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Iron Fist Wedding: Chapter 5
Alright; now I know that a lot of facts may not make sense yet (a lot of contradictory stuff from Alan); but it will later on; trust me.
But how will William cope with Alan Gabriel? Find out in the next chapter!
‘Iron Fist Wedding’ Chapter 5, “The pilot”:
“So, if you’re the pilot; where is your badge?” William asks the man; but he merely turns his head and peers down at him with his eyes still hidden under the brim of his hat. “When one is as experienced as I am, one doesn’t need a badge.” He coolly explains, walking along with William; his cold hand upon his shoulder as they strolled side by side.
“I’m not an idiot, and I know how these things work…tell me who you really are.” William demands, moving to release the man’s hand from his shoulder. A cold menacing glance is all the response William gets, and he backs down in fear.
A long moment of silence passes as they stroll down an empty unfinished corridor towards a boarded off portion of the airport; currently under maintenance. “My dear William; I realize that you are confused and unaccustomed to such awkward treatment; but rest assured that I will not harm you…” The man’s voice trails off as if hiding something, and William takes note of this.
As they walk along towards an airplane gate; William notices something shining on the man’s belt, and upon closer inspection notices that it is a gold colored gun; with a long slender barrel and smooth grip. In fear, William steps away from the man a little, but still maintains pace.
“Is something the matter William?” the man asks in his clown-like voice; and William barely squeaks out a ‘no’. The man is smarter than he leads on, and William knows this; but he can’t take any chances and so he must hide his fear as much as possible.
Finally, they make it to the gate; and a small white jet is connected to the entrance ramp. William stares at in question, but says nothing as the man walks over to the door and opens it. At this moment, William gets a good look at his hand, and notices that it’s made of metal; almost thin and smooth enough to be used as a blade.
“Well…” the man smirks as he holds the door open with his hand in an offering position. William quickly peers up; and sees a wide grin across the man’s white face, and his red shiny lips glistening in the low lighting of the half-installed lighting system of the unfinished corridor. His throat is dry, but his hands are clammy and William looks up at the man, “Oh, yeah…Let’s go.”
Down the whole length of the ramp William can feel the man’s stare penetrate his body; but something paralyzes William and prevents him from turning around to verify his gut instincts. His hands stick and slide randomly as William grips the handrails, digging his fingernails into the hard wood in sheer terror.
Just the thought of his gun and the man’s hidden face terrorizes William; but he knows that he must remain strong; and not give in to the man’s scare tactics.
Oddly, in the back of William’s mind, he recalls all the times he had to deal with similar situations; where someone would try to cut him down and make him weak; but William is a professional negotiator, and never once gave into such ploys; even if he the situation seemed hopeless and lost.
For some reason, in the city of Brasilli; it seemed that people hated him and Grace more than any other group; even the police. While on the outside Brasilli seemed to be peaceful and perfect; being there one day would show you the truth; and how the lower class citizens resented everything that the government stood for…
“Have a seat William!” The man pulls William out of his trance and he shakes his head in wonder. “Huh…?” William asks as he takes a quick look at his surroundings; and notices that he’s inside the plane. There appears to be no one inside the plane; but the back of the plane is dark and he can’t tell if anyone is there or not.
William sighs and proceeds to take a seat near the front of the plane; and the man smiles as he closes the door. He walks over to William and places his cold metal hand upon William’s shoulder, and looks William in the face.
William nearly jumps out of his seat as the man touches him, and the man grins. Even with the man this close; William can not see his eyes or anything under the hat. This only drives the fear deep inside William to the surface, and the man grabs William’s hand and frees it from its tight grip on the armrest of the chair.
“You must relax William; you’ll only hurt yourself…” The man smiles and his breath is strangely odorless, drawing William to refocus his attention and regain his composure.
“Strap yourself in; we’re leaving now.” The man’s voice trails off as he strides into the cockpit with his long slender legs carrying him effortlessly up the aisle and he straps himself in as he sits down.
The man quickly checks a few controls, and pulls a lever. As he does, the plane begins to reverse down the runway; and William watches out of the window as the airport begins to grow distant from him. Night has fallen, and in the darkness he swears that he sees a man on the runway; but he disappears no sooner than William sees him; leaving him only to wonder if he was really there or not.
“Oh, and by the way William in case you were wondering, I’ve already loaded your suitcase onto the plane…” The pilot tells William as he turns the plane towards the runway exit. Suddenly aware, William darts his eyes left and right to look for his suitcase which he recalled taking with him, but realizes that it’s gone.
A cold shiver runs down William’s spine as he realizes that he did have the suitcase; but he doesn’t remember when he last had it. His lower lip trembles in fear, and William pulls it under his upper lip to hide his true feelings.
The plane begins to take off, and the G-Forces push William back into his seat; and he remembers at that very moment just how long it had been since he took a ride in a plane.
He tries to breathe, but between the events of the past few minutes coupled with his fear of heights make his nauseous, and he holds back his barf.
The pilot doesn’t even notice this; but instead focuses all his attention towards taking off, and as soon as they are airborne, the pilot smiles and stretches his arms for a moment before grabbing the controls again.
He throws a couple more switches, and presses a few buttons, and pretty soon the ride is stabilized. William looks out his window and stares in awe at a sight he has never seen before.
It is the city of Brasilli; but it is glowing with the many beautiful street lamps and headlights of cars rushing through the maze of buildings. They are not extremely high; and William can tell that they still weren’t above the tallest of the skyscrapers of Brasilli; but soon they are into the sea of clouds, and the peaceful lights of the city go down; and the view turns into a dull shade of grey.
“You’re pretty quiet William; what’s on your mind?” The pilot asks him, not turning away from the windshield as he majestically pilots them through the clouds. William turns away from the window and directs his gaze towards his host.
“I’m not really sure what to make of all this…” William explains with a new sense of himself. The man shakes his head lightly, “Ah, so I see…” he begins as he holds his hand in the air, “…What doesn’t make sense to you?” “Besides everything?” William remarks sarcastically; but it doesn’t faze the pilot as he moves not even a muscle.
“Well, for starters, why has no one been to Paradigm City in nearly 50 years?” William asks. This draws the pilot’s attention and he turns around in the swivel chair to face William for a brief moment, “I was waiting for you to ask that…” he smirks with happiness and turns back to the controls.
“Well, let me start from the beginning. At first, our city was like any other; just like your home Brasilli or any other city like Electric City. But the government in my city was not happy with the citizens anymore; and felt that something needed to be done. And so began ‘Project: Tomato Garden’.” The pilot’s smile grew as he spoke.
“You see, the mayor of fair city was not at all pleased with the citizens, and decided that something had to be done. He conferenced with other council members, and it was he that came up with the master plan.” The pilot explained. William listened intently, catching each word as it floated to him with undivided attention.
“His name was Alex Rosewater. He had been mayor for quite some time; and had many friends and a lot of authority in the city. But this plan was so controversial, and even though Alex himself was willing to be a part of the plan and play along 100; the members of the city council were still skeptical and they vetoed it. But Alex would not be deterred; instead he knew that he had to get his plan under way at once; and consulted with his father, Gordon. Now you see, Gordon and Alex didn’t always see eye to eye on everything, but since Gordon was one of the highest members of the country’s cabinet; he could pull certain strings that Alex couldn’t.” The pilot explains.
“Hey, I remember Gordon Rosewater. They said that he died…” William begins as he recalls something that troubles him, “…nearly 50 years ago.” The pilot smirks and nods his head silently, “Ah, so you’re beginning to understand dear William…” The plane hits a little turbulence and bounces slightly up and down before it stabilizes and cruises along again smoothly.
“Well, Gordon met with the leaders of the country and they finally agreed to let him and his son carry out their master plan; but it had to be kept secret for an outsider could contaminate the project. So, with the board’s approval, the city’s name was changed from Metropolis to Paradigm City as a joke since Paradigm means a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and/or practices that constitute a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them. It fit Metropolis perfectly and thus began ‘Project: Tomato Garden’.”
“Didn’t the people have a say in this? What were they doing this whole time?” William asks him. “The people were pawns in Alex’s master game of chess. He played them with such professionalism and expertise that not even the local police knew what was going on. Alex has the head of the project and controlled everything; from the people to the government to the religion to the military police; you name it; Alex controlled it. He even controlled what pets were allowed in Paradigm, and since Alex was allergic to dogs he made sure that none were left; of course he may have missed a few but the Megadeuses remedied that problem…”
“MEGADEUSES!” William announced in disbelief, “Those have been outlawed in Brasilli for nearly…50 years.” William again realizes as the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place.
“Isn’t it amazing how well his plan worked? Is it any wonder I went along with it?” The pilot asks William rhetorically. William nods a little and continues to listen to the pilot speak.
“Well, after that, came the hardest part of the project, which was to eliminate the memories of the citizens of Paradigm…which proved to be relatively easy. All we had to do was show them the exit out of Paradigm; which was in reality an entrance into a specially designed chamber inside Paradigm Headquarters, and in there; Alex’s master plan came to life as the memories of the citizens were erased and each emerged with only the most basic of memories…enough to start anew; and in the way that Alex Rosewater wanted. Only one man managed to escape us; later he tried to become a hero and free the citizens of Paradigm from their memory loss…he went under the moniker of Schwarzwald; we had a hard time tracking him down, but we eventually did and dumped his body into the water…” The pilot again smiles and turns the plane to the right and into a slight assent.
As the pilot casually turns the plane to the right the plane coasts along the smooth air. “Now keep in mind that although Alex was a businessman, his first duty was to himself. His first objective after eliminating the memories of the citizens was to eliminate his enemies; one at a time. He assigned each of them barcodes, making a list; and so he targeted them. They were the members of the council who opposed him, and first off was Ellen Weight; code number 9 701330 551490. Then came Mathew Brown; code number 9 701330 510637. Then Larry Flannis; code number 9 701330 520717; and lastly Nancy Bolton; code number 9 701330 101541. They were each brutally murdered in cold blood. Some believe that Gordon implanted memories into these guys, and that they were children instead of full grown adults, but Alex did such a beautiful job with the memories that everyone was confused about what was real and what was false…” The pilot smirks at his own words, and laughs cruelly to himself.
“I was the only member he didn’t kill. Well, he thought out killing R.D.; but decided against it after careful consideration.” He laughs lightly to himself as he continues piloting the plane, “But that was only the beginning. With help from Electric City and Ilesberry, they constructed a giant stage around the city; and closed off Paradigm from the rest of the country. They added onto Paradigm, and created new areas to make the memories seem that much more misleading. They added domes, and changed the names of the streets. They even disintegrated the local bank, and the former owner of the bank Beck became a criminal in his new mindset…”
“Then it was onto the androids. We gathered them all up and erased all of their memories as well, but it seemed as though one of our own council members, who was an android named Rosco, told his creator of the impending plans of Alex, and his creator hid himself and his robots. He changed his last name to Seldano, but his real name was Dr. Wayneright…” The pilot’s expression grows sad as he recalls something.
“What is it?” William asks him. “I was remembering one of his robots in particular. Her name was R. Dorothy. She was a pretty little girl; but she was a trouble maker as well.” He sighs and laughs a little.
“Sure, there were others who opposed us, like the Union of Workers who simply became known as the Union, but they weren’t a much of a pest as little Dorothy Wayneright was. Between her and Roger Smith; they ruined our plans! If only they hadn’t met!” The pilot smashes his fist into the controls, and hangs his head in regret.
“How?” William asks. The pilot shakes his head, “If you must know, Roger Smith was the negotiator of Metropolis, and later became the negotiator of Paradigm City. He had a contract with Gordon; and Gordon was unsure whether or not to eliminate Roger’s memories; but eventually decided to…and that hesitation was a mistake since Roger knew more than he should have known; and him finding that damn android didn’t help! Between Roger’s curiosity and Dorothy’s memories, they ruined our master plan! It was them that destroyed my Megadeus when my Megadeus Big Duo and I attacked him!” The pilot announces as he smiles as he puts the plane into auto-pilot.
“I linked myself up with Big Duo and had my memories transferred to him. I was so close to defeating Roger Smith! I was so close to killing Roger Smith inside that Megadeus of his, but that blasted Schwarzwald tampered with my Megadeus! I don’t how he did it; but he managed to make it so that my Megadeus shorted out and nearly killed me, he tried to make me believe that a Megadeus chooses its dominus! HA! That fool! He didn’t kill me! I survived! Those cables did nothing more than create the illusion of my demise; allowing me to escape and come back to my hometown of Brasilli…” The pilot rises from his chair, and waves his arms about in the arm triumphantly.
“But then I heard of a certain Professor Rezno, and the people who gave me my android parts at the ACE Corporation nearly 50 years ago, saving and extending my life at the same time, told me that he had created a device that could transfer an android’s memories into a version of itself in the past…” he reaches into his pocket and pulls out William’s device.
William’s mouth drops in shock and the sheer terror consumes his soul as he freezes in fear to the chair. The pilot removes his gun from its holster and points it at William’s head, “But thanks to you getting the device from him, William Prime; I, Alan Gabriel, now have the means to destroy Roger Smith once and for all!”
But how will William cope with Alan Gabriel? Find out in the next chapter!
Click here to read the story!
‘Iron Fist Wedding’ Chapter 5, “The pilot”:
“So, if you’re the pilot; where is your badge?” William asks the man; but he merely turns his head and peers down at him with his eyes still hidden under the brim of his hat. “When one is as experienced as I am, one doesn’t need a badge.” He coolly explains, walking along with William; his cold hand upon his shoulder as they strolled side by side.
“I’m not an idiot, and I know how these things work…tell me who you really are.” William demands, moving to release the man’s hand from his shoulder. A cold menacing glance is all the response William gets, and he backs down in fear.
A long moment of silence passes as they stroll down an empty unfinished corridor towards a boarded off portion of the airport; currently under maintenance. “My dear William; I realize that you are confused and unaccustomed to such awkward treatment; but rest assured that I will not harm you…” The man’s voice trails off as if hiding something, and William takes note of this.
As they walk along towards an airplane gate; William notices something shining on the man’s belt, and upon closer inspection notices that it is a gold colored gun; with a long slender barrel and smooth grip. In fear, William steps away from the man a little, but still maintains pace.
“Is something the matter William?” the man asks in his clown-like voice; and William barely squeaks out a ‘no’. The man is smarter than he leads on, and William knows this; but he can’t take any chances and so he must hide his fear as much as possible.
Finally, they make it to the gate; and a small white jet is connected to the entrance ramp. William stares at in question, but says nothing as the man walks over to the door and opens it. At this moment, William gets a good look at his hand, and notices that it’s made of metal; almost thin and smooth enough to be used as a blade.
“Well…” the man smirks as he holds the door open with his hand in an offering position. William quickly peers up; and sees a wide grin across the man’s white face, and his red shiny lips glistening in the low lighting of the half-installed lighting system of the unfinished corridor. His throat is dry, but his hands are clammy and William looks up at the man, “Oh, yeah…Let’s go.”
Down the whole length of the ramp William can feel the man’s stare penetrate his body; but something paralyzes William and prevents him from turning around to verify his gut instincts. His hands stick and slide randomly as William grips the handrails, digging his fingernails into the hard wood in sheer terror.
Just the thought of his gun and the man’s hidden face terrorizes William; but he knows that he must remain strong; and not give in to the man’s scare tactics.
Oddly, in the back of William’s mind, he recalls all the times he had to deal with similar situations; where someone would try to cut him down and make him weak; but William is a professional negotiator, and never once gave into such ploys; even if he the situation seemed hopeless and lost.
For some reason, in the city of Brasilli; it seemed that people hated him and Grace more than any other group; even the police. While on the outside Brasilli seemed to be peaceful and perfect; being there one day would show you the truth; and how the lower class citizens resented everything that the government stood for…
“Have a seat William!” The man pulls William out of his trance and he shakes his head in wonder. “Huh…?” William asks as he takes a quick look at his surroundings; and notices that he’s inside the plane. There appears to be no one inside the plane; but the back of the plane is dark and he can’t tell if anyone is there or not.
William sighs and proceeds to take a seat near the front of the plane; and the man smiles as he closes the door. He walks over to William and places his cold metal hand upon William’s shoulder, and looks William in the face.
William nearly jumps out of his seat as the man touches him, and the man grins. Even with the man this close; William can not see his eyes or anything under the hat. This only drives the fear deep inside William to the surface, and the man grabs William’s hand and frees it from its tight grip on the armrest of the chair.
