I know I haven't updated this in a while, but I've only got one review for this fic, and that's not always encoraging.
Anyway, I'm nearly done so Here's chapter five.
CHAPTER 5
LEVIATHAN
Ah, Paradigm HQ, the place where the big egos meet.
Right now I sat in a meeting with three of the most stubborn executives this city has ever seen.
And right now, they were asking me to do the impossible.
"I'd have to say you have the wrong guy," I muttered, annoyed, "I'm not exactly a bounty hunter."
"Yes, of course, we know this," said a blond woman with the strangest eyes I've ever seen, "but your services, Mr. Smith, have been personally retained by our company's president, Mr. Rosewater."
I sighed. Of course, a loophole.
"We all know the newspaper reporter, Michael Seebach, no longer exists in this city." I said quietly.
"Michael Seebach is dead," said another executive, a man with dark hair and tinted glasses, "but the agitator who calls himself Schwarzwald has returned."
I looked down at the leaflet in front of me, "It seems he has," I said with a sigh, "But don't forget, there's freedom of speech. He has the right, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, but he doesn't have the right to recklessly mislead the public and go stir up fear." a white haired man explained
I threw my hands up in exasperation, "So? What would you like me to do about it?"
I glanced at Dastun, who looked thoughtfully at the table.
"It is our understanding that the contract previously agreed upon between yourself and Mr. Rosewater remains unfulfilled." the man continued, "It is YOUR responsibility to finish the job, Roger Smith!"
My jaw dropped, before I stood up angrily.
"Did you see my report? He burned the check!"
"Of course we have! But don't you want to know everything that he knows?"
I gritted my teeth in disgust.
I hated loopholes.
I stood silently in the corner as Dorothy played a haunting melody, with the Android, R. Instro looking over her shoulder.
"Very good Dorothy," Instro perked up as the song came to an end, "you've managed to develop a slight variation in your tempo. In music that is essential."
"Thank you for that Instro,"
Instro suddenly glanced at the clock.
"let's call it a day. I'm afraid I must be going," he sighed.
"What about your job here?" I asked as Dorothy stood up and closed the lid of the piano.
"There haven't been that many customers these past few days," Instro sighed.
"So your playing somewhere else?" Dorothy asked.
"Yes, but not a piano," I thought I heard a bit of anticipation in his voice, "An organ."
"Do you require a lift?" I asked.
"Oh, no thank you Mr. Wayneright," The android said brightly, "it's just a quick walk around the block. Your welcome to join me."
"More and more, people have been going to church lately. They all believe that by singing there, they will be saved from some fate. I don't understand their reasons, but if my playing can help them, if only a little…"
I watched Instro play his organ at the back of the church, Dorothy my side. He certainty was a talented player. However, as I glanced at my watch, it was getting late.
"We should go," I murmured to Dorothy.
She simply nodded and turned smartly, before leaving through the large door, with me in her wake.
As we walked outside, a snowfall of leaflets flurried around us.
"I believe someone is trying to make a point," I commented as we headed back to the car.
"Schwarzwald," was all she said in reply.
I was about to ask why she had said that word, when a blaring siren caught my attention.
As we passed the Police Headquarters, around a dozen squad cars and military trucks cascade out of the garage.
While I was watching I suddenly realised Dorothy had stopped.
Turning back, I came up close to her. She was standing still, like a statue.
Then suddenly, out of nowhere, she started to babble in machine code.
Without warning, my hand suddenly went up to her mouth covering it, so she couldn't speak any more.
As if to strengthen it, she cupped both her hands over mine.
I looked at her, noticing the evident fear in her eyes, and the whimpers escaping her mouth.
We looked at each other for a moment, before staring down the alleyway nearby.
All that was there was one of those pamphlet things that had been floating around the church, caught in the wiring of the fence at the end of the alley.
Making sure Dorothy was okay, I gently detached my hand from her mouth, and went to pick up the paper.
On one side there was an image. It looked like a man at the top pointing to Paradigm City, which was being destroyed by dragons.
