"The steel sword. Gunpowder. The nuclear bomb. Every great weapons advancement in human history brought new powers into play and left old ones in the dust," Nelson began, gesticulating grandiosely. "Why should the Alpha Box be any different? Why should it be kept secret and inaccessible?" 

From the upward shift in his tone of voice, Chase already knew that the unfortunate Arcanese Parliament was in for another speech. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his upholstered chair in the balcony, looking down at the grave assembly of legislators down below. The more he thought about it, the surer he was that this was his least favorite part of the Nelson regime. Not the ever-growing army of robots patrolling what were once some of the safest streets in the world, not the heart-wrenching agony of not knowing where Juliana was or when it would be safe for her to return, but the fact that the orchestrator of all this madness chose to spend nearly every hour of the day pontificating behind a podium and forcing all within earshot to listen. 

"Forgive the interruption, Regent Nelson, but the Alpha Box is not a weapon. History has shown us time and time again the consequences of treating it as such," Lord Hewkin interjected. Chase could see the strain in the lines on his father's forehead as he fought valiantly to maintain his diplomatic composure. 

"And thanks to Queen Juliana's courage, it is no longer a state secret," Lord Serpentine added, emboldened by Lord Hewkin's words. 

Farrah flashed an angry look at the two noblemen, but Nelson raised his hand reassuringly, a cheesy smile spreading across his face. 

"Those are both wonderful points, ministers," he nodded. "Allow me to address them. It is true that the Box is no longer a secret, but has anything fundamentally changed about who controls it or what it's used for?" 

"I-" 

"The answer is no," Nelson continued before Lord Hewkin could speak. "One tiny European country still enjoys all the benefits associated with what is arguably humanity's greatest tool.  Don't you believe that we, as stewards of the Alpha Box, have a moral responsibility to spread the peace and prosperity that it brings? Arcana is proof that the Box can bring about a world without war and injustice - a unified world." 

"That, Lord Regent, sounds frighteningly similar to something the Eagle would say," Lord Hewkin commented. 

"Ah yes, young Mr. Evarbor," Nelson chuckled. "He was woefully inexperienced and his methods were crude at best, but he was not entirely wrong. In fact, he happened to stumble upon the same idea my ancestor Drosi Nebulik had six centuries ago: the radical but fundamentally selfless idea of sharing Arcana's gift with the world."

"Yeah, Arcana's biggest terrorist and the guy who started the Black Plague. Great role models, am I right?" Adrian quipped sarcastically, standing up from his seat beside Chase to ensure that everyone in the room could see who was speaking. 

"What are you doing?" Hayley hissed, grabbing Adrian's sleeve as every android in the room turned its rifle in his direction. 

"I'm neither a member of Parliament nor related to one," Adrian shrugged. "I'm under no obligation to be polite." 

"Sometimes, I truly marvel at the fact that you're still alive." Hayley said, sucking in a deep breath as Nelson clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at Adrian with an expression of raw annoyance. 

"Mr. Harrow... might I remind you that the period for testimony by members of the general public does not begin until this afternoon?" 

"Did that oversized sun-dried tomato just call me the general public?" Adrian muttered under his breath, his hand reaching for his watch before Chase audibly slapped his arm away and tugged him back down into his seat by the side of his dress shirt. 

"You can curse me out later," Chase said sternly, meeting Adrian's furious look with one of calm leadership. "But until Juliana gets back, I'm keeping all of you alive. Whether you like it or not." 

"Anyway, as I was about to explain before that... unfortunate interruption, I think we can all agree that the world is in a precarious place right now," Nelson said, continuing his speech as if nothing had happened. "Tyrannical forces are rising around the globe. Countries that were once bastions of freedom and civilization are growing complacent. We have a choice to make: are we gonna stand back and wait for some uneducated third-world fanatic to blow us all back to the Dark Ages, or are we gonna stand up and do something about it?" 

"And what, Lord Regent, is the 'something' you propose we do?" Lord Hewkin questioned. 

"Excellent question, Lord Prime Minister. I'm glad you asked," Nelson grinned. "The Jackers failed simply because of a lack of manpower. Their most powerful Alpha Box user was also their leader, and any strategist worth his salt knows that putting your top guy on the front line is a recipe for disaster. As the leaders of Arcana, however, we have jurisdiction over the Order of Chance, the largest group of professionally trained Box users in the world. If we count warriors, scientists, and admin staff, we have, what, two thousand agents? If every single one of them worked overtime and Jacked ten people a day, we could have all of the world's most influential people in our pockets in less than a week, and then-" 

"I'm going to stop you right there," Lord Hewkin held out a deterring palm. "Jacking is prohibited by both Arcanese law and the Order of Chance member contract. Being found guilty means immediate expulsion from the Order and a minimum of fifteen years in federal prison."

"Well then, it's certainly convenient that as the leader of the Kingdom of Arcana and the Order of Chance, I can change both of those things." 

"Actually, the Arcanese Regency was designed as a temporary position, purely to fill the power vacuum created by an underage or incapacitated ruler," Lord Hewkin stated calmly. "A Regent's job is merely to look after the kingdom, not to implement his own political agenda. Therefore, it is not within your powers to amend the constitution without a referendum vote and parliamentary consent. I frankly do not believe you will be able to obtain either of those things." 

"Mindless bureaucracy," Nelson shook his head. "It's truly one of my least favorite things about my job. Anyway, you bring up a good point. What I'm planning to do will require the Order of Chance's total and unquestioning obedience, and I'm perceptive enough to know that I will not have that as long as Juliana VanderSchee is High General VanderSchee and Queen of Arcana. Therefore, I would like to announce my intention of taking the throne." 

