"I'm sorry."  I blinked tears out of eyes and turned back to Zip, who'd be the first one to reach us.  There was no way I could open a passage now, not in the state I was in – and I didn't have time anyway.  All I could think was how I'd let the girl I loved down when she needed me.  "I'm sorry, Lisa."

"It's not your fault."  She kissed me on the cheek.  "You were wonderful.  You always are."

"Isn't this sweet." Zip smiled, the vein on his neck pulsing a sickly green.  "Don't worry – you'll still be together.  Forever…"

Lisa pushed her way between me and Zip, as if she could save me somehow.  "You're still a pig, Zip – infected or not."

"And you'll still be a bitch.  Shall we get this over with?"  He reached out a hand for her and she cowered back, trembling. 

"No!"  Seeing Zip's horrible animal face leering so close to Lisa's made me think of what he'd tried to do to her before, and what he'd done to me.  He was everything evil in the net, infection or no – and she was everything good.  She was my whole life.  It filled me with some kind of twisted rage like I've never felt before and it gave me a kind of strength.  I still had the golden child under my arm, and without really realizing what I was doing I whipped it at him with everything I had.  It wasn't very heavy but it was hard, and it hit him right in the eye – the same one I'd popped in the rec room.  He gave a little scream and stumbled back, and the mace he was holding dropped to the ground. 

Time seemed to slow down again, like it had in the rec room when we'd fought.  I wrapped a hand around the handle of the mace and I know it should've been too heavy for me to lift, much less do anything else.  But I could see Lisa's beautiful face, still red from Zip hitting her, and somehow it wasn't too heavy.  As Zip stumbled to his feet I swung it around hard and released it just before it dug into his shoulder.  He screamed and collapsed against the green wall of the passageway, blood pouring from his toga.

Calisto had broken into a run now, though he was still a ways off.  I could hear myself panting as I took a step towards Zip, and I picked up the mace and held it in both hands.  He was writing in pain, his face blank with shock.  I lifted the mace and took aim at his head.  I stood over him, thinking of all the reasons I hated him, how he'd hurt me and how he'd hurt Lisa and what he'd almost done to her, and I raised the mace a little higher.

I held it there for what felt like forever but I'm sure only a nano or two passed, because Calisto hadn't gotten much closer.  Finally I lowered the mace and spit, a good wad with everything I had, and it hit Zip right between the eyes and he flinched.  I got a good grip on the mace and turned to Lisa.  "Are you OK?"

"Fine." She said, looking stunned.

"Let's go."  I took off down the passage and Lisa was right behind me.  The mace was starting to feel pretty heavy now and it didn't occur to me until much later that I had no way of knowing that touching it wouldn't infect me – it could've had some sort of residual trace of Daemon on it, or something.  I guess it wouldn't have mattered – it was the only chance we had anyway.  But now that my unnatural adrenaline strength was wearing off it was starting to feel like Matrix after a big meal.

We got to the T-junction and turned back the way we'd come.  The mace slowed me down and Lisa caught up to me quickly, carrying the golden child in her arms.  I knew Calisto wouldn't stop to take care of Zip's wounds, and I knew my strength was going fast.  "Stop!" I hissed, and went to my knees.  I mustered up every bit of concentration I had left and closed off the junction behind us.  Panting, I dropped the mace to the ground and started to fall onto my side.

I felt Lisa's hands on my back, holding me steady.  She helped me to a sitting position and gently brought my head to her shoulder.  "It's OK, Enzo.  Rest.  It's OK."

"I'm sorry." I rasped.  "I wanted to delete him, I really did."  One thought was running through my processor – Matrix would have.

"I know.  I know you did."

"I wanted to."  I wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my tunic.  "I wanted, to Lisa.  I should have deleted him for what he did to you, I'm so sorry."

"Stop.  Just be quiet and rest now."

"I'm a coward, Matrix would have done it…"

"Stop it.  You're not a coward!  You're brave, you saved me again."  She kissed my head, over and over.  "You're the bravest sprite I know, Enzo.  You don't have to delete anybody to prove it."

"But-"

"You're not a killer. You'll never be a killer.  Anyone could have deleted him – he was helpless.  It was much braver not to."

"Maybe." I sighed.  There had been a time, once, where Matrix didn't delete someone he could have.  Maybe should have.  Did that make him a coward?

