Neon Knights Page 4

  “Come on,” Lexel said before dashing off, Zero obediently following behind her. It wasn’t like she had never exactly done something like this before. There was that one time she pulled a prank on her teacher using an old terminal, but back then she had Xeph by her side to nervously play the part of her conscience. Her friend didn’t like the idea at all back then, and Lexel was sure she would have liked it even less now. Even so, she did wish that she had her scared scarlet-haired sister by her side. Without Xeph to be brave for Lexel found she was going to have to do her own share of worrying.

  It took hours of searching as the sun rose higher overhead and Lexel grew more frustrated with every time they had to duck for cover. She was growing more irritated by the minute, not by the lack of terminals but more so by the fact that she needed to use one. If she had had her own mini-com like most other people she wouldn’t be franticly hunting right now. However, if she did have her own it might have already leaded whoever was hunting them straight to her by now.

  That thought was a welcome consolation as they patiently waited for some passing workers to go by. Lexel looked up to check how high the sun had managed to climb up in the sky to find instead a sight that made her almost yell with excitement. Nestled behind the sanctuary of debris they were hidden in she could see the mangled remains of a terminal barely hanging on a wall. Its weathered frame cracked and most of its wiring frayed or exposed.

  Quiet as she could, Lexel reached up to examine her fortunate prize. Shielded from view by the safety of stacked scrap and assorted bits she set herself about discovering how much of the damaged device still could function. Most of the visual output was gone, several of its boards were cracked or fried, but some of its core functions looked to be intact. After re-routing a few wires and adjusting some plugs Lexel delighted at the familiar sound of a terminal clicking online.

  Drawing a short datajack cable from her bag Lexel looked over to Zero as she plugged one end into the device. “I won’t be long, just keep an eye out; alright,” she asked her waiting guardian. Zero nodded his agreement and Lexel slid the other end into the jack behind her ear. The familiar hum of the nodes greeted her with its subtle songs of static.

  “Here we go…” Lexel commented to herself and started running.

  Episode 11

  The digital worlds of the nearby nodes were degraded as Lexel began to maneuver her way through the local connections. She had to move through tedious connections and narrow pathways to find her way around into the more familiar systems she was used to. At least the trouble meant that this virtual briar patch would also add a layer of protection; if she was having difficult navigating her way out then anyone else would have just as much trouble trying to track her back in.

  Traffic pulsed around her in flashes of green that the wrecked terminal weakly wrestled with trying to translate for her sensory input. Lexel regretted the fact that the unit’s perception filter hardware must have been failing. She missed the higher resolution renderings of her old fully functional terminal. But she wasn’t here to enjoy the sights; she reminded herself of the importance of her task and punched forward.

  A few more grid point jumps and she slid home into an old node she had drifted into once by accident, thankfully finding her backdoor still safely in place. The node itself wasn’t anything special to look at; it didn’t glimmer with the promise of a swarming data-haven or the shadowy draped tell-tell signs of a tar baby trap. No, she had made it a point to remember this little location because it made her instinctively perk up her ears.

  Lexel had learned a lot in her nightly running through the nodes but most importantly she had learned to trust her own instincts. Her gut told her there was a connection here, a use that she could tap; this node was just too clean and placed neatly in plain sight. As she skillfully probed her way around she detected no traces of traffic of any kind, not even the typical clutter found on an empty place holder node. Curious she dug in a little deeper and began to look at what wasn’t there more than what was.

  It wasn’t easy or quick, but slowly Lexel began to piece together a vague idea of what this node was used for. While it held no real information of its own, she soon established that a handful of others directly received encrypted feeds from it that in turn rippled further. This little silent spot was a source; a broadcast point from what she could tell that had to be used for fight feeds. Lexel realized it was just a theory, but it was one that her intuition said felt right.

  “Time to roll the dice,” she decided firmly and sent a pulse back from the passive node. Before she even had the time to worry about the possible danger of her plan a floating head of fuchsia appeared with a plain look of irritation upon it. The anonymous avatar stared into her, and as it did so she could feel scans already sweeping to probe the surroundings. Unless she wanted to be relegated as just another punk meddling with nodes for kicks Lexel judged she would have to seize the initiative here and now.

  “Don’t bother asking how it was that I found you; it’s not important,” Lexel bluffed with all her might. “What is important though, is the fact that I have found a fighter the likes of which has never been seen before. And all he wants is entry into the games. Interested?” It was a gamble, trying to come off as some kind of hot shot but it was one Lexel hoped her limited hardware might actually help by not displaying more of her expressions. She was the first to admit that acting wasn’t her strong suit.

  When the face finally spoke it did so in cold distorted tones that were anything but natural. “Another hopeful dreamer I see,” it proclaimed with a purr. “We shall see whether or not your fighter has the mettle for a match, but be warned; we do not take kindly to anyone foolishly wasting our time.” A series of coordinates were transmitted to Lexel as the face began to fade. “Be at this location by nightfall; we will see if you’re worth entry into the games with a little trial match,” it warned before the node itself went dark as well.

