Chapter 5: The Key’s Questions

The daylight disappeared and night finally settled. Dastun had arrived and took Dorothy's statement of events from earlier in the day. With Angel's detail nowhere in sight, Dastun remained, furious that Angel told Beck about her situation, and took a ride with him to the clinic (though Dorothy suspected that was rooted more in jealousy than for the security reasons he mentioned). He also remained as he wanted to know about Roger's status, which was still unknown.

Dorothy fell into an uneasy sleep, exhaustion finally taking her for a few hours. Angel took her coat off, using it as a blanket for her. Angel reading a magazine on the table that was over six months old, reaching the end, and rereading it once more. Dastun, holding his cap in hand, sitting hunched over in his seat, twirling it while he played through the day's events. They didn't speak for a long time. Every so often, they would look at the exam room for any movement, then go back to their busy habit.

After a long time, Dastun sighed, tired of the silence.

"I've never seen her so scared. Then again… well… things have changed, so I guess it's natural," said Dastun to Angel, quietly.

"I'm sorry about shaking my detail, but yeah… you're right. The terror in her voice…"

Angel was cut off by the sound of the door unlocking and Norman and Dr. Plebanski walking out of the door, talking to each other. They were exhausted, but relieved. Dorothy startled awake.

"He'll make it. He came close, stupid man, but he'll make it. Damn anesthesia was a miracle. Kept waking up, muttering Dorothy's name, and that kept messing with his vitals. I double checked everything. A miracle. No organs hit, just knicked the abdominal aorta. He'll be down for a bit, depending on his recovery and if he follows my… oh!"

Dorothy ran to Dr. Plebanski, hugging her tightly, sobs escaping her in intervals. Beck had stepped back inside from smoking, after hearing the commotion.

"Crow Boy is gonna live?" he asked.

Dr. Plebanski smiled, returning Dorothy's hug. "If you mean by Crow Boy, Roger, yes, he'll live. I'm going to keep him knocked out for the time being, at least until he gets through the night. He needs rest. I'll feel more confident about his condition once he gets through the night. I can move him home tomorrow. I'll come by every so often and monitor him. He'll hate the metal staples in his side for a bit. But, his vitals are much better, especially after your delivery, Mr. Beck. And I thank you for it. "

Beck nodded at her.

Dr. Plebanski turned to look down at Dorothy and smiled. "You mean a lot to that man, I want you to know that. The pain had to be unbearable when he woke up, calling for you multiple times, before I got the anesthesia in him, but he needed to know you were okay. If it weren't for the anesthesia, I probably wouldn't been able to finish operating on him and well…" She shook her head, "Let's not go there. I take it you want to see him?"

"Umm…" she looked at Norman.

"Miss Dorothy, now I don't want you to be alarmed. He's fine, but it will be a sight. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Dorothy paused, then nodded. Norman opened the door and escorted her in.

Roger was on the table, knocked out. Machines were sounding off at a steady pace, compared to the erratic noises from before. Dorothy steadied her breath, walking over to his side. Seeing him like this… she brushed the tears out of her eyes. Carlye was checking over his vitals.

"He'll be alright," she said, looking over at Dorothy, smiling, "Dr. Plebanski and I will be staying, keeping an eye on him tonight.

Dorothy took his hand, holding it. It felt cold to the touch. However, he had some color to his face. She saw blood packet dangling on an ivy hook, nearly empty. She looked at his face, covered with an oxygen mask. Carlye saw her look of concern.

"He lost a lot of blood, dear, and went into shock. His blood cell count is up now though. The oxygen is just to help him with reproduction of blood cells. That'll be the last blood packet he'll need tonight."

"I wanna stay with him, if that's okay."

Norman looked at Carlye.

"Would that be wise?" he asked.

"That's up to Mary."

Shouts of yelling came from the hall. Dr. Plebanski came back in, very annoyed.

"I have a patient who needs quiet, and I have the Chief and that Beck guy, arguing. I can never get a break." She shook her head.

"I'll take care of it," said Norman, and he went out of the room to break up the fight.

"Dr. Plebanski, may I stay tonight?" asked Dorothy, still not taking her eyes off of Roger.

Dr. Plebanski sighed. "Normally, I wouldn't allow it. But, after everything today, yes, that's fine. I think I got a spare cot somewhere. It's nothing fancy though."

They heard Norman yelling at Dastun and Beck to take their argument outside. Dr. Plebanski chuckled.

"Well, I guess that solves that issue. I'll go get the cot and some blankets and pillows. You want anything dear?"

