Act Fourteen - Scene 9: Gunmetal and Strawberry Perfume

‘It was much harder, I found, to shoot the Negotiator, as the plan called for, than I ever could have imagined. But the moment I saw her walking calmly at his side, with that serene almost-smile on her face… my finger pulled the trigger.’

    After breakfast, Dorothy still hasn’t woken up, so I go check on her, only to find her room empty. “Norman!” I bellow, coming out into the sitting room to look over the place I last saw her.

    “Yes, sir?” his voice is crackly, and I know that he’s downstairs working on Big O.

    “Where’s Dorothy?”

    “I believe she went out to the store, sir. She will, undoubtedly, return shortly.”

    “Thanks Norman,” I manage before I start to pace the sitting room, agitated beyond belief that she would just get up and go out without saying good morning to me. I pause for a moment and evaluate that thought, that sensation. I’m angry that she didn’t see me this morning…

    “You could go and look for her, sir.”

    “Right.” I dress hurriedly and fix my gloves on as I walk out the front door.

   I thought I was doing nothing wrong, to let Roger Smith sleep in. He seemed almost dead tired last night after he passed out, and it took most of my remaining strength to carry him to his bedroom. In truth, Norman did most of the changing of his clothing. Something kept me distracted, though I could not quite put my finger on it. I shut down last evening to try and search my databanks to see what it was that I was remembering, but nothing quite came up. So I thought a walk while I did the day’s shopping might be helpful.

    I still hadn’t the time to mend the hem of my usual dress, so I daringly put on the other outfit that hung in my closet. As of yet I hadn’t touched it, for fear of how Roger might react, but suddenly his reactions, though of a great importance to me, were no longer hindering. Something Hope told me must’ve triggered this change in my behavior.

    Perhaps something I told Roger caused the change in his.

    I park the Gryphon and look around. Norman told me that this is where she usually does the shopping, and I’m inclined to believe him, since he and Dorothy share things like that, whereas Dorothy and I…

    That thought is comforting. Dorothy and I share things.

    I glance about, and then take off my sunglasses to see if I can see her any better with them off. There’s no simulated sun in this dome, only usual overhead lights. It’s hard to make her out in a crowd because she is so much shorter than most other people, but after a moment of searching I do indeed find her.

   “Dorothy!” I call, and the figure that I have apparently guessed properly as being her pauses and turns her head towards my direction.

    I move quickly through the crowds to catch up with her, and she looks up at me, almost startled. “Roger Smith,” she says, her tone curious and animated, unlike the dull monotone of last night that scared me so, as she asks, “what are you doing here?”

*

    Just as Alex predicted. There he is. Getting out of the car in downtown.

    It would be easy to rid Paradigm of the dangerous Negotiator at this instant, but I can’t bring myself to pull the trigger. And then I see her.

    The thrice cursed android.

*

    I hear the noise of the gunshot before he does, having better hearing, and jump forward, knocking him out of the way. I am not programmed to be able to hurt someone, but I am also not programmed to help them either, really. I think it is something I have come up with on my own. I want to protect Roger, if I can.

    “Dorothy, what-” he starts, but then he hears the noise of the gunshot as well, and we are both tumbling to the concrete as the bullet hits.

    At first my sensors do not notice the damage, and then, as I begin to ‘bleed’, I believe is the only proper term for it, and Roger growls, it hits me. “Dorothy, you were hit, weren’t you?”

    “I can… be repaired, Roger.” But even as I say this I feel the power draining from my body, and loose control of first one, and then another of my systems at an alarming rate. I knew that I would take a hit for him, possibly if I had examined the angle and been paying attention, I would’ve known that just this would happen, but as it is… I was only thinking of him…

    Her eyes go dead, and I hear an angry cry erupt from somewhere. From the reactions of the crowd around me, I can tell it was ripped from my throat. “Someone call the Military Police!” I shout, taking off through the crowd towards the rooftop I am sure the shot came from.

    The memory of her tackle is fresh in my mind. She must’ve heard the gunshot before me and acted on instinct… her thin, strong arms latching around me in order to protect my body from the concrete she threw me into… A deep voice in the back of my mind reminding me that it might well be her last embrace. And with the anger inside me at the thought of that, I nearly fly up the fire escapes on the side of the building to where I am sure the shot came from.

*

    But there is nothing left of me on the roof, Roger. Sorry to disappoint you.

    It will take more than anger at me ‘killing’ the poor, pathetic android for you to catch me. I dropped the gun as soon as I fired the shot, knowing he wouldn’t be hit, but secretly glad of it, and took off. Making my way out of the dome, I headed straight to the only place I wouldn’t be traced.

    The old subway tunnels. You’re still afraid of subway tunnels, aren’t you Roger?

    And from there, I made my way back to Alex.

*

    Nothing. I look around, and see the gun. For Dastun’s sake I will remain calm. For his sake I won’t touch the … murder weapon. I look off the rooftop and see that the Military Police have arrived. They’ve set up a perimeter around Dorothy’s body and someone is questioning people where I went. Dastun knows I would’ve had to be here, and then he glances up in my direction. I nod.

    My watch beeps and I glance down to see Norman’s face. “Master Roger… Big O’s systems just shut down internally. Has something happened?”

    “You’d better get down here, Norman.”

    “Whatever’s the matter, Master Roger?”

    “Dorothy’s been shot.”

    The ride to the station is not very long, and when we get there, several of the officers snap to attention as Roger leads the way inside. They all saw me dead on the concrete, I assume, and wonder how I could be walking around as well as I am. Roger heads straight for an office, and I follow him inside.

    “Dastun, I need to see the weapon.”

    “What? Roger, some people do try to warn others before they barge into their offices.”

    He steps aside to show Dastun that I am there as well.

    “I thought she was-”

    “Androids cannot be killed, Major, only damaged beyond repair. Luckily, I was not.”

    Dastun sputters. “Why do you want to see the weapon?”

    “I think you might have overlooked something I will catch.”

    “Roger…”

    “It can’t hurt to let her try, Dastun.”

    “This way then.”

    I pick up the gun, wearing the rubber gloves that were given to me to put on, and I see Roger cringe as I do so. I do not ask him but can guess that he is imagining the other me that haunts him sometimes. I lift the gun to eye level and examine it closely.

    “Perfume,” I say, and set down the weapon.

    Roger and Dastun both start.

    “This gun has the faint aroma of strawberry perfume on it.”

    “So the shooter was…” Dastun begins.

    “A woman,” Roger finishes. His face clouds over with thought, and I step back over to him, neatly removing the gloves from my small hands. They were too big anyway.

    “Thank you,” I say to Dastun before stepping out of the small room. I can tell that the two of them have things to say to one another, and do not wish to interrupt them.

***