CARNIVAL (The Spark Form Chronicles Book 2) (13 page)

"It is time to ... Light. It. Up," states the electronic announcer. "Competitors ... Begin!"

              "Laqueta sends the Mott forward and it lunges at S, but the Drakalia side steps, swinging a big swipe down across the creature's back."

              "Didja hear that nice solid thud there Dirk?"

              "S spins, lashing his tail against the Mott's back and sending it sprawling. I certainly did Sam. No blood yet though."

              "That's 'cause the Mott ain't absorbed any yet. Once it starts feeding it'll bleed easy, but it'll be S's blood that it's spillin'. Maybe some bodily fluid too."

              "The Mott now avoiding strike after strike, but S is piling the pressure on. Here comes the Diving Lunge ..."

              "An' there goes the Mott, clamping its body over S's face an' shoulder. Looks like ya got that blood now Dirk!"

              "A puddle forming already and it looks like the Drakalia's been poisoned too, which means-brutal follow-up bite by the Mott, this time on S's thigh. Which means another ... two moves now where he's taking extra damage."

              "The Mott goes in for the third attack in the combo chain but S counters with another Diving Lunge, clamping those teeth around its outer rim, an' he follows up with a big ol' fist, right into the creature's body. Fahrn there with a look of pure concentration as she swipes up the next attack an' ... Boom! The Mott slams down hard on the floor."

              "It's straight back up though Sam, and you look at Laqueta, she's ... she's shaking her head actually."

              "She's still in there though, swipin' up a dodge under a roundhouse kick an' followin' up by clamping down on S's tail again. That's another successful poison too, this time for two attacks."

              "The Mott back on the attack, but S rolls to the side, the poison not slowing him down. Laqueta shakes her head again but she's still on the attack and ... what?"

              "Laqueta just hit the deck. We need someone down there."

              "S nails a swipe and now Fahrn's just noticed what's going on, and she's shouting across the Battle Zone."

              "Someone cut the damn music an' get the Medical Team out there, now!"

              "The Connection Team now with both competitors, and Fahrn is going crazy down there."

              "Can ya blame her? This is ... finally. The Med Team now making their way down the ramp."

              "Ladies and Gentlemen, we're going to take a commercial break. When we return, we'll ... well, I don't know. I don't know what we'll do. We'll be back."

              The video feed cuts abruptly.

              Finn would hate this. He'd say that it's a pointless diversion from the prime objective or something like that. I say it's fun. Slade Fury is exactly like he is on screen, all beard and bellowing. Plus, he wanted to watch Meera's match with Fahrn while we plot, plan and scheme our way to victory, so I get to make sure that I go out on a high while still checking that everything else is going to plan.

              "There is a marvellous balance to your deck," he booms. "Tell me, did you use a similar set in your battle with the esteemed Mr Ford."

              "Esteemed ass you mean. Yeah though, I like to focus on low-to-mid cost cards for primary stats with a few high cost ones for weaker stats."

              "Each of which have defensively minded charge effects," he replies, then flashes a big grin my way. "Am I to assume then that 'he who would be king' said something to offend you?"

              "You could say that," I say, glancing back at the TV screen. So far Meera's hanging in there but it shouldn't be too long now before the program finishes up. I wonder if I should have sent Finn down there just in case it pushes Hong Chan too far? Nah, cold as he is, he'd just make it worse. "I'm pretty sure he planned it that way," I continue. "He wanted to push me until I made mistakes."

              Slade lets out a huge, joyous laugh, and looks to the TV screen. "That my dear has always been his way. Did you notice that he himself fell prey to just such a tactic himself with John Forrester? He won't let that one go, I'm sure. Whoever wins this may find themselves grateful that they don't have to face a vengeful legend for third place."

              So he wants to take out his aggression on the loser does he? Such a shame that match won't happen then, isn't it? Poor old Connor Ford.

              I smile, then instantly feel guilty about it. Why though? Because of what's about to happen to a Spark Form that I personally created and so know is absolutely one hundred per cent not alive in any way? That's right Lana, there is no doubt that Meera Thorne is not at the same stage as Carnival and so to toy with the idea of her being more than she is would simply be overselling your own work to yourself rather than accepting the possibility of your own failings. Nope, you're just switching off a machine, that's all. It's not like you're murdering someone, especially since Meera Thorne is already dead. And probably thawing out ready for transport after the match.

              Hong Chan, that must be it. I feel guilty because this was all so important to him and I'm cutting it short. I shake my head.

