| From: | "Brian E. Angliss" <ANGLISS@******.BITNET> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Dante Matrix Battle! |
| Date: | Thu, 20 Oct 1994 18:36:51 -0400 |
+++++You leave the Chicago Matrix and move into a valley. The valley is
+++++heavily wooded, the branches so thick that they block out the sun.
+++++Yet an eerie light allows you to see that at the end of the valley is
+++++an door with an archway. Three figures move in front of you and move
+++++towards the door.
+++++The leading figure is a black haired woman in swashbuckler's clothing.
+++++She has an exotically beautiful face with deep brown eyes. She winks at
+++++you and then pulls a dark cloak over her flashly clothing. An sign
+++++appears pointing at her with "Spirit" written in it, and then disappears.
+++++The second figure is also a female, but that is were the comparisons
+++++end. She is covered head to toe in silver circuitry. Many colors of
+++++light dance through the circuits with no apparent pattern. As she
+++++steps to Spirit's right the sign reappears pointing at her this time
+++++with "Circuit Breaker" written in it, and once again fades. The light
+++++show turns to dark blue, with small streaks of lighter blue thoughout
+++++it. It forms a continuous pattern and Circuit Breaker all but vanishes
+++++from vision.
+++++The third figure is a male dressed in a form of ninja garb. Blue scarves
+++++or bandannas are tied around his elbows and knees, trailing as he walks.
+++++He steps to Spirits left as the sign comes up reading "Nightstalker".
+++++He then fades into the shadows.
+++++The three advance to the door, and you follow. Inscribed on the door
+++++in glowing letters is the following:
"I am the way into the doleful city,
I am the way into eternal grief,
I am the way to a forsaken race.
Justice it was that moved my great creator;
Divine omnipotence created me,
And highest wisdom joined with primal love.
Before me nothing but eternal things
Were made, and I shall last eternally.
Abandon all hope, ye who enter here."
(Spirit) "How original."
(Nightstalker) "I guess we'll have to add desecration of works of art to
the reasons to kill Dante."
(Circuit Breaker) "You two stop lollygaging and lets get on with this."
+++++The three advance once again, but before they reach the door, three
+++++figures step form out of the trees. They are a leopard, a lion, and
+++++a she-wolf. They block Spirit's way, but seem not to notice Circuit
+++++Breaker or Nightstalker. Spirit's hands come out from her cloak and
+++++toss three haunches of beef before the beasts, and they fall upon them.
+++++Spirit then walks past them and opens the doorway. Circuit Breaker
+++++and Nightstalker pass through it, as do you, and then Spirit closes
+++++the door behind her.
+++++The doorway opened into a narrow cave, which you walk down. After a
+++++short way, it opens into a large cavern. The ground is sandy and
+++++a large group of people chase a banner around the area. The three
+++++walk through the crowd and come upon a dark, putrid, fog-covered river.
+++++Circuit Breaker can only be seen as a distortion of things beyond her,
+++++while Nightstalker seems to be totally unnoticed. Out of the fog comes
+++++a ferry boat with Charon, ferryman of the River Styx, onboard.
+++++The ferry reaches the rivers edge, and Charon holds out his hand.
+++++Spirit pulls a hand out of her cloak and moves it in front of her mouth.
+++++She then flicks a gold coin into the ferryman's hand and steps onto
+++++the ferry. Charon then begins to push the ferry back into the river.
+++++Circuit Breaker hops on next to Charon, causing the boatman to look to
+++++where she landed, but he seems to see nothing. As he does this,
+++++Nightstalker leaps over his head and lands next to Spirit without
+++++disturbing the boat.
(Nightstalker) "I hope his defenses get better than this."
(Spirit) "Be careful what you ask for, my friend. You might get it."
+++++The boat reaches the other side of the river, a lightly forested plain.
+++++Many people dress in Ancient Greek clothing wander about the area.
+++++The three step off the ferry and walk across the plain. The are
+++++unmolested until the demon, Minos, steps from out of the crowd. He
+++++strides towards Nightstalker and bellows.
(Minos) "Identify yourself!"
(Nightstalker) "You don't recognize me?"
(Minos) "Identify yourself!"
(Nightstalker) "Ungrateful program!"
+++++Nightstalker slams something into the ground and a burst of light
+++++explodes forth. Your eyes quickly readjust, but in Nightstalker's
+++++place stands Dante. Dante reaches out and slaps Minos across his face.
