Song for this chapter is Into Free by Dagon, yeah I know, but it's a good song alright/
Thanks to Bionic Star for helping me edit my story so far.
"Are you sure, Ray? It's quite dangerous?"
"Yes, I'm sure, Norman. If I can't defend myself, something like last time is just gonna happen again. So teach me how to use a gun and fight back." She was a little surprised that he wasn't too keen on the idea of teaching Ray self defense.
"Well… I suppose it couldn't hurt to at least teach you basic close quarters combat." At Norman's words, Ray put her fists up under her chin and looked like a begging child. "Oh fine then, if I must."
"Yes! Thank you, Norman." Ray grinned triumphantly before running back to her room.
"You won't be thanking me when it's over." Norman shook his head in dismay. 'She must not have realized what she's asking for. No matter, she will know soon enough.'
The next morning Norman woke Ray two hours early, which was akin to torture for Ray. He dragged her into the home gym, but it was more like an actual gym, and started teaching her some basic stances. After that he made her life weights for about half an hour, do sit ups and pull ups on a bar, and further tortured her by making her use a punching bag.
"I'm gonna die." Ray collapsed on the mat in the middle of the floor and panted like the worn out dog she felt like at that moment.
"And we haven't even added the leg exercises yet." Norman had put the kid to shame with his endurance. It had been two hours and he had barely broken a sweat, all while wearing his typical uniform no less!
Ray groaned. 'Geez he's pushing me this hard on the first day. At least let me build up my strength after all the bed rest last week.'
Norman took a pocket watch out of his waistcoat pocket and checked it. "Well we have been at it for two hours. Let's have breakfast now and after the work is done for the day we can get back to it."
"I have to do more?" Ray couldn't believe it.
"You said you wanted my instruction, did you not?" Norman returned the watch to his pocket and set about cleaning up the used equipment in the gym.
"Yeah, instruction, not death." Ray tried to get off the mat and found her legs like jello. "I need a shower, I stink." Ray weakly, and slowly, mader it back to her room. Showered, dressed and barely able to stand as her legs were still wobbly, Ray made it to breakfast right as Roger was about to start reading his paper.
"What happened to you?" Roger couldn't help being concerned, Ray had nearly been killed a little over two weeks ago and was still recovering, and she looked worn out and ragged today.
"Norman's idea of training." Ray groaned. She hurt in places that hadn't hurt in a long time.
Roger burst out laughing. "Oh no! No one warned you did they?"
"Warned me about what?" Ray was so weak picking up a fork was difficult.
"Norman's idea of training is putting someone through hell to increase their ability to go through more hell. No offense Norman." Roger decided to put the paper aside for now.
"None taken Master Roger. It is as you say, a way to increase endurance to be able to last a battle in hell. I put you through the training when you purchased the mansion years ago, and if Ms Ray wants to learn to defend herself she can buck up or shut up."
"Dorothy help, Norman's gonna kill me." Ray pleaded while sounding pathetic.
"Well then, you won't be my problem anymore will you?" Dorothy continued on drinking her morning cup of tea.
"Heartless rust bucket! What'd I ever do to you?"
"Your existence is an annoyance to me. Also, you did ask for Norman's help, without considering the consequences."
"If you got a problem with the fact that I was born take it up with my parents. I didn't get much say in the matter." Ray sighed. "And it's not like I thought he would put me through hell on the first day." Ray shoved the eggs in her mouth, giving an indignant hmp.
Roger and Norman laughed at their exchange.
Since learning of her fate some days ago Ray had had to come to grips with the reality of her situation. No matter what she did, for better or worse, the story would inevitably be changed. Therefore, Ray had decided to come up with some rules she would have to follow, mainly to minimize the impact her existence had on the world as a whole, but also to reduce the risk of attempts being made on her life again.
The rules were few, but the list as a whole was as follows:
1. Attempt to stay on track with the various story threads that had, and will, appear. So far so good.
2. No major changes could be made to the story by Ray, at least as far as the main cast was concerned, such as telling them future events before they happen. Therefore, the truth would stay as elusive as a flying pig; that is to say, no seen or heard. Again, so far all was going according to plan. So long as no one ever learned of her being born in another world, everything will go fine. Well, Ray hoped at least.
