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The first day, upset and angry, they'd done little more thanpeck at each other, limited by the unforgiving concrete and steel environment,and recognising an added hurdle: for all its privacy, the garage was cramped bya half dozen cars – and their alarms. But as dusk came on, they risked moving several out to the visitorparking between the two buildings, and disco
During the second session Pan had started turning theirattempts to learn into a game, switching through an endless stream of fightscenes – Hamlet, The Princess Bride, TheEmpire Strikes Back, Monty Python – and falling frequently back on anevolving Blue Musketeer persona. Itwasn't till the third session that Madeleine realised that Pan was as intent ondistracting everyone else as he was trying to make himself feel better. They were all facing the gap between theircurrent abilities and those displayed during the Manila challenge, and tryingto believe they had some hope.
"We're getting better at blocking physical impacts, atleast," she said, loud enough for the two lookouts to hear. "And not paralysing ourselves when wetry to shield-stun someone else."
"I wish we could practice in a park," Emilysaid. "So we didn't have to keepworrying about bouncing into the ceiling."
"Or through it." Pan gri
"I think I'll nap before the next challenge,"Madeleine added. "And take the latenight watch."
"I'll take early–" Nash began.
"Down! Move!"
Noi, eyes wide, hurled herself from her lookout position atthe westernmost ventilation shutter. They scrambled to their feet, hurrying for shelter behind pillars andcars.
Too late, and pointless beside. The glowing thing which leapt against theentry gate clearly knew exactly where they were. It made a huffing noise which had somethingof the whine of a jet engine to it, and the metal bars shuddered
"The Hell is that?" Pan asked, abandoning attemptsto hide.
The thing huffed again, and scrabbled. It stood a little taller than a person, thehead long, tapering and bony, topped with two trailing streamers of light whichsuggested ears. At the front it hadstreamer-fluffed claws, but its rear was elongated, and curled on itself: a seaserpent's tail.
"Let it in," Fisher said.
"Have you lost your mind?!" Min asked, backingrapidly away from the gate. "Wecan't let that thing in here!"
"We can't let it go away either."
"He's right," Noi said. "Maddie, braceyourself against the rear wall so it sees you first. Everyone else to either side. Try not to force punch wildly or we'll havethe building down. Nash, close the gateafter it, then stay back."
Nash, nearest the controls, gave Fisher and Noi a sharp look,then pressed the manual release.
"Oh damn," Pan said, then ducked to one side as thegate tried to lift, and slowed as it hit the glowing creature outside. "I don't think we're ready forthis."
Madeleine was sure she wasn't, but seeing no other option shedashed to the rear wall of the garage, and set her back to it. She'd barely turned before the gate hadlifted enough for the thing to duck under. It raced straight at her, a galloping motion made strange by the twiningtail, which undulated above the ground as if it swam through water. She hastily brought up her shield, unwillingto rely on any automatic response, struggling for control. This was impossibly different to mockduelling with Blue Musketeers.
As it neared her the thing reared, mouth gaping, then pouncedforward, the impact driving her into the concrete even as the shield bounced itaway. Immediately it surged at heragain, at a slower speed which didn't produce the bounce reaction, and shegasped at the weight of it, pressing both the shield and her into the wall.
"Try knocking it down with shields while it's occupiedwith Maddie," Pan said, racing up.
Fitting action to words, he immediately shield-smashed theglowing creature, but rebounded from the contact. Then the coiling tail lashed toward him, acrunching slam only avoided by frantic rolling.
"Everyone stand to this side of it," Min said. "Then all low-level punch at once. That might do it without sending it through awall."
"Hold fast, Maddie," Noicalled, as they scrambled. "If itgets too much, try to knock it back."
Maintaining the shield for a long period requiredconcentration, and Madeleine was starting out tired from training, but at leastits interest in her gave everyone a chance to gather together out oftail-lashing distance.
"Get ready to move if this doesn't work," Fishersaid. "Go."
All the punches together made a whoompingnoise, and the creature did seem to feel it, twisting sideways. But then, glowing brighter than ever, itleaped back at Madeleine, its jet engine howl increasing in intensity.
"I think you made it stronger!" Madeleine gasped,as she was again slammed backward into the wall, not daring to cushion with ashield in case it bounced her forward. Unable to stand the weight, she pushed out with the front shield, gladshe'd put a lot of practice into not paralysing herself, and took a relievedbreath when she succeeded in jolting the glow-monster a few feet away.
"If shields cause rebound when struck quickly, move inslow," Fisher said rapidly.
"Surround it and all press in," Noi agreed.
"Nash, come when we have it pi
It seemed to be trying to knock her to the ground and withits increased strength Madeleine was not only being pushed into the wall, butshe could feel the glow-monster getting closer, making gradual progress throughher shield.
"Set your feet," Min warned, and then rockedbackward as his attempt to pin the thing's tail was only partially successful.
Nash ran up. Madeleinestill hadn't understood what he was expected to do, since, while he couldshield and punch a little, he was vastly weaker, and tended to collapse almostimmediately. He couldn't use theprecious energy he drew from them to fight.
But that, of course, was the answer, and Nash had thoughtthrough Fisher's reasoning quicker than Madeleine. Squeezing between Noi and Pan, he set bothhands to the thing's heaving side.
The reaction was immediate: frantic thrashing threatening tohurl them in every direction. Fisher andPan, the weakest among them, stumbled, but pressed in again.
"Hold firm," Noi gasped as the thing's howling cryscaled up to painful intensity, enough to make them want to stop everything infavour of covering ears.
"Too much." Nash was blazing, his palms and the stars which covered the back of hisneck burning pinpoints.
"Vent," Fisher told him tersely. "Go outside and punch over thewater."
Nash ran, the necessity of re-opening the garage door slowinghim down. But once he was out, he had aclear shot east.
"Hurry!" Pan called, as the glow-monster heavedback from Madeleine, trying to escape, to push against the weakestshields. Emily and Min fell, and thetail lashed, swiping Fisher, who ricocheted into the nearest car, and Madeleinegasped aloud, but saw he'd managed to shield himself against the impact.
Noi and Pan dived on the tail, pi