[Fan Fiction] Tony's earlier (and discarded) story collection

This is thread is a collection of some of my earliest works. I hope you enjoy them.

In total, there are three stories:

A Stroll with Dorothy - Mary Sue
The Experiment - Sequel to "A Stroll with Dorothy"
The Afterlife - My first fanfic ever.

*************************
Well, I finally took Pygmalion's and Zola's advice and convert the original script form into a Narrative story. Before you read on, let me warn you that my editing ability leaves much to be desired. If you find any errors, feel free to bash me over the head with it.

If you have any questions, concerns, comments or scorn, please feel free to post them. Thank you.

And yes, it is a Mary-Sue story.

*************************

A Stroll With Dorothy

ACT I:

There on Paradigm AI Software Engineering Department, located on the 25th floor of Paradigm Corporation. The entire floor were covered by an endless labyrinth of cubicles, with one four continuous walks leading to the other side of the building. Two on each side of the building and two rows meeting at the center of room, like a cross enclosed in a square.

“Hi guys,” said Tony as he walked to his cubicle, giving each co-worker a wave as he passes by. He finally reached his cubicle and dropped his backpack on his guess chair. He saw Luis stretching inside his cubicle, and uncharacteristically grinned at him. He noticed that Luis abruptly stopped stretching and walked towards Tony’s cubicle.

“Hi Tony,” Luis responded. “You have a smile on your face. What gives?”

“Man,” Tony replied. “I just met this incredible girl.”

“You met a girl?” Zola asked as her head emerging from her cubicle right next Tony’s. “My god, the world is coming to an end.”

“Yeah, that's hard to believe.” Luis laughed.

“Do you want me to tell you about it or not?” Tony frustratingly asked.

Tony waited a few moments for Zola and Luis to settle down. “I was sitting at an outside table at our usual place,” Tony started. “Then, all of the sudden, this really pretty girl walks by.”

Luis asked with a sarcastic tone, “Really, really pretty? Or just pretty.”

“Really, really pretty!” Tony responded with a hostile stare. “Anyways, I was just watching her when I felt this strange compulsion...”

**********************

Tony sat on a chain by a street-side table of Café Bordeaux. He sipped his tea as he unconsciously observed the pedestrians as the walk by his table. He was in no particular hurry, since he had another 45 minutes for lunch break and was not about to donate them to his boss.

Suddenly, amongst the crowd of unsuspecting people, walked a pale redheaded girl. She was wearing a peculiarly conservative back dress with an outdated jabot pinned to her white blouse. Her demeanor was proper and focused, not once did she look to her sides.

Tony couldn’t help but stare at her. He waited until she was right in front of his table when he called to her. “Hi there,” he said in his most polite voice. “What’s your name?”

She stopped and turned her head. “How do you do, sir?” Dorothy replied in a gentle and proper manner. “My name is R. Dorothy Wayneright. And, what is your name, sir?”

Tony smiled. He was excited that the young lady actually responded him. He was expecting her to either totally ignore him or make a condescending comment. But she did, she just stood perfectly still and stared.

Tony blushed violently as he tried to find the courage to answer her. “My name is Tony Perez, ma’am,” Tony answered nervously. “Where are you going on this fine day?”

“I am going to the shopping center,” Dorothy replied expressionlessly. “I am going to pick up a few items for my bedroom.”

Tony held his credit card to hoping that his waiter would hurry and charge him for his lunch. “Do you mind if I join you?” asked Tony as the waiter approached with his bill. He signed feverishly and walked towards her, offering a hand shake.

Dorothy hesitated for a brief moment. She held out her hand and accepted his offer. “Yes, if you would like.”

Feeling light headed, he happily walked beside her as they made their way to the shopping center. Along the way, he asked her a copious amount of simple questions. He was aware of the fact that he did this when he became nervous.

“So, what do you for a living?” he asked.

“I don't live,” she responded lifelessly. “However, if you are referring to my occupation, I am a maid.”

