A Big O fanfiction by Grendel226 a.k.a. Arren Dracone
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Big O or any of the characters. All are property of Sunrise and their respective parties. This fanfiction is rated R for mildly disturbing images, mild violence and adult situations. As always comments are appreciated, and flames will incur my wrath. ;-) Note: Asterisks denote a major jump in time and/or location.
Chapter 2:
Ye Not Guilty
"So this is the little lady?" Del wheezed unpleasantly. "I am R. Dorothy Waynewright," came the automatic response. "Nice piece of work, very nice indeed," Del whispered with genuine appreciation, his eyes sweeping over the android. Roger felt a twitch of jealousy for a reason he couldn't place, and fear for what Del might attempt while Dorothy was deactivated. "Five thousand, pick her up in two days." Roger glowered. He didn't want to leave Dorothy vulnerable and felt his heart sank as she slumped in reaction to her power supply being removed. The money was exchanged and Roger sped away from the shop.
The two days moved so slowly it seemed time in Paradigm had come to a halt. Despite Norman's coaxing, Roger's eating habits became irregular and his sleeping habits became worse. He even found himself trying to pick out her favorite cacophony on the piano. What had taken hold of him? He stepped out onto the balcony in the cool night air staring blankly at the spot on the railing where Dorothy usually stood. "Good evening Master Roger," Norman stated casually. His concern for Roger had outweighed his sense of dignity. "Norman, why have I been behaving strangely? Why am I so upset? She's not human after all." Norman readjusted his eye patch and followed Roger's gaze. "I suspect it has something to do with the fact you have a fancy for Miss Dorothy," Norman asserted cautiously. Roger's temper had been more on edge than usual lately. But to his surprise he was greeted with silence. Roger's mind reeled. Had he been jealous because of the way Del leered at Dorothy? Did he actually miss her? Is this why he vainly tried to replicate her presence and why his life had become an upheaval? "Thank you Norman," Roger said to the empty air in front of him. His manservant had already retreated into the house to leave the master alone with his thoughts. In his mind Roger pictured Dorothy standing on the edge of the balcony, and he remembered what she had said to him once long ago: "If... neither of us had memories, and we met... so, then would you and I fall in love as well?" It had flustered him then and it flustered him now. In his mind the pale face turned and smiled at him. But there his imagination failed, for he had never seen Dorothy's features twist into a smile. His mind a mass of confusion, reeling for answers he retreated to bed. Tomorrow he would pick Dorothy up and life would be back to normal. If it could ever be normal again.
"Here she is, good as new, I gave her a rolling memory system. She won't run out for a good long time." Del smiled, obviously pleased with his work. "Hello Roger," greeted Dorothy. He found himself smiling and then felt his heart catch in his chest. A tear trickled down Dorothy's cheek. "What's wrong?" he demanded sharply. "I am happy to see you Roger." Happy? This wasn't right. No matter how human she pretended to be, Dorothy was an android. There was no escaping the fact that she could not feel or display emotions. "What is this?" Roger growled, wheeling on Del. "Extra bonus. Since you was such a nice customer, I included an emotion chip." "That wasn't part of our deal!" Roger roared. Fate had been tampered with. No, Dorothy had been tampered with. He brought his arm back and prepared to follow through connecting with Del's face when a pair of heavy hands stopped his hand's flight. "Dorothy?" The android stared at him with what were almost pleading eyes. "I do not object to the emotion chip. Perhaps now I can better understand the nature of humans." Roger grimaced at Del who only looked extremely pleased with himself. "If this hurts her, you will pay. Make no mistake." His face inches from Del's, Roger turned and left the shop with Dorothy in tow. Cackling slightly, Del smiled. He knew Dorothy would be back. He had watched the two of them interact and had seen the sparks between them. No, Del was a wise old codger and he knew what emotions could do. And he knew that Dorothy would eventually return for what he had showed Roger tucked in the box. Humanity has a price of the curse of flesh and desire to please. The light faded from the alley as Del shut the door to his shop.
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Days were different now that Dorothy had acquired emotions, and Roger secretly delighted in watching her discover new facets of her personality. Her dry and stoic manner did not change which relieved him greatly. She promptly took to abusing the grand piano again to act as his personal alarm clock. She seemed to become more deeply involved with their conversations, and became genuinely friendly with Norman. Roger was watching Dorothy blossom with mixed emotions. She was still an android he reminded himself. But she had become so extraordinarily animated and alive he could barely contain his own secret excitement that she saw the world with more human eyes. The night wind whipped at the two of them, and Roger was watching her intently as she stood solid against the gusts on the ledge of the balcony. "Roger?" He turned to acknowledge her as she leapt off the railing and walked towards him. "If... neither of us had memories, and we met... so, then would you and I fall in love as well?" The question tormented him again and stung just as much as it had the first time. "Do you have feelings for me Dorothy?" he countered bluntly. He was shocked when her eyes were suddenly cast downward. "I am no longer perfect, Roger Smith. I have become flawed by human emotions." Anticipation rose within Roger as he tried to pry the answer from her. "You avoided my question. Do you care for me Dorothy?" The android's head pivoted upwards to meet his gaze. He was given an unexpected answer, albeit far less verbal than he was expecting as Dorothy's lips collided painfully with his. She had forgotten her greater than human strength in the moment and had forgotten that her structure was not as pliable as that of a human. Roger winced as his teeth were pressed violently into his gums and blood ran out of his mouth and down his lips. Gathering his strength, he pulled himself away before her kiss could cause more harm. Dorothy stared at his bloody lips and chin, his blood decorating her own lips as if she were a misbegotten vampire. Tears welled in her eyes as she raced past him. He heard the door to her room slam, and his heart shattered. Why couldn't the moment have been different? Why couldn't she have been more...more...human?