"Just rest.  My brave boy."  I fell against her and let my muscles relax, just for a nano.  I felt totally drained – physically, mentally, and especially emotionally.  "You always find a new way to amaze me, Cutie – you know that?"

"Huh?"

"You started surprising me with that first kiss."  She smiled and kissed my nose.  "And you've never stopped.   Are you OK?"

"I guess."  I grunted and sat up.  Every muscle ached.  "I'm getting pretty tired of this, though."  I looked at the mace, lying next to me, a couple of the points now tipped with blood.  "I don't want to run anymore.  Let's finish this once and for all, while we're still strong enough to stand a chance and Zip is offline.  He won't be for long."

"I'm pretty sure you broke his arm, Cutie."

"Maybe.  But when someone is infected by Daemon they're not normal – she'll make him keep going no matter how much pain he's in.  Until he loses so much blood it deletes him, anyway."

"Oh, my…"

"He deserves to delete." I scowled.  I'd never felt that way about anyone except Megabyte – and even there I'm not sure how I'd feel if I looked him in the eye.  The most terrible things he'd done were during my "absence" before the restart, and while I'd heard all about them it wasn't the same as being there.  But with Zip I was sure – I hated him in a way I'd never hated anyone.  Any sprite that'd try and do what he was planning to do to Lisa – or any girl – deserved to delete.  And Lisa wasn't just any girl – she was the one I wanted to be with forever.

But I didn't want to be the cause of it.  Let whatever happened happen – I wouldn't delete him or anyone, not if I could help it.  Not unless I had to do it to save someone I loved.  To mend and defend.  But we still had a game to win, and the User wasn't a sprite like Zip who'd die if his game character did.  "We've got to kill the User – it's the only way.  If we keep running we'll get weaker and weaker until they trap us and we're helpless, and Zip probably will bleed to deletion.  Let's kill the User and end this thing."

"I'm all in favor of it, Sweetie – but how?"

"We'll make our last stand." I sighed.  "Find a good spot and wait for him and when he comes – take our best shot.  And if he doesn't find us, just let the clock run out.  I don't think that'll happen, though."

"What if it's Calisto who finds us – or even Zip?  We'll waste our strength fighting them and even if we win, the game won't be over."

"I know.  But I have an idea."

Lisa smiled wearily.  "I thought you might, somehow.  What is it?"

"I'll partition us in."

"What?"

"Trap us – inside a box.  We'll find a spot and I'll seal it off, so the only way inside is to go over the wall.  Only the User can do that."

"Crash." Lisa said softly.  "We'll be trapped inside with him, then."

"I know.  But it's the only thing I can think of."

She squeezed my hand.  "I'd feel better if we both had a weapon of some kind – this little golden girl isn't much of one.  And that mace is as big as you are, practically."

"Yeah!  But it's all we have, so…"

"Maybe not." She frowned thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?"

"I know you're tired, Enzo – but can you still shift the walls around?  If you have to?"

"I'll have to anyways – to seal us off." I sighed.  "So I guess the answer has to be yes."

Lisa smiled.  "One of us could hide – on the opposite side of a wall.  With the mace.  And when the User comes, you could open a gap and they could come through and surprise the User."

"Crash – that's not bad!  We sure wouldn't have much time, though."

"It's better than letting him see what's coming, isn't it?"

"Yeah.  I…  I could get in a clean shot, maybe-"

"Not you, Cutie.  Me."

"What?"  It was a struggle not to shout.  "Lisa, no-"

"Listen!"  She grabbed my hands and leaned in close.  "You're tired and weak – you've been keeping us both processing since we got in here.  Save your strength to shift the maze.  I'm not as wiped out as you are – I'll have a better chance to take him out with one shot."

"But…  Lisa-"

"Trust me." She smiled and kissed my forehead gently.  "Let me do this, Enzo – it's the best way.  Just rest and save your strength so you'll be ready."

"All right." I sighed.  Even as exhausted as I was I could see she was right, even though my pride was a little hurt.  It was her idea, anyways.  "But when you swing the mace, let it go right before it actually hits him – I don't want you getting infected and I'm not sure how it works.  Both of you touching the mace might be enough."

"Right."  She picked up the weapon in both hands and hefted it slowly. "Cursors and crashes, Enzo – this thing is heavy!"

