Gray found himself escorted down the long hallways of ACME's London base. HIs crackle rod had been confiscated at the door. A pair of agents on either side. The woman on his left had introduced herself as Agent Zari. He missed her partners name as the 'voice' had interrupted. Not that it mattered anyway. What mattered was getting rid of whatever programming VILE had slipped inside his brain.
It was a long silent walk to whatever lab they would be treating him in. The tension was stifling as well. The guards kept side eyeing him. Distrust and wariness painted clearly on their faces. Not that he could blame them. One of the times he was in their custody he went berserk and broke out, wiping the floor with them.
Agent Zari opened a door into a large room. A scientist looking man tending large machine stood at the back. A lone chair sat in the centre. A silver circlet was suspended above the chair like crown to an unwanted throne. It was the same device used to unlock his true memories. The ones VILE erased when they decommissioned him. The same one he used to bring back Carmen.
The scientist looked up at him. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his pen communicator and dropped it to the floor and it stood on its tip. Chiefs holographic image appeared.
"You ready?" She asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be," He shrugged. Something must of caught her attention as she glanced down to his neck.
"Nice necklace," She commented, "Did get it while on a 'spree'?"
"What? No. I bought it fair and square," Gray pulled pulled out the receipt out of pocket.
"Ma'am, The machine is set to go," Said the scientist.
"Lets do this" Gray breathed. He knew that it would not hurt but it did stop him from dreading sitting on that throne. Cuffs fastened his wrists securely to the armrest. A precaution he was assured. He let the circlet drop upon his head. The machine whirred and hummed behind him.
Memories flashed before his eyes. His time with vile. His life at Sydney. His complicated life with Carmen. A multitude of memories flooded his brain from as far back to his early childhood to the present.
Suddenly a new memory appeared. One he did not recognize. Before him stood a band of seven warriors battling against his legion of darkness. An old man summoned a blade of blue light and cut his minion down. Next to him a dark skinned man constructed a violet barrier to defend a wounded comrade. Bright multicoloured lights filled his vision follow by a sensation of being ripped apart.
'I think it's time I took control,' The voice laughed. That memory was not his memory Gray realized all to late, but the voices.
The last thing he remembered before being drowned in darkness was his body lurching forward and the sickening crunching and shifting of his bones.
Chief watched in horror as the Graham Calloway lurched forward. His whole body spasmed as he let out a guttural screech that didn't sound quite human. The gem that hung from his neck glowed brilliantly. His brown eyes flashed red.
"I am free," The voice that escaped his lips was not Graham's. It didn't sound human at all. Despite the fact that she was half world way shielded by a wall of screens it sent shivers down her spine. His face twisted into malicious smile that didn't look like it belonged to any human being.
His body swelled and grew. The wrist cuffs snapped. Curled horns burst from his skull and grey fur sprouted from his skin. His face pushed forward into a muzzle. bones ground against one another as his heels lifted off the ground and his shins shortened. The thing that stepped forward on cloven hooves was no longer Graham Calloway but monstrous humanoid ram.
Zari was the first to act. She blasted a cloud of tranquilizing gas into the beast's face. It laughed as it grabbed Zari's arm and with a hand aglow with crimson light struck her down. The Scientist and the other agent darted for the door but were blocked by a shadowy wall.
"You're not going anywhere," The pair was soon engulfed in a brilliant scarlet light. Chief looked back to wear Zari lay, but a golden takin stood in her place. The other agents squirmed and writhed on the floor as their bodies warped and changed. Before her eyes Chief watched as her best agents transformed into an Ibex and a Markhor. The beast snapped his fingers and they all lined up at his side.
"Greetings mortal." The beasts eyes were scarlet rings in pools of onyx. "I suppose I should thank you. This Mortal has strong will. If you hadn't pulled at his minds strings I would never have taken control."
"Who are you?"
The beast chuckled, "You mortals were so quick to forget me and my reign. I am the lord of Darkness and the harbinger of terror. I have been called many names across the many realms I've conquered." He made several incompressible sounds, "…To name a few. In your tongue It would be Malic Korvoth."
