Chapter 10: Ashes in White Silk
The sound of police sirens in the distance filled the air as Roger helped Amelia from the Big O and sent the Mega Deus back underground until the next time it was needed. Roger held her in his arms a bit tighter than was necessary to keep her upright, but as she was wrapping her arms around him as well and pressing against his chest instead of complaining or pulling away, he didn't feel uncomfortable.
The sirens shrieked louder and came into view around the largest pile of ashes that had once been The Devil. Police officers leapt out of cars and instantly began questioning bystanders and searching the area for someone to blame for the entire disruption. Amelia looked up and brushed a stray ash out of Roger's hair.
"You did it. You stopped the world from ending."
"I might have had a little help on that."
"Well, at least one person will thank you for what you've done."
"And which person would that be?"
Amelia smiled, "I'm sure Franklin will be very thankful."
Roger held her tighter and kissed the top of her head in what suddenly seemed a very natural thing to do. In the very small amount of time he had known her she had somehow become a permanent resident of his feelings. Some day he would have to figure out some way to tell her exactly how he felt about her. Some day when she wasn't in her pajamas, watching the police sift through knee-deep piles of robot ash.
"I don't suppose the police could do anything if I told them Rosewater had me kidnapped?" Amelia suddenly asked, eyeing one police detective who wasn't doing much of anything.
"He would find some way to worm out of it. Besides, there's no proof that Amarav was working for Rosewater, and he's the one that actually kidnapped you."
Amelia sighed in agreement. "I know. But it would be nice to nail that bastard for what he's done."
Roger smiled, slightly amused at her uncharacteristic use of profanity that completely echoed his own feelings. He stroked her hair gently and watched as the side door to the clock tower opened. Amarav walked out, his heavy coat back in place as he silently stalked towards the entwined people.
Roger let go of Amelia and stepped in front of her protectively, leaving her to watch from just behind his shoulder. Amarav reached inside his coat and removed a revolver, aiming directly at Roger's head as he approached, motioning for the both of them to move away from the police and the enormous amount of witnesses present.
Roger remained in front of Amelia as they were backed into an alley between two brick buildings, the stench of the dumpsters against the dead end making Amelia cough into her hands. Amarav pulled back the hammer on the revolver and kept a steady aim at them both.
"I am sorry it has to be this way. It is not honorable to simply shoot you, I would have liked to finish our fight in a fair manner, but Rosewater has given his orders. He doesn't want any witnesses to put him in the spotlight, and since there are two, one being quite the honorable member of society, he would be in trouble. I do regret having to renege on my word of your safety Miss Julaine, but I owe him my life."
Amelia's hands tightened on Roger's arm and he flicked his wrist slightly, revealing his wrist communicator. If he could simply call for the Big O now it should work.
"Big..."
His call for help was interrupted by the sound of a gun shot and the momentum of being pushed aside. Roger hit the ground hard on his left side and looked up to the smoking barrel of Amarav's gun.
"Police! Drop your weapon!"
The hovering authorities must have heard the gunshot and were now blocking the only way out of the alley. Amarav shrugged and turned, aiming the gun at the police. They fired, his human half dying before the android half, the prosthetic arm grasping aimlessly as his brain died. Roger sat up and looked for Amelia standing somewhere against one of the walls.
His mouth went dry when he spotted her lying in a heap on the ground. Unconscious of how undignified it was, he crawled to her on his knees, turning her over and almost crying as he saw the blood staining the front of her nightgown, spreading like a dark crimson halo around the bullet wound that had ripped a large hole in the white silk just below her chest.
"Are you okay?" She asked, her chest heaving to fill a collapsed lung.
"Fine." Roger looked over his shoulder, "I need an ambulance!"
Amelia smiled slightly, "I was afraid...he would have shot you before help could come."
"Amarav is dead, the police shot him."
"I guess this part of my memories is right...I am going to fade into ash. That's why the memories stop where they do."
Roger shook his head, "No, help is coming. You'll be fine."
"Hold me tighter."
Roger lifted her up slightly, pressing her against his chest, her blood staining his white shirt and dripping slowly on his hands.
"I wish we would have had...more time together."
Roger looked over his shoulder to see if there was help coming and turned back to her, "We'll have plenty of time once you're taken care of."
Amelia closed her eyes, "Tell me what we would do."
"First I think we'd have to go to dinner and the theater, just so the society column has something to print."
She smiled weakly, "What else?"
"Maybe a picnic on the shore, just before sunset so we could watch it together."
"What would it look like, Roger?"
Roger looked up, remembering what he had seen at the shore before, "The sun would slowly sink into the sea, setting it on fire in a way so calm that nothing else in nature could comprehend it."
Amelia shuddered in his arms, and he felt her chest rise and fall for the last time as he held her. Roger was stricken with the burning pain in his heart that he had just lost something precious, something that he would never find again. An ambulance pulled up and the emergency medical technicians got out, pulling Roger away and setting up a defribulator.
The negotiator walked away as he heard them pronounce her dead at 12:22 pm, the exact time that the moon moved away from the sun for another fifty-six years.
