Burning Embers
Chapter Three
Roger sped down the main street of Paradigm, his sunglasses hiding his expression from anyone who happened to see him. He was dressed as impeccably as always in a dark suit, every lock of black hair perfectly in place. He hadn't really wanted to work that day but Angel had told him of a delicate situation that required his personal touch and he had never been able to resist a beautiful woman. It seemed that a downtown factory had laid off around a hundred workers for reasons, as of yet, unknown. The now unemployed men and women were protesting in front of the building and the mob showed signs of getting violent. Hence the need for a negotiator.
One thing that bothered him was the fact that the job had come from Angel. She didn't seem to be related to the case in any way and he had a hard time believing that she gave him work out of the goodness of her heart. After all, this was the woman who went by three different names at any given time, depending on her mood. Not real reliable, you might say. Still, a job was a job, and he was still the best.
Slowing as he neared the off street that led to the factory, he let his mind turn to more confusing matters. Dorothy. He sighed just thinking about her. She had barely spoken to him after the meeting with Angel, being even more tight-lipped than usual. If he hadn't known any better he would have said the android had something against the secret agent. But of course, that couldn't be. Dorothy had never judged any human to his knowledge, except to say that they were inferior, of course. He shook his head. And then, what about his own feelings? Why had he felt so drawn to her last night while she struggled against a very human nightmare? It just didn't make sense. He didn't feel anything for her deeper than friendship. Did he?
Suddenly he pulled to a stop next to the factory, an icy flash of some premonition making him look apprehensively at the front of the building. There was no one in sight. Not a soul. No mob, no crowd of angry workers. No one.
He stepped out of the car, feeling afraid and not knowing why. It was unlike him to feel fear. He walked to the front of the building and peered inside. Not a light flickered anywhere. The whole place was deserted. He stepped, looking at his reflection in the glass doors.
Wrong.
That was the feeling he felt.
Something was wrong. He mind spun with possibilities.
Angel.
She had given him the information on this job. Telling when and where to be. And she had asked...asked about Dorothy. Why he had hired an android when he could have had her. He had thought she was just flirting, but her expression...she had really wanted to know.
He sprinted back to the car, taking off in a spray of sparks and the sound of squealing tires. His face was as hard as steel and his eyes flashed with anger.
She had set him up. But for whom?
Hold on, Dorothy. I'm coming.
* * * *
Dorothy sat quietly, looking out the window towards the balcony. It was a bright and sunny day, not the kind she usually enjoyed but it was all right. Her dark eyes stared through the glass, not really seeing anything. If she were human, she would have been 'zoned out', but as it was, her thought processes were just very slow. She simply wanted to watch the world go by and not think about a certain man she just happened to live with. She was doing a pretty good job of not thinking about him, too. She didn't think about him while she was dusting his hourglasses, and she didn't think about him as he left for work that afternoon, and she had definitely not thought about him during his meeting with that Angel woman. Not at all.
And she wasn't thinking about him now, either.
The doorbell ringing brought her out of her 'not thinking' mode and she turned her head slightly towards the sound. Even as she did so she heard Norman's soft footfalls as he opened the door. She heard the murmur of voices and turned back to her window, knowing that Norman would take care of whoever it was. It was after a few moments when she didn't hear anything else that she turned back towards the hallway, wondering what was happening. Surely she would have heard the door close again if the visitor had left, wouldn't she?
Not knowing why but feeling a little concerned, she stood smoothly, intending on finding out who had arrived. She had taken only three steps when a figure stepped into the room, half hidden by shadows. She stopped instantly, unsure as to what was going on.
"Where's Norman?" She thought to ask, and the figure laughed, a deep masculine sound.
"The butler? Don't worry about him. He's fine, just a slight bump on the head. He will awaken in a few hours."
She took a step back. "What do you want?"
Not that she needed to ask, in the pit of her stomach she all ready knew.
The figure stepped in the full sunlight, a cool smile on his lips.