"I'll be fine." Dorothy kept rubbing Roger's hand, moved up to his forehead and kissed him gently. All she wanted now was sleep and the night to pass. She wanted to go home, with Roger.

********************************

Everyone went their separate ways that night. Dastun and Beck had gotten into argument over Beck's past, which ended when Norman took the fight outside and Angel told Dastun to take her back to the presidential suite. Norman made sure Dorothy was comfortable before leaving for the night to go back to the mansion to take care of the nightly chores, which were not much, considering he hadn't made dinner.

Dr. Plebanski ordered a pizza and coaxed Dorothy out of the exam room to sit and eat with her and Carlye.

"You need to eat something. At least a slice. I know it's been a rough day, but some food will help."

Dorothy nodded, accepting a plate from Carlye with a slice of pepperoni pizza on it. She sat quietly, eating, not saying a word for a while. Then a thought occurred to her.

"Dr. Plebanski, how do you know how to perform emergency surgery?" asked Dorothy.

Dr. Plebanski finished chewing before answering. "I studied to be a trauma surgeon and medical doctor. I literally punished myself, but, I had my reasons, then those reasons changed after….well, maybe I'll save that for another time. Anyway, it paid off in the long run, seeing as outside the domes, there's very little access to trauma care and PCP care. And well… since I'm out here, no one in the domes would care about little old me. I've only done trauma care five times, twice on Roger, including tonight. The other three were related to factory accidents. I'm glad I studied what I did. Now, it's damn near impossible to get into any field without pledging some sort of allegiance to the health board. I still don't regret telling them to fuck off. They have messed up priorities…"

Dr. Plebanski took another bite of food, chewing quickly, as the day's events began to catch up with her.

"I'm sorry about my cussing. When I get stressed, I revert back to it. I try not to do it in front of the kids, but since they're not here… I need to relieve some stress."

Dorothy nodded, lost in thought. Dr. Plebanski and Carlye exchanged looks with one another. They had never seen Dorothy this quiet, but at the same time, they understood all the same.

"Dorothy dear, he'll be alright," said Carlye.

"I know…" Dorothy's eyes began to well up with tears, "How can I protect him when I can't protect myself? This is… I don't understand any of this. I just…"

Dorothy looked at her hands before balling them into fists and slamming them on the table. Dr. Plebanski raised an eyebrow.

"You're not used to feeling vulnerable, are you?"

Dorothy looked at her. "I guess not…"

"Dorothy, it's perfectly normal to feel frustrated after an event like this. But what's even more important is how take care of yourself afterwards. Second guessing yourself won't help anyone, especially you. And neither will punishing yourself. You suffered a setback, so what? But it's over now. You can only keep moving forward. That's the silver lining in all of this."

Dorothy stared at her hands once more. The hands of a human and not an android. She was a key, and they were after her once more. Roger's words crept into her mind. "You need to take control of your own destiny!" No, she was not weak then and she was certainly not weak now. She wiped her mouth and excused herself for the night, thanking them for the food, before shutting the office door.

"Mary, don't you think that was a bit harsh?" asked Carlye.

"No, it wasn't. Not for her anyway. If I know her, like I think I do, she just put her mind to something."

Dorothy walked back to the exam room with more determination than ever before. If they wanted her or Roger, next time, she was going to give them the fight of their life. She had cried enough today.

*********************************

Angel was back in the bunker of the presidential suite. She was tired, but she didn't care. She couldn't sleep anyway. Her mind was racing with too many questions. She had not tried to contact Big Venus since the last encounter, in part because she had been busy with reviewing budgets, the expansion project, and community projects. She also felt afraid of the dark presence that interrupted her connection. It felt more… sinister than the last time, and chilled her to her core. But there was no time for fear now. She had to find answers. She sat, meditating, but questions kept racing through her mind.

How did they know about the rebirth? Why is having two negotiators too many? What does it have to do with Dorothy? Why are they targeting her? And why was she, or the girl she was modeled after, the reason the first reset failed? I need to get answers.

It was hard to focus. All the effort she had put in to save them had almost been in vain. She slammed her fist on the floor, trying to clear her mind.

"Damnnit… I need answers. It's not like I don't care about him anymore… it's just… they're my friends! I feel responsible!"

"You're not responsible for what happened. If anything, just by being there, that probably meant a lot to Dorothy, more than you'll ever know, even if she didn't show it. I'm sure Roger will appreciate it as well."

Dastun had told her that on the ride home. She finally was able to let her emotions go and open up to him.

"It's funny now… somehow my feelings… maybe they were just infatuation. But the feelings I had for him… they're no longer there. He's just a friend now. I don't know how to explain it, but that's how I feel."

