DISCLAIMER*** Arg, on every chapter, I hafta repeat myself… *sigh* I don't own Big O. There. I said it.
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ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!---- Ok, ok, I'm sorry people… I've realized how out-of-character Roger seems in this chapter… Ack, =_=, you gotta understand that I'm the kinda girl who enjoys writing dramatic romances, and I tend to sometimes warp the characters to my own view… GOMENASAI!!! *cries* So, in order to make up for my faults, I have revised it, trying ever so hard to stick to Roger's personality… Smooth, slick, charming, and sophisticated! P.S. If I ever do that again, please send me a review and tell me about it! Thanks!
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Chapter 4 --- Memory Salvage
Major Dastun had arrived with a hoard of fire fighters and about 15 fire trucks. Half began to hose down the flames, while the rest submerged themselves into the wreckage to search for any sign of Dorothy or Norman. Roger sat on the edge of the curb across from his once brilliant and beautiful home. Why hadn't he suspected something like this would happen?! He was a negotiator, which left all people he'd previously negotiated with as suspects… But it could've been one of his most-hated rivals, like Beck or Shwarzwald… Or just an unpleased person he'd worked with, who might be legally insane… There were so many people that could be culprits… How could this be happening to him?! He remembered when he used to tell himself his life was great. He remembered the feeling of peace he'd experienced before… Everything was going so well… Now, people weren't attacking Paradigm City everyday… Monsters weren't emerging from the depths of lakes… Crime had died away, like an old fad, and Roger was left to lead a peaceful life… But he should have suspected that this tranquil time would have ended sometime, and even in such a destructive way. It was now obvious… Certain people couldn't live long without war and fighting…He pondered all of these thoughts, sinking into his mind where he was really alone.
He then remembered the happy points in his life. He remembered Dorothy singing, wearing that bright red dress, and the time when Angel appeared at his household. He then he remembered Heaven's Day, when Dorothy had bought him that tie… He felt so bad for only wanting to give her something because he thought it was her birthday, instead of buying her something just because he cared… But he knew it was so unlike him to be so generous… What kind of a monster had he become? How could he have been so selfish?! How could he have been so foolish as to treat her like she was a burden?! At that moment, he hated himself.
Everything worked out just as Roger expected such an accident would. He was left, small and cowardly, with nothing left for him in a world that was tainted, cold, and confused. He, Roger Smith, left alone… It was so foreign to everyone… No one would suspect such an ending!
Dastun walked over, holding his hat in his hands sympathetically, his face showing pure sorrow. "Roger…" He said quietly. Roger looked up. Dastun cleared his throat. "They… They found Dorothy…" He said. Roger listened more intently, though he could only guess what Dastun was going to say. "She's almost totally dead… Her main circuit board has been severely damaged. She can barely talk. She's losing memory and power as we speak… We suspect her memory disk has been severely damaged… You're the only one left who can open it…" Roger stood without a word and made his way over to where Dorothy lay. Her mangled body was disfigured and broken. The fire fighters cleared way for Roger and left the scene temporarily, in order to give Roger some time to open her memory disk's slot.
Dorothy's eyes were closed. Her skin was ripped in various places, revealing bare patches of disconnected and thrashed wires and cables. Roger look down at her in utter shock. She was still in there, but barely. The once opinionated and strong-hearted Dorothy was now losing everything she had before…
She opened her eyes slightly, looking at him, still no expression to her pale face. "I-If I were…" She managed to say. Roger listened intently, ignoring the fire trucks' sirens and the shouts of the men putting out the fire. "If I were… H-Human…" She said again, this time, her voice sounding a little more distant. "W-Would you… have… loved me?" She asked, her voice shaky, the raw cables showing now beginning to spark. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. It was all a nightmare. She wasn't asking him this. She wasn't lying there, slowly dying. His building wasn't burning and demolished… He'd wake up, glad to hear Dorothy's annoying song carrying through into his bedroom for once. He would walk into the Dining Room to a hot breakfast and thank Norman for making it. He'd then go to work and everything would be alright once more…
The vision he pictured of the perfect life made him dread opening his eyes, because, deep down inside of himself, he knew that what was happening was real, and he couldn't change it now. He opened his eyes, Dorothy still lying there, tattered and slowly drifting away. He couldn't answer her, just like he never could. He didn't know. She wasn't human, and that split the unity of his answer. She coughed slightly, her arm sparking vigorously. He kneeled beside her.