On the back was what appeared to be a letter, which I read aloud.
"Even without the events of 40 years ago, I think Man would still be a creature that fears the dark. He doesn't face that fear, he adverts his eyes from it, and acts as if he never had any memories of his history.
But 40 years can be both a brief time and yet a long time. Man's fear has withered and even Time tries to wither the drive to know the truth.
Is it a crime to try and learn the truth? Is it a sin to search for those things which you fear? My purpose in this world is knowledge and the dissemination of it and it is I who am to restore the fruits of my labours to the entire world!
Fear. It is something vital to us puny creatures. The instant Man stops fearing is the instant the species will reach a dead end, only to sink to pitiable lows, only to sit and wait apathetically for extinction! WAKE UP! Don't be afraid of knowledge!
Humans who lose the capacity to think become creatures whose existence has no value.
Think, you humans who are split into 2 worlds, unless you want the gulf between humans to expand into oblivion, you must THINK!
Signed, Schwarzwald."
I looked back at Dorothy with wide eyes, just as a wailing cry echoed around the skyscrapers of the city.
Suddenly she bolted.
"Dorothy!"
She was running fast, not that I couldn't run just as fast. The fact was I was running just as fast, so I couldn't close the gap between us.
I watched as she suddenly darted up an emergency walkway of a nearby walkway, with myself in hot pursuit.
"Dorothy!" I called out again. It looked like she couldn't hear me. She just stood on the building looking out onto the outskirts of the city.
"Dorothy, What's the matter?"
"I don't know. Are we the same? You've lost your conscience."
"Who are you talking to?" I asked as I joined her on the railing.
It was then that I saw it. A dragon. A huge dragon, towering over the city, and turning everything it touched to dust.
I knew what I had to do. Something I had never done myself, but my creator had.
Looking up to the sky, I brought my watch to my mouth.
"BIG TAO! SHOWTIME!"
"Stop now, you must please. I can't be a part of you." Dorothy seemed to be getting desperate as the Dragon reared it's ugly head at us, appearing to talk to Dorothy, "I...can't. No one can."
The dragon seemed to raise it's arm, as if to smash the very building, but before it could bring it down, it stopped.
It looked up, as did Dorothy and me.
I droning sound could be heard above us.
"Could it be?" whispered Dorothy, "Big…Duo?"
"No, I said confidently, "Big Tao."
Suddenly, out of the clouds, the Megadeus appeared, shooting towards us faster then any jet.
The Dragon seemed to panic, as it suddenly raised it's arm more and pulled it down.
However it never got to us.
Big Tao zoomed overhead, catching the Dragon, and throwing it halfway down the street.
"Big…Tao?" Dorothy asked as my creator's Megadeus looped in the air and landed gently on the ground.
The wings and tailfin closed back into the arms, the engines were hidden behind the pile drivers, and the propeller hands sunk down into Big Tao's wrists, only for a pair of Big O fists to take their places.
While this had happened, I had jumped for the Cockpit, pulling a slightly stunned Dorothy along with me.
Inside the Cockpit was bathed in a pale yellow glow. As I punched in the activation codes, Dorothy looked at me quietly in the fashion of androids.
"You…are the Pilot of Big Tao?" she asked flatly.
"Yes," I replied as I crossed my arms, allowing the control sticks to come down and roll into place, "I was programmed how to use him when Daniel Smith downloaded his memory onto a disk."
"You have…memories?"
"Partial ones," I looked over at her blankly, "Like yours."
Turning back to the screen in front of me, I watched as a pair of sentences made their way across it;
CAST IN THE NAME OF GOD. YE NOT GUILTY.
I realised there was one more thing I had to say before battle.
"BIG TAO! ACTION!"
(&)
Colonel Dan Dustun ran a hand over his bald head, trying to figure out what had just happen.
"Whatever possessed Roger to paint it green?" He asked aloud to no one in particular.
The dragon finally managed to get back on it's stubby legs, before advancing towards the green Megadeus.
