[RPG] The Big-Oh! RP — An Archive of Storytelling

"What made you quit, may I ask?" Roger asked.
Snake had no problem answering, "Press, media, the Mercs of Hell coming to haunt me. It has been a long time since I have been able to be anywhere that hasn't been destroyed for some reason or another. I had to keep moving, and the more I moved, the less I was known. Nobody wants to hire an unknown negotiator. But this city is different. It still stands even after my presence. If I can find somewhere to stay and somewhere to keep Big Soh, I may return to the work. Should that be the case, I have no intention to be your competition. Instead I would rather work alongside you. I am not known to fail, and I heard that neither are you. That sounds like a way to actually restore my name.."

Snake thought about what Roger had said about the Megaduces, and a thought came to him, "Roger, if the Megaduces led to this...lifestyle, and the destructive Schizo-fighters modified and executed my Chaos Manipulation...I have come to 2 conclusions: 1. The Megaduces were created for the Schizo-fighters and 2. The Schizo-fighters had children and the ability to pilot a Megaduce is genetic." This idea seemed insane, but it was logical and possible. "Roger, I think that would make you a partial Schizo-fighter..."

((You shall not die!!!))

There wasn't an answer. I knocked agian.

And waited.

Finally someone came to the door. It was a middle aged women...although still looking in her twentys. Her hair was a younf brown that has light waves to it. Her eyes looked as if they were tired.

There was a short awkward silence. And than my mind poped back into place and I asked, "Excuse me. Miss... Seebach? Are you her?"

Another Pause.

"Yes... I assume... You are here for Micheal Seebach?" She seemed to be drifting a bit.

"I am sorry if I had awoken you. Is this a bad time?"

She suddenly perked up and shook her head. "Oh. No no It is fine. Please. Come in." She stepped out of the door way and walked over to a table inside the apartment.

The apartment wasn't extravagent... although much better quality than others. It was made up of 3 rooms. A bedroom, A kitchen and living room alike, and a bathroom.

It was well lit and in the living room was even a black and white televison. She was holding off well. 2 large windows and a glass door at the end of the living room.

Actually the lay out was quite generic. All apartments outside the domes are made this way. No one really cares. only as long as they don't fall down.

I closed the door behind me and made my way to small round table where Ms. Seebach sat on end of... her back to a glass door of the living room. I sat facing it.

"Do you need anything?" She asked with a bit of a monotone in her voice.

"No no. But... I would like to ask you about your old husband. Mr. Seebach."

"Yes... yes that is what I would assume." She sighed and made a small slightly depressed laugh. "That seems to be the only time I do get visitors. I thought I had told all of you everything I knew."

"I am quite sorry. But this matter isn't entirely on your husband. But... more of... the underground."

There was another... tensious silence. Ms. Seebach took her hands from her lap and places them on the table clutched together as if wringing... or...choaking something. Tense. "What do... you need to know? Maybe you should to ask..... Schwarzwald... yourself." Her face became slightly blank of expression.

"We cannot... get in contact of him. Neither would we wish. We hope he has truly left after the last act of terrorism from See.... Schwarzwald."

Ms. Seebach's face looked up quickly at mine with a face of anger."Please can you just ask your questions and leave?"

"Yes. Yes I am sorry if I had offended you. And your husband." I felt awkward at that moment. Something I wasn't used to. My systems... seem to be acting strangly. Maybe it is the mioster in the air. Everything seems to be slowing a bit. "Now... firstly do you know what exactly Seebach was set out... or expecting down in the underground?"

Her anger went away and she closed her eyes putting her hands back in her lap. "He... well. Memories really. From what he told me... heh... or I understood... he didn't really what what to expect. But it had to be found."

Why would someone want to search for something they didn't even know exist? Why would one risk thier life for something so doubtable? I couldn't understand it. Although there are alot of things about emotions an android can't simple understand. These people outside the domes... are often quite irrational.