“You must relax William; you’ll only hurt yourself…” The man smiles and his breath is strangely odorless, drawing William to refocus his attention and regain his composure.
“Strap yourself in; we’re leaving now.” The man’s voice trails off as he strides into the cockpit with his long slender legs carrying him effortlessly up the aisle and he straps himself in as he sits down.
The man quickly checks a few controls, and pulls a lever. As he does, the plane begins to reverse down the runway; and William watches out of the window as the airport begins to grow distant from him. Night has fallen, and in the darkness he swears that he sees a man on the runway; but he disappears no sooner than William sees him; leaving him only to wonder if he was really there or not.
“Oh, and by the way William in case you were wondering, I’ve already loaded your suitcase onto the plane…” The pilot tells William as he turns the plane towards the runway exit. Suddenly aware, William darts his eyes left and right to look for his suitcase which he recalled taking with him, but realizes that it’s gone.
A cold shiver runs down William’s spine as he realizes that he did have the suitcase; but he doesn’t remember when he last had it. His lower lip trembles in fear, and William pulls it under his upper lip to hide his true feelings.
The plane begins to take off, and the G-Forces push William back into his seat; and he remembers at that very moment just how long it had been since he took a ride in a plane.
He tries to breathe, but between the events of the past few minutes coupled with his fear of heights make his nauseous, and he holds back his barf.
The pilot doesn’t even notice this; but instead focuses all his attention towards taking off, and as soon as they are airborne, the pilot smiles and stretches his arms for a moment before grabbing the controls again.
He throws a couple more switches, and presses a few buttons, and pretty soon the ride is stabilized. William looks out his window and stares in awe at a sight he has never seen before.
It is the city of Brasilli; but it is glowing with the many beautiful street lamps and headlights of cars rushing through the maze of buildings. They are not extremely high; and William can tell that they still weren’t above the tallest of the skyscrapers of Brasilli; but soon they are into the sea of clouds, and the peaceful lights of the city go down; and the view turns into a dull shade of grey.
“You’re pretty quiet William; what’s on your mind?” The pilot asks him, not turning away from the windshield as he majestically pilots them through the clouds. William turns away from the window and directs his gaze towards his host.
“I’m not really sure what to make of all this…” William explains with a new sense of himself. The man shakes his head lightly, “Ah, so I see…” he begins as he holds his hand in the air, “…What doesn’t make sense to you?” “Besides everything?” William remarks sarcastically; but it doesn’t faze the pilot as he moves not even a muscle.
“Well, for starters, why has no one been to Paradigm City in nearly 50 years?” William asks. This draws the pilot’s attention and he turns around in the swivel chair to face William for a brief moment, “I was waiting for you to ask that…” he smirks with happiness and turns back to the controls.
“Well, let me start from the beginning. At first, our city was like any other; just like your home Brasilli or any other city like Electric City. But the government in my city was not happy with the citizens anymore; and felt that something needed to be done. And so began ‘Project: Tomato Garden’.” The pilot’s smile grew as he spoke.
“You see, the mayor of fair city was not at all pleased with the citizens, and decided that something had to be done. He conferenced with other council members, and it was he that came up with the master plan.” The pilot explained. William listened intently, catching each word as it floated to him with undivided attention.
“His name was Alex Rosewater. He had been mayor for quite some time; and had many friends and a lot of authority in the city. But this plan was so controversial, and even though Alex himself was willing to be a part of the plan and play along 100; the members of the city council were still skeptical and they vetoed it. But Alex would not be deterred; instead he knew that he had to get his plan under way at once; and consulted with his father, Gordon. Now you see, Gordon and Alex didn’t always see eye to eye on everything, but since Gordon was one of the highest members of the country’s cabinet; he could pull certain strings that Alex couldn’t.” The pilot explains.
“Hey, I remember Gordon Rosewater. They said that he died…” William begins as he recalls something that troubles him, “…nearly 50 years ago.” The pilot smirks and nods his head silently, “Ah, so you’re beginning to understand dear William…” The plane hits a little turbulence and bounces slightly up and down before it stabilizes and cruises along again smoothly.
“Well, Gordon met with the leaders of the country and they finally agreed to let him and his son carry out their master plan; but it had to be kept secret for an outsider could contaminate the project. So, with the board’s approval, the city’s name was changed from Metropolis to Paradigm City as a joke since Paradigm means a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and/or practices that constitute a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them. It fit Metropolis perfectly and thus began ‘Project: Tomato Garden’.”
“Didn’t the people have a say in this? What were they doing this whole time?” William asks him. “The people were pawns in Alex’s master game of chess. He played them with such professionalism and expertise that not even the local police knew what was going on. Alex has the head of the project and controlled everything; from the people to the government to the religion to the military police; you name it; Alex controlled it. He even controlled what pets were allowed in Paradigm, and since Alex was allergic to dogs he made sure that none were left; of course he may have missed a few but the Megadeuses remedied that problem…”
“MEGADEUSES!” William announced in disbelief, “Those have been outlawed in Brasilli for nearly…50 years.” William again realizes as the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place.
“Isn’t it amazing how well his plan worked? Is it any wonder I went along with it?” The pilot asks William rhetorically. William nods a little and continues to listen to the pilot speak.
“Well, after that, came the hardest part of the project, which was to eliminate the memories of the citizens of Paradigm…which proved to be relatively easy. All we had to do was show them the exit out of Paradigm; which was in reality an entrance into a specially designed chamber inside Paradigm Headquarters, and in there; Alex’s master plan came to life as the memories of the citizens were erased and each emerged with only the most basic of memories…enough to start anew; and in the way that Alex Rosewater wanted. Only one man managed to escape us; later he tried to become a hero and free the citizens of Paradigm from their memory loss…he went under the moniker of Schwarzwald; we had a hard time tracking him down, but we eventually did and dumped his body into the water…” The pilot again smiles and turns the plane to the right and into a slight assent.
As the pilot casually turns the plane to the right the plane coasts along the smooth air. “Now keep in mind that although Alex was a businessman, his first duty was to himself. His first objective after eliminating the memories of the citizens was to eliminate his enemies; one at a time. He assigned each of them barcodes, making a list; and so he targeted them. They were the members of the council who opposed him, and first off was Ellen Weight; code number 9 701330 551490. Then came Mathew Brown; code number 9 701330 510637. Then Larry Flannis; code number 9 701330 520717; and lastly Nancy Bolton; code number 9 701330 101541. They were each brutally murdered in cold blood. Some believe that Gordon implanted memories into these guys, and that they were children instead of full grown adults, but Alex did such a beautiful job with the memories that everyone was confused about what was real and what was false…” The pilot smirks at his own words, and laughs cruelly to himself.
“I was the only member he didn’t kill. Well, he thought out killing R.D.; but decided against it after careful consideration.” He laughs lightly to himself as he continues piloting the plane, “But that was only the beginning. With help from Electric City and Ilesberry, they constructed a giant stage around the city; and closed off Paradigm from the rest of the country. They added onto Paradigm, and created new areas to make the memories seem that much more misleading. They added domes, and changed the names of the streets. They even disintegrated the local bank, and the former owner of the bank Beck became a criminal in his new mindset…”
“Then it was onto the androids. We gathered them all up and erased all of their memories as well, but it seemed as though one of our own council members, who was an android named Rosco, told his creator of the impending plans of Alex, and his creator hid himself and his robots. He changed his last name to Seldano, but his real name was Dr. Wayneright…” The pilot’s expression grows sad as he recalls something.
“What is it?” William asks him. “I was remembering one of his robots in particular. Her name was R. Dorothy. She was a pretty little girl; but she was a trouble maker as well.” He sighs and laughs a little.
“Sure, there were others who opposed us, like the Union of Workers who simply became known as the Union, but they weren’t a much of a pest as little Dorothy Wayneright was. Between her and Roger Smith; they ruined our plans! If only they hadn’t met!” The pilot smashes his fist into the controls, and hangs his head in regret.
“How?” William asks. The pilot shakes his head, “If you must know, Roger Smith was the negotiator of Metropolis, and later became the negotiator of Paradigm City. He had a contract with Gordon; and Gordon was unsure whether or not to eliminate Roger’s memories; but eventually decided to…and that hesitation was a mistake since Roger knew more than he should have known; and him finding that damn android didn’t help! Between Roger’s curiosity and Dorothy’s memories, they ruined our master plan! It was them that destroyed my Megadeus when my Megadeus Big Duo and I attacked him!” The pilot announces as he smiles as he puts the plane into auto-pilot.
“I linked myself up with Big Duo and had my memories transferred to him. I was so close to defeating Roger Smith! I was so close to killing Roger Smith inside that Megadeus of his, but that blasted Schwarzwald tampered with my Megadeus! I don’t how he did it; but he managed to make it so that my Megadeus shorted out and nearly killed me, he tried to make me believe that a Megadeus chooses its dominus! HA! That fool! He didn’t kill me! I survived! Those cables did nothing more than create the illusion of my demise; allowing me to escape and come back to my hometown of Brasilli…” The pilot rises from his chair, and waves his arms about in the arm triumphantly.
“But then I heard of a certain Professor Rezno, and the people who gave me my android parts at the ACE Corporation nearly 50 years ago, saving and extending my life at the same time, told me that he had created a device that could transfer an android’s memories into a version of itself in the past…” he reaches into his pocket and pulls out William’s device.
William’s mouth drops in shock and the sheer terror consumes his soul as he freezes in fear to the chair. The pilot removes his gun from its holster and points it at William’s head, “But thanks to you getting the device from him, William Prime; I, Alan Gabriel, now have the means to destroy Roger Smith once and for all!”
- 2008-08-13
- THEビッグオー (イラスト & SS)
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Iron Fist Wedding: Chapter 4
Who is this mysterious man? What other surprises does he have in store for William? Find out in the next exhilarating chapter, “The pilot”!
‘Iron Fist Wedding’ Chapter 4, “The airport”:
The engine of William's car gives a mighty roar as it thunders down the street away from his workplace. In the back of his mind rest his moral dilemmas; but he can't concentrate on them at the moment. Right now; it's a race against time to get to his home so he can catch a little sleep before he needs to leave in the morning.
Although William has always been a law-biding citizen most of the time; the traffic lights are starting to annoy me tremendously. High over head; cars rush through the air-lanes unrestricted by terra firma; and finally William’s had enough. He activates the car's thrusters, and lofts himself into the flow of overhead traffic.
The cars up there go quite a bit faster than the ground vehicles; and he has a hard time keeping pace with the unusually fast traffic. Somehow he manages to hold on, and he begins to make excellent time home when his fuel gauge begins to blink.
"Ah man, I knew I didn't have enough for a warp jump; but this is ridiculous!" He hangs his head in shameful acceptance; and drives a few more feet to the nearest refueling station.
The station is virtually empty; and he easily finds a spot, pulling in with ease. A platform extends out from under the pump and he sets the car down upon it as it gives a slight wobble from the tremendous weight of the car. He steps out onto the top of the platform; and walks over to the edge; but quickly steps back.
"Damn, I'm high!" he quietly mutters as he realizes that he's nearly 43 stories off of the ground. "I'd better make this quick!" he rushes over to the pump; a little shaky in each step; and presses the fuel he needs: Standard Gasoline. The pump displays a little screen; asking him for his I.D. and payment.
William slowly reaches into his pocket and grabs his I.D. and credit card; swiping one after the other. A message flashes across the screen, thanking William for his time and to begin fueling; and he merely shakes his head in response.
"Modern technology..." he grunts as he grabs the gas dispenser and places it inside his open fuel door. As the smelly liquid dispenses; William rests upon the car's hood and looks around at the city in awe.
"I wonder if Paradigm can match this level of sophistication." He mutters as he watches cars rush past him just a matter of yards away in every direction. To the untrained eye; it might seem as though these cars are going in no particular direction; and they would crash at any moment; causing a horrible chain reaction that could take many lives; but it almost never happens.
William himself is used to the chaotic drivers; but usually doesn’t drive in the sky-lanes partially due to his fear of unrestrained heights; and partially because he's pretty cheap, and it costs more in gas to use the car's thrusters and fly around.
The nozzle suddenly stops; startling William as he rises from the hood. "Good, now to get the hell out of here!" He quickly places the nozzle back in its resting spot; and grabs the printing receipt. Without a moment's hesitation; he opens the car door and hops in.
"God, I hate the sky-lanes." He mutters reluctantly as he turns the ignition. He stares at the full gauge on his dashboard; smiling. "To home!" he commands to himself as he lifts up off of the platform. As soon as the car's off of the platform, it begins to retract and he speeds off to rejoin the rush of traffic.
He flips on the radio and turns up one of his favorite songs. As he does, he hears a horn blare and out of the corner of his eye he sees headlights in his windshield and quickly looks up.
"SHIT!" He yells as he jerks the wheel down and he dives below the oncoming red and white semi-truck. As it passes over him he sees the blue undercarriage of the semi; and William breathes a sigh of relief realizing that it missed him by mere feet. He exhales slowly as he once again enters the flow of traffic.
"That was too close!" Not losing a moment; William continues on towards home.
As he nears his home; he begins to recognize the neighborhood, even from his high perch above the city. He quickly glances out of the open driver's window; and peers down at the streets below. But no sooner does he pull back, a sudden jolt of fear flushing over him.
He lowers the car slowly towards the road below; signaling his intentions with the car to the motorists below. They ease back and allow him to float down and his tires skid across the ground like a plane landing on a runway.
However, he doesn't lose hardly any momentum as he continues driving his car towards his home; not stopping for anything other than the occasional traffic light he comes across.
Finally, he makes it to the low-end apartment complex he calls home, and exits his car. With the usual shield activation; he walks up to the entrance hoping that a certain someone isn't there.
"I hope I got here before he did..." He quietly says as he slowly opens the creaky entrance door. He's nearly able to squeeze in when the door lets out a loud creak; and William winces in pain.
"That's not good..." He mentions as he opens the door the whole way and bolts up the old staircase as fast as his legs will carry him. The steps creak and crack under his feet; but he pays them no attention as he nears the entrance to his apartment.
He fumbles inside his pocket as he tries to find his keys; but finally manages to find them and unlocks the door with some difficulty. Slamming it shut; William pants lightly on the other side.
"Man, am I glad Juan wasn't here..." he puffs out and walks over to the sofa, a little calmer. A tremendous weight lifts off of him as he lands upon the seat cushions, and sprawls out like a lizard on his belly. He says something; but it's muffled by the pillow in front of his face.
He peeks out above the top of the pillow to look at out his window. It's not a pretty view; just some houses and a small grocery store; but he likes it; it gives him a sense of relaxation and serenity. He smells the semi-stale fabric of the pillow; and grins.
"Yes, it's good to be home." he mutters, pulling the pillow next to his nose to breathe in deep the smell that he's come to recognize. But he decides that he must get some sleep; since in a matter of hours he needed to be at the airport ready to go.
He stands for a moment to close the curtains; and as he draws them shut; the room becomes extremely dark; only a few small night-lights giving off a light glow so he can see the way to the bedroom. He doesn't even bother with the light switch; or even changing his clothes; the only thing he does is set the alarm for 4:30; much earlier than he ever gets up. But the events of the day have worn him out so much that he plops onto the mattress and falls quietly into golden slumbers, not even considering anything else...
RRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG! The familiar ring of his alarm clock breaks his sleep and he slowly rises. He whacks the alarm, and it falls to the ground; but doesn't shut off.
He scratches his head and notices that his hair is a mess. Painfully, he tries to stand but can't. "I gotta get up; but I'm so damn tired..." he states as he picks up the alarm clock from off of the ground. He looks at it with squinted eyes, and stares at it in disbelief. "It can't be 4:30 yet..." William stares at the red LCD numbers that don't lie; and he sadly accepts that it really is 4:36.
He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, and tries to rise again; but lies back on the bed. "Just a few more minutes should help..." William begins as he closes his eyes. But no sooner than he closes his eyes does he suddenly jolt out of bed. "The flight! I've got to get up now!" He shouts and quickly opens the blinds in front of his room.
Sunlight pours into the room, and he shields his eyes from the bright light. "This...should help me stay...awake." he states as his eyes begin to adjust to the light, and he blinks a few times. Grabbing his comb from off of the dresser, William proceeds to quickly comb his hair and cracks his knuckles. Placing the comb down, he strolls over to the closet and opens the door.
Inside; he pulls out a few pairs of pants and shirts; all of them looking exactly the same as the suit he has on now. He also removes an old suitcase; and carefully places the clothes in the case. He looks at his watch, and starts to pack a little faster. He rushes over to the dresser and grabs a few pairs of underwear and places them in the suitcase, along with some socks. Then he stands in the center of the room, trying to determine if he left anything behind.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the device. He holds the device in his hand, and exhales. "You're going in here." William states as he tosses the device into the suitcase.