(Dante) "Stand aside, or I'll dump your code and install something more
reliable."
+++++Minos stumbles back, stuttering out excuses and then dissappears into
+++++the crowd. Dante fades back into Nightstalker. Nightstalker turns
+++++to Spirit.
(Nightstalker) "I'll be more careful what I wish for."
(Circuit Breaker) "Ya always waste this much time during a run, Sugah?"
(Nightstalker) "Only when the company is a pleasant as you two."
(Spirit) "Lets keep moving."
+++++As the three walk across the plain, the trees end and a wind kicks up.
+++++The Greeks begin to be toss about, whirling in the wind. Thoughout
+++++the plain are several rocky structures, but the trio ignores them.
+++++After awhile the wind dies, but is replaced by rain and hail. The
+++++people in this area are naked and sitting in the slime created by the
+++++rain. Walls move in from out of nowhere and finally narrow into a
+++++corridor. In the center of the corridor sits Cerebus, the three-headed
+++++hound. The three continue to approach and the hounds seems not to
+++++notice them. Just before they reach him, Spirit moves off to the left,
+++++behind Circuit Breaker and pulls her cloak around her even more tightly
+++++than it had been. Circuit Breaker's blue light show darkens until it
+++++is almost black, while Nightstalker moves even deeper into the shadows
+++++of the right side of the corridor.
+++++Circuit Breaker reaches Cerebus first and walks right by him. The
+++++hound's left head moves momentarily and then settles down. Nightstalker
+++++reaches him next and passes off to his right side. This time the hound's
+++++right head lifts up momentarily and then settles down. Spirit begins
+++++to walk by Cerebus's left side, when his left head snaps up and lets
+++++out a low growl. She stops, not moving a muscle while the head scans
+++++right around her. After several tense moments, Cerebus puts his head
+++++back on the ground and goes back to sleep. Spirit moves on quickly
+++++and races up to join Nightstalker and Circuit Breaker.
+++++Walking on the area around them fills with rocks being pushed by people.
+++++In the mist of the area is a tall humanoid with feathered wings and a
+++++beak. Plutus stands there with a whip, striking out at those who pass
+++++him. Urging them to push their burdens faster. The three deckers
+++++walk right up to Plutus and pass the taskmaster who seem to not know
+++++that they exist.
+++++Next the trio come upon a swamp. In this fetid, stagnet bog are people
+++++who are tearing into each other with claw like nails. Beneath the waters
+++++of the bog are people who's eternally escaping breath makes bubbles on
+++++the otherwise totally calm surface.
+++++Leaving the swamp, the three come upon a walled city. From within the
+++++city comes a blood red glow. Off to the side of the city is a trail
+++++leading into a valley. The deckers stop and look at the city and the
+++++trail.
(Spirit) "The City of Dis. Amazing."
(Circuit Breaker) "He probably bought it."
(Nightstalker) "I don't give a damn about the city. I'm fragging mad that
we didn't find this SAN. I would have saved us alot of time. Let's get
this over with."
+++++The three walk up to the city walls and gaze upon them intensely.
+++++Spirit pulls a dagger from out of her cloak and taps it's hilt against
+++++the wall. A dull thud is heard. Spirit looks at the other two and
+++++shrugs. Nightstalker places a hand upon the wall and stares at a
+++++point that is behind them. Circuit Breaker also places her hands upon
+++++the wall. The circuitry on her arms turns pink, and then pink lights
+++++appear upon the wall around her hands. The lights move in patterns
+++++much like her own circuitry. The pattern expands, joining into one
+++++circle.
(Spirit) "I think I'll wait until you two are through. We don't want to
draw too much attention."
+++++Nightstalker slips into the wall as if it isn't there and disappears
+++++from sight. The circle of circuitry is half way to the floor when a
+++++loud bell begins to ring. Upon the wall of the City of Dis appears
+++++four figures. One is Medusa while the other three are the Furies.
+++++The Furies unlash whips at the two deckers, one at Spirit and two at
+++++Circuit Breaker. Spirit dodges away form the whip aimed at her and
+++++draws a rapier. With the sword, she bats away one of the whips aimed
+++++at Circuit Breaker. The third whip is just about to hit Circuit
+++++Breaker when it hits a force field that appeared right in front of it.
+++++Medusa stares down at Spirit, who covers her eyes and jumps to the side.
