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Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no!
"Unhand her right now!" Berdly commands, taking a fighting stance. His hands tremble as he lines up his [Spear Blast], but only a little, "I might have been a peon if yours, but that is all in the past now! I won't let you roboticize Noelle's face!"
"W-wait, Berdly!"
"Foolish Child Doesn't Know What He's Talking About," The splendoriously vile Queen sighs mockingly. She doesn’t need to breathe, "Proceed With The Plugging Process."
"Run away!"
It happens in slow motion. The wire falls down from the digital sky, closing in on him as he fires his shot. It doesn't miss, because this is something Berdly has had the time to get good at. He snipes the electrical string out of the air, and it's immediately replaced by three more. Berdley knows he can't leave Noelle behind, even if he's scared, especially when he's scared, so he gathers his remaining wits and dodges out of the way as fast as his suit of armor allows.
"Queen! Let go of Noelle this instant and I might THINK of sparing you!" He proclaims loudly, confidently, heroicly. It's as much for his sake as it is for hers, "I implore you to stop this farce at once!"
The computer stays silent amidst the chaos, utterly indifferent towards him and his super cool hero moment. The familiarty of it stings Berdly somewhere near his heart, where his childhood is. The plug to his left falls victim to [Chirashi], getting swiftly swept up in the sea of graded papers. The plug to the right is sucked into a [Tornado], malfunctioning. Both retreat into the sky. That's pretty easy!.. Too easy.
"B-behind you!"
Berdly turns around, and the third plug lands on his face. It's a cowardly move beffiting of a scheming monarch, he thinks for a second.
And then, suddenly, there's pain.
The plug kisses his beak with electrical vigor, sending shock after shock through his limbs. His mind splinters in all directions, choking the scream out of his hot lungs. Pumping electricity in and out of his veins, using him as nothing but a conduit for Queen's will. It's almost like he's sleepwalking through a nightmare, his consciousness growing hazier as his face gets swallowed into the wire itself.
After the initial impact, the trembling of his useless body subsides, instead revealing a terrifying numbness. His body sways from side to side, crackling incomprehensibly. The wire coats his tongue in a layer of ozone, corrupting his tastebuds. He tries to get away, tries to rip the wire off, tries to call for his better and smarter allies, tries to move his body somewhere, anywhere... He can't.
He can't move. He can't think. Everything is fuzzy. He can't-
"My Sweet Idiot Child," Queen croons, grating his ears with a nostalgic cruelty, "I Am Honestly So Glad I Made These Control Plugs Suitable For Teenagers. He Is Finally Quiet."
"What did you..." Noelle's voice cuts through the static like butter, if only for a precious second, "W-what did you do to Berdly?!"
"Oh Nothing Much. He's Just Plugged Now," Shrugs the computer.
"You won’t get away with this!" His friend sounds unsure even to his ears, "Kris and Susie will... They will definitely save us!"
"Unless You Want Mr. Birdy To Get Hurt, That Is," The skyline echoes with regal laughter, "He Will Totally Do My Bidding And Help Force Other Light Nerds To Serve Me. That’s What The Control Wire Is For, Dear."
"You can't just do that!"
"Oopsie (Except I Am Not Sorry And Would Do It Again)," Queen flippantly tilts her head, "Please Don’t Start Crying, Sweetie Gravy. That Will Make Me Feel: Bad."
"You... You can't..."
The voices grow distant as Berdly's body moves on its own. Noelle is nowhere to be heard. Nothing can be heard, in fact. It's all so fuzzy it loops around to being kind of nice. Even still, with the last shred of will Berdly can muster, he calls for help.
- Berdly calls for Noelle...
- Berdly calls for Susie...
- Berdly calls for Kris...
- Berdly calls...
...For mom.
...
- But nobody came.