Big O Fan Fiction ❯ Season 2: Highway to Hell ❯ Act 14: Vini Vidi Vici ( Chapter 1 )

The Big O : Act 14
(Season 2: Highway to Hell)
Vini Vidi Vici
by Crystal Acids

Four days have gone by since the meeting of the gods. Four days since the city was whole. Four days since the sun shown again. R. Dorothy Wayneright slowly walked along the balcony of the home of Roger Smith. The building had survived. So had the dome and the people fortunate to live far away from the dingy docks of Paradigm City. Work crews were out in full force to restore the city to its former glory. Some were removing vines, some were repairing the dome sections where Big Duo had made its entrance, and the rest were setting up a wall between Paradigm City and the now defunct harbor region.

Dorothy looked over the city once again. She suddenly had a cold chill over come her body. "But how?" she wondered. Dorothy hopped onto the ledge and looked out to the old harbor.

"Is it a memory from the real Dorothy?" she asked quietly to the wind. It gently blew with no answer.

"Ms. Dorothy?"

She spun around to see who spoke. She knew *who* it was yet she has this gut reaction to turn around, just the same. Norman Burg stood at the doorway, of course. He was tired. The past few days had been harder on him then anyone else. Well, anyone other than the Major.

"I forgot to remove the tray of food from Master Roger's room earlier, would you mind getting it while I finish repairs?" Norman asked gently. Norman wasn't sure how Dorothy had taken the past few days with her constant silence. Dorothy's poker face on mood was only offset by her eyes.

"Of course, Norman." she replied gently. "Shall I also wak.."

"NO." he spoke quickly. "Master Roger needs his rest." Norman stood at the door for another moment. He was harsh just then.. maybe the long hours of the past few days were getting to him. "No.." he thought, "I just must try harder to keep in order."

Norman disappeared into the mansion leaving R. Dorothy alone once again. She took one last gaze over the city hoping for an answer she knew would not come.

***

The bedroom was quiet. Shades drawn and sheets neatly spread across the bed, one might think that the room was empty if there wasn't that still body lying crumpled in the center of the room. The door slowly cracked open and something moved into the room. The glare of light cut through the darkness straight to the center of the room. The body stared for a moment trying to focus on the new disturbance in his room. Then he heard it. Something was in the room and it was moving quickly. The body struggled to listen as the wind cut around him. He would have to gather his strength to stop this intruder. He winced at the pain in his arm as he prepared to leap and snag whoever dared enter his domain. The wind changed directions again and he quickly turned and pounced towards the source of the disturbance.

CrAsH!

Roger's mind was foggy. He still hurt from the other day and now he had a fork poking him in the leg.

"Roger.." spoke a soft voice. "Have you decided to get up finally?"

"Finally?" he jokingly questioned. He must have knocked her circuits around a little harder then he thought in that stunt. "Dorothy.. it's only been a day."

"Actually, Roger, it's been four days." R. Dorothy shot back in the most monotone of voices.

"Four..." Roger replied softly. Had it been four days? No.. but.. why would she lie to him. "Dorothy.."

"Yes, Roger?" Dorothy replied.

"Tell Norman to ready The Griffon. WE are going out." Mr. Smith commanded.

"Roger.." she softly spoke again.

"Negotiations are not finished. I have a reputation to maintain." he interupted coldly.

***

"Had it really been four days?" Roger thought again after Dorothy left. The time had given Roger Smith a chance to figure out a few things. R.D., however, was not one of them for the moment.

***

On the streets of Paradigm City, you couldn't go past a single block without seeing a construction crew trying to repair the damage of the past few battles. The military police had worked around the clock to secure water & power for the dome citizens. The Griffon sailed through the foggy city towards a familar destination. Roger needed the details of the past few days and something told him that Dastun would be in no mood to talk. The Griffon rumbled on through the city towards the local tavern.

