Hand of Time: Chapter Two
A few days later :
Norman coughed fiercely and at that Dorothy raised her head from the ancient fireplace removing yet another shovel of black ash from its hulking interior.
"Norman it is not right for you to work in these conditions" she began plainly depositing the ash into the metal receptacle she would take to the mechanics when they were finished. It was strange she wondered if anyone ever wasted anything back before 40 years ago… It seemed that in all of Paradigm nothing was ever thrown away, something was always used to produce something else…
"I will be quite fine Miss. Dorothy please let us continue."
The old man then once again tucked into cleaning the ash, Dorothy knew from his labored breathing that the ash was affecting his lungs, humans really had no sophisticated filtering system to do the work for them…
Gently she placed her hand on his wide shoulder and squeezed gently Norman soundlessly met the deep amethyst color of her eyes.
"Norman please" she whispered her black hand staining the white of his shirt
For a long moment Norman seemed to gaze at her peculiarly and then his eyes strayed down to her hand where she was wearing the ring. He gasped his eyes widened
"Dorothy… has Master Roger proposed to you?!"
As if Norman burned Dorothy withdrew her hand "No he hasn't it was a gift, I like it so I am wearing it."
A strange emotion that she had never seen before crossed over his face "Who gave it you Dorothy?"
"I cannot tell you Norman"
Norman reached out and took her hand "Do you plan to marry this gentleman?"
Dorothy knew the technical definition of marriage her Father had programmed it into her as he did with many other abstract concepts such as hate and mistrust. But marriage to her in a realistic sense… Applied to a man and a woman was quite unfathomable in her well ordered mind.
"No I am not. But he gave it to me and I took it."
"That means you agree to his proposal by taking and wearing it." Norman replied removing the ring from her left hand and slipping it onto her delicate ring finger on her right.
"What did I agree too? To being his wife?" Dorothy asked watching the light reflect through the faceted deeps and hues of the translucent quicksilver stone.
"Yes you agreed to… joining your soul with his in a sacred ceremony that came from the Gods of Old…."
Dorothy looked up sharply staring deeply into Norman's good eye, his wheezing had died a little.
"But androids have no souls." She stated simply
Norman closed his good eye and sighed "Will you finish the fireplace alone Miss. Dorothy I am suddenly feeling quite tired." He released her hand and stood
Dorothy nodded "Yes Norman I will" and with that he left her. As Dorothy turned back to the largest, dirtiest fireplace in the house, which was obviously in Roger's room, she found herself perplexed. Few things ever perplexed her, but this…
A strange feeling was roiling and boiling in her chest, it made her circuits fire more rapidly, the electricity forming a great hum around her. She felt herself beginning to short rapidly loosing functioning in her legs and then arms. Frantically she tired to turned to make a noise but mercifully she blacked out and went away far away into the cold darkness of her shell…
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Exhausted Roger Smith returned to his abode and upon stepping from the grille of the elevator he noticed the immaculately clean receiving room was dead silent more so then usual since only three people lived in a building that at one time could have housed at least the hundred people with ease.
"Norman?" his deep voice echoed over the high ceilings, he waited and no answer came till he spied a piece of white paper on the coffee table, bending he took it up and quickly scanned it.
Roger took a deep breath… Norman was getting to old for things like cleaning the fireplaces, he would start having to hire servants soon or….
"Dorothy R. Wayneright!" he cried, that too was greeted the exact same way, silence….
With a frustrated, insolent huff he ascended the stairs to his bedroom to find it only half ajar. Rage boiling in him again he pushed open the door with a bang and froze.
There lying innocuously on his thick carpeted floor was Dorothy, her face was flushed, lips pink
He stifled the gasp that rose in his throat; his mouth hanging briefly open in disbelief and in three strides crossed the room to kneel beside Dorothy.