"What do you want?"
"Every kingdom needs a palace and this place will suffice," Shadows stretched out draining the colour in the room. The beast blazed with scarlet light before sending it out in a wave. Chief could only stare at the live security cam footage as the shadows consumed the hallways. The red light followed closely behind. Any agent or personnel caught within the glow were transformed into various breeds of sheep, goats, and ibex.
"Whatever you are I will find a way to stop you," Chief proclaimed.
The beast laughed as sat upon the chair that once restrained him now morphed into a shadowy throne, "Send your legions mortal. You'll only be sending them to their doom,"
Swiftshadow sealed the modified thermos in her hands. The gems faint energies were silenced. A tribute to Wilson's brilliance. She wondered where'd she be without him. Probably on an ship headed for Cybertron she lamented. She owed him everything. She wondered if this was how he felt when she pulled him out of that basement.
The car jostled as Zach turned the corner. It had been a long night and she was looking forward to having a nice hotel bed sleep in. Maybe hork down another pizza.
"Care to explain our rooftop friend?" Said Carmen.
"Crawford? Can't say that I know much about him other than he's a thousand years old and can never give a straight answer. He also has a far greater knowledge of magic than myself."
Head lights in the oncoming lane caught her eye. She immediately recognized the black and green muscle car. Adrenaline shot through her veins. She ducked down onto the seat and hoped that he didn't see her. If she crafted an illusion now he would definitely notice.
The others tensed as Lockdown passed by. The headlights filled the interior. As he passed by Swiftshadow briefly thought he didn't see her and would pass them by. Lockdown stopped for one horrific second before pulling a u-turn. His headlights glared through the rear window, His engine revving thunderously.
"Zack…" Started Carmen.
"On it, Carm." Zack stomped the gas. The car shot forward while Lockdown gave pursuit. Swiftshadow was pressed against the door as Zack swerved around a corner. Lockdown chased them down the narrow streets.
"Can't lose him," Zack grunted veered around another corner.
"Can you fire another lightning bolt at this guy?" Cried Ivy.
"One, need to be in dragon form. Two, I also need an external power source which I used up in the last bolt."
"What about your magic?"
"If I cast an illusion right in front of him, he'll know whats up. If I am to be successful I need a break in visual. This car wouldn't have a smoke screen feature would it?"
"No," Said Zack.
"So we'll just have to improvise," Said Carmen, "Do you have any more of those bright bombs?"
"Oh! Of course! Why didn't I think of that! I think I have a few more," Swiftshadow rifled through her bag and pulled out a bounty ball sized metal sphere and handed it to Carmen. "We are going to have to time things right so the only one blinded is Lockdown,"
"Just tell me when you're ready," Replied Carmen.
As Swiftshadow was consolidating her power a thought struck her. Instead changing the cars appearance, why not take a page out of Megamind's book, and make the whole car invisible. At least for a few minutes. She has already made herself invisible a few times already.
She closed her eyes and prepared the illusion, "Ready,"
Carmen quickly commanded Zack and Ivy to shut their eyes as she tossed the bright bomb. The bombs light bled through her eyelids as she expanded her magic over the car willing it into nonexistence. The squeal of tires and the crunching bangs of vehicles impacting one another filled her ears.
Carmen cued to open their eyes. Swiftshadow didn't as to keep focus on her task. She felt the car turn this way and that before coming to a complete stop.
"We're safe now," Said Carmen. Swiftshadow slumped back into her seat as she let the illusion shatter. Her hands shook as breathed a sigh of relief. She noted that she was in an underground parking garage.
"That was too close," said Swiftshadow.
"It's a good thing that my brother is such good driver then, eh?" Said Ivy.
"Well, couldn't have done it without that magic of yours," Said Zack.
"Thanks," A blinking light on the dash caught her eye. "What's that light for?"
"That must be The Chief." Ivy pressed a button next to a screen built into the dash. A professional looking middle aged woman appeared. "Hey Chief,"
"It should please you to know that Neal the Eel has been arrested and all the artifacts recovered," Boasted Zack.
