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"Keep your eyes open, guys," Ryan Steele warned, his voice slightly distorted by his helmet broadcaster. "Grimlord's definitely not through with us yet."
"No kidding," agreed JB Reese. "Breaking off after just a skug attack is not his style."
Kaitlin Star, the third member of the team, remained silent, ceaselessly combing the area with her VR Scanner. No goon had yet appeared on the virtual quarry that served as a battlefield, and that was making her uneasy. It suggested that Grimlord had something unusually unpleasant up his metal sleeve.
"Greetings, Troopers!" a metallic voice said behind them. The three Troopers whirled to find a large robot smirking at them. "I am Phasebot! Prepare to meet your doom!"
"Spread out, Troopers!" Ryan ordered. "Let's not give him an easy target."
Phasebot snickered. "Ha! To me, you're all easy targets!" It began shooting beams of white light at them, which they barely managed to dodge. Quickly, the teens took cover behind a boulder.
"Okay, Ryan, now what?" JB asked, just a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Kaitlin broke in, worried. "Guys, haven't you noticed that something
is missing?"
"Like what?" Ryan asked.
"Like air fighters? Grimlord is usually blasting us to bits while we're fighting his latest goon. Where's his air support?"
JB nodded grimly. "She's right, Ryan. He must think this thing can take us on all by itself. That means trouble."
"We'll worry about that after we take him down," Ryan replied. "Pincer movement, on three. JB, go left, Kaitlin right. I'll take the middle."
The three Troopers spread out, flanking their enemy. Before JB and Kaitlin could draw their laser pistols, however, the bot whirled, firing at Kaitlin. She had no time to dodge, and the beam struck her dead on, searing her world away in a flash of brilliant, colorless light. As she fell into the darkness, Ryan's anguished cry followed her. It was only one word.
"KAITLIN!"
Light. Bright, warm light shone down upon her, filtering through her
eyelids. Slowly, Kaitlin opened her eyes, expecting to see the pure whiteness
of Professor Hart's lab and the worried faces of her friends. Instead,
she saw a blue sky dotted with fleecy white clouds. Sitting up, she found
that she was lying in a field of green grass. Muzzily, she identified it
as the reality counterpart to the virtual field on which they had fought.
Grimlord's beam must have pushed her across the reality barrier.
But- if that was the case, where were Ryan and JB? Surely they could
have tracked her here? And why wasn't she transformed? Shaking her head
to clear it, she pulled her VRVT out of her pocket. "Professor Hart, this
is Kaitlin. Come in, Professor." Only static answered her hail.
She tried Ryan and JB as well, and received the same response. Putting her communicator away, she tried to think. All right, she was alone, back in reality, and for some reason, she couldn't contact her friends. Squinting at the horizon, she frowned. Something was- wrong with the Cross World City skyline. For a long moment, she could not figure out what it was. Then it hit her; the tall black silhouette of the Ziktor Industries building was missing.
"This has got to be another dream," she remarked, to no one in particular. It was far too reminiscent of the time that Grimlord had sent them into a nightmare, one that he had controlled. Remembering how Ryan had freed them the first time, she concentrated, trying to make a VR Dream Eradicator appear in her hand. However, nothing happened.
"Okay, maybe it's NOT a dream. So now what?" After a long internal debate, Kaitlin decided to make her way into the city, carefully. Perhaps there, she could find out what had occurred.
The city had certainly changed. The people on the street walked quickly, not making eye contact with anyone. It reminded her of New York, except that the streets were spotless, incredibly so. A chill shot down her back as she realized what was so familiar. The whole atmosphere was similar to films she'd seen of Berlin at the height of the Second World War.
"How long was I out?" she asked herself. "And what happened in between?"
Suddenly the shrill sound of a siren cut through her thoughts. Around her, people scattered like frightened mice, clearing the street inside of a few minutes. A rumbling behind her made her whirl. There, coming down the street, was a huge vehicle, like something out of "Road Warrior." A booming voice came from the loudspeaker, and Kaitlin could swear that she'd heard it before.
"Halt! You are an unregistered human heat pattern. Please stand where you are and prepare for arrest."
Kaitlin snorted. "I don't think so." Turning, she scanned the area for escape routes. Spying an alley, she broke for it, and was unsurprised to see a battalion of skugs teleport in around her.
"Hello, boys," she greeted them, falling into a defensive stance. "Did you miss me?" They closed in, and she set herself for a battle that she knew she could not win.
"HALT!" the same voice boomed. "Skugs, stop! Do not attack!"
"What?" Kaitlin cried.
"Skug?" the mutants echoed. A door on the side of the armored van opened up, and a very familiar figure stepped out.
"Doommaster," Kaitlin snarled. "This just keeps getting better and better." Grimlord's lieutenant pushed his way through the group of mutants, until he was face to face with Kaitlin. Studying her closely, he cocked his head.
"It is you, isn't it, Kaitlin Star?" He laughed. "This is most fortutitous! The Master will reward me well for this."
