A week had passed, and every night, Dorothy had awakened screaming, claiming to have seen Don on the balcony. So Roger became accustomed to sleeping on the chair next to her bed.
Roger would watch her fall asleep, and when Dorothy began talking to her dreams, he would take her hand until she was once again calmed. Thoughts ran wildly through his head.
'How can this be happening?' he thought. 'How could a man like Zunich have the memories to enhance an android to such a level that it can be classified as human? Is this Zunich's doing at all?'
Dorothy shifted, pulling her hand away from Roger, who's curiosity was at the braking point. Roger stood to leave, but went back and kissed Dorothy's cheek softly.
"It's my job to find out." he whispered.
Dorothy didn't pull herself out of bed until ten o'clock, unusual since she usually got up at seven so she could help Norman. After getting dressed, Dorothy found Norman in the kitchen.
"Good morning Dorothy."
"Good morning Norman. Have you seen Roger?"
"He left early to do some work. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, it's nothing, forget it."
Dorothy walked out of the room and sat on the piano bench. She whispered to herself,
"Stop digging, Roger. Just stop!"
Roger walked into the bar and sat down next to Big Ear. Roger was determined to know the truth.
"I see you won't be buying any Shirley Temples today Roger."
"There are things I need to know whether Dorothy wants me to know them or not. Tell me why he disappeared, where her blood comes from..."
"Slow down Roger, this is a lot to take in, but you have to be patient. Zunich busts out of jail every night to try to get to your friend."
"I thought you said he was already busted out."
"He goes out, but always ends up back in jail in the morning so that the military police don't get on his back."
"Why then did he buy a house and register it under his alias? Why would he go to all that trouble?"
Big Ear stayed silent and let his eyes drift over his newspaper.
"I see." said Roger. "You think I should find out for myself."
Big Ear smiled but said nothing. Roger put the money on the table, and left. When Big Ear looked at the bills, he noticed it was substantially more than usual.
'I guess I got the message across.' he thought as he ordered another drink.
Major Daustan was finishing the last of the paperwork on his desk when Roger Smith walked into his office. The police officer sighed.
"Roger, it's getting late. What do you want?"
"A friend of mine is involved in a sticky situation, I was wondering if you could tell me about Bartholomew Neilson."
Daustan's eyes shot up from his work to meet with Roger's.
"He's in prison, how could your friend get entangled with him if he's behind bars?"
"Somehow he's getting to her and I want to know how."
The major was suddenly stricken with concern. Was Neilson really attacking Roger's friend? How could he?
As they walked through the jail, prisoners heckled Major Daustan and Roger Smith. When they reached Neilson's cell, he was gone. Roger was not surprised, but Daustan sent out dozens of officers to hunt him down and bring him back.
Daustan gasped as it suddenly occurred to him.
"Roger, if Neilson isn't here and your friend isn't with you..."
Roger closed his eyes, and his feet took off as fast as they could.
Dorothy sat on the railing of the balcony and enjoyed the cool breeze of the spring. A sudden fear took over her senses and she screamed as she was pulled from the railing.
As Roger parked the car and got out, Dorothy's scream rang out through the air. He and about a dozen officers ran upstairs. Norman was watching from the door of the balcony, one gun pointed at him, and another gun pointed at Dorothy, one in each hand.
"ALL OF YOU BACK THE HELL UP! I'LL KILL 'EM BOTH!" Neilson screamed.
Roger, being a negotiator, decided that it was best to put his personal feelings aside so he could talk Neilson down.
"Listen Neilson," Roger said calmly. "What is it you want? Whatever it is, it's not a problem. Why don't you put the guns down so we can talk?"
"No way. All I want is redemption." Neilson looked into Dorothy's eyes.
"What does that mean?"
"I want a minute alone with Dorothy, that's the only thing I want."
"I can't do that Neilson, you have to come with us." Daustan said, but Neilson only got angry and shot a bullet into the air.
"Stop this!" Dorothy yelled.
Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, and everything suddenly fell silent.
"It's ok Roger." Dorothy looked Neilson in the eye. "Let Norman go, send everybody back into the house, and I'll talk to you Bart, I promise! Just please, no matter what, let them go."
"Ok Dorothy, whatever you say." he turned to the group near the door. "Dorothy has agreed to talk to me if you all go inside."
Neilson lowered his weapon pointed at Norman and the old butler walked away slowly. Dorothy nodded to Roger, telling him it was ok, and they went into the house without argument.
After a few minutes of silence, Neilson finally spoke.
"All of this is Wayneright's doing, you know."
