The Apocalypse Contract

CHAPTER 43 - ROGER

Roger watched as Mel and Sydney became strangely still. "They are doing that shadow thing, if I'm not mistaken." The grass around them began pulsing with random colors. Another castle tower transformed into a tangle of glowing lines.

Peter downed his pear wine in one swallow. "Well we don't have their magic hacking superpowers, so what do we do in the meantime?"

"We could start by dealing with them." Samantha nodded toward the group of panicked party guests headed toward them.

Roger recognized Lieutenant Fawcett leading the group.

"Professor Pritchard," the Lieutenant called, "can you explain this madness that..."

The Lieutenant and his companions blinked out of existence.

"Oh shit," Peter yelled, "that's going to happen to us next."

Suddenly Sydney was moving again. "Don't panic. That was us. Mel is transferring everyone back to inactive memory, then she's going to blow the hardlines to physically isolate it."

"We'll all be safe then?" Samantha asked.

Sydney grimaced, "Well, someone has to stay behind to clean up the mess and then copy everyone back to active memory."

Roger felt a cold weight settle into the pit of his stomach. "You mean to sacrifice yourself like Miss Adra," he gasped.

"No. We're all going to survive, I promise. Mel and I will stay here. The rest of you will wait this out in offline storage."

"I'm staying with you," Roger insisted.

"Me too," Samantha chimed in.

Peter tried to drink from his empty wine glass, then pitched it into the reflecting pool. "What the hell, count me in. We fight together."

Mel began moving again as the remaining party guests vanished from the croquet court. "Hah. The guy shoots a plasma rifle one time, and suddenly he thinks he's an action hero."

"Hey, you weren't there," Peter replied, "it was intense."

"It was," Samantha agreed, "and Peter was very heroic. In between the panicked screaming, he was a total badass."

Mel snorted. "Well you're both getting a chance at a repeat performance. I had to fry the hardlines just now, so you're stuck here with us."

Roger noticed a figure moving in the distance. "It seems Mister Nandan is stranded with us. Did you get everyone else to safety?"

Mel turned and looked at the enigmatic bald man as he began marching toward them. Shrubs and plants evaporated into tangles of light as he walked past them. "Damn. I was hoping that cascading purge loop I threw at him would at least slow him down."

The entire south face of the castle disappeared in a shower of colors.

"It's accelerating," Sydney warned.

Mel spun around, looking frantic as the world dissolved into chaos around them. "Yeah, it's definitely not safe here anymore."

As if to prove her point, the ground beneath their feet disappeared.

* * *

Roger was falling through a whirlwind of colors. The colors quickly coalesced into a pale blue sky, but Roger was still falling. The ground was still missing. Below was only a churning sea of clouds stretching to the horizon. Wind tore tears from his eyes, but he managed to see the blurry shapes of his companions falling with him. One of them tumbled closer to him and reached out a hand. This is it, Roger thought to himself, this is how I die.