"If you think I'm just going to let you drag me to Grimlord, you've got another think coming, pal," she growled.
"Oh, Trooper, I have no intention of fighting you. If you wish to refuse
my escort, I will allow you to go on your way. The Master would destroy
me if I were to harm so much as a hair on your head."
Kaitlin frowned. The way Doommaster said "The Master" didn't sound
much like the way he had referred to Grimlord in the past. And Grimlord
certainly wouldn't care if she were hurt. Was it possible that the Virtual
Army no longer followed him?
Seeing her thought pattern, Doommaster smiled. "I can see that I have piqued your reporter's curiosity, Kaitlin Star. That is why I will ask you to accompany me. I will take you to the heart of the matter, for I am sure you wish to know what is going on."
"Suppose I go off and try to find out for myself?" she challenged.
"Then that is your choice. But this city can be dangerous for a woman alone, especially at night. And the sun is sinking now. I can promise, if you come with us, no harm will come to you."
She stared at him a long time. The idea of going with him willingly went against every fiber of her being, but he HAD piqued her curiosity, and he was certainly being polite enough. Plus, she wasn't exactly in a position to refuse. "All right. Take me to your leader."
The mutant chuckled, making a sweeping bow. "After you, Trooper." Gingerly, Kaitlin stepped into the armored van. Doommaster followed, and the van took off. Kaitlin sat in silence for a while, then could no longer contain her curiosity.
"Where am I?" she asked, turning to Doommaster.
"The question, Trooper, is not so much WHERE you are, but WHEN you are. What is the last thing you remember?"
"The battle with Grimlord's Phasebot. It shot me, and I woke up in a field outside of town."
Doommaster nodded. "As I thought. Phasebot was designed to render the three of you completely out of phase with time and the rest of the world, much like the device I once used to trap you and JB in the Negative Zone. However, it apparently malfunctioned, and sent you forward in time."
Kaitlin's jaw dropped. It felt as if someone had just punched her in the stomach. "How- far?" she croaked finally.
"It has now been three years." The rest of the ride was silent as Kaitlin tried to process this latest shock.
The palace, as Doommaster referred to it, was beautiful. This, more than anything else, confirmed to Kaitlin that Grimlord was not the one in charge. He had possessed the aesthetic sense of a rather dull rock. Never in a thousand years could he have appreciated anything so lovely.
It wasn't really a palace, she thought to herself. More like a good-sized mansion. Painted white, it had classical lines that took the breath away, and expert landscaping. As Doommaster led her through the front doors, Kaitlin couldn't help wondering again about the person who could command Grimlord's army of thugs, and still appreciate something like this.
"Welcome back, Doommaster," Despaira's voice greeted them as they entered. "I see that you have something our master will be truly grateful for."
"Do you monitor everything I do, woman?" Kaitlin startled. She had only heard a few conversations between Doommaster and Despaira before, but all of those had been arguments full of blame-placing and bickering. This exchange sounded almost- friendly.
"Someone has to keep an eye on you," the white-clad woman shot back, coming forward. Looking Kaitlin up and down, she shook her head. "These three years, we believed you dead. It is quite pleasant to see that we were wrong."
"Pleasant?" Kaitlin couldn't believe her ears. "You hated our guts."
Despaira shrugged. "The three of you were worthy adversaries. Allow me to explain something to you, Kaitlin Star. As Virtual constructs, we have no true being of our own. We are simply reflections of our master. Grimlord could not stand challengers, of any sort, and possessed no idea of friendship or camaraderie. Therefore, when we served him, we were cold and had no respect for you as enemies. Our new Master, however, appreciates a worthy opponent, and a worthy friend. Therefore, so do we. Besides, with you back, maybe he'll stop moping around the palace the way he's been doing."
Doommaster chuckled. "Oraclon? Have you informed the Master that we wish an audience with him?"
The large head on the wall blinked. "Yes, and he is not pleased with you, Doommaster. He was practicing."
The black-clad mutant shrugged. "I don't think he'll be angry with me long."
"And why is that, Doommaster?" a voice said behind them. Kaitlin froze. It was a voice that was familiar, far too familiar, despite the core of ice inside it now. It couldn't be- but it was.
"There is someone here that it is imperative you see, my lord," Doommaster was saying. Gently, almost with compassion, Despaira turned Kaitlin around.
The female Trooper kept her eyes on the floor, staring at the pair of black tennis shoes in front of her. With a great effort, she dragged her eyes upward, over legs clad in black jeans, up past a black, tight-fitting t-shirt, to a face she knew only too well. "Ryan?"
The new leader of the Virtual Army was none other than Ryan Steele.
Much later, Kaitlin was sitting in a comfortable chair, looking at Ryan over a rather large plate of spaghetti. _That's right,_ she thought to herself. _He always loses himself in cooking something when he's worried or surprised._ It was something he and his father had done together, and Ryan had once told her that it brought back a lot of good memories.
He had absolutely refused to answer her questions at first, insisting instead that she eat something. Since it had been six hours since her last meal, she had agreed. Now, as Ryan sat across the small dining table from her, she broached the subject again.