He walks out of the bedroom and grabs the device's box from the desk in the living room. He tosses into the suitcase with the device; and rushes into the bathroom to grab a few items. He unzips a side pocket of the suitcase, and places the bathroom items inside. As he closes it; he decides that he has everything, and proceeds to zip up the suitcase; pulling tightly as he struggles to close the last few inches of the zipper. But he succeeds, and places his hands upon his hips triumphantly.
"I'm ready!" he declares, and looks at his watch. He shifts it on his wrist, realizing that it left a mark from sleeping on it last night. But the time is right; 5:00, and William steps into the bathroom to freshen up a bit before he leaves. As he stands in front of the sink, he looks at the picture above the toilet from the corner of his eye. "I will find out what happened, Mike. No matter what it takes..." He finishes washing his hands and dries them in a nearby towel.
Smiling, he looks at his teeth in the mirror and decides that he doesn't need to brush them this morning; giving in a little to procrastination.
At last, he finally feels ready to go. He heads back into his bedroom one final time to grab the suitcase, and double checks to make sure that everything is in order. Once he decides that all is well, he opens the door and exits; locking the door behind him.
He makes his way down the stairs; noticing that they are a little squeakier than normal after his mad dash last night; and makes it to the bottom of the stairs when he sees the door to his landlord's office start to creak open.
"Not this time!" he mutters and races across the foyer; suitcase in arms; and grabs the handle of the door. He quickly rushes out and slams it shut behind him. Inside, he hears a soft young girl’s voice say something, but he can't make it out. But at the moment; he really doesn't care to; his only concern is getting to the airport on time.
He finally makes the short sprint to his car, and pops the trunk with his remote. Hastily placing the somewhat heavy suitcase inside; he slams it shut and proceeds to open the driver's door just when the apartment door opens. He looks up, and sees a young girl in her 20's standing in the doorway.
William stops mid-way into the car, and leans on the top of the car with his elbows. "Where are you going so early Bill?" she asks, still in her nightgown and with her short red hair tied up in a ponytail behind her head.
William stares at her without words, but finally manages to say something, "I really have to go Ashley; I can't talk now." "You're always on the go; never in the same place for more than a few hours..." she comments. "I know; but there's something really important I have to do, and..." William begins, but she quickly interrupts him.
"How long do you think my father will wait? How long do you think I'll wait!" Her words stink of truth, but William's reaction is meager. "Please Ashley; can't this wait?" William pleads as he tries to get in the car; but her words hold him back. "No Bill this can't! I've been waiting for you to say those few simple words for so long; but you just can't..." Her expression grows sad, "...or you just won't."
He is hurt a little by her sadness, but he couldn't concentrate on her at the moment. "I'm sorry but I really got to go. You wouldn't understand. I'll talk to you when I get back." William hops inside the car before she can mutter another word to stop him. "And when will that be!" she demands a response; but only gets the sound of William's engines starting up.
"Sorry Ashley; but Paradigm awaits..." William states to himself as he puts the car in drive. As he drives off, he can see her walk into the street behind him and watch him as he drives away. Her face is pretty expressionless, but William knows what she's thinking; and doesn't want to think about it.
He looks at his watch, and decides that he's wasted enough time between getting ready and Ashley, so he activates his warp engine with the simple press of a button on his dash; and like a bullet William's car becomes nothing more than a blur to people walking on the sidewalks as he zooms past them.
In no time flat; he's at the airport; and stops the vehicle's high speed jump. Eying the parking lot cautiously; he finds an open spot; and parks his car snuggly between two larger trucks.
He slowly gets out and walks to the rear trunk, popping it open with his remote. There, he pulls out the suitcase and extends the handle. He closes the trunk and locks the car with its usual shields.
He turns and looks in awe at Brasilli International. William hardly ever flew due to his fear of unrestrained heights, but at the same time enjoyed a challenge.
Still, he had not been there in nearly 10 years, and much had changed in that short time. It has nearly doubled in size; and the main terminal is over 60 stories tall with giant window panes that stare out at incoming travelers. The runways are on either side, and he watched as planes took off and landed almost one-per-second.
There is so much air traffic that William can barely hear himself think and the ground shakes lightly below his feet. He casually strolls towards the terminal, luggage in tow. It bounces along the ground as William makes it closer and closer to the entrance of the Airport; and the airport seems to grow in size as he tries to watch the top of the building as it starts to leave his view.
Alas, he makes it to the entrance, and swipes his I.D. at the entrance; the doors opening to allow him inside. A gust of air greets him as he walks into the open expanse of the main terminal of Brasilli International. High above him the ceiling lies; far from his head unlike at home.
He peers down the cavernous hall; and sees more people in one place than he's ever seen in his entire life. People from every race, every niche of society, everybody and anybody seem to be in the one place all at the same time.
William pushes on, and begins to make his way through the crowd with his suitcase on wheels behind him. People bump and shove their way through; giving him evil glares as they go about their way. William returns the favor, not in the mood to put up with anyone's attitude.
Finally, he makes his way through the crowd, and enters an open area near the main entrance. He looks around at the high level of security; and watches as people enter a booth where rotating scanners pass around their body; searching for anything they deem dangerous. William's face hides his regret; but he decides that he must go; no matter how many regrets he may have.
"Hello sir...Will you be flying today?" A nice young lady states as she greets William as he walks up to the counter. "Yeah..." William begins as he looks around at the name of the airline. "...Axalon Airways. I'm flying with you." William confirms.
The lady smiles, and turns to a small computer. "Do you have your ticket or reservations?" she asks. "Reservations, I was supposed to pick up my ticket here." William states, reaching into his pocket. "May I see your I.D.?" she asks. William holds it up triumphantly, "Way ahead of you."
She takes it from William and scans it in front of the computer screen. "Hmm..." she mutters, "...you're not listed on any flights today. Your flight was today, right sir?" she asks.
"WHAT?" William shouts, but quickly draws looks from other people waiting behind him in line, "How is this possible? I booked it last night; it was a 7:30 flight to Paradigm City..."
"Oh, that's why sir. You must have the wrong airlines." She giggles a little, "We haven't flown out there for over 50 years." "Yes, so I gather..." William states as he remembers the phone conversation yesterday, "...but I'm sure I called you." William retorted.
"Do you remember who you spoke with?" she asks. William thinks for a moment, and then exhales in sadness, "No." "Then I'm sorry sir; I can't help you..." she suddenly smiles, "Have a nice day!" William grabs his I.D. from her and walks away; his whole day, and vacation for that matter, ruined.
He begins to walk back towards the exit when he senses someone behind him. Quickly turning around, William finds a tall skinny man standing behind him.
"Uh, can I help you?" William asks the man in confusion. "No, it is I who can help you, William." The man states, his eyes hidden by a wide brimmed hat.
"How do you know my name!" William demands, only to get a laugh for a response. "It's alright William; you may not know me, but Paradigm's been expecting you for quite some time..." the man grins, his red lips glaring at William.
"What's going on here? Is this some kind of joke?" William asks boldly; but the white-faced man merely smiles and places his hand on William's shoulder. It is cold, almost inhuman.
"My dear, dear William. So many questions...but rest assured the answer to all lies in Paradigm." The man states. "That line! I know it..." William mutters out loud as he recalls his dreams.
"What is it William? You seem surprised by something..." The man tries to get William to reveal his secret; but William holds back. "No, I don't even know who you are..." William states as he looks up at the slightly taller man.
"My name...?" The man says, "My name is not important, yet. But know that your flight; #515C from gate 6E to the outskirts of Paradigm City; is actually going into Paradigm, and is awaiting you..." The man tells him as they towards the door.
"How do you know this?" William asks. The man grins at him, his eyes invisible beneath the cloak of his black and white hat. He adjusts his black with white pinstripe suit, and smiles at William as they walk out the door, "Because I'm the pilot."
Click here to read the story!
‘Iron Fist Wedding’ Chapter 4, “The airport”:
The engine of William's car gives a mighty roar as it thunders down the street away from his workplace. In the back of his mind rest his moral dilemmas; but he can't concentrate on them at the moment. Right now; it's a race against time to get to his home so he can catch a little sleep before he needs to leave in the morning.
Although William has always been a law-biding citizen most of the time; the traffic lights are starting to annoy me tremendously. High over head; cars rush through the air-lanes unrestricted by terra firma; and finally William’s had enough. He activates the car's thrusters, and lofts himself into the flow of overhead traffic.
The cars up there go quite a bit faster than the ground vehicles; and he has a hard time keeping pace with the unusually fast traffic. Somehow he manages to hold on, and he begins to make excellent time home when his fuel gauge begins to blink.
"Ah man, I knew I didn't have enough for a warp jump; but this is ridiculous!" He hangs his head in shameful acceptance; and drives a few more feet to the nearest refueling station.
The station is virtually empty; and he easily finds a spot, pulling in with ease. A platform extends out from under the pump and he sets the car down upon it as it gives a slight wobble from the tremendous weight of the car. He steps out onto the top of the platform; and walks over to the edge; but quickly steps back.
"Damn, I'm high!" he quietly mutters as he realizes that he's nearly 43 stories off of the ground. "I'd better make this quick!" he rushes over to the pump; a little shaky in each step; and presses the fuel he needs: Standard Gasoline. The pump displays a little screen; asking him for his I.D. and payment.
William slowly reaches into his pocket and grabs his I.D. and credit card; swiping one after the other. A message flashes across the screen, thanking William for his time and to begin fueling; and he merely shakes his head in response.
"Modern technology..." he grunts as he grabs the gas dispenser and places it inside his open fuel door. As the smelly liquid dispenses; William rests upon the car's hood and looks around at the city in awe.
"I wonder if Paradigm can match this level of sophistication." He mutters as he watches cars rush past him just a matter of yards away in every direction. To the untrained eye; it might seem as though these cars are going in no particular direction; and they would crash at any moment; causing a horrible chain reaction that could take many lives; but it almost never happens.
William himself is used to the chaotic drivers; but usually doesn’t drive in the sky-lanes partially due to his fear of unrestrained heights; and partially because he's pretty cheap, and it costs more in gas to use the car's thrusters and fly around.
The nozzle suddenly stops; startling William as he rises from the hood. "Good, now to get the hell out of here!" He quickly places the nozzle back in its resting spot; and grabs the printing receipt. Without a moment's hesitation; he opens the car door and hops in.
"God, I hate the sky-lanes." He mutters reluctantly as he turns the ignition. He stares at the full gauge on his dashboard; smiling. "To home!" he commands to himself as he lifts up off of the platform. As soon as the car's off of the platform, it begins to retract and he speeds off to rejoin the rush of traffic.
He flips on the radio and turns up one of his favorite songs. As he does, he hears a horn blare and out of the corner of his eye he sees headlights in his windshield and quickly looks up.
"SHIT!" He yells as he jerks the wheel down and he dives below the oncoming red and white semi-truck. As it passes over him he sees the blue undercarriage of the semi; and William breathes a sigh of relief realizing that it missed him by mere feet. He exhales slowly as he once again enters the flow of traffic.
"That was too close!" Not losing a moment; William continues on towards home.
As he nears his home; he begins to recognize the neighborhood, even from his high perch above the city. He quickly glances out of the open driver's window; and peers down at the streets below. But no sooner does he pull back, a sudden jolt of fear flushing over him.
He lowers the car slowly towards the road below; signaling his intentions with the car to the motorists below. They ease back and allow him to float down and his tires skid across the ground like a plane landing on a runway.
However, he doesn't lose hardly any momentum as he continues driving his car towards his home; not stopping for anything other than the occasional traffic light he comes across.
Finally, he makes it to the low-end apartment complex he calls home, and exits his car. With the usual shield activation; he walks up to the entrance hoping that a certain someone isn't there.
"I hope I got here before he did..." He quietly says as he slowly opens the creaky entrance door. He's nearly able to squeeze in when the door lets out a loud creak; and William winces in pain.
"That's not good..." He mentions as he opens the door the whole way and bolts up the old staircase as fast as his legs will carry him. The steps creak and crack under his feet; but he pays them no attention as he nears the entrance to his apartment.
He fumbles inside his pocket as he tries to find his keys; but finally manages to find them and unlocks the door with some difficulty. Slamming it shut; William pants lightly on the other side.
"Man, am I glad Juan wasn't here..." he puffs out and walks over to the sofa, a little calmer. A tremendous weight lifts off of him as he lands upon the seat cushions, and sprawls out like a lizard on his belly. He says something; but it's muffled by the pillow in front of his face.
He peeks out above the top of the pillow to look at out his window. It's not a pretty view; just some houses and a small grocery store; but he likes it; it gives him a sense of relaxation and serenity. He smells the semi-stale fabric of the pillow; and grins.
"Yes, it's good to be home." he mutters, pulling the pillow next to his nose to breathe in deep the smell that he's come to recognize. But he decides that he must get some sleep; since in a matter of hours he needed to be at the airport ready to go.
He stands for a moment to close the curtains; and as he draws them shut; the room becomes extremely dark; only a few small night-lights giving off a light glow so he can see the way to the bedroom. He doesn't even bother with the light switch; or even changing his clothes; the only thing he does is set the alarm for 4:30; much earlier than he ever gets up. But the events of the day have worn him out so much that he plops onto the mattress and falls quietly into golden slumbers, not even considering anything else...
RRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG! The familiar ring of his alarm clock breaks his sleep and he slowly rises. He whacks the alarm, and it falls to the ground; but doesn't shut off.
He scratches his head and notices that his hair is a mess. Painfully, he tries to stand but can't. "I gotta get up; but I'm so damn tired..." he states as he picks up the alarm clock from off of the ground. He looks at it with squinted eyes, and stares at it in disbelief. "It can't be 4:30 yet..." William stares at the red LCD numbers that don't lie; and he sadly accepts that it really is 4:36.
He rubs the sleep out of his eyes, and tries to rise again; but lies back on the bed. "Just a few more minutes should help..." William begins as he closes his eyes. But no sooner than he closes his eyes does he suddenly jolt out of bed. "The flight! I've got to get up now!" He shouts and quickly opens the blinds in front of his room.
Sunlight pours into the room, and he shields his eyes from the bright light. "This...should help me stay...awake." he states as his eyes begin to adjust to the light, and he blinks a few times. Grabbing his comb from off of the dresser, William proceeds to quickly comb his hair and cracks his knuckles. Placing the comb down, he strolls over to the closet and opens the door.
Inside; he pulls out a few pairs of pants and shirts; all of them looking exactly the same as the suit he has on now. He also removes an old suitcase; and carefully places the clothes in the case. He looks at his watch, and starts to pack a little faster. He rushes over to the dresser and grabs a few pairs of underwear and places them in the suitcase, along with some socks. Then he stands in the center of the room, trying to determine if he left anything behind.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the device. He holds the device in his hand, and exhales. "You're going in here." William states as he tosses the device into the suitcase.
He walks out of the bedroom and grabs the device's box from the desk in the living room. He tosses into the suitcase with the device; and rushes into the bathroom to grab a few items. He unzips a side pocket of the suitcase, and places the bathroom items inside. As he closes it; he decides that he has everything, and proceeds to zip up the suitcase; pulling tightly as he struggles to close the last few inches of the zipper. But he succeeds, and places his hands upon his hips triumphantly.
"I'm ready!" he declares, and looks at his watch. He shifts it on his wrist, realizing that it left a mark from sleeping on it last night. But the time is right; 5:00, and William steps into the bathroom to freshen up a bit before he leaves. As he stands in front of the sink, he looks at the picture above the toilet from the corner of his eye. "I will find out what happened, Mike. No matter what it takes..." He finishes washing his hands and dries them in a nearby towel.
Smiling, he looks at his teeth in the mirror and decides that he doesn't need to brush them this morning; giving in a little to procrastination.
At last, he finally feels ready to go. He heads back into his bedroom one final time to grab the suitcase, and double checks to make sure that everything is in order. Once he decides that all is well, he opens the door and exits; locking the door behind him.
He makes his way down the stairs; noticing that they are a little squeakier than normal after his mad dash last night; and makes it to the bottom of the stairs when he sees the door to his landlord's office start to creak open.
"Not this time!" he mutters and races across the foyer; suitcase in arms; and grabs the handle of the door. He quickly rushes out and slams it shut behind him. Inside, he hears a soft young girl’s voice say something, but he can't make it out. But at the moment; he really doesn't care to; his only concern is getting to the airport on time.
