Big O Fan Fiction ❯ State of Grace ❯ Chapter 5: The Princess and the Liar ( Chapter 5 )

State of Grace

Chapter five: The princess and the Liar

By Devon Masterson

Aoi37@hotmail.com

Alex Rosewater stared at the tenacious red head in amusement then smiled. "And you knew to come straight to me?"

"You can't spend time with Roger Smith and not learn something," she replied looking at him intensely. "I want to know what happened to me and to everyone's memories. I know you know something."

"That I do," he commented. He rose from his desk and looked out of the window at his empire. "Did you know that my father and I built this entire place together? He ran things with an iron fist until I put him out to pasture, literally."

"You are dodging my question, Mr. Rosewater," Dorothy warned. She was growing annoyed with this game. She did not know how Roger could stand the endless mind games. She did not have the tolerance for such things. She liked to get straight to the point.

"Just like I remembered," he chuckled.

"I doubt, sir, that you could remember me. You were a child when this whole thing started."

Rosewater turned away from the window. "I was ten and was set on making you my wife when I was older," he answered. Dorothy flushed furiously. She was caught of guard by the confession. "But that was a long time ago when I very interested in the conquests of women."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"At dinner," he replied sitting back down. "I have a lot to say and I want a good meal while doing it. It will be entertaining. I will send someone to look after you and take care of your apparel for this evening. I imagine there will be quite a few surprises. Now good-bye, Miss Waynewright." The chair sank into the floor and a panel slid over top of the space the chair once occupied.

"Wait," she called as she rushed over but was too late. "Hmm."

"Miss Waynewright, I have been assigned to be your valet," a young woman spoke as she entered the room. "Please come with me. Your bath and masseuse are waiting."

"Masseuse?"

The young blond nodded. "Yes, Mr. Rosewater has asked that you are pampered like royalty."

Dorothy sighed. There was nothing to do but wait and she never had a massage before. It could not hurt to enjoy some benefits, it was not like she was going to have fun, just pass the time. "Lead the way."

&&&

"Where are you?" Roger wondered as he sipped a brandy out on the terrace. This spot was her favorite spot to stand and look out at the city. She was forever out there just staring. Now things were different, Dorothy was gone and she was different.

He took another sip of brandy and then narrowed his eyes. "What do you want, Angel?"

"Still resilient, I like that," she replied standing beside him. "I'd like to say it was pleasure this time, but you know how it is when you are the job." She handed him a white envelope.

"What's this?" he asked just before taking it. Seeing that she was not going to give him an answer, he opened it and smirked. "Tell Rosewater, go to hell."

Angel pouted. "Come on, Roger it may be fun. You'd get to ask the questions you want to ask and who knows who else might turn up there." Catching her drift, Roger took hold of her shoulders. "You're hurting me."

"Does Rosewater have Dorothy?" he asked.

"Is she all that you care about?" she asked as she ripped herself from his grip. She held her arm to her shoulder and rubbed it gently. "Your precious Dorothy is a willing guest of Mr. Rosewater's."

"Dorothy would not consort with Rosewater. She knows what he's about," Roger replied.

"Perhaps you don't know her quite as well as you think," Angel smiled just before exited. She had him right where she wanted him. "I'll see you tonight."

Roger stood there for a few moments trying to collect his anger. He seemed to be having trouble keeping calm these days. "Norman!"

"Yes, Master Roger?" the older man asked as he came into the room quickly.

"It seems that I will be going out tonight," he replied before heading towards the shower. "Make sure my date's ready."

"Yes, sir," Norman said following his employer's train of thought. "Will this be a black tie affair?"

"You and I know I am only invited to the best of parties," he answered regaining some of his dry humor. He strode pass the old man. "I'm going to bring her back here."

"What if she does not want to come back, sir?"

"This is her home. There is nothing else left for her out there," Roger said just before opening the bathroom door. "But first I want to see what Rosewater is up to."

"This will be his toughest job yet," Norman said to himself as the door closed. He had a feeling that things were going to become difficult.

&&&

"Ah, Mr. Smith, right on time," Rosewater greeted from a comfortable chair. He was seated in a lavish dining room done completely in the most disgusting color Roger could think imaginable, white.

"It seems that I am early. The other guest has not arrived yet."

"She will be along. I asked you to be here earlier so that we could talk," Rosewater commented. He motioned for a servant to pour Roger a drink and the negotiator waved the servant off. "Now Mr. Smith…"

"Why did you have the android Dorothy taken?" he asked crossing his leg in a 4-shaped fashion.

"I had a promise to fulfill other than that, my intentions were entirely honorable."

"I some how doubt that."

Alex laughed. "Ah so I admit, I did not have much a choice," he commented.

"Someone forced you into doing something?" Roger asked raising an eyebrow. "I would like to meet him."

"You have met him, Timothy Waynewright," Alex answered as he sipped a glass of champagne.