3. Side characters she had yet to decide how to handle, but preventing them from harm was her best option so far.
4. Whatever changes were made would either have to deal with Ray directly or come about at her behest, such as asking Norman to teach her to defend herself.
5. Avoid death! Should be easy enough.
6. Whenever a Megadeus appears, try and listen to what it says. Ray wanted to know why she heard them, but unless she observed more fights the chances of finding out were minuscule.
7. Try and get on Dorothy's good side. Regardless of which fate the world took, Ray had a feeling it hinged on Dorothy's continued existence, and the very thought made Ray queasy.
So far, in the last few days she had done her best to follow these, save for getting Dorothy to hate her less. Ray suspected the only way Dorothy would be happy was if Ray ceased to exist in Paradigm altogether. Well, that was Ray's intention, at least at some point. For now, she would just have to keep going in the hopes that some form of answer may yet come to her.
A few days later, Roger had to go out to deal with fisherman not fishing again. No ghosts this time around, but some kind of fear of an awakened sea titan. The fishermen thought the sea titan was taking revenge for disturbing his slumber, and so the fishermen were waiting for him to return to sleep before going out again.
But in reality it was just creepy dudes in creepy looking amphibian suits scaring fisherman off by attacking them and their ships. Something the creepy beasts were looking for was underwater, and that meant Roger had to find a way down there in order to negotiate with them. But a ship couldn't take him down there, and no one would take him out to the open water for fear of attack. So he needed a vehicle that could take him underwater. Lucky, his sources had told him of an individual who might be building just such a vehicle.
"What'dya want? I ain't buying any, I already told ya that?" A rough spoken man whose face was hidden by a welding mask shouted when Roger tried to get the workers attention.
"You aren't buying what Mr Readerman?" Roger looked up at the man who removed the mask.
"Hm? You ain't a salesman, so what are you here for?" Readerman came down from the boat. He was about a head taller than Roger, slim waisted, but broad and muscled chest, receding black hair that still covered most of his head. Rough around the edges sort of guy.
"I heard you were working on some kind of underwater vehicle, I'm interested in seeing it." Roger spoke to the burly, rough spoken man in a red and white striped shirt.
"Well I ain't selling it!" He seemed indignant and upset at the idea of yet another person bugging him about whatever it was he made, or maybe that was just his attitude in general.
"What about renting it?" Roger took off his sunglasses to get a better view in the darkly lit repair bay. A few fishing vessels were stung up from chains so workman could work on the bottom of the ships, while some iron beams kept the ships in place so men could also work on the decks of the ships too.
"Hm, now that ain't a half bad idea." The man put some coffee out on a moving tool tray of sorts while he set about putting up some tools. "Help yerself."
"Do you not care that the fishermen won't go out and do their jobs? Won't that affect yours?" Roger pushed the tray aside, he wasn't in the mood for games today.
"All I know is working on ships, they take em out or not I'll keep repairing and fixing the damn things, and your interruptions ain't helping me out. So wait there or come back later." Readerman went to put the mask back on but Roger gave him an 'interruption'.
"If possible, I would like to conclude this business quickly." Roger wasn't really in a hurry, but he could sense if he didn't move this fellow along he would take his sweet time showing Roger the goods.
"Fine then." The man, unlocked a different work bay and showed the vehicle to Roger. It was strung up by chains like the other boats, and had some kind of support underneath to keep it from falling. "This is her, real beaut ain't she?" He sounded proud of the as yet unnamed device.
"Is it safe?" The ship was like nothing Roger had seen before, similar in appearance to a brass tube tapered at the ends, with fan based motors on the bottom of either side, and glass half dome windows on the front. A wheel hatch was at the top, but barely visible from below.
