Logical Fallacies

"Sssss!" Insolent machine, thinking that its curiosity was greater than his peace, his focus! He should rot the damnable thing down to rusted scrap right at this very moment, consequences be damned. While the machine may be lawful in that it did not live, it certainly acted a lot like a sinner. It could be considered a judgement call should he decide to destroy it, to make it think before it so foolishly bothered him when it inevitably returned from the Pool.

Yet, the ghoul stayed his hand. Even as the computer's pleas satisfied something within him, or at least a void where the satisfaction should dwell, he refused to dig his talons into that polished plating. No, even if he did purge this machine, it would merely come back to try and do the same to him. They would risk a valuable asset turning against them in the middle of their plans execution, or worse. He let the AI have its space, though his gaze followed him with every foot he gained away until he stopped.

Yet again, it brought up another point he had not thought to linger upon. "I had thought about the goal, yess, and I had thought Fear would be able to adjussst, ass I had to adjussst to him being in consstant connection with a sssinner. Sssacrificess musst be made in the line of duty, even if not everyone agreesss with them." Mortis tonelessly hissed. He knew that his brothers did not want to take on their badges again when Death had been captured during his joyride with the dimension jumper, but they did it because they were brothers and it was their duty to look after each other. "Jusst ass Fear iss impacted by me, sso am I by him. Fear isss a masster of emotionsss, I am not. What do you think would happen sshould I let the humanity he iss conssstantly ssubject to affect me?" He hissed, letting that proposition sink into the AI's processor for a bit before continuing. "Our plansss could have been compromisssed from the mix of Fear'sss bleedover and my weaknesssesss. One of them had to be addressssed and I chossse the one I could mossst readily confront." Though while it sounded right, at the same time something about it seemed false... But what?

It left him empty, it left him confused and most of all frustrated as to his brother's reaction. Now on top of that there was this armor-plated nuisance barking up his tree. "He called me what he did becaussse he failed to underssstand, and from what you have told me, sstill failss to underssstand." Came an exasperated gravel. The crime was life, the sentence was death, and it would be upheld, carried out no matter what the cost was to them. In the end, they served the law and the law only.

"If it bothers you so, why are you out here? Why aren't you talking with your brother about what you used to be?"

"Ssss.." Did the AI not hear their doctrine enough while under Fear's care? His thunderous voice carried his zeal far enough that even the dead could likely hear it. He continued his pace, about to step up to the curb of his next location before suddenly-

SHRIIIE!

"Wait."

"Move assside." Mortis coldly hissed, "Obssstruction of a Judge in hisss dutiesss isss a sseriousss offenssse, for sssinner or machine." Yet, it once again failed to comply to his wishes. Instead, it decided to do something so useless as to keep asking its accursed questions. Inquiries that distracted him from the job at hand and only reached into voids that no longer held anything no matter how hard he searched them.

"Ssss.." Then again, this machine would not stop bothering him until it got the information it sought. May as well humor it for the sake of getting the nuisance out of his metaphorical hair. "I do not ssspeak with him becausssse it will not fix anything. How can any of thisss be remedied if I cannot remember the reassoning behind his accusssationss?" he hissed, gesturing to the doorway that the car was blocking rather effectively.

"Now, move asside or fulfill your end of the bargain if you are ssso intent on keeping me from my work."

More like the ghoul let the AI stay because it was making a point that it could not refuse.

Ground gained on the argument, KARR took the opportunity to advance it further. While Mortis brought up his points regarding the reason of his change, they also contradicted his earlier cause for worry regarding Fear's state of mind. He wiped himself of emotion and memory in order to better carry out his duties, but left Fear to suffer without his senses. How was any of that considered an acceptable sacrifice? Then again, the ghoul did think that Fear could adjust to the change... "Fear may not agree with the change, but I cannot see you standing idly by while he is unable to sense the world around him." They were too close, and the effects were far greater than anything Mortis of Fear had likely anticipated. Why else would the two have ended up like this if they had not foreseen the consequences? Though, there was yet another flaw that KARR could not help but bring up. "If Judge Fear is a master of emotions, why couldn't you just ask him to help with the issue, why was this the only option you could consider?"

The two were brothers after all, one should have been willing to help the other.

With Mortis' continued arguing to say that Fear simply did not understand, it nearly got the AI to sigh himself. "He called you what he did because you did not think that it would impact him." Now it was KARR's turn to be exasperated, as the ghoul resumed being what he despised most from the two brothers when he needed to get to the bottom of something:

Silent and hissy.

"I am not moving from this spot until you step away from the door. We cannot keep talking if you run off into a building." He tiredly sighed. KARR respected his laws, he really did. But tonight they simply were not corresponding with what he needed to do. Confident with his dictated circumstantial immunity, the AI remained idle in front of the building while Mortis continued to sit there and hiss at him.