He finally makes the short sprint to his car, and pops the trunk with his remote. Hastily placing the somewhat heavy suitcase inside; he slams it shut and proceeds to open the driver's door just when the apartment door opens. He looks up, and sees a young girl in her 20's standing in the doorway.
William stops mid-way into the car, and leans on the top of the car with his elbows. "Where are you going so early Bill?" she asks, still in her nightgown and with her short red hair tied up in a ponytail behind her head.
William stares at her without words, but finally manages to say something, "I really have to go Ashley; I can't talk now." "You're always on the go; never in the same place for more than a few hours..." she comments. "I know; but there's something really important I have to do, and..." William begins, but she quickly interrupts him.
"How long do you think my father will wait? How long do you think I'll wait!" Her words stink of truth, but William's reaction is meager. "Please Ashley; can't this wait?" William pleads as he tries to get in the car; but her words hold him back. "No Bill this can't! I've been waiting for you to say those few simple words for so long; but you just can't..." Her expression grows sad, "...or you just won't."
He is hurt a little by her sadness, but he couldn't concentrate on her at the moment. "I'm sorry but I really got to go. You wouldn't understand. I'll talk to you when I get back." William hops inside the car before she can mutter another word to stop him. "And when will that be!" she demands a response; but only gets the sound of William's engines starting up.
"Sorry Ashley; but Paradigm awaits..." William states to himself as he puts the car in drive. As he drives off, he can see her walk into the street behind him and watch him as he drives away. Her face is pretty expressionless, but William knows what she's thinking; and doesn't want to think about it.
He looks at his watch, and decides that he's wasted enough time between getting ready and Ashley, so he activates his warp engine with the simple press of a button on his dash; and like a bullet William's car becomes nothing more than a blur to people walking on the sidewalks as he zooms past them.
In no time flat; he's at the airport; and stops the vehicle's high speed jump. Eying the parking lot cautiously; he finds an open spot; and parks his car snuggly between two larger trucks.
He slowly gets out and walks to the rear trunk, popping it open with his remote. There, he pulls out the suitcase and extends the handle. He closes the trunk and locks the car with its usual shields.
He turns and looks in awe at Brasilli International. William hardly ever flew due to his fear of unrestrained heights, but at the same time enjoyed a challenge.
Still, he had not been there in nearly 10 years, and much had changed in that short time. It has nearly doubled in size; and the main terminal is over 60 stories tall with giant window panes that stare out at incoming travelers. The runways are on either side, and he watched as planes took off and landed almost one-per-second.
There is so much air traffic that William can barely hear himself think and the ground shakes lightly below his feet. He casually strolls towards the terminal, luggage in tow. It bounces along the ground as William makes it closer and closer to the entrance of the Airport; and the airport seems to grow in size as he tries to watch the top of the building as it starts to leave his view.
Alas, he makes it to the entrance, and swipes his I.D. at the entrance; the doors opening to allow him inside. A gust of air greets him as he walks into the open expanse of the main terminal of Brasilli International. High above him the ceiling lies; far from his head unlike at home.
He peers down the cavernous hall; and sees more people in one place than he's ever seen in his entire life. People from every race, every niche of society, everybody and anybody seem to be in the one place all at the same time.
William pushes on, and begins to make his way through the crowd with his suitcase on wheels behind him. People bump and shove their way through; giving him evil glares as they go about their way. William returns the favor, not in the mood to put up with anyone's attitude.
Finally, he makes his way through the crowd, and enters an open area near the main entrance. He looks around at the high level of security; and watches as people enter a booth where rotating scanners pass around their body; searching for anything they deem dangerous. William's face hides his regret; but he decides that he must go; no matter how many regrets he may have.
"Hello sir...Will you be flying today?" A nice young lady states as she greets William as he walks up to the counter. "Yeah..." William begins as he looks around at the name of the airline. "...Axalon Airways. I'm flying with you." William confirms.
The lady smiles, and turns to a small computer. "Do you have your ticket or reservations?" she asks. "Reservations, I was supposed to pick up my ticket here." William states, reaching into his pocket. "May I see your I.D.?" she asks. William holds it up triumphantly, "Way ahead of you."
She takes it from William and scans it in front of the computer screen. "Hmm..." she mutters, "...you're not listed on any flights today. Your flight was today, right sir?" she asks.
"WHAT?" William shouts, but quickly draws looks from other people waiting behind him in line, "How is this possible? I booked it last night; it was a 7:30 flight to Paradigm City..."
"Oh, that's why sir. You must have the wrong airlines." She giggles a little, "We haven't flown out there for over 50 years." "Yes, so I gather..." William states as he remembers the phone conversation yesterday, "...but I'm sure I called you." William retorted.
"Do you remember who you spoke with?" she asks. William thinks for a moment, and then exhales in sadness, "No." "Then I'm sorry sir; I can't help you..." she suddenly smiles, "Have a nice day!" William grabs his I.D. from her and walks away; his whole day, and vacation for that matter, ruined.
He begins to walk back towards the exit when he senses someone behind him. Quickly turning around, William finds a tall skinny man standing behind him.
"Uh, can I help you?" William asks the man in confusion. "No, it is I who can help you, William." The man states, his eyes hidden by a wide brimmed hat.
"How do you know my name!" William demands, only to get a laugh for a response. "It's alright William; you may not know me, but Paradigm's been expecting you for quite some time..." the man grins, his red lips glaring at William.
"What's going on here? Is this some kind of joke?" William asks boldly; but the white-faced man merely smiles and places his hand on William's shoulder. It is cold, almost inhuman.
"My dear, dear William. So many questions...but rest assured the answer to all lies in Paradigm." The man states. "That line! I know it..." William mutters out loud as he recalls his dreams.
"What is it William? You seem surprised by something..." The man tries to get William to reveal his secret; but William holds back. "No, I don't even know who you are..." William states as he looks up at the slightly taller man.
"My name...?" The man says, "My name is not important, yet. But know that your flight; #515C from gate 6E to the outskirts of Paradigm City; is actually going into Paradigm, and is awaiting you..." The man tells him as they towards the door.
"How do you know this?" William asks. The man grins at him, his eyes invisible beneath the cloak of his black and white hat. He adjusts his black with white pinstripe suit, and smiles at William as they walk out the door, "Because I'm the pilot."
- 2008-08-13
- THEビッグオー (イラスト & SS)
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Iron Fist Wedding: Chapter 3
William prepares for the trip to Paradigm and tries to hide his secret...but how long can he keep the secret of the device? And what other surprises do await him in Paradigm? Find out in the next exciting chapter of Iron Fist Wedding!
'Iron Fist Wedding' Chapter 3: "The workplace"
Driving in his car down the open, deserted road; William turns up the radio. It’s a song he’s familiar with; but can’t place the tune. He merely shrugs his shoulders and continues driving down the road.
He passes several local shops and stores that he frequents often; and he sees the customers inside shopping and buying their everyday products; unaware of the reality of their own lives.
An older couple sitting outside a diner recognizes William and wave; and he waves back with a slight smile. Although William is friendly; he doesn’t like to show it. Many of his friends have told him this; and told him so in the past. As their faces fill his memory; he recalls all the past events and even more so the recent ones involving the professor.
Although his car has the ability to float above the ground; he prefers the land routes of old; they bring him a sense of ease and relaxation. He barely even looks up at the cars rushing high above his head through the twisted maze of skyscrapers that make up the city of Brasilli. It would seem that every level of every building has a store-front entrance for shoppers who can take their cars right to the entrance; but he prefers the low road.
He retracts the sunroof; and a gust of cool air quickly immerses the vehicle; and the cool air against his hair makes him sigh deeply and laugh a little. He watches as the street signs whoosh by him and thanks to the split roadways; it’s almost a non-stop route directly to his workplace near the edge of the city.
He works in a smaller building; compared to Brasilli standards; only a mere 101 stories tall. It’s also pretty old for Brasilli standards; almost 26 years aged. It’s more of an office skyscraper than a workplace; with the majority of the floors dedicated to computer engineers who run nearly every aspect of someone’s daily life. However, William himself has decided to stay rather low-tech and enjoy the simple life; not being controlled by androids.
He pulls up to the entrance of his work; and parks the car in his usual fashion with the shields. He strolls up to the entrance; the device in his front right pocket; and his hands in his suit coat.
He stops only for a brief moment to look up at the building; more precisely the 4th floor on which he works; and then proceeds to make his way to the entrance. With a simple swipe of his I.D. card; the hologram activates and lets him in.
Inside; a great rotunda appears and fills his vision with grandeur. A crystal chandelier hangs in the center of the room; and an eloquent but hardly used staircase makes for a nice centerpiece along the wall leading up to the second floor.
But instead of admiring the splendor of the room; he casually walks over to the elevator located near the far wall and presses the up button. As the elevator slowly makes it way down towards him from its lofty perch; he bites his lip a little in unnerving anticipation of his first day back at work in nearly 2 weeks.
The door to the elevator slowly creaks open; and he enters. Pressing the 4th floor button; the elevator begins its slow ascent towards his office. The music inside the elevator is its usual slow paced torture of string instruments and a woman with a voice that could murder; but William’s somehow found a way to ignore her blood-curdling screech and managed to survive the slow trip up.
When the door finally opens after the elevator stops; William casually strolls out and stops just outside the elevator door. He reaches effortlessly into his pants pocket to extract a piece of gum; unwrapping it and placing it into his mouth. The cinnamon rush invigorates his senses; and manages to perk his eyes open a little.
With a new gleam in his eyes; he takes measured steps towards the entrance to his workplace. The glass window next to the door is embossed with the words, ‘City of Brasilli Negotiator’s Office; Sir Rafael Galva & Associates.’ He always regretted that his name wasn’t on there; but at the same time didn’t mind it since he got the majority of cases; Rafael only took the calls and assigned the cases to him. He holds the gum on his tongue and takes a deep breath as he opens the door to the office.
Inside; the room is dimly lit by overhead fluorescent lighting; and his eyes adjusted slowly to the low light. He peered around to see everything pretty much the same as when he left what seems like an eternity ago to him.
The black leather chair at his desk is covered in a thin layer of dust; and he lightly blows it off. He takes a seat; and spins around once in the chair. He then proceeds to wheel himself over to the end of his desk and grabs a pencil.
His desk is fairly large; made of a dense fibrous wood; and smooth with a nice coat of varnish. He taps the desk with his pencil, and looks around at the stack of papers near the edge of the left side. Pushing with his feet against the ground; he moves over to the stack and grabs the top piece.
Chewing on the gum; he reads the paper. “Hmm...this is new.” He comments quietly to himself and reads the finely printed words upon the paper. It’s a case involving an android that has gone missing from its home, and its human friends are concerned about its well being.
He grimaces, and sets the page down. He picks up the next paper in the stack; and pretty soon he realizes that the next few pages are the details of the case; the android’s name, make, model; nearly anything and everything that could be known about the case was on those few pages. Accompanying them is some photos and schematics; the usual in his line of work.
Sighing; William replaces the pages in order back in the stack and stands from the chair. He walks down the small corridor towards the dark cafeteria; hoping that some small snack would give him the energy to get through the day.
“SURPRISE!” The lights suddenly turn on and Rafael and Grace jump out from behind a table; flailing their arms about in the air. William is taken back by this, and shields his eyes from the bright light. He swallows his gum, and winces in pain for a moment; but recovers quickly.
“What in the...” he starts. “Welcome back Bill. It’s good to see you again.” Rafael states; and approaches William to shake his hand. At first William is unsure; but slowly extends his hand to grasp Rafael’s.
“Uh...you got a cake?” William comments on the sheet cake lying upon the table with the words ‘Welcome Back’ written in gel. “Oh, that...” Rafael explains in his light French accent, “That is just a little present from us to you. We weren’t sure that you’d return.”
William shifts his view up to meet Rafael’s eyes, “Just how long have you guys been here?” “Nearly 4 hours...” a pretty voice comments from behind Rafael. William moves to look behind Rafael at Grace. “Really?” William comments with a lack of sincerity. “Yeah, but Rafael said you needed some cheering up; so I decided to wait it out with him.” She adds.
Upon saying this, William’s heart sinks and his expression grows sad. “It’s that bad?” Grace asks him. “Yeah, it is.” Rafael and William comment at the same time. William looks up and exhales.
“Grace; I’m not sure if you remember Professor Michael Rezno...” William begins. “Yeah, that nice old man who worked at ACE. If I recall, he was the first Black man to receive the lifetime achievement award from the company. Wasn’t he your father’s partner?” She asks.
William’s expression turns impatient; and he makes an unhappy face. “Yeah; it appears you remember him at least...” he adds, “Anyway, he died yesterday afternoon.”
“WHAT!” She yells, causing Rafael to flinch at her loud voice. “Yes, but keep your voice down.” Rafael retorts, putting a finger in his ear and wiggling it. “Sorry; but he died?” Grace asks in disbelief. “Yeah, I was with him when he passed on. He was a great man; people aren’t like that anymore.”
William states as his expression grows sad once again, “He was my best friend. I still can’t believe that he’s gone.” “These things take time to get over, William. It took me years to get over Ona; it took Grace even longer.” Rafael says politely as he pats William on the shoulder lightly, “It’s never easy to watch a friend die.”
“I’ve just been trying to keep it out of my mind; you know; think of better things.” William says as his eyes hold a slight gleam of liquid, but he manages to hold back the tears.
“It’s O.K. Bill; we’re here for you.” Grace adds as she walks over to William and reaches for him; but he suddenly pulls back. “Thanks you guys; but I think that I’m going to need some time alone...” William says, and begins to walk away.
“That reminds me...about your vacation...” Rafael begins, and William stops and turns to face him. “...I really need you for this new case...” he starts, and then rubs his chin, “...but considering the circumstances; it’s alright. I’m sure Grace can take it.”
“Thanks Rafael, I appreciate it.” William smiles a little, and continues on his way out. But he stops just outside the door, and turns around. “Man, I’m starving. Can I have a piece of that cake?”
Rafael and Grace both begin to laugh and William giggles slightly as he seats himself at the table. He grabs the knife and cuts himself a good sized piece. “Mind if I join in?” Grace asks. “Sure.” William says as he places his hand in front of his mouth and hands her the knife with his other hand.
“Go ahead.” Rafael says and walks towards the door. “You don’t want any?” William says as he finishes off his first bite. “No; my body doesn’t like sweets as much as it used to.” Rafael laughs lightly, and walks out the door; letting it shut behind him. “Gee, I hope William’s as O.K. as he leads on...” Rafael comments as he heads towards his desk.
William scarves down another piece of cake, and turns to Grace. “You’ve hardly touched your piece...” William starts as he looks at Grace playing with her fork. She looks up at him with tears in her eyes, her bleeding mascara running down her face, leaving a trail.
William stops chewing, and swallows hard, “Your really hurt by this, aren’t you?” “It’s not that...” she says, and picks off a tiny piece of cake with her fork. “Oh...?” William mutters lowly as he looks at her through the corner of his eye. She gives him a look of disapprovement, and William backs down.
“Something’s on your mind; tell me.” He says, but his words fall upon deaf ears. She places the food in her mouth slowly and savors the flavor as she slowly pulls the fork out from between her pressed together lips.
“What is it?” he asks her again, this time drawing her attention. “It’s really nothing Bill...” she begins. “I know you better than that...” William states as he cuts himself another piece; but keeps his eyes on her the whole time. She looks at the piece he just cut and laughs a little. “Your cut is off.”
“That’s not what concerns me right now...” He begins as he continues to stare at her. She blinks in confusion, and finally gives in.
“Alright, it’s you Bill.” She says as she wipes away the tracks of her tears from her face. William tilts his head slightly in confusion, “Me?” “Yes, I just can’t understand how you can feel nothing for the professor’s death.” She states coldly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” William queries with a slight attitude. “You know what I mean; don’t make me explain it.” She retorts defiantly. “I’m not so sure I do...” William’s demeanor grows more malevolent.
“Look at you; you’ve changed since you got that cold two weeks ago...you’re like a wall of ice.” She states as she waves her hand in a presentation manner at William.
“I...I...” William begins to raise his voice in anger, but stops before he shows any true emotion. “I’m sorry.” His voice grows quiet again, and Grace looks at him in sadness. “I guess I just don’t know how to handle death.” William states as he once again holds back his tears.
Grace looks at him with a smile, “It’s O.K. Bill; death is never an easy thing to understand. When my mother died; Rafael was devastated; but I was distraught. I couldn’t think straight; I couldn’t concentrate on my work; I couldn’t do anything.”