"Hell if I know," the man lit his cigarette and sat down in a fold out lawn chair. "My old man was building it before me, when he bit the dust I got his memories and kept on." The man looked at it fondly, "When I finish it, I want to take it to the bottom of the sea and see what I can find. You're as good a guinea pig as I can get."
"I see, well then, guess I'll have to be the test dummy if I want to negotiate with those people scaring the fisherman off." Roger went back home and changed into some casual clothing, and while Dorothy questioned where he would go dressed like that.
"Are you going far this time?" Dorothy was in the doorway to his room watching him put on more casual clothing than his usual attire.
"Not far, but it seems rather far away." Roger pulled out a brown tweed coat from his closet and put it on.
"Nothing but riddles from you." Dorothy sounded displeased with Rogers evasiveness. 'Does he not realize that I have to save him if he gets in trouble? The least Roger could do is tell me honestly what he intends to do,'
"Tell Norman I won't be needing dinner tonight. Be back when negotiations are concluded Dorothy, see ya Ray." Ray was on the couch too exhausted to do more than wave him goodbye as he went on his latest excursion.
"Why did it have to be like this?" Roger sighed even as Angel lit a cigarette. "Could you at least not foul up the air in here? It's a miracle we can breathe at all. And there's no telling how long the air will last."
Angel flicked at the lighter furtively, "I can't stand how stale the air is here." Angel took a puff again. "Look I'm really stressed out right now, Negotiator. It's your fault we ended up here anyway?"
"My fault huh?" Roger looked out the window of the now underwater office. Whatever had happened forty years ago had sunk this and many other buildings around it. Whole sections of the city were underwater, supposedly full of memories, but no one knew how to get to them, until recently.
"What are you going to do to get us out of here?" Angel snuffed the cigarette out on the desk she sat on.
"What indeed." Roger thought back to just a few hours ago:
"What do you mean you rented it to someone else? I reserved it!" Roger shouted angrily at Readerman.
"Yeah, but the lady who took it offered me a huge briefcase full of cash on the spot, not like I was gonna turn that down." The man puffed away as he lounged in his foldout chair. "If ya run you'll catch her."
"Huh?" Roger turned around to see Angel waving out him from the open top hatch of the sub, of course he had run off the pier after her.
"Bye bye Roger, mwah," Angel blew a kiss to the confused negotiator.
"Have fun you two." Readerman said between puffs on his cigarette.
"Thanks for finding this for me… hey what are you doing?"Angel ducked into the hatch as Roger had jumped from the pier right into the cockpit as the submersible began to sink. He clambered inside, and shut the hatch while Angel steered it. "What do you think you're doing jumping in here?"
"I have as much right to be here as you do, I rented it first." Roger sounded like an annoyed child too Angel, but really he was a little impressed she managed to keep up with him.
"Well big deal I'm going to… oh!" What the two saw outside the small bubble windows took Angels breath away and silenced the argument. As they sank further down, they saw lights on underwater buildings still lit, buildings still intact as they were left, cars lying the drowned streets. It was like a time capsule had kept everything perfectly like it was, save for all the water. "Amazing. I bet there are so many memories to find down here."
"Probably, but we need to deal with our unexpected company first."
"What?" Someone in a frog looking suit was on the other side of the glass. Their contemporaries had placed bombs all over the sub, with intentions to send the duo to a watery grave. "Ah! We gotta get out of here!" Angel abandoned the driver's seat and tried to open the hatch after the bombs made the sub spring leaks all over.
"Are you crazy? You open that and the water pressure will kill us without suits!" Roger took over the sub and steered it towards something that caught his eye.
"Well what else can we do? I don't want to die in here!" Angel was clearly panicking. While grasping at the wheel of the hatch.
"Hold on!" Roger shouted as he aimed for a set of closed doors, crashing the sub through them and guiding it up some stairs followed then by both of them quickly abandoning ship as water began gushing into the new opening. The two climbed the many flights of stairs to the top of the building, which was still a few leagues under water. Angel complained about it quite a bit.
