Avatara

But after the flames subsided…

Knightmare-Grimm still stood. Walker's avatara trembled from his heavy effort. His avatara developed cracks as if it struggled to stay together. He found himself shivering in his weakened state. Manipulating codes came with a cost.

"Hmm, that tickled," he said. "You are no match for me Walker. No match for us. But you leave me no choice. I have no time for insects. Allow me to crush you..." Walker grimaced trying to steady himself, Knightmare-Grimm's movements were irresistible, gracile; he appeared to be immovable and insurmountable. An incredible pure force that could not be stopped. His avatara form looked extremely dense with programmed matter particles from the Sheldrake labs. Dynamic and able to take on many permutations, the surface of the skin of his avatara took on a mesh-like appearance, the grains of matter in constant flow and changing position but maintaining form. Indeed avatara had the visual property of looking like fast moving pixelations in the manner that pixels flickered on a grainy tv screen . Walker's form had a similar texture was but less concentrated compared to his adversary.

The world seemed to shrink in size for Walker as Knightmare-Grimm closed in on him. Walker could survey what Knightmare-Grimm looked like now. He had the frame of Grimm and most of his facial features but his eyes looked like Knightmare's. He looked like a muscular demon, with two huge horns protruding from the crown of his head. The feathered appearance that Knightmare had when he met Grace and Walker was replaced by a skin that looked like lambswool. Actually, Walker couldn't tell whether it was skin or a jacket. A cloak covered Knightmare-Grimm at his shoulders descending down to his waist, making him look like a dictator or tyrannical despot. He realised that Knightmare-Grimm knew his name because Knightmare knew it. Knightmare's intelligence and ability to manipulate codes of the avatara system remained, but combined with the raw energy and power of Grimm. Walker tried to draw energy up for another attack but his avatara failed him. He became anxious as he accepted that if he couldn't move Grimm would slaughter him.

"My avatara is stronger than yours," said Grimm. Walker didn't know if avatara can die and what happens to the real body if it does. Grace hadn't had the opportunity to explain that to him. However, the theory goes that if the avatara doesn't return the consciousness to real body of its own volition and is destroyed instead, then the real body cannot wake up and will remain in an eternal coma. Effectively, brain dead.

Walker felt himself being enveloped by fear. Knightmare-Grimm stretched his right hand towards Walker. But then a rain of bullets hit him on his back.

"Argh!" he winced. The bullets poked some tiny holes in his form but it had little effect. Cracks in his avatara formed but he quickly recovered. Knightmare-Grimm turned to face the assailants. The police and their reinforcements. There were several cars around the road junction and a helicopter circulated in the sky with its rotor blades buzzing periodically in the sky. Knightmare-Grimm surveyed the numbers of them before him and grunted. Walker took the opportunity to try and crawl away.

"Grace I hope you've got a better idea, than I had," he said. "How is this guy so powerful? His powers are God-like."

"You are under arrest," said a voice from behind a megaphone, that was cowering behind a police car. "Identify yourself immediately."

Knightmare-Grimm rose from the ground into the air, hovering above the police cars. His avatara changed form and his back he developed a cape. Most of the officers were taken aback in shock and onlookers scream with a mixture of excitement and fear.

"Oh my God!" some of them shouted.

"You fools. You think you're in a position to challenge me! No! Who are you to me! I am an army. I am your reckoning, your judge and jury, I will be your beginning and your end. Tremble before my might and beg for mercy!" Knightmare-Grimm's voice bellowed like a trumpet from the sky.

In the air, from the tips of his fingers, he let bullets of fire rain down on the police. The officers frantically ducked out of the way. Some were hit. Some of the bullets smashed the police car windows. People who were not running before, started to run for their lives.

"Ahhhhhhhh, wooooooooo, arghhhhh," such sounds, were the sounds of chaos and confusion, as Piccadilly became a military zone. The police officers shot back at Knightmare-Grimm and some bullets pierced his avatara with little effect. Most of the shots missed.

A blast hit him on his back. It was Walker again, relentlessly not giving up, despite the toll on his avatara. The police intervention had given him a break to recover. Knightmare-Grimm blasted a quick machine gun like blast of bullets that made Walker smack back into the pavement. The avatara fusion was now focused on Walker ignoring all the weak bullet attacks from the police. He descended to the ground and again walked towards Walker ominously.

"You might be more dangerous than I thought. I will find Grace later but you must be dispatched immediately. Know this, in your last moments, I am going to tear your head from your neck. It will be painful and your real body will die."

Walker wanted to move but couldn't move quickly enough. The bruising from Knightmare-Grimm's attacks were severe. He looked scared, which pleased the evil creepy man, who licked his lips at the prospect of a kill.

"Hey!"

Knightmare-Grimm recognised that voice. He looked up and in the sky, he saw her.

"Grace!" he said.

Grace looked at Knightmare-Grimm with defiant eyes. She was holding something in her hands. It looked like a screen, some kind of device. Knightmare-Grimm could not make out what it was but it was unlikely he cared.

"If you want me, come and get me!" she said.

Knightmare-Grimm did not need to be asked twice. He flew into the air immediately towards Grace.

Grace's eyes widened in horror. Knightmare-Grimm moved so fast, she couldn't track his movements at all. Within a second, he was in striking range of her.