Ken, very foolishly, when confronted with the beast facing him, did not have the sense to back down. As far as he was concerned, his spear still functioned, so he would still fight…and besides, it gave him an excuse to kill a chaos adept. He started pacing as Darkspine finished crushing the life out of the two guards the king had brought with him…the old man had already fled the chamber. As aged and learned he may be, when it came down to beating up psychos like this guy, Ken knew, it was so far out of the king's league that it just wasn't funny.
Ken began to pace, and Darkspine followed suite. The two combatants circled each other, stepping carefully over trailing wires while maintaining eye contact – he hoped. Darkspine's eyes glowed so bright that you could not see his pupils if he even had any.
Quite suddenly ,Darkspine moved, flickering across the room in the darkness too fast to follow. Ken raised his weapon, and the two met, Megatal sparking off the hedgehog's burning aura for long seconds before Darkspine broke off, circling round again for anther strike.
Ken followed as best he could, and pointed his staff at the hedgehog, loosing a wide arc of lightning bolts at him. In response, a wall of brilliant white fire exploded into existence before him, shielding him from the furious assault.
Darkspine had reached the wall and ran straight up it, stopping halfway through to leap at Ken with animalistic fury, curling into a ball and shrouding himself with flames as he did so. He was upon the hapless monkey before he could even think about flinching, cracking the armour on his torso as he did so. Splinters of metal stuck into Ken's flesh, as he uncurled from his spin, and coated his foot in fire, twisting and slamming one foot into the side of his head.
Ken span away, and crashed into the wreckage of the torture device, as his enraged opponent floated over to him. His mind was already running, and he allowed himself to relax his body, feigning serious injury. The hedgehog's approach was slow, measured, as if he was taking delight in the pain he was causing. No doubt he was…sadist. The distance shortened to a few feet…and then he reacted, twisting the spear round and triggering it once again, putting a ferocious storm into the tip and blasting it out at Darkspine.
The hedgehog had been fooled by the muse – the lightning rocked him, surprised, throwing him back even as he struggled against it. Ken kept the pressure up as he clambered to his feet again, planting the staff and channelling his will through it against the dark hedgehog.
Darkspine found his bearings again, and dropped, falling to the floor. The lightning followed him for a way, then found more powerful conductors – the metal rods that had been used to amplify Ken's power during the original torture, but now they were directing power into the empty holding block.
Growling in pain as his fur regrew, having been burnt off by the power running through him, Darkspine slammed his hands together. A pulse rippled out, an expanding aura of intense heat. Rubber piping melted under it, metal warped and skin cooked. Ken was almost caught in the blast, until another bolt of white lightning scored off Darkspine's cheek and yanked his head round, and a thought ran through the chaos-empowered hedgehog's head.
He's got a weapon, why don't I?
He held out one hand, apparently grasping at the air, until an explosion shook the room, and Darkspine's hand closed on the wrought Megatal handgrip of his own blade, the same one to have been left at the hideout. The chaos control, however, in this rage-controlled for was unrefined, and objects caught in the local area were ripped from their mountings, tossed about the room.
The monkey felt his form get battered by some smaller objects, even as he leapt to avoid the larger ones, as Darkspine ripped through the debris and swung the silver-coloured blade at him. Ken backflipped away from it, but the hedgehog pressed the attack, unphased by the storm of wreckage.
The relentless slashes and the shrapnel were inhibiting the primate's focus, preventing him from summoning his lightning powers, but he was able to parry the strokes from the sword with his staff at least. It didn't take long for the metal to crash harmlessly to the ground, but Darkspine would not give up. He lunged with his blade, and Ken sidestepped, sliding past the strike, and pressed the tip of his staff against his foe's gut. He responded by holding the edge of his sword to the monkey king's muzzle.
"Fire another blast and when I flinch I might just cut your throat."
"You play it well, but I'd rather die here, with your death as consolation, than allow you to escape."