"Why do we have to take the stairs? I saw an elevator back there." She panted and heaved for air. Her lungs didn't like all this exercise, and neither did the rest of her. 'I should quit smoking, not good for me.' The rest of her thoughts were jumbled.
"You want to risk taking a potentially flooded elevator, which hasn't been maintained in forty some odd years, to wherever the top floor is, in hopes that also isn't full of salt water?" Roger just gave Angel an exasperated and annoyed look which he usually saved only for usage with Dorothy or Ray.
"Well when you put it that way…" Angel had finally caught her breath. 'Skin tight jumpsuits are not good for exercise. Maybe I should get another one made.'
"Come on then, we have a lot of climbing to do." Roger ignored the fallen heavensward's protests as he made his way up.
While Roger was off on his underwater adventure, things at the house went on as smoothly as could be expected. Norman was panicking at not hearing from Roger, pushing Ray to her absolute limits all the while preparing for an excursion of his own. Dorothy was as calm and collected as always.
Dorothy was practicing at her piano when Norman asked if she would start dinner preparations.
"Even if it is not certain Roger will be back tonight?"Dorothy turned to look at the spiral staircase Norman was descending. He stopped long enough to reply.
"Tonight, or any night, the Master's dinner must be ready when he returns. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm a little busy at the moment." He ran off with a plunger in hand. Later that day when Dorothy was mopping the hallway of the servants quarters, Norman arrived in the elevator, completely lost in thought of the tasks ahead he managed to get muddy boot prints all over the freshly cleaned floor. Dorothy was rather displeased, and set about mopping again.
The door to Ray's room opened, and as she was about to step out Dorothy gave her a stern warning, "Get this floor dirty and you're cleaning it!"
Ray retreated back inside and waited for Dorothy to finish mopping before she went to help make dinner in the kitchen.
The first night Roger didn't come home the three had dinner in silence, Ray too exhausted to talk, Norman worried, and Dorothy not wanting to break it, chose to be quiet and enjoy the rarity this situation presented her. After dinner Ray did more exercises, not waiting for Normans instructions and instead focusing on building her endurance. Retiring to her room some hours later, she decided to take a bath, and fell asleep within.
Not that she was aware of it until a rather unexpected intruder woke her up.
"Ray, wake up. You fell asleep in the tub. Ray!" Dorothy's voice seemed so far away, and yet Ray could feel a cold hand on her arm.
"Mhh? Huh!" Ray awoke with a start. Dorothy was in her bathroom staring down at the half awake victim, and Ray was stark naked. She quickly covered her chest by crossing her arms and her face turned multiple shades of pink. "Ack! Dorothy what are you doing in here? Why didn't you knock?!"
"I did, you did not respond. You weren't in bed at your usual time, so I came to check on you." Ray splashed some water at Dorothy, feeling her face flush red from embarrassment.
"Oh, ok, you pervert. Well I'm awake now, so can you leave?" Ray couldn't believe it. How could this have happened! She was beyond upset, one reason being that Dorothy had seen her in such a compromising way, and another because she had been careful to not do anything too stupid lately. Survival was predicated on not screwing up too much right now, and this was kind of a big screw up.
Dorothy examined Ray very carefully before heading for the bathroom door. "You seem to be more well endowed than that woman."
"I'LL DISMANTLE YOU RUST BUCKET!" Ray yelled in both horror and freaking out. She felt her face changing multiple different colors from the rush of blood.
"That would require the proper tools and knowledge of how to do so." Dorothy shut the door behind her, and Ray just sat there, trying to deal with it all.
The next day, Roger still wasn't back, and Norman was to busy to torture Ray. So Ray went about doing the more basic exercises on her own. Later she joined Dorothy for a non-existent lunch, as Norman was running himself ragged. Ray made some tea for the both of them and something to eat for herself. Norman ran by at one point carrying too much and dropped some of it.
"How men amuse themselves." Dorothy didn't sound amused. Ray started choking on her tea trying and failing not to laugh.
"I don't think he's amusing himself. He's worried sick." Ray was slowly calming down as she cleaned up the tea she managed to spill everywhere.