"What? He's dead Bart, there's nothing he could have done to cause this."
"Oh how wrong you are darling."
He touched Dorothy's cheek gently, but she turned away. A tear slipped away from her eye.
"I received memories when you enhanced my features. I think they were the first Dorothy Wayneright's memories. I remembered loving you, and call me crazy, but I think you loved her too. What happened?"
Neilson's eyes welled up with tears.
"I did...I do love you Dorothy, that's why I did this."
"So you could kill her again?"
"No, this is going to sound odd, but your father came to me in a dream. He told me to make the enhancements so Dorothy the first could get her vengeance."
"I'm not her Bart, no matter what enhancements you give me or who's memories are playing in my head, I will never be her!"
"I know that, but I loved her more than words can say."
"If you loved her than why did you kill her?"
"I had to kill her, it was her wish."
Dorothy looked puzzled. Neilson looked out at the city.
"Forty years ago, a great awakening was on the way, a time when God would punish His people. He destroyed the rest of the world, but left Paradigm City to wither in its own reflection with nothing but a face and no past to speak of."
Dorothy began to cry and shake as memories found their way to her subconscious.
"Your father and I knew it was coming since we'd been working with Gordon Rosewater, a self-proclaimed god. Dorothy didn't want to see it. She said that she would rather die and be with the God she praised in church than the man who controlled the city in which we lived. So your father and I built you and..."
Neilson's voice broke and he found that he couldn't speak. When he found his strength again, he continued.
"I served in jail awaiting the death penalty that I was sentenced to, all for the love of my wife. Despite Wayneright's pleadings, I had to do what she wanted. So as the earth shattered around us...I pulled the trigger."
"Who's heart is beating within me Bart? I went to visit Wayneright's grave last week. The key that we left there, the one that he dropped when he was shot, it's missing. Where is it? What does it unlock?"
"There is a room in his mansion. The key unlocks a coffin in which a body, forty years dead, has been preserved. The heart that beats in you, the blood that runs through your veins...they're Dorothy Wayneright's. Everything in you is hers. That's what she wanted."
"And now?"
Neilson handed Dorothy the gun in his other hand.
"Now," he said. "I earn God's forgiveness."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WOOOOO! Sorry this one took a while. Hope everybody is enjoying. E-mail me your comments at NeoTori7688@aol.com or write a review. Thanks! More is coming soon!
~*Tori*~
Roger would watch her fall asleep, and when Dorothy began talking to her dreams, he would take her hand until she was once again calmed. Thoughts ran wildly through his head.
'How can this be happening?' he thought. 'How could a man like Zunich have the memories to enhance an android to such a level that it can be classified as human? Is this Zunich's doing at all?'
Dorothy shifted, pulling her hand away from Roger, who's curiosity was at the braking point. Roger stood to leave, but went back and kissed Dorothy's cheek softly.
"It's my job to find out." he whispered.
Dorothy didn't pull herself out of bed until ten o'clock, unusual since she usually got up at seven so she could help Norman. After getting dressed, Dorothy found Norman in the kitchen.
"Good morning Dorothy."
"Good morning Norman. Have you seen Roger?"
"He left early to do some work. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, it's nothing, forget it."
Dorothy walked out of the room and sat on the piano bench. She whispered to herself,
"Stop digging, Roger. Just stop!"
Roger walked into the bar and sat down next to Big Ear. Roger was determined to know the truth.
"I see you won't be buying any Shirley Temples today Roger."
"There are things I need to know whether Dorothy wants me to know them or not. Tell me why he disappeared, where her blood comes from..."
"Slow down Roger, this is a lot to take in, but you have to be patient. Zunich busts out of jail every night to try to get to your friend."
"I thought you said he was already busted out."
"He goes out, but always ends up back in jail in the morning so that the military police don't get on his back."
"Why then did he buy a house and register it under his alias? Why would he go to all that trouble?"
Big Ear stayed silent and let his eyes drift over his newspaper.
"I see." said Roger. "You think I should find out for myself."
Big Ear smiled but said nothing. Roger put the money on the table, and left. When Big Ear looked at the bills, he noticed it was substantially more than usual.
'I guess I got the message across.' he thought as he ordered another drink.
Major Daustan was finishing the last of the paperwork on his desk when Roger Smith walked into his office. The police officer sighed.
"Roger, it's getting late. What do you want?"
"A friend of mine is involved in a sticky situation, I was wondering if you could tell me about Bartholomew Neilson."
Daustan's eyes shot up from his work to meet with Roger's.
"He's in prison, how could your friend get entangled with him if he's behind bars?"