"I know."

"How did you swing it so hard?"

I shrugged.  "Dunno.  I saw Zip reaching for you and I…  I just did, I guess."

Lisa set the mace down and put her arms around me.  "You really are the most amazing sprite, you know that?"

"I just didn't want him to hurt you any more."

"I know." She squeezed me and smiled.  "I'll manage it, somehow.  Are you strong enough to keep going?"

"Hang on a nano."  I closed my eyes and urged my brain to work, one more time, to try and get some idea where we were.  "Codeswap it.  This is as good a place as any – there's passageways on either side of us, so you can hide.  Let him come to us, for a change."  I grunted and felt myself swaying as I sealed off the corridor several steps away from us.

"Are you OK?"  She was holding my steady, just like she had been for micros.

"Yeah."  I panted.  I opened my eyes and looked around.  We were effectively boxed in – I'd closed off the only access.  Our cell was a passageway maybe ten steps long.  "Now all…we can do is wait.  And…rest."

"I doubt we'll have to wait long." Lisa sighed.

"Yeah.  Let's…  Let's go right…to the center and wait there – we don't know which way he'll be…coming from."

"Right."  I could barely walk, and Lisa had to help me to the center of our pen.  We slowly lowered ourselves to the floor, as far from the walls of the passage as possible.  I closed my eyes and leaned my weight against her.

"How will we know where I should hide?" Lisa said after a few nanos.  "There's passageways on all four sides."

"When he gets very close, I'll feel him.  He feels different than Zip and Calisto.  I should be able to tell which direction he's coming from, and I'll open a path to the opposite passage so you can hide in there.  Then when he comes in, I'll open the way."

"Oh Enzo…  Will you be able to?  You're so tired.  If you can't open the way again you'll be trapped in here by yourself!"

I opened my eyes to look at her, trying to give her confidence.  "I'll be fine. I just need to rest a few millis, I promise."

"Enzo."  She sighed deeply and smiled.  "You're my hero, Cutie."

"I just want you to be OK, Lisa.  I just want this over.  It's my fault it happened." 

"It is not."  She hugged me and I went stiff for just a nano, but I couldn't resist and I hugged her back.  I wanted her to be angry with me, somehow – I deserved it and I knew we were only delaying the inevitable.  But I was defenseless when she hugged me, and I was so tired and scared and she was so soft and warm and I put my head on her shoulder and she put hers on mine, just like in the directory trees, and I tried not to cry.

"I'm sorry all this happened.  I'm sorry Zip… I'm sorry he… touched you."

"I know.  It wasn't your fault, Enzo.  He's sick."

"If…  If we get out of here-"

"Hush.  Don't talk about that now.  Let's just worry about getting through this, OK?"

"OK." I whispered.  It's funny, but even though she looked different in the game her hair and her skin smelled just the same as they did in RL.  With my eyes closed it was so easy to pretend we were safe, and I'd be able so stay in her arms forever.

"Are they close, do you think?"

"I…I don't think so.  Not very close.  Calisto's probably trying to find another way in here."

"They'll be here soon enough, I guess." Lisa sighed.  Neither of us said anything for a couple micros after that – I think we were both exhausted and scared and just out of things to say.  Besides, when we hugged each other it was incredibly comfortable – it was like we fit somehow.  It was safe, it was warm, just totally wonderful…

"Enzo?"  My eyes snapped open. "Are you asleep?"

"No." I mumbled.  I think I had drifted off for a few nanos, and that was the worst possible thing I could do – asleep, I wouldn't be able to sense the User coming and he'd be on us before we could be ready for him.  "I can't – I have to stay awake."

"You can nap for a few nanos if you want – I'll keep watch-"

"No."  I blinked a few times and sat up.  I gave Lisa a weary smile.  "I could let you hug me all cycle – but I have to stay awake, the User will be here soon."

"I could hug you all cycle."  She kissed me gently on the nose and stroked my cheek.

User, she was beautiful – gold hair or dark, she was everything I could ever imagine.  Her eyes were the same as always – dark and warm and gentle, and looking right through me.  At that nano the thought that I might never kiss her again was suddenly too much to bear.  I leaned in close, took her face in my hands and softly kissed her on the lips.  "I love you so much."

"Enzo?"  She looked surprised.

"Sorry!" I closed my eyes and turned away.

