Chapter 2

A FEW DAYS PRIOR…

"Shall I make refreshments and hors d'oeuvres?" Norman asked, following Roger as he got off the lift.

"It's a bit last minute Norman. Keep it simple and don't overwork yourself. You're a part of this conversation too," replied Roger.

Roger had finished his work out after he got off the phone with Angel. He was aggravated that he had to rush things so he could have time to freshen up himself. He went into his bedroom, with Norman right on his heels.

"You want me to attend the meeting, sir?"

"Yes, she wants everyone who knows me and my role as the dominus of Big O to attend."

Dominus. I still can't get used to calling myself that.

"Interesting. So will I need to call Chief Dastun and Mr. Beck?"

"Dastun, yes. But why Beck?"

"Mr. Beck was the one who explained to Dorothy and myself how to activate Big O's Final Stage, sir. You and me had already known of how to activate the weapon during our tests, but we were never able to figure how to lower the temperature in the gyrosphere in order to avoid you getting hurt. Yet, Mr. Beck seemed to possess some memories, or perhaps knowledge from working on Big Fau, of how regulate the power and found reserve banks in the arms of Big O related to the O Thunder weapon systems. If Dorothy was hardwired to Big O, she could control the power flow to those reserve banks. In addition, Dorothy, even without her core memory, was able super charge the weapon, but yet control and aim the power's output so that it would not affect the occupants in the pilot gyrosphere. It seemed Dorothy was designed with hidden power regulatory circuit abilities for other megadeuses, aside from Dorothy One. Mr. Beck, however, could not find a solution to counteract the length of cooldown time after the energy had been expended from Final Stage, in the short time that we had after you made your decision with Big O."

Roger put his hand on his mouth, thinking. Had it not been for Beck, he probably would have lost the fight with Big Fau and the reset would have probably been much different than the one they were in now. On the other hand, he had been in negotiations with Beck's company and the Paradigm Corp. for over two weeks. If Beck did retain his memories and knew Roger was the pilot of Big O, he made no mention of it to him in person. More concerning, there was also the way Angel sounded on the phone. She sounded rushed on the phone, as if she was watching her surroundings. Perhaps, it would be best for now to keep the circle small, until he knew for certain if Beck was an ally, enemy, or would decide to remain neutral.

"Only call Dastun. For now, we leave Beck of out it."

"Understood sir. And what about Miss Dorothy?"

"I'll let her know after I clean up."

Norman bowed and exited his room. Roger began getting ready for a shower. Everyone was finally going to get their answers, well hopefully. Roger showered quickly. He was anxious. Part of him wanted this done and over with. The other part wanted answers, especially for Dorothy, who had not taken the discovery of being human again well.

He turned the shower off and grabbed his towel. Dorothy had been a recluse since the reset and was barely eating anything. He himself had been taking meal trays to her when he was not busy with his cases, in hopes of seeing her, getting her to talk. He hadn't been successful in his endeavors. He had managed get basic generic conversation from her starting this week. Yes, no, thank you. Nothing else. On the days he was not there, Norman had even less luck. Roger had tried one time to encourage Dorothy to come out and talk to them, on the day she ran home back to the mansion, but the conversation ended badly. He could hear things being thrown in her room and she yelled at Roger to go away multiple times, before she descended into uncontrolled crying. He decided to leave it alone for a while, feeling the time was not right to encourage social interaction. Roger and Norman had decided it would be best to wait and let Dorothy come to her own decision.

He finished drying himself and began getting dressed. He wondered if it was the right decision to encourage Dorothy to come out. He felt like he was tempting her, baiting her, to come out of her room. He wanted to see her, but felt guilty at the same time telling her about this meeting. No, the best decision would be to try to remain understanding, not be too coercive, push gently. Finesse would be the best card to play with Dorothy.

Roger left his bedroom fully dress in his usual business attire and walked down the hall, reaching Dorothy's room. He knocked gently three times.

"Dorothy?" he called softly.

No response. Roger shifted his weight on his feet, waiting. He tried again.

"Dorothy?"

Nothing. He looked at his watch. Angel said she would be here anytime. He knocked again and waited. He heard some movement, then felt Dorothy walking to the door. He closed his eyes and breathed.

"Dorothy?"

"Yes, Roger?"

She responded. Progress. It was the first time she had said his name since the reset. Roger did not waste his chance.

"Dorothy, Angel is coming over. She said she needed to discuss changes that we need to be aware of. She didn't elaborate further as to what those changes are, but she will be here any time. I don't know if she will have answers for your situation, but she said it was highly important that those… those who know me and Big O to attend. It seems we may have a part to play, whether we want to or not. I know, this may be hard to do, with everything going on. But, if you have questions, if you need a lead as to why things ended up the way they did, it's the best one we have right now. However, the decision is entirely yours to make. Whatever you decide, I… Norman and I will support you."

Silence. Roger waited, moving his head upward and closer to the door, straining to her any response. Then…

"I'll go. I'll need some time to get ready though."

Success. Roger's heart skipped.

"Okay. And Dorothy?"

Silence once more.

"It'll be good to see you and… it's going to be alright." Roger walked away from her door and went downstairs to check on Norman.