Gently he turned her on her back, she was still as heavy as a piece of metal but her face was flushed with life, her lips…
Carefully his thumb brushed across her mouth and he held his breath at the sensation of moist softness. In her strange sleep Dorothy pressed her lips together and sighed, Roger's whole body became still suddenly aware of how bad this would look if someone were watching…
"Dorothy" he whispered caressing the warmth of her face, flawless skin like silk beneath his touch, he saw the dark fan of lashes flutter briefly and quickly he drew his hand away unable to help himself.
Lying there like this she was so beautiful, like an undine dream that the nameless poets spoke of so long ago.
Why hadn't he admitted to himself in all these months that he was attracted to her… That he was somehow unable to look at another woman since she had come into his home, even Angel… who…
"Dorothy it is time to wake up" he began again his voice strained, when she did not stir he bent down and pressed his lips against hers.
It was then that Dorothy came alive; she gasped against the gentle pressure of his lips and pushed him away.
Caught by surprise Roger fell back with a yelp and she sat up straight, the color was leaving her cheeks the rosy tinge fading from her beautiful shaped lips.
"Did you kiss me Roger Smith?" she said in her perfectly monotone voice her posture stiff and doll like. To him this was the Dorothy that he knew well, totally unflappable and…
"I don't know what you are talking about" he replied arrogantly standing up and dusting his suit off.
"I know you kissed me, Alan…" she trailed off seeing Roger's face suddenly turn into a mask of what she had come to know as anger.
"Alan… what did he do to you Dorothy?" Roger asked gritting his teeth already knowing the answer.
"He kissed me like you did, but differently. It was different…His lips were warm and yours were hot like the water Norman boils for your coffee every morning."
She gracefully stood and waited for him to explode. She had to admit, his emotions had become almost science to her and this attempt at anger was halfhearted at most. He wasn't really angry at her… He was angry at…
Roger opened his mouth to explode and sighed "Dorothy you will never understand the difference because you aren't human and you can never be even close enough. Because… because humans have souls and androids don't."
Dorothy nodded "You are right my Father for all his brilliance couldn't bring back his dead daughter he could only create a visage which became me."
There was a brief pause before Dorothy spoke again
"I shall now go find Norman to perform a diagnostic check on all my systems since I shorted out when you had found me. Goodnight Roger."
In a few steps she was gone, and the door shut with a resounding finality.
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"What has happened Dorothy?"
Norman turned from his work on the mechanism in Big O's left eye to look down at the stiff form of Dorothy Wayneright. He was worried not only for the relationship that was occurring between Angel and his Master but for this poor child…
"I have shorted while cleaning the fireplace, Roger found me and…." She paused that boiling feeling again returning to her cool body.
She did not want to lie to Norman but to admit that, unconsciously she touched her lips, they were still warm, warm like a human girls.
Maybe if….
A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder "Is Master Roger well?" he asked softly she looked up surprised, how long had she stood there… What was happening to her?
Dorothy looked into his good eye "Yes, he woke me up and now I've come for you to run diagnostics on my system. My efficiency has dropped by 9.8745% and I may be overheating. You will have to open me up Norman and see what is happening to my body. But please do not tell Roger, I do not want him to see my inner self, it would disgust him."
She stated stiffly, feeling a new emotion that her program recognized as embarrassment fill her up. If she had, had blood her cheeks would be red, as any respectable ladies would be…
Her Father had defined her program with the capacity to adapt a semblance of emotions through learned observable behavior but maybe he had also created something else far more profound…
"Miss Dorothy, if you will go wait in the laboratory I will be there shortly. I need only to replace this circuit and I will have completed my duties."
She nodded as the gentle touch left her shoulder, feeling a little more at ease she made her way to the laboratory where she would sit and wait for Norman to finish his duties.
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When Dorothy pulled open the heavy steel door she found that the lights were already on and there like the bane of her existence was Roger Smith poking around on the shelves of Norman well ordered lab and storage area for parts of the Megadeuce.
