Suddenly, a hand grabbed her by the arm and spun her around. It was a navy officer, his helmet tight on his head. He raised the front and scowled. “Come on, soldier. Get it together. People are dying out there. Get a move on.”

  He slapped his visor shut and fell in behind a line of sailors and soldiers who ran toward a door to the outside at the end of the hall. Stephanie shook her head and ran after them. She ducked beneath a fallen beam as she stepped out of the dark and into the light of day. Her feet slowed almost immediately and surprise took over.

  This was not the peaceful rippling and majestic shores of Meligorn. It was not the ravaged and ruined post-apocalyptic rocky terrain of Dreth. It was Earth. And not anywhere on Earth. She stood planted on the same sidewalk where she used to stand with Todd talking about pop culture and math tests. The same school she had attended since she was a kid. It was war-torn and crumbling but still the same place.

  Her surprise left her stunned, but only momentarily. A streaking laser hissed past her face, singed a few pieces of hair, and brought her back to the war that unfolded around her. She looked up with wide eyes as the Dreth pirates raged, marched on the humans, and laid waste to what had already been considered a ghetto.

  Stephanie gritted her teeth, slammed her hand on the battery, and drew the energy from it. She twisted her hands to create a whirling purple orb. As the energy built, she moved her feet again, this time at a quickened pace as she hurtled toward one of the Dreth. She continued to manipulate her hands to grow the orb until finally, she was close enough to take a shot. Her eyes narrowed in concentration, she released her magical weapon with her full strength behind the throw to deliver a punishing strike to the pirate. She continued to run as she drew more energy. Up ahead was a pile of rubble with a platform on top. She sprinted faster and used some of the magic to launch herself up the side. As her feet found purchase on the platform, she released her magic and hundreds of small bullet-shaped pulses erupted into the massed battle that continued to rage.

  Instinct reminded her not to remain in the open and she scrambled off the elevation and immediately broke into a run. A familiar voice yelled in pain and she slowed to turn her head right and left as panic rose in her throat. To her right, a guy lay on the ground, his hand up toward the Dreth who towered over him. Stephanie took a couple of steps closer and the helpless figure turned his head, his eyes hopeful.

  Her lungs seized in her chest as she registered what everything in her refused to accept. Todd lay dying on the ground. She cupped her hands and drew in as much magic as she could. In mid-sprint, she released it in a single enormous ball that rocketed into the Dreth pirate about to stab Todd with a large, sharp sword. The attacker shrieked loudly and disintegrated in front of her. She hurried to Todd’s side, helped him to his feet, and put her arm around his waist.

  She knew it wasn’t real, that it was only a simulation, but it was a perfect replica, even down to the smell of the cheap body spray he had always worn. Another Dreth pirate approached at a run with sharp teeth that dripped drool and a long golden pitchfork in his claw. Stephanie shoved Todd down on a pile of rubble and slapped her hand against her battery. There was no response. No feeling of energy, no feeling of magic, nothing. She fumbled in her pocket and drew it out in disbelief. The stone was cold and empty.

  She rolled her eyes, threw it on the ground, and pushed her sleeves up. The pirate drew closer and closer but she was determined to test her theory. She lowered her hands and focused on her senses, but nothing came except the enraged attacker. Time seemed to slow as she tried again and again before she finally drew her guns and fired directly into the Dreth’s face.

  The pirate’s head fragmented and his body slumped instantly. Angry, Stephanie thrust the guns into their holsters and stormed over to a large pile of rubble. She scrambled to the top and raised her hands. “Time out! Stop the game,” she demanded harshly and assumed the AI would respond.

  Everything froze. She lowered her hands and pursed her lips. After a few seconds, the AI spoke from above as if it came from the heavens. “You are not normally authorized to stop in mid-fight but I was given the allowance this time. What can I do for you?”

  Stephanie pointed at the ground where her battery lay. “This is not accurate. Just because I don’t have a battery doesn’t mean my magic stops.”