"My husband... he was a reporter. It was quite natural for one to want to know the truth. That is what his job was about. And he enjoyed it. Just knowing. Everyone wants to know. But only he really wanted to search for it."

"Do you know when he first went underground? Or... if you do. Did he ever come back?"

She opened her eyes and looked back at the table."He had.... talked about it alot. Going underground. From all the stories and rumors we had heard. At first I doubted he would actually go. But I quickly learned it became an obsession. I had told him not to. But he went anyway... and never returned.

Well... unless you count that mad ghost. People always refer to a ghost as if in the 3rd person. His ghost. And I beleive that should be kept quite literal."

She had quite a bit of defense toward Micheal Seebach. What did she want to beleive? What did she want to convince? "Have you ever thought about going underground?"

There was a long silence.

Her eyes still staring down at the table... she spoke softly. "I... I wish I didn't have such strong fear. A fear of the truth... I suppose. As... he would put it."

I may have touched a subject that shouldn't have been. Even an android knows when sometimes something may get a bit to personal."When and why did you decide to move outside the domes?"

"When Schwarzwald came. I waited for him I did. I waited for him to come back but... I guess no one was really ment to wander in that darkness. Well... firstly, money was a bit tight. If something unexpected happened... Like a megadeus attack," She laughed a bit. "than I wouldn't be the best off as if I were here." She looked back up at me with a small smile. "Mind if I ask you a question?"

That was unexpected. But it couldn't hurt. She is not a prisoner nor is she less human. "Go ahead."

"How much do you know about the red megadeus? I heard a rumor that it moved on its own once... when Schwarzwald was outside of it."

That was a shocking question. I thought Paradigm had cycled out all of the details. The area was evacuated. I hope it wasn't Major Dauston who was spreading this. He would be disbanded. "Well we are trying to figure this out. We don't have any information onto how or why. But from the position we found it. It seemed to have been reaching for something. In the direction of Paradigm Co. HQ."

"Really? That is quite a puzzle."

"This answer we hope to get closer to if I am sent to go into the underground."

"Wait. You are going into the underground? Is Paradigm Co. actually going to send someone down there? Don't you think that after what has happened to my husband that maybe some things are best left unknown?"

I didn't know how to answer... "It was mearly under Paradigm Co orders. I don't know why there is suddenly intrest in the underground after 40 years of unknown. Maybe something drifted onto shore. Or the forgin Megadeese."

"These events aren't anything new. What about the many people who had claimed to regain memories? There was one who even claimed he remembered the creator of all of us."

"I do not know. I cannot speak for Paradigm. Most of the actions concerning the underground are only given by Higher powers in Paradigm. Only a few are known to be from Alex Rosewater."

"Alex Rosewater..."

There was yet another silence as I waited as if she was going to make a complete statement. But I abandon it. "Do you think you could take me to his old office? Where he rented that second apartment? Records show that that office is marked off from Paradigm. It has been emptied out but I beleive that maybe you can recall somethings there? Perhaps maybe look through his records at Paradigm with proper permission with the investigation."

"Your wife," said Big Ear, "Is worried about you. She hasn't seen or heard of you since your little joyride in Big Duo. After that, she went to your other apartment. She read what few papers still remained after Paradigm went through all of your things. She even read your flyer, which, might I add, was a nice touch. And then she moved. She told her neighbors that her money was tight, but my sources show she was actually very well off. I believe it may have had something to do with a memory she recovered, but there is no way to be sure. Say, did you hear about the foreigner that showed up this morning?"

"Roger, I think that would make you a partial schizo-fighter..."

Snake thought about these words, and they disturbed him. "Roger would be a more tamed version, only being partial, but still...." he thought.