Norman was in the kitchen, preparing some fresh lemonade in two carafes and a variety assortment of finger sandwiches. Roger walked in.

"Anything I can help with Norman?" he asked, putting on his apron and taking off his gloves.

"The dishes and glasses have been set up in the guest dining hall. I'm nearly finished preparing the finger sandwiches. The lemonade just needs fresh lemon slices.

Roger nodded, and went over to the sink to wash his hands. Once they were cleaned and dried, he went over to the knife block to grab a chef knife. As he walked back over to the lemonade and grabbed a lemon, Norman asked, "Is Miss Dorothy attending tonight's meeting, sir?"

"Yes. I'm nervous… not so much about the meeting with Angel, but I haven't seen Dorothy since the reset. I'm hoping the decision to tell her about tonight doesn't blow up in my face."

"Butterflies in your stomach, sir?"

"I guess." Roger began slicing a lemon. He gave a small smile, gathering the lemon slices, and placing them in one of the carafe. He began slicing another lemon.

"Preferring the lemonade to be extra tart today, sir?"

Roger chuckled. "This whole situation is sour. Why not have a drink to compliment it?"

"An interesting observation. I'll adjust the sugar content to balance the flavor, leaning towards more tart," replied Norman. He moved over to the window over the sink. "Oh dear…"

"What is it?"

"It seems my dill and parsley plants are running low on leaves. I'm afraid garnishes will be lacking on the sandwiches." Norman sadly frowned and sighed. Roger laughed.

"Norman, you're cooking is great without the extra details. Don't sweat the small stuff."

Norman gave a small smile. "It is good to hear you laugh, sir. It feels like it's been ages since I heard you last laugh."

Indeed, it had been a while since Roger had laughed. Between dealing with the reset, managing cases, and looking out for Dorothy, Roger felt much older than twenty-seven.

"I guess I've been caught up in everything." He paused slicing the lemon and turned to look at Norman. "Norman?"

"Yes, Master Roger?"

"I think it would be best, if you can manage it, once Dorothy starts opening up, perhaps start taking her out in public. Introduce her to new things, ideas… anything really. I have found in my experience, working with social workers who managed crime victim cases with the military police, those who had distractions…no, that's not it. Ummm… uh… hobbies, routines… they often did better recovering from mental and emotional shock better than those who put up a wall and shut everyone out."

"An excellent idea sir!" exclaimed Norman happily, "What shall I do then?"

"Up to you. Show her that garden out in the alley you manage. What about those cookies you bake for the local health clinic and care center down the street? I know she has the piano and she loves to sing, but maybe it would be best show her new things. Not necessarily overwhelm her, but give her ideas I guess to help manage her time. I know as time passes, she'll get better. But, if the days feel like they are going faster…"

"You feel she will also heal faster, sir?"

"Maybe… I guess? I don't know... I don't feel like I can think straight on this subject. Too many thoughts going on and crashing into each other." He resumed slicing the lemon for the second carafe.

"I can see your reasoning behind it, Master Roger. But, everyone takes their own time to heal from such emotional shocks. The key is not to rush and pace oneself. I think faith and confidence in Miss Dorothy, as well as showing her the joys of being human will provide her all the medicine she needs to be whole again. We can only guess as to why things happened the way they did."

Roger nodded, finishing slicing the lemon. He put the knife down. "Norman, in regards to her staying here… I know she was working to pay off her services she contracted me for. I think those services have been paid in full a long time ago, yet… I don't want her to feel like she's just a maid or she feels obligated to stay."

I really don't want her to leave. Norman seemed to have read Roger's mind.

"Then why don't you offer her a job of managing the household and your business? Dorothy's always very good with numbers and I appreciate her help with Big O's maintenance and cleaning of the household."

"But don't we already provide her a salary doing that?"

"We do sir, but what I'm suggesting is making her an associate of your firm. She can work her up to more complex cases and help you on large ones, like the expansion project. I feel that would be a perfect fit. And of course, she's more than welcome to stay here and help, as long as she's done with work related to the firm…"

Roger gathered the sliced lemons and put them in the second carafe.

"I'll think on what you said. I could use some help with some of the minor cases and she did do a decent job as an apprentice negotiator when I was kidnapped, even though she was a bit assertive in negotiations."

Roger made his way over to the freezer with the two carafes and began putting ice in them, when the buzzer sounded. A small screen by the radio equipment turned on by entrance to kitchen. It showed two people, one clad in a uniform, hat pushed over his eyes, putting out a cigarette. The other was in a pink long coat, and rose tinted sunglasses.

Angel was here, with Dastun in tow.

"I'll check on Dorothy and let her know they're here," said Roger, places the two carafes down by Norman, who stirred in a bit more of a simple syrup, then went to go greet their guests.

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

"Madam President. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Chief Dan Dastun was leaning on his personal vehicle, smoking a cigarette. He thought it would be best to take his own vehicle and not a work vehicle, as he was still on the clock. He took a long drag on cigarette. Angel had stepped out of her light pink car, looking at the mansion.

"Chief Dastun, I'm so glad you could make it on such short notice."

"Well, for once I had some down time. How are things with you?" he exhaled, a cloud of smoke rising into the air.

Angel sighed.

