ACT FOUR: BRAVE NEW WORLD
Dorothy's Residence
"Okay." When Dorothy first woke up, she had a bit of a shock to her system. She had thought that Mister Treize had just died, she was holding her helmet, and Trowa Barton was carrying Quatre away. The dolt that she just stabbed even wanted Trowa to look after her longer.
But, no. That apparently happened years ago, and she had a husband and children now. At first, she went along with it all. After all, she didn't grow to that size in the chest overnight. She tried to pretend she trusted her doctor and her husband taking care of her, until he went to sleep.
Then she looked around his stuff that he had moved into her house. Goodness knows I can tell he is nothing near to me. He only pretended to smile, she could tell he was an absolute brute with no heart.
The children, unfortunately, were a different deal. Dorothy had twins, Zara and Amira. Both were good toddlers, but there was something secret about Zara. She could feel it. Zara was a feminine name, and he was a boy. A real sign something was wrong.
The more Dorothy dug, the more truths she found, the more paranoid and, admittedly, scared. She kept looking toward the door to make sure her 'husband' was asleep. The first thing she found was the pilots location.
It was nowhere she could ever get to. She had to put that one behind her right now. Where is Miss Relena? Where did these children come from? There wasn't much. There was a badge, a secondary badge that labeled him as an RTL professional, and that was about it. He didn't bring an arsenal of secrets with him.
That's when she did notice one folder that didn't match the rest. She looked into it, and she knew exactly what happened. Whatever group this man was a part of, was something new. It had gained access to the zero system that she had used to run mobile dolls, and . . . "Monsters." Detailed facts about how to cause so many things. From good things to treating PTSD in efficient ways to encountering and managing disabling phobias that used to consume people lives, to . . . giving people hell.
Lost memories. Replaced memories? Scanning memories. "Just like the data of Heero and Trowa in the mobile dolls." From moves to emotions. They could replace memories to someone different than the recipient, and cause mental instability. They could take years away. They could take many years away, cause so many problems that no one would be able to prove!
Brain injury. Trauma. Everything they were using it for, couldn't be just done by mankind, it was by accidents. No one could just control any of this! They turned the zero system into a different kind of weapon. And? She heard shoes coming her way. Unfortunately, that office was at the ending, and he already knew if he was going that way. I'm dead either way. She kept digging. Miss Relena, where are you?
"I see you are getting into things you shouldn't be, Darling."
Dorothy kept looking. It was too late anyway. "Brigdo Rain, what have you been doing? What is Fallen Embers? Why do I have children?"
"You really should stop, Dorothy," he warned her. "I'm not very forgiving."
She knew that. "Where is Miss Relena? Where is Miss Relena?" She did have one ace in her hole, though she doubted it would do her much good. She had brought a fencing sword over from her fencing area. "Where is Miss Relena!" She took her position against him and tried to attack.
But, he was quicker.
She dropped. "Cheater." She looked at her leg that had a bullet in it as she saw the gun directly in her face. "Where is Miss Relena?"
"Stay out of my work, or you'll regret it," he warned her. "If you ask me, it's worse than death. Why don't you choose for yourself?" He smiled at her. "What would you like? Another five years removed? That would put you around thinking you were ten years old. That could be fun, couldn't it? Or maybe you'd like to be dizzy for the rest of your life. Simple, yet understated misery. Perhaps we could just destroy the part of the brain that even lets you live like a normal person? Very popular. Or, I could just turn you into thinking you are Sally Po? The last person we just gave a very stern warning to. Hopefully she takes it."
"Monster," she called him out.
"I'm the monster? You tried to destroy Earth once," he said back.
"Monster!" She said stronger. He went to pick her up. Bad mistake. She had a pencil within reach, and stabbed him hard with it. Now he could feel some pain too! He called her a bitch. Nothing new, she'd heard that several times in her life. Just like the pain. Physical. Emotional.
"You don't care about your own mind, do you? What about those little twins?"
Of course. He's going to harm innocent children to get his way. Dorothy could take a stab at things, but using children. Apparently even her children. I must have cared for them dearly. They care for me. I can feel it straight from them. I can't risk their health yet. "They'll find a way out. I can't help the pilots, but they will find a way out."
"They won't risk the colonies, and it would take so long. They have no care about their own lives, only others. They are probably already dead. Dorothy."
True, they would commit suicide if they had to, but they were underestimating the risks they would take too. Keep underestimating them. You won't win forever. She had to deal with being picked up, knowing she wouldn't be treated nicely.
"This was a warning. You do anything again, and I will make you into a real piece of work. Revenge of the Lost used to call them twelve piece puzzlers. So if you break free, you better make sure none of us get our hands on you. I mean none of my group, not just me," he warned her. "Can you say that for sure? Can you say that for those little ones in the next room? It's more than just one angry man on your property to dive."
He was right, of course. She had no idea who her foes actually were. "Can I just apologize?"
"After I stab you back."
"I was already shot, seems fair now."
He just laughed at her and touched her chin. "Aw, I miss this kind of thinking and talk! People these days, the war was only a little while ago, yet they wouldn't dream of saying those words. The worlds gone soft." He actually picked her up this time without injury. "Really, stabbing me with a writing utensil? I knew I picked the right one to guard. Well, I really wanted Hilde, but she wasn't an option."
"Oh, am I supposed to feel sorry for you?" Ugh! This man. Is. Evil. She gritted her teeth. Anywhere else in the world than here. Anywhere else. Anywhere else. Oh, pilots. Figure it out.
"I'll tell you what? If you leave my property, with or without those twins? Well, I will do something to your brain, to make sure you don't even know you have kids. But. If I just catch you sneaking out information, then we'll just have this old-fashioned kind of war. Just like this, no brain schemes invited. I like that."
Yeah, you would. "Where is Miss Relena?"
"I will tell you, if I get to stab you," he insisted. "With the same pencil. You have to stay still, know it's coming, and then sit there and bleed before I have a doctor come patch you up."
"A doctor already has to come for the leg." Oh. "You weren't going to call the doctor for the leg." She didn't have a choice, she needed to be seen anyway. "I want the person's name and where she is."
"You can't do much with it," he said as he took her back out. He was quiet as they walked all the way back out toward the front. He sat her down on the couch. Took her hand.
Dorothy couldn't help a scream, it was worse when she knew it was coming! "You liar." He didn't jam the same pencil in, he jammed in a knife. Into the end table. Plus, it went into the end table. Trowa was wrong. I can cry now.
"She is with Andrew Shuttle, in the private hospital in the town Relena once lived in. He will work on her mind to make her believe his lies, then he will take her to Che2k1," Brigdo answered. "I guess I better call that doctor now. We can play this game again later if you want more locations? Maybe something a little different though. This could get boring."
Dorothy waited. It isn't over. If you think it's over, you are underestimating everyone. If you want to play games to give me answers you don't think I will use one day when they do emerge? Then keep it up. I will endure for Miss Relena. I will endure! But damn it's painful!