"Why is it necessary for him to pack all of that? Where is he going?" Dorothy turned her head and looked at Ray.
"Camping in Big O would be my guess?" Ray poured herself more tea.
"That seems illogical." Dorothy almost sounded like she didn't believe Ray. Almost.
"It is, but humans can't always think clearly when they are upset." 'Too bitter, need sugar, lot's of sugar.' Ray just continued to fiddle with her tea.
"Is that why you threatened to dismantle me last night?"
"No, that was because you made me rather angry and embarrassed. It wasn't necessary for you to compare my bust to Angels. What in the world possessed you to say that anyways? That was highly inappropriate."
"Oh, so now you care about manners?" Dorothy made as much a disbelieving face as she could manage, which wasn't like her at all.
"What are you, a child? Even I'm not dumb enough to go around comparing sizes with an older woman, Dorothy. Besides, it's not a contest. I don't win anything other than back pain for having a larger bust." Ray felt her face flush a bit, she was getting upset again. 'Calm down, you don't need to be mad. She probably was just trying to annoy you.'
"Oh." Dorothy sounded disappointed.
"Why in the ever loving hell do you sound disappointed in that? Did you think you actually got something for winning such a crude contest?" Ray raised her voice and octave, and must have looked rather angry because Dorothy turned away.
"I thought one would receive more attention for it."
"Oh Dorothy." Ray couldn't help but feel disheartened for the gynoid. 'Poor thing, doesn't she know? She must, but to think like that, or maybe she doesn't mind that sort of thing. Or maybe she has some futile hope it would win Roger over.' "Dorothy, the only attention you get for having a larger bust is not the kind you want." Ray spoke very gently, similar to how she might explain something to a small and upset child.
"I see." Dorothy got up and left. 'It is as I thought. Ray most certainly is hiding something about her past, she hasn't forgotten anything. But I do not think I want to know the reasons for why she has such depressing information.'
Not long after Dorothy took to her usual perch on the patio railing and watched the clouds go by, lost in thought. About an hour later she would be pulled from her reverie.
"Well then, Ms Dorothy, I'll be taking my leave." When Dorothy looked behind her a comical scene awaited. Norman in his military uniform, various camping supplies at his feet and a gun strapped to his back, goggles and a snorkel attached to his helmet. Ray would have laughed at the strangeness of it all, but Dorothy could only find the situation unamusing.
"I believe I should go instead." Dorothy hopped off the railing and went inside to wait for Roger to call The Big O.
"Oh, yes quite." Norman was disappointed.
Later that day Ray hid in Big O, knowing what she suspected was to come next, she wanted to confirm her theories. Of course, Dorothy would be in the cockpit at the same time, and the gynoid was annoyingly perspective when it came to Ray.
Too much so.
"Why are you here?"
"Hiding from you, why?" Ray tried to sound both sarcastic and nonchalant.
"Norman will be upset you snuck aboard."
"I'll live, most likely." Ray went back to the book she was reading. The world of Paradigm was drab, but the literature was surprising interesting. Many of the popular young adult novels were in steampunk like settings, and had a well written plot and thought out characters. Not that Ray could remember much about them later. It was like reading old penny novels from her time. Many of the same plots and ideas, just different characters and execution.
"What do you hope to accomplish?"
"Want to confirm a few theories I have. Why, does my being here bother you?"
"It might bother Big O." Dorothy took the command seat, which was opposite were Ray was hidden behind the metal column that served as Big O's spine.
"Well considering he let me in, I kind of doubt that." Ray put her book aside, Dorothy wasn't going to let her read apparently.
"How do you know Big O is a he?" Dorothy sounded like she was discussing something as mundane as the weather, but Ray knew better.
"Well… That's actually a good question. He never speaks like the others, and in fact never really talks at all, but he gives off this calm and reassuring presence. You feel it too right?" Ray looked up at the ceiling, which was really the bottom of Big O's head.
"Why is it you are capable of hearing them?"
"I don't know, and Big O doesn't know either."