So he thought that nothing could be done because he could not remember, hm? "Of course you cannot address what you cannot remember, Mortis. Judge Fear knows this too." But that was not the point. "You still remember being brothers, Mortis. That must count for something." It had to! Mortis had to still care about Fear's well being, even if it was strictly on a professional level.

"Now, move asside or fulfill your end of the bargain if you are ssso intent on keeping me from my work."

Of course, of course. "I have not forgotten our deal, Mortis." He reassured, putting this structure through the same scans as he did the last. Now then, what could he do with this place... It had an old gas heating system, outdated electrical wiring like the last and there was a whopping five people who thought it was smart to stay in the basement where the same gas heater was located.

Geniuses.

"Fear may not agree with the change, but I cannot see you standing idly by while he is unable to sense the world around him."

Why did that damnable tin can have to be so right? His brother, while unable to fully understand why he had to go through with his change, still was considered blind to his surroundings, yet he was supposed to purge with him. It would be unlawful to leave him in such a state, and yet he did not know how to reverse what he had done. Could he reverse what had been done? "It no longer mattersss what he isss a massster of. Memoriess cannot sssimply be wissshed back." He gravelled tiredly. "I had thought thisss wass the only way becaussse I decided he would not underssstand my weaknesssess. I would not dare asssk for my brother to cut himsself off from me, we need to be connected to operate asss a unit. Yet..." He sighed, claws coming to rest upon his belt as he looked past the vehicle and down the street. "Yet we may asss well be cut off from each other. If I had known thisss would be the outcome, I would have braved the posssibility of him not underssstanding. However, thisss isss a path that cannot be reversssed. I do not know the meansss, and likely neither doesss Fear." It was a conundrum that held no answer, and one that he would have to deal with unto the rest of eternity.

Again, the vehicle spoke, and again it repeated the same notion over and over. He had made a mistake, he had forgot to think about his brethren. Both of which were true, but it was still too late. "I did not think it would impact him this greatly." He corrected. Of course his actions would have an effect on his brother, they all effected each other one way or another. Likely he would not have the temper that he did if he was not stuck with Fire for so long in Limbo. Who knew what else he developed from being stamped in a wine bottle with both him and Fear for a few years.

"Ssss..." So that was the reason. He wanted him to remain in earshot, undistracted from their little heart-to-heart. Frankly Mortis would rather be experiencing a fist-to-heart at the moment, between him and sinners huddled up in that basement. His claws flexed, and Mortis considered just hopping the roof of the stubborn machine and rotting his way through the door. He could not remember enough to fix what he had done, and he certainly did not remember enough to know what he had done wrong in the first place... Symptoms of purging oneself of emotions aside. Therein, what was the point of discussion, what was the point of trying to even reason with a very bitter Dark Judge who could no longer sense his surroundings?

"You still remember being brothers, Mortis. That must count for something."

"It doess." Make no mistake, it did count that he still remembered that Fear was his brother. He remembered that he was the only brother that he had a mental link with as well. They were essentially along on this rock. Alone and surrounded by criminals.

Criminals who just could not stay dead.

"You have sssaid that he acusssed me becaussse I had not thought about him in my actionss, yesss?" Mortis rumbled, looking down at the car's windshield as he pondered something "If that isss all he isss upssset about, perhapsss thiss can be treated." not fixed completely, but treated so that it was a little more bearable for the both of them. It would not require the addition of any feelings or memories that he no longer possessed.

Now then, what was taking so long for KARR to purge those-

BOOOM!

...sinners.

First denial, then confusion, and now regret. For a being that had suspended himself from feeling anything, he certainly emoted plenty and felt enough to know something was wrong. If it were not for the gravity of the situation he would- Ah, hell, why not add this entire meeting to his data banks for later review? Should Fear start to wonder what occurred between him and his brother, he may need his unbiased evidence to look through.

"Hm. I am not so certain of that." KARR replied, the AI was as always never so ready to accept defeat. Not when there were so many alternatives his processors could figure. "For one, you have said yourself that Fear has many facets to his being that even you do not know of. Maybe he has one that you are too quick to overlook." Neither of them wanted to be stuck like this, he could tell. So Fear had to be willing to look into something to aid his brother, right? That is, if he was not completely bent on suffering through the effects of his brother's actions. Whether it be the effects of having no emotions, or some amount of judicial duty on the helmeted ghoul's end, it would seem ridiculous that to go through this was still opted for when it so obviously effected Fear's performance in the field.

Ah, so he did not think the ghoul would be as impacted as he was... "How did you think it would impact him? There are only two of you here and the both of you are linked together... In fact I wonder how this came to be so surprising to begin with." Fear did know Mortis was going to go through with this adaption, right? He seemed to know that Mortis went through with it, but with so little that he was willing to tell the AI, it was hard to figure.