"I could be better. Been putting in long hours. Some things have come to my attention that need addressing, some of which you will find out shortly."

They walked up the stairs, Dastun pressing the buzzer button and putting out his cigarette on the banister.

"Something tells me you and I might have some problems in common."

"Interesting. So even my problems have trickled down to your desk," replied Angel, facing Dastun.

"It's odd, but I have a feeling someone over my head has a connection with one of your council members at HQ. Have you signed off on orders to remove people from their rightfully owned homes outside the domes?"

Angel scowled. "No! And I think you would know I would never do such a thing, Chief."

Dastun lifted his hat ever so slightly. "You would think Madam President, but is it possible you don't have control of your own house?"

Before Angel could reply, Norman answered the door.

"Chief Dastun, Madam President, please come inside. Master Roger is expecting you."

Angel shot Dastun a muted look before going inside. Norman gave Dastun a bewildered look, who shrugged in response and followed Angel inside.

After Norman secured their belongings, they all walked to the lift. Norman secured the lift gates and push the button for guest dining hall. As the lift began climbing, Angel turned to Dastun.

"To answer your question from earlier, I have feeling there is an independent sect in my house that seems to be pulling the strings. I'm still in the process of figuring it out who it is. Have you figured out your puppet master yet?"

"No, not yet," replied Dastun, "I had a few hunches, but it turned out they lead to dead ends. So, I guess we both are in the same boat. I do know that properties stated from earlier are ones in which people have paid their taxes on the registry, but there have been quite a few mix ups on current accounts, just chalked up conveniently to clerical error."

Angel heaved a small sigh. It was bad enough to have issues on her side of the government, but to have issues in the military police was something she couldn't afford right now. So, safely ruling out a coup de e'tat was not an option at the moment.

The lift came to a stop and the gates open. Norman lead the way to the guest dining hall, beckoning the guests to come into the room. Roger was already sitting down at the head of the table. To his right, sat Dorothy, looking more surely that she felt. Roger's hands were folded, covering his mouth. Dastun took a seat at the opposite end of table on Roger's left near the liquor cabinet. Angel sat down at the opposite end of the table. Roger had brought the snacks and refreshments down with him after he went to fetch Dorothy from her room. Norman began serving refreshments to everyone, and once everyone had been served, he took a seat next to Dorothy. Norman looked from Roger to Angel and back again. Angel began munching on a finger sandwich and drinking some lemonade. Roger said nothing. Dastun, like Norman, was observing Roger and Angel. He took a sip of his lemonade. Dorothy sat at the table, not looking at anyone. Her intent was to listen.

No one made the first move to speak. The tension in the room had increased now. Norman and Dastun's eyes met before going back and forth from Roger to Angel. Roger felt his temper rising, but kept it at bay. Angel had finished her first sandwich and began snacking on her second one. Roger knew Angel was here for her own reasons, more than likely for self-preservation. But Roger was in no mood to play any games.

"Well?"

Roger broke the silence. Angel stopped and put down her sandwich.

"Forgive me, but I thought we were enjoying these delicious appetizers first?" asked Angel with a coy smile.

"Flirting won't work here, Angel. And appetizers and refreshments are the only thing on the menu tonight, not a full course meal."

"Well, you're no fun. If you want to get down to business…"

"I do."

"Then, I'll start with the pressing matter first. As most of you know by now, I was the director of the last two resets, though it seems I have no memories of the first reset. Gordon Rosewater and Alex Rosewater were assigned roles to be figure heads of this city and well, it turns out they let the power that came with those roles go to their heads. Because of that, I decided to make myself the figurehead this time around, in part because of something I discovered."

"And what was that specifically?" asked Roger.

"I am the dominus of Big Venus."

"You called this meeting, just to tell us that? Why not tell us something useful? We know Big Venus is the Big that has the power to reset the world and remake it into its own vision, using you to help guide it. Why did you make yourself President of the Paradigm Corp? Was it to save yourself?

Angel paused, choosing her words carefully. "Yes and no. I didn't want the past to repeat itself. Roger, after you went to go after Big Fau, Gordon told me I was a memory in living form, yet the power Big Venus has is shared by me. It seems Big Venus' power and this memory inside me, merged into one. Essentially, I was a successful tomato experiment." She said the last part bitterly. "The scars on my back are proof that I was created to hold this creation and guide it to its final destination, of which I do not know where that is. But it turns out, someone else knows of my power. Someone who is not sitting at this table."

"Who is it?"

"I… I… I don't know."

Dorothy finally looked up and stared intently at Angel, as did everyone else. Roger lowered his hands to the table.

"Dastun told me that someone has been trying to enforce orders of removing people from their homes outside the domes," continued Angel, "That order had to come from someone above him, but I never signed off on such orders. I've been trying to bridge the gap between the citizens of Paradigm who live inside and outside the domes and ensure their wellbeing. I thought with me being President, I could accomplish the tasks, to help improve things in this world the best I can, but I have a feeling someone on the Paradigm Council is undermining my attempts. There's a very good chance it's the same person that issuing orders to one of Dastun's superiors."

Roger glanced at Dastun, who nodded at this statement, "I have no clues as to who it is yet, only that have to be above me, Roger. I'm trying to figure out who it is, because they are making my job harder than what it needs to be."

