Chapter 45: The Power of Fiona

Fiona was at a computer terminal when I returned. The room was filled with server cabinets and many systems. I wondered if everything in the room made up the server.

"A server is a single computer, Ral," Fiona said without facing me.

"So, on top of manipulating Dragons and House Lords, you can read minds too?" I asked softly.

"I can do many things," she said. "Please, don't try anything to stop me Ral. I have been working on this for a very long time and would hate to have to put you down in order to complete my goal."

Her threat was subtle, but there. Could she put me down? Was there anything I couldn't recover from? Well, there were probably situations, like having my head removed, that would keep me from healing on my own. So, instead of replying to her threat, I decided to focus something else.

"Your goal?" I asked shaking my head. "Your goal is to put everyone under your thumb. You're not bringing humanity together, you're stripping it."

Fiona turned. "I am not."

"Really?" I asked. "Prove it."

She glanced back at the terminal and then turned fully to me. Leaning against the desk and crossing her arms she said, "All I am doing is helping everyone understand the direction the world is heading."

Knowing enough about Master PC I asked, "And what command are you using to accomplish that?"

She shook her head. "It's more than just one simple command," she said. "It's a complex array of commands designed to bring understanding to everyone."

"Whether it's one command or a thousand, they are still commands."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, anything you type in and send is a command as the terms of the program go. However, I'm not telling anyone anything. I'm giving them understanding."

I shook my head. "Giving them understanding? You're forcing your ideas into their minds."

She sighed. "If you insist on breaking it down to basics, yes."

"And you don't call that control?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't. It's no different than giving someone an additional skill, the understanding of how to do something new."

"Ah, but an individual would probably understand the benefits of such an act. However, entire groups, or regions of people would generally have a different perspective. Given that any group will never totally agree on any one subject, I would say that you would not find them accepting of any change."

"I'm not asking," she said simply.

"And if you're not asking then you're telling, or commanding," I said, nodding at the terminal.

"And why does that make any difference?"

"The fact that you have to ask that question answers itself," I said. "Commanding any individual or group is taking away they're inborn disposition to be who they are. Any change, no matter how small, changes who they are."

Fiona stood there shaking her head.

"You're taking away people's rights to be assholes, if it comes down to it."

She smirked at that. "Yeah. I am. Because I've seen what this world has been. I've seen what humanity has done to its self, and quite frankly, I'm tired of suffering through that."

I wanted to say, "Theodore found a solution to that, didn't he?" but didn't.

The look on her face told me she heard me anyway.

Trying to ignore her reaction, I trudged on. "So, it's better to force everyone to be what you believe they should be instead of letting our natural evolution dictate where we end up?"

"If it comes down to it, yes."

I shook my head. "I cannot allow that."

"And you can't stop me," she replied.

For a few minutes we both stood there, staring at each other. I didn't want to make the first move and apparently neither did she.

What did happen was completely unexpected, at least to me: the door burst open.

I spun around to see what was happening. Fiona simply looked in that direction.

The same FBI special forces I had faced back in Lord Morehouse's office stormed the room. Among the armed and armored soldiers, someone shouted: "Freeze!"

How had they found us? Well, the fight I had had on the roof with Mr. Brick Wall had probably been a clue. With the city mostly under the influence of Master PC and docile, the sounds of that short skirmish could have traveled some distance. Since I had traveled through shadows rather than on foot, I wasn't sure how far that was. It could have been a block or several miles.

"Both of you get your hands up, now!"

I glanced over at Fiona. She was still leaning against the desk with her arms crossed over her tummy in defiance. Looking back at the officers, I held up my hands.

"You're such a hypocrite Ral," Fiona said. "Conforming to their will, but not allowing me to impose mine on everyone else."

"Has it escaped your attention that these men are not under the influence of your server?" I asked in return.

"As if they pose a threat," she said.

The men were spread out and each of them had a weapon trained on either me or her. Of course, her statement caught a majority of their collective attention.

The room was already well lit. Plenty of phosphorous lighting overhead made sure everyone could see what they were doing. However, the room lit up more. I turned to see Fiona crackling with electricity.

With trained precision and only the need to squeeze triggers, the elite squad opened fire, and it wasn't just her they shot at.

Anticipating that I might be shot, I threw up the same defensive shield that had protected Sally, her father and me earlier from Maelstrom's storm. Bullets ricocheted off the invisible barrier.

Across from me, Fiona was flailing with the barrage the special unit unleashed.

Something in me snapped. The sight of Fiona falling, possibly mortally wounded or dead already, caused a tide of anger in me that felt foreign. Theodore's memories were accompanied by his emotions and he had always loved her, regardless of her faults. Anger is anger, whether mine or someone else's and I reacted accordingly.

With all my will I shoved every member of the unit into the walls behind them and screamed, "NO!"

All of them flew back into the walls. Only a couple took the hits badly and fell to the floor. I didn't care whether they were alive or not, just that they weren't moving. The rest had been protected by their armor and got up immediately.

Rushing the squad, Theodore's anger blurred my vision. I was swinging at them, using my considerable strength and speed to cause damage beyond their armor.

They attempted to subdue me with the butts of their rifles, but each hit only brought my attention to each of them in turn.

One soldier flew past the server banks and hit the far wall of the room. He slid to the floor. I turned to find the next one.

Their hits didn't faze me. I took the shots and put them down one at a time. They never had a chance. I had warned them before.