(Spirit) "Drek! Black ICE."
+++++Circuit Breaker moves away form the wall, a large gun appearing in her
+++++hands. She fires it at Medusa just as Spirit pulls a wand from her
+++++belt and unleashes a lightning bolt at the gorgon also. Medusa falls
+++++back, wounded by the two attacks. She begins to stare at Spirit again,
+++++when a sword slices through her neck from behind. Behind her falling
+++++body is Nightstalker with a ninjato held in his hands.
+++++The Furies turn on the ninja, unleashing their whips at him. The first
+++++whip is dodged, the seconded parried, while the third rips a hole in
+++++his ninja garb to reveal shining chainmail. The gun and the wand fire
+++++again, blasting one of the Furies apart. This happens again, knocking
+++++the second Furie out of the fight. The last falls victim to
+++++Nightstalker's blade.
+++++Spirit tucks her wand back into her belt and draws a small ball out of
+++++a pouch. She throws it at the wall and it hits, smashing a man-sized
+++++hole into it. Spirit dashes into it and Circuit Breaker follows after
+++++tossing a web of circuitry across the City of Dis.
+++++The three deckers move at a fast jog. Nightstalker leads, ever in
+++++shadow. Spirit comes second, moving in the same shadows with her
+++++cloak pulled around her tightly. Circuit Breaker takes up the rear,
+++++the circuitry of her body once again making her disappear into the
+++++scenery. They move into a long hall, where the light is a morbid
+++++crimson. On the walls of hall are tombs with legs sticking out of
+++++them. The legs kick as gout of flames gush out from the tombs. The
+++++Minotaur stands in the middle of the hall, his hand upon the end of
+++++the battle ax which rest head downward on the ground. The deckers
+++++ignore him, rushing past as if the wasn't there.
+++++Next the hallway opens up to a river of boiling blood. Across the way
+++++are four centaurs shooting arrows into the river. Spirit pulls a gem
+++++out of her cloak and peers through it at the river. She then point to
+++++an area off to their right.
(Spirit) "We can cross there."
+++++The three then rush to the ford and cross the river, still jogging
+++++rapidly. One of the centaurs points it's bow at the three, but
+++++Nightstalker tosses a ball that explodes into smoke around the four
+++++centaurs. Before it clears, the deckers are gone.
+++++Gone to a wood of dying, leafless trees and shrubs. Upon the trees
+++++and over the shrubs hang bodies. Many are unrecognizable, but some
+++++are not. From one tree hangs to two bodies. One is F.U.K. the decker
+++++who one hunted Highlander, and the second is that of Kurgan, F.U.K.'s
+++++second icon. Across a bush lies Splut, the first victim of MONICA,
+++++with long thorns protruding from his skin. Another bush holds
+++++Harlequin, the elven decker who died not too long ago. In the middle
+++++of the forest hangs Solitaire, hung up in a lewd pose. Upon her tree
+++++are two harpies, who laugh in evil cackles. Around the forest run
+++++wolves who tear at the branches. When the branches fall off, blood
+++++oozes out of the broken branches.
+++++Nightstalker bares straight at the tree of harpies, tossing two
+++++shuriken at the vile beasts. They strike each one dead between the
+++++eyes. However before they die or act, one is struck by a hail of
+++++bullets that rip it to shreds. The second is hit by a wave of energy
+++++that disintegrates it. And the deckers rush on, Circuit Breaker
+++++stopping just long enough to cast out another web of circuitry across
+++++the harpy corpses.
+++++They then enter a wide plain of sand. People sit and lye upon the
+++++ground with flakes of fire falling upon them from the sky. Through
+++++the middle of the plain lies a path, distinguished by the fact that
+++++no flakes of fire fall upon that part of the plains. The three dash
+++++down the trail, never stopping.
+++++From the plain they come upon a giant well, leading deep down into the
+++++earth. Nightstalker attempts to enter the well and is tossed back by
+++++a blast of wind. Spirit catches him, almost falling over herself.
+++++Circuit Breaker stops next to her and her eyes glow a pure white light.
(Spirit) "You all right, Nightstalker?"
(Nightstalker:) "Sure. I just didn't expect the barrier to be that strong."
(Circuit Breaker) "Well, it's one of the biggest barriers ah ever seen. Ah
don't think we'll be able to sleaze this one."