Snake decided to ask Roger about Big-O, "Where exactly do you keep it? I don't want to steal it, I just want to get an idea of somewhere to keep mine. Keeping it hidden in the desert outside the domes isn't the greatest idea. Clogs up the system... Also, I would like to make some modifications to Big Soh. I noticed the grappling chains. Those could come in handy if my Megaduce can be fitted with them. Just firing lazers around without aim can destroy a city pretty quick. If you think that it can be fitted, I'd wait until another Megaduce appears. I really don't want to bring that Megaduce out for no reason other than somewhere to park. Oh, feel free to ask anything about Big Soh, I know everything about it. That is how I found out about....(dramatic pause)...the experiments. Apparently, according to what I have gathered, Big Soh was originally my unit, before I was frozen. Once I obtained it, I did everything to learn about it..."


<TBC>

(sorry its been so long, finals and moving got in the way)

Dastun grabs the phone in his office and calls Roger's estate.

"Hello?" Dorothy answers.

"Dorothy? Hi, this is colonel Dastun, I was hoping to have a word with Roger, is he there?"

"I believe he just arrived home, I shall have him call you shortly."

"Thank you Dorothy." He then hangs up the phone.

"Man, what a day. Reports of a foreigner, another megaduce and an attack on the town, this is just madness."

That sentence wouldn't leave his mind. He couldn't believe that it was possible. "Roger, I'm sorry. I don't think that is possible. But still.... there is a link somehow. No normal person could pilot a Megeduce. I have also heard about someone named Schwartzwald. If he is as insane as I hear, that one is possible. Beck, that man is an idiot. I don't know how he can do it."

{{ I hate bank holidays - access to net always hell during them. XP }}

The man named Snake was making some valid points...

The Megaduce seemed to choose their owners, rather than the other way around. If a Big didn't like you, or even your intentions, then it'd probably be as responsive to you as a deaf dog.

As for his conversation about both Shcwartzwald and Beck - he mentioned them in more or less the exact way I would...as either nuts or idiots who wouldn't know what to DO with a megaduce, except to use it to destroy the city.

His questions were coming thick and fast...and to be frank, I wasn't entirely sure how to answer them all without having to think them out myself.

" There is much I can't say I understand, Snake - after all, megaduce are still very much unknown in origin as to the explanation of 40 years ago, when this city became one giant headache... "

He simply shrugged, and looked back to the man.

" Schwarzwald is just another fool who thinks he knows all the answers. " He replied.
" Despite all of his efforts, however, I've proved him otherwise...but it seems like he's just as resourceful and cunning as anyone I've ever known. That makes him a dangerous man, and one to never discount or ignore...despite the fact he is also completely out of his mind, of course. "

He smirked - it was true, of course - Schwarzwald was one credit short of a full piggy bank.

It was at this point that Dorothy made her entrance...

~TBC~

Snake saw a woman walk in, "Ah, so you must be Dorothy." He said. He noticed something somewhat animatronic about her. "An android." Was all he said about that.

"Hmm." Snake said, "Schwartzwald seems like a person that, if he didn't do some of the things he does, I could have quite the conversation about. Sorry about some of my rather detailed questions, I think that I should have stopped at the Megaduce questions first. Can you answer those? Like I said, the conditions outside the domes really isn't good on a Megaduce if it's not moving."

"Agent 500, Agent 222, Agent 18... is that all?" she asked, looking out over the group. A man raised his hand, a man wearing the clothes of the Military Police.

"You've overlooked" he said, "Agent 340."

"Oh, yes." she responded, pacing back and forth in front of her comrades. "Of course. Agent 340. Somehow, I am not surprised. So," she began, strolling down amongst them. "Where would she be, do you think?"

"With Roger Smith."

"Roger Smith? That.. negotiator? Of course. Of course." The words rolled across her tongue, dropping off with a touch of disgust. She brushed back a loose hair dangling down off her forehead. Several of the others began to shuffle uneasily. Before they could twitch a second time, the air was filled with a reverberating crack as a whip struck each of their feet in quick succession. Each of them dropped to the ground, one whimpering, one howling, and one simply not reacting to the pain coursing through their legs.