“Really?” He responded with a dry laugh. He was a little puzzled about her claim about not living. He then dismissed as an attempt at office humor, since it was typical for coworkers to proclaim their lifelessness. “That's cool. So, who do you work for?”

“Roger Smith,” answered Dorothy, as she continued to look straight ahead.

“The Negotiator? Really? How is he in real life?” Tony asked eagerly. He heard numerous stories about how great he was and rumors his affairs with his boss. “I heard that he was a multimillionaire playboy.”

“He is a louse at times,” Dorothy simply explained. “But…”

Tony noticed a certain gleam in her eyes. “You like him, but he doesn't date the help? What a snob!”

“What do you mean?” asked Dorothy.

“Well, if he’s anything like my boss,” Tony clarified. “He looks down on us peons.”

“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” Dorothy stated. “Roger Smith is kind to Norman and me. He has saved me a few times.”

“Please forgive me,” he apologized, lowered his head in shame. “I shouldn't be so presumptuous. Sounds like you and Roger are pretty close.”

“Close? I don't know about that,” she replied somberly. “Can I ask you a question? How do you know that somebody loves you?”

“Well... Well...,” Tony nervously answered.

Suddenly, the sound of squealing of brakes as a truck jumped the sidewalk, barreled towards them. He closed his eyes and covered his face as the truck was about to crush them. After a few tense moment, he opened his eyes to find himself on top of the cab of the truck and in her arms.

“You are heavier than you look,” Dorothy announced as she set Tony back down.

After realizing that he was safe, Tony looked around in disbelief. “I thought,” he stuttered. “I thought the truck was going to kill us for sure! How did you do that?”

Dorothy proceeded to help Tony climb off the truck. “I must leave now,
Norman will worry. Thank you for keeping me company,” she said as she dusted him off.

Tony impulsively threw his arms around Dorothy and kissed her on the cheek. “You saved my life!” Tony announced happily. “How can I ever thank you?”

“There is no need to thank me,” replied Dorothy with a hint of a smile on her face. She then bowed and started to walk away.

Tony followed her for a block before she stopped. “At least give me your number!” Tony pleaded. “Maybe I can take you out to dinner or we can see a movie or something!”

Dorothy smiled noticeably and handed him a business card. She then hugged him and walked away.

Tony only stood and stared, with the business card in his hand. After she was a far distance away, he whispered. “Good bye, sweet Dorothy.” The moment he said that, he noticed that she stopped and waved at him. He became really nervous and walked away.

*************************************

“Wow! So you were a damsel in distress,” Zola laughed uncontrollably.

“I thought you said she was really, really pretty?” Luis laughed while shedding tears.
“She must have been built like a linebacker to carry you around like that! Especially since you stopped working out at the gym!”

“I've only gained about 10 pounds and you know it!” Tony blushingly insisted. “No, she was actually quite petite, 5'3" at the most.”

“Maybe she had a robotic arm!” Zola sarcastically replied. “Well, it's been fun but I've got to get back to work.”

“Tony made a “shove off” hand gesture and turned to Luis. “Actually, I found out that she was actually an android.”

“An android?” Luis and Zola chorused. Zola shook her head and walked back to her cubicle. Luis squinted his eyes, but remained silent.

“You believe me, don't you?” Tony asked earnestly.

“It's a little far-fetched, buddy,” Luis admitted as he nodded. “Did she give you her number?”

Tony held up a card that said ‘Roger Smith, Negotiator’. “Well, not exactly. She gave me this.”

“If you say so, buddy...,” chuckled Luis. “Well, I am off to the break room. Need anything?”

”Yeah, get me a coffee,” Tony dejectedly answered. “It looks like I need to wake up from this dream.”

The walked to his cubicle, trying to conceal the sling on his right arm. Tony knew that it would be impossible to hide it from Luis and Zola, since they practically lived in his cubicle lately.

Hi Tony,” greeted Luis. “Your arm is in a sling, yet you have a smile on your face. Did you go out with that linebacker?” He and Zola laughed hysterically as Tony’s expression became flushed.