"It's all right-"

"I shouldn't have kissed you.  Not so soon after – you know…"

"It's all right!"  Lisa slowly tuned me back to face her.  "This has nothing to do with that, Enzo.  Nothing at all."  She kissed me, light as a pixel.  "You just surprised me a little bit, that's all – like you always do."

I kissed her again, softly, on her cheek.  I could have kissed her forever.  "You're the most amazing sprite I've ever met."

"So are you."  We kissed again, right on the lips, and broke our record for intensity by a gigabyte.  We kissed forever, our lips dancing over each other's, until the kiss was all I was and all I ever wanted to be.  It was everything in the net and the web and whatever else is out there besides.  Compared to that kiss, Daemon was a nanobyte in the data sea and always would be.

Maybe it was because we were both desperate and scared and thought we might delete or be infected any nano, I don't know. Maybe it was even because we were in older sims.  But there was something different to kissing her this time, not like any of the others.  More intense.  But I still felt hesitant, like I was threatening her or something.  "I…  Are you sure it's OK?  After what they did to you?"  We didn't even break off the kiss – we just kept going, right through the question.

"Enzo – it's all right.  It's more all right than ever."

I had to see her face – If I didn't I was sure I'd delete right there.  I pulled back and my hands were in her hair and I saw her smile, her soft eyes, and I kissed her lips and her cheek and her forehead and even her ear.  I knew right then and there that we'd be OK – that in a net where something as amazing and wonderful as kissing a girl like Lisa could happen, Daemon didn't stand a chance against us.

I felt like I was possessed – not by Daemon, but by some other force that was controlling my every thought and movement, and I never wanted it to stop.  I held her gently and sighed.  "I love you.  I'll always love you."  I knew I should be afraid, nervous, but I wasn't – I didn't really have a clue what I was doing except that my processor was on auto-pilot and I knew it was right, and I felt like Lisa and me were alone in the net, forever. 

"Enzo…"

My lips were back on hers again, soft and warm and sweet on to the touch.  "I'll never let anyone hurt you again.  I promise.  I'll take care of you and keep you safe and I'll never leave you."

"I know you will."  Her hands were in my hair and we were hugging again, clinging to each other.  "You're my hero, Enzo.  My brave boy."

"And you're my angel."  I held her and smelled her hair and even softly kissed her neck, and felt myself lost in her, and I didn't want to believe the feeling in my processor at first.  But it grew stronger and stronger and she felt my body tense up and she knew why.  I closed my eyes tightly and tried to wish the feeling away but it wouldn't go, no matter how much I wished it.  I sighed and pulled away from Lisa and mouthed "He's close."

"Where?" she asked silently.  I closed my eyes again and tried to focus, and my problem now wasn't being exhausted – my whole body was shot through with more energy than it could handle – but that my processor was running on turbo mode and it didn't want to concentrate.  I think I discovered the miracle cure for tiredness that cycle, at least.

My senses were sharper with my renewed energy, and there was no doubt in my mind that it was the User I was sensing.  I thought I could feel Zip or Calisto too, but not close – far enough away that I almost couldn't sense them and I couldn't tell which one it was.  The User was to our left, moving slowly in the long corridor, then behind us.  Circling, confused maybe.  Looking for a way in.

I peeked up at the sky quickly and found the moon.  It was no good – too high in the sky, still.  No escape there.  I felt the User hovering close-by, and I figured he knew something was going on – that the walls around our chamber weren't there by chance.  He knew there was a space inside, closed off from the rest of the labyrinth.

It was time to take a chance.  There was no easy way for him to get into the passageway to our right – he could do it if he jumped a couple walls, but I figured he wouldn't – he knew where we were, most likely.  I grabbed Lisa's hands and gave her what I hoped was a confident smile, and closed my eyes.  I was shaking and my heart was pounding but I blocked everything out as well as I could and after a few nanos of effort I parted the walls, giving Lisa a small gap to slip through.

Lisa sighed and kissed me on the cheek, then handed me the gold child, nodding intently.  It wasn't much of a weapon, but it was all I had.  I took it and, though I hadn't planned to, I slipped the wings and their harness off my back and slipped it around Lisa's shoulders.  They were so light I'd almost totally forgotten they were there.  Lisa frowned and started to try and give them back, but I shushed her and pointed to the wall.  With a disapproving glare she knelt and scooped up the mace in both arms.  She looked ridiculously small holding it and for a nano I started to think our plan was totally hopeless, that there was no way she could possibly use it effectively.  But she was actually taller than I was and probably weighed as much or more and it didn't matter anyways – we were committed now, like it or not.  It was this or infection. 