"Ryan, what happened here? I mean, I get hit with a time-travel beam, and I wind up in a future where YOU control the Virtual Army? It doesn't seem possible."
Ryan shrugged, swallowing. "Well, let me start with what happened after you left. JB and I tore Phasebot apart in about ten seconds. The thing never stood a chance. Then we went back to reality. My dad, JB, and the Professor cooked up some sort of story to explain what we thought was your death. I don't really remember it all too clearly. All I could hear or see was you, those last few seconds on the battlefield." He swallowed, then continued.
"Nothing mattered anymore except ending things, finishing the battle that Grimlord had started. I knew I had to make him pay for everything he had taken away from me: my dad, my life,- you. I stormed the virtual fortress. I don't even remember most of it. Just hacking my way through the bots that got into my path, heading for the throne room. Grimlord was there, and he thought I'd be careless." Ryan smiled, sending chills up Kaitlin's spine. The expression would have looked far more at home on his clone. "He was wrong. I destroyed him. Funny, for all the trouble he caused us, I would have thought it would have taken more than just one shot."
Kaitlin swallowed. "What happened after that?"
"My stupid powers cut out on me," he answered bitterly. "Turns out my _father_ had installed some type of cutoff to take the powers away from me if I became 'unfit to use them.'" Ryan's eyes blazed with blue fire at the memory, and Kaitlin unconsciously shrank back in her seat away from him. "He abandoned me, Kaitlin, just like he did ten years ago. Luckily, with Grimlord dead, the Virtual Army had no grudge against me. It had all been a reflection of the hatred for me that Grimlord had stored up in his soul, such as it was." Ryan shook his head. "Anyway, with him dead, they needed a new leader. So they pledged their loyalty to me."
"And you decided to take over the world," Kaitlin prompted, keeping her voice carefully neutral. Ryan had always been slightly emotionally unstable; who wouldn't be, after the life he had led? Now, however, she was afraid that he was perilously close to true insanity.
"What else was there to do? Besides, this planet needed it. No more wars, no more hunger, crime is on the decline. Hell, Kaitlin, this world was going to self-destruct! I practically saved the damn thing."
"So, if you didn't have any powers, how did you fight? I can't see you staying off the front lines for anything."
"Using my dad's knowledge and the virtualizer that I had, Colonel Icebot was able to make me some new powers. You might even get to see them, if there's an emergency."
Kaitlin devoutly hoped that there would not be any emergencies for quite some time. "What happened to your dad? Or the Professor and JB?"
"Well, my father escaped when I blew up the lab, and I guess he took the Professor's database with him. They're leading a small team of rebels based somewhere around here. As for JB," he shook his head. "He blew me off when I offered to let him join me, practically spit in my face. He said he'd rather die than fight on my side." Ryan shrugged. "I let him have his wish."
Nausea hit Kaitlin like a right to the gut. Suddenly, it didn't seem to be Ryan Steele sitting across from her at all, but Grimlord, somehow transplanted into her friend's body. And that was, in a sense, what had happened. Ryan's hatred of Grimlord had been so strong that in killing Grimlord, Ryan had almost become him. And yet- the look in Ryan's blue-grey eyes as he came to crouch beside her chair, that look was warm and gentle, full of compassion. Grimlord could never have managed such a look, even if he had been human.
"Shhh, Kaitlin, it's okay," Ryan crooned, taking her hand gently. "I
know, this is a lot to absorb at once. I'm sorry to dump it all on you
like this, but there's one other thing I have to tell you, something I
should have said a long time ago. I love you, Kaitlin Star. I always have,
and I swear I always will."
This last revelation was simply too much for Kaitlin. The day she had
endured finally caught up to her, and she sank down into a warm darkness.
Warm sunlight teased at her eyelids, pulling Kaitlin from sleep. Opening
her eyes, she was momentarily disappointed to realize that she was still
in her room in Ryan's palace, in the future. Sitting up in the huge double
bed, she stretched leisurely and looked around the room. It was certainly
lush, with a walk-in closet, attached bath, and a huge vanity. She could
wish it wasn't decorated quite so thoroughly in black, but given Ryan's
state of mind, she could sort of understand.
_Wonder if Ryan's rooms are this impressive?_ she thought to herself.
She hadn't seen inside them yet, which, she firmly reminded herself, was
the way she wanted it. Not that Ryan hadn't asked... She had told him that
she wasn't quite ready yet, and he had understood.
Kaitlin wrenched her mind away from the speculations it was approaching. _He's your best friend, Kaitlin,_ she scolded herself. _You're not supposed to be having those kinds of thoughts. Oh, sure, he said he loves you, but he is definitely not sane at this point. The 'real' Ryan would never say such a thing._
Ever since her arrival in the future a few days ago, Ryan had been polite and gentle to her. It was almost like having her old friend back- almost. Despite his warmth and obvious feelings for her, it was as if the essential Ryan was somehow sheathed in a layer of ice. Plus, the constant absence of JB was like a hole in her heart.