“Ha Ha,” Tony sarcastically laughed trying to overpower their laughter. “I only dislocated my shoulder; the doc put it back in place. Do you want me to tell you about our date, or what?”

It seemed that his statement only fueled their laughter and mockery. It soon died down after Tony threatened to withhold the details of his date with Dorothy.

“Well, we set our date for 8. I wanted to take her to a movie, but she had something else in mind...,” Tony started.

*******************************

Tony and Dorothy were walking inside the Central Park Dome on an autumn night. Dorothy is wearing a black sweater and black jeans.

Tony thought about holding her hand, but feared that it would be taken the wrong way. So he just walked beside her, letting her lead the way. “What made you want to come out here?” Tony asked because he was puzzled by Dorothy’s insistence on going for a walk in the park.

Dorothy then turned to face Tony. “Do you want to do something else?”

“No, this is fine,” replied Tony nervously. “I just thought that you might want to do something else.”

Before she was able to answer, the sound of grunge music could be heard ahead of them. Dorothy’s face lit up with intrigue. “What sort of music is that?” Dorothy asked. “I never heard something so rough.”

He explained its genre and a brief history about it. He hoped to impress her with his knowledge, since he felt ashamed about her saving him during the truck incident of a week ago.

He noticed that her expression remained apathetic, but her eyes lit up with anticipation. Sensing that she really wanted to see the concert, he took her hand and led her to it.

As they neared, they struggled to pierce through the crowd, towards the makeshift concert stage. About 200 people were cheering, the music was blaring and the multicolored pyrotechnics flamed up every so often. She was smiling profusely as they approached the stage. Her expression became like a child on a Heaven’s Day morning.

“This is intense,” screamed Tony, hoping that Dorothy would be able to hear him through the loud music.

“I like it,” Dorothy replied. Her eyes were fixed to stage. She didn’t blink once, as if to keep from missing anything. “I never thought music can sound like this. The Drums… The guitars… The Vocals… It’s all so rough, yet the ensemble so well.”

The performers completed their act and walked towards the back of the stage. But, before Tony was able to say anything to Dorothy, a new group started to perform an uncanny rendition of “Rape Me.” “Rape me, again. I'm not the only one…” the singer sung repeatedly.

“Why is he demanding to be raped?” Dorothy innocently hollered. “Isn't asking for sex considered consensual sex? How can it be rape?”

“Dorothy, it's just a song,” Tony shouted trying to conceal his laughter. “Try not to take things so literally.”

Dorothy had a perplex expression. After a moment of consideration, she asked “So, he is not asking for sex?”

“Dorothy, that's what I like about you,” Tony laughed. “Your innocence.”

Dorothy smiled and turned her attention to the stage.

After a few other renditions, members of the audience started to climb the stage and jump off so that the rest of the crowd could carry them away. Dorothy was fascinated by the recklessness of this activity.

“What are they doing?” asked Dorothy as another person jumped into the crowed. “They are going to hurt themselves.”

“Nah! They are trying to float on top of the crowd,” Tony explained as he helped ‘float’ a person away. “You see.”

“This is very fascinating,” Dorothy announced.

Tony noticed that her eyes glowed with anticipation and she would flinch every time somebody else jumped off. “Go ahead, try it,” he offered with his arm pointing to the stage rafter.

Dorothy hesitated for a moment. She shook her head as she climbed up to the stage. Her expression became anxious. “I don't know if I should do this,” she yelled.

“Don't worry,” Tony assured her. “I'll catch you!”

Dorothy jumped out of the stage and on to Tony and the surrounding crowd. She landed on top of him. The crowd erupted in laughter.

He gravely miscalculated her weight and paid dearly for it. Tony cried as she removed herself off him. “Dudette, you're heavy. Need air!!!”

Dorothy apologized. “I failed to mention that I weigh more than the average person.”

“No problem,” Tony replied, trying to mask his pain. His shoulder seemed to be at a slightly odd angle and his back was covered in dirt and grass. “Ow, I think I pulled it.”

