Chapter Nineteen
To Rowan's relief, both Roger's car and Norman's motorcycle were in the garage. She brought the leather box and the garment bag upstairs and left both in the bedroom. Although she did not expect either man to greet her on her return (she assumed they would both be too busy doing something somewhere in the huge place,) she was surprised by the total silence.
she could not locate either man anywhere. Perhaps Rosewater had taken them too, deciding to take matters into his own hands after all? No, that couldn't be, there would be some sign of trouble - neither Roger nor Norman would go without a fight. They had to be here somewhere.
Daestar went back down to the lobby and looked around carefully, searching for clues. She noticed that a wall panel in a corner had been set aside. It was the covering for the service elevator they had used the day they found the Big. Curious, she pressed the button to open the doors. As soon as they parted, she could hear a metallic whirring sound like a giant drill. Rowan decided to investigate...technically this wasn't breaking her promise to Roger. She was just going to the sub-basement of their home, not the subway tunnels. She entered the elevator and pressed the lowest setting.
When the doors opened, the young woman stepped out and was startled by the view before her. The once-dark space blazed with light. Machinery and tools surrounded her, gleaming and well-oiled. In the middle of the vast floor was a tremendous platform equipped with equally large pulleys and cranes, all arrayed on a network of scaffolding and catwalks. The object within this metal webwork was the cause of her dismay...the black Megadeus stood there, terrible and beautiful, its sculptured face suddenly reminding her of Roger.
Daestar shaded her eyes against the spotlights, looking for the source of the whirring noise. A glint of reflected light caught her attention - it was Norman working on the open cockpit. He turned the tool off and went to the back of the pilot seat, gesturing. Roger stood up from behind it, and sat down in the seat. It looked like he was adjusting the controls.
Rowan couldn't believe what she was seeing. This day's revelations had shaken her to the core. To first learn of Roger's possibly terminal condition (and the surprise of her own) from Rosewater, and now this...and she had not had a clue about anything. She didn't know whether to be angry or scared. Either way she was profoundly disturbed.
Daestar walked over to the platform, waving her arms and shouting Roger's name. The two men turned towards her direction at the same time, then looked at each other and exchanged words. Roger turned back and waved at her. "Stay there!" he shouted. "I'll be right down!"
In a few minutes he was on the platform floor beside her, smiling sheepishly. He gave her a hug and a kiss. "I didn't expect you home so early, it's still morning," he said.
"I can see that," Ro said flatly. She seemed paler than usual.
Roger was well aware that his sweetheart was upset. How do I explain this to her? he wondered, when I don't understand it myself. The Big O (he knew that to be its true name, just as mysteriously as he now knew how to pilot it) had become a compulsion for him, and for Norman too.
"Ro, I know this looks peculiar, but I have to do this." The look on her face told him that this was NOT the right thing to say.
"I am going to lose you to them, aren't I, Roger?" She whispered the painful words, more a statement than a question. Rowan looked utterly stricken.
"No, Rowan, don't say that, don't think that, please..." Roger grabbed her as she fainted. Holding her easily in his arms, he realized this was no place for her to be. He brought her upstairs and carried her to the bedroom. He laid her down gently, got some cold water and a towel and lightly sponged her face.
Ro murmured something unintelligible, then opened her eyes. She glanced at Roger, then turned away from him, burying her face in the pillow. She shook with silent tears.
Confused and a little frightened, Roger sat down on the bed next to her and began to quietly stroke her silken hair. He had never seen her react to anything this way. This kind of emotional collapse was not like her at all.
Roger hated not being able to comfort her; he lightly squeezed one of her shoulders - with a pained gasp she jerked away from his touch. What the hell?...thought Roger. He grasped her arm and made her turn to face him. "Rowan, what is wrong?" he demanded.
She just shook her head miserably, unable to speak. He placed a hand on her other shoulder, and she flinched again. Her shirt slipped a bit with the movement, and Roger noticed some purplish marks on her skin.
Concerned, he unbuttoned her blouse and slipped the dark fabric off her shoulders. He couldn't believe what he saw. The soft whte skin was terribly bruised, almost black, above both collarbones. There was even a small amount of blood where the skin had been broken.
A jolt went through Roger. "Rowan, who did this to you, what happened this morning?"
A heart-rending sob escaped her. He gathered her in his strong arms, holding her tightly against him. "Rowan, please, baby, talk to me, I can't help if I don't know."
