The Cyber Chronicles Book II: Death Zone Read Free Page B

priceless
scenery. It came from the direction in which the Real-reality
monster had vanished, and he looked at Purr, who resembled a fluff
ball. He smoothed his fur self-consciously and groomed his
tummy.
    "The big
monster caught a smaller one. That's what happens when you hide
behind Flux-reality and a Change comes along."
    Sabre
shuddered, glancing at Tassin, who tossed and sighed. "What happens
further in, when it's all solid?"
    "That's what
makes it dangerous. In a landscape like this, an ordinary rock
stands out, but in a more normal Flux-reality you can't tell the
difference. Also, it's very dangerous to be in Flux-reality when it
Changes, you can get caught inside something nasty, like a rock or
tree. Here, you can still pull free, but there, you're stuck until
it Changes again."
    "How can you
avoid that?"
    Purr shrugged.
"Always camp on Real-reality when you can find it. If you're
moving, you've got a few seconds to find some. Flux-reality tends
to avoid Real-reality up to a point."
    "How long
between Changes?"
    "It varies.
Sometimes a few hours; sometimes only one or two. The last one was
a long one, six hours you slept, and no Change."
    Sabre gazed
around. "What causes all this?"
    "Magic, of
course. These worlds that pass through here are all real somewhere.
The Flux-core rotates, and the worlds spin past. The closer you go
to the Core, the faster the Changes come. No one goes too close to
the Core, where the Changes are mere minutes apart. That's very
dangerous."
    "Huh. I was
supposed to destroy it."
    Purr snorted.
"That's impossible. You'd never get close enough."
    "Monsters are
leaving the Zone and attacking villages outside. The people want it
destroyed."
    Purr stopped
grooming his tummy and gazed at Sabre. "Not everything that lives
in the Flux is a monster."
    "Wouldn't you
be happier outside?"
    "Would people
accept me?"
    Sabre sighed.
"Probably not."
    "Exactly."
    "How long will
it take to cross the Death Zone?"
    "That depends
on the terrain."
    Sabre dug in a
pack and pulled out some dried horse meat. Purr wrinkled his nose.
"I can get some fish for you."
    "Where the
hell will you get fish?" Sabre gestured at the crystal
countryside.
    Purr gave a
purring chuckle. "In a Real-reality stream, of course."
    Sabre would
have gone with him, but could not leave the Queen unguarded, so he
settled down to wait as Purr vanished into the precious terrain.
When the mosscat returned an hour later, he carried three fish, one
in each hand and one in his mouth. His fur was as short and sleek
as an otter's, adapted for swimming. Since there was no way to cook
them, Sabre cleaned the fish and woke Tassin.
    The Queen
grumbled, rubbing swollen eyelids, then exclaimed in delighted
wonder at the new scenery, smiling for the first time in days. When
he offered her a raw fish, she took it with a grimace. A few days
ago, he reflected, she would probably have thrown it in his face,
but hunger had stripped away her inhibitions. While he ate, Sabre
worried about the fact that the scanners remained blank. The cyber
had not warned him of the monster; it seemed the scanners did not
work in the Death Zone, and he wondered why. His bio-status
information remained, and the flashing amber light had dimmed,
indicating that his dehydration was lessening.
    As soon as
they had eaten, they set off into the crystal forest. Tassin gazed
at the jewels with awe and stuffed some into her pockets while she
walked. Sabre marvelled at her childlike ability to become
distracted by new toys, and guessed that the gems would vanish with
the next Change.
     
     
    Gearn stared
across the burning sand, mopping his forehead with a linen
handkerchief. The wolf trotted ahead, nose to the ground, following
the clear tracks of two horses. Gearn sat astride a fat bay
gelding, prodding the lethargic horse often to keep it going.
Behind him, Murdor plodded, too large now for even the biggest
horse to carry. He stood over two metres tall, and his body had
grown in proportion,