She quickly tore her mind from that, too, to keep herself from bursting into tears. Instead, she thought about this strange world she had landed in, a future she never would have expected. The people here were not as wretched as they would no doubt have been under Grimlord's rule. He had wanted to rule everything and destroy what he could not conquer. Ryan, while still a tyrant, was not a hopelessly cruel one. Still, it was not freedom, and Kaitlin knew that the human spirit needed nothing less.
Ryan might not be as cruel as Grimlord, but she had to admit, he was far more effective. He ruled the Virtual Army with respect, rather than fear, and did not harbor Grimlord's belief that everyone except himself was hopelessly stupid. Instead, he listened to Doommaster and Despaira, and gave them full credit for their ideas. It had been easy for the Troopers to turn Grimlord's troops against each other; Ryan's would not be so vulnerable.
A knock at the door startled her out of her reverie. "You decent?" Ryan asked through the door.
Kaitlin looked down at the T-shirt she wore as a nightgown and winced. "NO!" she called back.
"Can I come in anyway?" A pillow thumping against the door was his answer, and he laughed. "Well, hurry up and get dressed. I've got something to ask you. I'll be in the kitchen making breakfast."
As Kaitlin dressed, she reflected on how easy it was to pretend that she was thrilled with her new life. Inside, all she wanted was to go home, to stop all of this from occurring, but- she kind of liked waking up in a big, soft bed every morning. Not to mention having a- _friend, Kaitlin, friend_ -who had offered to share it. Quickly, she pushed that thought away. Besides, Ryan really was an excellent cook. A woman could get very spoiled waking up to something like that every morning.
"Oh, Ryan!" Kaitlin couldn't help herself. When Ryan had suggested going riding that afternoon, she had jumped at the chance. She hadn't been out of the palace since her arrival, and she had always enjoyed horseback riding. The fact that Ryan had suggested a picnic lunch as well only made it better.
_Why couldn't we have done this in my time?_ she thought to herself, looking around the beautiful green valley. _It's so peaceful, so quiet, and it's just the two of us._ She looked up at him and found that he was watching her. His eyes, which changed color according to his emotions, were a strange rain color that she'd never seen before. Gently, as if in slow motion, he reached out to touch her cheek. Their heads moved together, and for an instant, the world stopped as they kissed.
When they finally broke for breath, Kaitlin had only one thing to say. "Wow."
"Wow," Ryan agreed. They began to move together for another kiss when a strangely familiar voice interrupted them.
"Well, isn't this romantic?"
The two on the blanket looked up to see a group of people dressed in shabby, ripped clothes, all pointing weapons at them.
"Shit!" Ryan growled. "Rebels!"
"Hands in the air, Steele," snapped the leader. "Our orders are to try and take you alive, but push me, and I'll reconsider."
Ryan snorted, slowly getting to his feet. "Percy, you're about as threatening as a doggie chew. Trooper Transform!"
A shot rang out as Ryan yelled, but the shooter was too slow. Black light swirled around him as Kaitlin rolled off the blanket and rose to her feet. Horrified, she began backing away, unable to take her eyes off of Ryan's transformation. Then it was done, and he was clad in a warped black reflection of the powers his father had created for him the second time.
"Going somewhere?" a voice said in her ear. Vaguely, Kaitlin recognized it as the leader of the rebel squad, who, to judge by Ryan's greeting, was this world's version of Percival Rooney. Dazed, she clung to him, the only familiar face anywhere in view.
"Oh, and how many nights did I dream about this?" she heard him mutter, to no one in particular. Then something cold pressed under her right ear. "Steele!" Percy yelled. Ryan turned and froze. Kaitlin, beginning to recover from her shock, realized that Percy, of all people, was holding some type of gun to her head.
"Let her go, Rooney," Ryan growled, taking a step forward. "What, you've got to hide behind a woman?"
Percy shrugged. "What do you expect? I'm a spineless wimp, remember? Now back off. I'd hate to see something awful happen to Kaitlin here."
"You're bluffing." Kaitlin couldn't see his face, but she could tell that Ryan's eyes were now cold, narrow slits.
"Maybe. But you won't take the chance, will you? Bye." As Percy dragged her off, Kaitlin tried desperately to process the current situation. She had just been taken hostage? By PERCY?
Tyler Steele's rebels were based in the impressive cave systems located in the hills of Cross World City. As one might expect from the base of a genius scientist, the whole place was wired with lights and other electric conveniences. As Kaitlin was led through the corridors by Percy, she couldn't help but be impressed by how comfortable the entire place seemed.
Not long after, she was led into a room, actually a furnished cave, where two very familiar faces awaiting her. "Mr. Steele! Professor Hart! God, you don't know how glad I am to see you."
Professor Hart smiled. "It's good to see you again too, Kaitlin. Please, sit down." She sank into one of the chairs, Percy beside her. "Percy, where'd you find her?"
"Aw, she and Ryan went out on a picnic. It was pretty easy to get her away, considering how startled she was at our appearance."