"You will do no such thing as long as the Queen is still alive!" Lord Hewkin fumed. 

"A new monarch can be crowned upon the existing monarch's death or by the unanimous vote of the three non-royal High Generals," Nelson mused. "Oh, don't look so surprised. I did actually read that children's book you call a constitution. Farrah, dear, would you do the honors?" 

"High General Evarbor, with the Arcanese Parliament as witness, do you vote to grant Regent Alan Nelson the title of King of Arcana?" Farrah intoned smoothly, stepping forward from her position at the side of the throne to face the most senior of the High Generals. It was clear from her unprompted delivery that she had rehearsed these words... so this had been Nelson's plan all along! 

Every eye in the room seemed to focus in on Lord Evarbor as he breathed deeply, looking from the Red Knight in front of him to the armed androids standing at the ready in every corner of the room. It had been many, many years since the old general had last had a gun pointing at him, but if he was nervous, it didn't show. Exchanging a look with his fellow High Generals, he looked Farrah in the eye and gave his answer without hesitation. 

"Yes." 

Chase's breath caught in his throat and Hayley buried her face in her arms, unable to watch, as Farrah turned to the next High General in line. 

"And you, Lord Serpentine?"

It seemed as if he would fight, but one glance at his daughter, and his defiant look transformed to one of protective fear. 

"Yes." 

"Thank you. Now, Prime Minister Hewkin?" 

Chase's gaze snapped downward, zeroing in on his father's head and focusing as hard as possible, as if he could telepathically communicate how badly he wanted him to refuse Farrah's request. Yet, the High General didn't look up at his son. Instead, he stared ahead, past Farrah and straight at Nelson, who stood smugly in front of the throne as if ready to sit on it the first moment he could. 

"The Order of Chance exists to protect the world from tyrants. We will never sell out to one! Not while I live!" 

"Oh?" Nelson frowned. "We can fix that. Farrah!" 

The Red Knight raised her hand, her fist glowing bright red, but she lingered in this position, not quite producing a full-fledged flame. This moment of hesitation was enough for Chase. He pushed the buttons on his palms and catapulted over the ornate wooden railing. When he landed behind Farrah, his suit had fully formed and his boots absorbed the impact from his jump, allowing him to wrap his arms around her and pull her to the ground. 

Certain she was temporarily immobilized, he jumped to his feet only to hear the deafening sound of a single gunshot fired at close range. Chase felt like the world was going into slow motion as he pivoted on his heels to see his father slump over in his seat just as the android by the exit lowered its gun. 

"No!" he shrieked, propping Lord Hewkin up only to see a growing crimson blossom on the front of his white dress shirt. 

"By the way... Nelson..." Lord Hewkin struggled to speak, his pained grimace momentarily morphing into a victorious smile. "I am the only one... in Arcana... who knows... where Juliana is..." 

"What? Tell me!" Nelson commanded. He pushed past Chase and furrowed his brow in concentration, making a last ditch attempt to Jack Lord Hewkin into answering his question. Yet, even he knew that his efforts were futile. It was too late. 

"... go to hell," Lord Hewkin spat just before his jaw went slack. 

"Dad!" Chase cupped his father's face in his hands, unable to process what he was seeing. Tears clouded his vision, blurring out the numbers that filled his visual field - the numbers that had given him everything but had just proven that they could just as easily take it all away.

Chase remembered his first Order meeting, when King Bradford warned that the Numbers were only clues and not prophecies. The future is something that no one can see. In a fraction of a second, Chase had seen every angle from which Farrah could burn his father and the mortality rate for each possible type of burn, but he'd missed something as trivial as a bullet from behind. 

The numbers are only as good as the humans who read them, and humans can fail. The numbers can fail. The numbers had failed. 

Chase was pulled out of his daze of disbelief by Nelson's infuriatingly calm voice behind him. 

"Get up, Chase... er, Lord Hewkin. You can cry later. As I'm certain you're aware, duty comes first for a High General of the Order." 

Chase blinked the tears out of his eyes, staring Nelson until he came into focus. The look on his face must've been truly horrifying, because he could see the concern on Hayley and Adrian's faces even from a distance. 

"Now that everyone here knows to take me seriously, let's continue," Nelson nodded at Farrah. 

"High General Hewkin, with the Arcanese Parliament as witness, do you vote to grant Regent Alan Nelson the title of King of Arcana?" 

It should've been an easy question. Chase was well aware of which answer would keep him and his friends safe, at least for the moment, and which would undoubtedly lead to more casualties. Yet, as his lips moved to form the word, his thoughts were pulled back to his fateful conversation with Juliana in the carcopter. He already had to entertain the possibility of their last exchange being an argument... would he be able to live with himself knowing that his first act as High General was formally stripping her of her powers? 

"I'm sorry Adrian, but I'm about to be a massive hypocrite," Chase commented, clearing his throat. The probs were the last thing he wanted to look at right now, but he realized that they were the key to the only acceptable outcome to this scenario. 

"Answer the question, please," Nelson sniffed impatiently as Chase analyzed the numbers. 

"I, High General Hewkin..." Chase subtly used his eyes to scroll through the list of preset Alpha Box programs he'd saved to his smart glasses. Finally finding the one he was looking for, he paused on it and smiled. "Vote in favor of my Queen." 

Without hesitation, Nelson signaled for his androids to fire, but this time, Chase was expecting it. Selecting all the androids in the room as the targets for his prob manipulation, he blinked twice to execute the command in front of him. 

RUN MACRO: STORMTROOPER. Targeted assailant will hit literally everything but you.