Still, at least he was getting somewhere with Mortis.

Even if the sheep-headed undead was incredibly focused upon getting into that building. Thankfully it was not enough to silence him completely though. "If it does count, then you should not be here, purging." He urged, "You should be speaking with your brother with undivided attention." There would be no progress made if he just slipped back into a building, or chose to stay silent and keep purging instead of try and remedy things.

Speaking of that though, it appeared something was finally starting to break through. Finally. "Yes, treat it." Please, for the love of your unbridled euphoria when killing, do something about this. There had to be someone besides him who thought that this could be dealt with in a way aside from sitting on one's thumbs all day, waiting for it to pass.

With the resounding thunder of the gas heater detonating, taking the lives of all five occupants of the basement within, this building was no completely sinner-free. "It has been done." KARR reported evenly, pulling away from the door and rolling back onto the street. "Shall we continue?"

"Ssss.." Maybe his brother could help him, and maybe he could not. though Mortis was starting to think about whether or not his brother would be willing tot do it instead of whether he was capable of such a feat or not. So while perhaps someone may think of the AI's words with hope, the ghoul could only shake his head. "It may be a non-viable meansss anyway, robot. To harm Fear ass I have may be considered traitorouss to our oath. If he thinksss it lawful to sssuffer through the effectss of my actionsss, it would only be jussst that I sssuffer with him." How long would that be? Who knew. It could be months, years, before it was decided he had served enough time that it had been deemed that justice was served.

He would deal with the consequences if that was the case. He owed his brother for having to go through his duties with such a handicap upon him.

How did he think it would have impacted him? There was another hiss and Mortis tilted his skeletal head back to look up for a small moment, what had he expected... "I thought... I thought he would be a little sssuprisssed at firsst with my change, but nothing ssso disssaproving as what I had ssseen insstead." Fear had reacted as if he had been stabbed in the back, betrayed by one of his own brethren. Was that what he thought of him now, a traitor that walked around in the skin of someone he had worked with for years? He titled his head back down to the vehicle, stepping away from it and the door that it had deemed necessary to block.

"Many thingsss were not foressseen on both of our endss. We are psssychicss, but we do not have the ability of precognition." He hissed, turning around to face the vehicle from the sidewalk. He had not foreseen his brother reacting with such pain, he had not thought he too would lose so much of himself. He had not thought that mending himself for the sake of their plans would only make things worse. Yet, he had in one fell swoop, betrayed the only other judge upon this accursed dimension, and therein the only person he knew upon this iniquitous rock that was completely lawful. There could not be any other reason why Fear was driven away from him, why they kept themselves at such distances. The fellow Judge could not bear being in the same room as him without reason.

Indeed, why was he out here?

"I will need time to think." He gravelled, a clawed hand reaching up to rest on the back of his head. "There isss much to consssider... I am uncertain if Fear would wisssh to sspeak with me to begin with. If he isss repulsssed by me asss I believe, the meet with him would be a lossst causse." What point would there be in speak with someone who did not want to hear what he had to say in the first place? If Fear thought he was betrayed and the other a traitor, he may just think that Mortis' words were but lies...

No, he could not be so daft as to think that, would he?

"Shall we continue?"

"If you have more quessstionss." Mortis replied, drawn out of his thoughts as he watched the car drive off the curb and back onto the road. Otherwise, the ghoul was willing to dismiss the vehicle and allow himself some time to himself to think.

It would only be just? Again, the AI could not help but find a hard time figuring the logic behind forcing each other to suffer when it made one have trouble functioning and the other distraught. Judges, ever obtuse in their reasoning. Or perhaps it was merely Mortis' own mindset that was getting to him, there was no proof given that this would be a sure outcome. "Are you certain this would be the case?" KARR replied, "Have there been any other past occurrences that you know for certain would support your suspicion?" If there was no evidence to back it up, then there was no reason for him to worry, right?

He had, for one, severely misjudged Fear's reactions in the past. Even if it was only the recent past. "He cared for you, Mortis. Your adaption and its effects must have caught him off guard." he knew that much had to be true, Fear had come running to retrieve him from the swamp when the sheep-skulled lawman had come plopping into this dimension. He ensured the fellow Judge did not befall any undue harm and always came home once their jobs were done.

Even if things have changed, the AI knew at least that was still there.

"He will speak with you." KARR assured. The Judge may respect Mortis' decision to purge himself of feeling and memories, but he doubted that he enjoyed staying the way he was. "If he is your brother, he will not turn you away." He added, an attempt at putting some salve upon the burning uncertainty that lingered within Mortis' mind. Not for the his sake, but more for Fear's. If this towering fool did not do anything, nothing would make any progression for the better. Thus, barriers had to be taken down, brick by brick.