"Roger.." R. Dorothy broke the silence with. They hadn't talked since the bedroom. She peered out the window waiting for some kind of response as they drove around another corner. He still wouldn't talk. Was he upset with her? R. Dorothy wasn't sure. There was something he wasn't telling her, but she didn't know where it started. Dorothy glanced back at Roger's face only to see his cold glare shooting through his sunglasses towards the road ahead. So many things had happened the past few days. Her only clue was a wad of paper still in his jacket pocket she had found. It was partly burned away, but one could still make out the last name on the list... R.D. It was only important at this point because it was Roger's final words to her four days ago. Roger changed so quickly since Big Duo that it could have been anything, but Dorothy was sure both R.D. and his sudden coldness was connected to the last case Roger took.

There were several domes along the harbor border and yet only three recieved damage. Amoungst them, only the large casing over Paradigm headquarters was getting the full treatment. Where they were going, however, glass still filled the street. The repair crews grew fewer as The Griffon rounded another corner towards the next dome.

***

Pulling up to the tavern, Roger Smith slid out and around the car. He rushed towards the door and then caught himself before entering. He need to be professional about this. R. Dorothy Wayneright, on the other hand, brushed Roger aside and walked in. Roger was stunned. Maybe she was trying to tell him something. Maybe he *had been* too hard on her of late. Roger Smith knew Dorothy found the list, but he wasn't going to let her ask *that* question. Not yet, at least.

Inside the tavern, crowds of street workers and locals jammed the bar during their brief lunches. Roger spotted "Big Ear" in the usual spot doing his usual thing. The world could come to an end tomorrow and yet something told Roger Smith that "Big Ear" wouldn't let it break his routine.

"The sky is falling, you know.." Smith chipped in as he slowly closed into the seat next to Big Ear.

"At the moment, that is the least of your problems, Negotiator." Big Ear flatly replied. "I would worry more about the results of the little war on the harbor the other day."

"Do tell.." responded Smith as he panned across the room looking for Dorothy. He saw her. She was at the bar with some of the workers trying to start a conversation with her. For some reason he just keeps forgeting how real she is. No, that's not correct. "More like wanting to forget how real she is" Roger mumbled under his breath.

"Hmm?" Big Ear lowly asked. "Have you even heard a word I've said?"

"Alex Rosewater has Big Duo, he's planning something big and the attack at the harbor has advanced the timetable, and that I have someone on my tail. That it?" Roger gently replied. You should never piss off your informants, but Roger knew the fine line to walk with Big Ear. Roger pulled out a fold of bills and dropped it on the table as he got up and headed towards the door.

Big Ear dropped his newspaper on the money. "Not all problems can be solved with force, Roger Smith."

Roger looked back at Big Ear over his shoulder. That one had caught him off guard. "Dorothy, let's go."

***

The next destination was the old harbor. Roger stared at the road with the occasional glance in Dorothy's direction. She was looking out the window again. "If I didn't know better, I would swear she was daydreaming." he thought.

"Dorothy, I.. uh.." Roger started. Dorothy's head turned around 180 degrees without even moving her body. Roger looked at her shocked for a moment and quickly locked back onto the road. R. Dorothy rotated the rest of herself around to face him so he wouldn't be as alarmed.

"Yes, Roger Smith?" she flatly responded.

"Roger Smith?" he thought. It was as if they had taken a step back in time. "R. Dorothy Wayneright," he started to play it back to her, "I know you went through my jacket and found a piece of paper."

"And?" she again flatly replied.

"And? Uh.. and.." Roger stumbled. She had caught him off guard. The second time that happened today. Was he losing his edge? Deeping his voice for command or to at least gain some control in this conversation, "And I need to know if you read it."

"Yes." yet again she replied flatly.

"Yes.." he repeated softly. He was getting no where in this. It was like talking to a machine. "Well, I *AM* talking to machine," he thought, "but Dorothy is more then that whether I want to admit it or not.".

"It was badly burnt, but I could read the last name." she interjected. He was pausing too much for her. She needed to take the lead.

"I see..." Roger muttered.

"Who is R.D., Roger Smith?" she coaxed in. She knew of no easy way to approach the subject. Not that Roger Smith would have let himself get baited like that, anyway.