  “Drama much,” Lexel joked before making her way back to jack out. Zero was hopefully still patiently waiting for her and it was beginning to look like they needed to get ready for a fight. A fight she had a feeling would not be easy in any shape or form. As she jacked herself back out into waiting reality she soon found a mild headache was already taking hold. Using a makeshift piece of hardware had its drawbacks, especially if its signal filters made the experience less than smooth on you.

  Lexel paused briefly to close her eyes and rub at her forehead for a minute as she tried to compose her thoughts. Thankfully she found Zero had in fact faithfully stayed by her side the whole time. “How long was I plugged in for anyway,” she asked her stalwart sentinel who still stood guard. “You have been away for precisely 1 hour 27 minutes and 36.4 seconds,” Zero informed her. “Did you meet with success in your endeavor?”

  Before answering that one Lexel had to take in a deep breath for a second. She found herself debating how to look at it. While she had managed to locate a connection that promised to potentially lead them to NaN’s underground arena, she didn’t have a guaranteed entry. “We have to pass a test first,” she finally decided to answer. “At nightfall we have to be at a location where a no doubt nasty street fight awaits us. If we survive it is implied that we will earn a shot at the arena games.”

  “I have no prior experience with which to estimate our chances of success,” Zero began. “What do you think our odds of winning such a contest will be?” It was the same question she had been considering before she ever even jacked out. “Oh, we totally have this locked in; don’t worry,” she reassured him. Zero decided he trusted his friend and while he didn’t have any previous reference to gauge such fights he did have vast combat experience. How different could it really be?

  Episode 12

  After a short rest Lexel found the buzz in her head had died down, the nutra-snack pack she found smashed at the bottom of her bag helped some too. On one hand she was grateful that she had forgotten to clean out the bag but on the other she wishe
d it had been a little fresher. Lexel pushed the thought of snacks aside and reminded herself that they had more pressing matters to attend to. They still had to make it to the meeting point and Lexel figured it a good idea to talk strategy with Zero before hand, just to be safe.

  Plastic sheeting crinkled at Lexel’s elbow as she allowed herself a quick stretch to break the silence. Some of the loose debris must have slid around her while she cat napped in their makeshift shelter. Zero was still positioned by her side, standing guard like some stone statue; it was like he had never even moved.

  “We have some ground to cover if we are going to make it to our little audition on time,” Lexel whispered. For a second she thought she noticed Zero’s head move just a hair but she couldn’t be sure. Did the robot need to shut down or something similar to like how she needed to sleep she wondered? “Zero,” she made the name a question, trying to see if she could get his attention.

  “The area seems secure,” Zero reported to her in response. “We can leave at your discretion.” It was definitely going to take some getting used to being around the peculiar prototype Lexel noted to herself. Every time she found herself thinking of him as just another robot he would do something out of place, and likewise when she began to see him as something alive. She was at a complete loss as how to think of Zero, so she decided maybe it was best to leave such philosophical debates to others and just accepted to think of him as her friend. That seemed simple enough for her.

  “Zero, are you familiar with the term: fighting dirty,” Lexel asked as she brushed some bits of packaging from her jacket. Zero followed her out from behind the piled debris, tracking her with his eyes as she went. “Unknown,” he finally answered after a short pause. “Are you referring to fighting in unclean environments or while being dirty?”

  “Neither Zero,” Lexel explained. “It is an expression; what it means is fighting without morals or obeying any rules. See, we are about to be tested by people who fight on the streets for money and they typically are not too trusting of outsiders. So I think we should at the very least expect to face opponents with no intention of fighting fair. Because we either prove ourselves to these people or well, our lives might depend on it.”

  “Understood,” Zero confirmed. For once Lexel was oddly disappointed by the lack of commentary from her companion. She waited for him to add some comment or observation on the matter but when he didn’t she found herself grasping for something to talk about as they walked. “So, what weapon systems do we have to work with,” Lexel asked her four legged friend. “Which load outs did you still have on you when you escaped? Did you blast and burn your way out, blow open some doors, what?”

  “Negative, I have no mounted weapons available,” Zero answered. “My escape was managed by a carefully planed routine and made possible solely by using my default onboard utility components.” It was not the answer Lexel expected to hear; in fact it made her feel like she had just been punched in the stomach – hard. Without any weapons how were they supposed to fight?

  “Do not be alarmed, you yourself can attest to my prowess in battle even if only using the available tools at my disposal.” Lexel had to smile at that, the memory of their last Match Fight simulation still fresh in her mind. They would have to be creative and think on their feet, but they would at least have a chance. Maybe Xeph had rubbed off on her, because Lexel was still finding herself worried.

  The meeting site turned out to be an old abandoned lot littered with the ruins of some former structure. While Lexel wasn’t surprised by the choice in location, she soon discovered something that did. Standing in the middle of a rubble ringed clearing was a purple and silver figure with a polish that gleamed in the last rays of sunlight. On either forearm a mounted disk of shiny metal sat with edges of bluish green energy already glowing as the spun around the rim.