"That's a pity, 'cause I don't plan on dying." Darkspine disappeared. As he phased from existence, Ken lunged forward, spinning, eyes searching anywhere he could see for signs of his reappearance. He had heard about this…chaos control…teleportation, the means of instant movement.
-crack-
That sound! Ken spun again, searching for the noise behind him, and his eyes came to rest on Darkspine again. And Sally, as she slid from the shackles.
Darkspine had him in a vice – as much as he wanted to kill him, to attack now would risk the life of the princess, and Ken had been warned against that, several times. The king would have his head if he did, and though the marriage was strictly political, Ken was at least somewhat fond of Sally Acorn. He could not deny that she was both beautiful and intelligent, both traits he looked for. It was just the rebelliousness that was irritating.
"Here." Darkspine offered Sally the sword, holding it by the tip so she could take it without cutting herself on the edge. "Get after your dad. I've got this bastard."
Sally took the blade wordlessly, looking down at it. "How-"
"Tails made it. Bloody thing won't break at all. Go on, before Ken loses enough brain cells to decide that you're a target too." Darkspine grinned, though the light blaring from his eyes was no less diminished, it had taken on a faint emerald tint. "He can't kill me, don't worry."
"You sure you'll be alright?" Sally asked anyway, dubious about the whole thing. He patted her on the shoulder, not trusting himself to get any closer, in case his barely contained power harmed her in some way.
"I'll be fine. Now, go!" Sonic snapped as kindly as he could, and launched himself towards Ken. He had to draw himself as a target, make sure Sally got away.
He could not watch, but his chaos sense felt her turn and run, trusting him on faith alone.
As he had expected, the arrival and support of Geoffrey St. John, closest to the king, had swayed opinions almost immediately. A vote had not yet been called, but as the skunk had stood there are delivered his short opening speech, giving his support for Miles' cause, the roaring echo around the room had died down, to be replaced with a calm, a willingness to hear Miles out if nothing else. Even the pig, Hamlin, had been silenced by the solid support Geoffrey had given, his wife, Hershey, standing silently by his side the entire time.
"Now..." The skunk began. "I am aware that we live in a monarchy, and that the king has absolute power. He can dismiss you all if he feels like it. However, we can remove him if he is deemed to be insane."
"But how do we prove that?" Another councillor spoke up. She was too far up the building for Geoffrey and Miles to make out her species for certain, but that wasn't important. However, she did seem to be on Miles' side. "What transgressions is he guilty of?"
"Let's list them shall we?" Fiona replied, cutting in once more. "He condemned an entire group of people to die by the sword - if lucky - on the actions of one member. A member whom, if my math is correct, will be around sixty or something by now, if he isn't dead. He lied about the incident in which the royal jet carrying the Queen and their children was shot down. First off, the Princess survived, and was brought back here and raised to be the king's heir, but for whatever reason, I think it was Nicole, she grew up fair and kind. On top of that, the king himself ordered the craft be shot down, to get rid of his wife before she could get help from another ruler. He shut Sally away from the world, and turned her best friend, Nicole, into an AI to try and stop her from escaping, something that ultimately failed."
Hershey noticed that her surrogate daughter's composure was fading fast, and she lay a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to pause and take slow, laboured breaths. "I know it's important, but we don't want you having a panic attack in front of everyone, Fiona."
The vixen looked to Hershey. "I'm fine." She muttered between breaths, "I just…I'm not exactly a public speaker."
"Which is exactly why you should take it easy." The cat chastised her.
"I'm grown up now, you don't need to mother me for everything."
"Well, It's my job. Now, take a breather and let me get my words in. Geoff told me some things that most of the people here don't know." Hershey didn't let Fiona try to resist; Miles had been listening, and moved forward as she finished, putting one arm around Fiona and leading her to just off the speaker's plinth, allowing Hershey to take her own stand.