Lisa walked over to the gap in the wall and slipped through into the other passageway.  She turned to look at me and smiled, and I had a horrible thought that this might be the last time I ever saw her face.  I banished it as quickly as I could – the User was still out there, moving back across to our left again.  I took one last look at her and stored the image of her beautiful face in my mind forever.  I closed my eyes and in the darkness I felt the walls move and the gap close, and when I opened them all I saw was a wall of green.

I could feel the User there, sense him right on the far side of the opposite wall.  His energy was totally different from Zip or Calisto, maybe because the infection was stronger in him or maybe because he was a User and not a sprite.  I couldn't help but be afraid, sensing him there, knowing that in a few nanos I'd be facing him and maybe my own deletion.

I didn't have to wait long.  I backed away into a corner, something I'd normally never do when someone bigger –and who isn't bigger, crash it all – was coming after me.  But I wanted Theseus to have to come at me, to leave the center of the chamber and have to turn to face me.  There didn't seem to be much chance there'd be enough time for Lisa to do anything – but maybe, at least, she'd have a chance to get away after I was infected.  The gap in the wall would still be there and she had the wings…

There was a little stab of pain in my processor, as if the energy from the User was spiking, and a flash of reflected moonlight appeared in the air above the wall of the passageway.  The User landed unsteadily near the center of the chamber, and it was shockingly loud – a thunderous crash of weight onto the ground, a clanking of iron as his sword and shield rattled against each other.  He wasn't graceful, but he more than made up for it by being big.  And User, was he big.

I backed away into my corner, holding the puny gold child out in front of me and listening to my heart thumping in my chest.  A stray thought popped into my head  - This isn't fair!  I'm too young to be infected!  It wasn't what I wanted to be thinking but that's how stray thoughts are.  The User took a nano to get his bearings, looking around him.  His Theseus body was amazing – he was tall and broad-shouldered with huge muscles, shaggy hair and a thick black beard.  He would have looked heroic if it weren't for the sickening green glow at his neck.

Once the User focused his eyes on me he took a step closer, eyes darting around the sealed-off passageway.  I've never been more afraid in my life – not even the first time I faced off against an infected User.  Maybe I was too young to know better then, but that had still felt like a game in a lot of ways.  An adventure.  Now all I could think about was how much I didn't want to delete, and how strange oblivion must feel.  The User took another step, not removing his sword from its scabbard.  "Two."

"What?" I rasped, my voice sounding high and thin and scared.

"There were two."  He smiled a cold smile and advanced.

"She's where you'll never find her." I said as defiantly as I could.  "She'll tell everyone what's happened when this game is over, and they'll delete us before we can infect anyone else.  You'll lose."

"She will join us before the game ends."

"No!  She has the wings, now – you'll never catch her."

The User hesitated, and I could see that he was thinking or trying to talk to the others, or something.  The memory of the wings was in there – as the User, he'd know about them.  He scowled and advanced on me.  "So be it.  By the Gods, she will be found."

I slid a couple of steps along the back wall, trying to get Theseus pointed away from the left side of the passageway.  I'd never tried to change the maze without closing my eyes and concentrating before, but I knew if I did that it'd tip him off.  It was incredibly hard trying to do it with my eyes open – everything I saw distracted me and scattered my concentration – and I gasped and felt my face scrunch up but I figured the User would just figure it was from fear.  "You'll never get her.  Never!"

"Why do you resist?  It is pointless.  My Lady's will is all-powerful." I wasn't even sure if I'd managed to open a gap in the wall but the User was so close now and so big that he blocked my whole field of vision.  He raised his arm and reached for my neck. 

I fell to my knees and my throat tightened up and I was terrified, but my arms remembered how to work and I flung the gold child at him from close range and he was forced to stop and raise his shield quickly.  It skimmed of the shield and clipped the side of his head loudly and he gasped and staggered back, blood dripping from a small cut above his ear.  It took him just a nano to get his balance, then he smiled and reached for me again.

