There were three of us in the Fortress of Solitude, an odd enough grouping. The creation dictated to his creator, while in the background the woman leaned almost casually against the wall, her face betraying nothing.
"You want more weapons? I haven't got any more characters to release. It can't be done," Rick said.
"Then strengthen the weapons I do possess," I commanded, standing at my full height. What about her?" I gestured to Lady Illusion, who did not move or change in expression.
"You want her upgraded?" He thought for a moment. "I could download the original file, let that merge with her to increase her powers…'
"Then do it, programmer."
"Okay. I'll try to download the original files, patch that over her more recent version, but…"
She interrupted, her face showing more animation than I'd seen for some time.
"No! Please, I don't want to return to what I was…"
I held up a hand to silence her, and she immediately complied. It's good to know I can still count on her obedience, I thought.
"Carry on, Programmer," I said.
"There's a small chance of incompatibility, she might reject the original files because they're just too different, first she turned traitor and then you fooled around with her programming…"
I let the implied insult go. "What would happen if the files were incompatible?"
"I don't know. Maybe there'd just be a big explosion. Who knows?" He spread his hands helplessly.
"I'm willing to take that risk. Do it, programmer."
He hurried to obey, typing a few sentences into his computer and inserting a floppy disk. Running a lead from the back of his computer, he threw it to her.
"Hold this," he said.
She looked at me. I repeated the order, and she grasped it.
The so-called Master Programmer flicked a switch, then crouched behind his desk.
I waited, watching, and a stream of green flowed from the computer across the lead, enveloping her in light. She closed her eyes, and her body jerked slightly.
She dropped to her knees in an inner struggle, and the green light around her thickened into smoke, which rose into a long column.
I saw her body change and blur into various shapes, some I'd seen before and others completely unfamiliar to me, the science teacher, a Sixth Dimension zombie, Sparx, the mortal brat, and another human male that I didn't know.
She appeared to split in half, and another shadowy form appeared within the green smoke, gradually gaining substance.
The room exploded in a cloud of thick green-tinted smoke.
The smoke gradually cleared, and I heard the programmer frantically coughing.
I looked across the room to see Lady Illusion, as she was when I first glimpsed her, standing with a crystal ball in her hand. At the sight of me, she made the crystal disappear.
Kneeling at her feet with both hands pressed to her temple was…the Lady Illusion I'd become familiar with in the past weeks, unevenly cropped dark hair just touching her shoulders.
"I'm back," said the standing woman. "I am as I should be, a perfect program bearing no relation to the grovelling traitor before me."
I looked at Rick for an explanation.
He shrugged as best he could while under his desk.
"I told you she'd changed. Instead of upgrading her, the original file gained its own independent existence. They're separate entities now."
I looked at the doppelganger.
"Where do your loyalties lie?"
"I follow my program," she said. "I am evil, and respect you as the giver and taker of power. And I serve Lord Fear, though after this one's efforts I doubt even my apologies would help there. May I have permission to destroy the traitor? She has no right to carry my name and face."
I nodded. "Very well," I said.
She aimed a kick at the kneeling woman, who dodged it and stood.
Her face showed nothing but calm dignity as she watched her carbon copy materialise a crystal ball in her hand.
"My name, according to what I've learned of the human world and ours, is Elspeth Aranya," she told her double, "which you wouldn't know."
They looked at each other for a moment, imperfect reflections of each other, one enraged, the other almost expressionless, one pure in her hatred and obedience to programming and the other…whatever was going on inside there.
The duplicate smiled as she raised the crystal ball to throw it.
"Good, Elspeth. You'll die without shaming my name, then."
As she threw, Lady Illusion—Elspeth—jumped to the side, and responded with a crystal of her own.
The two of them launched into a battle, sending the programmer's papers and electronic paraphernalia flying everywhere. The programmer whimpered, and crawled further under his desk. I watched with interest.
They were both formidable, obviously, but the new arrival appeared to have more power while Elspeth remained on the defensive. Deciding to forgo their abilities for the moment, they attacked each other in a vicious display of martial arts.
I was quite impressed by their speed and skill. Then again, she had always been my most competent minion, not that that was much of a compliment.
Elspeth kicked open the door of the Fortress, and the fight spilled into the main room of the building. I followed, leaving the programmer to pick up the debris left in their wake.
The doppelganger landed a spin kick on Elspeth's ribcage, and she staggered back into a table. In a second the double had launched a crystal ball, leaving Elspeth in a cloud of smoke gasping for breath.
As the smoke cleared the double walked over to her, and ripped the left sleeve from her outfit.
"You have no right to take my appearance, traitor. I will destroy you."
She materialised a crystal ball and prepared to throw it.
I lashed out and wrapped a tentacle around her wrist, forcing her to stop.
"I've seen enough," I said. "You've proved your point."
"You'll let her live? With all due respect, Kilobyte, she'll betray you again. You can't trust her!" The double sounded nearly hysterical.
"I don't trust her. But I trust myself. I've made sure her program includes complete loyalty to me."
I used another tentacle to lift Elspeth from the ground. She leaned against a wall, and carefully pulled what remained of her costume together. My eye was briefly drawn to the smooth curves of her form.
I turned back to the other. "You, on the other hand, told me you're loyal to Lord Fear, little as he ever deserved either of you. I can't fully trust you."
The programmer appeared in the doorway, and I faced him.
"Our business here is over," I said. "You've proved quite satisfactory."
Outside, a sound of beating wings became apparent, and I stepped outside to mount Fred.
"Teleport back to the Carnival," I told Lady Illusion.
On the way out, I grabbed Elspeth in a tentacle, and she rode behind me on Fred.
I didn't want to leave those two together for longer than necessary.
A/N: Feedback? Yes. Please! Will give cyber earth cookies for concrit.
Flash, thanks muchly for the review.