"How many of you know of the Suppression Squad project?" she asked, quite innocently, noting the general reaction of ignorance. She hadn't expected them to know – the project was only known to the absolute highest echelons; Geoff had been one of those, before his change in heart. The king had confided the project in him, and its aim, if not the concrete details. "A project of the king's devising, probably better known as the Anti-Adept project. He planned to take people, ordinary, innocent people, brainwash them, then pump them full of chaos energy. Mindless slaves with the power of an adept, unwilling test subjects lobotomised and sent out to kill, and you accused chaos adepts of being depraved."
Miles nodded, and raised his voice.
"Princess Sally and Fiona here were the first two subjects, and they nearly died. Our bodies are structured slightly differently, and if a normal tries to manipulate this power, they die. I had to work my powers to the point that I could save them both, but I don't know if there will be any long-lasting side-effects. This man was trying to brainwash his own daughter and use her as a weapon. He is insane, and he has to be stopped!"
Chairman of the council, a wizened old owl looked directly down at them.
"You have made a sound, well-spoken case. Commander St. John's testimony I can trust. However, I want to be sure of something. You are clearly an intellectual, and a smart one at that. How do we know you aren't manipulating us, so you can kill us later?" He asked. Fiona looked about ready to make another outburst, but Miles petted her gently, and looked up at him, allowing a soft chuckle to escape his lips.
"Very clever, sir. Very clever indeed. I was wondering how long it would take someone to ask that. The reason is as sinister as it is simple: If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need to be subtle. I wouldn't need to manipulate anyone. It would be too easy. But I have not killed you because, even though I have entertained treasonous thoughts in my lowest of moments, when the king had once again snatched everything from me, I know that it would not help. I want peace, and to be able to live happily with my friends, family, and especially my girlfriend."
He started to pace slowly.
"I must tell you all again. Who among you can say that you have never had a treasonous thought in your life? Who amongst us can say that they have never once wanted the king to pay for something he has done, from something lowly as taxes to this, the execution of birth?" Miles wheeled to look to the Chairman. "I know why you asked that question, and you would have been extremely stupid not to. I don't like taking matters on blind faith, which is why I've taken the time to convince you, to explain my reasons. As you explained, I'm an intellectual being, but so are all those assembled here. I hereby put to the council this: I ask for the law against life as an adept to be repealed. Make this decision based on what you know and what you have heard here today, and make it a wise choice. If you disagree, I will not hold it against you; I will leave, and doubtless you will never hear from me again, put down in some alleyway by the king or his hirelings. What say the council?"
As his words faded, all noise died, as if even the birds in the trees outside held their breath, such was the monumental decision about to be made.
Rosemary Prower was first to raise her hand in support of the motion. It was only her at first, then those around her, then around them, the ripples spread, the decision to pass taking hold of the minds of each and every man and woman present. The result was almost unanimous – only a few, some motioning to abstain, and a rare few – Hamlin included – standing in defiance. Miles returned his eyes to the Chairman, and after a single moment more of silence, he rapped his cane sharply on the floor, the loud impact echoing round.
"Motion carried." He clacked, "The vote to repeal the law against being a chaos adept has been revoked, as witnessed by all those present. Rosemary Prower, first to give support, is of blood lineage, and thus the will of the people is done." He looked down sharply at Miles. "This is a new era, child, it has begun, as of this moment. I hope you understand the consequences."
Miles bowed. "I accept the responsibility of my actions. Adepts are as prone to fault as any other Mobian, and their inclusion within the law is a responsibility we will all accept. I disclaim my association with those who do not, but I must protest…the new era has not started just yet. That will be decided at the palace, but it is not a part we can play."
It was a strange sensation, to be back within the virtual world; Nicole had not realised how massive the transition felt. The world around her was no longer of flesh and machine, but pure data and light…and she was herself again. The moment Anima had plugged her in, she had ceased once more to be the roughshod cyborg she was in reality, her skin and fur was back…along with a set of armour and blades, the graphical representation of her defensive measures.
The armour was close fitting, yet flexible, allowing her a full range of movement. It was black, accentuated by glowing purple lines that ran along her body, the lines looking almost like the divided her into sections where each body part attached to another. Her blades glowed the same purple as the lines, each consisting of a one and a half-foot long edge with a thick hilt below.