"Big O answered you?" Dorothy dropped the monotone for a split second and sounded like the very idea that Big O would talk to her of all people was ridiculous.
"In his own way. Big bastard refuses to actually use words though." Ray felt Big O's mood change to less than amused with her. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry, won't call you a big bastard again." Ray felt Big O go back to being indifferent.
"He really does respond to you." After that the two sat in silence, waiting.
In the old skyscraper underwater, Roger and Angel were having it out.
"I can't believe this. How many memories could there be down here I wonder? And I'm just stuck in this place. Damn it's hot." Angel removed the jumpsuit to reveal black bra and underwear beneath, hiding a good amount of her privates, but it left little to the imagination. Roger noticed the scars on her back.
"Hm, some fallen Angel you are."
"Like I haven't heard that one before. How long are you going to wait to call it?" Angel was getting impatient with it all. Just call the Big already would you?
"Well how long is a beautiful woman like you going to make me wait before throwing yourself into my arms, acting like a damsel waiting for rescue?" Roger was being melodramatic, but it took the topic off of the Big. Angel started laughing.
"Oh so you can say romantic things." She walked towards one of the windows staring out at the world underwater spread out before them. "There must be so many untapped memories out there, just waiting for someone to take them."
"Maybe, but is it worth it? You must have been born somewhere outside the city, no one born inside the city ever really asks those questions." Roger looked up at the ceiling.
"Doesn't it bug you?" Angel raised her voice in frustration. How could Roger not understand, he had a young person who had lost some memories living with him after all.
"Does what bug me?" Roger was getting tired, and he didn't really trust Angel to not start something.
"Not knowing anything about the world forty years ago. Like who our parents parents were, what kind of lives they lived. How can that not upset you?"
"That's just it, for those of us born in the city, we can live in Paradigm City because we've come to accept that as reality. We know that the memories from back then are gone. We don't feel the need to know about what caused the memories to fade away and disappear. And really it's only the elderly whom mourn the loss of those memories. Sure people get them back sometimes, but it's like a curse more than a blessing." Roger looked out the window and saw many different kinds of fish swimming by.
"What about Ray?"
"What about her?" Why was Angel bringing up the girl now? What point did it serve? Roger didn't know.
"She seems to be disturbed about the loss of her memories."
"That's… Probably true. She doesn't seem to be missing very many, but the ones that aren't there cause her pain." Roger grimaced. 'Of course, that's what Angel was hinting at. I've never lost memories so how could I understand the feeling of losing them? Or wanting to remember what I'm missing. But didn't Ray chastise Angel the other day for chasing memories, calling them useless?'
"Well, maybe.. Huh?" Roger shot up from the couch and ran to the window. Outside and some distance away the amphibian suited individuals were swimming deeper, towards an unnatural light emanating from a tunnel exit.
"What is that?" Angel was upset. "Are they going to wake up the memories?"
"I don't think that light is man made. Ah!" The building rocked from an explosion starting from the light the individuals had been swimming towards but minutes ago, and a body whose helmet came off slammed into the window. Both Roger and Angel gasped in fear and revulsion. It wasn't a pleasant sight.
"We gotta get out of here!" Angel ran to the double doors that enclosed the office.
"Come in Big O," Roger bent over and whispered into the watch communicator.
In the mansion Big O responded by sending the Prairie Dog to it's masters signal. The two occupants felt him move as the lights came to life, and Ray jumped into the half domed cockpit behind the seat, clinging on for dear life as the Prairie Dog crashed through a wall and rode into the deep. She had been thrown around too many times while hiding behind the spinal column for her liking.
While waiting for the Big to come into range, Roger grabbed an old dusty office chair and tossed it at the windows to break them. "Ragh!"
"What are you doing you lunatic!?" Angel protests were quite literally drowned out by sea water. Roger clambered into the cockpit and ordered Big O to grab Angel. He may not like the trouble she caused, but he wasn't going to let her drown. He was a gentleman after all.
"Huh! Dorothy, Ray? What are you two doing here, and where's Norman?" A soaking wet Roger had finally climbed into the cockpit from the various tubing tunnels that made up Big O's innards.