Kaitlin raised a hand to her forehead. "It's all startling. You're leading a band of rebels, the VR Troopers are history, and Ryan Steele, of all people, has taken Grimlord's place!"
Tyler sighed. "It's my fault. I could see how devastated he was by your death, but I thought he just needed time. The next thing I know, the computer is telling me that Grimlord is dead, and Ryan's virtualizer has severed it's connection to the datasphere. After that, all I could do was watch as the Virtual Army attacked. JB was only one Trooper; there was nothing he could do against a full-scale assault, especially by someone so familiar with the way our systems worked. I barely escaped when he blew up the lab. He hates me now." Tyler closed his eyes in pain. Reaching across the table, Kaitlin took his hand. Then she frowned. The desk behind Tyler held two computer monitors. One held Professor Hart's image, but the other was blank.
"Why is there a second computer on that desk?" she asked. Tyler smiled.
"That's for somebody who really wants to see you again."
The monitor lit up, and Kaitlin gasped as JB's image looked out at her. "As Mark Twain once said, 'Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.'"
"JB!" she cried. "But- how? I mean- Ryan said-"
"That he'd killed me, yeah, I know. Well, he beat me up pretty badly, but he couldn't bring himself to finish me off. Mr. Steele and the Professor got me back to the lab. My body was a loss, but they were able to download me into a virtual format." JB shrugged. "So, here I am."
"I'm sorry we couldn't tell you sooner, Kaitlin," Professor Hart informed her, "but we had to be sure you were really you. If Ryan were to discover that the person who knows him best in the entire world is alive..." The Professor had no need to finish the sentence.
"Oh, God," Kaitlin gasped. Suddenly, she put her head down in her hands and began to cry. Percy, sitting next to her, put a comforting arm around her shoulders, but said nothing.
"Kaitlin, are you ready for the meeting?" Percy asked, knocking on the door to Kaitlin's room.
"Just a second, Percy," she called back. For a cave, her room was surprisingly comfortable. Tyler Steele had managed to fit it with all the modern conveniences. As she gave herself a last once-over in the mirror, Kaitlin though about the past few days she had spent with the Rebellion.
Percy had been her guide, showing her around the place, and taking her to visit both Tao and Woody, who had made it to the caves when Ryan's forces had attacked. Tao was even in charge of training the troops! Woody, through some type of insane providence, had wound up as the main cook. His food was actually quite good, although he still whipped up his atrocious creations such as tuna-peanut butter nachos.
Leaving her room, Kaitlin and Percy walked through the corridors towards Tyler Steele's briefing room. As they walked, Kaitlin couldn't help sneaking looks at the man beside her. Percy had changed a great deal in three years. Perhaps the best way to say it was that he had simply grown up. He downplayed his accomplishments as a patrol leader, but JB had informed her that Percy was in fact a natural leader, and far more intelligent than he had ever let on at the paper.
One night, when the two of them had been standing watch together, Kaitlin had asked Percy why he seemed so different. At first, he had pretended not to know what she was talking about, but after seeing that she wasn't going to drop the subject, he had sighed.
"Frankly? Because I don't have to report to my parents. Mom and Dad, and Uncle Abner and Aunt Prudence, they're all back there, living quietly gray lives of whatever privilege Ryan allows them. Now that I'm not living with any of them anymore, I can do what I want."
"What couldn't you do when you lived with your parents?" Kaitlin probed gently.
Percy laughed, but there was little mirth in his tone. "Anything. My grandfather, he was the mayor of Cross World before Uncle Abner, and he always wanted both his sons to follow in his footsteps, go into politics. So, they did. My dad was more of the iron hand type, and Uncle Abner was just spineless. The voters definitely elected the lesser of the two evils.
"Anyway, Dad was just as active in city politics as my uncle. I was
a showpiece, the kid. I've been dragged to conventions and waved in front
of the media by most of my family since I was little. My parents gave me
anything I wanted- except attention. I guess I grew up a little spoiled."
He laughed.
"Anyway, I know I never acted like it, but the job at the paper- and
all of you- were actually helping me. Yeah, Aunt Prudence got me the job,
but Woody would have kicked me right out on my butt if I hadn't done SOMETHING
to earn it. For the first time I wasn't getting everything handed to me
on a silver platter. As much as I complained, it was turning me into a
real person.
"Then Ryan attacked. I wasn't actually one of the ones who headed into the hills after the first strike. That didn't come until I found out about the deals my family had all struck with Ryan. I couldn't stop thinking about how absolutely furious you would have been. I told my parents I was through living like that. If they wanted to find me, I'd be with the Rebellion. I stalked out of the house, and last I heard, I'd been disowned."
"Oh, Percy."
He shrugged. "Forget 'em. In the two years I've been here, Tyler Steele,
Tao, and Woody have been more like family to me than my real family ever
was. I'd say I made a change for the better."
Now, as that conversation came back to her, Kaitlin marveled at the
depths that Percy had concealed for so long.