"No!  Please!" I squeaked, wanting not to delete more than I've ever wanted anything in my life.  I cowered and made myself as small as possible and then there was a loud "thunk" and Theseus' eyes opened wide and he fell.  Right on top of me.  I closed my eyes and wondered what infection would feel like.

After a nano had passed and I didn't feel any different I opened my eyes and the User's face was close to mine, screwed up in pain.  I was so close to the corner that he'd fallen against the walls and never touched me.  I saw blood dripping from a huge hole in his right side and scrambled out from under him.  There was a loud slap as he reached for my ankle and missed and his hand slammed into the ground.  I pushed myself to my feet and I saw Lisa reaching for the mace on the ground and I took a step backwards and tripped over the gold child and fell on my bitmap.  My ankle twisted under me and I howled as a sharp pain shot up to my processor.

The User staggered to his feet just as Lisa scooped up the mace and he reached for her, just as she was trying to draw the huge weight back for another swing.  I grabbed the gold child and whipped it and it clanked off his face and he teetered again, and then there was a snapping noise as the mace shattered his left leg, just below the knee, and he screamed and went down like a directory tree, right between me and Lisa.

Our eyes made contact just for a nano and I could see hers' shining with fear and excitement, and then the User tried to push himself up and Lisa and I dove back.  His leg buckled and he fell again, growling and reaching for her.  His huge bulk was between her and the mace, now, and I did the only thing I could think of and yelled to get his attention.  "Leave her alone!"

His head swiveled to face me and his blood was everywhere and his leg was twisted at an angle I've never seen one twisted before.  But he wasn't deleted and the pain wasn't enough to totally shut him down.  I picked up the gold child and whipped it at him again and he raised his arms to fend it off, and Lisa chose that nano to dive over him and grab for the mace.  He snarled and twisted himself to reach for her, and I saw the hilt of his sword pointing towards me. It was in his scabbard, not touching his body, so I took a chance and reached for it, not knowing what would happen.

My skin touched the metal and I didn't feel infected – or any different at all – so I yanked it free.  It was lighter than the mace but still deleted heavy, and the blade was almost as long as I was.  Lisa had managed to grab the mace and she was trying to grip it properly while staggering backwards as the User crawled after her, and she was having a hard time.  Not only that, she was running out of room, backing herself into the same corner that I'd been trapped in.

My ankle was throbbing and I could barely stand, but I pushed myself upright and hopped towards them.  I knew I wouldn't be able to thrust with the sword and still let go of it before it touched the User, so I lifted it as high as I could and swung it like an axe and screamed as loud as my throat would scream and released it as it sliced into his arm and there was more blood.  Some games are more realistic than others and unfortunately this was one of the realistic ones.  I hate all that blood and stuff – I'll never get used to it.

The User gasped and writhed and looked first amazed, then angry.  "You will serve her or die!"

"That's what you think!"  Lisa had used the nanos the chop from the sword had given her and she had the mace poised over her head, her eyes dark and burning and her jaw set.  "You leave my Enzo alone!"  I turned away as the mace made contact with The User's skull and felt a shudder go through me as the game cube shimmered and danced with energy.

"GAME OVER"

I dropped to my knees, totally exhausted.  Lisa had fallen forward from the momentum from her last swing of the mace and she was sprawled on the ground, motionless.  I screamed her name and I was terrified for a nano that she was hurt or infected, but she was just worn out like I was – she looked up at me and her eyes were clear and bright and her hair was golden again and she smiled.  We crawled towards each other and she fell against me.  "Enzo!"

"Are you OK?  Are you OK?"

"Yes.  Yes, I'm fine." She panted.  "You're not hurt?"

"No.  Just my foot, I'm OK." She buried her face in my shoulder and I kissed her head and squeezed her tight enough to break her ribs, and I felt so happy to be alive that I though I might pop right there.  "Oh User, Lisa.  You're really OK?"

"I'm fine, Sweetie.  I thought I'd lost you, when he fell on you-"

"I know. Oh, User…"

"Enzo…  I really thought I'd lost you.  If anything had happened to you-"

"I know."  I held her face in my hands and just stared at her, amazed and relieved and exhausted and trying not to lose it completely.  "You saved me."