He looked up inquiringly when she stepped in and closed the door behind her
"Why Dorothy you haven't gotten checked with Norman yet?" he asked his bravado returning.
"No I have not he still must finish work on Big 0."
She passed him and went to sit on the cold steel operating table the bright light shining down on the top of her fire orange hair. Roger continued to poke about tapping the glass of the many specimens and quietly picking up things he shouldn't.
If Dorothy had been any other girl she would have been irritated, but "Why are you here Roger Smith?" she asked
Roger looked up abruptly cutting off whatever he was going to do next "I've come to apologize to you about what happened upstairs."
"You mean the kiss?" she elucidated bluntly
To her surprise his cheeks colored slightly, Dorothy observed the sudden rapid rise of his body temperature and felt that similar boiling feeling filling her up again. How intoxicating it was and yet invigorating. For a brief span of moments Dorothy could not look at Roger Smith this new emotion was too much.
"Y-yes about the kiss, I don't know what overcame me…"
"So you regret it" she stated cutting off his sentence
Rogers mouth hug open for a moment "I didn't say that Dorothy!" he replied indignantly
"Didn't you? Roger Smith?" she retorted in her deadpan tone.
"It is very ungentlemanly of me, too take advantage of you in such a vulnerable state" he continued
"And I sincerely apologize" he spit out the last sentence with a hasty gust of breath, as if just hearing himself say it would somehow make it better. Through that Dorothy was trying hard to master her body the frantic firing of her wires was making her tingle and hum from within.
Where was Norman? That circuit could not take that long? For once she wished that his man was not around her, his presence was now disorienting her.
There was a long silence where she considered her answer, "You are forgiven Negotiator, I cannot feel anger either way, my father left that out of my programming. So there is no use preparing any kind of apology for me."
She forced herself to look Roger straight in those dark colored eyes and hoped her face did not betray the storm that was building in her since last night…
And then Roger looked down to her hands that clasped the table so hard she was bending the metal
"Dorothy?"
She looked down "Oh" releasing her grip she clasped her hands demurely in her lap
"I will help Norman fix it later"
Realization dawned on him "You're wearing the RING?!" he cried his usually flushed face going white with disbelief and rage.
Judging from the constriction in the blood vessels at his neck Dorothy concluded that he was very, very angry.
The humming only increased inside her body "Yes I am, it is too beautiful and rare to leave in that garish box." She stated the truth for Dorothy had somehow felt drawn to the ring.
Roger counted to ten as he watched Dorothy sit there as implacable and immovable as a stone, the two dents in the heavy steal table contrary to her usual stony expression. Maybe something was very wrong with her, and that is why she had insisted on having a checkup.
But still he was sweating; the Great Negotiator of Paradigm City was sweating in front of a piece of metal. Roger was quite out of his element, not that he was not suave in handling women…But this young woman, this android was suddenly driving him mad he shouldn't be this vexed over one stupid little engagement ring…
"Give it to me" he held out his hand to her, she did nothing
"Dorothy!" he barked she did not react she continued to stonily stare at him for a long time before she spoke
"Do you like me Roger Smith?"
Before he knew it he was retorting, "Don't be preposterous Dorothy nothing can ever be between us!"
Something strange flickered across her deep purple eyes and that made him pause, abruptly all the false anger left him and all that was remained was… That dreaded emotion he hoped that he would never feel, ever…
It was as irrational as Fear…
"I think you are lying Roger Smith you just blinked three times as you spoke, and you only do that when you are lying."
Roger gasped taking a step back and quickly regained his mental footing "I thought you cannot tell when people are lying Dorothy, you yourself cannot lie convincingly."
"You are correct my Father never properly programmed me with that… It is something unique only to humans and Megadeuce's."