"And for that, I'm sorry," said Angel, "I thought promoting you to your position would help solve problems, not create them."

"Hindsight is twenty-twenty?" asked Dastun, "What made you think this was a good idea, putting me in this position?"

"Because you're a decent person with a strong moral compass. I feel your leadership and values would help guide the military police."

Dastun had no retort. He did not like being put in places that required him to sit at desk. He preferred to be out on the streets, leading his men. His new promotion often him required to review paperwork and conduct inspections of various military police stations around the city. He was a doer, not an administrator, and always had been.

"There's more. I think… the person who implanted this foreign creation in me… and the person issuing these orders, are connected," stated Angel slowly.

"How so?" Roger murmured through his glass of lemonade.

"I think this person was responsible for implanting this creation in me and they may be responsible or partially responsible for the last two resets."

Whatever action any person in the room was doing, they stopped, trying to process these words. Roger looked at Dorothy, then Norman, then back to Dorothy, who looked back him. It was the first time their eyes had met since the reset. She looked confused. So did Roger.

"So, what you're saying is, that someone else was the puppeteer and not Alex or Gordon Rosewater. They are the reason why Big Venus appeared to reset the world after getting you to summon it, and just goaded Alex and Gordon into doing their will?" asked Roger.

"Yes, but it's not world as you would think of it," replied Angel, "This person wants to play the role of the creator and control the destinies of others, not letting them have the power to choose their destinies. It seems like they are experimenting for the perfect world and have nearly succeeded. But I don't think they are trying to keep the world on a stage. It seems they are trying to find what they feel is the perfect balance. And, I think I hold that key to their success or failure. I think they're trying to cause another reset, and if they do, there is very good chance they will be successful with they want to achieve unless they're stopped. When I was resetting the world, for a moment, I felt like I had woken up and was aware of what was going on around me. I had total control, and then gradually, it began to slip, like someone was taking that power from me, as if they knew how to take this power back. But, I sensed their intentions."

"This is why I think they are the one that implanted the memory and power in me. I feel like they understand this creation, even more than myself. And when I sensed this, I realized the safest position for me was to put myself in a position where everyone could watch me so to speak, so if I were to disappear, it would be noticeable. That is why I became the President of Paradigm City and why I have been out and about in the city, campaigning for the welfare for all who live in the city. But even more to the point, I wanted to have allies. I made sure that certain individuals retained their memories. I was hoping to have people that could understand from the very beginning how serious this was and what this power was capable of doing."

"So, that would explain people were looking at me strangely when I asked what happened to the white megadeus…" thought Dastun aloud.

Norman and Roger exchanged looks with one another. Norman had found himself in the hangar with Big O, clipboard in hand. When he contacted Roger to see where he was, Roger had answered he was in his car. At the same time, they both became aware of what they were doing prior to their current activities. Roger, aware that he had much needed job in the city, realized soon afterwards he had faced down Big Venus, but was aware he needed to be on his way to see a client. Norman on the other hand was manning the comms unit in the hangar, keeping an eye on the fight. When Norman looked at the comms unit, it was off. Upon hearing Norman's story, Roger went over to Big Ear to gather information. When he asked about a white megadeus, Big Ear jokingly asked if Roger's eyesight needed to be check, because there was only the black megadeus that existed. Roger then asked about a new world that Alex had gone on about for so long. When Big Ear said he had not heard anything, Roger asked about his current case status, which Big Ear gave him the information regarding Gold Industries and Paradigm Corp. Roger paid Big Ear for his time and walked back to his car, confused. He decided it would be best to go with the flow and see how things panned out. On the way home, he advised Norman that it would be best not to bring up memories from the past to others on the street, as it seemed like no one had any idea what they would be talking about. Roger then asked if Dorothy was experiencing the same phenomena as well, but that was when Norman informed him of Dorothy's state, which pushed the situation out of Roger's mind. Roger and Norman looked back at Angel.

"Do you know if anyone else retained their memories, aside from us, and more importantly, do you feel this person you think has control of your power knows about us retaining our memories?" asked Roger, "If you have any ideas, it would be best if you were forthcoming with that information, instead of hiding it from us."

Angel shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Then again, like I said, I felt like I was losing control of that power, so there's a possibility someone else may have retained their memories and it was unintentional consequence of the power shift. But, I can't say for certain if this same person knows about us, knowing… everything."

Angel looked at everyone. Roger had groaned and was rubbing his forehead, trying to make sense of the situation. Norman was quietly sipping his lemonade, his mustache twitching. Dastun was staring at his glass, with an incredulous look on his face. No one was saying anything. She continued on.

"There's one more point I need to add to this. I think there was one wild card they were not expecting. And now the conversation shifts to you, Dorothy."

Dorothy looked at Angel. "What has this to do with me?"

"During the reset, I sense an overwhelming presence wanting to create you as an android weapon. I don't think they saw your potential until you released the hidden power Big O had for its Final Stage cannon. And, I knew if I didn't intervene, the consequences would be horrible. It was a struggle, but in the end, I won. I wanted you to be human."