"You're needed at HQ." Said Chief, Ignoring Zack's proclamations, "There's been an incident. Graham Calloway has lain siege to our London Headquarters,"
"WHAT?" Carmen shoved her way between the front seats, "How? Why?"
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Carmen Sandiego," Chef seemed surprised by Carmen's outburst but kept her calm composure, "I too have a hard time believing it myself,"
"Then start at the beginning."
"Earlier today he turned himself in to get rid of residual VILE programming. However things went awry when he was hooked up to our neural interface. The VILE programming took control and he began calling himself Malic Korvoth."
A shudder tried down Swiftshadow's spine. "Uhh, Question? By chance he wouldn't have been wearing a brightly coloured jewel carved in the shape of an animal when this occurred?"
Chief raised a brow, "He was. A red gem in the shape of a ram,"
"He wouldn't have changed either himself or the people around him into various kinds of sheep?"
"How do you know this? Is it some sort of VILE plot?"
Swiftshadow almost laughed, "Oh no. What we're dealing with is so much worse than anything a global crime syndicate could ever hope to be,"
Wilson was quite pleased with the translation progress. They had just decoded a passage of the author lamenting the loss of The Stag Spirit.
"Though it saddens me that my successor will never come to be, I will continue the fight. I will use all the magic I have left to quell the encroaching darkness. Hopefully I am able to construct a spell to seal away Malic Korvoth away before he consumes the Infinite Realms." Julia translated.
"Are you able find the spell?" Wilson studied the pages as Julia flipped through them. Several diagrams and rune circles covered the next few pages. Many were crossed out. Wilson assumed they were the failures. There was a line of circles that started from a simple base and grew on in complexity. With Julia's aid he was starting to piece together some of the languages used in the notes.
The line ended abruptly in a torn page. The tattered remains frayed into the air. Wilson felt his metaphorical heart sink. The spell was gone.
"This is interesting," Noted Julia, "It appears someone has removed the page,"
"Really? How could you tell?"
"See how the tear is a mostly straight line. In these places the paper tried to tear inwards but was guided back down into the spine."
"The only people who could've done that are my family members,"
"Family?" Shadow-san looked up from his laptop.
"My sister, nephew, and for a lack of a better term, brother," That last word felt like poison on his vocalizer. Shadow-san typed somethings into the computer.
"Would one of them have been named Gregory Hart Jr.?"
"How did you know?" Wilson narrowed his eyes. His servos and tail stiffened.
"He had several trade deals with VILE front companies. VILE liked to keep a close eye on its trading partners including noting close relatives and family members for blackmailing purposes."
"I'm guessing my name was on one of those lists?"
"Indeed. However I have doing some research," Somehow Wilson knew what the man was going to mention." "It seems that Gregory Hart Jr. is currently under investigation for the murder of one Wilson Hart,"
Wilson sighed, "My brother has tried to kill me twice. He was only successful the first time,"
"How is that possible?" Cried Chase, "If Wilson is dead, then who are you?"
"I am Wilson. Or at least a version of him," Wilson then sighed, "The day of the murder, I had tested a machine I had just finished building. Basically It would scan a persons brain, then create a digital copy of that person."
"You tested it on yourself," Julia concluded.
"Yes. I was still compiling when the murder took place. To me, one minute i was scanning my brain, the next I'm waking up alone in the basement of my abandoned house. I would've succumbed to madness if Swiftshadow hadn't shown up."
"And the second time?" Said Chase.
"Long story short, He tried to destroy me to cover up his tracks and threw my pieces into a dumpster. Fortunately Swiftshadow managed to convince an alien named Cartographer to rebuild my frame. And yes, I'm still salty about it. As to whether or not I am Wilson depends on what school of philosophy you want to subscribe to."
"Am I correct in assuming that you have all of the original Wilsons thoughts and memories?" Asked Julia. Wilson nodded. "In my profession when an original text is lost then a copy of that text is just as valuable as the original."
A sudden sharp beeping emanated from both Chase's and Julia's pockets. Chase was first to act, throwing a pen to the floor. Balancing on its tip, the pen emitted a holographic image of a stern looking woman. "We have a situation,"