(Spirit) "The direct approach?"
(Circuit Breaker) "Yeah."
+++++The two lady deckers move apart. Circuit Breaker unleashes bolts of
+++++lightning from her arms, lashing at an invisible wall above the well.
+++++Spirit pulls out two wands, one firing lightning bolts and the second
+++++letting of disintegrating energy. The energy of the three attacks bounce
+++++of the wall violently, causing the entire node to rock. Then out from
+++++the well comes a beast.
+++++The beast bears a human face, one of an attractive, honest man, but it
+++++has huge hairy paws and a scorpions tail including an evil looking
+++++stinger. Nightstalker leaps forward tossing a shuriken at the beast
+++++and drawing his ninjato. The shuriken causes minimal damage, but makes
+++++Nightstalker the target of its wrath. It dives at the ninja, pawing
+++++with it's claws and thrusting it's tail forward. Nightstalker rolls
+++++under the attack, the claws ripping the back of his garb, but causing
+++++no wounds. The beast turns around to face the ninja while lightning
+++++continues to blast at the invisible wall over the well. This time the
+++++beast advances slowly, probing forward with its stinger, causing the
+++++ninja to dodge almost frantically. Nightstalker is backed up almost
+++++against the wall by the beast when he turns abruptly and slashes at
+++++the wall. A wide gash appears and the ninja dives through it into the
+++++well.
+++++The beast screams and leaps after the ninja, but is caught in the air
+++++by bolts of lightning. It falls just short of the gash and quickly
+++++get to its feet, spinning to face Spirit and Circuit Breaker. A
+++++lightning bolt from Circuit Breaker strikes it in the face. It turns
+++++it's head to get hit in the face by Spirit's wand of disintegration.
+++++It turns it head back the other way just to be hit by another lightning
+++++bolt from Circuit Breaker. This happens several times before Spirit's
+++++wand blast the beast out of existence. Circuit Breaker then tosses
+++++another web of circuitry over the beast ashes and the two jump into
+++++the well.
+++++Spirit and Circuit Breaker now move into a room that appears to be 10
+++++concentric circles. The system sculpting seems to not have reached
+++++this node as numerous standard slave node entrances leave the node.
+++++The two dash through the node and enter a dungeon. Chained to the
+++++dungeon walls are five giants with a sixth standing free. A well sits
+++++in the middle of the dungeon floor. Spirit walks up to the free giant
+++++and hands it a scroll. the giant looks at it and then picks up Spirit
+++++and Circuit Breaker and deposits them into the well.
+++++The two then drop onto a plane of ice covered in a dense fog. They
+++++walk forward and come upon three people submerged to their necks in
+++++ice. The one in the center speaks.
(ICE) "Who goes there?"
+++++Circuit Breaker steps forward as a hologram of Dante's icon appears
+++++about her.
(Circuit Breaker) "Your master, that's who."
(ICE) "What of the other?"
(Circuit Breaker) "She has her pass."
+++++Spirit reaches down and shows the man in ice the same scroll she
+++++showed the giant. The two deckers than move forward across the ice.
+++++More people appear in the ice, frozen tears upon their face. Spirit
+++++and Circuit Breaker begin to shiver from the cold fog. The tears on
+++++the faces of the people in ice begin to freeze higher and higher upon
+++++their faces until they seem to freeze just after they are produced.
+++++Finally the head fall beneath the ice with only their faces appearing
+++++under the ice below. The fog thickens and a slight wind blows. The
+++++two deckers begin to shiver uncontrollably.
(Spirit) "I can't get this damn cold to stop affecting me."
(Circuit Breaker) "Me neither. This is one damn powerful sculpted reality.
Just one more reason to get Dante."
(Spirit) "I wonder what happened to Nightstalker."
(Circuit Breaker) "Ah've been wondering too."
+++++Finally the wind kicks up to push away the fog and reveals Satan, off
+++++in the distance. The wings of the Prince of Evil flap, generating the
+++++wind that keeps the fog away.
+++++Finally they reach Lucifer. The huge devil is encased in ice, his
+++++torso and head free, but his arms trapped by the ice. He has three
+++++faces, each of them chewing on a person. The front face holds
+++++Solitaire, her head inside of his mouth and her body flailing in agony.