"But… why?" asked Dorothy. She felt… anger. Yes, that is what she felt. Anger. "I rediscovered my memories from the first reset, and they have been nothing, but pain. During the first reset, I was happily married to man I loved, who bore me a son. When a foreign army attacked, we got separated from my father, running to shelter. There was an explosion, and we were tossed into the air. I remembered fading to black. My next memory was waking up on Soldano's table. I don't want to be human and now I'm dealing with these emotions from the first reset and now, dealing with the emotions that I don't even have control of my own destiny! It's been so… confusing. It's not right that you made that choice for me and not ask what I wanted!"

Dorothy stood up, her chest heaving. She had shouted the last bit. Roger tried to reach for her hand, but she pushed it away.

"Why? Why? Why do you think I'm happier as a human being!?!"

"I felt that you would not only be happier, but also safer. I had to make a decision right away. If you came back as an android, I feel like the reset that will come to this world eventually, would've happened sooner and possibly keep this world on the stage forever, never allowing us to make our decisions and guide our own destinies or allowing the enemy's vision to come to pass, whatever it is. When the reset was done, with me sitting in the director's chair, after listening to Roger, I realized also certain things that would never come to pass, and I was trying to make peace with that. But, I also understood that… I… We have bought some time to formulate a plan to defeat this person, this power, and I hope that could be the purpose of tonight's meeting," replied Angel with a frown.

The reason was partially true. But, it was the realization that Roger and herself would never be an item that caused her to feel such pain after the reset. Angel did care for Roger, but she knew Roger did not reciprocate those feelings. Roger had feelings for R. Dorothy, now Dorothy, whether he cared to admit them or not. Perhaps, if she could not have Roger, perhaps making Dorothy human would make him happy. It was her way of letting him go. She knew Dorothy did not like her, but Angel did like Dorothy and was hoping to be friends. However, Dorothy's animosity towards her today meant that pursuing any friendship with her was a slim chance, if not gone for good.

Dorothy slammed the table with her fists. "I AM NOT A TOOL FOR YOU TO USE ON YOUR WHIMS!"

Roger stood at these words and tried to take Dorothy's hand again. Norman also stood up as well, trying to get her attention.

"Dorothy, Dorothy…" Norman said, but Dorothy wanted no one near her.

"I can't, I can't stay any longer! This is just… too much!" and she took off upstairs. Roger ran after her.

"Dorothy! Dorothy! Wait! Come back, please! We can figure this out!"

There was stomping from up above, and yells from Roger that everyone could hear below. There was a slamming of a door, followed by muffled yells from Roger, calling Dorothy's name. Then nothing. Norman took this time to refill everyone's drinks, distracting himself from the thoughts of additional work he and Roger would have to do to help Dorothy heal, since it seemed what little progress they made, had been cancelled out by tonight's meeting. He silently prayed that was not the case.

A few moments later, Roger made his way downstairs, visibly exasperated. He made his way over to his chair and sat down.

"Roger, I…" Angel began to speak, but Roger held up his hand.

"Do you feel this presence that you detected during the reset would've harmed Dorothy?" he asked sternly.

Angel paused, feeling uncomfortable with his tone. "Yes, I felt that this presence would have indeed harmed Dorothy."

"That's good enough for me. But I would appreciate in future meetings you don't cause drama in my household," replied Roger, grimly.

Angel sighed. "Roger, I came here because I want to ask you, to ask everyone, for their help. I think having multiple eyes and ears can provide a unique perspective on this situation."

"Indeed it can. But, to paraphrase Dorothy, I'm not to be used at your whims Angel," replied Roger.

"Nor am I," added Dastun, "Besides, what proof besides the scars on your back do you have to support what you have said to us tonight?"

Angel reached down into her bag and pulled out a book that Roger instantly recognized at once.

"Metropolis," he muttered with disdain.

"Metro-what?" asked Dastun.

"It was the book that Gordon Rosewater originally wrote, sir," explained Norman, "But looking from the cover, it seems the author has changed."

"Yes and no," replied Angel, "Gordon said he never wrote this book and that someone put his name on it, and… that it was all lies. The one in front of me is supposedly one I wrote, but I have no memory of this. I erased Alex and Gordon from existence to prevent past events from repeating, but I think they were just pawns on someone else's chessboard. I think the person who controls my power might have wrote this. I'm not sure."

Angel turned to a page she had bookmarked.

"'The power of the happening, will now walk among the living. Their deeds, hard work, and perseverance will be created by hardships by their fellow Man. They will be the bearer of the scroll, their power sealed by wings that have yet to fly. The power of creation, wielded by man, corrupted by his influence will have no bearer or controller. The power of time, the key to the release of creation, the only determiner if creation shall be wielded by God or Man…'"

Angel shut the book and slid it towards Roger at the end of the table. Roger stared at the book. Metropolis gave him more nightmares than he wished to reconcile with and now the book apparently was complete, but entirely different. He didn't remember the words Angel had just read aloud. He made a mental note to self-medicate with hard liquor later to suppress the nightmares that normally came with the book, regardless of the edition.

Dastun looked stunned and confused. God? Man? What was this nonsense? What did it all mean? Norman took a sip of his lemonade, processing what Angel had read quietly in his mind. Roger on the other hand, realized Angel's purpose for her visit, but he needed her to make the request.