Grace tries to comfort William with her words, but William’s response is too quick. “Ona died nearly 12 years ago; you were 14,” William begins, “Any teenager would have reacted in the same exact way.”
“Yeah, but you’re shutting yourself in Bill; and that’s not going to help you deal with his death.” If only you knew... William thinks to himself; and finishes off the piece of cake.
“I’ll be alright Grace; I’m more concerned about you.” William quickly changed the topic. “I’ll be fine Bill...I didn’t know him that well.” She states coldly in order to throw William off, but William merely squints in disagreement. “I’ll buy that for now...” William kills the conversation and starts on his third piece of cake.
Both of them remain silent for another few minutes until William finishes off the fourth slice of cake, and leans back in discomfort. “Man, you shouldn’t eat that so fast; you’ll get a stomach ache.” Grace comments and points to his stomach with her painted, perfect nails.
“Yeah, but all I had this morning was a cold waffle...” William adds, laughing. Grace joins in the laugh, and she stands from the table slowly. “I’m full...”she says as she picks up her plate.
William stares at the half-eaten piece of cake as she dumps it into the trash. “So wasteful...” he comments lightly. She doesn’t hear him, and places her plate in the small sink they have in the cafeteria.
“Are you going to have any more cake; or should I put it away?” she asks him. He looks at the cake, and then his stomach, “I think I’m finished.” She laughs lightly as she walks over to the table, picking up the cake.
She places it in the small refrigerator and closes the door slowly with her usual style that she puts into everything she does. “Well, I guess I’m going to take that case then...” She comments as she heads towards the door. “Oh yeah...” William begins as he cleans up his mess and places the plate in the sink next to Grace’s, “...the case.”
He walks over to the door and opens it for her, “Could you call them and let them know what’s going on? I hope they’ll understand since they got their own crisis.” He winks at her and she exits the opened door. “Sure Bill, but promise me one thing...” She asks him as she begins to walk away towards his desk to get the papers.
“Sure; what’s that?” William asks her. “Be like your old self when you get back.” The words hit William deep, and he gave her an uneasy grin.
“Don’t make me promise something that I might not be able to do.” William responds. She lowers her head a little, “Just get better then, O.K.?” “Alright...I can promise that much.” His smile becomes full, and he follows her as she walks away towards his desk.
At his desk, she gathers up the papers that make up the clients file and places them in a folder she grabbed from his desk drawer. She reaches down towards a drawer near the bottom in search of something, and William rushes over and slams the drawer shut just as she begins to open it.
“What’s the matter with you!” She demands as she pulls her hand back. Her glare is evil, but William appears unfazed by it. “That’s...personal.” William states as he slowly rises back to a fully erect stance.
“Gee, you could’ve just told me not to go in there...” Grace states in disgust; casting an examining look upon William. William merely shrugs his shoulders in response.
“Sorry...” His voice trails off as he stands between her and the desk. “Can I get a stapler?” She asks sarcastically and holds out her hand. William rolls his eyes and grabs one from on top of the desk,
“You just had to ask...I don’t go snooping around inside your desk.” “Yeah, but I don’t keep secrets.” She quickly retorted; and proceeded to walk away, her head high.
William dismisses her with his hand in a wave-like gesture and sits down in his chair. “Girls...I can’t believe I actually liked her.” He comments as he peers around to make sure that she was gone. He pulls open the mysterious drawer.
Inside, he removes a small picture of a woman, very pretty; blonde, probably in her early 20’s with bright blue eyes and a brilliant smile. From the angle of the photo it’s clear that she’s holding the camera and taking the picture of herself; and from the background it appears that she’s at a party. Her clothes are brightly colored and she has several beaded necklaces on.
William holds the photo in his hand for a minute; staring at it as if he wants it to burn from his stare. But then he looks away and stuffs it into his pocket. As he does so, he knocks the device out his pocket; and it falls to the rubber mat below. He looks down in surprise; and reaches down to grab it; but as he does he accidentally presses one of the buttons.
The device makes a clicking noise at him, and he brings it up to his chest to view it better. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asks it. It merely sits there; but he notices that the screen is on and giving off a faint glow.
“O.K...” He begins, unsure what to do next. He sets the device down; not wishing to make it do anything else. As he does, he realizes that he needs to go. Reaching for the phone upon his desk, he dials a number. The receiver rings as he places it next to his ear.
“Thanks for calling Axalon Airways; can I help you?” The man on the other end asks. William begins, “Yes, I need to book a trip to Paradigm City; I’ll be leaving...”
“PARADIGM CITY!” The man yells in surprise. William moves the receiver away from his ear for a moment and looks at it; and then replaces it.
“Yeah, so?” He asks. “No one goes there; we haven’t booked a trip there in nearly 50 years.” The man comments in disbelief.
“Well, do even have planes going there?” William asks. “No, like I said no one goes there...” the man laughs lightly, “...But we can get you to the outskirts; there’s a small airport there. You’d just have to rent a car the rest of the way.”
“O.K., how much will that cost me?” William asks. “How soon will you be leaving?” The man queries in response. William sighs, “Tomorrow morning.” “490.00 roundtrip.” The man replies. “That’s fair.” William adds.
“Just be here at Brasilli International at 6:00. Your flight leaves at 7:15. Your flight number is 515C, and your gate number is 6E.” The man states, “Did you want me to fax your ticket to you?” William looks around and sees Grace walking towards him.
“No, that’s O.K. I’ll pick it up at the airport tomorrow. Thanks!” He ends the conversation. “Thanks for calling Axalon Airways!” the man hangs up.
William hangs up just as Grace approaches his desk. “You’re still here?” Grace asks him. William looks up at her innocently, “Yeah; still. Just finishing up some paperwork.” He comments, and smiles at her innocently. “Looks to me like your playing games...” she states, and points to the desk.
“Huh...?” William comments as he looks to where she’s pointing. “Oh crap!” He mutters as he realizes he left the device out on the desk in plain sight. “What is that...?” She asks as she reaches for it. “Nothing; it’s nothing.” William quickly swipes it off the table and holds it close to his body.
Grace peers at him with her cold black irises and taps the desk with her long black nails. “Nothing eh?” she comments as she walks up to him. “Then why are you protecting it?” She leaned in close to his face so her breath lingered about his nose. It was warm, and pleasant from the cake. “Don’t worry about it; it’s just a game pod.” He states, laughing a little.
“Cool! Let me see it!” She states as she reaches for it, but William quickly stands and back away. “No...I...have a level saved on it; if you touch it I’ll have to start all over!” William’s lie didn’t hold water with Grace as she places her hand upon her hip and walks towards William.
“Well then, just let me see it. I’ve never seen anything like that before...” she began. William knew that he couldn’t let her touch it; who knew what the device was capable of, he thought.
“Please Grace...” He begs her as he backs away from her slowly and runs into a corner of a wall. “Well, Bill, it looks like your trapped...” she comments as she strolls up to him and presses her body against him. His hand is stuck between her and himself, and he feels the slickness of her black leather outfit rub against his skin. She reaches up and strokes William’s hair softly.
“Why do you resist me, Bill?” She asks him as she peers into his soft, warm hazel eyes with love and admiration. William feels a hand slide along his body, and grab the waist of his pants.
“Not now Grace!” He yells, but in a tone just loud enough to get her attention. She backs up and adjusts her leather suit, flipping her long black hair back.
“O.K. Bill, O.K. You don’t have to get pushy...” she winks at him and sticks out her pierced tongue, “I know you want me...” she comments innocently as she walks away shaking her butt at him the whole time.
Although William tries to resist; he can’t. He watches her and her ‘assets’ stroll away; but shakes his head free when she turns a corner.
“It’s still too soon...” He comments and turns to walk down the corridor to leave. “...Maybe I can at least find some peace; and those answers; in Paradigm City.” He mutters as he opens the door to leave, “I wonder what other surprises await me there; there must be a good reason why no one’s been there in nearly 50 years...”
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'Iron Fist Wedding' Chapter 3: "The workplace"
Driving in his car down the open, deserted road; William turns up the radio. It’s a song he’s familiar with; but can’t place the tune. He merely shrugs his shoulders and continues driving down the road.
He passes several local shops and stores that he frequents often; and he sees the customers inside shopping and buying their everyday products; unaware of the reality of their own lives.
An older couple sitting outside a diner recognizes William and wave; and he waves back with a slight smile. Although William is friendly; he doesn’t like to show it. Many of his friends have told him this; and told him so in the past. As their faces fill his memory; he recalls all the past events and even more so the recent ones involving the professor.
Although his car has the ability to float above the ground; he prefers the land routes of old; they bring him a sense of ease and relaxation. He barely even looks up at the cars rushing high above his head through the twisted maze of skyscrapers that make up the city of Brasilli. It would seem that every level of every building has a store-front entrance for shoppers who can take their cars right to the entrance; but he prefers the low road.
He retracts the sunroof; and a gust of cool air quickly immerses the vehicle; and the cool air against his hair makes him sigh deeply and laugh a little. He watches as the street signs whoosh by him and thanks to the split roadways; it’s almost a non-stop route directly to his workplace near the edge of the city.
He works in a smaller building; compared to Brasilli standards; only a mere 101 stories tall. It’s also pretty old for Brasilli standards; almost 26 years aged. It’s more of an office skyscraper than a workplace; with the majority of the floors dedicated to computer engineers who run nearly every aspect of someone’s daily life. However, William himself has decided to stay rather low-tech and enjoy the simple life; not being controlled by androids.
He pulls up to the entrance of his work; and parks the car in his usual fashion with the shields. He strolls up to the entrance; the device in his front right pocket; and his hands in his suit coat.
He stops only for a brief moment to look up at the building; more precisely the 4th floor on which he works; and then proceeds to make his way to the entrance. With a simple swipe of his I.D. card; the hologram activates and lets him in.
Inside; a great rotunda appears and fills his vision with grandeur. A crystal chandelier hangs in the center of the room; and an eloquent but hardly used staircase makes for a nice centerpiece along the wall leading up to the second floor.
But instead of admiring the splendor of the room; he casually walks over to the elevator located near the far wall and presses the up button. As the elevator slowly makes it way down towards him from its lofty perch; he bites his lip a little in unnerving anticipation of his first day back at work in nearly 2 weeks.
The door to the elevator slowly creaks open; and he enters. Pressing the 4th floor button; the elevator begins its slow ascent towards his office. The music inside the elevator is its usual slow paced torture of string instruments and a woman with a voice that could murder; but William’s somehow found a way to ignore her blood-curdling screech and managed to survive the slow trip up.
When the door finally opens after the elevator stops; William casually strolls out and stops just outside the elevator door. He reaches effortlessly into his pants pocket to extract a piece of gum; unwrapping it and placing it into his mouth. The cinnamon rush invigorates his senses; and manages to perk his eyes open a little.
With a new gleam in his eyes; he takes measured steps towards the entrance to his workplace. The glass window next to the door is embossed with the words, ‘City of Brasilli Negotiator’s Office; Sir Rafael Galva & Associates.’ He always regretted that his name wasn’t on there; but at the same time didn’t mind it since he got the majority of cases; Rafael only took the calls and assigned the cases to him. He holds the gum on his tongue and takes a deep breath as he opens the door to the office.
Inside; the room is dimly lit by overhead fluorescent lighting; and his eyes adjusted slowly to the low light. He peered around to see everything pretty much the same as when he left what seems like an eternity ago to him.
The black leather chair at his desk is covered in a thin layer of dust; and he lightly blows it off. He takes a seat; and spins around once in the chair. He then proceeds to wheel himself over to the end of his desk and grabs a pencil.
His desk is fairly large; made of a dense fibrous wood; and smooth with a nice coat of varnish. He taps the desk with his pencil, and looks around at the stack of papers near the edge of the left side. Pushing with his feet against the ground; he moves over to the stack and grabs the top piece.
Chewing on the gum; he reads the paper. “Hmm...this is new.” He comments quietly to himself and reads the finely printed words upon the paper. It’s a case involving an android that has gone missing from its home, and its human friends are concerned about its well being.
He grimaces, and sets the page down. He picks up the next paper in the stack; and pretty soon he realizes that the next few pages are the details of the case; the android’s name, make, model; nearly anything and everything that could be known about the case was on those few pages. Accompanying them is some photos and schematics; the usual in his line of work.
Sighing; William replaces the pages in order back in the stack and stands from the chair. He walks down the small corridor towards the dark cafeteria; hoping that some small snack would give him the energy to get through the day.
“SURPRISE!” The lights suddenly turn on and Rafael and Grace jump out from behind a table; flailing their arms about in the air. William is taken back by this, and shields his eyes from the bright light. He swallows his gum, and winces in pain for a moment; but recovers quickly.
“What in the...” he starts. “Welcome back Bill. It’s good to see you again.” Rafael states; and approaches William to shake his hand. At first William is unsure; but slowly extends his hand to grasp Rafael’s.
“Uh...you got a cake?” William comments on the sheet cake lying upon the table with the words ‘Welcome Back’ written in gel. “Oh, that...” Rafael explains in his light French accent, “That is just a little present from us to you. We weren’t sure that you’d return.”
William shifts his view up to meet Rafael’s eyes, “Just how long have you guys been here?” “Nearly 4 hours...” a pretty voice comments from behind Rafael. William moves to look behind Rafael at Grace. “Really?” William comments with a lack of sincerity. “Yeah, but Rafael said you needed some cheering up; so I decided to wait it out with him.” She adds.
Upon saying this, William’s heart sinks and his expression grows sad. “It’s that bad?” Grace asks him. “Yeah, it is.” Rafael and William comment at the same time. William looks up and exhales.
“Grace; I’m not sure if you remember Professor Michael Rezno...” William begins. “Yeah, that nice old man who worked at ACE. If I recall, he was the first Black man to receive the lifetime achievement award from the company. Wasn’t he your father’s partner?” She asks.
William’s expression turns impatient; and he makes an unhappy face. “Yeah; it appears you remember him at least...” he adds, “Anyway, he died yesterday afternoon.”
“WHAT!” She yells, causing Rafael to flinch at her loud voice. “Yes, but keep your voice down.” Rafael retorts, putting a finger in his ear and wiggling it. “Sorry; but he died?” Grace asks in disbelief. “Yeah, I was with him when he passed on. He was a great man; people aren’t like that anymore.”
William states as his expression grows sad once again, “He was my best friend. I still can’t believe that he’s gone.” “These things take time to get over, William. It took me years to get over Ona; it took Grace even longer.” Rafael says politely as he pats William on the shoulder lightly, “It’s never easy to watch a friend die.”
“I’ve just been trying to keep it out of my mind; you know; think of better things.” William says as his eyes hold a slight gleam of liquid, but he manages to hold back the tears.
“It’s O.K. Bill; we’re here for you.” Grace adds as she walks over to William and reaches for him; but he suddenly pulls back. “Thanks you guys; but I think that I’m going to need some time alone...” William says, and begins to walk away.
“That reminds me...about your vacation...” Rafael begins, and William stops and turns to face him. “...I really need you for this new case...” he starts, and then rubs his chin, “...but considering the circumstances; it’s alright. I’m sure Grace can take it.”
“Thanks Rafael, I appreciate it.” William smiles a little, and continues on his way out. But he stops just outside the door, and turns around. “Man, I’m starving. Can I have a piece of that cake?”
Rafael and Grace both begin to laugh and William giggles slightly as he seats himself at the table. He grabs the knife and cuts himself a good sized piece. “Mind if I join in?” Grace asks. “Sure.” William says as he places his hand in front of his mouth and hands her the knife with his other hand.
“Go ahead.” Rafael says and walks towards the door. “You don’t want any?” William says as he finishes off his first bite. “No; my body doesn’t like sweets as much as it used to.” Rafael laughs lightly, and walks out the door; letting it shut behind him. “Gee, I hope William’s as O.K. as he leads on...” Rafael comments as he heads towards his desk.
William scarves down another piece of cake, and turns to Grace. “You’ve hardly touched your piece...” William starts as he looks at Grace playing with her fork. She looks up at him with tears in her eyes, her bleeding mascara running down her face, leaving a trail.
William stops chewing, and swallows hard, “Your really hurt by this, aren’t you?” “It’s not that...” she says, and picks off a tiny piece of cake with her fork. “Oh...?” William mutters lowly as he looks at her through the corner of his eye. She gives him a look of disapprovement, and William backs down.