"Then if that's how you feel, you don't need to explain it to anyone. They can accept what you tell them or not."

Angel had looked away for moment. "Well, I know why my feelings are the way they are now. You've helped me… a lot. And I thank you for that."

She slipped her hand through Dastun's, Dastun turning pink and clearing his throat, but squeezed her hand in return.

"You're welcome," he had told her, giving her a small smile.

She cleared the conversation from her head.

"Damnnit! Enough distractions. BIG VENUS, I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!"

Angel wasn't sure what happened. The conversation hadn't left her mind completely, but the moment she called out to Big Venus, she felt a familiar warm sensation along the scars of her back, and the next moment, she found herself standing on the grid once more, Big Venus standing in front of her. However, she stood her ground confidently. She was not leaving this place until she got her answers.

You are me and I am you. You are angry.

The voice still sounded the same. Otherworldly, distant, and detached.

"I am! I need answers and you will answer me not in riddles, but so I can understand!"

Angel took a step forward and as she did so, the floor around her flashed. A wave of light shot forward to Big Venus. The shadows given off by their presence in this world were now connected. Angel started with her first question, one that hadn't been answered satisfactorily during their last encounter.

"I am not and have never been a machine. I've always been human. So why did Gordon call me a memory?"

Our memory wished to be alive and so was granted. Human yes, Memory yes. The essence of one.

"So, if we are one, what is our power's purpose? Why does it exist?

Rebirth, reset, the power of time, gifted from the heavens, chained by earthly desires. Only the key can set it free.

"How do I do that?"

Through sacrifice for something greater than yourself.

Angel didn't know how to respond to that. She made a mental note to come back to that later.

"Why was the girl Dorothy was modeled after responsible for the failure of the first rebirth, the first reset? What did our enemy do?"

Harnessed the power of creation, the universe, unleashed it to create a world in their image. The girl you speak of stood her ground and said no, strength from herself and the one she loved.

"What was her power? Is it greater than mine?"

Only the purest of all and in its most basic form. Those who sought to create the world in their image, tried to make her a tool for their will.

Angel breathed hard. She sensed the darkness closing in as it had before, but Angel, her anger now boiling from the day's events, burst from her and she directed it with a determined purpose.

"NO, I'M NOT DONE YET! STAY BACK!"

A light emitted from Angel, casting away the darkness. Angel's hair flew wildly around her, her emotions, now being transposed into her power. She held the darkness back by putting her hand in the air behind her.

"I still have more questions, Big Venus! Why is having more than one negotiator a threat to those who wanted to create the world in their own image?"

They are the balance, the language of your world and mine. To have more than one, provides greater understanding between those like me and those like you.

"They can negotiate with the megadeuses? But how?"

By the power they possess, greater than your own.

Angel could sense the darkness fighting back. She knew she only had moments left and asked her two remaining questions.

"Is that why they're targeting her? Because of her abilities as a negotiator? Or was it because of her ability to communicate with the megadeuses while she was an android?"

She is the key to those like me and those like you, destined to unite and bring them together.

The darkness surrounded Angel suddenly, catching her off guard. She held up her hand to shield herself, but Big Venus emitted a bright light, chasing the darkness away. Angel thought of a last-minute question.

"Did you respond to me calling out for you earlier?"

The door is unlocked. The key decides to open whenever needed.

Angel found herself on the bunker floor, breathing hard, curled in a fetal position. She raised herself up, but felt extremely weak, and collapsed on the floor. Apparently, this session took more from her than the last. It would be a while before she could speak to Big Venus again.

Angel struggled to get up. She found the bunker was on the emergency generator lights again. But she didn't care this time. It took all of her effort to exit the bunker, close it up, and reach her desk, grabbing the communicator, selecting Dastun to speak to.

"Yeah… hello?" It sounded like he had been sleeping. Angel breathed hard, trying to understand everything, but was too tired to comprehend anymore.

"Dan," she managed to say.

"What's going on? Are you alright?" he sounded more alert now, with a hint of panic in his voice.

"Dan… please get my second detail. I'm not feeling so good, but I don't want to stay here. Could I please stay with you tonight?"

The way Angel sounded, tired, weak, and desperate, scared Dastun, and he was not a man easily scared.

"Give me fifteen minutes. I'll have them ready to go. Drop off point will be West Dome #5, near that Italian restaurant that's open late. I know the guy, he's decent. I'll get some food and we'll go back to my place."

"Thank you."

Angel shut her communicator off, summoning what little strength she had regained into getting dressed and packing some belongings.