Who could possibly want to harm her? he wondered. A disatisfied client? Every negotiator had those, and the courts usually handled that kind of trouble; besides, he couldn't think of anyone that angry. Maybe Seebach again? Would the reporter be that stupid? "Was it Seebach?" he asked, trying to keep his anger in check (he would kill him if it was.)
"No," she whispered. "No, it was not Seebach or any of those kids he hired either." She pushed herself up and wiped the tears from her face. Her expression was unreadable.
Roger smoothed back some of her loose hair. "Ro," he asked, "what did you mean when you said you were going to lose me to them? Who are you talking about? Are they the ones who did this to you?"
Rowan nodded quietly, trying to compose herself. Roger waited patiently, silent; whatever was going on was too important to rush. He took one of her hands and began to absently stroke it. The gentle movement seemed to finally calm her enough to talk.
"It is Paradigm, Roger...Paradigm and Alex Rosewater. You and I have been their lab rats all along, and they are concluding their little experiment."
She told Roger everything Rosewater had said about the pilot program, how he (Smith) had been prepared since childhood, how she had been used to guide him. She told him how he was doomed to either a literal death if he wasn't given the new drug, or a living death if he was. Lastly, she told him of Rosewater's offer to her if she cooperated.
Roger sat there stunned. The mixture of conflicting emotions was almost too much to handle - no wonder poor Rowan broke down! He realized seeing him with Big O had played into her worst fears, that he really was becoming Paradigm's to command.
The way that Rosewater tried to blackmail Ro was unbelievably cruel, twisting what should have been a source of joy into a source of pain. Roger was beyond delighted to learn of his impending fatherhood, furious at the possibility of not experiencing it.
"There must be something we can do," he said urgently. "We have too much at stake to let Rosewater decide our future." Roger gently placed his hand low on Rowan's belly. "I want to see our child grow up."
Their gaze met, his dark eyes fixed on her green ones, as if they were tryng to read each othr's souls. Rowan finally spoke: "I do have an idea, but it will be painful for you, and I don't know if it will work."
Roger shrugged. "It can't be any more painful than what you have told me. I'm willing to try anything." He stood up and held his hand out to her: "It's showtime."
Ro finally smiled. They went back to the lab.
To Rowan's relief, both Roger's car and Norman's motorcycle were in the garage. She brought the leather box and the garment bag upstairs and left both in the bedroom. Although she did not expect either man to greet her on her return (she assumed they would both be too busy doing something somewhere in the huge place,) she was surprised by the total silence.
she could not locate either man anywhere. Perhaps Rosewater had taken them too, deciding to take matters into his own hands after all? No, that couldn't be, there would be some sign of trouble - neither Roger nor Norman would go without a fight. They had to be here somewhere.
Daestar went back down to the lobby and looked around carefully, searching for clues. She noticed that a wall panel in a corner had been set aside. It was the covering for the service elevator they had used the day they found the Big. Curious, she pressed the button to open the doors. As soon as they parted, she could hear a metallic whirring sound like a giant drill. Rowan decided to investigate...technically this wasn't breaking her promise to Roger. She was just going to the sub-basement of their home, not the subway tunnels. She entered the elevator and pressed the lowest setting.
When the doors opened, the young woman stepped out and was startled by the view before her. The once-dark space blazed with light. Machinery and tools surrounded her, gleaming and well-oiled. In the middle of the vast floor was a tremendous platform equipped with equally large pulleys and cranes, all arrayed on a network of scaffolding and catwalks. The object within this metal webwork was the cause of her dismay...the black Megadeus stood there, terrible and beautiful, its sculptured face suddenly reminding her of Roger.
Daestar shaded her eyes against the spotlights, looking for the source of the whirring noise. A glint of reflected light caught her attention - it was Norman working on the open cockpit. He turned the tool off and went to the back of the pilot seat, gesturing. Roger stood up from behind it, and sat down in the seat. It looked like he was adjusting the controls.
Rowan couldn't believe what she was seeing. This day's revelations had shaken her to the core. To first learn of Roger's possibly terminal condition (and the surprise of her own) from Rosewater, and now this...and she had not had a clue about anything. She didn't know whether to be angry or scared. Either way she was profoundly disturbed.
Daestar walked over to the platform, waving her arms and shouting Roger's name. The two men turned towards her direction at the same time, then looked at each other and exchanged words. Roger turned back and waved at her. "Stay there!" he shouted. "I'll be right down!"