  The AI paused. “It does. The battery gives you what you need to begin, but there is no magic to collect on Earth. You must therefore use your human skills.”

  Stephanie shook her hand back and forth. “No, no, no. That is not how I work. I have been working on a theory—one that is backed by research and personal experience. There is energy here on Earth. It is similar to the energy and magic found on Meligorn but the problem is that humans don’t know how to tap into it anymore. It’s been lost for thousands of years, stamped out by a bunch of old rulers in the middle ages.”

  The AI responded in a monotone voice. “I am not familiar with this energy. It is not programmed in my system.”

  She sighed with real frustration. “Of course not. It is only referenced in the deepest parts of the net. The bigwigs don’t want humans to know of this.”

  “How is it like the Meligorn magic?” the AI asked.

  Her eyes narrowed as she tried to focus on the challenge. She would have to do her best to explain with limited knowledge. “Okay, so MU is a kind of energy that allows the user to twist it and bend it to their personal will. The scale here on Earth is the same, in essence, but instead of magical energy, it’s light energy. It has different spectrums to it. The Earth spectrum is more refined and more powerful. At the same time, it is much harder to tap into. When you do, you could easily fry your circuits.”

  The AI didn’t answer but the simulation remained frozen. Stephanie looked around, unsure as to whether the disembodied assistant was still present. “Hello?”

  “Yes, sorry. I thought I might be better to discuss this matter with,” Burt replied. “If what you are saying is correct, then there will be places in which this light energy is stronger or more abundant.”

  Stephanie licked her lips and clapped her hands, relieved that he had intruded and replaced the usual AI. “Yes. Yes. I thought about that too. I wondered if maybe it had to do with the significant places on Earth, like the Temple on Meligorn. Or perhaps geographical things like the equator.”

  He listened for a moment while he ran a search in the background for supernatural, magical, or strange locations. “What about ley lines?”

  She thought about it for a moment and then nodded. “Sure, uh…yeah, that could be something. Does it look like it could make a difference?”

  BURT immediately began to calculate the major ley lines spoken about in the past. He ran the numbers, the occurrences, and the theories on them in record time but nothing was conclusive. “There are reported occurrences from time to time on the major ley lines, but nothing definitive. Nothing proven. There is no real logic to the existing ones that I can find.”

  Stephanie chewed her nail. “Damnit.”

  “But,” he continued, “it doesn’t rule out the theory behind it. Some of the places might need to be investigated and you would be the best candidate to do so. It would be difficult for anyone who wasn’t connected to the magic to know if there was anything going on in those locations.”

  Stephanie nodded. “Right.”

  “That will be for a later review,” he replied. “Tell me, does the energy feel the same as it does on Meligorn?”

  Stephanie wrinkled her nose and thought about it. “It’s hard to tell you what something feels like. The only time I have really utilized it on Earth was during the fight in DC. That whole thing happened in something of a fog, though. I went from battery directly into light—a seamless transition. But what I can say is that I would call it a three compared to Meligorn, which I’d put at a one on the scale and so top of the range. So Earth power does not feel as strong but is still useable. I have a working theory on it, though. I’ve tested this theory through hand calculations each night on Earth.”

  BURT was impressed. “Excellent. What is the theory?”

  She turned, scrambled down the rubble, and jumped the last few feet to the ground. “The theory is that as I get better with the use of the light magic and the Meligorn magic, I will be able to tap into it even more. Right now, there is a real danger to it, something that has to be watched carefully, especially on Earth. Here, if I die, I come back. There, if I die, I stay dead. Opening myself to too much too fast could have catastrophic results.”

  “Then we will begin that research after this,” he replied. “I have reprogrammed the system to have a likeliness of Meligorn magic but using your scale you described it to be. It might not be perfect, but it’s the only information we have on it. Either way, you will be able to use it in this scenario. I want to see how well it works. Let’s resume the battle.”