"It was more logical for me to wait, I don't need air." Dorothy did a rather athletic sitting jump from the chair onto a knob to the side of the cockpit and took her seat there.
"I'm just along for the ride." Ray did a less than athletic jump onto the knob on the opposite side.
"Poor Norman, I bet he's so disappointed." Roger took his rightful place in the command seat. "Big O, Action!" The iron giant used his pile drivers to push off the seafloor and propel itself upward.
"A deranged and decryptit Megadeus such as that serves no purpose in this world." On the surface, a less than enthused chairman watched the awakened Megadeus go on a rampage. He watched the seaweed covered monster make its way towards some old run down apartments in the illegal sector. "I'll let it clean up that mess and build some nicer housing out there, it's about time to revitalize that area anyway. Hopefully no one dies to its rampage before the negotiator's Big finishes it off." The chairman picked up the receiver of a black and white rotary phone on the desk next to him.
Dastun was doing his best to try and fight the angered Megadeus when his men got the call to not attack it, and instead evacuate civilians. "You've got to be kidding me? Who would order the howitzer units to do evacuations at a time like this?"
"Head office sir." Said the grunt responding to the Majors questions.
"Seriously, at a time like this? Fine, evacuate as many civilians as possible!" Major Dan Dastun roared into the megaphone he had while also holding onto the tank he rode for dear life.
While Dastun did his best to help the evacuations, Big O resurfaced from the ocean, leaving Angel a little wet and bedraggled on the deck of a ship before walking towards the rampaging Megadeus.
"It's crying? Why?" Roger couldn't believe it, he couldn't hear the words, but the sound of mourning was clear. The cityscape outside the cockpit was dreary, but calm given the circumstances. The cries and thundering footsteps of the two giants were the only sounds to disturb the silence.
"It has lost the master it used to serve." Dorothy stated matter of factly.
"Why did you leave me? Where are you? Where is my partner?" His voice was truly anguished, at least it sounded like that to Ray. "Poor thing, he's really upset."
"Alright it's showtime folks!" Roger shouted as he moved towards the seaweed cover Megadeus.
"Men." Dorothy deadpanned, and sent Ray into a fit of giggles.
Roger aimed Big O's first towards the torso of the opposition, and sent it stumbling backwards with a pile driver. He followed by using the eye lasers to burn away the seaweed and gunk covering the mourning Megadeus. With fire surrounding him, Dagon began to scream.
"Why do you fight me? You still have your partner, and an android! I have no one. Give me your android! Let me feel whole again." Ray shivered. Was every pilot-less Megadeus going to yearn for Dorothy's body? Ray felt creeped out by the thought. The Megadeus under the seaweed was revealed, he looked like an old fairy tale monster. The only thing humanoid was the shape, barely at that. Horns from the rounded hillock head pointed forward with face set to a permanent wicked smile, chubby features such as large rounded arms, the left arm had a hand, the right had an anchor, the shoulders hiding missile launchers. It was a drab grey and faded black. The eyes and teeth gleamed and changed color as he talked. And unlike the archetype, which lacked reason, Dagon was capable of thought and following through with it. He tried to dodge some of Big O's swings.
"Don't you hold back Big O." Roger shouted as he worked the pedals to dodge the rockets from Dagons shoulder units. Down below, in a drainage ditch, Angel was running towards the fight.
"What are you doing? Don't kill it! It still has its memories!" Angel could shout up at Roger all she wanted, he wouldn't hear her over the din of combat. The two were going back and forth, traded missiles for lasers, and lasers for punches.
"I feel sorry for you, losing your master, but that's no excuse to hurt others! The ones who woke you up and tried to steal your memories are your real enemies! I'll send you back to sleep. Now, rest in peace!" With that Roger maneuvered Big O and grabbed Dagons' head, gripped it and ended it with another pile driver to the face, instantly killing Dagon. No longer did he need mourn, for now he would join his master in death.