The car crossed a bridge heading towards the disaster area. The traffic was building up as the military police tried to turn people off to the side streets. The Griffon weaved in and out of the cars. Up ahead a large cement wall could be seen. It now seperated the old harbor from the rest of Paradigm. Along its edge could be seen a border patrol of military police blocking a gap of wall yet to be completed.

The wall was grey, like the very somber mood of the area. It stood forty feet tall and looked to be ten feet thick. The wall screamed "Go away!" in the most unfriendly of terms. Signs had been driven into the wall warning of no trespassers. Locked away now were the main docks, the secondaries, and blocks of storage wherehouses. Of course, you would have to keep in mind that most of it was rubble now.

***

Roger Smith pulled up to the blockade. He didn't recognize a single face amoungst the crowd of officers. Something was very wrong here. Roger always knew a few of the officers on duty at any assignment, but these men & women were new. And they didn't look like a volunteer or repair squad. Roger rolled down his car window.

"Excuse me?" he chimmed in. Two of the "officers" approached the car. They obviously didn't know who he was since they both placed their right hands over their gun holsters. Or, perhaps they DID know who he was.

"This area is off limits." the larger man grunted. He leaned over and peered into the car. There he caught a glimpse of Dorothy. The large man made a confused face. Roger turned to see what he saw when Roger noticed Dorothy shaking a little. "What's the matter with her?" the cop motioned as his partner walked along the back side towards Dorothy's passenger door.

"Uh.. Her grandmother is on the other side of that wall. She's worried what may have happened to her." Smith quickly covered with as he leaned over to block the first officer's view of Dorothy.

"I see. Well.." the large man paused as he looked at his partner who was baffled by the stunt, "all people who lived inside the wall have been moved to the nearby shelter. Head two blocks North and hang a right. You can't miss it."

"Well, thank-you officer. And keep up the good work." Roger politely said as he rolled the window. Roger shot them a fake grin to seal the deal.

The two officers smiled and walked back over to their post. The larger man drew out a walkie talkie from his jacket and started talking. Roger was too far away to hear, but he knew that it wasn't good.

***

Back at the Smith Mansion, Roger walked out onto the balcony to overlook the current shambles the city had become. The car ride back had been another long silent one. Norman opened the newly repaired glass doors and spotted Master Roger deep in thought. To the left, Norman saw Ms. Dorothy standing behind some shrubs. She was looking at Roger. Or his direction from what Norman could tell.

***

The wind lightly blew across the board as the pawns prepared for the next move. The one thing Alex Rosewater had gained in the repairs was the ability to install cameras to overlook the Smith building. It gave Rosewater a chance to see his puppets dance instead of just reaping the rewards.

***

"Cleansing." Dorothy finally broke the silence with.

"Hmm?" Roger replied. He hadn't even seen her out here with him. Maybe she had been right the other day. Maybe he just wasn't paying enough attention. That he just wasn't around enough to notice her presence.

"What the officer was talking about. It is what you wanted to know, isn't it Roger Smith?" she added with light flatness.

"You can read lips now?" Roger jokingly replied.

"Yes. But, I can also hear people even from a distance." she matched again in the same tone. "He was talking about the cleansing of the streets of the clot holding it back."

"Anything else?" Roger inquired. She had sparked his intrest.

"Yes. They knew who you were. I would reason that every Paradigm Group employee knows who you are, Roger Smith." R. Dorothy relayed.

"Paradigm! What is Paradigm doing on the harbor? They never cared for those people or the land before." spatted Roger angerly. Then it hit him. Rosewater had Big Duo. With Paradigm Group running the military police, Rosewater could have access to any megadeus parts he needed from the bodies left by The Big O. "Big Ear" had said that the last battle had advanced Rosewater's timetable.

***

Roger Smith sped towards the Paradigm Group headquarters dodging traffic as he kept speeding up. The Griffon's horn rang out like gun shots as the car made its way through the asphalt maze. The Negotiator's mind ran through the events of four days ago trying to link their meanings with Rosewater's actions.

***

Be Continued...