Act 13': Open the Door Roger Smith's face paled in horrid realization and terror. "R-D. R......Dorothy!" The android smiled horribly at him, as though she were possessed by a demon. "Your shock betrays you, Negotiator! You really aren't the man I thought you to be!" "How? Dorothy! I don't understand!" "Are you so blind, Roger Smith? Are you so arrogant? Or weren't you looking at the clues that were placed before you! 'I never wanted to build it for them.' Soldano said. Were you so naïve to think he was talking about Dorothy I?" "No....oh God no!" "Did you really believe it was Pero who disturbed your precious desk? You're a fool, and a louse, Roger Smith! Did you think that I would be your doll forever?" "But why? If you wanted to kill me, why did you make a contract with me to protect you? I don't understand!" "Because I had faith in you. Misplaced faith, I can clearly see now. I thought that you would be different from the others. But you're not. You're even less worthy. You don't even realize what a gift I was to you! 'You have no emotions,' you always said. Did you ever stop to consider that even for a moment? I gave you every opportunity to prove yourself worthy of mercy. Now you can burn with the others!" "NO! Dorothy! Why did you betray me like this? Haven't I always kept my word to you?" "Roger Smith. Paradigm City's top negotiator. They should add the title of Village Idiot to your resume, Negotiator! What a poor judge of character you must be! It never even occurred to you to suspect me, did it? Your inadequacy has brought this destiny onto yourself. Too late have you realized what I truly am!" "Why do you want to do this?" "It's what I was born to do!!!!!" Dorothy fired twice at Roger, who didn't move. The first shot impaled the ground directly in front of his foot, while the second whizzed past his temple. "You missed." "I missed because I wanted to!" "Dorothy....." "You could never understand what I could have been to you. We could have been unstoppable!" "Dorothy...." "It didn't have to be like this. You chose this fate, Roger Smith!" "It doesn't have to be like this unless you want it to!" Roger stepped closer ever closer to the android. She fired at him thrice more, always missing him by the smallest fractions of an inch. Finally, Roger closed in and, with much force, managed to wrestle the gun away from Dorothy. "Do you think that I need that to finish you?" With those words, Dorothy wrapped her arms around Roger and proceeded to squeeze the life out of him, as she had done once before. "The MegaDeus will not save you this time, Roger." Some words were muttered out of Roger's mouth, but his condition made them incomprehensible. "Isn't this what you wanted?" Dorothy asked. "For me to be your wind-up doll? She grinned. 'Roger, I love you." The words were cold, sounding as they had when Beck had controlled her. "Allow me to love you to death, as no other woman can. Soon the whole city will feel like you must now." Roger grimaced and pain. He heard his bones buckling and felt blood begin to trickle out of his mouth. "What.........do.............you...............want?" he finally managed to gasp out through the horrendous pain. With these words, Dorothy relaxed her grip on Roger. "Isn't it becoming clear to you yet? I am an end and a beginning, Roger. You have chosen your own fate. I can bring about death or rebirth. I am your destiny!" "What?" Roger asked, panting for his breath to return to him. "The memories, Roger! They are the key to this city's death or rebirth. I was programmed to provide either one. I gave you every opportunity to choose rebirth. But you've chosen death instead!" "No......" "Farewell, Negotiator!" Then, Dorothy resumed her death grip on Roger, quickly crushing many of his vital organs. Blood poured out of Roger's mouth as he gasped and breathed his last........ Roger Smith came to inside the cockpit of Big-O. He felt only dimly aware of his senses, and of pain shooting into his arms. His vision was cloudy and distorted, with much effort, he was able to discern the figure of Dorothy, looking over him, concerned. Norman's voice was active in the background as well. "Dorothy......I'm sorry........" Roger said, and then he passed out once more. ********************************************************************************************** Well, this was certainly different, now wasn't it? Will I continue it? I don't know. It's a possibility. Right now, I'm just looking to get people's opinions of it. Many parts of it just stuck in my head and I felt compelled to write this scene. Please R&R and let me know how I've done..... Lord Malachite 4/25/01 As always, let the author know how he or she is doing. Leave your compliments and complaints in the review section (hint hint). You may also feel free to send your questions, comments, love letters, death threats, marriage proposals, and ransom demands to Lord Malachite ranger_writer@yahoo.com As always, standard disclaimers apply. I don't own "The Big-O," I'm just blatantly borrowing its characters without permission, in order that I might express myself. I'm not making any profit off of your creations, Sunrise, so don't bother! I don't recommend suing me either, because what little I own, is already owed to the government, or to Mastercard. This is the end of the file! Feel free to change the channel! =============================================================== = This has been an official Swead Entertainment fanfic! = = Visit Swead Entertainment @ http://www.intcon.net/~sonny/se = ===============================================================