Roger could hear Dorothy's screams behind him as they were dragged
down a hall, lit only by the guards' flashlights. He was slightly
intimidated, but he knew Dorothy had never faced fear like this before. He,
of all people, didn't know what would happen next. This had never occurred
before. He was usually so strong, so powerful, but now he felt defenseless.
He knew that he'd never get Dorothy's screams out of his mind ever again,
no matter what happened to him.
They were taken to a candlelit marble chamber with a throne-like chair in it. It looked like a miniature amphitheatre, like in olden times. He remembered reading about them in books. And if he thought about it metaphorically, they were criminals about to face man-eating tigers. On the throne, there was a man, but Roger couldn't see his face. The guards threw him and Dorothy on the marble floor. He felt it; it was so hard and cold, resembling ice. He felt something warm dripping around him, and he looked down on his hands. It was blood. He had hit his nose on the floor, and he hadn't felt any pain. There was no pain.
A voice came from the man on the chair. "Well, well, well, the Negotiator. How nice it is of you to drop by! Oh, and you brought a lovely young girl with you, too!"
"I'm here for you, Marinoko. I know what you're planning to do."
"Oh really? What a shame..."
"Cut the small talk, I want to put you behind bars."
"You can't always get what you want, you know. Maybe this time you won't. But I do have some things you would be interested in knowing."
"Like what?"
"Like maybe your past..."
"My past?"
"Yes, I know all about you, even more than you know yourself. First of all, I'd like you to see some people you may recognize. 3502 and 8931, come out here!"
Roger's head was spinning. Behind the throne, Angel appeared. That was no surprise to him, seeing as she had given him false information, but it was the other person who followed - Norman. Norman had been his butler for years, and the whole time he had just been betraying him.
He could not help but to shout out. "Norman, you bastard!" But Norman said nothing, he just smirked.
"Now, Roger Smith, I have more information for you. Of course, this disproves almost everything you've ever known. You already know you lost your memories, along with everyone else in Paradigm City. That is, except for me. I caused that to happen. You don't know your parents, do you?"
Roger replied, "No, I don't, but why does it matter?"
The man leaned forward in his throne. Roger could see his face. It seemed like he had seen it before. Yes, it looked slightly like him, only older.
"It matters, because I am your father."
The thought hit him like a knife. "No, no, this can't be, no, no..." he was so shocked.
"Yes, this is real, Roger. In fact, that isn't even your real name. You are Akira Ken Marinoko, your mother is Natsumi Marinoko, and you know who I am."
"My mother?"
"Well, she was your mother."
"You mean she's dead?"
"I killed her."
"Why?"
"Because she got in my way."
"Why didn't you ever contact me?"
"It's better not to interfere."
After a long pause, Roger collected his mind. "You can't be my father," he said.
"What do you mean by that?"
"My real father wouldn't do such a thing."
The man took a knife out of his pocket and walked over to Roger. He took the knife and slashed a single streak across the palm of Roger's hand, then did the same to himself. Roger could barely feel the pain as his blood trickled to the floor. "See that blood?" the man said. "The same blood flows in our bodies, Roger.
"No!" Roger struck the man with his bloody hand. "I don't believe you!"
The man, furious, got back on his throne. He said, "You are a criminal."
"Of what? I didn't do anything wrong!"
"You want to live in a world of fantasy; you can't believe what is real and what is not. You live in a paradigm world, just like everyone else in that goddamn city."
"So thinking of a dream world is a crime?"
"You are living in it. That is different."
"You're wrong!"
"Not at all, you are the one who's wrong."
"You're lying!"
"Roger Smith, you are guilty. The crime you have committed... well, we thought, of all people, you wouldn't have been the offender. But now, you must be chastised. And your crime is punishable only by death."
Dorothy spoke up at last. This was déjà vu, her nightmare. "NO!" She sat upright and clung to Roger. "He is Roger Smith, the Negotiator, and he is right. I will never let you kill him!"
The man looked down at her. "And who might you be?"
Angel chimed in. "She's an android."
Roger yelled back, "No! I told you, she's human!"
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"3502, I asked HER."
"I'm Dorothy Wainwright."
"Oh yes, I knew your father a long time ago. What are you doing, defending Akira Marinoko?"
"His name is ROGER SMITH, and I love him. There is no way in hell I'm letting you kill him."
"Dorothy!" Roger would sacrifice everything for her, and she seemed to be doing the same for him. "I do not want you to do this!"
Eli Marinoko yelled, "Guards, seize her." Two guards pulled her away from Roger. He could feel her leaving him... her warm body, soft touch. Now he felt cold.