“Something’s on your mind; tell me.” He says, but his words fall upon deaf ears. She places the food in her mouth slowly and savors the flavor as she slowly pulls the fork out from between her pressed together lips.
“What is it?” he asks her again, this time drawing her attention. “It’s really nothing Bill...” she begins. “I know you better than that...” William states as he cuts himself another piece; but keeps his eyes on her the whole time. She looks at the piece he just cut and laughs a little. “Your cut is off.”
“That’s not what concerns me right now...” He begins as he continues to stare at her. She blinks in confusion, and finally gives in.
“Alright, it’s you Bill.” She says as she wipes away the tracks of her tears from her face. William tilts his head slightly in confusion, “Me?” “Yes, I just can’t understand how you can feel nothing for the professor’s death.” She states coldly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” William queries with a slight attitude. “You know what I mean; don’t make me explain it.” She retorts defiantly. “I’m not so sure I do...” William’s demeanor grows more malevolent.
“Look at you; you’ve changed since you got that cold two weeks ago...you’re like a wall of ice.” She states as she waves her hand in a presentation manner at William.
“I...I...” William begins to raise his voice in anger, but stops before he shows any true emotion. “I’m sorry.” His voice grows quiet again, and Grace looks at him in sadness. “I guess I just don’t know how to handle death.” William states as he once again holds back his tears.
Grace looks at him with a smile, “It’s O.K. Bill; death is never an easy thing to understand. When my mother died; Rafael was devastated; but I was distraught. I couldn’t think straight; I couldn’t concentrate on my work; I couldn’t do anything.”
Grace tries to comfort William with her words, but William’s response is too quick. “Ona died nearly 12 years ago; you were 14,” William begins, “Any teenager would have reacted in the same exact way.”
“Yeah, but you’re shutting yourself in Bill; and that’s not going to help you deal with his death.” If only you knew... William thinks to himself; and finishes off the piece of cake.
“I’ll be alright Grace; I’m more concerned about you.” William quickly changed the topic. “I’ll be fine Bill...I didn’t know him that well.” She states coldly in order to throw William off, but William merely squints in disagreement. “I’ll buy that for now...” William kills the conversation and starts on his third piece of cake.
Both of them remain silent for another few minutes until William finishes off the fourth slice of cake, and leans back in discomfort. “Man, you shouldn’t eat that so fast; you’ll get a stomach ache.” Grace comments and points to his stomach with her painted, perfect nails.
“Yeah, but all I had this morning was a cold waffle...” William adds, laughing. Grace joins in the laugh, and she stands from the table slowly. “I’m full...”she says as she picks up her plate.
William stares at the half-eaten piece of cake as she dumps it into the trash. “So wasteful...” he comments lightly. She doesn’t hear him, and places her plate in the small sink they have in the cafeteria.
“Are you going to have any more cake; or should I put it away?” she asks him. He looks at the cake, and then his stomach, “I think I’m finished.” She laughs lightly as she walks over to the table, picking up the cake.
She places it in the small refrigerator and closes the door slowly with her usual style that she puts into everything she does. “Well, I guess I’m going to take that case then...” She comments as she heads towards the door. “Oh yeah...” William begins as he cleans up his mess and places the plate in the sink next to Grace’s, “...the case.”
He walks over to the door and opens it for her, “Could you call them and let them know what’s going on? I hope they’ll understand since they got their own crisis.” He winks at her and she exits the opened door. “Sure Bill, but promise me one thing...” She asks him as she begins to walk away towards his desk to get the papers.
“Sure; what’s that?” William asks her. “Be like your old self when you get back.” The words hit William deep, and he gave her an uneasy grin.
“Don’t make me promise something that I might not be able to do.” William responds. She lowers her head a little, “Just get better then, O.K.?” “Alright...I can promise that much.” His smile becomes full, and he follows her as she walks away towards his desk.
At his desk, she gathers up the papers that make up the clients file and places them in a folder she grabbed from his desk drawer. She reaches down towards a drawer near the bottom in search of something, and William rushes over and slams the drawer shut just as she begins to open it.
“What’s the matter with you!” She demands as she pulls her hand back. Her glare is evil, but William appears unfazed by it. “That’s...personal.” William states as he slowly rises back to a fully erect stance.
“Gee, you could’ve just told me not to go in there...” Grace states in disgust; casting an examining look upon William. William merely shrugs his shoulders in response.
“Sorry...” His voice trails off as he stands between her and the desk. “Can I get a stapler?” She asks sarcastically and holds out her hand. William rolls his eyes and grabs one from on top of the desk,
“You just had to ask...I don’t go snooping around inside your desk.” “Yeah, but I don’t keep secrets.” She quickly retorted; and proceeded to walk away, her head high.
William dismisses her with his hand in a wave-like gesture and sits down in his chair. “Girls...I can’t believe I actually liked her.” He comments as he peers around to make sure that she was gone. He pulls open the mysterious drawer.
Inside, he removes a small picture of a woman, very pretty; blonde, probably in her early 20’s with bright blue eyes and a brilliant smile. From the angle of the photo it’s clear that she’s holding the camera and taking the picture of herself; and from the background it appears that she’s at a party. Her clothes are brightly colored and she has several beaded necklaces on.
William holds the photo in his hand for a minute; staring at it as if he wants it to burn from his stare. But then he looks away and stuffs it into his pocket. As he does so, he knocks the device out his pocket; and it falls to the rubber mat below. He looks down in surprise; and reaches down to grab it; but as he does he accidentally presses one of the buttons.
The device makes a clicking noise at him, and he brings it up to his chest to view it better. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He asks it. It merely sits there; but he notices that the screen is on and giving off a faint glow.
“O.K...” He begins, unsure what to do next. He sets the device down; not wishing to make it do anything else. As he does, he realizes that he needs to go. Reaching for the phone upon his desk, he dials a number. The receiver rings as he places it next to his ear.
“Thanks for calling Axalon Airways; can I help you?” The man on the other end asks. William begins, “Yes, I need to book a trip to Paradigm City; I’ll be leaving...”
“PARADIGM CITY!” The man yells in surprise. William moves the receiver away from his ear for a moment and looks at it; and then replaces it.
“Yeah, so?” He asks. “No one goes there; we haven’t booked a trip there in nearly 50 years.” The man comments in disbelief.
“Well, do even have planes going there?” William asks. “No, like I said no one goes there...” the man laughs lightly, “...But we can get you to the outskirts; there’s a small airport there. You’d just have to rent a car the rest of the way.”
“O.K., how much will that cost me?” William asks. “How soon will you be leaving?” The man queries in response. William sighs, “Tomorrow morning.” “490.00 roundtrip.” The man replies. “That’s fair.” William adds.
“Just be here at Brasilli International at 6:00. Your flight leaves at 7:15. Your flight number is 515C, and your gate number is 6E.” The man states, “Did you want me to fax your ticket to you?” William looks around and sees Grace walking towards him.
“No, that’s O.K. I’ll pick it up at the airport tomorrow. Thanks!” He ends the conversation. “Thanks for calling Axalon Airways!” the man hangs up.
William hangs up just as Grace approaches his desk. “You’re still here?” Grace asks him. William looks up at her innocently, “Yeah; still. Just finishing up some paperwork.” He comments, and smiles at her innocently. “Looks to me like your playing games...” she states, and points to the desk.
“Huh...?” William comments as he looks to where she’s pointing. “Oh crap!” He mutters as he realizes he left the device out on the desk in plain sight. “What is that...?” She asks as she reaches for it. “Nothing; it’s nothing.” William quickly swipes it off the table and holds it close to his body.
Grace peers at him with her cold black irises and taps the desk with her long black nails. “Nothing eh?” she comments as she walks up to him. “Then why are you protecting it?” She leaned in close to his face so her breath lingered about his nose. It was warm, and pleasant from the cake. “Don’t worry about it; it’s just a game pod.” He states, laughing a little.
“Cool! Let me see it!” She states as she reaches for it, but William quickly stands and back away. “No...I...have a level saved on it; if you touch it I’ll have to start all over!” William’s lie didn’t hold water with Grace as she places her hand upon her hip and walks towards William.
“Well then, just let me see it. I’ve never seen anything like that before...” she began. William knew that he couldn’t let her touch it; who knew what the device was capable of, he thought.
“Please Grace...” He begs her as he backs away from her slowly and runs into a corner of a wall. “Well, Bill, it looks like your trapped...” she comments as she strolls up to him and presses her body against him. His hand is stuck between her and himself, and he feels the slickness of her black leather outfit rub against his skin. She reaches up and strokes William’s hair softly.
“Why do you resist me, Bill?” She asks him as she peers into his soft, warm hazel eyes with love and admiration. William feels a hand slide along his body, and grab the waist of his pants.
“Not now Grace!” He yells, but in a tone just loud enough to get her attention. She backs up and adjusts her leather suit, flipping her long black hair back.
“O.K. Bill, O.K. You don’t have to get pushy...” she winks at him and sticks out her pierced tongue, “I know you want me...” she comments innocently as she walks away shaking her butt at him the whole time.
Although William tries to resist; he can’t. He watches her and her ‘assets’ stroll away; but shakes his head free when she turns a corner.
“It’s still too soon...” He comments and turns to walk down the corridor to leave. “...Maybe I can at least find some peace; and those answers; in Paradigm City.” He mutters as he opens the door to leave, “I wonder what other surprises await me there; there must be a good reason why no one’s been there in nearly 50 years...”
- 2008-08-13
- THEビッグオー (イラスト & SS)
- Comments:0
- Trackbacks:0
Iron Fist Wedding: Chapter 2
Well; you'll probably notice a change in the writing style as the story progresses...like I said before; I had stopped writing this fanfic a long time ago and started it up again; so the format's changed a little. I hope it doesn't deter from the story too much. ;^^
But the plot thickens as William prepares for an adventure unlike any other he’s undertaken in his life! What will happen next?
'Iron Fist Wedding' - Chapter 2: "The dreams".
William seats himself at his desk inside his apartment. A million thoughts race through his mind; but none make sense.
He looks at his watch in disappointment. "It's only 9:10; I wish I didn't have to work in the morning..." he mutters to himself as he reaches inside his newly acquired box and pulls out the infamous device.
As he sets it down the device makes a light thud against his wood table. He gives the device a light spin, and it spins in a circle much the same way a top does and slowly comes to a stop.
He grimaces and stands from his chair. "Why did the professor have to give me this; I don't need this responsibility." He mutters as he walks away from the table and into the kitchen.
It’s a small kitchen, with an old electric stove and refrigerator. He has no dishwasher, just a sink basin with a few unwashed dishes and a green sponge in it. His cabinets are made of wood, and in disrepair. In one of them he finds a box of cereal, and removes the ageless box. From another cabinet he removes a bowl and pours the cereal into the bowl.
Light fills the room as he opens the refrigerator to get the milk. He sighs, and pours the milk onto the cereal and caps the milk afterward. After he puts it away, he grabs a spoon from a drawer under his countertop and places it in the cereal.
As he makes his way back to his living room, he sees the device lying upon his desk. "Gee, and I was half-expecting something to happen." he mutters and laughs as he walks past the still-unchanged device.
The cushions are soft against his tired body on his sofa next to his desk. He turns on a small floor lamp and reclines on the sofa; smiling in comfort. As he bites into his cereal, he turns on the T.V. that is an extremely old floor based model.
"Yes! It's a rerun of Transformers: Cybertron!" he proclaims. It's about half way through the episode, but he watches with excitement. Pretty soon the cereal's all gone, the episode's over; and he turns off the T.V. "Wow, what a boring day! I wish I had something to do!" he sighs, and lies down on the sofa.
As he closes his eyes, he gets an unnerving feeling that he's being watched. He cracks his right eye open to peer at the desk; and more importantly what's on it. He blinks and dismisses it in his mind as nothing; and closes his eyes again. But the feeling grows, and he opens his eyes again to see the device within his view at the edge of the desk.
"That can't be right..." he begins as he tries to ignore this and closes his eyes again. But then he feels something on his leg. His eyes flash open and he immediately looks at his leg to see the device standing up upon his leg with the screen facing him as if it were staring at him.
When he tries to move; he realizes that he can't from total fear. He blinks but for a second and the device is now in his face; right next to his nose. The screen begins to flash a message, "The answer to all lies in Paradigm." But then the screen begins to change, and the dull grey letters in the message change to bright red and appear to grow brighter in luminosity, and a cable juts out from the top connector port and lunges towards his face.
Suddenly he jumps up from the sofa and grabs his face to find nothing. He quickly pans the room to see the device lying upon the table just as he had left it; and realizes that his brow is full of sweat. He shakes off a cold shiver, and tries to get a grip upon himself.
“Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream," he repeats to himself quickly and in a low tone, "it was just a dream."
He looks over at his T.V. to see that it's still on, and an old episode of Digimon is playing. On the carpeted floor lies the partially empty bowl of cereal with the rest of it on the ground; soaking in.
He sighs, and goes into the kitchen to grab a rag to clean up the mess. "I wonder how long I was asleep; I didn't even notice." he mutters as he looks at his watch. The electronic display reads 9:48. "Great."
He opens the door to he restroom and opens his zipper. As he urinates into the toilet; he looks above it and sees an old picture of him and the professor taken several years back at a picnic. In the bottom corner of the picture the words, 'Me and my father's partner Professor Michael Rezno, at the First Annual ACE Corporation Picnic'. There is also a date, but it's covered by the frame.
As he finishes, he smiles, zips up, and flushes. While he washes his hands, he thinks about the good times he had with his father. He stares in the mirror at his uncertain reflection, and blinks.
He walks out and turns off the light in the bathroom by waving his hand in front of a switch. The light flickers on as he waves his hand in front of the switch for it in his bedroom. Lying on the floor is a stuffed teddy bear, and a toy Megatron. But he stops, and exits the room and back into his living room.
"I'm not leaving you out here." he states as he grabs the device from off of the desk and carries it into the bedroom with him. He admires the buttons on it, and the way it feels in his hand.
"I wonder if this thing even works", he mutters as he begins to laugh lightly. He sets the device down on his dresser and grabs a comb from the dresser top. His hair is rather smooth for the lack of care he gives it, and the comb flows through it smoothly and without resistance. The mirror upon his dresser reveals a more at ease William with a smug grin upon his face and a pleasant demeanor.
He slowly crawls into his bed, and reaches for the alarm on the table next to the bed. "6:00 it is!" he proclaims softly and sets the alarm. Yawning, he stretches and pulls the covers over his body.
He grabs a small tool from the table and removes his contacts with it. Finally he feels set and waves his hand in front of a switch near his bed, and the lights go out. He closes his eyes.
RRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG! The alarm breaks the silence of his slumber and he quickly turns it off. "Oh, is it 6:00 already?" he asks himself as he rubs his eyes. He stands up, and walks over to the dresser to grab a change of clothes when he realizes the device is gone.
"Oh no...this is not good." he says and begins to look around on the floor to see if it had fallen off, but it's no where to be found.
"Come on; it's got to be here!" he states as he gets on his hands and knees to look under the dresser. "That's odd." he mutters when he notices nothing under there. But when he stands to his feet the device is back on the dresser. He jumps back in shock, but remains calm.
"I don't know how you did that; but..." he begins to say to the device when the screen activates. The same message flashes upon the screen, "The answer lies to all lies in Paradigm.", and he grabs the device and chucks it out his bedroom window, shattering the glass and the inner frame of the pane.
RRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG! The alarm breaks the noise of his slumber and he quickly turns it off. "Oh, that dream sucked!" he proclaimed and quickly rose to his feet. Barely rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he rushes over to the dresser to see the device still sitting there.
"Where in the hell is Paradigm?" he asks himself, and picks up the device. He examines it, and taps the screen with his finger. "What are you?" he asks it; almost expecting it to answer. But it just lies in his hand, unchanged.
He sets it back down with caution and grabs a change of underwear and socks from the dresser. "Too bad I have to go to work today; else wise I might just try to figure you out." he says to the device as he takes off his socks and changes them.
His closet door creaks open as he opens it and enters. He grabs one of several uniforms hanging on a rack and removes the hanger from it. Tossing the hanger aside, he changes into the uniform and adjusts his tie. It's a slick black uniform suit with a white undershirt and black slacks. "William Prime is on the job!" he proclaims as he admires himself in the mirror.
He goes to the dresser and grabs his watch that he took off last night. "Good, it's only 6:10. Plenty of time to check my mail and perhaps do some research..." he says and glances at the device lying on the dresser. He walks over to the dresser and grabs the device along with his comb and proceeds to walk into the bathroom.