"Androids can feel emotions…" She said, her eyes dimming ever-so-slightly. It hurt to see her lying there, death hovering over her like the air around her, all because of him. It was, indeed, his fault that whoever had possession of the bomb planted it. He had made too many enemies, and they were probably basking in their own triumph right now, watching everything Roger cared for being whisked away from him in an instant.
Roger took a big shaky breath, preparing himself for a spill of heart. "Dorothy…" He said quietly. "I… I know I never really told you how…" It was so hard, confessing such personal things he never dreamed he'd have to tell anyone… Dorothy gazed at him. She then cut him off. "Roger Smith…" She said, her voice dramatically hazy. "I-I… I want to be… h-human…" She said, her hands now trembling. "No, Dorothy! You don't want to be human!" Roger corrected forcefully, trying so hard to make her understand how much better it was for her, since she was an android. "But…" She said, her voice now dying away. Her body was so badly twisted that, yes, she could be restored, but it would take someone who could restore her perfectly… Even then, her memory would be lost because of the damaged memory disk and she'd come back with a totally different personality, with changes in hobbies and talents… This angered Roger. Everything was fine until the bomb went off!
He knew he was running out of time. "I've got to get your memory disk and take it…" He said, pushing on the black headband in her hair, it opening automatically. "But you'll get it back…" He said, examining it, praying that the particles of the disk hadn't been shattered or damaged whatsoever. He stopped, suddenly feeling as if she wasn't listening anymore. Her eyes were dull and dead. Her face was unusually stale. Once her memory disk was removed, she seemed so dead… And maybe she really was… Her body was in bad enough condition to throw itself into permanent shutdown mode… But if Roger used the money he had in the bank to restore her to perfection and, by mercy of god, the disk could be salvaged, maybe everything would be alright again… He took off his black suit coat and draped it over her… It was the least he could do, having taken her thoughts for the time being…
He returned to Dastun, handing him the disk carefully. Dastun sighed. "What're you gonna do?" He asked, watching Roger walk ahead of him. "I'm gonna get some money from the bank!" He said, turning and giving a little smirk. He had a strange feeling everything was going to be alright, and, being Roger Smith, he had to stand tall and not lose his place on the podium.
***Ok, guys, this now leads new hope for the next chapter! ^^ So don't worry, k? And please tell me if Roger sounds more like himself! I need advice here! Arigato!!
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ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!---- Ok, ok, I'm sorry people… I've realized how out-of-character Roger seems in this chapter… Ack, =_=, you gotta understand that I'm the kinda girl who enjoys writing dramatic romances, and I tend to sometimes warp the characters to my own view… GOMENASAI!!! *cries* So, in order to make up for my faults, I have revised it, trying ever so hard to stick to Roger's personality… Smooth, slick, charming, and sophisticated! P.S. If I ever do that again, please send me a review and tell me about it! Thanks!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 4 --- Memory Salvage
Major Dastun had arrived with a hoard of fire fighters and about 15 fire trucks. Half began to hose down the flames, while the rest submerged themselves into the wreckage to search for any sign of Dorothy or Norman. Roger sat on the edge of the curb across from his once brilliant and beautiful home. Why hadn't he suspected something like this would happen?! He was a negotiator, which left all people he'd previously negotiated with as suspects… But it could've been one of his most-hated rivals, like Beck or Shwarzwald… Or just an unpleased person he'd worked with, who might be legally insane… There were so many people that could be culprits… How could this be happening to him?! He remembered when he used to tell himself his life was great. He remembered the feeling of peace he'd experienced before… Everything was going so well… Now, people weren't attacking Paradigm City everyday… Monsters weren't emerging from the depths of lakes… Crime had died away, like an old fad, and Roger was left to lead a peaceful life… But he should have suspected that this tranquil time would have ended sometime, and even in such a destructive way. It was now obvious… Certain people couldn't live long without war and fighting…He pondered all of these thoughts, sinking into his mind where he was really alone.
He then remembered the happy points in his life. He remembered Dorothy singing, wearing that bright red dress, and the time when Angel appeared at his household. He then he remembered Heaven's Day, when Dorothy had bought him that tie… He felt so bad for only wanting to give her something because he thought it was her birthday, instead of buying her something just because he cared… But he knew it was so unlike him to be so generous… What kind of a monster had he become? How could he have been so selfish?! How could he have been so foolish as to treat her like she was a burden?! At that moment, he hated himself.