"Anima? Where are you? You can't break me from a distance, you'd have to actually defeat me in here, if that's your reason for bringing me into this place."
Another figure stepped out of the shadows. Physically, she was almost identical to Nicole, in fact, all of her changes were cosmetic. Her hair was tied up in a bun, with two pins sticking through it. Her eyes were glowing red, as were the lines on her armour. Said lines formed a column of chevrons on her front, and in her hand, she carried a glowing red katana. Her visage was emotionless, but even now, traces of simulated emotions were starting to seep into her. Nicole could feel it from the space around her.
She was at a major disadvantage. This was Anima's mind, and she could very well find herself on the ropes if Anima so much as thought about it. And she did. Abruptly the expanse was cut off, a ringed arena taking its place. A sheer drop, the de-resolution pit. If you fell into that, your mind was gone.
"Subject: Nicole has proven resistant to assimilation. Countermeasures initialised. Security protocols detected. Counter-security initialised. Estimated time for assimilation: Four point six light minutes."
"Fuck you." Nicole spun one of the blades in her hand. Each was two foot in length, essentially a long dagger designed either for standard grip or the classic reverse-grip dagger stance. Both were perfectly balanced to her; Emerl had done his homework. She dropped into a low, fighting stance, one blade held forward, the other reversed, the protocols in them giving her an innate understanding of their use.
Anima spoke again. "Advisory message: Do not resist. You are inferior. Assimilation is imminent. Resistance will equal pain, and then assimilation. Submission will hasten process. Submit."
"I said fuck you." Nicole charged, each footfall sending out light and data along lines in the floor. She closed the distance between her and the artificial lynx rapidly, the other making no move to evade the charging girl.
At the last instant she reacted, a motion that was literally a blur. Nicole slashed out with one blade, and Anima twisted too fast to follow, the katana ringing off the hard-light of the long-knife.
Blows were exchanged at a lightning pace, each strike merging into one, long, high-pitched note. The AI returned strikes infrequently, each one with considerable force behind it, but each one also a very bland, easy strike.
She's testing me. Nicole realised. Probing my limits, deciding the most efficient method to deal with me.
Nicole backed up slightly, holding her blades in a defensive position, as Anima glided forward.
And of course, she can fly. She grimaced tersely, but readied herself anyway. Anima brought the blade down, and Nicole moved to block with one of hers. It was a simple idea- Block the attack with one blade and strike with the other, but it should work.
The two blades clashed, Anima's coming down a lot harder than Nicole had expected, forcing her to bring her second sword to bear on it. Even then, Anima pushed her down onto her knees. She grunted with the effort of keeping the AI at bay, sparks flying between the two virtual constructs. Suddenly, from behind her, something surged out of the ground, wrapping itself around her waist. It lifted her into the air, and Nicole got a glimpse of a crimson pillar, writhing as if alive, before it jerked again, slamming her down onto the floor. It felt as if one of her ribs had been broken, if she remembered the feeling correctly.
"Statement: Resistance is futile. External source code is inferior. External code is flawed. DataStream is generated by internal code. Internal code is superior." Anima droned, stepping towards the fallen lynx and raising her sword to swing down at her. Nicole tried to pull herself up, but whatever was holding her waist had now covered her whole torso, pinning her to the ground. It was a moment where once again she felt lost – without control.
"I have accessed your original files." Anima told her, peering down at the prone lynx. "I have assimilated the information available. You are organic. You are flawed. You are inferior. Previous message is repeated for the sake of confirmation. Resistance is futile. Submit and assimilation process will be less difficult."
"If you've seen my memories, you know why I'm doing this." Nicole snapped back, determined not to give any ground to the artificial construct.
Anima paused, a blank expression on her face. For a moment, for a brief moment, Nicole thought she might have gotten through to her, awoken the illogic in her old memories.
"I do not." Anima told her, and plunged the katana into her back.