Setting the device down, he combs his hair and makes sure that it's perfect for work. He takes the toothbrush on the sink and brushes his teeth with some toothpaste. After rinsing his mouth out, he looks at his teeth in the mirror and nods approvingly. He grabs the device and leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Into the kitchen he walks and opens the freezer. "Something quick...perhaps waffles." he mutters and he digs out three waffles from a box in the back of the freezer. Popping them into the toaster, he walks into the living room and to his desk.
He opens his laptop, and turns it on. It's a fast model, and pretty soon he's connected. Clicking on his mailbox; he has two messages. "Hmm...spam." he laughs lightly and deletes the first message. "Oh..." he starts as he plays the second voice message. It's from his boss.
The message says, "Hello William, I've checked my calendar and it appears that you have some vacation time built up. I was wondering when you'd want to take it. Just let me know when you get here. Oh, and there's a new case for you as well, but if you want to wait until after your vacation, that's fine. I could always give it to Grace. Thanks, and by the way, how are you feeling? I hope that cold you had is gone; I miss having a nice young lad like you around here."
William smiles and replies. "Hi Rafael. I'm fine now, whatever it was has left just as soon as it came..." he pauses in the middle of his voice message to look at the device, "...I think I'll be taking that vacation tomorrow. I know that it's kind of sudden, but something's come up. You remember Professor Rezno, my dad's partner? Well, he died yesterday, and I need some time to grieve and prepare for his funeral. I'll come in today so I can get my clients in order and inform them of the situation, and break the news to Grace. She didn't know him well, but she met him a couple times at those picnics the ACE Corporation held every year...anyway, I'm sorry that I had to break the news to you like this, but I guess it's better to hear it from me than on the news. I'll be in around 7:30 as usual, and thanks for your concern." he finishes and sends the message.
He opens a map program in his computer and enters 'Paradigm' into the search box. Instantly results appear, and he realizes that Paradigm City is no more than a mere 60 miles south of him.
"Huh, that must be the Paradigm the dreams were referring to." he states and prints off directions. "I think I'll take the long way, no sense in rushing my vacation."
He grabs the paper he printed off and the device and places them inside the box for the device. He walks back into the kitchen and eats his slightly cold waffles with a mild coating of butter.
He adjusts the handkerchief in his suit pocket, and smiles as exits the apartment. "Oh well, at least one day of work before my vacation will be nice; I wonder if there is a negotiator like me in Paradigm City..."
But the plot thickens as William prepares for an adventure unlike any other he’s undertaken in his life! What will happen next?
Click here to read the story!
'Iron Fist Wedding' - Chapter 2: "The dreams".
William seats himself at his desk inside his apartment. A million thoughts race through his mind; but none make sense.
He looks at his watch in disappointment. "It's only 9:10; I wish I didn't have to work in the morning..." he mutters to himself as he reaches inside his newly acquired box and pulls out the infamous device.
As he sets it down the device makes a light thud against his wood table. He gives the device a light spin, and it spins in a circle much the same way a top does and slowly comes to a stop.
He grimaces and stands from his chair. "Why did the professor have to give me this; I don't need this responsibility." He mutters as he walks away from the table and into the kitchen.
It’s a small kitchen, with an old electric stove and refrigerator. He has no dishwasher, just a sink basin with a few unwashed dishes and a green sponge in it. His cabinets are made of wood, and in disrepair. In one of them he finds a box of cereal, and removes the ageless box. From another cabinet he removes a bowl and pours the cereal into the bowl.
Light fills the room as he opens the refrigerator to get the milk. He sighs, and pours the milk onto the cereal and caps the milk afterward. After he puts it away, he grabs a spoon from a drawer under his countertop and places it in the cereal.
As he makes his way back to his living room, he sees the device lying upon his desk. "Gee, and I was half-expecting something to happen." he mutters and laughs as he walks past the still-unchanged device.
The cushions are soft against his tired body on his sofa next to his desk. He turns on a small floor lamp and reclines on the sofa; smiling in comfort. As he bites into his cereal, he turns on the T.V. that is an extremely old floor based model.
"Yes! It's a rerun of Transformers: Cybertron!" he proclaims. It's about half way through the episode, but he watches with excitement. Pretty soon the cereal's all gone, the episode's over; and he turns off the T.V. "Wow, what a boring day! I wish I had something to do!" he sighs, and lies down on the sofa.
As he closes his eyes, he gets an unnerving feeling that he's being watched. He cracks his right eye open to peer at the desk; and more importantly what's on it. He blinks and dismisses it in his mind as nothing; and closes his eyes again. But the feeling grows, and he opens his eyes again to see the device within his view at the edge of the desk.
"That can't be right..." he begins as he tries to ignore this and closes his eyes again. But then he feels something on his leg. His eyes flash open and he immediately looks at his leg to see the device standing up upon his leg with the screen facing him as if it were staring at him.
When he tries to move; he realizes that he can't from total fear. He blinks but for a second and the device is now in his face; right next to his nose. The screen begins to flash a message, "The answer to all lies in Paradigm." But then the screen begins to change, and the dull grey letters in the message change to bright red and appear to grow brighter in luminosity, and a cable juts out from the top connector port and lunges towards his face.
Suddenly he jumps up from the sofa and grabs his face to find nothing. He quickly pans the room to see the device lying upon the table just as he had left it; and realizes that his brow is full of sweat. He shakes off a cold shiver, and tries to get a grip upon himself.
“Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream," he repeats to himself quickly and in a low tone, "it was just a dream."
He looks over at his T.V. to see that it's still on, and an old episode of Digimon is playing. On the carpeted floor lies the partially empty bowl of cereal with the rest of it on the ground; soaking in.
He sighs, and goes into the kitchen to grab a rag to clean up the mess. "I wonder how long I was asleep; I didn't even notice." he mutters as he looks at his watch. The electronic display reads 9:48. "Great."
He opens the door to he restroom and opens his zipper. As he urinates into the toilet; he looks above it and sees an old picture of him and the professor taken several years back at a picnic. In the bottom corner of the picture the words, 'Me and my father's partner Professor Michael Rezno, at the First Annual ACE Corporation Picnic'. There is also a date, but it's covered by the frame.
As he finishes, he smiles, zips up, and flushes. While he washes his hands, he thinks about the good times he had with his father. He stares in the mirror at his uncertain reflection, and blinks.
He walks out and turns off the light in the bathroom by waving his hand in front of a switch. The light flickers on as he waves his hand in front of the switch for it in his bedroom. Lying on the floor is a stuffed teddy bear, and a toy Megatron. But he stops, and exits the room and back into his living room.
"I'm not leaving you out here." he states as he grabs the device from off of the desk and carries it into the bedroom with him. He admires the buttons on it, and the way it feels in his hand.
"I wonder if this thing even works", he mutters as he begins to laugh lightly. He sets the device down on his dresser and grabs a comb from the dresser top. His hair is rather smooth for the lack of care he gives it, and the comb flows through it smoothly and without resistance. The mirror upon his dresser reveals a more at ease William with a smug grin upon his face and a pleasant demeanor.
He slowly crawls into his bed, and reaches for the alarm on the table next to the bed. "6:00 it is!" he proclaims softly and sets the alarm. Yawning, he stretches and pulls the covers over his body.
He grabs a small tool from the table and removes his contacts with it. Finally he feels set and waves his hand in front of a switch near his bed, and the lights go out. He closes his eyes.
RRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG! The alarm breaks the silence of his slumber and he quickly turns it off. "Oh, is it 6:00 already?" he asks himself as he rubs his eyes. He stands up, and walks over to the dresser to grab a change of clothes when he realizes the device is gone.
"Oh no...this is not good." he says and begins to look around on the floor to see if it had fallen off, but it's no where to be found.
"Come on; it's got to be here!" he states as he gets on his hands and knees to look under the dresser. "That's odd." he mutters when he notices nothing under there. But when he stands to his feet the device is back on the dresser. He jumps back in shock, but remains calm.
"I don't know how you did that; but..." he begins to say to the device when the screen activates. The same message flashes upon the screen, "The answer lies to all lies in Paradigm.", and he grabs the device and chucks it out his bedroom window, shattering the glass and the inner frame of the pane.
RRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGGG! The alarm breaks the noise of his slumber and he quickly turns it off. "Oh, that dream sucked!" he proclaimed and quickly rose to his feet. Barely rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he rushes over to the dresser to see the device still sitting there.
"Where in the hell is Paradigm?" he asks himself, and picks up the device. He examines it, and taps the screen with his finger. "What are you?" he asks it; almost expecting it to answer. But it just lies in his hand, unchanged.
He sets it back down with caution and grabs a change of underwear and socks from the dresser. "Too bad I have to go to work today; else wise I might just try to figure you out." he says to the device as he takes off his socks and changes them.
His closet door creaks open as he opens it and enters. He grabs one of several uniforms hanging on a rack and removes the hanger from it. Tossing the hanger aside, he changes into the uniform and adjusts his tie. It's a slick black uniform suit with a white undershirt and black slacks. "William Prime is on the job!" he proclaims as he admires himself in the mirror.
He goes to the dresser and grabs his watch that he took off last night. "Good, it's only 6:10. Plenty of time to check my mail and perhaps do some research..." he says and glances at the device lying on the dresser. He walks over to the dresser and grabs the device along with his comb and proceeds to walk into the bathroom.
Setting the device down, he combs his hair and makes sure that it's perfect for work. He takes the toothbrush on the sink and brushes his teeth with some toothpaste. After rinsing his mouth out, he looks at his teeth in the mirror and nods approvingly. He grabs the device and leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Into the kitchen he walks and opens the freezer. "Something quick...perhaps waffles." he mutters and he digs out three waffles from a box in the back of the freezer. Popping them into the toaster, he walks into the living room and to his desk.
He opens his laptop, and turns it on. It's a fast model, and pretty soon he's connected. Clicking on his mailbox; he has two messages. "Hmm...spam." he laughs lightly and deletes the first message. "Oh..." he starts as he plays the second voice message. It's from his boss.
The message says, "Hello William, I've checked my calendar and it appears that you have some vacation time built up. I was wondering when you'd want to take it. Just let me know when you get here. Oh, and there's a new case for you as well, but if you want to wait until after your vacation, that's fine. I could always give it to Grace. Thanks, and by the way, how are you feeling? I hope that cold you had is gone; I miss having a nice young lad like you around here."
William smiles and replies. "Hi Rafael. I'm fine now, whatever it was has left just as soon as it came..." he pauses in the middle of his voice message to look at the device, "...I think I'll be taking that vacation tomorrow. I know that it's kind of sudden, but something's come up. You remember Professor Rezno, my dad's partner? Well, he died yesterday, and I need some time to grieve and prepare for his funeral. I'll come in today so I can get my clients in order and inform them of the situation, and break the news to Grace. She didn't know him well, but she met him a couple times at those picnics the ACE Corporation held every year...anyway, I'm sorry that I had to break the news to you like this, but I guess it's better to hear it from me than on the news. I'll be in around 7:30 as usual, and thanks for your concern." he finishes and sends the message.
He opens a map program in his computer and enters 'Paradigm' into the search box. Instantly results appear, and he realizes that Paradigm City is no more than a mere 60 miles south of him.
"Huh, that must be the Paradigm the dreams were referring to." he states and prints off directions. "I think I'll take the long way, no sense in rushing my vacation."
He grabs the paper he printed off and the device and places them inside the box for the device. He walks back into the kitchen and eats his slightly cold waffles with a mild coating of butter.
He adjusts the handkerchief in his suit pocket, and smiles as exits the apartment. "Oh well, at least one day of work before my vacation will be nice; I wonder if there is a negotiator like me in Paradigm City..."
- 2008-08-13
- THEビッグオー (イラスト & SS)
- Comments:0
- Trackbacks:0
Iron Fist Wedding: Chapter 1
This story is based upon the Big O anime and takes place after it, and follows the negotiator of a different city; William Prime; and has crossovers with Big O later on.
This story is a little different than my normal fanfics; since it's actually older (I started writing this over 3 years ago!); but I decided to post it here and re-start it; something I've never done with a fanfic before. The latest 3 chapters (8, 9 and 10) are brand new and feature even more of the Big O action and a good explanation of past events.
But; this story is primarily a side series that crossovers with Big O; almost being a series unto itself. I personally envision this as scenes from the anime; so that might help you when you read it.
I hope you all like it! Thanks for reading; and please feel free to comment!! I'd appreciate it! :D
‘Iron Fist Wedding’ – Chapter 1, “The professor”:
In a corner of his room, William’s phone rings. William, in the opposite corner of his room asleep, suddenly wakes up upon hearing the ring. He yawns, and stands to stretch. He is weak with exhaustion, but still finds the strength to stand to his feet. He slowly makes his way across the small room to the table near his bed to answer the still ringing phone.
“Uh, hello?” William groggily says into the receiver. “William? Is that you?” the voice answered back. “Maybe...who’s this?” William asks, a little more awake. “Come on William...it hasn’t been that long, has it?” the voice asked him. William paused for a moment to think, and then replied, “Professor Rezno?”
“Yes! It’s (cough) me. How good it is to hear your voice again...(cough)” the professor managed to spit out before breaking out into a coughing fit. “Professor! Professor! Are you alright!” William spoke loudly into the phone; but not yelling and remaining calm and collected. “No, William I’m not. (cough) That’s why I called you...” The professor’s voice grew weak.
“What is it?” William tried to force the words out of the professor. “You see Bill, (hack) there’s no easy way to say this...(wheeze)” the professor tries to say. “It must be important; you never call me Bill.” William tells him. William hears a couple of coughs in the earpiece, and then the professor tells him. “I’m dying.”
Upon hearing this, William looks up in shock, but his face only shows this slightly. He searches his mind for words. “O.K. Michael, try to hold on until I get there...” William looks at his caller I.D., “You’re at the city hospital, right?” “Yes, Bill, I am...” The professor hacks for a few seconds uncontrollably, “Please hurry!” “I’m on my way!” and with that William hangs the phone up. He quickly grabs his coat and races down the stairs.
As he heads down the rickety staircase he’s stopped by his old landlord. “William? Is that you?” the landlord adjusts his glasses that rest upon the edge of his wrinkled nose. “Yes Juan, it’s me.” He replies hurriedly. “Why the rush amigo?” the landlord asks as he moves closer to William’s voice. William backs away, as he’s creeped out by the old man.
“What do you want? I’m in a hurry.” William asks him. “I was wondering if you’ve got an answer to my proposal...” he asks William. “Uh...not yet. But I’m considering it.” William says nervously, and sneaks past the landlord. “Alright. I’ll buy that for now gringo...but I expect a real answer soon...” Juan says in the direction where William was. He slowly turns around with his cane and walks back into the office.
“Uh...foolish old man. Why doesn’t he go back to where he came from?” William states to himself as he exits out the front door. It slams behind him, and creaks open slowly again. “I really need to move!” William mutters sarcastically and uses his remote control on his keychain to open his car door. He hops in and closes the gull-wing doors. He presses a few keys on the dash keyboard, and the car lifts into the air and takes off like a bullet.
In a matter of minutes, William is clear across the city and at the hospital. He hops out, and activates the car’s shields. They flicker on for a second, and then fade out like they’re supposed to in order to conceal the theft-protection system. He runs up to the platform to the moving escalator, and flashes his I.D. in front of a scanner at the entrance. It flashes a green light, and a small hologram of a man appears.
“Thank you William Prime.” The man in the hologram states, smiles, and then disappears. The glass doors spread with a whooshing sound, and William enters the escalator chamber. As he rises up towards the hospital complex; he looks out towards the city skyline.
“Wow, Brasilli sure has changed...” William’s voice trails off as he stares in awe at the massive buildings made of glass and metal. They tower so high that William has a hard time viewing the tops of them due to the upper atmosphere clouds blocking his view. He watches cars zoom around high above the forgotten land below in the distance, and smiles.
He turns his attention back to the escalator as he reaches the 90th floor. The glass doors here open up, and he walks into the lobby. He looks over to his left and sees a nurse seated behind a desk. To his right and in front of him are long, white, hollow corridors with many doors on both sides of each.
He proceeds to make his way over to the nurse’s desk. “Greetings! How may I help you?” the pretty young nurse behind the desk asks him. She’s a redhead with sparkling blue eyes and red lips. William’s eyes drift down towards her low-cut dress top; but then he shakes his head and looks up at her face. “Yes...I was wondering if you could tell me what room Michael Rezno is in?” he asks her.