+++++The left face holds Raven, her head, upper torso, and arms hanging out
+++++as he chews on her legs and lower torso. The final head, a red one is
+++++chewing on IBA, his torso in its mouth with his arms and legs hanging
+++++free to flail about wildly. Lucifer eyes weep and his six bat-like
+++++wings beat, creating the freezing wind that has filled the last few
+++++nodes.
+++++Beside Lucifer sits Dante, a man in an Italian nobleman's garb from
+++++the era of the great poet Dante. He sits behind a huge oak table that
+++++is covered in blueprints, tri-squares, compasses, scale models, and
+++++various other tools of the trade for a 12th century scientist. He looks
+++++up at Spirit and Solitaire, even as his hand continues to write and
+++++speaks.
(Dante) "Excuse me for a moment, if you please. What I am finishing is not
related to you, and nothing here but me will attack you. I must admit that
I am very impressed with your persistence."
+++++Then before anyone is able to take any action, he says something
+++++incomprehensible and a demonic page appears. He pushed the documents
+++++off the table into the page's arms as he stands and looks across the
+++++table to the deckers.
(Dante) "Fools. You should not have let me finish my final alterations to
my grand scheme. Very well. It is certainly just that you will shall be
the ones to fall before me and my creation first. Behold LUCIFER!"
+++++Suddenly a shuriken files out from behind Lucifer's body and strikes
+++++Dante in his right hand as he finishes flourishing his arms. Dante
+++++turns to see his attacker and see Nightstalker charging him. The
+++++ninjas leaps, leading with is right foot. Dante manages to get his
+++++arms up in front of the jump kick, but is sent sliding over the top
+++++of the desk by the impact.
(Nightstalker) "I'm not impressed. Get up and die."
(Dante) "Impressive. I didn't see you arrive. Still your ambush will not
help you win."
+++++Dante rises and a column of light encircles him. It appears just in
+++++time to deflect a dagger that Spirit flung at his back. Dante moves
+++++of to the right, trying to keep the three deckers from surrounding him.
+++++Circuit Breaker opens up with a laser rifle, the first few beams bouncing
+++++of the column of light. Dante begins his counterattack by causing an
+++++icons very similar to that of Nightstalker's, only smaller and with less
+++++detail, to appear and attack his opponents.
+++++Nightstalker and Spirit lazily parry the attacks from the horde while
+++++the blades of those around Circuit Breaker bounce off her force field.
+++++They circle Dante, tossing testing attacks at his defenses. Most attacks
+++++bounce off the column of light and those that get through are swatted
+++++aside by Dante's hat, which is now in his hand.
(Dante) "Oh, I quiver in fear. Three on one and this is the best you can do."
+++++Suddenly, Dante's hat derezzes as he tires to block a laser beam. It
+++++strikes him leaving a small burn and he stumbles back several steps.
+++++He then scratches violently at the cut on his right hand made by
+++++Nightstalker's shuriken. He then tosses some small scraps of metal aside.
(Dante) "Clever. A hog specially designed to hide from my deck. Too bad
it wasn't more effective or hard to destroy."
+++++Circuit Breaker then breaks into a flash of motion as two submachineguns
+++++replace her laser rifle. She dashes around Dante, attacking from every
+++++angle. The rapid attacks cause the column of light to condense closer
+++++to Dante. Spirit joins in Circuit Breaker in the deadly dance, her wands
+++++of lightning and disintegration blasting away causing the light to waver.
+++++Dante produces a new hat to bat away the errant attacks that get past his
+++++armor.
(Dante) "Now the real attack begins. We'll you three have seen nothing of
my power. Here's one for you, Silicon Slitch."
+++++A fruit tree appears next to Dante, with a large viper wrapped around
+++++it trunk. He gestures at Circuit Breaker and the viper lashes out and
+++++catches her on the leg. Circuit Breaker jerks free, but not before a
+++++sickening tone of red appears all over her icon. Circuit Breaker then
+++++takes several hits pass her force field from the ninja horde she had
+++++been all but ignoring. She backs off dodging and blasting at them to
+++++avoid more damage.
(Dante) "Ha! Ha! Ha! Here's on for you, Whore of Troglodytes."
+++++Dante then tosses a bunch of chains that wrap around Spirit. Manacle
+++++latch around her hands, but she is able to avoid having her feet trapped.
+++++Spirit is then forced back by the horde of ninjas as her movements are
+++++slowed by the weight of the chains.
