deusch2 -=Deus Ex Machina (God from the Machine)=-
A Big O fanfic by Grendel226 a.k.a. Arren Dracone
Chapter 2: Finding the Faith

References, works cited, and authors comments will be posted at the end of the story. The action takes place directly after Act 13: R*D.

It was the same dream again. Sweat dripped off Roger's brow as he attempted to collect himself. The meaning of the random sea of images alluded him once more. Dressing quietly to avoid disturbing Dorothy and eliciting a companion he stole down the stairs and out the front door. The night air struck him full in the face, chilling him and sending the last shards of the nightmare flying. His footfalls were the only sound in the silent city, as he roamed aimlessly, not sure what he searched for. Turning down an ill-used street he took another stride forward and heard a distinctive crunch under his foot. Broken glass was not uncommon but something drew his gaze downwards. Pulling a flashlight from his pocket he shined it at the debris on the ground and a dancing pattern of colors from broken stained glass reflected on him. He swept the flashlight across the area in front of him and saw heaps of rubble and gray stones. His mind snapped back to the picture Big Ear had shown him and he began picking his way carefully across bits of stone, wood, and metal. The door of the structure had long since been demolished. In fact there was little of the structure left except for a mound that had caught his attention. Examining it he found a set of stairs that descended into the earth which promptly disappeared into the darkness. Turning his flashlight back on he began working his way down the steps, his hand braced against the wall to prevent slipping on the slime covered steps. He finally emerged into a room with ceilings just low enough he had to duck to avoid a concussion. Little was left unscathed except for a small wooden dais in the middle of the room with a wooden box placed carefully on it. Stepping carefully over piles of debris he cautiously opened the box and found himself staring at yet another book. The cover was worn black leather, and ornate gold lettering spelled out "King James Bible." He stared at it a moment and was suddenly gripped by terror he had only known twice in his life: when he had faced the Red Destiny, and when he had descended into the catacombs through which his Megadeus traveled. Feeling as if the walls themselves watched him he pushed the book under his coat and hurriedly ascended the stairs, leaving the smell of mold and the curious room behind him.

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Returning home, Roger found Dorothy sitting on the desk in his study. With a spry movement she leapt off and walked towards him. "You appear disheveled," she stated after regarding him a moment. "Did you find what you were looking for?" "Perhaps," Roger muttered vaguely. Dorothy carefully judged his tone and decided it was best to let him contemplate in silence. As she shut the door behind herself, Roger sat at his desk and gently opened the front cover of the worn book. Examining the table of contents he ran down the list of names slowly. Most seemed to be the names of people, some were single words mostly likely bearing significance to the chapter, and others were archaic words that held no meaning for him. He froze as his eyes fell on the last chapter's title. Big Ear's riddle had lead him full circle. He had sought the remains of people's faith and found it. And now he stared at one word printed at the bottom of the page: "Revelation".

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Roger's head throbbed as he read the book yet again. It was a vivid and sometimes obscure description of the end of the world. He examined the bits about the coming of evil, and dissected the bits about the return of good desperately hoping it would shed some light into his confusion. However, the riddles that the book spoke in were even more obscure than the riddles that Big Ear rattled off with careless ease.