Avatara

The next day, the sun shone brightly. Grace placed several white roses on the window sill. Jazz stirred in the hospital bed, his eyes opening slightly. The sun seemed too much for him as he turned away from the light coming through the window. This caused him pain. But then he noticed Grace and smiled.

"You still snore," said Grace. She felt unsure on how to manage the situation. She felt weak for caring.

Jazz laughed. "I'm glad you came," he said. He tried to sit up but winced in pain as he did.

"I was in two minds, whether I should," said Grace. "But I couldn't stay away. It seems I'm not as strong as I'm supposed to be."

A nurse came along to the bed. "It's very bright when I opened them curtains isn't it?" he said. "Sorry Jasminder I had to open them so you can wake up because you have a visitor and you need to have your morning observations done. Do you want breakfast? A sandwich? A tea?" Jazz engaged in the friendly chit-chat in the expected socially acceptable manner. The nurse wrote Jazz's blood pressure and pulse on a piece of paper.

"Are you his girlfriend?" the nurse said to Grace.

"Er, I-, we," Grace spluttered on the spot.

"Sorry, I shouldn't pry," said the nurse.

"No it's okay," said Jazz. But the nurse realising his error in overfamiliarity left promptly.

Grace sighed. "That was awkward."

"Yeah it was," said Jazz. "Hey are you picking the skin on your fingers again?"

Grace noticed what she was doing. It wasn't the first time. Picking and biting the skin at the end of her fingers was a habit she had developed recently. She did not know why she didn't bite her fingernails instead but she saw that she did it out of anxiety.

It started after the deaths of Knightmare and Byron Grimm and when she got paid off by the government to keep Avatara a secret. She reflected at that moment on what an inept decision that it had been by the government given that now Avatara had been copied illegally many times anyway. The fact also that they hadn't shut down Sheldrake Enterprises only pointed more to the level of corruption in the system and the number of other clandestine operations going on.

"Grace?" said Jazz.

"Oh," said Grace. "Sorry I was in another world for a moment." Skin around her nails looked frayed. "It's nothing. It's just something I do."

"You need to stop doing that," said Jazz. "You could damage your skin or get an infection."

"Oh so now you are a doctor as well as a police officer?" said Grace.

"Sorry," said Jazz. "I'm being pushy again." He looked at the breakfast menu that had he had been given by the nurse.

They were silent for a while.

"So what happened?" said Grace finally.

Jazz sighed, putting the menu on the side table. "Well, I chased down who I thought was Knightmare-Grimm and his men to the airport. Found out that they were Knightmare-Grimm and his men. Got the hell kicked out of me. And then they flew off in a jet."

"Where did they go?" said Grace.

"I don't know," said Jazz.

"You're lucky to be alive," said Grace.

"I know," said Jazz. "One of the airport marshals thought I was dead."

Grace felt her level of discomfort rising. A question she wanted to ask but also did not want an answer to. She fidgeted in her seat and didn't realise she was skin picking her fingers even harder.

Eventually, she asked, "what did he look like?"

"Knightmare-Grimm?" replied Jazz.

She nodded.

"Like an evil supervillain from a comic," said Jazz. "I'm struggling to remember what he said but I think he said something about being bound to Avatara and a physical body just a being a vessel for him."

"That makes sense," said Grace. "His soul lives in Avatara like a computer virus." Grace struggled with the angst in her mind. Having a feeling of mental paralysis. "I don't know how we can stop him."

"We can," said Jazz enthusiastically, in a way that was quite out of keeping with how the conversation had been going so far.

"Knightmare-Grimm mentioned those kernel codes. If we take control of the Avatara kernel we can stop him."

"I know that," said Grace. "But that means going to Sheldrake." And then the 'penny dropped' for Grace. She got excited too. "Of course if he's left Shelarke with his men then it is essentially unguarded. I need to act quickly. I've got to get back to the flat and call a meeting. I'll see you later. Get some rest."

"Hey, no," said Jazz. "You're not leaving me here, I'm coming with you." He got up in pain, clutching at his side.

"You need the rest," said Grace. "You might have internal organ damage."

"So now you're the doctor?" Jazz quipped. He stood up gingerly and stretched. "The doctor told me I have a bruised liver but it's nothing major."

Grace glared at him incredulously. Jazz picked his crutches.

"I'm coming and there's nothing you can say to stop me."

"Suit yourself," said Grace. Jazz dressed quickly for an injured man and within a minute or two they were leaving the hospital room.

"Who's the guy?" said Jazz. Up ahead at the hospital room exit stood a bald man in a suit and sunglasses.

"He's one of Snow Globe's men," said Grace. "I told the staff here he's my security, which isn't a lie," she continued. "But that must be the reason why the nurse was so nosy. I bet they think I'm some kind of celebrity."

The security man followed them silently. At the exit to the corridor the nurse interrupted them.

"Er Jasminder, where are you going my dear fellow. You're going to miss your review by the doctors?"

"I'm fine," said Jazz. "I have to go."

"That would be against medical advice Jasminder," said the nurse.

"I appreciate your help but I'm really busy and--"

Brrring! Brrring!

Jazz's phone rang.

"Hello," he said. "Oh John, I'm--."

Grace noticed Jazz's facial expression change as she watched him taking the call.

"I'm sorry," said Jazz, to the other person on the phone. "But I'm severely injured."

Jazz's remonstrations appeared to have no effect and he found himself shouting in a hospital corridor.

"Just listen John. I'm telling you that---"

Within a couple of seconds the phone call ended.

"What happened?" said Grace. "That sounded a bit wild."

"I've been fired from the police," said Jazz.

He hobbled past Grace and Snow Globe's henchman down the corridor on his crutches with a glazed look in his eyes.

The nurse came back but this time with a piece of paper.

"I guess he is not coming back?" he said.

"No unfortunately, sorry," Grace replied.

"Can you get him to sign this? It's a form saying that he's discharging himself against medical advice."

Grace took the paper. "I will," she said.