(Dante) "Now for you, Nightstalker, pathetic slave to a bitch with emotions
of ice... where... ah, there you are!
+++++Dante spins and points at Nightstalker, who is standing in the mist of
+++++the ninja horde unmolested. Flames shot from the ground at Nightstalker's
+++++feet, encasing him in hellfire. Nightstalker charges Dante, hellfire
+++++trailing from his icon. His ninjato forces Dante to retreat until he
+++++finally pulls out a rapier and begins to duel with the decker.
+++++Then a dagger flies through the column of light and is missed by the
+++++batting hat to embed itself in Dante's side. A yelp of pain comes
+++++from Dante, who retreats from Nightstalker's intensified attack. Then
+++++a hail of bullets hits him from the other side, one also slipping past
+++++his defenses. Dante curses and continues his retreat. But suddenly a
+++++pair of hands emerge from the ice and grab one of Nightstalker's feet,
+++++keeping him from continuing his assault.
(Dante) "Oh, you'll pay for that. All three of you will."
+++++An icon of a waif appears next to Dante and plants a soft kiss on his
+++++cheek. His wounds disappear and he begins to stride forward. Dante's
+++++body morphs into an exact replica of Nightstalker's icon as he advances
+++++and then he throws himself at the ninja. He slams into Nightstalker
+++++and the two go down and begin to roll about trying to gain an advantaged
+++++position. Finally, one of the two rises to the top and stops the
+++++rolling. He launches a flurry of punches at the other's face, but is
+++++then flipped over onto his back. They both spring to their feet and
+++++face off.
(Both Nightstalkers) "Get him."
(Nightstalker 1) "He's Dante. Get him."
(Nightstalker 2) "No, he's Dante. Get us both."
+++++The first Nightstalker looks sideways to Spirit and Circuit Breaker,
+++++who grin evilly and toss their attacks at him. He dodges Spirit's
+++++lightning bolt, but is hit by a burst from Circuit Breaker's SMG.
+++++This staggers him, but he pulls himself up to his full high and
+++++proclaims.
(Nightstalker 1) "Let the Host of Heaven Sing!"
+++++Suddenly the entire node if filled with angelic voices. Following the
+++++voices are images of angels singing out their divine melody. This
+++++last for several seconds before they end their song. This leaves the
+++++area containing Nightstalker, Spirit, and two Circuit Breakers.
+++++They turn to each other and one lunges at the other with her hands
+++++pulsating with red light. The second catches her hands in her own,
+++++the same light appearing in her hands. They stand, hands locked in a
+++++contest of strength and power, energy crackling about them. Neither
+++++speaks, their concentration focused totally on the other.
+++++Nightstalker comes up by Spirit, rubbing some oil over his body that
+++++causes the hellfire to disappear. Spirit pulls out a pair of
+++++lockpicks and goes to work at the manacles, quickly freeing herself.
(Nightstalker) "Any idea which is which?"
(Spirit) "Give me a minute."
(Nightstalker) "Don't take to long. Dante's deck should be able to overpower
CB of given enough time."
(Spirit) "I think I got him. Get ready to finish him off."
+++++Spirit pulls out her rapier and a dagger as Nightstalker steps back
+++++and disappears into the shadows. Spirit then charges the Circuit Breaker
+++++to her right, preparing her sword to thrust through her, but at the
+++++last moment she bears left and lunges her blade into the other Circuit
+++++Breaker. The tip sinks it her stomach, producing a cry of disbelief.
+++++The victim's form suddenly morph's back into Dante who takes several
+++++steps back, dragging Circuit Breaker with him. He pulls her and tosses
+++++her past him, producing a knife and tossing it into her back as she tries
+++++to regain her balance. This costs him as Spirit steps up on him and
+++++lances him with her rapier in the leg. He spins and draws his own
+++++rapier in time to block her dagger thrust and the following stoke of
+++++the rapier, but the second dagger thrust rips into his sword arm.
+++++Dante curses and retreats under Spirit's relentless assault.
(Spirit) "Good try, but I tell my partner's icon from any forgery."
+++++Several more steps back produce three new wounds on Dante. One on the
+++++right leg, the torso, and his cheek. Dante's face lights up in rage.
+++++He jumps back several steps and swings up his hand defiantly.
(Dante) "To hell with you, Slitch!"