Michael.
"Just you."
He pulled a device from his suit jacket just as she back flipped over the couch, hoping to get away even with a jump from the balcony. She wasn't that lucky though. Two coils of strong steel wrapped around her from the device in Michael's hands, pinning her arms to her side and lifting her off the ground a good four inches. She didn't bother to struggle, knowing it would be to no use. She was caught and there was no escaping.
Michael took a step forward, a cruel chuckle drifting around the room. His pale blue eyes were as cold as ice.
"Yes, the little woman I met in the supermarket turns out to be the android that works for my nemesis, Roger Smith. I knew, of course, who you were, but I didn't want to make any mistakes, so I sent my partner to make sure." He laughed again, walking up to her so he could look her in the eye. "Who would have thought the great negotiator had a weakness?"
Dorothy didn't so much as blink and Michael reached up to calmly tug a lock of her hair. "You are beautiful, even if you are just an android. I can see why you would be special to him."
"You are mistaken." She stated, steadily. "Roger cares nothing for me, I only stay here to work off the debt I owe him."
He tapped her nose as if she were a wayward child. "I think not, little one. Roger has always been the ladies man, he would never allow a young woman to do manual labor for him unless there was something deeper going on. Like a few buried emotions, I should think? No, he keeps you near him because he is in love with you, even if he doesn't know it." Michael grinned.
"Yes, you are exactly what I need."
And for the first time since the incident with the megadeuce in the underground subway (Underground Terror), Dorothy was afraid.
Truly afraid.
* * * *
tbc...
Author's Note: Hmmm, interesting at all? Probably about two to three more chapters to go. Hope you all liked this one and I will try and get the next chapter out this week. Thanks for your kind reviews, you are all such nice people! *hugs*
Now on to the food...
Look! *starts handing out marshmallow peeps* aren't they so cute? Hark, what is that they are saying? "Review please, review!" Ah, they want you to review before you eat them, how sweet! *blinks innocently*
Chapter Three
Roger sped down the main street of Paradigm, his sunglasses hiding his expression from anyone who happened to see him. He was dressed as impeccably as always in a dark suit, every lock of black hair perfectly in place. He hadn't really wanted to work that day but Angel had told him of a delicate situation that required his personal touch and he had never been able to resist a beautiful woman. It seemed that a downtown factory had laid off around a hundred workers for reasons, as of yet, unknown. The now unemployed men and women were protesting in front of the building and the mob showed signs of getting violent. Hence the need for a negotiator.
One thing that bothered him was the fact that the job had come from Angel. She didn't seem to be related to the case in any way and he had a hard time believing that she gave him work out of the goodness of her heart. After all, this was the woman who went by three different names at any given time, depending on her mood. Not real reliable, you might say. Still, a job was a job, and he was still the best.
Slowing as he neared the off street that led to the factory, he let his mind turn to more confusing matters. Dorothy. He sighed just thinking about her. She had barely spoken to him after the meeting with Angel, being even more tight-lipped than usual. If he hadn't known any better he would have said the android had something against the secret agent. But of course, that couldn't be. Dorothy had never judged any human to his knowledge, except to say that they were inferior, of course. He shook his head. And then, what about his own feelings? Why had he felt so drawn to her last night while she struggled against a very human nightmare? It just didn't make sense. He didn't feel anything for her deeper than friendship. Did he?
Suddenly he pulled to a stop next to the factory, an icy flash of some premonition making him look apprehensively at the front of the building. There was no one in sight. Not a soul. No mob, no crowd of angry workers. No one.
He stepped out of the car, feeling afraid and not knowing why. It was unlike him to feel fear. He walked to the front of the building and peered inside. Not a light flickered anywhere. The whole place was deserted. He stepped, looking at his reflection in the glass doors.
Wrong.
That was the feeling he felt.
Something was wrong. He mind spun with possibilities.
Angel.