"Okay, Mr. Steele, we're here. What's so important that you called an emergency meeting?" Kaitlin asked. Also present were JB and the Professor.
Tyler chuckled grimly. "Well, I have a little bit of news. It looks like Ryan finally figured out how to get a message to us. He doesn't know where we are," he continued, holding up a hand to forestall reactions. "It's just that he managed to bounce a video message off enough transmitters that one of them sent to us. I won't play you the tape, because it's not suitable for the ears of a lady. The gist of the whole thing is, if we return Kaitlin to him unharmed, he won't start a full-scale assault and rip us out of hiding."
"How genteel of him," Percy replied dryly. "What are we going to do?"
"Kaitlin," Professor Hart began gently, "I'm afraid this is a decision that you must make for yourself. If you stay here, things could be very dangerous for you. Ryan will certainly provide you with safety and a very comfortable home."
"What? How can you even ask something like that? He took over our home! He may have been my friend, but now he's turning himself into Grimlord. I am not going to betray everything I've stood for just for my own safety. I'm a VR Trooper!"
"So was Ryan," JB replied quietly. At that reply, Kaitlin calmed down.
"Yeah, that's true. JB, Percy, Mr. Steele, no offense, but I just want to go home! I want to stop any of this from happening."
Tyler nodded. "I know. JB, you once duplicated one of Grimlord's time machines? Think you can do it again?"
"The machine? Piece of cake," the young virtual image replied. "The power's another story. It'll take time to work around the lack of the crystal, and then only God knows what I'll come up with in the end."
Kaitlin laughed. "A JB jury-rig. Just like the old days, huh?"
"Yeah, something like that. Spit and baling wire, here we come."
Tyler laughed. "Right. I'll try to negotiate with Ryan. He won't give into any of my demands, of course, but hopefully he won't think that we're stalling him. Then I'll give you a hand with the machine, JB."
"Thanks, Mr. Steele. Hands are sort of something I'm low on at the moment."
Despite the cheerful tone in JB's voice, Kaitlin thought she detected a little sadness in her friend's tone.
"All right, then people, let's get moving," Tyler told them. "We don't have much time."
"Need a hand with that, Mr. Steele?" Kaitlin asked, popping into the
cave that served as Tyler's lab.
"Hmm? Well, I'm almost done, but I could use a little help. Hand me
that soldering iron, will you?"
"Sure." Kaitlin did as he asked, and the two of them sat in silence for a while. Finally she broke the quiet by asking, "So, is that gizmo of JB's really going to work?"
"Well, you've got more experience with his jury-rigging than I do, but in the time I've known him, I've never seen anything fail." Looking up from his soldering, Tyler fixed her with those pale, intelligent eyes. "Scared?"
She nodded. "Majorly. I mean, with the lab's computers gone, my virtualizer doesn't work, and Ryan's troops are a hell of a lot better organized than Grimlord's ever were. This is going to be like nothing I've ever encountered."
"Well you're not alone," Tyler informed her. "If it weren't for the fact that I'm working on high-precision components right now, my hands would be shaking. The thought of going into battle against my own son is not helping my equilibrium any."
Kaitlin shuddered. "I can't believe it. I mean, you two were always so close. Everything here is screwed up. Percy's nice, the forces of good are working out of a cave in the hills, and Ryan Steele, the center and focus of the VR Troopers, is the enemy. He's so cold, as if his heart's made out of ice."
"Grief can do that to a person," Tyler replied. His eyes were curiously unfocused, and Kaitlin had a feeling that he wasn't seeing anything in the here and now. "Did Ryan ever say much about his mother?"
"No, I don't think so. You were pretty much all he talked about."
"I'm not surprised. She died not long after he was born. Car accident. We'd only been married a few years." He shook his head. "When Mariah died, if there had been someone I could blame, I might well have done what Ryan did. It hurt so badly, and the only thing that could comfort me was Ryan. Even as a little baby, he looked so much like her. I suppose that's why we became so close as he grew up. We were all the other had. And it must have hurt so much worse for Ryan to lose you. At least I'd told Mariah how I felt, how much I loved her. We'd had our time together, short as it had been. But Ryan- he loved you so much, and never said a word. Knowing that he'd lost you before he could say anything, that must have hurt the worst."
Kaitlin shook her head. "I though I knew him so well. I was his friend for ten years, and I never noticed."
At this, Tyler laughed outright. "It's hard. I wouldn't have known how Mariah felt about me either, but she knocked me to the mat and kissed me, right in the middle of a workout. And I had a Ph.D.!" Kaitlin laughed with him, and the two continued talking late into the night.
"Well, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that I've set up an alternative power source for the time machine. The bad news- I'm going to have to hook the thing up to the main power plant," JB informed his friends.
Percy raised an eyebrow. "You mean the one in the center of town? No problem. We'll just fight our way through a thousand skug guards, break into Ryan's main complex, and reach the power plant to set up the machine."