+++++Suddenly a gout of hellfire ten times as bright as the one that hit
+++++Nightstalker entirely engulfs Spirit. She screams a scream of primal
+++++pain as her icon is tossed back like a rag doll. It hits the ground
+++++smoking and scorched. It flickers as if it going to derezz, but keeps
+++++it cohesion.
(Circuit Breaker) "You fragging bastard! Your going to pay!"
(Dante) "Pay who? Your precious partner will not be party to this game.
It's a miracle that she's still alive. How she's able to stay in the Matrix
is beyond me."
+++++Suddenly you speak.
"Most things are beyond you."
+++++Dante spins to look at you, sensing your presence for the first time.
+++++A look of horror and disbelief cross his face.
(Dante) "Impossible! Your dead. You can't be here! Solitaire is dead!"
+++++You lunge at Dante, locking your hands about his throat. He pushes at
+++++your chest trying to push you away, but to no avail. You jerk him to
+++++his left, placing Circuit Breaker directly behind him. Circuit Breaker
+++++stands her legs two feet apart and her arms spread wide. She winks at
+++++you and you push Dante towards her. Then you quickly take the same
+++++pose as her. A web of green circuitry forms between the two of you,
+++++stretching from arm to arm and leg to leg. Dante is trapped within it
+++++like a fly in a spider's web. Then Circuit Breakers eyes light up with
+++++a blinding white light. A beam of the same white light lances from
+++++her eyes into Dante and he yelps in pain.
(Circuit Breaker) "Ah knew that a frame sculpted like Solitaire would throw
you off.
(Dante) "HA! Good try, but we will meet again some other time."
+++++A red button appears in front of Dante's right hand and he bats it
+++++down. Nothing happens. He bats it again, and still nothing.
(Nightstalker) "You won't get away that way. My little hog disabled that
little function of your deck."
(Dante) "Impossible! I removed your hog!"
(Nightstalker) "No, you removed the diversion. Before it ate away at your
memory, it installed a few routines to disable your logout function. This
was hidden by more sophisticated coding. I'm afraid I can't talk anymore. You
might be able to get it back online. Rot in Hell!
+++++Nightstalker suddenly appears outside the web with a katana made of
+++++green circuitry. He swings it and it impact at Dante's neck. You see
+++++a flash and hear a scream with it and then nothing.
(Circuit Breaker) "It's done. Now, let's see what we can do to help the
physical team."
+++++Nightstalker and Circuit Breaker begin to look around the node, taking
special care to inspect Lucifer himself.
(Nightstalker) "It looks like his entire system is automated. We can shut it
down all from here"
+++++As Nightstalker reaches out to begin the shutdown procedure in the CPU,
+++++the synthesized voice, obviously from outside the node, of Dante comes
+++++into the node. Along with it comes a totally out of place blue
+++++technical screen, probably a direct CPU interface from out in the Real
+++++World
(Dante's voice) "Lockdown CPU controls. Password: 'Christophus Mareilus
Dorkus Maximus Totallus Perspectus Vortexus"
(System) "Lockdown confirmed. Internal control of CPU shunted to Terminal
#0, external. No internal status control available"
+++++Nightstalker, who had just about finished working on shutting down some
+++++of the external nodes, finds that for all his speed and skill, he can't
+++++do anything any more.
(Nightstalker) "Frag. Have you discovered anything about that construct? He
did refer to it as his creation."
(Circuit Breaker) "All I can tell is that this is the most complex form of
viral programming and IC construction that I have ever seen. My deck can't
even analyze more than a snatch here and there."
(Dante's voice) "Engage Lucifer Barrier"
+++++Nightstalker and Circuit Breaker hear this and they both vault away from
+++++Lucifer, running at full speed. Behind them a wall of hellfire, suddenly
+++++erupts from Lucifer himself, scorching the ice and forcing the deckers
+++++away from any of the control functions that Dante hadn't disengaged
+++++already. It totally encircles Lucifer himself, also keeping them from
+++++getting close enough to do anything to the construct.
(System) "System Request?"
(Dante's voice) "IC menu."
(System) "IC menu request?"
(Dante's voice) "Activation sequence, final debug."
+++++Nightstalker and Circuit Breaker grab Spirit, who is still barely in the
+++++Matrix and hopefully recieving medical attention at her meat body, and
+++++pull her away from the extreme heat of the barrier program.
(Nightstalker) "What's he doing?"
(System) ".......Final debug check: No bugs discovered"
"IC Menu Request?"