              'Burning In The Skies' is a good tag style Data Fragment, let's focus on that. It's not like I've really practiced this sort of match and I really do want to finish things up with a win. It's probably a good thing I'm with Slade actually, he's always strong in the non-tournament matches.

              "Lana, grab your deck," Slade says, his voice taking on a sudden urgency.

              "What ... ?" I ask, following his gaze to the TV screen. Ah.

              "We need to get moving," he says, rising to his feet and scooping his deck into his hands in one smooth movement. "We'll drop our decks at the competitor's desk on our way through."

              "Hold on," I say, barely managing to get my cards together as he pushes through the door. "Where are we going?"

              "The entranceway," he yells back. "We may yet be needed."

              I dash to catch up, then settle into a less than comfortable run alongside my surprisingly quick tag partner. "Why are we headed there?" I ask, my mind racing to run through both the risks and potential positives of our apparent planned destination.

              "The medical team don't leave the backstage area unless something goes wrong. That they've come out so quickly means the match will be called off. It's possible that they may bump our match up as a distraction, but my main concern is Starchaser. She and Laqueta are well acquainted, or so Maria tells me. She'll need support right now, I'm sure of that."

              "Maria?" I ask.

              "Her partner."

              "Huh. I kinda figured Fahrn was a bit of a loner," I huff as we turn a corner. "Who knew she was such a social butterfly."

              Slade laughs. "I would hardly call Fahrn Starchaser a butterfly, social or otherwise. I'm not sure that she'd appreciate the comparison."

              "I'm assuming you're close?" I ask.

              "We're friends, yes. Fahrn and Maria are good people."

              Damn. That'll make it harder to avoid him finding out about Meera. I'll have to find a way to keep him away from her ... actually,
that
could work.

              "Meera," I say, and Slade gives me a quizzical look. "Laqueta's real name is Meera. I met her yesterday. She's a nice girl. Look, if they've called the match off, they'll take Fahrn back to see the medical staff, right? Because of the Surge?" Slade nods. "OK, so if we aren't sent out to distract the crowd, did you want to go straight to Fahrn? I don't really know her that well, but I'm sure Meera would like to see a familiar face too, so I'll go to her and see if there's anything I can do to help."

              "A good plan indeed," Slade says with a smile.

              Not really, because now I'll have to see my handiwork first hand. So much for avoiding the guilt.

              The medical team carrying me backstage are different to the ones that I met yesterday. That makes sense. If there's more than one room for people to go to after their matches, each one would need its own team. The way they're moving me, the speed they're carrying the stretcher, it makes it look like the roof is moving. That's probably just my head though. I can't see straight.

              Why doesn't this hurt? I should be in pain. My body is shaking, I'm getting cold, but I'm not sore. I'm just ... fading.

              A convulsion snaps me awake again as the Doctors carefully lay the stretcher on the floor. The room is beginning to spin slower now. And Hong Chan is here. He looks scared. I can see him shouting, hear the noise, but I can't make the words out. I force my mouth open but the sound that comes out is strange, so I reach out to him instead and he takes my hand, his eyes widening.

              The Doctors move quickly towards the sound of an opening door and another shout. Maria Grace. I recognise her voice before she comes to a stop behind Hong Chan, shoving the Doctors aside as she runs across the room. She looks down at me and brings her hands up to her mouth. Her eyes are open like Hong Chan's but they look different to his. Still scared, but confused too.

             
I am dying
, my own voice tells me.
I am dying, but I'm OK.

             
"I understand now," I say, gripping Hong Chan's hand tight as I force the words. "My parents did nothing wrong. What happened on The Wandering Halo was not their fault. Or mine. Or Fahrn's. The things that I did after I left the orphanage were ..." I blink and for a moment I don't feel anything anymore. But I know that I need to say more, so I focus on the cold and let it wash over me.

              "I made bad choices," I continue. "But they seemed like the right choices at the time. At first, I was too scared to let people help me. Then, when I tried, it hurt too much. I just didn't want everything to be taken away from me again. So I lost it all
myself
. I know that I've done ..." Another blink. "... But how it all started, how I was treated was not my fault."

              "Please," I say, looking up at Maria. "Tell Fahrn I'm sorry for how I ..." I feel my head shake. "... when I was with you. You both tried to help me, even when I didn't really deserve it. Tell her that I know it wasn't her fault or mine. Tell her thank you for talking to me again."

              I turn my head to Hong Chang. "Thank you for believing in me and helping me find what I needed. I'm sorry that ..." I close my eyes. "... longer together. I would have liked that."

              Maria screams and sleep takes me.