JB chuckled. "Sarcasm duly noted. I admit, it's not going to be easy, but I can take out the security systems with a virus. In fact, I'm gonna have to interface with the building's computers to set up the transport anyway. Guards, on the other hand, are out of my league."
Kaitlin grinned. "Ah, but not out of mine! I memorized the guard schedules. From about midnight to five AM, one of the city approaches is severely undermanned. Ryan rotates it by the hour, but I memorized the guard schedules. I can take us right into the city."
Percy shook his head. "She's something else, isn't she?"
Tyler nodded. "She certainly is." The group huddled, and plans for moving into the city began.
Getting past the guards was a piece of cake, even with the squad of they had brought with them. The squad, lead by Tyler, would distract the main complex's guards with a mock attack, while Percy, JB, and Kaitlin sneaked in through the back.
"Batman awaits in the all-concealing shadow," Percy whispered in a mock-ominous tone. Kaitlin elbowed him into silence as they approached one of the service doors to the power plant. It was abandoned, most likely due to the carnage going on over on the other side. The sound of laser fire was faintly audible through the still night air, and Kaitlin had to force herself to concentrate on the task at hand.
Moving quickly, Kaitlin slung the laptop off of her shoulder and made the connections as JB had instructed. On the screen, the young scientist's face furrowed with concentration. "I'm navigating the security systems now," he reported. "Okay, I'm into the main computer core. Downloading program now. Okay, Kaitlin, now all you have to do is get into the power core. I've set the resonator up to respond to your biorhythms, so it'll only open at your approach. You'd better get there fast, though, or it won't open at all."
"Aren't you coming with us?" Percy asked, hearing something odd in JB's tone.
He shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he replied. "Somebody has to stay and upload the security virus."
"But JB, if there's no one here to disconnect you from the system, the virus'll spread to your programming as well!" Kaitlin pointed out.
"I know, Kaitlin. That's part of the plan. Look, the only way I can make sure that the virus destroys all the essential systems is to direct it in myself. Besides, I'm tired of being an electronic ghost. I spend all my time unable to do anything but watch the world go by. It's been so long, I barely remember what it's like to eat something, or to have actual physical contact with another human being. The last thing I was waiting for has come. If we can send you home, none of this will ever have happened. The chance is certainly worth dying for." His eyes unfocused for a moment. "Uploading virus. There, it's done. You've got to go. Percy, take care of her, and make sure she gets to the core!"
Percy nodded, his lips tight. "You know it, buddy." Gently, he pulled Kaitlin to her feet. "Come on. We have to go."
She nodded, shock still in her eyes. He waited for a moment, then opened the door. No alarm greeted them, and Percy grinned. The two cast one last glance back at JB, then slipped inside.
They made their way through the halls with little problem, something that was beginning to creep Percy out. "Ryan is better than this," he grumbled. "Where's the other guards?"
"Right here, rebel." Percy and Kaitlin whirled to see Doommaster and the Vixens behind them in the corridor. Like lightning, Percy pulled his laser gun, snapping off a volley of shots. While they returned fire, he moved back, pushing Kaitlin around a corner and using it for cover.
"Get going!" he cried. "You've got to get to the core!"
"Are you crazy?" she shot back. "I can't leave you here alone!" Drawing her own pistol, she ducked around the corner and fired a few shots at Doommaster and Company.
Percy growled. "Damn it, Kaitlin!" Reaching out, he pulled her back behind the corner with one hand, effectively stripping the gun from her grip with the other. "There. Now you're unarmed. Look, if you can get to the core, none of this will have happened. I'll go back to being a nerd, yes, but I'll be a live nerd. But if you DON'T get to the core, then a lot of good people will have died tonight for nothing."
"But I can't just abandon you!"
"Look," he said quietly, snapping off a few more shots. "You said it yourself. You're a VR Trooper. You have duty to more than just me. For everyone in Cross World, for all of the rebels, for Ryan, you HAVE to get to that core! I'll be all right. You have a job to do."
Kaitlin closed her eyes and sighed. "I hate it when you're right," she told him, voice not quite steady. "You keep yourself in one piece, all right?"
"Believe me, I intend to," he chuckled. "Now go." She ran off down the corridor, listening to the sounds of gunfire behind her and trying to keep the tears out of her eyes.
Kaitlin made it to the core with only one minor incident, a skug attack. The mutants were no match for her, and were quickly disposed of. Looking around, she relaxed as she saw the rippling vortex that was the inactive time portal. With new determination, she headed for the stairs that would lead up to the platform where it was located. She hadn't made it more than five steps when a voice behind her made her stop.
"Don't go any farther, Kaitlin," Ryan said quietly. Turning, Kaitlin saw that he had a laser pistol, and it was pointed directly at her. He was in worse shape than she was. Someone had hit him in the face repeatedly, splitting his lip and raising a swelling on his cheek. Kaitlin sighed, realizing that the only person on the squad with the ability to do that was Tyler.
"Ryan, put the gun down," she said quietly. "You don't want to do this."
He shook his head, taking a step closer. "I'm not going to let you leave me again, Kaitlin. I've been abandoned too many times. I'm not going to lose you again."