"There will be none of that in the Union!!" Vera screamed. "Patience!! The quest for true memories does not come to a conclusion so soon! If Agent 340 has decided not to attend, then we will honor that. However!" she said, her voice dropping to an ominous level. "She will be punished. Agent 52." The member of the Military Police who had spoken before stepped forward. "Tell me what you have learned. If the limited-" she emphasized the word "-reports I have been recieving are true, then we are closer to the true memories than expected."

Outside, a red balloon whipped about in the wind and rain...

-----------------------------------------------------

Cast in the Name of God... Ye Not Guilty

"Sir!!" the young scientist exclaimed. "Sir, the viewscreen!!"

"What is it?" a bearded man replied, his hair hanging down in droves behind his back. "Is there some kind of error? We can't afford a setback! If something goes wrong..."

"No, it's nothing like that!" the younger man exclaimed, his voice filled with joy. He leaped down from Big Fau's cockpit to the catwalk, stumlbing slightly at the impact as his steel-toed shoes made a loud clang. "It's incredible!!"

The senior researcher looked at him, eyes wide with a perplexed expression on his face.

"Incredible? What could...?"

Roger simply smiled...

" Big O is stored safely away under the city of paradigm, in the old and unused tunnels of long ago. Excuse me a second... "

He pauses, and looks to Dorothy for a moment. "Was there anything you had to talk to me about - I heard you talking on the phone a moment ago. "

He hated being interrupted when there were guests, but when one's career lived and died on the phone, it was often better to break off and find out first-hand what was going on...

~TBC~

"Negotiations, perhaps?" Snake said. "Perhaps I could be of assistance."

Snake looked at the android, "Hello, Dorothy. (Extends hand) I am Snake Marcato, nice to meet you."

Snake was intrigued at how real Dorothy seemed. The creator was very skilled, he thought. He decided to wait to hear what Dorothy had to say before doing anything else....

(If there is anything I need, just PM it to me. I just plan to run with this.
Except...I'm having issues with names. I'll be back to put that in...)

quote:

"Do you think you could take me to his old office? Where he rented that second apartment? Records show that that office is marked off from Paradigm. It has been emptied out but I beleive that maybe you can recall somethings there? Perhaps maybe look through his records at Paradigm with proper permission with the investigation."

"Well...there really is nothing left in that old apartment. There were just some..random papers, but Paradigm cleaned the room out. I'm afraid there will be nothing there for you to see."

The android, she thought, was pleasing to look at and he seemed friendly. She had always wondered what an android would be like, but with the few out there, they were often elsewhere. Yet...there was something about him that...piqued her curiousity.

No one had been to her little apartment for a while now. His arrival nagged her to ask what this android knew of her husband. Was he alive? Was he dead? For a long time she waited, since that day he resolved to go to the underground and return with the truth.

She bowed her head to the table and began to think. The Truth, that man, Schwartwald said he knew the truth. That man, was her husband. Her mind presented the flyer, the talk of fear. That pamphlet seemed to speak directly to her and her fears. The other papers he had also wrote, those too had talked directly to her.

She rose her head, and looked at the android.

She sighed deeply.

"Are you saying you want to me to help with the investigation about my husband, Mr...er... I don't think you ever told me your name." Mrs. Seebach inquired, her hands knotting in her lap.

Fredrick got up from the chair and bowed at the other end of the table as Ms Seebach stared quiziclly(sp) for a second.

"Ah yes. Quite Sorry. My name is R. Fredrick O'reilly. And... Yes. Yes I would ask of your help. We need to know all we can before going into the underground."

"But what am I suppost to help with? You have everything my husband ever wrote and you have already questioned me."

Fredrick paused for a moment."Well perhaps there are certain dreams... or memories... you have regained? I of course do not wish to endanger you in going into the underground. Nor will we force you to cooperate. But it would be most prefered of you to do so. We could of course skip Mr. Seebachs office. But I thought you might be reminded of certain times that may be of significance. Prehaps you have a possetion of his... that could of led to his wondering of the underground. Anything will help.