"What is it that you want from me Angel?" asked Roger, bracing himself.

Angel closed her eyes. "I am asking you, Roger… No, I want you to negotiate with this person and this power of mine. I don't want to be the dominus of Big Venus. I want to be to free of this responsibility and live my life. I don't want to be used by this power or this person. I'm also asking everyone here tonight, to please keep an eye on things around you. If you feel there is something more than meets the eye in whatever you observe, please make note. We'll find a way to contact each other and keep each other informed without alarming this other party."

"And what if negotiations won't conclude?" asked Roger.

"Then conclude them any way you feel is necessary," said Angel, with a sad look in her eye.

Roger folded his hands on the table, feeling the weight of responsibility associated with Angel's words. This case was not going to be easy. Too many people's lives were at stake that he cared for. And there were also the citizens of the Paradigm City to consider, and even those outside the city, possibly the world. Roger then remembered Dorothy locked in her room, and took a deep breath, focusing his thoughts.

Angel stood up. Roger looked at her.

"Angel, this will be a tough case. But I will accept it. In exchange for my services, you will respect Dorothy's wishes at the next reset, if it does come to pass. That's my fee."

"Roger, I can't guarantee if I can make that request happen, if it comes down to that."

"I can't make the guarantee that negotiations will conclude, if I understood what you read to us. I'm hoping this is more a battle of opinions and philosophies than actual fighting. But understand, I'm a professional. I will do my best to see this case resolved."

Angel gave a small nod. "I was counting on your reputation for being the best. It seems to have come through tonight. However, I need to leave now. I don't like staying too long in one place because of all this. I'll be in touch."

"Hold on for a moment." Roger closed his eyes, hoping he was making the right decision. Roger got up from his chair and made his way over to one of the cabinets. He opened the door. Small drawers with ornate scroll work were inside. Roger moved his finger down to one drawer in the center and opened it. Watches, similar to the one he wore, were inside. He took two, shutting the drawer, and then the cabinet doors. He handed them both to Norman, who stood up. Norman fiddled with the watches for a moment. He walked over and handed one to Angel, with a small bow.

"Norman and I have improved the security of our comms network. It won't be able to get through in places deep underground or thick walls, so make sure you are outside, or close to an entrance if you need to use it in those areas. I would also suggest using it when no one is around, unless you want questions you can't answer. Norman tracks our comms network every day if you radio us directly. If you want to speak to someone else, you can, just select the person you want to talk to. Norman can program them before you leave. If you're in trouble, you can send a distress call and we can locate you, though I may have to use Big O to track your signal if we can't pick it up on our communications unit. However, it is NOT for regular conversation. This use is related to this case and this case only."

Roger's warning was more directed at Angel than Dastun and gave Angel a serious glare. Angel took the watch from Norman, after he had fiddled with the dials, and looked at it. Norman then worked on Dastun's watch.

"You can initiate communications by pressing the dial button," said Roger, sitting down again.

"Thank you for this, Roger. This will help."

Norman finished with Dastun's watch and stood by the entrance to the room as Angel walked out and headed to the lift. Norman followed to see her out. Roger and Dastun heard the lift go down. Roger sighed loudly, shaking his head at the situation he just put himself into. Dastun finally spoke.

"Is it possible to have something stronger than lemonade, because wow, that was… crazy."

Roger gave a small chuckle. "Fine by me. That bottle you wanted to try before, it's in the cabinet. You're more than welcome to it."

"The whiskey?"

"Yup, it was the whiskey."

"Sounds good."

Dastun got up and went over to the liquor cabinet to find the bottle he wanted to try.

"Can I call Big O on this thing?" Dastun found the bottle and grabbed two glasses from the curio cabinet.

"No, Big O is only summoned by me and me alone."

Dastun shrugged as he sat back down, pouring a glass of whiskey for himself and Roger.

"What do you make of… all this? God and Man? Bearer of the scroll?"

He slid Roger's glass down the table. Roger caught it in his hand.

"I'd rather have more liquor before I answer that. Some of what she said, makes sense. However…"

His voice trailed off and Roger looked at the red book in front of him. The sight of it turned his stomach and he downed his drink in one swig.

"So, it's gonna be that kinda night for you. I take it that book is that bad?" asked Dastun, raising his glass to Roger as thank you for the whiskey before taking a sip, "Damn. That's smooth." Dastun topped of his glass and sent the bottle down Roger's way. Roger caught it and refilled his glass.

"That book Dastun, is nothing but trouble. Unless you want nightmares for months, don't bother asking me to read it or loan it to you, even if it is different from the one I discovered. You'll be much happier, on that I can promise. I'm going to lock it up tonight and look at it later. I'm still trying to process everything Angel said."

Roger sipped his drink this time. He heard the lift coming up.

"So, Dorothy's now a human… I take it she didn't receive the news well," said Dastun, taking another drink.

"No, she didn't. Norman and I were making some progress, helping her accept the news. My snippets from the first reset remain, but it's been bits and parts. I can't imagine… feeling emotions tied to full blown memories from the first reset and dealing with the change. It's just been…shit. And, this is the first time I'm hearing about it. She's been a recluse since the reset, y'know." Roger flipped one of his hands in the air, then rubbed his head.