Eli waved his hand at Dorothy and smiled. "Now my son, you have a choice." Roger looked back at Dorothy, a mix of fear, sadness, love, and martyrdom in her eyes, telling him, "Go on, I'll be fine. You survive." Roger couldn't bear it. Eli's words continued.
"Which will it be? Your life or hers?"
They were taken to a candlelit marble chamber with a throne-like chair in it. It looked like a miniature amphitheatre, like in olden times. He remembered reading about them in books. And if he thought about it metaphorically, they were criminals about to face man-eating tigers. On the throne, there was a man, but Roger couldn't see his face. The guards threw him and Dorothy on the marble floor. He felt it; it was so hard and cold, resembling ice. He felt something warm dripping around him, and he looked down on his hands. It was blood. He had hit his nose on the floor, and he hadn't felt any pain. There was no pain.
A voice came from the man on the chair. "Well, well, well, the Negotiator. How nice it is of you to drop by! Oh, and you brought a lovely young girl with you, too!"
"I'm here for you, Marinoko. I know what you're planning to do."
"Oh really? What a shame..."
"Cut the small talk, I want to put you behind bars."
"You can't always get what you want, you know. Maybe this time you won't. But I do have some things you would be interested in knowing."
"Like what?"
"Like maybe your past..."
"My past?"
"Yes, I know all about you, even more than you know yourself. First of all, I'd like you to see some people you may recognize. 3502 and 8931, come out here!"
Roger's head was spinning. Behind the throne, Angel appeared. That was no surprise to him, seeing as she had given him false information, but it was the other person who followed - Norman. Norman had been his butler for years, and the whole time he had just been betraying him.
He could not help but to shout out. "Norman, you bastard!" But Norman said nothing, he just smirked.
"Now, Roger Smith, I have more information for you. Of course, this disproves almost everything you've ever known. You already know you lost your memories, along with everyone else in Paradigm City. That is, except for me. I caused that to happen. You don't know your parents, do you?"
Roger replied, "No, I don't, but why does it matter?"
The man leaned forward in his throne. Roger could see his face. It seemed like he had seen it before. Yes, it looked slightly like him, only older.
"It matters, because I am your father."
The thought hit him like a knife. "No, no, this can't be, no, no..." he was so shocked.
"Yes, this is real, Roger. In fact, that isn't even your real name. You are Akira Ken Marinoko, your mother is Natsumi Marinoko, and you know who I am."
"My mother?"
"Well, she was your mother."
"You mean she's dead?"
"I killed her."
"Why?"
"Because she got in my way."
"Why didn't you ever contact me?"
"It's better not to interfere."
After a long pause, Roger collected his mind. "You can't be my father," he said.
"What do you mean by that?"
"My real father wouldn't do such a thing."
The man took a knife out of his pocket and walked over to Roger. He took the knife and slashed a single streak across the palm of Roger's hand, then did the same to himself. Roger could barely feel the pain as his blood trickled to the floor. "See that blood?" the man said. "The same blood flows in our bodies, Roger.
"No!" Roger struck the man with his bloody hand. "I don't believe you!"
The man, furious, got back on his throne. He said, "You are a criminal."
"Of what? I didn't do anything wrong!"
"You want to live in a world of fantasy; you can't believe what is real and what is not. You live in a paradigm world, just like everyone else in that goddamn city."
"So thinking of a dream world is a crime?"
"You are living in it. That is different."
"You're wrong!"
"Not at all, you are the one who's wrong."
"You're lying!"
"Roger Smith, you are guilty. The crime you have committed... well, we thought, of all people, you wouldn't have been the offender. But now, you must be chastised. And your crime is punishable only by death."
Dorothy spoke up at last. This was déjà vu, her nightmare. "NO!" She sat upright and clung to Roger. "He is Roger Smith, the Negotiator, and he is right. I will never let you kill him!"
The man looked down at her. "And who might you be?"
Angel chimed in. "She's an android."
Roger yelled back, "No! I told you, she's human!"
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"3502, I asked HER."
"I'm Dorothy Wainwright."
"Oh yes, I knew your father a long time ago. What are you doing, defending Akira Marinoko?"
"His name is ROGER SMITH, and I love him. There is no way in hell I'm letting you kill him."
"Dorothy!" Roger would sacrifice everything for her, and she seemed to be doing the same for him. "I do not want you to do this!"
Eli Marinoko yelled, "Guards, seize her." Two guards pulled her away from Roger. He could feel her leaving him... her warm body, soft touch. Now he felt cold.
Eli waved his hand at Dorothy and smiled. "Now my son, you have a choice." Roger looked back at Dorothy, a mix of fear, sadness, love, and martyrdom in her eyes, telling him, "Go on, I'll be fine. You survive." Roger couldn't bear it. Eli's words continued.
"Which will it be? Your life or hers?"