  Stephanie assumed a ready stance, her hands at her sides as her fingers wiggled with anticipation.

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  Stephanie put one hand down on the cement that halfway blocked the street and leapt over it. Her momentum didn’t stop and a mixture of adrenaline and the awareness of the light energy thrummed and pulsed in the background of her chest. She was careful with it and avoided overzealousness. Ahead and to her right, three soldiers battled a single Dreth. The pirate was strong, and they had run out of weaponry. Stephanie looked above her head and followed the electrical line to a large and very old oak tree directly behind the attacker.

  The spark of magic flinted inside her with an odd pop and sizzle. She raised her arm and made a sharp gesture, A small flare of energy burst free and hissed into the electrical wire, which vibrated wildly as the pole swayed back and forth. She did it again, this time with more power. The cable writhed overhead and snapped to arc toward the oak. As the flashing and fiery end struck the tree, it immediately burst into flames. The blaze spilled over onto the Dreth pirate like a bucket of tar.

  The soldiers looked at her and raced in her direction as the pirate stumbled crazily and ignited everything he touched before he finally succumbed to the flames. One of the soldiers shook her hand and pointed outward. “This is not the Dreth’s doing. There are three others who have control over this battle. The pirates are paid mercenaries for them. Eliminate those three and this will end. The Dreth will either fight or surrender, but we will have the upper hand.”

  Stephanie turned her focus down the street and onto three operatives dressed in black suits with no real discernable features. They stood in a line but a short distance from one another and gestured at the different Dreth. She could see they were armed—and armed heavily.

  Her mind made up, she slapped the soldier on the arm. “Got it. You and whoever else you can mobilize, get any civilians out of here and attack the Dreth. The more you can get rid of now, the less likely that there will be a revolt when the three men are dead.”

  The soldiers agreed and ran off in search of others. Stephanie sprinted toward the men. She deliberately chose a path down the center of the street and stared at them unperturbed that they could see her. None of them drew their weapons, something she couldn’t understand at all. They simply stood and watched her approach, their arms folded. She shrugged and continued. “Hey, when you aren’t given a nose, a healthy complexion, or decent clothes as an avatar, I guess you don’t give a rat’s ass.”

  When she reached the cement roadblocks she’d passed earlier, she dove and twisted her body. Her feet cleared and she prepared to tuck and roll, but before she could pull her knees to her chest, a large hand encircled her chest. The stop jolted her momentum and her arms and legs flailed forward. Her head turned and she gasped at a large Dreth creature, light brown from head to foot, with a huge bald head. It’s arms, legs, and torso resembled a twisted tree nymph.

  It hurled her to the ground and she careened and rolled until she skidded into a motionless heap at the feet of one of the men. He looked angrily at her and yanked a half sword from a sheath on his back. From her sprawled vantage point, he appeared much larger than she’d expected. He held his sword at his eye level and his body tensed for the inevitable blow. As he thrust down, Stephanie dragged her energy up to form a shield. She focused all her strength into it and flinched when the metal impacted against the magic and hissed in violent response. Her attacker struggled to retain his hold on the weapon but the force of the magic-infused barrier whipped it from his hand.

  He gritted his teeth, snatched a piece of wood from the ground beside him, and resumed the offensive. As he swung his improvised weapon, Stephanie released the magic in her shield to create a fine dust in the palm of her hand. She rolled to the right and the rough timber struck the ground close to her head. Elizabeth’s words echoed in her mind and she instantly rolled to the left to barely avoid a second blow. She rolled a third time, the man narrowed his eyes at her, and she smirked, opened her palm, and blew the dust into his eyes.

  The operative screamed, dropped the board, and clutched his eyes with both hands. She pushed to her feet and shook her head. In seconds, she had drawn her leg back, grabbed his shoulders, and kneed him hard in the groin. A loud expletive replaced his screams and he doubled over. Stephanie snorted and turned, folded her arm, and elbowed him in the back of the neck. He collapsed face first, unconscious.