Dorothy bowed her head and walked towards him. “I think we should take you to a doctor.”

“No problem,” Tony replied. With the assistance of two others, he picked himself from the ground and smiled at her, pretending it didn’t hurt as much as it did. “ I can take anything.”

“Well, I am relieved that you are OK. Let's continue our walk,” Dorothy answered nervously.

Moments later, Tony and Dorothy walked towards the back of the concert and to one of the park's walkways. He nursed his shoulder and walked with a slight limp.

“Are you OK?” asked a concerned Dorothy.

“Sure! It takes more than a flying android to get me down,” Tony answered with a silly smile.

“But, you were down,” she corrected.

“It was only a figure of speech,” Tony explained. He then paused to place a stick of gum in his mouth. After Dorothy declined a piece, he asked, “So, tell me more about your relationship with Roger.”

“Well, I work for him,” Dorothy replied. “He protects me. I protect him.”

“And?” Tony inquired. “What’s the deal? Do you like him, or what?”

“I don't know what you mean?” she asked perplexedly.

“Do you love him?” Tony asked firmly. “Like! You know... You know, enough to sacrifice your life...err...existence for him.”

“If you are asking if I have strong feelings for him, I... I do. Yes, I would face termination for him,” Dorothy replied. Her face displayed a hint of a warm expression.

“So, what's keeping you from locking the deal with him?” Tony pried, his eyes locked on hers.

“Locking the deal?” Dorothy confusedly asked.

“Marriage!” Tony announced with a raised voice. “You know, walking down the aisle and all that stuff.”

Dorothy expression showed signs of melancholy. She became uncharacteristically nervous. “I am unaware if he shares the same feeling for me.”

He stopped to gaze at Dorothy’s new expression and held out his hand to her. She grabbed and held it tight. “I am sure he does. Heck, didn't you say that he saved you a few times? Sounds like he cares to me.”

Dorothy released his hand and lowered her head. “Well, it is in his nature to be helpful.”

“Why don't you test him out?” asked Tony as he started to walk again. “Give him the whole jealousy trip?”

Dorothy looked up to find him walking away, so jogged to catch up to him. “What is a 'jealousy trip'?”

“Well, it is when you date somebody else so that you can determine if the one you love becomes jealous,” Tony explained while staring straight ahead. “If so, that means that he cares for you in a romantic sense.”

“How do I go about doing so?” asked Dorothy with a gleam in her eye.

“Leave the details to me,” Tony answered. He wrapped his arms around her and started to tell her about his plan.

*******************************

Zola and Luis stood at the entrance of Tony’s cubicle, totally riveted by his accounts of last night’s events.

“You got flattened by your date,” laughed Zola as she struggle to maintain her balance.

“That was smooth, dude!” Luis laughed as tear streamed down his cheeks.

Zola saw that Tony was not laughing with them. She poked Luis and he stopped laughing. “Please explain one thing to me,” Zola asked with a shocked expression. “Why are you helping a girl that you are interested in, so that she can hook up with another man?”

“Yeah, that makes no sense to me,” Luis agreed.

“She's a nice girl and I like her a lot,” Tony explained defensively. “Sure, I’m interested, but you should have seen her face the first time she mentioned Roger’s name. It seemed to me that what she really needs most is a friend.”

“Right!” Zola announced sarcastically. “Well, Cupid, I have to get back to work. I hope that you didn't suffer any head trauma when she landed on you.”

“By all means Zola, don't let me keep you from your work!” Tony consented angrily. He turned his attention to Luis. “What do you think about the whole thing?”

“Well, whatever gets you a second date,” Luis shrugged. “Man, I've got to get back to work too. You know how Angel is, she's a slave driver.”

“Later, dude,” Tony saluted. He then held up a card that said "Roger Smith, Negotiator" and laughed. “Well, Roger the Negotiator, prepare to be vanquished.”