              The video cuts back in with the crowd in an audible state of discomfort. Down in her competitor area, Fahrn Starchaser is talking rapidly with the Connection Team, visibly distraught as she tries to pull at the cables hooked into the implants in the back of her neck. Meanwhile, the two Spark Forms have been backed up to the edges of the Battle Zone and stand motionless.

              "She's not happy, is she?" asks Dirk Wylder.

              "Ain't nobody cold enough not to be shaken up by that," replies Sam North, his voice sombre. "Not even Fahrn."

              The two commentators remain silent while the camera cuts to a long shot of the Battle Zone, then starts cycling through sections of the crowd.

              "OK, I'm just getting something through now ..."

              "I ain't got no idea why we're even still out here."

              The video feed cuts back to Fahrn, still shouting at the Connection Team as they try to talk her down. One member is holding a headset up to his ears and appears to be trying to relay something to her.

              "Ladies and Gentlemen, I can now confirm that Laqueta fell unconscious shortly after being carried backstage. We aren't being told anything about her general condition, but I do know that she has since regained consciousness and is being prepared for transportation to the hospital."

              "Lookin' at her down there, someone needs to tell Fahrn that."

              "I think they're trying. Right now, I'd guess they've cut the connection, so she's probably hitting a Surge. She's genuinely worried, you can see that, but it's being overblown."

              "So why've they still got her hooked up?"

              "Look at the way she's acting Sam. If they unhook her, she'll bolt. If Laqueta were still backstage, she'd barge in on the Med Team, and if she'd already been taken to the ambulance ... in the state that Fahrn's in now, I don't know what she'd do."

Song: One Saint Down

Band: Gutter Dog

Genre: Horrorcore

              The hip hop beat quickly gives way to the half growled rapping of Quadro's controversial hip hop star, his bloody tale of a fallen priest blaring over the speakers as Dorian Djorkiev II walks calmly out onto the entrance ramp. Unlike yesterday, Dorian has chosen to wear a pair of tattered, dusty military trousers and torn trainers. His face and bare upper body are painted a pale blue-white, making him look like a withered corpse. He flashes a smile to the camera and scratches his tangled black curls, then makes his way slowly out to the centre of the Battle Zone.

              Dorian waits patiently for the music to die down, then reaches a sickly looking hand into his pocket and pulls out a microphone. When he speaks, his voice is eerily calm compared to yesterday. "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Dorian Djorkiev the second, and tonight, I came here to prove a point. Now, don't get me wrong, I didn't have to. I don't owe you people anything, I don't owe my sorry excuse for a family anything, and I certainly don't owe myself anything. The only reason I came here," he continues, the anger rising, "is because that witch wants to come out and run her mouth. That haggard. Old. Remnant wants to come out here and make me out to be some sort liar. I am not a liar! I'm ..."

              Dorian turns and looks at Fahrn, who is still struggling with the Connection Team, and the calm returns to his voice. "... Misunderstood. A lot like you Fahrn."

              "You can tell by the look in her eyes," says Sam North. "She's thinkin' the same as the rest of us. It ain't the time for stuff like this."

              "See," Dorian continues, "we both got a raw deal, didn't we? And why? Because of where we were born. You, now you were born up there in the big black beyond, while I ..." Dorian trails off as a few scatted calls of 'Shut up' ring out from the crowd. Clearly enjoying the reaction, he smiles. "I was born into a loveless home. We both suffered because of something beyond our control and now ..."

Song: Djorkiev

Band: Kieriaki Military Band

Genre: Colonial Regimental Song

              The military drums cut Dorian off mid-sentence, and his smiles drops. The camera pans around with the introduction of the fiddle, settling on the centre of the entranceway just as Tanya Djorkiev steps through the curtain. Despite her advanced years, she is a far cry from being a
haggard old remnant
, instead exuding an instant air of authority as she stands staring at her errant Grandson.

              With a disapproving glare, she starts to march down the ramp, an arena hand dashing after her to hand her a microphone. Although the family jacket is still well worn, and her own military trousers match, it takes on a different air than it did on Dorian. This is not a greyed, dying thing, but a jacket that has faced down the best and come out the other end, scarred but proud. She begins talking just as she reaches the edge of the Battle Zone, cutting the music short as she steps angrily towards her heir apparent.

              "You want me to lose my temper, that is what you want, isn't it Dorian?
That
is why you insult me, why you wear that mockery of our history, because if I do that it will validate your little fantasy and justify why you are the way you are." She stops in front of Dorian and glares angrily, but keeps the rage from her voice. "But I will not do that. I will not play your games."