"No!" Angel shouted as the metallic corpse fell to the ground. She fixed Big O, and Roger sitting within an angry glare, before turning around and walking away.
At home that night, Ray received another lecture from Norman, but in the end it was Dorothy that came to her defense.
"Big O let her in."
"Is that so?" Norman looked between Ray standing in front of him, and Dorothy in the doorway to his repair bay office. Finally he sighed, "Who am I to question Big O's judgement. However, next time please let me know before you run off. I was rather worried when you were nowhere to be found."
"Yes, Norman. Sorry I made you upset." Ray felt awful, she hadn't meant to scare him.
"With that out of the way, I believe Master Roger is waiting for you in the library."
"At this time of night?" Ray sighed, "oh well, better see what he wants." Ray walked the few flights of stairs to the floor with the library. Ray knocked on the door.
"Come in," Roger was at his desk in his robe freshly washed and typing away at his computer. "I'm just finishing this report."
"Is there a reason you wanted to see me this late?" Ray sat down in the plush velvet chair on the opposite side of the desk. She felt terribly anxious, he hadn't asked to talk to her this late in a while, and last time it had been more of the same about her missing memories.
"Yes, ok now that the report is typed and saved," Roger looked away from the computer and at Ray. He placed his elbows on the desk, steepled his fingers and pierced Ray with an unusually icy glare. "It's time we had a talk about your future here."
Ray glupped, this wasn't like Roger at all, whatever he was about to say, she knew it wasn't gonna end well for her. "Oook."
"When you first moved in roughly six months ago, you mentioned that in a few months that you would save up and leave. I would prefer if you reconsidered that position and instead remained on staff here." He was using his negotiation voice.
"Are you trying to get me killed?" Ray asked with an aggravated tone, but dour expression.
"Who do you think is going to kill you?" Roger looked at Ray confused.
Ray pointed an accusatory finger at Dorothy, whom had entered the room with some hot tea during the conversation and was pouring a cup for each of them.
"I won't kill you." Dorothy only mildly objected to the insinuation that she would physically harm Ray. Roger objected to Dorothy adding sugar to his tea, while Ray would have none.
"Fine, make my life a living hell, it's all the same really." Ray shrugged. "Why do you want me to stay? I was under the impression you would be glad that I left."
"Is that so? Well, it's true I wouldn't hear as many cat fights if you left, but wanting you gone isn't exactly how I feel either." Roger rubbed his temples in exasperation and exhaustion. He had been underwater in that tower for too long. "It's come to my attention that there are a few mysteries about you that can't be solved quickly, such as being able to hear a Megadeus when it talks."
Ray narrowed her eyes at Dorothy and gave her a glare as if to say 'I will end you'. Ray hadn't wanted anyone besides Dorothy to know that she could hear them, and in truth she really didn't want Dorothy to know either, but it was far too late for that. Dorothy had learned of this when they encountered the archetype, and there was no going back now.
"Yeah, I can hear them. So what?"
"Most humans can't." Dorothy interjected while cleaning up around the room. Ray guessed she didn't like the fact that Roger was supposed to be alone with Ray for this conversation and found an excuse to inject herself into the room. Ray didn't mind really, it was just Dorothy's way.
"So I've been told. Is that why you want me to stay here?"
"Well, that and a few other reasons. You haven't fully healed yet, although Norman tells me that you have healed exceptionally fast." That was true. The injury from the assassin a little over three weeks ago should still have her bed ridden, or at least in physical therapy. But there was little more than a scar and some muscle soreness left to remind Ray of the incident.
"Well if I'm going to stay on here, can I at least get a pay increase?" Ray asked cheerfully.
"Now wait a minute!" Roger didn't like where this was going.
We Have Come To Terms
Welp, these are coming along nicely. So for any wondering why I make this version of Alex Rosewater seemingly care about life, I'm going to attempt to blend some of the manga version into the anime version. Aka, someone whom actually does care about those under him, at least as far as keeping them alive for tax dollars goes. I thought it would be fun to portray him as a semi competent sociopath, and not a complete psychopath.