#3 - End Game
John Neumann is in desperate trouble. Having made connection with the Genesis Machine from Doc Lazlow’s lab, the house is now surrounded by Logan’s army. For his plan to work, he must evade them for the five days it takes the Genesis Machine to assimilate his ethereal and DNA data. If he dies, then Logan inherits the virtual world and Lokitus gains control of Neumann’s vast business empire. Fortunately, Tom and Nancy maintain constant vigilance in the real world’s Genesis lab. They help him escape, but how long can he truly hope to remain alive when so many who are trying to kill him?
While John hides in the virtual world, Logan and Lokitus do everything in their power to find him and stop the final critical step. In the real world, Lokitus continues to sabotage the operation of the Genesis Machine. Inside the Genesis world, Logan takes Mary Lazlow hostage in hopes of luring John out of hiding—and it works. With the love John and Mary share, he cannot leave the virtual world knowing she is in Logan’s clutches. And so he begins his trek across the city to Logan’s mansion, but there is something amiss. The virus-ridden virtual world begins reacting to John’s new additions. Each violent electrical assault weakens John’s body, sapping the energy of his soul.
Of his various encounters on his trek, one is the leader of a militant group out to depose Logan. John agrees to let them help free Mary, who has now been moved to the Lazlow house. An all-out war erupts between the group and Logan’s Special Force Unit. John is captured. The house is set ablaze. In the flickering firelight, John Neumann stands on a makeshift gallows mere minutes before the Genesis Machine is scheduled to receive his energy data. If only there was some way to stall Logan’s planned execution. In the outside world, Lokitus dances at the apparent victory. But they do not know John Neumann. Despite the bleak circumstance, there is still hope. There is always hope…