She had given him the information on this job. Telling when and where to be. And she had asked...asked about Dorothy. Why he had hired an android when he could have had her. He had thought she was just flirting, but her expression...she had really wanted to know.
He sprinted back to the car, taking off in a spray of sparks and the sound of squealing tires. His face was as hard as steel and his eyes flashed with anger.
She had set him up. But for whom?
Hold on, Dorothy. I'm coming.
* * * *
Dorothy sat quietly, looking out the window towards the balcony. It was a bright and sunny day, not the kind she usually enjoyed but it was all right. Her dark eyes stared through the glass, not really seeing anything. If she were human, she would have been 'zoned out', but as it was, her thought processes were just very slow. She simply wanted to watch the world go by and not think about a certain man she just happened to live with. She was doing a pretty good job of not thinking about him, too. She didn't think about him while she was dusting his hourglasses, and she didn't think about him as he left for work that afternoon, and she had definitely not thought about him during his meeting with that Angel woman. Not at all.
And she wasn't thinking about him now, either.
The doorbell ringing brought her out of her 'not thinking' mode and she turned her head slightly towards the sound. Even as she did so she heard Norman's soft footfalls as he opened the door. She heard the murmur of voices and turned back to her window, knowing that Norman would take care of whoever it was. It was after a few moments when she didn't hear anything else that she turned back towards the hallway, wondering what was happening. Surely she would have heard the door close again if the visitor had left, wouldn't she?
Not knowing why but feeling a little concerned, she stood smoothly, intending on finding out who had arrived. She had taken only three steps when a figure stepped into the room, half hidden by shadows. She stopped instantly, unsure as to what was going on.
"Where's Norman?" She thought to ask, and the figure laughed, a deep masculine sound.
"The butler? Don't worry about him. He's fine, just a slight bump on the head. He will awaken in a few hours."
She took a step back. "What do you want?"
Not that she needed to ask, in the pit of her stomach she all ready knew.
The figure stepped in the full sunlight, a cool smile on his lips.
Michael.
"Just you."
He pulled a device from his suit jacket just as she back flipped over the couch, hoping to get away even with a jump from the balcony. She wasn't that lucky though. Two coils of strong steel wrapped around her from the device in Michael's hands, pinning her arms to her side and lifting her off the ground a good four inches. She didn't bother to struggle, knowing it would be to no use. She was caught and there was no escaping.
Michael took a step forward, a cruel chuckle drifting around the room. His pale blue eyes were as cold as ice.
"Yes, the little woman I met in the supermarket turns out to be the android that works for my nemesis, Roger Smith. I knew, of course, who you were, but I didn't want to make any mistakes, so I sent my partner to make sure." He laughed again, walking up to her so he could look her in the eye. "Who would have thought the great negotiator had a weakness?"
Dorothy didn't so much as blink and Michael reached up to calmly tug a lock of her hair. "You are beautiful, even if you are just an android. I can see why you would be special to him."
"You are mistaken." She stated, steadily. "Roger cares nothing for me, I only stay here to work off the debt I owe him."
He tapped her nose as if she were a wayward child. "I think not, little one. Roger has always been the ladies man, he would never allow a young woman to do manual labor for him unless there was something deeper going on. Like a few buried emotions, I should think? No, he keeps you near him because he is in love with you, even if he doesn't know it." Michael grinned.
"Yes, you are exactly what I need."
And for the first time since the incident with the megadeuce in the underground subway (Underground Terror), Dorothy was afraid.
Truly afraid.
* * * *
tbc...
Author's Note: Hmmm, interesting at all? Probably about two to three more chapters to go. Hope you all liked this one and I will try and get the next chapter out this week. Thanks for your kind reviews, you are all such nice people! *hugs*
Now on to the food...
Look! *starts handing out marshmallow peeps* aren't they so cute? Hark, what is that they are saying? "Review please, review!" Ah, they want you to review before you eat them, how sweet! *blinks innocently*
