PART 7
"Damian, Damian, Damian..." Roger kept repeating the name to himself, his whispers inaudible above the wind that whipped around his face. He looked up at the limitless sky and pondered possibilities that were just as limitless. He had not slept well the past two days, the name that had been plaguing him these past weeks not letting him rest. He had to know who this Damian was.
"Roger?" a familiar voice said from below. Roger sat up and gazed down from his perch on top of one of the sculptures that decorated the balcony of his home. He smiled when he saw Angel was the one calling his name. She was walking, though with the aid of a cane. He hopped down and walked to her.
"Well, glad to see you're up and about." He said. Angel threw him a small smile and moved closer.
"I just want to thank you for letting me stay here in your home these past few days" she said as she came up in front of him. She gazed up into his eyes, and he found himself unable to look away. "I hope I haven't been a burden..."
"No, no burden at all" Roger said with a charming smile. He felt a small tightness in his throat when Angel moved a little closer and placed one of her hands on his chest, drawing small circles on his shirt.
"I've been thinking Roger...we could solve this mystery so much easier if we worked together, don't you think?"
"That's a good suggestion" he said, placing his hand over hers. He felt a slight excitement stirring within him, the sort that a small boy feels when he gets a peek down an older woman's shirt. He looked at her lovely face, reading all the promise that it held. He released her hand and tugged at his collar a little. It felt hot all of a sudden.
"I was thinking that later today we might take a drive down to Solderno's old factory" she said, turning to go back indoors. "There may be something there that could give us some clue to who Damian is."
"Not a bad idea" Roger said, mainly because he had been considering doing it himself. He followed her inside. "But what makes you so sure Damian would be hanging around there?"
"You heard what Dorothy said: that Beck told her he would say hello to Solderno's ghost." She threw a smirk over her shoulder at Roger. "I have a feeling that Damian IS Solderno's ghost."
So engrossed in their conversation, neither of them noticed Dorothy watching from the doorway, her face stony and unreadable.
"You're sure you can't remember?" Dastun frowned and crossed his arms. The old man seated before him looked up at him and sighed.
"I'm sorry Colonel, but my memory is going faulty, even without whatever happened 40 years ago. And I birthed many baby's in my career, I couldn't possibly be expected to remember them all." Dastun looked down at the floor and tried to think of what do next.
"What about records, birth certificates? There are bound to be some sort of records, right?" The old doctor considered this a moment.
"Well, I suppose so. If a child was not born before 40 years ago, yes, there should be certificates. But the hospital would not let you look through their files without a warrant."
"No problem" Dastun growled. He stood up straight and saluted the old man. "Thank you for your assistance doctor, you've been most helpful." The old man smiled and nodded, and Dastun left the house. "Now just one problem...how many people are there in this city named Damian?" he moaned to himself when he sat down in the backseat of the patrol car. He instructed the driver to head back toward headquarters.
"Well, we did exactly what you told us" Beck said, running his comb through his swirly hair, "When do we get our payment?"
"Not yet."
"What?' Beck sneered and pocketed his comb. He narrowed his eyes at their mysterious client. He did not even turn his head to meet Beck's gaze. He simply sat there in front of the piano, staring down at the keys, unmoving.
"The task is not yet complete."
"What do you mean?"
"When Dorothy has come here to me, then you shall have your reward. Not till then."
"Now listen you..." Beck took a step forward and raised one fist, but was silenced when their client stood up, seeming to leave Beck dwarfed in his shadow. He stepped forward and locked his cold eyes onto Beck.
"Perhaps you feel you are being treated unfairly?" Beck strained for an answer before swallowing the venomous words that had been on the tip of his tongue.
"No...not at all..."
"Very well then. Now go, I must prepare for the final play."
"Why didn't you stand up to him?" Alexis asked when they stepped out into the street. Beck looked back up at the Wayneright Mansion and frowned.
"You've seen what he can do. He would have squashed us like bugs." He jammed his hands into his pockets and started walking, Alexis walking alongside him. "Besides" he added with a smirk, "Anyone who can do stuff like that can break Roger Smith in half. And with Paradigm's Top Negotiator gone, this whole city will be out oyster.
"I thought you hated seafood."
Beck turned to explain his meaning to Alexis, then groaned and turned away.
"Never mind, just never mind."
"Looks like someone beat us here." Roger said, dripping with frustration. He stood inside Solderno's office within the ruined bowels of the old factory. The place had been ransacked; papers were tossed about, the desk draws all torn from their places. Angel hobbled about the room, occasionally bending down to examine some of the few scraps that had been left.
"There's got to be something" she muttered, "There just has to be."
"It doesn't look like it, Angel. Someone wanted whatever Solderno left behind." Roger walked around, taking in all the details, his mind conjuring images from the past. It was here where he held the dying Miguel Solderno in his arms, where the old man had called Dorothy his nightingale, and where he had first become acquainted with the troublesome android who had now become a fixture in his life. Try as he might, he could not imagine himself without R. Dorothy Wayneright now, nor did he desire to. He knew that Dorothy did not like Angel, but that was just too bad for now. Angel was a guest, and Dorothy should treat her with all the due respect of one.
"I think I found something" Angel broke in, interrupting Roger's thoughts. He walked over and knelt down next to her. She held the small scrap of paper up for him to see. Roger removed his sunglasses and looked at it, reading the single line that was written across it.
"Damian is almost ready..."