  This glittering gladiator was already poised and waiting for battle, its amethyst eyes immediately training themselves on Zero. “Can I be alarmed now,” Lexel asked weakly. Zero didn’t answer, already focusing his attention on studying his waiting adversary. With the last rays of sunlight vanishing from the sky neon lights blossomed to illuminate the air above them. And with the neon glow came a gruff voice from somewhere unseen. “You wanted a chance, this is it – all you have to do is survive. That is, if you can.”

  Without ceremony or flash the battle began with only a single word being uttered; “Fight.”

  Episode 13

  At the uttered command for the battle to begin the waiting warrior’s amethyst optics burned brightly its arms raised at its sides keeping its shimmering shields ready. It stepped forward slowly; twisting at the waist to maintain its position of facing Zero as the intelligent initiate patiently prowled the perimeter. Without any raw data Zero had to rely on his own observation to analyze his opponent’s capabilities; like how he couldn’t ignore its strategically defensive stance. If he rushed in blindly he had no way of knowing what manner of surprises waited for him.

  His formidable foe’s alloyed armor combined with its sleek shields logically pointed to a tactical focus on resisting and repelling offensive approaches. But his sensors fed him a stream of information, highlighting the humming power orbiting the wary warrior’s weapons. For these were no simple shields, they were deceptively deadly; the energy edges effectively could allow it to make its strong defense into a potent offense.

  Zero made an internal note of it; avoid deadly discs, check. Surging into a short sprint he angled himself into a pass that arced around his adversary, maintaining a measured distance between them for safety. He hoped the ploy would allow him to gauge the ranged ability his rival possessed. But when nothing grimly greeted him he realized reluctantly that this it seemed was going to be settled by close range combat alone.

  So far Zero had yet to see this battle-bot react to him, he had no real estimate of its speed to gauge his own against. It looked like it was time to gather some more data, Zero decided. He firmly planted his feet into the rough ground beneath him, lowered his head and launched himself directly at the mechanical mystery. A resounding clang echoed as his shoulder clashed against a hardened shield that seemed determined not to drive him to the side but to hold him in front of his foe.

  It was just as he had expected, and wisely feared; the weapon’s paired sibling was already in motion to strike at him. His opponent was virtually matching his speed, without a second to waste Zero fired a short micro-burst from his internal stabilizers. The added momentum propelled him to the side just in time to avoid the flashing swipe of the shield. His shoulder still registered the impact of its recent collision as Zero cautiously resumed his position circling his foe.

  “Fight fire with fire,” Lexel yelled the suggestion from the sidelines. At first he found the advice oddly out of place for the situation; he was not fighting a fire nor did he have any fire based weapon to attack with. Not that flame based attacks would be any more effective, he was fairly certain his opponent’s design could resist thermal based assaults. Besides, the only thing remotely related to fighting with fire he was equipped with was emergency extinguishing foam, and it was only useful in fighting against a fire.

  Then it hit him, a simple combat sub-routine Lexel had taught him in one of their earliest games. She had referenced it under the name ‘Fire-Fight,’ and that had to be what she had been trying to tell him. The name had never made any sense to him; it had nothing to do with fighting fire. But it did make use of his fire fighting equipment.

  Zero checked his reserves for his stabilizers and found them still near maximum. Given time they would recharge themselves but in the middle of the fight he would have to be careful or else exhausting them could leave him a sitting duck to his enemy. Preparing his plan Zero primed his foam sprayers and began a calculated approach. He bounded along the ground, carefully conserving his boosted speed until he closed with his target.

  In a fluid leap, Zero threw his self into the air and allowed a series of rapid pulse
d thrusts to carry him over his adversary. Foam splattered to coat its way along both shields raised in defense as well as the battle-bot’s face. Violently it immediately began to jerk and shake in an attempt to free the sticky substance that now blinded it. Zero knew the adhesive aspect of the foam might not cling to his foes frame for long so he had to act quickly. Seizing the opportunity he raced to entangle a flailing arm with a tether and pulled it into the rival warrior’s chest. The energy coated edge bit cleanly into the robot’s side and began to viciously tear into its armored exterior.

  A slow clap applauded the spectacle from somewhere unseen and a familiar coarse voice rang out once more. “Well done, indeed, but if you’re going to help your friend then you must share in the fight. And since I like to keep things interesting; let’s liven it up.” Two more robots stepped forward to join the fight, both of them already focusing their attention towards Lexel.

  “No, no, no; he’s the one supposed to be fighting not me,” Lexel objected. “I can’t fight these things; I’m so going to be toast.” Zero’s primary directives immediately overrode him; the danger to Lexel pushed his main focus from his foe to protecting his friend. And there was only one method available to him to do so, one that they had yet to test for the project. As he rushed headlong towards her he found himself pushing all odds and probability calculations from his mind. This was going to work, it had to.