"Somehow he's getting to her and I want to know how."
The major was suddenly stricken with concern. Was Neilson really attacking Roger's friend? How could he?
As they walked through the jail, prisoners heckled Major Daustan and Roger Smith. When they reached Neilson's cell, he was gone. Roger was not surprised, but Daustan sent out dozens of officers to hunt him down and bring him back.
Daustan gasped as it suddenly occurred to him.
"Roger, if Neilson isn't here and your friend isn't with you..."
Roger closed his eyes, and his feet took off as fast as they could.
Dorothy sat on the railing of the balcony and enjoyed the cool breeze of the spring. A sudden fear took over her senses and she screamed as she was pulled from the railing.
As Roger parked the car and got out, Dorothy's scream rang out through the air. He and about a dozen officers ran upstairs. Norman was watching from the door of the balcony, one gun pointed at him, and another gun pointed at Dorothy, one in each hand.
"ALL OF YOU BACK THE HELL UP! I'LL KILL 'EM BOTH!" Neilson screamed.
Roger, being a negotiator, decided that it was best to put his personal feelings aside so he could talk Neilson down.
"Listen Neilson," Roger said calmly. "What is it you want? Whatever it is, it's not a problem. Why don't you put the guns down so we can talk?"
"No way. All I want is redemption." Neilson looked into Dorothy's eyes.
"What does that mean?"
"I want a minute alone with Dorothy, that's the only thing I want."
"I can't do that Neilson, you have to come with us." Daustan said, but Neilson only got angry and shot a bullet into the air.
"Stop this!" Dorothy yelled.
Everyone stopped dead in their tracks, and everything suddenly fell silent.
"It's ok Roger." Dorothy looked Neilson in the eye. "Let Norman go, send everybody back into the house, and I'll talk to you Bart, I promise! Just please, no matter what, let them go."
"Ok Dorothy, whatever you say." he turned to the group near the door. "Dorothy has agreed to talk to me if you all go inside."
Neilson lowered his weapon pointed at Norman and the old butler walked away slowly. Dorothy nodded to Roger, telling him it was ok, and they went into the house without argument.
After a few minutes of silence, Neilson finally spoke.
"All of this is Wayneright's doing, you know."
"What? He's dead Bart, there's nothing he could have done to cause this."
"Oh how wrong you are darling."
He touched Dorothy's cheek gently, but she turned away. A tear slipped away from her eye.
"I received memories when you enhanced my features. I think they were the first Dorothy Wayneright's memories. I remembered loving you, and call me crazy, but I think you loved her too. What happened?"
Neilson's eyes welled up with tears.
"I did...I do love you Dorothy, that's why I did this."
"So you could kill her again?"
"No, this is going to sound odd, but your father came to me in a dream. He told me to make the enhancements so Dorothy the first could get her vengeance."
"I'm not her Bart, no matter what enhancements you give me or who's memories are playing in my head, I will never be her!"
"I know that, but I loved her more than words can say."
"If you loved her than why did you kill her?"
"I had to kill her, it was her wish."
Dorothy looked puzzled. Neilson looked out at the city.
"Forty years ago, a great awakening was on the way, a time when God would punish His people. He destroyed the rest of the world, but left Paradigm City to wither in its own reflection with nothing but a face and no past to speak of."
Dorothy began to cry and shake as memories found their way to her subconscious.
"Your father and I knew it was coming since we'd been working with Gordon Rosewater, a self-proclaimed god. Dorothy didn't want to see it. She said that she would rather die and be with the God she praised in church than the man who controlled the city in which we lived. So your father and I built you and..."
Neilson's voice broke and he found that he couldn't speak. When he found his strength again, he continued.
"I served in jail awaiting the death penalty that I was sentenced to, all for the love of my wife. Despite Wayneright's pleadings, I had to do what she wanted. So as the earth shattered around us...I pulled the trigger."
"Who's heart is beating within me Bart? I went to visit Wayneright's grave last week. The key that we left there, the one that he dropped when he was shot, it's missing. Where is it? What does it unlock?"
"There is a room in his mansion. The key unlocks a coffin in which a body, forty years dead, has been preserved. The heart that beats in you, the blood that runs through your veins...they're Dorothy Wayneright's. Everything in you is hers. That's what she wanted."
"And now?"
Neilson handed Dorothy the gun in his other hand.
"Now," he said. "I earn God's forgiveness."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WOOOOO! Sorry this one took a while. Hope everybody is enjoying. E-mail me your comments at NeoTori7688@aol.com or write a review. Thanks! More is coming soon!
~*Tori*~