So tell me Ms. Seebach. Shall you work with us? Work for Paradigm?" Fredrick put his hands behind his bank and stares down at Ms. Seebach still in the chair looking down at the table in deep thought.

(I HAVE A NAME!!)

Emelia Seebach was not stupid. She could see that Paradigm had a renewed interest in "The Underground" but what that had to do specifically with her she didn't know. Sure, she knew of the stuff that her husband had told her, the tales, the truth, and the past.

Emelia turned in her chair to look slightly out the window to think.

Sure, she had her memories from the past, but then she also had a future to think of. Michael would return one day to her. She knew that. He had connections. He would find her. Yet, if he came back to find her working with Paradigm...what would he think? They dispised how Paradigm Corp ran the city. Alex Rosewater more specifically.

She turned to the android. He didn't flinch. Of course not, he was an android.
He was just an android programmed what to do. He had little to no free will...like the people of this city.Heh, now I'm thinik like Michael...

Work with Paradigm...it may work to your advantage. You may find those books you dream of... Emelia thought suddenly. But Michael...
Damn, that android is so patient...he is just a poor pawn. Paradigm wants something and you might be able to use this to your advantage...you might be able to see things that Michael doesn't have access too. And that could help both of you....

"I will work with Paradigm, but not for," Emelia answered, a little smile cracking her tired face. She knew R. Frederick was slightly confused. "You asked if I would work with you, and work FOR Paradigm. I will not work for Paradigm, but I'm willing to work with Paradigm."

She sighed, loosing the smile.

"Though, I still don't understand how I could be of any help to you and Paradigm. I really don't have a lot of memories that could be helpful. Paradigm beat me to Michael and to his writings," she explained, her eye falling to her hand and ring.

(*sweatdrop* Ideas...running...thin)
"Like I have said Ms. Seebach. Anything can help. People have recoved memories in the strangest places in the strangest circumstances. You might have been one of the victoms of the Red Serial Killer case if it hadn't been for the black Megadues.

We can give you a better home if you wish. Payment for your services with us."

Silence...

"Now if you could come with me... I am sorry I do not have a car. But I can call for a ride to Paradigm Co. You do not seem to enthusiastic about going to Mr. Seebach's old office....."

Fredrick pauses for a second and his eye color changes for a few moments to green. Than goes back to the neutral blue.

"Ms. Seebach...... you don't happen to be a forginer. Are you? I'm sorry if this question is to personal. But Paradigm records of population aren't kept well."

(And you were worried the topic would die. )

The Black Megadues...

"Are you sure that I would have been a victim?" She suddenly snapped, standing up. "What if I wasn't? What if you were on the list?"

She knew he was going to say something about the targets being people, in their twenties. HA! She thought.

"Never mind that," she answered, calming down with a wave of her hand.

"I also told you already that I will work with Paradigm, but not for. I do not need a better place. I'm perfectly fine here. I do not need any payment. Just the payment that you and Paradigm Corp will leave us alone," she told him, her brown eyes hinting at a passion for life. But the life quickly gave way to the tiredness that had consumed her since Michael's disappearence.

"I am not too enthusiastic about going to Michael's office. I just...I feel that there will be nothing there for your investigation. It was an empty room the last time I saw the place. Paradigm had come in, confiscated everything save for scraps...worthless scraps...and left the room bare. But...if it will satisfy your curiousity, I will join you to his office. Just don't call a ride from Paradigm Corp. Find us another ride," Emelia told R. Frederick.

The poor android...she should help him. Besides, he might report the information to the top people. She could repress those memories if she needed to. She could also "forget" some memories and thoughts.

Guess we'll wait and see, she thought.

"We could walk if the rain clears up..." she suggested hopefully.