It was another morning at Paradigm Corporation. Tony was walking towards his cubicle. “Hi guys,” he said as he gave each co-worker a wave as he passed by. He finally reached his cubicle and dropped his backpack on his guess chair. In their respective cubicles, he noticed Zola was listening to her Fastball CD, while Luis chanted his usual “I am a winner” phrase. However, they broke away from their activities and entered Tony’s cubicle.

“Where have you been for the last three days?” Zola asked. “You had a date with Robo-Crush-Tony-to-Death-Maid, didn't you?” Once again, Luis and her began their laughter ritual

“Ha, Ha, Very funny!” Tony repaid them with sarcasm. “Oh, tell Falcon7 that I will drop off his car later tonight,” Tony said as he pulled out a CD from his backpack. “And as a thank-you for your powers of persuasion, here you go.”

“What is that?” Zola said, anxious with anticipation.

“The source code for Project ARA,” said Tony proudly. “It's due in two weeks, if you catch my drift.”

“Ah, a two week vacation,” Zola replied as she grabbed the disc. “I hope it was worth it.”

“What about me? Don't I get anything?” Luis anxiously interrupted. “It was my uncle that made you that suit, you know.”

“A hearty handshake for you,” Tony coldly replied.

“Gee, thanks,” Luis responded sarcastically.

Tony then pulled out four tickets to Parapalooza and gave them him. Luis looked at Tony awkwardly, but accepted them without hesitation. Zola jokingly attempted to snatch the tickets, but Luis was too quick for her.

“So tell me, why did you want a Blues Brothers suit?” Luis inquired.

“It's identical to Roger's entire wardrobe,” Tony clarified. “I asked Dorothy for its specification.”

“Wow, you really went through the whole thing, didn't you?” Luis asked with a impressed expression.

“Yeah, what gives?” Zola inquired, genuinely concerned. “Why did you ask for my boyfriend's car?”

“Guys, I am a man with a mission. And the story goes like this...,” Tony commenced.

****************************

It was twilight and Tony stood in front of the Smith Mansion, dressed in his "Negotiator" suit. He pressed the intercom button while nervously looking around.

“Yes, may I help you?” Norman asked politely.

“Excuse me, sir,” Tony uneasily replied. “I believe that I have an appointment. My name is Tony Perez.”

A buzzing noise emanated from the door. As Tony approached to pull the door open, Norman said, “Master Roger will see you.”

When Tony entered the lobby, he became intimidated by the sheer size of it. “Geez, Louise. Would you look at this place?” He then stared at the elevator doors. “Even has an elevator.”

The doors opened. Norman could see Tony was frozen in place, so he gently smiled and gestured. “Please step this way, sir.”

Tony thanked him nervously. “Wow. Nice suit.”

Moments later, Norman led Tony to Roger’s study. Tony looked nervously at the enormity of Roger’s collection. Suddenly he was startled.

“Master Roger will see you in a moment,” Norman announced.

“No. No,” Tony replied frantically. “I’m not here to see Roger. I’m here for Dorothy.”

“Miss Dorothy?” Norman asked, raised his eyebrow slightly. “I will summon her.”

After what seemed like a few hours, Dorothy entered the room wearing a
form-fitting black dress, with black elbow length opera gloves and a matching purse.

“Hello Tony,” Dorothy greeted him. “You look very nice today.”

Tony was absolutely flabbergasted by Dorothy's appearance. After a moment of silence during which he opened and closed his mouth several times, he finally managed, "D…D…Dorothy... u…u…you look... st…st…stunning!" After standing there gaping at her for another minute, he hastily offered his arm. "Shall we hit the town?"

“Sure, I would love to,” Dorothy replied with a synthetically sweet smile.

Tony and Dorothy stepped out of the study, towards the elevator. As they approached it, they realized that Roger was already inside. He was leaning on the controls while staring at his feet.

“Where do you think you're going, Dorothy?” Roger asked seriously.

“Roger, you are such a louse,” Dorothy retorted. “Where are your manners? Roger, this is Tony Perez.” She turned her attention to Tony. “Tony, this is Roger Smith.”