“Not a problem sir...one moment.” She says as she opens a small panel on her arm, revealing a keypad and a small screen. William’s head moves back slightly in shock, but then he leans forward towards the desk a little. “So, you’re an android. I’m not familiar with your model...” William says as he once again tries to peer down her cleavage. “I’m a TPH-04 model...” she says without turning away from her arm monitor.
She punches in some more keys as William continues to speak to her. “Really? I’ve heard of that line before; I mean ‘The Perfect Human’ line from Warsaw Industries, but I’ve never actually seen your model before.” “Yeah, I’m the newest. The line is designated to have a run of 13 models...” she says and turns to him to smile. He leans back uneasily and returns a shaky grin.
“Alright sir. The patient Michael Rezno is here at this hospital. May I ask whom you are?” she asks him. “My name’s William Prime. He’s been expecting me.” William replies. She turns back towards her arm screen and hits a few keys. “Indeed he has. He’s in room 90-210. Down corridor A sir.” She says and closes her arm screen. “Thanks!” William says and winks. The nurse merely tilts her head slightly at this action, and smiles.
“Man I must be crazy; I’m hitting on androids!” William says as he begins to run down the corridor towards room 210. As he passes rooms he looks at them. ‘Android repair bay’, ‘Android core programming restoration chamber’, ‘Cyborg implant replacements’, ‘Human limb therapy bay’; the rooms seem endless as he finally made his way to the ‘Human final care bay’.
He looks at the sign next to the doors that state the room numbers. “Yes, it’s here!” William says as the doors open in front of him. He enters the room and sprints down another corridor. “You’d think they’d make these hospital rooms easier to get to...” his voice trails off as he finally reaches Room 90-210. He peers through the small window on the door to see the professor lying in a bed watching a small floating television screen.
William knocks on the door, and the professor looks over. His face lights up, and he shuts off the T.V. with a remote control. It retracts into a small compartment in the ceiling, and the professor presses a button on his remote with great discomfort, and the door clicks unlock. William enters.
“I knew you’d come...” The professor says with a smile and then coughs into a handkerchief. “Professor Rezno; it’s been too long.” William says and walks over quickly to the bedside. “Please Bill, call me Mike. We’ve known each other far too long to be formal.” The professor states with a light laugh, but then hacks into the handkerchief again. “It’s O.K. Mike; don’t try to laugh...” William says as he grasps Mike’s hand.
Mike’s grin grows a little more upon his old wrinkly face and his dark brown eyes seem dull and flat. The few strands of hair left upon his head are gray and wispy, and his fingernails are long from lack of trimming. “I appreciate you coming here (cough) Bill...I wanted a friend in my final hour.” The professor confesses. “There’s one thing I don’t get Mike...you were in such good health for a 110 year old man; what happened?” William asked him.
“Well, that actually relates to why I asked you to come here Bill (wheeze)” Mike moves the handkerchief to his mouth with his now shaking hand. Bill stares at it in despair, and sighs. “What did you call me for?” William asks him, still holding Mike’s other hand. “Well, you see...” Mike says as he wipes his mouth slowly, “I have something of great importance to give you.”
“What!” William asks stunned. “Yes, I couldn’t leave it with any of my colleagues back at the ACE Corporation...” the professor’s voice trailed off as he began to lose conscience. “Wake up!” William shouted in a loud yet calm voice. “Huh? What...oh yeah.” The professor began as he woke up again. “As I was saying, I need to give this to you...” he gestures shakily with his hand to a small box next to the bed beside William’s feet. William looks down, and grabs the box.
“Can I open it?” William asks him. “Please, by all means do...that’s why I brought it with me when (cough) they picked me up to come here.” He tells William as William releases the professor’s hand and opens the box. Inside is a small device that is no bigger than half of a keyboard and has a small screen with several keys with strange symbolic writing on them. It is shaped like a T-Bone steak, is black in color with light gray symbols on the keys, and has a small port on the top of it.
“What is it?” William asks him. “I guessed that’s what you were going to (hack) ask.” The professor says and William merely squints his eyes. “It’s a core transfer program. Basically what it does is transfer one android’s main CPU to itself...but in the past.” The professor explains. William’s eyes grow wide, and his mouth opens slightly.
“Wow...so basically this is a time traveling device.” William says. “Yes, in short; (wheeze) but it only works on androids. However, a human could alter the android’s programming, thus making the android rewrite the human’s past...and that is why (cough) it’s so dangerous.” The professor explains.
William rubs his chin. “Well, I guarantee that I’ll take care of it; but why to me? Why not one of the professors at ACE?” “You see Bill, that’s why I’m here. They found out about my invention, and wanted to use it for their own greedy deeds. So, I gather that one of them poisoned me somehow, and now I’m here.” Mike begins to cough up blood.
William pages a nurse with the remote from Mike’s lap. “Please Bill, don’t bother them. I’ll be dead long before they get here.” The professor says, his black skin giving off a luminous shine in the pale lighting of the room. “There’s a notebook in the bottom (hack) of the box; it should explain everything you (cough) need (hack) to know...” the professor’s voice trails off as he begins to lose conscience again.
“Mike! Mike!” William shouts in a monotone voice to the professor. His eyes barely open as blood dibbles down his chin and onto his hospital gown. “Tell my tale to those who ask; the evil deeds along with the good.” He gasps for breath for the last time, “The rest is silence...” As the professor says this, the last breath leaves his body and his hand goes limp and falls to the bed.
William hangs his head and begins to cry softly to himself as he once again grabs the professor’s dead hand. “I loved you like a brother, Mike. Although you were only my father’s friend and business partner; I adored you like my own father; perhaps even thought of you as my father when he died. I only wish I would have told you…I will miss you dearly.” William says and he lets go and stands to his feet with the box and salutes the dead professor.
Just then the door bursts open and nurses and doctors rush in. As some attend to the professor’s dead body trying to revive it; the others talk to William. “What happened?” they ask William. He could tell that they were androids by the lack of irises in their eyes (the old models were like that). “He fulfilled his destiny.” William stated, and left the room.
This story is a little different than my normal fanfics; since it's actually older (I started writing this over 3 years ago!); but I decided to post it here and re-start it; something I've never done with a fanfic before. The latest 3 chapters (8, 9 and 10) are brand new and feature even more of the Big O action and a good explanation of past events.
But; this story is primarily a side series that crossovers with Big O; almost being a series unto itself. I personally envision this as scenes from the anime; so that might help you when you read it.
I hope you all like it! Thanks for reading; and please feel free to comment!! I'd appreciate it! :D
Click here to read the story!
‘Iron Fist Wedding’ – Chapter 1, “The professor”:
In a corner of his room, William’s phone rings. William, in the opposite corner of his room asleep, suddenly wakes up upon hearing the ring. He yawns, and stands to stretch. He is weak with exhaustion, but still finds the strength to stand to his feet. He slowly makes his way across the small room to the table near his bed to answer the still ringing phone.
“Uh, hello?” William groggily says into the receiver. “William? Is that you?” the voice answered back. “Maybe...who’s this?” William asks, a little more awake. “Come on William...it hasn’t been that long, has it?” the voice asked him. William paused for a moment to think, and then replied, “Professor Rezno?”
“Yes! It’s (cough) me. How good it is to hear your voice again...(cough)” the professor managed to spit out before breaking out into a coughing fit. “Professor! Professor! Are you alright!” William spoke loudly into the phone; but not yelling and remaining calm and collected. “No, William I’m not. (cough) That’s why I called you...” The professor’s voice grew weak.
“What is it?” William tried to force the words out of the professor. “You see Bill, (hack) there’s no easy way to say this...(wheeze)” the professor tries to say. “It must be important; you never call me Bill.” William tells him. William hears a couple of coughs in the earpiece, and then the professor tells him. “I’m dying.”
Upon hearing this, William looks up in shock, but his face only shows this slightly. He searches his mind for words. “O.K. Michael, try to hold on until I get there...” William looks at his caller I.D., “You’re at the city hospital, right?” “Yes, Bill, I am...” The professor hacks for a few seconds uncontrollably, “Please hurry!” “I’m on my way!” and with that William hangs the phone up. He quickly grabs his coat and races down the stairs.
As he heads down the rickety staircase he’s stopped by his old landlord. “William? Is that you?” the landlord adjusts his glasses that rest upon the edge of his wrinkled nose. “Yes Juan, it’s me.” He replies hurriedly. “Why the rush amigo?” the landlord asks as he moves closer to William’s voice. William backs away, as he’s creeped out by the old man.
“What do you want? I’m in a hurry.” William asks him. “I was wondering if you’ve got an answer to my proposal...” he asks William. “Uh...not yet. But I’m considering it.” William says nervously, and sneaks past the landlord. “Alright. I’ll buy that for now gringo...but I expect a real answer soon...” Juan says in the direction where William was. He slowly turns around with his cane and walks back into the office.
“Uh...foolish old man. Why doesn’t he go back to where he came from?” William states to himself as he exits out the front door. It slams behind him, and creaks open slowly again. “I really need to move!” William mutters sarcastically and uses his remote control on his keychain to open his car door. He hops in and closes the gull-wing doors. He presses a few keys on the dash keyboard, and the car lifts into the air and takes off like a bullet.
In a matter of minutes, William is clear across the city and at the hospital. He hops out, and activates the car’s shields. They flicker on for a second, and then fade out like they’re supposed to in order to conceal the theft-protection system. He runs up to the platform to the moving escalator, and flashes his I.D. in front of a scanner at the entrance. It flashes a green light, and a small hologram of a man appears.
“Thank you William Prime.” The man in the hologram states, smiles, and then disappears. The glass doors spread with a whooshing sound, and William enters the escalator chamber. As he rises up towards the hospital complex; he looks out towards the city skyline.
“Wow, Brasilli sure has changed...” William’s voice trails off as he stares in awe at the massive buildings made of glass and metal. They tower so high that William has a hard time viewing the tops of them due to the upper atmosphere clouds blocking his view. He watches cars zoom around high above the forgotten land below in the distance, and smiles.
He turns his attention back to the escalator as he reaches the 90th floor. The glass doors here open up, and he walks into the lobby. He looks over to his left and sees a nurse seated behind a desk. To his right and in front of him are long, white, hollow corridors with many doors on both sides of each.
He proceeds to make his way over to the nurse’s desk. “Greetings! How may I help you?” the pretty young nurse behind the desk asks him. She’s a redhead with sparkling blue eyes and red lips. William’s eyes drift down towards her low-cut dress top; but then he shakes his head and looks up at her face. “Yes...I was wondering if you could tell me what room Michael Rezno is in?” he asks her.
“Not a problem sir...one moment.” She says as she opens a small panel on her arm, revealing a keypad and a small screen. William’s head moves back slightly in shock, but then he leans forward towards the desk a little. “So, you’re an android. I’m not familiar with your model...” William says as he once again tries to peer down her cleavage. “I’m a TPH-04 model...” she says without turning away from her arm monitor.
She punches in some more keys as William continues to speak to her. “Really? I’ve heard of that line before; I mean ‘The Perfect Human’ line from Warsaw Industries, but I’ve never actually seen your model before.” “Yeah, I’m the newest. The line is designated to have a run of 13 models...” she says and turns to him to smile. He leans back uneasily and returns a shaky grin.
“Alright sir. The patient Michael Rezno is here at this hospital. May I ask whom you are?” she asks him. “My name’s William Prime. He’s been expecting me.” William replies. She turns back towards her arm screen and hits a few keys. “Indeed he has. He’s in room 90-210. Down corridor A sir.” She says and closes her arm screen. “Thanks!” William says and winks. The nurse merely tilts her head slightly at this action, and smiles.
“Man I must be crazy; I’m hitting on androids!” William says as he begins to run down the corridor towards room 210. As he passes rooms he looks at them. ‘Android repair bay’, ‘Android core programming restoration chamber’, ‘Cyborg implant replacements’, ‘Human limb therapy bay’; the rooms seem endless as he finally made his way to the ‘Human final care bay’.
He looks at the sign next to the doors that state the room numbers. “Yes, it’s here!” William says as the doors open in front of him. He enters the room and sprints down another corridor. “You’d think they’d make these hospital rooms easier to get to...” his voice trails off as he finally reaches Room 90-210. He peers through the small window on the door to see the professor lying in a bed watching a small floating television screen.
William knocks on the door, and the professor looks over. His face lights up, and he shuts off the T.V. with a remote control. It retracts into a small compartment in the ceiling, and the professor presses a button on his remote with great discomfort, and the door clicks unlock. William enters.
“I knew you’d come...” The professor says with a smile and then coughs into a handkerchief. “Professor Rezno; it’s been too long.” William says and walks over quickly to the bedside. “Please Bill, call me Mike. We’ve known each other far too long to be formal.” The professor states with a light laugh, but then hacks into the handkerchief again. “It’s O.K. Mike; don’t try to laugh...” William says as he grasps Mike’s hand.
Mike’s grin grows a little more upon his old wrinkly face and his dark brown eyes seem dull and flat. The few strands of hair left upon his head are gray and wispy, and his fingernails are long from lack of trimming. “I appreciate you coming here (cough) Bill...I wanted a friend in my final hour.” The professor confesses. “There’s one thing I don’t get Mike...you were in such good health for a 110 year old man; what happened?” William asked him.
“Well, that actually relates to why I asked you to come here Bill (wheeze)” Mike moves the handkerchief to his mouth with his now shaking hand. Bill stares at it in despair, and sighs. “What did you call me for?” William asks him, still holding Mike’s other hand. “Well, you see...” Mike says as he wipes his mouth slowly, “I have something of great importance to give you.”
“What!” William asks stunned. “Yes, I couldn’t leave it with any of my colleagues back at the ACE Corporation...” the professor’s voice trailed off as he began to lose conscience. “Wake up!” William shouted in a loud yet calm voice. “Huh? What...oh yeah.” The professor began as he woke up again. “As I was saying, I need to give this to you...” he gestures shakily with his hand to a small box next to the bed beside William’s feet. William looks down, and grabs the box.
“Can I open it?” William asks him. “Please, by all means do...that’s why I brought it with me when (cough) they picked me up to come here.” He tells William as William releases the professor’s hand and opens the box. Inside is a small device that is no bigger than half of a keyboard and has a small screen with several keys with strange symbolic writing on them. It is shaped like a T-Bone steak, is black in color with light gray symbols on the keys, and has a small port on the top of it.
“What is it?” William asks him. “I guessed that’s what you were going to (hack) ask.” The professor says and William merely squints his eyes. “It’s a core transfer program. Basically what it does is transfer one android’s main CPU to itself...but in the past.” The professor explains. William’s eyes grow wide, and his mouth opens slightly.
“Wow...so basically this is a time traveling device.” William says. “Yes, in short; (wheeze) but it only works on androids. However, a human could alter the android’s programming, thus making the android rewrite the human’s past...and that is why (cough) it’s so dangerous.” The professor explains.
William rubs his chin. “Well, I guarantee that I’ll take care of it; but why to me? Why not one of the professors at ACE?” “You see Bill, that’s why I’m here. They found out about my invention, and wanted to use it for their own greedy deeds. So, I gather that one of them poisoned me somehow, and now I’m here.” Mike begins to cough up blood.
William pages a nurse with the remote from Mike’s lap. “Please Bill, don’t bother them. I’ll be dead long before they get here.” The professor says, his black skin giving off a luminous shine in the pale lighting of the room. “There’s a notebook in the bottom (hack) of the box; it should explain everything you (cough) need (hack) to know...” the professor’s voice trails off as he begins to lose conscience again.
“Mike! Mike!” William shouts in a monotone voice to the professor. His eyes barely open as blood dibbles down his chin and onto his hospital gown. “Tell my tale to those who ask; the evil deeds along with the good.” He gasps for breath for the last time, “The rest is silence...” As the professor says this, the last breath leaves his body and his hand goes limp and falls to the bed.
William hangs his head and begins to cry softly to himself as he once again grabs the professor’s dead hand. “I loved you like a brother, Mike. Although you were only my father’s friend and business partner; I adored you like my own father; perhaps even thought of you as my father when he died. I only wish I would have told you…I will miss you dearly.” William says and he lets go and stands to his feet with the box and salutes the dead professor.
Just then the door bursts open and nurses and doctors rush in. As some attend to the professor’s dead body trying to revive it; the others talk to William. “What happened?” they ask William. He could tell that they were androids by the lack of irises in their eyes (the old models were like that). “He fulfilled his destiny.” William stated, and left the room.
- 2008-08-13
- THEビッグオー (イラスト & SS)
- Comments:0
- Trackbacks:0