(Dante's voice) "Compile/Final_L++ Custom"
(Circuit Breaker) "He's starting up a program...but what program?"
+++++Circuit Breaker looks at Lucifer, towering over them....
(System) "Compiling......compiling.........compiling........compiled. Lucifer
v 3.4 ready for activation."
+++++Lucifer, who had been crying tears from all his faces and chewing on the
+++++three deckers Dante hated the most, stops. The detail on him is already
+++++amazing, probably both showing the processing power of the CPUs devoted
+++++to him and the complexity of his code, but his face somehow grows more
+++++distinct.
(System) "IC Menu Request"
(Dante's voice) "Engage activation sequence: Lucifer v3.4/Revelations"
(System) "Revelations confirmed, Activation begun......50%.........75%.......
......100%. Lucifer v3.4 active"
+++++As the system is running, Lucifer reaches up with his six arms and pulls
+++++the bodies out of his mouths, throwing them away off into the fog around
+++++the node. He also stops flapping his wings and the fog in the node begins
+++++to gather. His three faces look at Nighstalker and Circuit breaker, and
+++++he snarls.
(System) "Request Release Confirmation."
(Dante's voice) "Confirmation sequence: Lord_Of_Dis/Lucifer/Satan/King_Of
Pain/Prince_Of_Darkness/Evil_One/Dante's_Inferno/Divine_Comedy/118af64439z2j
SPACEF2ZZmk14siL/Final_Battle"
(System) "Sequence Confirmed. Lucifer v3.4 release confirmed. Awaiting final
instructions."
+++++At the exact time the System said "release confirmed," Lucifer throws his
+++++back, roars, places his hands against the ice, flaps all six wings
+++++violently, and breaks himself free of the ice. Chunks tear free and the
+++++creature himself stands upon cloven hooves, with his shanks covered in
+++++fur, glowering down from his height on the upturned faces of Nightstalker
+++++and Circuit Breaker.
(Circuit Breaker) "Looks like we may have a problem."
(Dante's voice) "Final Instructions: Proceed with Option si...."
+++++Nothing happens. Dante didn't finish his last command, and nothing is
+++++happening. Nightstalker draws his ninjato again and begins to walk toward
+++++the "Lucifer Barrier, still surrounding Lucifer himself, as if to test it
+++++or destroy it.
(System) "Awaiting Completion..............Standdown sequence in 10, 9..."
+++++As the system counts down, something is happening to Lucifer. He screams
+++++in rage as divine light, nearly blinding, spears down from above and
+++++encases him, forcing him back slowly into the ice, imprisoning him again.
(System) ".....8....7....6....5....4..WARNING!!!!! Vital signs monitor reports
cessation of input. God has been destroyed. Lucifer and the Army of Darkness
has been victorious."
"Automatic Instructions: Proceed with Option 0"
"Lucifer v3.4 responding--Option 0 confirmed. Lucifer v3.4 released"
+++++Lucifer, being forced down by the divine light, suddenly laughs, smiles,
+++++and in Dante's now dead voice, says "Not this time..... The world was
+++++your's before. Now it will become the playground for my minions, and I
+++++shall rule YOUR creation." A horrific, demonic light appears, blinding
+++++in its blackness, blood red in its corruption, and full of the screams of
+++++billions of tortured souls, replaces the white light of divine justice
+++++and purity of purpose.
+++++All around Lucifer the ice melts, becomming a floor of boiling blood and
+++++excrement from which the frozen forms rise, showing details that the ice
+++++had previously and gratefully hidden from view. Ghouls, skeletons,
+++++zombies, demons, with snakes for tongues, massess of maggots held together
+++++in some semblance of human form by sheer effort of will, and others too
+++++numerous to mention and horrible to describe rise from the boiling lake.
+++++Before you rises the Army of Darkness rendered into superhuman detail by
+++++the programming of a dead decker an the processing power of 5 CPUs. And
+++++towering over his minions and Nightstalker and Circuit Breaker stands
+++++the Prince of Darkness himself, his three faces smiling and laughing.
(Lucifer) "Leave, while you still can, or I shall kill you and take your souls
to join my army."
(Nightstalker) "I think it's time to leave...."
+++++Nightstalker disappears directly, followed by Circuit Breaker and....
***** End Download ]<<<<<
-- Circuit Breaker (Mission Completed)