Keeping her voice as soothing and rational as possible, Kaitlin tried again. "Ryan, I'm going back in time. Back before any of this happened. You're not going to lose me. You'll never have lost me at all."
"You're LYING!" he responded, the gun shaking slightly. "I should have known better than to trust you- to trust anybody." Reason was obviously not going to reach him, Kaitlin realized. Except for the gun, Ryan looked like nothing so much as the lost little boy that she had met ten years ago.
"Ryan, put the gun down," another, quieter voice broke in. Ryan whirled, aiming the gun as he did so. From the shadows behind him came Tyler Steele, also carrying a laser. He looked a little banged up himself, with one eye swollen shut and a few scrapes elsewhere on his face.
"No." Ryan's voice had gone back to normal, coated in ice. "No, 'Dad,' I don't think so. You put down yours."
"I can't do that, Ryan. You know that." Looking over Ryan's shoulder, Tyler nodded at Kaitlin. Reluctantly, she turned and started heading for the stairs that would lead her to the time portal. Even as she reached it, she heard a cry, the sound of a laser shot, and then a body hitting the floor. Her tears flowing freely now, Kaitlin threw herself through the portal, not daring to look back as her world was swallowed up in a flash of white light.
"Oh, man!" Kaitlin slowly came to consciousness, sitting up. She was in the same field where her future adventure had started. Had it all been a dream? Reaching up, she touched her cheekbone, where she still had a bruise from that last skug fight. No, it had definitely not been a dream. But was she back in her own time? JB had warned her that an exact destination was sketchy, and he couldn't predict where she would end up. Pulling her VRVT out of her pocket, she quickly pressed the 'send' button.
"JB, this is Kaitlin. JB, come in!"
JB's startled face appeared in the display, and Kaitlin was relieved to see the background was that of his bedroom, rather than the shifting colors of a virtual display. "KAITLIN? You're alive!"
"Yeah, something like that. Listen, I don't have time to talk right now. What day is it?"
"The seventeenth," he replied. "The day after you disappeared."
She breathed a sigh of relief. "There's still time. Where's Ryan?"
"I don't know. He took the whole thing pretty hard. He could be almost anywhere. Ask the Professor to scan for him."
"Thanks, JB. Kaitlin out." Quickly she hit the button that placed her in contact with the lab.
"Kaitlin?" Professor Hart was shocked, to say the least. "What happened? We thought that you were-"
"Dead, yeah, I know," Kaitlin cut him off. "Listen, Professor, can you scan for Ryan? I need to find him, fast."
"Scanning. He's out at the temple, by the ocean," the Professor replied. "I would imagine he'll be there for quite a while. He often goes there when he feels depressed."
"Yeah, I know. Thanks, Professor, and I'll explain everything later. Kaitlin out."
Stowing her VRVT in a pocket, Kaitlin rose to her feet. The temple was quite close, not more than a five-minute walk from her current location. Kaitlin intended to run.
Sure enough, Ryan was sitting against the rail of the temple, just staring off into the distance. Even from as far as she was, she could see the lost expression on his face. Rather than slow down, Kaitlin ran even faster, calling his name as she came into earshot.
"Ryan! RYAN!"
"Kaitlin?" Ryan shot to his feet. The naked hope on his face was almost too much for her. She barreled into him, her arms going around him and holding him tightly. He responded automatically, folding her in his arms and rocking her back and forth.
"Shh, shh, shh, it's all right, Kaitlin," he said soothingly. She was
crying again, and her tears were getting his T-shirt wet. It was blue,
she noticed, and started crying harder, knowing she was home.
He held her for a while; just taking in the fact that she was alive
and real. Then he gently peeled her away from him and tilted her head up
so that he could look at her.
"Where were you? We thought- I thought I'd lost you," he said quietly.
"It's a long story," she replied. "I'll tell you everything later." Looking up into his eyes, she saw the shadows of the worry and grief he had felt. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Having you back-" he broke off, starting again. "When I thought you were dead, I just lost it. I- there was so much I wanted to say, that I didn't tell you- I mean-"
Kaitlin put a finger over his lips silencing him. "Shh. I love you too."
He froze, and for a second, she wondered if she hadn't made a mistake. Maybe seeing her after three years had made him say something he hadn't really meant. She opened her mouth to apologize, and he stopped her with a shake of his head. "You just startled me, Kaitlin. That's what I've been wanting to say to you for ten years. I wasn't expecting you to beat me to the punch." Lowering his head to hers, he kissed her softly. She kissed back, a kiss that had been ten years coming. When they finally broke apart, they were breathless. Ryan finally broke the silence.
"Wow," he managed. Kaitlin nodded.
"Wow," she agreed. "Come on. I called JB and the Professor before I came out here, and they're probably wondering what's going on. We ought to get to the lab."
"Yeah. You've got some explaining to do." As the two of them walked
towards Ryan's motorcycle, arms around each other, Kaitlin couldn't help
but think that her future was off to a wonderful start.