In a few minutes he was on the platform floor beside her, smiling sheepishly. He gave her a hug and a kiss. "I didn't expect you home so early, it's still morning," he said.
"I can see that," Ro said flatly. She seemed paler than usual.
Roger was well aware that his sweetheart was upset. How do I explain this to her? he wondered, when I don't understand it myself. The Big O (he knew that to be its true name, just as mysteriously as he now knew how to pilot it) had become a compulsion for him, and for Norman too.
"Ro, I know this looks peculiar, but I have to do this." The look on her face told him that this was NOT the right thing to say.
"I am going to lose you to them, aren't I, Roger?" She whispered the painful words, more a statement than a question. Rowan looked utterly stricken.
"No, Rowan, don't say that, don't think that, please..." Roger grabbed her as she fainted. Holding her easily in his arms, he realized this was no place for her to be. He brought her upstairs and carried her to the bedroom. He laid her down gently, got some cold water and a towel and lightly sponged her face.
Ro murmured something unintelligible, then opened her eyes. She glanced at Roger, then turned away from him, burying her face in the pillow. She shook with silent tears.
Confused and a little frightened, Roger sat down on the bed next to her and began to quietly stroke her silken hair. He had never seen her react to anything this way. This kind of emotional collapse was not like her at all.
Roger hated not being able to comfort her; he lightly squeezed one of her shoulders - with a pained gasp she jerked away from his touch. What the hell?...thought Roger. He grasped her arm and made her turn to face him. "Rowan, what is wrong?" he demanded.
She just shook her head miserably, unable to speak. He placed a hand on her other shoulder, and she flinched again. Her shirt slipped a bit with the movement, and Roger noticed some purplish marks on her skin.
Concerned, he unbuttoned her blouse and slipped the dark fabric off her shoulders. He couldn't believe what he saw. The soft whte skin was terribly bruised, almost black, above both collarbones. There was even a small amount of blood where the skin had been broken.
A jolt went through Roger. "Rowan, who did this to you, what happened this morning?"
A heart-rending sob escaped her. He gathered her in his strong arms, holding her tightly against him. "Rowan, please, baby, talk to me, I can't help if I don't know."
Who could possibly want to harm her? he wondered. A disatisfied client? Every negotiator had those, and the courts usually handled that kind of trouble; besides, he couldn't think of anyone that angry. Maybe Seebach again? Would the reporter be that stupid? "Was it Seebach?" he asked, trying to keep his anger in check (he would kill him if it was.)
"No," she whispered. "No, it was not Seebach or any of those kids he hired either." She pushed herself up and wiped the tears from her face. Her expression was unreadable.
Roger smoothed back some of her loose hair. "Ro," he asked, "what did you mean when you said you were going to lose me to them? Who are you talking about? Are they the ones who did this to you?"
Rowan nodded quietly, trying to compose herself. Roger waited patiently, silent; whatever was going on was too important to rush. He took one of her hands and began to absently stroke it. The gentle movement seemed to finally calm her enough to talk.
"It is Paradigm, Roger...Paradigm and Alex Rosewater. You and I have been their lab rats all along, and they are concluding their little experiment."
She told Roger everything Rosewater had said about the pilot program, how he (Smith) had been prepared since childhood, how she had been used to guide him. She told him how he was doomed to either a literal death if he wasn't given the new drug, or a living death if he was. Lastly, she told him of Rosewater's offer to her if she cooperated.
Roger sat there stunned. The mixture of conflicting emotions was almost too much to handle - no wonder poor Rowan broke down! He realized seeing him with Big O had played into her worst fears, that he really was becoming Paradigm's to command.
The way that Rosewater tried to blackmail Ro was unbelievably cruel, twisting what should have been a source of joy into a source of pain. Roger was beyond delighted to learn of his impending fatherhood, furious at the possibility of not experiencing it.
"There must be something we can do," he said urgently. "We have too much at stake to let Rosewater decide our future." Roger gently placed his hand low on Rowan's belly. "I want to see our child grow up."
Their gaze met, his dark eyes fixed on her green ones, as if they were tryng to read each othr's souls. Rowan finally spoke: "I do have an idea, but it will be painful for you, and I don't know if it will work."
Roger shrugged. "It can't be any more painful than what you have told me. I'm willing to try anything." He stood up and held his hand out to her: "It's showtime."
Ro finally smiled. They went back to the lab.