapter 7
The board was set. A slow, simple beat pulsed inside his ears. He always worked better to music.
The pieces were about to make their opening moves. Clyde cracked his knuckles; he fixed his gaze on the data streams and let his fingertips hover above the keyboard. He nodded in time with the rhythm. Now .
At exactly 9:13 AM, the assault on the V-Cop mainframe began. Sophisticated anti-intrusion algorithms immediately locked the network behind a firewall and logged the attack. Kill-bots flooded the area, like a body's immune system responding to a threat, seeking targets to destroy. Clyde sent his program charging into the line of defenders. It struck a weak point, and two of the bots went down, allowing him to slip past. A second wave swooped in milliseconds behind, but they couldn't catch up before his program slammed into the
Similar Books