Roger's head spun but the feeling inside him was no lie, this was a emotion as foreign and distant as the memories of 40 years ago. Memories of his family, and the feeling of love, indeed he had lusted after many women in his years as a Negotiator, but this wasn't that…
This was…
"Dorothy" he pleaded softly taking a few hesitant steps towards her. Her hands tightened in her lap and yet her expression did not change. She stared resolutely into his face as if daring him to come any closer, or willing him to do so.
He didn't know but…
Gently he placed his hands on her shoulders, hoping she could not feel his trembling body.
"Are you cold Roger?" she asked softly, her face carried none of the life he had seen in his room, but nonetheless she was still beautiful.
"N-no I am not Dorothy" he stammered, he watched her for a long moment
"Then are you frightened? I will not hurt you." She assured him quietly and then looked down shyly, this nearly made Roger balk. What was happening to her?
"Roger, I feel very strange lately" she began softly "my body, my circuits are constantly malfunctioning when… When I think of you."
Roger felt a hot flush rise to his cheeks, leave it Dorothy to speak so… bluntly. "Dorothy… T-that is only because there might be something wrong with you, you told me that Norman has only been doing the most basic of checkups on you since Big 0 is getting so damaged in all the fights I've had."
There was a long pause as she considered.
"Yes I do remember telling you that sometime ago… Is that what it is, Negotiator?"
"Surely it is" he replied feeling the color fading from his face, he hoped that she believed him because to think of it any other way…
Roger's face colored a deeper red yet again; Dorothy's eyes widened slightly feeling the heat of his hands through the thickness of her dress. She was fairly humming from the inside
Impulsively she reached up and touched his face, it was as warm. She marveled at his skin smooth from his recent shave… She always liked to watch him shave since it was quite interesting.
In the same perverse trance Dorothy was in, her fingertips traced the line of his jaw, feeling his face grow hot. She hesitated as she watched his onyx colored eyes glaze slightly and his lips moisten.
Dorothy had never seen this emotion before, and yet it exhilarated her. Her circuits were firing like whale song in her head.
Tentatively she glided her thumb over his lips and gasped softly at that strange look intensified in his eyes, his lids grew heavy.
"Roger?" she murmured her voice sounded strange to her ears, softly Roger grasped her hand and pressed his lips to her palm.
"Dorothy you must stop" he whispered his lips brushing against her palm, and he stepped closer to her, pressing her against the hardness of his body, it was then as those strange sensations had overrode nearly everything in her that the heavy door to the lab opened.
Roger Smith jumped away from her as if she was terribly radioactive and Dorothy came to full awareness.
Norman looked at them calmly "Master Roger, I would like if you could step outside while I check Miss Dorothy over."
Roger nodded and with a most austere bow was gone from the lab as quickly as Dorothy had ever seen. The heavy steel door slid shut leaving Norman standing still near the door, Dorothy was suddenly embarrassed. Did Norman know?
"Miss Dorothy I am sorry to keep you waiting. There was a slight circuit malfunction with Big 0." He began making his way over the lab to her, he donned a pair of surgical gloves and went over to her.
"Norman I do not want you to check my drives, I want you to check my inner body. You have never opened up my body before"
Norman's eye widened "I dare not, you have never given me permission Miss. Dorothy"
Dorothy nodded "I am sorry, none of my malfunctions has never come from my actual body only my drives."
"True. Now Miss Dorothy can you tell me where the switch is?" he asked softly going over to the metal cabinets and opened one of them. Onto the awaiting rolling tray he removed a few fine instruments. They flashed like her quicksilver stone in the bright overhead lights.
"It is above my heart" she replied calmly, the humming had died down. She now felt a little more like herself, but what was that emotion on Roger's face? It would forever be burned into her memory bank and the feeling that it elicited as well.
His lips were truly so soft…
"Dorothy? Would you like me to suspend you now?" Norman asked solicitously as he gently wheeled the tray over. She nodded, and Norman reached up placing his warm hand on the back of her neck where he pressed a minute switch and Dorothy abruptly slid into blackness.
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