"I have little else to ask. You have answered everything I wanted to know." the AI stated, his two-toned form still idling upon the street. However, there was one more thing he wanted to add... "Promise me that you will talk with your brother." Cheesy, yes, but if the Dark Judges could keep to their word in regards to each other... Perhaps it was worth the extra effort.

Would it be the case? So far as he could remember, none of them, not even Death had committed an outright betrayal of their oath and bonds. They all had worked together, looked after each other. Every memory he had that managed to survive his mental purge displayed utmost loyalty and devotion. the only event that he could see that had shown any of them working against the other and looking the most traitorous was... Was him, his leave to the grasslands, the meditation he had done to make himself more pure, and finally the purge itself and its after-effects. "Ssss... We would never betray each other." He defended, his tone at first seething at the mere notion but simmering back down to its pallid chill. "Ssstill, that doess not mean there are no regulationss in place in casse sssuch a thing would occur. I may jusst be that firsst casse between uss."

And he would be the first among their quartet to suffer the consequences.

"I know he caresss." He replied, starting to make his way down to the next building. Though his shambling gait was much slower than it was previously. Though, even with Fear's care, there had to be a breaking point. What if this was it? His actions could be so grievous that even attempting to speak with Fear about them in an effort to help each other may be too far fetched. Impossible, even. Were they even still brothers anymore at this point?

"He will speak with you. If he is your brother, he will not turn you away."

The ghoul paused in his steps. Yes, they were still brothers by some extent, as KARR had pointed out. Though he was unsure of just how much they were still connected to each other... Then again, should he fail to contact his brother, they would still be estranged and the both of them would still be dealing with his mistake. There was no reason for Fear to keep trying to function without his senses, and there was no reason for him to allow the both of them to be so distant from each other. He had to listen. "Yesss." Mortis finally agreed.

Though to his surprise, the ever curious computer was finally satiated in his search for enlightenment. "Very well, you are dissmisssed." He rasped, resuming his gait as his sights set themselves upon the next building on this doomed street. Oh, but what was this? ...Promise him? "Sssss... I will ssspeak with him regardlesss of promisssess, machine." He hissed in reply, tail flicking from side to side. "Now go. Leave me to my dutiesss."

And his thoughts.

With that, Mortis went on to the next building, his aura flaring back to what could only be described as his working level as he rotted away the door and stepped inside. Ah, yes... This place was teeming with the iniquitous. Drug dealers, vagabonds, thieves and murderers. They all begged for his lawful, ever forgiving touch. Even if it sounded more like screaming and begging him to spare their lives now, they soon would be enlightened to their ways, to the path of death.

Their teacher was ever patient, after all.

So he was correct. There was indeed no trace of any event that had displayed them betraying one another, at least not until this point as Mortis pointed out. However, from what KARR had heard, it did not sound like an outright, intentional betrayal to begin with. As Fear had stated in the Sanctuary, his brother was not vindictive, and Mortis had not intended for any of what he had done to effect Fear as it did. Certainly, it did not give the Dark Judge a free pass, but it was enough to be considered.

Either way, it was something that remained to be seen. As much as Mortis could sit and wonder about the outcome, it would serve about as much purpose as it sounded. Which, of course, was very little.

"Whether or not you actually betrayed your brother is something you need to discuss with him." KARR stated. Mortis was not the one to decide whether or not he actually had done something as incriminating as he thought he did. To him, that was to be saved for Fear to decide. As Mortis went on to the next building, the trans-am's turbines whined and he slowly idled up next to him on the road. Interesting, he seemed to be moving slower than before... Perhaps he was starting to put some decent thought into what he was saying and what needed to be done.

For both of their sakes he hoped so. If he heard that nothing came of their talk and he needed to come back out here--

"Yesss."

A short, simple answer, but it gave so much. Or at least so much as his systems could not detect signs of a lie in a dead body. For that he doubly hoped that the ghoul would not be so foolish as to try and lie his way out of talking with Fear. Though, he doubted that was the case. Mortis seemed to care about his brother's well being, even if he could not rightly feel anything, or so he said, he could still tell something was off.

"Thank you, Judge Mortis." He rumbled, engines revving as he started to pull away. Even if the undead did not outright say he promised that he was going to speak with Fear, there was enough support from their conversation alone that he would do so regardless of how many pinky-swears and promises he made to him. It was just a little something to ensure things went as they were supposed to, was all.

"Very well. Goodbye, Mortis." He said finally as the Judge shooed him off, his turbine's raising into a shrill as he drove off. There was a much-deserved recharge he was looking forward to after this little excursion.