Everything worked out just as Roger expected such an accident would. He was left, small and cowardly, with nothing left for him in a world that was tainted, cold, and confused. He, Roger Smith, left alone… It was so foreign to everyone… No one would suspect such an ending!
Dastun walked over, holding his hat in his hands sympathetically, his face showing pure sorrow. "Roger…" He said quietly. Roger looked up. Dastun cleared his throat. "They… They found Dorothy…" He said. Roger listened more intently, though he could only guess what Dastun was going to say. "She's almost totally dead… Her main circuit board has been severely damaged. She can barely talk. She's losing memory and power as we speak… We suspect her memory disk has been severely damaged… You're the only one left who can open it…" Roger stood without a word and made his way over to where Dorothy lay. Her mangled body was disfigured and broken. The fire fighters cleared way for Roger and left the scene temporarily, in order to give Roger some time to open her memory disk's slot.
Dorothy's eyes were closed. Her skin was ripped in various places, revealing bare patches of disconnected and thrashed wires and cables. Roger look down at her in utter shock. She was still in there, but barely. The once opinionated and strong-hearted Dorothy was now losing everything she had before…
She opened her eyes slightly, looking at him, still no expression to her pale face. "I-If I were…" She managed to say. Roger listened intently, ignoring the fire trucks' sirens and the shouts of the men putting out the fire. "If I were… H-Human…" She said again, this time, her voice sounding a little more distant. "W-Would you… have… loved me?" She asked, her voice shaky, the raw cables showing now beginning to spark. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. It was all a nightmare. She wasn't asking him this. She wasn't lying there, slowly dying. His building wasn't burning and demolished… He'd wake up, glad to hear Dorothy's annoying song carrying through into his bedroom for once. He would walk into the Dining Room to a hot breakfast and thank Norman for making it. He'd then go to work and everything would be alright once more…
The vision he pictured of the perfect life made him dread opening his eyes, because, deep down inside of himself, he knew that what was happening was real, and he couldn't change it now. He opened his eyes, Dorothy still lying there, tattered and slowly drifting away. He couldn't answer her, just like he never could. He didn't know. She wasn't human, and that split the unity of his answer. She coughed slightly, her arm sparking vigorously. He kneeled beside her.
"Androids can feel emotions…" She said, her eyes dimming ever-so-slightly. It hurt to see her lying there, death hovering over her like the air around her, all because of him. It was, indeed, his fault that whoever had possession of the bomb planted it. He had made too many enemies, and they were probably basking in their own triumph right now, watching everything Roger cared for being whisked away from him in an instant.
Roger took a big shaky breath, preparing himself for a spill of heart. "Dorothy…" He said quietly. "I… I know I never really told you how…" It was so hard, confessing such personal things he never dreamed he'd have to tell anyone… Dorothy gazed at him. She then cut him off. "Roger Smith…" She said, her voice dramatically hazy. "I-I… I want to be… h-human…" She said, her hands now trembling. "No, Dorothy! You don't want to be human!" Roger corrected forcefully, trying so hard to make her understand how much better it was for her, since she was an android. "But…" She said, her voice now dying away. Her body was so badly twisted that, yes, she could be restored, but it would take someone who could restore her perfectly… Even then, her memory would be lost because of the damaged memory disk and she'd come back with a totally different personality, with changes in hobbies and talents… This angered Roger. Everything was fine until the bomb went off!
He knew he was running out of time. "I've got to get your memory disk and take it…" He said, pushing on the black headband in her hair, it opening automatically. "But you'll get it back…" He said, examining it, praying that the particles of the disk hadn't been shattered or damaged whatsoever. He stopped, suddenly feeling as if she wasn't listening anymore. Her eyes were dull and dead. Her face was unusually stale. Once her memory disk was removed, she seemed so dead… And maybe she really was… Her body was in bad enough condition to throw itself into permanent shutdown mode… But if Roger used the money he had in the bank to restore her to perfection and, by mercy of god, the disk could be salvaged, maybe everything would be alright again… He took off his black suit coat and draped it over her… It was the least he could do, having taken her thoughts for the time being…
He returned to Dastun, handing him the disk carefully. Dastun sighed. "What're you gonna do?" He asked, watching Roger walk ahead of him. "I'm gonna get some money from the bank!" He said, turning and giving a little smirk. He had a strange feeling everything was going to be alright, and, being Roger Smith, he had to stand tall and not lose his place on the podium.
***Ok, guys, this now leads new hope for the next chapter! ^^ So don't worry, k? And please tell me if Roger sounds more like himself! I need advice here! Arigato!!