"Damian, Damian, Damian..." Roger kept repeating the name to himself, his whispers inaudible above the wind that whipped around his face. He looked up at the limitless sky and pondered possibilities that were just as limitless. He had not slept well the past two days, the name that had been plaguing him these past weeks not letting him rest. He had to know who this Damian was.
"Roger?" a familiar voice said from below. Roger sat up and gazed down from his perch on top of one of the sculptures that decorated the balcony of his home. He smiled when he saw Angel was the one calling his name. She was walking, though with the aid of a cane. He hopped down and walked to her.
"Well, glad to see you're up and about." He said. Angel threw him a small smile and moved closer.
"I just want to thank you for letting me stay here in your home these past few days" she said as she came up in front of him. She gazed up into his eyes, and he found himself unable to look away. "I hope I haven't been a burden..."
"No, no burden at all" Roger said with a charming smile. He felt a small tightness in his throat when Angel moved a little closer and placed one of her hands on his chest, drawing small circles on his shirt.
"I've been thinking Roger...we could solve this mystery so much easier if we worked together, don't you think?"
"That's a good suggestion" he said, placing his hand over hers. He felt a slight excitement stirring within him, the sort that a small boy feels when he gets a peek down an older woman's shirt. He looked at her lovely face, reading all the promise that it held. He released her hand and tugged at his collar a little. It felt hot all of a sudden.
"I was thinking that later today we might take a drive down to Solderno's old factory" she said, turning to go back indoors. "There may be something there that could give us some clue to who Damian is."
"Not a bad idea" Roger said, mainly because he had been considering doing it himself. He followed her inside. "But what makes you so sure Damian would be hanging around there?"
"You heard what Dorothy said: that Beck told her he would say hello to Solderno's ghost." She threw a smirk over her shoulder at Roger. "I have a feeling that Damian IS Solderno's ghost."
So engrossed in their conversation, neither of them noticed Dorothy watching from the doorway, her face stony and unreadable.
"You're sure you can't remember?" Dastun frowned and crossed his arms. The old man seated before him looked up at him and sighed.
"I'm sorry Colonel, but my memory is going faulty, even without whatever happened 40 years ago. And I birthed many baby's in my career, I couldn't possibly be expected to remember them all." Dastun looked down at the floor and tried to think of what do next.
"What about records, birth certificates? There are bound to be some sort of records, right?" The old doctor considered this a moment.
"Well, I suppose so. If a child was not born before 40 years ago, yes, there should be certificates. But the hospital would not let you look through their files without a warrant."
"No problem" Dastun growled. He stood up straight and saluted the old man. "Thank you for your assistance doctor, you've been most helpful." The old man smiled and nodded, and Dastun left the house. "Now just one problem...how many people are there in this city named Damian?" he moaned to himself when he sat down in the backseat of the patrol car. He instructed the driver to head back toward headquarters.
"Well, we did exactly what you told us" Beck said, running his comb through his swirly hair, "When do we get our payment?"
"Not yet."
"What?' Beck sneered and pocketed his comb. He narrowed his eyes at their mysterious client. He did not even turn his head to meet Beck's gaze. He simply sat there in front of the piano, staring down at the keys, unmoving.
"The task is not yet complete."
"What do you mean?"
"When Dorothy has come here to me, then you shall have your reward. Not till then."
"Now listen you..." Beck took a step forward and raised one fist, but was silenced when their client stood up, seeming to leave Beck dwarfed in his shadow. He stepped forward and locked his cold eyes onto Beck.
"Perhaps you feel you are being treated unfairly?" Beck strained for an answer before swallowing the venomous words that had been on the tip of his tongue.
"No...not at all..."
"Very well then. Now go, I must prepare for the final play."
"Why didn't you stand up to him?" Alexis asked when they stepped out into the street. Beck looked back up at the Wayneright Mansion and frowned.
"You've seen what he can do. He would have squashed us like bugs." He jammed his hands into his pockets and started walking, Alexis walking alongside him. "Besides" he added with a smirk, "Anyone who can do stuff like that can break Roger Smith in half. And with Paradigm's Top Negotiator gone, this whole city will be out oyster.
"I thought you hated seafood."
Beck turned to explain his meaning to Alexis, then groaned and turned away.
"Never mind, just never mind."
"Looks like someone beat us here." Roger said, dripping with frustration. He stood inside Solderno's office within the ruined bowels of the old factory. The place had been ransacked; papers were tossed about, the desk draws all torn from their places. Angel hobbled about the room, occasionally bending down to examine some of the few scraps that had been left.
"There's got to be something" she muttered, "There just has to be."
"It doesn't look like it, Angel. Someone wanted whatever Solderno left behind." Roger walked around, taking in all the details, his mind conjuring images from the past. It was here where he held the dying Miguel Solderno in his arms, where the old man had called Dorothy his nightingale, and where he had first become acquainted with the troublesome android who had now become a fixture in his life. Try as he might, he could not imagine himself without R. Dorothy Wayneright now, nor did he desire to. He knew that Dorothy did not like Angel, but that was just too bad for now. Angel was a guest, and Dorothy should treat her with all the due respect of one.
"I think I found something" Angel broke in, interrupting Roger's thoughts. He walked over and knelt down next to her. She held the small scrap of paper up for him to see. Roger removed his sunglasses and looked at it, reading the single line that was written across it.
"Damian is almost ready..."