‘It hasn’t been wiping files and programs,’ gasped the Ultimate Gamer as he released the joystick. ‘It’s been absorbing them. Every virus program, every corrupt file has become a part of it.’
‘What does that mean?’ asked Zyra.
‘It has become a virus itself The ultimate virus. Ready to consume ... everything.’
‘You have the power of the Interface,’ said theprofessor. ‘Yes. You do. You can defeat it. Yes. You can.’
The Ultimate Gamer held up his hands in front ofhis featureless face, turning them one way and then the other. ‘It is not enough. The program will win.’
‘More, more, more,’ said the professor excitedly.
‘We can give you more. Yes.’ He paced up and down. ‘I can charge up the IDD again and again. Yes. Or?’ He stopped pacing. ‘Or a direct link up to the Interface.’
‘That may work,’ said the Ultimate Gamer. ‘Buttime will be limited.’
The professor rushed off to his workshop.
‘What do you mean by “time will be limited”?’ asked Zyra.
‘The raw power of the Interface, in a constant feed, will be impossible to contain,’ explained the Ultimate Gamer. ‘It will give me power. But it will eventually overwhelm me.’
‘How much time will you have?’ asked Hope.
‘I don’t know.’ It was Bobby’s voice and it was barely a whisper.
On the screen the antivirus program had taken on the form of a robot. All sharp jutting angles and lethal weaponry, it was an arsenal on squat, boxy legs. It was blasting away at the grid perimeter with various guns protruding from its mechanical arms.
The professor came back into the common room dragging the end of a cable. ‘This is a link to the Interface via my switchboard.’ He plugged the cable into the connection port on the podium. ‘The cable carries a greater amount of charge per second than you can possibly use. More than enough to destroy you instantly. You will need to monitor and control the amount you take in.’
The Ultimate Gamer inclined his head stiffiy.
‘Good.’ The professor pointed back over this shoulder. ‘I need to go and switch it on. Yes.’ He rushed back out again.
On the screen, a hole had appeared in the perimeter. The robot blasted away at it.
‘I’m scared.’ It was Bobby’s voice.
The power of the Interface charged along the cable to the podium.
The Ultimate Gamer arched his back as the power thundered through him, his silvery lustre returned tenfold. The loops around him sparked with energy as they increased in speed. The holographic keyboards and joystick disappeared as he stood, spreading his arms. His hands extended towards the loops, which spun so fast it looked as if he were enclosed in a sphere of static. When his silvery fingertips skimmed the spinning loops, he became a ball of blistering brilliance.
There was a collective intake of breath from theaudience. The professor squinted through his glasses as he scurried back into the common room.
On screen the light grid changed from green to static grey. The breach sealed itself, the impact of the robot’s continual blasting now having no effect. The pinpoints of light unified, taking on a familiar bulky shape.