"He must have had something pretty dangerous dangling over your head to get you to do his bidding even after death," Roger observed.

"And so he did," Rosewater smiled knowingly just as the doors to the dining hall opened. "One of our guests has arrived."

Roger turned his head to assess Dorothy for any signs of abuse or torture, but what he ended up seeing was a far greater shock to his system. She stood before him clad from head to toe in white and gold and he couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked. "Dorothy, are you okay?" he asked grateful that he at least maintained the calm manner of speech that he was known for.

"I'm fine," she answered looking as well. Clad in black as always, he wore a tuxedo that accented the elegance and panache he always known for. It was she who seemed to be in contrast in her Grecian dress. It reminded her of a toga the way it gathered at not only one, but at both shoulders while exposing her back. It gave a look of a desirable goddess when she walked as each leg danced in and out of the fabric. Gold filigree upper arm bands and bangles adorned her appendages. Even her hair was dressed in gold, a ribbon of gold that was wound amongst her crimson locks similar to Aphrodite. She was beautiful. "You look handsome."

"You look beautiful," he replied.

Dorothy smiled. "Really? Even though I am wearing white? Thank you, Roger, though I know you're just trying to be nice because of the last time."

A quizzical look graced his countenance. "Last time?"

Dorothy shook her head. "On the balcony when…"

"Hello, everyone I'm sorry I'm late," A voice said as she entered. "But don't worry, I'm only fashionably late."

"…Angel came over," Dorothy finished. "Just like always." She turned to Alex Rosewater. "Are you going to answer my question now or will I have to tear everything apart finding answers on my own?"

"Why in such a rush, my dear? It has been forty years. Surely you can wait until dinner. It would make lovely conversation don't you think?"

Dorothy narrowed her eyes then shrugged lightly. She did not have time for games but she had no other choice at the moment. She needed answers. "I am a patient woman," she said lightly as she took a glass of champagne from a servant.

Roger watched as she took a small sip of the beverage. Why didn't he notice how beautiful she was before? He shook the thought off and turned toward Rosewater and Angel who were watching him with amused expressions. Control…he had to maintain a calm control or he would not be able to draw all the information out his adversaries. "I'll have the drink now," he said motioning for the servant closest to him. Once he was served, the young woman left the room. "Now why are we here?" he asked sitting down.

"You are to bare witness that I fulfilled my promise," Rosewater commented.

"What promise?"

A smile of utter arrogance snaked across Rosewater's face. "Forty years ago, the world was in plunged into a full scale civil war. Every country was against each other trying to find the most advanced weaponry to gain advantage. Timothy Waynewright was a renowned engineer and he wouldn't choose a side. In fact he had his own ideas of the perfect utopia that was completely separate from everyone else's."

Dorothy gripped the glass of her champagne. "Are you saying that my father was some sort of power hungry maniac?"

"Quite the opposite actually. He was thinking of you. It was not the world ran by power hungry governments that polluted the world and lead your mother, as well as millions, of dying of lung cancer. You father wanted a perfect world where you could be happy. It's every father's dream for their child, except he had the means of making it happen. All he had to was reset. It's quite clever don't you think?"

"Are you saying that Timothy Waynewright is responsible for everyone losing their memories?" Roger asked in sarcastic disbelief.

Alex nodded and laced his fingers together. "I believe I said it quite clearly."

Roger raised an eyebrow in annoyance. Rosewater had never been so arrogant with him personally before. That meant he had something else up his sleeve.

Dorothy sat in silence. She suspected that her father was involved. Her memories were still a little fuzzy as she tried to access them, but she had only been awake for day. I was a matter time before it all came back. "You still haven't explained your promise?"

"That is true. If everyone lost their memories, then how is it that you know so much?" Roger asked.

"I made a deal," Alex replied glancing in Dorothy's direction.

"I've heard enough," Dorothy commented before standing. She walked away. Alex was still going to keep talking in circles in orders to keep them off his scent. He was up to something and he did not want them to know all the details. She did not have time for games and already she was disgusted. Her father traded her life to monster in exchange for everyone else's life.

"Don't you want to find out about your past?" Angel asked. "It all seems rather interesting to me."

Dorothy stopped and turned around. "Then by all means let my life entertain you," she commented then left.

"Hmmm," Roger thought while sipping. "She has a temper. I never would have thought that about her." He stood and turned to leave.

"Temperamental isn't she?" Alex mused aloud. He then turned to Roger. "Now don't lose her again, negotiator. I'd hate for her to be snatched from you a second time. There are no spares with this one."

Roger narrowed his eyes at the portly man then looked towards Angel trying her best to look innocent. "Don't waste anymore of my time." He left the room only to find Dorothy leaning against the wall.

"I need to stay with you for awhile," Dorothy said as he came up beside her.

Roger stared at her curiously for a moment. She looked lovely. "Then you know the rules…"

 

To be continued…

© 2003 Devon Masterson

I don't own the characters. I just make this stuff up for fun;p