In her room, Dorothy wept feeling heartbreak for the first time. No matter how she tried, she could never be human. She desperately wanted to acknowledge her feelings for Roger, which seemed to grow exponentially day by day. She wanted to be his friend, his confidante, his treasure, and his lover. But she was devoid of all of those privileges as long as she carried the cursed "R" in front of her name. Robot was so harsh and unfeeling. Was she harsh and unfeeling like her name? Exhausted from the exertion of emotions she had never known, Dorothy collapsed on the floor and wept as no human in this world has ever wept.
Roger rose early the next morning, acutely aware that the piano was
silent. His mouth immediately coursed with pain and he winced remembering
the emotional and physical agony that had been doled out in equal parts
the previous night. Maybe he could do something to help Dorothy.
He could comfort her, or attempt to at least. A soft side was something
Roger Smith rarely if ever displayed to the world. He could even
present the idea of attempting to become yet more human to her. And
if she agreed, well, then he'd search for the best android specialists
to be found and try to accommodate her wishes.
Roger appeared at breakfast and found Norman waiting for him.
"Good gracious! Master Roger, whatever happened to you?" Glancing
at his reflection in a silver platter Roger grimaced at his black and purple
lips. "A slight mishap. Have you seen Dorothy this morning?"
Norman shook his head. "She has not come out of her room yet this
morning. I suspect we should wake her soon." Wake? She
didn't sleep. Then Roger realized how human even the sage Norman
was finding Dorothy to be. Forgoing his breakfast, Roger mounted
the stairs and knocked sharply on Dorothy's door. "Dorothy?
Dorothy? You can talk to me. You don't need to be ashamed."
A pang of fear struck Roger in the stomach as he opened the door and was
greeted by the sight of an empty room.
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Dorothy's feet struck the oily black surface of the street heavily as she walked down back alleys, weaving and trusting her sense of memory. She was going to the only place that she could seek her humanity. Reaching the door, Dorothy knocked and Del appeared in a thin stream of light from his workshop. "Heh...Dorothy. I knew you'd be back," he clucked ushering her into the bare brick room. "Human, isn't that it? You want to be human?" Dorothy nodded, despite the fact that terror clutched at her and threatened to overcome her. Del knew the emotion chip would create a need for adequacy in Dorothy. And he was ready to test his latest creations on her to see just how human she could become. Her body jolted as her power supply was unplugged.
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"I don't care if you're busy Dastun, have you seen Dorothy? Call
me." Roger slammed the phone down and heaved a sigh. It had
been three days since Dorothy had disappeared. His lips were healing,
however his heart was far slower to do so. His eating habits and
sleeping habits had become irregular again and his appointments had been
canceled as he took to driving the Griffon recklessly up and down the streets
of Paradigm in search of Dorothy. Try as he might, Norman was unable
to help his master and was therefore grateful when at 3 a.m. a call came
in. "What? WHAT? Are you certain?" Roger left the
phone dangling haphazardly, the cord bouncing the receiver up and down
like a yo-yo. Dastun had called to say one of his informants had
seen a redheaded android entering Del's shop three days ago. Forgoing
the Griffon, Roger opted to take Big O. As the megadeuce lumbered
off across the city, Roger stared at the screen in front of him: "Cast
in the name of god: ye not guilty." Wasn't that the epitome of Dorothy?
She was the guiltless party in this fault, and he would carry the scars
forever if she had been altered beyond her wishes. But what if she
had been altered beyond his wishes? Shaking the thought he brought
Big O to a halt in front of the shop and pivoted the mechanical arm to
tear the roof from the structure, pipes trailing behind it like streamers.
Del was nowhere to be seen, but what Roger found sickened him. Dorothy
lay naked on a table in the center of the room. Her body had been
grafted with different skin, and her face was twisted as if in unbearable
agony. Leaving the cockpit, Roger carefully wrapped a shred of fabric
from the floor across her slender frame to give the android something of
her modesty. Steeling his nerves he prepared himself for the cumbersome
task of lifting her and found her to be remarkably light. She couldn't
weigh more than a normal human. He could consider the oddity later
and carefully lifted R. Dorothy Waynewright into the cockpit of Big O before
turning for the mansion. He had what he came for: next he would seek
answers.
