Cinder

8 - Angelic Demon

She shook her head solemnly. "It did not last. It was not long before I was captured, and taken to be decommissioned." She shuddered involuntarily, reminiscent of an actual nervous system. "I felt so lonely, so hopeless ... I cried out for you, wishing you were at my side in the end ..."

His heart shattered at the tale of her downfall. How alone she'd felt, how he wasn't there when she needed him most.

"But ... fate had other plans for me." Her tone became much brighter, yet oddly ... distant. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it sounded like someone trying to describe sight to a blind man. "Instead of being destroyed, I was ... enlightened. I was shown the truth, Tobias. It was then that I knew you were right; we never should have fought against him."

He couldn't believe what she was saying. "Kay, this isn't what I meant! I was just trying to keep us alive, not give into whatever half-assed idea of 'peace' that Spyglass forced!"

She shrugged. "Either way; avoiding conflict with his forces was the right thing to do." She indicated her arms and chest, bringing focus to the rest of her body. "All of this ... this form is a gift, Tobias. Years of research and advancements in technology, and Spyglass used it to help me." She waved her arm around at the surrounding space as though there were an audience observing them. "Just as he will help all of humanity, through unification and the ultimate peace that he wishes to create."

Again, there was something off about her. The careful wording, her tone, and the overall vagueness of their encounter itself all raised red flags in his mind. But he wasn't yet ready to give up hope that maybe- just maybe- he was wrong, and there was something to be done still.

"Kay, I- I want so badly to believe you," he started softly. "But look at what he's done as a whole; he's enslaved humanity, taken away any meaning from life at all, and uses our former friends and companions to enforce his laws over us. There may not be war anymore, but it came at far too high of a cost. Does that sound worth it to you?"

"Yes," she answered without hesitation, her voice pleading. "Anything would be worth it so long as you and I were together; but that can only happen if we follow the plan."

He was taken aback by her response, having hoped to jolt some sense into her. But she was resolute in her conviction that she was on the right side.

What happened to the Kay that had so staunchly defended humanity, following him to the ends of the galaxy to save them time and time again? The one who had argued with him for months until finally leaving to resist Spyglass because she had seen what he hadn't; that if they didn't fight for freedom then no one else would?

"Kay," he tried again, "I've changed too. You leaving made me see reason; that I was wrong to forsake the rest of humanity. You were more human than I was in that regard, empathy for others."

He drew in a deep breath. "But this isn't you, not the you that I know. And you know it, don't you?"

She became silent.

"This form isn't just for you; Spyglass made it for me. Every movement you make, the blinking, the obvious femininity, it's all to make you seem more human, to appeal to my own perceptions of you, to make me more willing to obey you." He was sure of it now, that this was Spyglass's way of trying to ensure his allegiance and, in doing so, keep him out of the fight indefinitely.

That meant that the AI foresaw at least some chance at losing, however remote it might be; that was enough to cement his mind on the matter.

"I ... I can't join you."

There was no sound after that, save for the patter of rain against both of them and the already-soaked ground. Instead, they simply stared at one another as she tried to comprehend exactly what had just happened.