Dastun raised an eyebrow. Roger rarely ever cussed, even among friends. If he did cuss, it usually was a good indication that his stress levels were pretty high.

"We have resources to help at the military police. Have you tried contacting your connections to see if they could offer help?"

"Norman and I thought it would be best to keep this among a small circle. Also, we really couldn't think of a situation in which we could alter to the truth to fit her circumstances. There was also the fact that an emotional outburst might actually come out during a therapy session and would be hard to explain, causing unwanted attention. So, we've been trying a combination of methods that I used from my days on the force. I'm not sure if they're working though."

Norman entered the room as Roger took another sip from his glass.

"The Paradigm President has left the premises, sir. Is there anything else that I can attend to?"

Roger gestured to the chair and raised the whiskey bottle.

"You're more than welcome to take a seat and have a drink. I know this can't be easy for you to process either, Norman."

"I appreciate the kind offer Master Roger, but I think, I will take this time to work on some maintenance on Big O. If my mind is busy, I'm able to think more rationally about these things and process them better."

"Then, don't worry about anything else for the night. Go cope the way you feel is best for you."

"Thank you, sir," and with a short bow, Norman left the room.

Dastun finished his glass and set it down on the table. "I'm afraid I must be going too. I need conduct an inspection of the 70th street district office and turn in my paperwork for my inspections today, unless you need to talk some more."

Roger yawned. "I do, but I think alcohol will be my mistress tonight."

Dastun stood up. "I'll see myself out. Take it easy Roger and thanks for the watch."

Roger corked the lid on the bottle of whiskey and slid it back to Dastun.

"Keep it," said Roger, "Something tells me we need to enjoy the finer things while we can."

"I can't really have this on me, Roger. I'm technically not supposed to be drinking, but I needed some reassurance I was awake during that conversation, and it wasn't a dream."

"If you leave it here, I cannot guarantee its safety."

Dastun smirked, "I'll leave it my trunk then. Thank you for this." He took the bottle with him, nodded in Roger's direction, and headed toward the lift. However, he stopped when he saw left over sandwiches on the serving tray. Roger grinned.

"If you're hungry, take them. Just leave me some to eat."

Dastun grabbed a plate, shaking his head. "These things are good, y'know? Catch ya later." And, he left.

Roger headed over to the curio cabinet and looked over his selection. The whiskey he had was nice, but it was too mellow for right now. Something with a stronger bite was needed. Thankfully, most of the selection was real alcohol and not the synthetic stuff they sold at the corner store. He found what he was looking for, took his glass and remaining plate of sandwiches, and went upstairs.

Roger made his way to the living room, sitting on the sofa, and poured himself another drink, and ate a sandwich.

Bottoms up.

And he downed the whole glass. The burning sensation made him wrinkle his nose. Technically, this whiskey he selected was a shooting whiskey, but he did not care. He did not want to go back to the kitchen looking for a shot glass. Besides, this glass would do the job to help him accomplish his goal. He poured himself a glass again and drank it clean.

And there was the feeling he sought after. Dullness, numbness, painless. A heavy fogginess began to descend upon him and Roger finally felt himself relax. He took off his suit jacket, and undid his tie. He was trying not to think about anything, and it proved harder than he thought originally. Twilight crept through the windows and casted long shadows on the walls. Pieces of tonight's meeting crept throughout his mind, haunting him, merging with events from the previous weeks. He poured another glass and drank it all again, in hopes of silencing them. He grabbed two sandwiches and popped them into his mouth. He had never been one to eat his feelings. But he was hoping the bread would lessen the hangover he knew he was going to have tomorrow.

One more. The glass was emptied after it had been full for a second.

But one more turned into another, and another. Until the bottle was nearly gone and Roger had accomplished his goal. He let out a small chortle and then leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes. The plate of sandwiches was gone.

I could go get more food. But what's the point? I can't even walk straight, and I'll make a mess of things if I try to fix a plate. No one is saving me from this hang over tomorrow…. Thankfully, I am off tomorrow. I wonder what's for breakfast. Hopefully, I'll wake up on time and it'll be hot…. His mind began to fade, his breathing becoming deeper.

But if I can't protect myself from a hangover, how can I protect Dorothy?

Thump.

Roger woke and sat up, startled. Was it the noise or realization that woke him up? The thought hit him hard, yet the way it had come about was ridiculous. But it was just him here. He looked around and saw that it was now night, the golden dome lighting up his living room. He swore he had just closed his eyes just minutes ago.

"Normhun?" Roger called out into the room. His head felt heavy, dizzy. He turned to look around him, but moving his head worsened the effect. Roger grunted and stared down at the floor.

I have a giant robot that I can protect the city with, but I can't even keep my promise to Dorothy that I would protect her. Some negotiator I am. I always talk about professionalism, but I can't keep a simple promise. I… I wished she had told me. What she was going through. But I guess it serves me right. All the times I was so uncaring towards her. I want her to open up to me, yet I can't even protect the woman I….forget it. How can I protect from her feelings, her fears, her woes?

Nope, I am not thinking about this right now. Where's that damn bottle?

