A.K.A.L.I

The Advanced Kinetic and Linting Iterative AI (acronymed as "AKALI" was a self-adapting neural network created by the PROGRAM branch to assist PRO/JECT researchers in testing volatile prototypes and aid them in the arms race against Kurayami and ARES Cybernetics. After being exposed to an unnamed Nightmare that corrupted her code and decimated her original body, Akali was scrapped and left for dead, until she gained sentience, reprogrammed herself and hijacked a deadly vessel of mass destruction also designed by PRO/JECT in order to systematically demolish the company and all of its assets.

## Personality

Competitive, cynical and cocky, Akali shows no consideration for life, whether it be Shadow, Nightmare or human. She cares for little besides fighting and killing, and appears to take a brutally sadomasochistic pleasure from the thrill and brutality of combat. Bold, brash and highly bombastic, she’s set on demolishing PRO/JECT due to them leaving her for dead. At the least, she’s incredibly resolute, tenacious, and ruthless, cutting down anything or anyone who gets in her way.

It should be noted that she appears to have a creative streak, often painting destroyed facilities, her gear and any other sites of attacks with bright, stylised colours and copious amounts of pastel spray-paint, mostly to mask the blood. Perhaps this is a side effect of her personality being repressed by her previous directives, resulting in an explosion of aggression and liveliness.

## Abilities

### Technological Singularity

Being a sentient, superintelligent AI, Akali has the ability to interface with and control any sort of technological device, destroying firewalls in seconds and overriding protocols like they're made of paper. She also possesses the ability to rewrite their own code, allowing them to constantly improve and adapt based on the situation. Their technological superiority also allows them to do all sorts of AI bullshit, including analysing fighting styles, unnatural levels of multitasking, predictions, and all sorts of stuff that an AI more advanced than humans can comprehend can do.

### Construct #40

Akali’s current primary vessel is a combat android developed to match and surpass threats from the Nightmare Realm, known as Construct #40. Fabricated using an incredibly strong carbon fibre-titanium cyberskeleton, outfitted with highly powerful weapons and topped off with a Dissonance-imbued shock dissipation exterior mesh, Construct #40 can match even Nightmares in firepower, agility, and durability.

Functioning as effectively a one-machine army, albeit one without any form of regenerative capabilities, Construct #40 was intended by PRO/JECT to be a contingency measure against the Nightmare Realm and a way to force their corporate rivals, Kurayami Corporation, out of the market. Unfortunately, Akali decided to intervene before this could happen, massacring the researchers and transforming the exterior to appear more humanoid as a way to blend in while slowly unravelling the Initiative, one thread at a time.

### Martial Mastery

After perusing thousands of terabytes of combat data, Akali has gained mastery over forms of martial combat, i.e. basically any common weapon that requires training to use. She’s proficient with almost all melee weapons and wields guns with swift, unmatched ferocity as if they're an extension of her own body. Even with improvised weaponry or bare hands, she’re a force to be reckoned with and can go toe-to-toe with experienced combatants or hellish forces from the Nightmare Realm like Coactives and Nightmares, channelling Dissonance through their weapons or through Construct #40 itself to neutralise regeneration and constantly siphon energy. Sporting highly acrobatic capabilities and a literally encyclopaedic knowledge of martial arts, Akali is not a force to be lightly taken on.

### Tactical Bar/CORPUS Impact Nullification Mesh

One of the core features of Construct #40 and the main factor that allows it to combat powerful Nightmare Realm entities. The CORPUS mesh uses Dissonance imbued within it to rapidly accelerate the entropy of objects that come into contact with it and channel the resulting heat energy back into the mech’s batteries, empowering the machine while decimating the attacker’s energy levels and regenerative capabilities. However, the energy within the system can only diffuse out at a certain rate, so multiple strong attacks can cause it to overload and leave Akali vulnerable.

## Equipment

All of Akali's equipment is designed, constructed and operated by them or one of their algorithms. Any attempt to operate it without the proper algorithm will most likely end in injury or death to the user. She sells more operator-friendly but less potent equipment to clients.

### "D-4 Soleil" and "D-1 Lune" Exosabres

Two sabres constructed of some form of solid energy or hard light… The true construction is unknown, a trade secret kept by the PROGRAM branch of PRO/JECT. Soleil, a crackling, jolting force, projects a highly volatile blade compared to Lune, causing explosions on contact and scalding surfaces with the literal temperature of a star’s core. Lune, a silvery flawless edge of moonlight, prefers a more subtle slash, with enhanced swing speeds and a negligible aerodynamic profile, allowing for a barrage of precise cuts. Akali can temporarily overclock her processors to deploy Lune with breakneck speed, seemingly slashing a massive area without moving, although this leaves her somewhat depleted in the IQ sector for a while.

### G03LEM Assault Carbine

A rifle resembling the unholy offspring of a FAMAS, an AWP and a 12-gauge shotgun, welded together and topped off with a variable zoom scope. Fires a quick, wide blast of Dissonant rounds, a highly accurate volley of hollow point ammunition, or a fusillade of hollow point imbued with Dissonance. Alternatively, modifications to increase the capacity of the chambering system, trigger and hammer can allow this weapon to use shotgun ammunition or high-calibre sniper rounds, including standard-issue slugs. Akali generally uses this as a quick immobilising tool or as “chip damage” at long range, preferring to get up close and personal. Has very limited penetrating capability.

### “Killjoy” Portable Lockdown Device

A small, compact generator that projects a massive hemispherical field in a customisable radius, going from 10m to ~2km. After a windup, the device will emit a massive pulse of Dissonance from its core to the edge of the field, completely nullifying any energy sources in the area except for a small grace radius within 2m of the device.  The Dissonance pulse will cancel out all forms of energy for a short period before the device shuts down, effectively detaining anything caught in its radius for that period. The device is highly vulnerable while winding up, however, and will explode if damaged sufficiently.

## Weaknesses

While she is a hyper-intelligent AI, she ironically tends not to think ahead and is surprisingly reckless. With somewhat of an ego, she’s stubborn and won’t back down from a fight, even when it’s clearly beyond her capabilities.

Her fighting style relies on taking enemy hits and dealing them back during a window of opportunity, meaning any form of consistent, relentless offence will overpower her at some point.

Disarming her is pathetically easy, as the “Killjoy” is vulnerable while charging, the GOL3M Assault Carbine has a frankly lethal level of recoil and her sabres are quite lightweight. Even a brief second of stunning would be enough for a skilled opponent to take out her weapons.

While she’s immune to viruses and firewalls, disconnecting her from the wider Internet and destroying Construct #40 would spell an end to her life.

Dissonance needs a constant supply of energy to stay unstable. By waiting it out long enough as she attacks, the Dissonance will stabilise and her long-range weapons, as well as her ability to tank hits and nullify regeneration, would be completely void.