::Blah Blah time time time goes by. Car gets here vroom... get to paradigm co::

R. Fredrick passes the desk holding up his badge towards the secretaries. Ms. Seebach closly follows as all the rushing and bustle of Paradigm Co. Moves around them.

Up steps...elevator... steps... few hallways... through a door to another hallway... elevator...steps...hallway... and up to an Iron door with thick glass as a small window head height. Fredrick opened the the door only leading to more Iron doors on each side of a long off-white colored hallway. Fredrick passes 7 doors on the left side and at the 8th turns to it and takes out a key. R Fredrick opens the lock and enters inside closly followed by Ms. Seebach.

Around us where file cabinets covering the walls and shelves in the middle holding old scrolls and folders.

"He has... written quite a bit." Ms. Seebach said with a bit of a tenseness in her throught as she looked at all the cabinets.

Fredrick walks over to the left back corner and opened a particular cabinet. it was filled with rough burnt papers and sketches in 4 red folders. Fredrick took out 2 of them and handed them to Ms. Seebach. "These folders Ms. Seebach, are of a few obscure sketches that have been found in his office. One of some sort of iron skeleton. Another of strange symbols. Even more writings. Please... look through them at your wish. Do any of these files trigger anything?

...

And well... I suppose you should have this... it was the last thing he wrote before he left Paradigm and went into the underground for the assumed first time. We have studied it enough.

'I want to know... I want to learn what must be known.'"

Fredrick handed it to Ms. Seebach strangly quickly after reading that last line. It seems something inside him had sparked. Something making his system rush for a second. But it was nothing he knew of.

"May I ask what you are doing here?"

Freddy and Emelia both turned at the sound of the voice. Alex Rosewater stared at them back at them. The president of Paradigm unfolded his arms from behind his back, reaching past them into the file cabinet Freddy had opened and pulling out a different piece of paper.

"Viewing the writings of Michael Seebach, I see." Alex's eyes quickly skimmed across the sheet. His stern glare hardened even further as he read. After a short time, Alex finally reacknowledged the two, placing it back in and offering his hand to Emelia.

"Mrs. Seebach. What a pleasure to see you again."

Fredrick turned very quickly at the sound of his voice. He was the most important person in Paradigm and monitored all the activities inside the domes. If he was here out of his own time something must be off. "Oh. Hello Superior Rosewater. I don't think there is anything wrong here, is there? If so tha-"

"No no Fredrick. You are just following orders. Just be careful with these scripts." Rosewater said with a bit of leasure. Fredrick was... a bit puzzled by this. But followed the advice reguardless.

"Yes Superior Rosewater... wait" Fredrick turned to Ms. Seebach. "Have you had a past with Superior Rosewater, Ms. Seebach?"

(Sorry, I guess I took to long, but its still there)
Emelia had ignored the exchange between the android and president. She had watched, but didn't. When Frederick asked if they had met before, she just went on.

"President Alex Rosewater," Emelia greeted as equally. "How do you do?"

He answered calmly.

Emelia cringed inwardly. She had never liked that man and their past meetings had been somewhat...awkward.

The last time she had met him was in this very office, when she had snuck in to see the papers her husband had left here, for her own investigation of his "Truth", but, then the office was cleaned out. What was odd though, was that everything seemed to be in order in the office again. Everything including the picture of her on her husband's desk.

"I see you finished with my husbands papers? I remember this office was bare last time we were in here," she commented. "Did you ever find what you were looking for?"

Emelia knew he probably had, but there was also the chance he didn't. To tell the truth, she didn't know what Alex was looking for. Was he looking for the same thing she wanted: MIchael's truth? His investigations into the science of memories. No, that was her own private investigation. Michael had supported that, but without the books she dreamt of, it was hard for her to find anything, any information.

She felt a small pain of sadness at the fact that Michael was still out there, probably as Schwartzwald...though wasn't he dead? Michael would come back, she reminded herself, he promised that day he left.

She waited for Alex's answer, her face never revealing her thoughts.