"What's wrong, Roger?" Dustun started waving his hands as if trying to get his attention. "Move, dammit, move!"
But the Megadeus continued to stand stock still, not moving as the mighty giant reared it's glowing hand and thrust it towards Big O (Or what he thought was Big O)
At the last moment, The Megadeus suddenly cocked it's arm back, and punched it clear in the midsection, sending debris in every direction as the dragon shot down the street once again.
"Yeah! All right!" Dastun punched the air with delight, not realising Rodger was just swinging towards the Megadeus on his cable.
"Whatever processed Norman to paint it green?" I thought aloud as I swung over to Big O's cockpit.
As the black doors opened, nothing prepared me for what was inside.
For starters, the room was bathed in a lime yellow light, making it easy to see the two people before me.
The first was Dorothy, Standing next to the pilot seat and gazing out at me blankly. What was even more surprising was the man sitting in my usual seat.
Or rather a android.
It was that android, he was sitting in my chair, Piloting Big O like he owned it.
"If you would not mind, Roger Smith," he said blankly, "Would you kindly get out of the way? I have to stop this rampaging ghost."
"What? What the hell are you on about? This is my Megadeus! Who do think you are anyway?"
"My name, is R. Daniel Wayneright," The android intoned, "I am the Domineus of this Megadeus, Big Tao. Now please move to one side."
I opened my mouth to object, then thought better of it, before sighing and standing to one side.
"Dorothy is right," I heard Daniel comment, "You really are, such a louse, Roger Smith."
I scowled at this, before muttering under my breath.
"Great. Now I have two of them."
With Roger put to one side, I now had a view of the Dragon as it loomed over us. The first thing I had to do was get rid of those arms.
"Big Tao. Fau Mode."
Outside, Big Tao stretched out it's arms, lengthening the space between the hands and the built in shields, revealing the spinning grinders.
As the Dragon tried to lunge at us again. I managed to catch the arm and neatly slice it off. Allowing it to fall to the ground.
"Tell me Dorothy, did that thing call for you?" I heard Roger ask, "Or...did you happen to call it?"
Dorothy remained unfazed, "That dragon is a ghost, from long ago."
"We'll just send it back to the grave, then." I said calmly as I activated the forward grapple hooks, ensnaring the dragon around it's middle, catching the remaining arm in their chains.
"Big Tao. Duo Mode."
The grinders stopped spinning, before lowering back into the arm, followed by the fists, only to be replaced by hands similar to Big Duo.
As it did this, the Pile driver's cream casings suddenly separated and retracted, revealing a pair of jet engines.
All the while a pair of wings and tailfins slowly opened, allowing my great Megadeus to fly.
"Take off!" I called out as the cockpit shuddered and rocked as Big Tao suddenly shot up into the air, bringing the Dragon with us.
Further and further we went, high above the city, before flying back out into the desert.
I looked at the screen in front of me, watching as the dragon tried to squirm out of the chains.
"It appears you want to be free," I called as I flicked a couple of switches, releasing the Megadeus and letting it fall to the ground far below.
Not that I was about to let it get that far.
As the great dragon fell, I set Big Tao to hover.
"A fond farewell, my prophesied leviathan." I said quietly, before opening the missile ports, "I do not believe even Schwarzwald could have foreseen this ending."
I pressed the switch, sending five dozen purple balls of energy towards the Dragon.
The Plasma missiles exploded all over the dragon's body, sending shockwaves in every direction as the heated lump of slag that had been the Megadeus fell back down to Earth, and swallowed by the sands.
"I've…never seen such destructive power," Roger gasped.
"The Big Tao was a prototype," I said simply, "It is equipped with weapons designed never to require replenishment, and was for this reason that Dr. Wayneright never showed it to the Americans."
"The who?"
"It does not matter," Dorothy cut in, "What matters now is what is to be done with Daniel?"
"Let's…head home first. I have a lot of things to think about right now."
I nodded and set a course back for Paradigm.
This hadn't been a bad experience,
For my first day as a Domineus of a Megadeus.