"We saved each other."  She smiled and kissed me and I kissed her back.  I never wanted that nano to end and spammit, we deserved not to have it end – hadn't we done enough that cycle?  But my processor sort of kicked and sputtered back to life and I remembered that Zip and Calisto were still infected and the pain in my leg came back like an awful memory.

"Shit." I whispered.  I could see a form coming towards us down the hillside.  I opened a vidwindow and I couldn't even remember anyone's IP address so I just opened a general one and half-shouted into it.  "Help!  We…  The game cube was infected and there are infected sprites at the Academy.  We need help immediately!"

Calisto strode towards us and Lisa and I stumbled to our feet.  We backed away from him and I could see the green pulse from his neck glowing in the darkness.  Lisa fiddled with her ring nervously.  "You turned out to be a real pain in the ascii, Infant."

"It's over, Calisto.  There's teachers and uninfected cadets all over this place – if you don't give up they'll delete you."

"They'll all serve our Lady." Calisto sneered.  That sneer, at least, hadn't changed.

Problem was, Lisa and I didn't have any weapons now that we were out of the game – we were defenseless. We turned to run but I could barely walk, much less run, and even though Lisa tried to help me, with my weight leaning on her we were way too slow.  And there was no sign of anyone coming to help us yet.

I managed to pull out my zip board and Lisa pulled out hers and we started away, only to see Zip stumbling towards us.  I'll never forget the sight – the whole left side of his body was dark red with blood and his arm was hanging loosely from his shoulder.  His face was all screwed up tight, and there was almost no color to it – the pain must have been unbelievable but somehow Daemon's infection wouldn't let him collapse.  I knew he'd delete soon if he didn't get to a hospital.

That wasn't our biggest problem right then, though – he was still coming, straight towards us, and between he and Calisto they had us pinned back against the boys' dorm building.  "This ends now, Sprout." Zip snarled, advancing closer.

"Byte me!"  I threw myself in front of Lisa but she wouldn't have any of that – she wrestled her way next to me and on one leg there was nothing I could do to stop her.

"You're going to die, you know." She said in a calm voice.  "You'll bleed to death."

"It's not important."  Zip's voice was ragged and strained.  "I'd enjoy deleting the two of you, but unfortunately you're needed.  You don't deserve to receive our Lady into you – but you will."

"Lisa was right – you are still a pig."  The thought that entered my mind was how pointless and stupid it was to be infected now, after surviving the game.  I put my arms around her and coiled myself as well as I could, thinking about one last try to escape even though I knew we were hopelessly trapped.

Then a bunch of things happened.

First of all, there was a flash of movement to our right and Calisto went tumbling to the ground, and the rest of us spun to see what'd happened.  I caught a glimpse of blond hair and saw Ray swooping around and coming back towards us.  He headed straight for Zip.  "You kids all right?  User, Mate – what happened to your arm?"

"Look out!" I shouted.  "He's infected!"  Ray veered off but Zip reached out with his good arm and knocked it into Ray's board, and both of them went tumbling head over heels to the ground.  Zip rolled down the hill and was motionless - Ray lay still for a nano or two, then slowly lifted his head, looking dazed.

The next thing that happened was that, like in slow motion, I saw Calisto appear just behind Ray.  I screamed "No!" as loud as I could and Ray started to turn, but then Calisto's hands were on his neck and he struggled for a nano, and was still.  And when Calisto moved his hands, Ray's neck was pulsing with green light.  "Ray!  No!"

I heard Lisa gasp "Oh, my User!" next to me and I felt totally stunned and defeated, like all the fight had been drained out of me.  Ray was infected.  Then I felt Lisa's hand around mine and I saw Ray and Calisto moving towards us and I leaned against her and got ready to jump in front or her.  Or something.  Anything.

The next thing that happened was a flash of very, very bright light that made me shield my eyes with my arm.  Then what looked like a sort of rip – not a tear, but something very neat and well-defined – opened up in the air itself, and a man stepped through.  But not like any other man I'd ever seen.  He was tall, muscular and dressed in what looked like ultra high-tech silver armor.  His hair was a brilliant gold, short-cropped, and his eyes were jet black.  Where his icon should have been, on his chest, was a brilliant blue-black stone that emitted a light from its center.  And he was holding a long, shiny staff, with a jeweled tip.  Even though I'd never seen one before, I knew exactly what it was.

A Gibson-Coil Pike.