370957390760932

CHAPTER 20
LIFE
1
The pod was at least sixty or seventy rows up from the swath of destruction laid out by
Weber’s program. Michael zapped himself to it and dove into the code as if he were diving
into the cold ocean. It was a sensory shock as it enveloped him, that beautiful, complex
universe of information. He scanned the data, allowing his mind to open up and take it all
in. He couldn’t afford to think about it in individual pieces. He had to let it all flow past
him, through him, grasping its meaning on a subconscious level.
At the same time, compartmentalizing his mind, he worked at the code for Kaine’s
creation, the Bubble. It had been a wonder of coding, but Michael was a wonder himself.
He knew that, even if all the forces against him had made him doubt his abilities. An
unexpected burst of laughter exploded from his virtual chest as he pieced his vision of
Kaine’s program together.
He was giddy.
He was delirious.
He was having the time of his life.
2
Near the end, things happened so fast he could barely track them all. The Bubble grew
around him. He scanned the code of Jackson Porter’s pod, searching for any clue that
would help him rebound against Weber’s program and stop it in its tracks. Then he could
feel it coming—the darkness swooping. A shadow fell over him, and he turned and saw
that Weber had abandoned her original course. She was now cutting across the Hive wall
diagonally, heading straight for him.
Pod by pod went black as she passed.
Michael swam in the code of Jackson Porter’s prison, even as he put the finishing
touches on the Bubble of protection. He had no idea whether it would hold against
Weber’s program like it had against the KillSims. But surely it would, wouldn’t it?
In his frenzied state, he remembered a line from an old flat-film.