Roger fumbled around for the bottle, but either he drank it all and did not know it, or it had fallen off the table. Roger finally gave into the tiredness from the alcohol and leaned back on the sofa.

"Oh Dorothy," he whispered, "You're right, I'mma louse. There's so much I wanna say to you, and I'm afraid if I do, I'll lose you for good. But, here I am, drunk on my couch, all because I… I can't process anything else right now. I'm so sorry Dorothy. I'm so sorry for what you're going through."

How much of her will change now she's human? Will I fall for her even more? Or will I not… I'd rather not think about that alternative. Ah, hell, why is this so complicated?

"Talk to me Dorothy… please…"

Silence answered his request.

Roger finally felt himself slipping, whispering Dorothy's name ever so softly repeatedly until sleep found him, and shut down his mind from any thought or emotion.

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

Dorothy sat in her room, crying. She couldn't understand before how these waves of emotions would randomly turn up and stir up her mind. But now she had her answer.

Perhaps it was her time with Roger rubbing off on her, but she felt that no one should have the right to control another's destiny, future, whatever you wanted to call it. And of course, the consequences that came with that were hers alone.

She felt another wave coming and stopped it in its tracks.

No, I am the master of my thoughts and emotions. I can control this.

But she felt the wave slipping through. She grabbed the sides of her head with her hands tightly, and dove onto her pillow, screaming.

"Please… go away!" The pillow muffled her cry.

What can I do? I need to do something. I need…an outlet. Do I talk about it? Do I draw it out? What exactly?

Dorothy raised her head from her pillow and looked over at her dresser. She remembered that Norman had given her a Heaven's Day present, but she had never used it. She got up from her bed and walked over to one of the drawers, opening it and rummaging around its contents until she found what she was looking for. A red leather journal with a black stenciled rose on the front. Dorothy took it and shut the drawer. She went over to her desk, turned on the lamp, grabbed a pen from her pen holder and opened the journal cover.

An emotional wave hit and this time, she didn't stop it. Instead, she wrote about what she was remembering, feeling, describing everything she could as fast as she could write. Line after line, she filled one page, then two… until nearly five pages were filled. The emotion went away, and Dorothy massaged her hands. She turned back to the first page and looked over what she had wrote.

Roger, no, a man like Roger? Oh, whatever! Roger and my previous human incarnation were a couple. Roger was a prestigious pilot of many kinds of military vehicles and because of his abilities, he was promoted to the head of a new core of some army, piloting humanoid mechas. He oversaw the piloting aspect of the project and conducted many tests. I was living comfortably, but what's with the white lab coat I'm wearing? I seemed to follow him a lot and then, father was there too. He seems to be in all of these memories. It makes no sense.

Dorothy felt her heart slowing down, not as anxious. She looked over what she wrote again.

Apparently, my incarnation loved flowers. Roger's incarnation from this timeline actually hated seeing wilted flowers. He loved finding ways to preserve flowers, often incasing fresh flowers in resin and he would place them in hour glasses that he would make. He stated if I was missing him, to flip the hour glass over and the sands of time would find their way to him, delivering my love and longing for him to return. And it seemed every time the glass would nearly run out, he would be home.

Dorothy shook her head. Apparently, this incarnation of her was a romantic, but at the same time, this Roger sounded wonderful, compared to the one she knew, who could often be a louse. However, her Roger seemed to be changing, judging from his actions the past few weeks.

And yet, they did share many similar characteristics. Roger absolutely adored hour glasses as he had quite a collection throughout the mansion. Also, he did try to deliver a bouquet of flowers to her, but in the process got squished when he piloted Big O to fight off the new Hydra Alex had created. Dorothy's eyes trailed to the corner of her dresser mirror, the bouquet hanging upside down as she had dried the flowers, preserving them and the moment with Roger.

Dorothy sighed and pushed herself out from the desk. Maybe it would be best to take a shower. Perhaps she would finally get some sleep, despite what had happened tonight.

Dorothy opened the door and stepped out into the hall, but she stopped. She heard… snoring.

It was rather late, and the light of the golden dome permeated into the room, stopping at the beginning of the hallway. She crept to the end of the hall, and saw Roger. The glass on the table and the bottle, which she noticed had rolled under the couch, indicated Roger had drank himself into a deep sleep. Roger was more of a social drinker, so for her to see him like this on the couch was a first. And it was not like him.

Dorothy crept quietly over to the French doors and pulled the curtain shut. As she walked over to check on Roger, she saw the blanket was draped over the couch he was sleeping on. She unfolded it and put it over Roger. She turned to walk away.

"Dorothy," Roger mumbled in his sleep.

Dorothy stopped suddenly and turned back slowly to look at Roger. Roger went back to snoring. He was fast asleep.

Dorothy walked back to her bedroom, the shower out of her mind. She would take one tomorrow. She felt another emotion, memory perhaps? She felt the wave coming over her. She shut her bedroom door quietly and locked it.

Roger, I need to… sort out these memories and emotions. I need to make sure that… these feelings… I have for you… are my own and my own alone... and not from a previous lifetime, trying to haunt the present.

Dorothy sat back her desk and resumed writing in her journal, the next entry being smeared by the tears quietly rolling down her face.