The sound of police sirens in the distance filled the air as Roger helped Amelia from the Big O and sent the Mega Deus back underground until the next time it was needed. Roger held her in his arms a bit tighter than was necessary to keep her upright, but as she was wrapping her arms around him as well and pressing against his chest instead of complaining or pulling away, he didn't feel uncomfortable.
The sirens shrieked louder and came into view around the largest pile of ashes that had once been The Devil. Police officers leapt out of cars and instantly began questioning bystanders and searching the area for someone to blame for the entire disruption. Amelia looked up and brushed a stray ash out of Roger's hair.
"You did it. You stopped the world from ending."
"I might have had a little help on that."
"Well, at least one person will thank you for what you've done."
"And which person would that be?"
Amelia smiled, "I'm sure Franklin will be very thankful."
Roger held her tighter and kissed the top of her head in what suddenly seemed a very natural thing to do. In the very small amount of time he had known her she had somehow become a permanent resident of his feelings. Some day he would have to figure out some way to tell her exactly how he felt about her. Some day when she wasn't in her pajamas, watching the police sift through knee-deep piles of robot ash.
"I don't suppose the police could do anything if I told them Rosewater had me kidnapped?" Amelia suddenly asked, eyeing one police detective who wasn't doing much of anything.
"He would find some way to worm out of it. Besides, there's no proof that Amarav was working for Rosewater, and he's the one that actually kidnapped you."
Amelia sighed in agreement. "I know. But it would be nice to nail that bastard for what he's done."
Roger smiled, slightly amused at her uncharacteristic use of profanity that completely echoed his own feelings. He stroked her hair gently and watched as the side door to the clock tower opened. Amarav walked out, his heavy coat back in place as he silently stalked towards the entwined people.
Roger let go of Amelia and stepped in front of her protectively, leaving her to watch from just behind his shoulder. Amarav reached inside his coat and removed a revolver, aiming directly at Roger's head as he approached, motioning for the both of them to move away from the police and the enormous amount of witnesses present.
Roger remained in front of Amelia as they were backed into an alley between two brick buildings, the stench of the dumpsters against the dead end making Amelia cough into her hands. Amarav pulled back the hammer on the revolver and kept a steady aim at them both.
"I am sorry it has to be this way. It is not honorable to simply shoot you, I would have liked to finish our fight in a fair manner, but Rosewater has given his orders. He doesn't want any witnesses to put him in the spotlight, and since there are two, one being quite the honorable member of society, he would be in trouble. I do regret having to renege on my word of your safety Miss Julaine, but I owe him my life."
Amelia's hands tightened on Roger's arm and he flicked his wrist slightly, revealing his wrist communicator. If he could simply call for the Big O now it should work.
"Big..."
His call for help was interrupted by the sound of a gun shot and the momentum of being pushed aside. Roger hit the ground hard on his left side and looked up to the smoking barrel of Amarav's gun.
"Police! Drop your weapon!"
The hovering authorities must have heard the gunshot and were now blocking the only way out of the alley. Amarav shrugged and turned, aiming the gun at the police. They fired, his human half dying before the android half, the prosthetic arm grasping aimlessly as his brain died. Roger sat up and looked for Amelia standing somewhere against one of the walls.
His mouth went dry when he spotted her lying in a heap on the ground. Unconscious of how undignified it was, he crawled to her on his knees, turning her over and almost crying as he saw the blood staining the front of her nightgown, spreading like a dark crimson halo around the bullet wound that had ripped a large hole in the white silk just below her chest.
"Are you okay?" She asked, her chest heaving to fill a collapsed lung.
"Fine." Roger looked over his shoulder, "I need an ambulance!"
Amelia smiled slightly, "I was afraid...he would have shot you before help could come."
"Amarav is dead, the police shot him."
"I guess this part of my memories is right...I am going to fade into ash. That's why the memories stop where they do."
Roger shook his head, "No, help is coming. You'll be fine."
"Hold me tighter."
Roger lifted her up slightly, pressing her against his chest, her blood staining his white shirt and dripping slowly on his hands.
"I wish we would have had...more time together."
Roger looked over his shoulder to see if there was help coming and turned back to her, "We'll have plenty of time once you're taken care of."
Amelia closed her eyes, "Tell me what we would do."
"First I think we'd have to go to dinner and the theater, just so the society column has something to print."
She smiled weakly, "What else?"
"Maybe a picnic on the shore, just before sunset so we could watch it together."
"What would it look like, Roger?"
Roger looked up, remembering what he had seen at the shore before, "The sun would slowly sink into the sea, setting it on fire in a way so calm that nothing else in nature could comprehend it."
Amelia shuddered in his arms, and he felt her chest rise and fall for the last time as he held her. Roger was stricken with the burning pain in his heart that he had just lost something precious, something that he would never find again. An ambulance pulled up and the emergency medical technicians got out, pulling Roger away and setting up a defribulator.
The negotiator walked away as he heard them pronounce her dead at 12:22 pm, the exact time that the moon moved away from the sun for another fifty-six years.