              An eerie smile creeps across Dorian's face again, the face paint making his eyes appear sunken. "You're angry with me, aren't you Granny Tan-Tan?" Tanya flinches at the childish nickname, and Dorian laughs. "You remember how I used to call you that, right? Yeah, you remember the child I was. The child you and Dad killed with your selfish ..."

              "Lies," Tanya roars. "It is true that you are not the sweet little boy that used to sit on my knee, but it is
you
that took that child away from us. You and your obsession with this game."

              "No," he yells back. "It was
your
obsession with the family legacy that did this to me.
'Oh Dorian, you will grow to be a great player, just like your Father.'
Did either of you ever once ask me if this is what
I
wanted? No, of course you didn't. You were too damn busy beating me for not being good enough."

              The crowd noise has now turned aggressive, the boos and insults fighting to drown each other out. Now it is Tanya's turn to smile. "Do you hear that, Dorian? They can tell the difference between the truth and a sick child's fantasy. Not once did I or your Father ever hit you, much as you tried to goad us. Yes, I think I understand now. You wanted attention. You wanted the spotlight to be on you rather than our family's history. Listen to them, Grandson. The spotlight is yours. Tell me, does it burn?"

              Dorian turns from his Grandmother, laughing maniacally as he starts to walk towards Fahrn. "You see that? My fault she says. It's all
my
fault. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? I bet you've been told that before, haven't you Fahrn? I bet there have been countless people who've told you that the way people treat you is
your
fault. Told you that you've done things that you haven't. And not just you but the rest of your people, am I right? Yeah. You know I'm right."

              Looking back over his shoulder at Tanya, Dorian continues calmly, "People like her. People like her hurt people like
us
Fahrn." He pauses, smiles again and reaches into his other pocket, pulling out a tablet. "I said that I'm going to prove a point tonight," he says, resting the tablet on his bent elbow and tapping at the screen, "and that's exactly what I'm going to do."

              The Hologram of Laqueta's Mott fades down and is replaced quickly by that of a towering mud coloured millipede. Rearing up, the beast has layers of teeth that run from its mouth, all the way down it's underside to the tip of its body, each clattering loudly against another as they move. Its six spherical eyes glow red, a thin layer of smoke rising from each. The camera cuts back to Fahrn, and we see her telling the Connection Team to unhook her.

              "See," Dorian continues, his focus now firmly back on Tanya, "I'm not going to take this crap anymore. And neither should you Fahrn. You and I, we're the same. We both got dealt shitty hands. Now ... It's time to fight back. Goodnight Granny Tan-Tan."

              Dorian hits his tablet and his Spark Form launches across the Battle Zone, heading straight for Tanya Djorkiev. Tanya turns, fear flooding her face as the SF dives at her, but it is cut off at the last moment by a sudden lunge from Fahrn's S. Tanya and Dorian turn back towards the Offland competitor as she steps away from the Sky Control System, takes a microphone and starts a slow walk across the Battle Zone.

              "You and I are the same? How dare you. How fucking dare you, you worthless piece of shit. All this woe is me crap is nothing ... Nothing! ... compared to what me and every other Offlander goes through every fucking day. I have seen people refused service because, like me, they were too damn proud to cover this crap up," she growls, waving her Offland Barcode Tattoo. "I have seen friends die for no other reason than that they were born the same as I was."

              She reaches Dorian and squares up to him, tilting her head upward to look him in the eye. "You? You are nothing like me. You are nothing like my people. You are nothing more than ..."

              Dorian throws a punch and Fahrn hits the ground with an audible thud, her microphone flying across the Battle Zone as the arena staff start to swarm towards the two competitors. Dorian turns to Tanya and takes a step towards her, but Fahrn launches herself from the floor and takes him down, raising her fist to strike just as the staff reach them and try to pull them apart, the crowd going nuts.

              "You could see it comin' Dirk. After what jus' happened with Laqueta, Fahrn weren't any happier about all this than the rest of us. An' there she goes again, forcin' through the staff to get to Dorian."

              "And again, they pull them apart. They're just trying to get them away from each other and ..." Dirk trails off.

              "An update?"

              "Not yet. We're being told to close this one up."

              "Figures, huh Dirk?"

              "You can say that again. Ladies and Gentlemen, we'll be back later with ... who knows what. I'm Dirk Wylder."

              "Yeah. Sam North."

              The screen fades to black just as Dorian and Fahrn pull free again and rush towards each other, the crowd shouting Fahrn's name.