  Running footsteps commanded her attention and she refocused on her adversaries. To her right, the second of the three men sprinted along a small ditch which contained shards of metal and plastic that protruded from the mud. To her left, another had already begun his attack, a knife in his hand. She thought fast. There was no way to take them both on at the same time. She swiped her hand to the right and the energy knocked his legs out from beneath him. His body attempted a twist to avoid the danger to his right, but Stephanie gestured dramatically to create a wind that hurled him over the edge of the ditch and into the sharp metal.

  She turned her head toward the last one, who had slowed down and now smirked and brandished his dagger menacingly. Unperturbed, she raised an eyebrow and flung her arm out to the left to release a massive blast of light energy from her fingers. It imploded against a large wooden crate mere feet from his ass. When the light struck the box, Stephanie dove behind a metal crate a scant few feet away. The entire box blew and launched large shards of jagged wood in all directions with incredible force. The man didn’t stand a chance and was instantly sliced like deli meat.

  Stephanie clapped her hands in excitement and clambered onto the crate to assess the scene. The Dreth either immediately started to surrender or allowed themselves to be killed. The scenery around her began to fade and the system jolted her back to the avatar room.

  “Congratulations, you successfully completed the simulation,” the AI said. “Do you wish to end your pod session here or continue to another area of the Virtual World?”

  She chuckled and enjoyed the excitement that still lingered. “End session.”

  “Thank you…good bye.”

  When her eyes open in the pod, the door released and allowed the light in. She stepped out and into the real world. Her fingers and the soles of her feet tingled wildly, and she couldn’t help but smile at the feeling. That meant that her theory was accurate—the light energy was somehow searching for her. It knew she was the one to find.

  She pulled her robe on and gathered her clothes before she opened the door. Before she closed it fully behind her, she looked back with a grin. She had done the right thing and actually won, all based on her theories and understanding. It felt really good.

  Beta stood in the dark shadow of an alley and his cigar burned bright red at the end. He wore a large-brimmed hat and a long black trench coat, and black gloves covered his scarred hands. Three men waited with him—two on the other side, pressed against the damp brick wall, and one in front of him with a pair of binoculars to his eyes focused on the building catty-corner to them.

  One of the men across from him checked his watch and nodded. “Why come all the way out here when you could have had us take care of this?”

  He puffed his cigar and blew large rings of smoke over his head. He finally ended the short silence when he smacked his lips and looked at the cigar as he rolled it back and forth between his long, thick fingers. “Because the last idiots we sent to do a job hired someone else to do it, and they failed. Those agents are now spread in pieces throughout the city.”

  The man swallowed hard. “So you’re here to take care of us if we fail.”

  A deep, nefarious grin pulled at his scarred lips. “No. I don’t take the trash out. I’m here to make sure that failure doesn’t happen. I’m tired of leaving things to chance. This should have been done a long time ago. I’m like your babysitter. I’m here to make sure that the girl—” He drew an imaginary line with his cigar. “That she gets into the freaking van. Simple.”

  The agent beside him put his binoculars down. “She just walked into the lobby of the apartment building.”

  Beta put his finger to his earpiece. “She’s coming out. Get into position.”

  The team remained inconspicuous but watched as a small blonde girl dressed in a cocktail dress and carrying a small black purse walked quickly out of the complex. She glanced around her and turned right toward the sky rail entrance three blocks down. A large nondescript brown van crept along behind her and waited for her to move down a block where there were barely any people around. As soon as she reached the mark it sped up and came to a screeching halt beside her. Three men piled out of the vehicle, one with a black velvet bag, and the other two with their sheer strength.

  The girl looked frightened in the split second before they shoved the bag over her head and grabbed her arms. They hauled her off her feet, threw her into the van, and scrambled in after her. One of them looked around and slid the door closed as the van accelerated down the street.