Roger glanced at the Tony’s suit, and then looked at his own. He then looked back at Tony. “Nice suit,” he said sarcastically. He turned back to Dorothy. “You're going out tonight? With him?”

Tony gasped. Sensing Roger was not joking, he puffed out his chest and stepped forward. “Why, do you have a problem with it?”

“I don't interfere with your outings,” Dorothy reminded Roger, while interrupting Tony. “Why are you so interested in mine?”

“That's business!” Roger nervously answered.

“I am sure that Angel would disagree,” Dorothy responded in her usual monotone. She turned her to Tony, “Shall we?”

“Don't wait up.” said Tony, while he gave Roger a smirk and a wink.

Roger remained calm as he walked out of the elevator. Dorothy proceeded to operate it. As they lowered down the shaft, the sound of a ceramic object breaking could be heard. Norman’s voice followed suit, “I'll get that, Master Roger.”

“Wow, he sure didn't like you mentioning that Angel girl,” Tony stated while staring at the ceiling of the elevator.

“Apparently,” Dorothy replied indifferently. “Are you sure this is the best way to get his attention?”

Tony smiled. “We'll have him eating from the palm of your hand in no time.”

“Is that what I want him to do?” she asked, looking confused.

Tony responded simply with a devilish grin.

As they made their way to sidewalk, Dorothy noticed a new Corvette parked on the street. “Is that yours?”

“Nah, I borrowed it from Falcon7,” Tony answered. “He'll kill me if I scratch it, but it will help Roger realize he's not the only guy in town with a nice set of wheels.”

She examined the car briefly. “At least it obeys Roger’s dress code,” Dorothy said in an almost comical tone. She looked up and spotted a figure staring down at them from a window. “He's looking at us.”

“I know. Act happy,” Tony insisted with a superficial smile. He put his arm around her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, making a point to opening the car door in a gentlemanly fashion.

Dorothy actually laughed and they entered the car. He floored the gas pedal and pulled away from the curb with plenty of smoke and noise.

“I told you,” Tony boasted. “Is there anywhere you'd like to go?”

“I am new to this,” Dorothy replied. “Please proceed to where you normally take your dates.”

“Well, this is my first one in a long time,” Tony replied with a smirk. “But I have an idea.”

After racing through the night empty streets of Paradigm City, Tony and Dorothy finally stopped in front of a swanky night club. Tony exited the car rapidly, so that he could open the door for Dorothy. As she made her way out, he proclaimed, “Here we are, Chez Rosewater.”

“I don't think Roger will approve,” said Dorothy, showed a hint of hesitation.

“You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs?” Tony explained.

“You're comparing Roger to an omelet?” Dorothy asked in her usual monotone. “I don't want to break him, and I don't want to eat him, either.”

“It's just an expression, don't take it literally,” laughed Tony. “Besides, this is just about guaranteed to catch his attention."

Tony and Dorothy made their way into the club where the hostess seated them in the VIP section. Alex Rosewater, Alan and Angel were seen sitting by a table next to them.

“Tony, this section is reserved for Paradigm VIPs only,” Dorothy whispered. “How did you get us in here?”

“I'm the reigning programming champion,” Tony answered proudly. “The grand prize is a VIP Pass to this joint. Normally, I wouldn't set foot here, but tonight's a special case.”

Dorothy noticed that Angel recognized her and was approaching. “Tony, I don't know if I should be here.”

Tony smiled silently and sipped his glass of water.

“Well, Dorothy, how are you?” Angel asked as she gave Dorothy an insincere hug. She then looked at Tony with a devious grin. “My name is Angel. And you?”

“My name is Tony Perez,” he introduced himself proudly. “I am one of your senior developers.”

Angel pretended that it meant something to her. “Oh, right! Tony!” She then smirked at Dorothy. “Well, nice to see you two love birds here. Sorry, I have to run. Tell Roger I said hi.”

Dorothy nodded in acknowledgement and waited until Angel was out of earshot. “I believe that she is enjoying this,” she said with a barely noticeable concerned tone.

“Don't worry,” Tony reassured her. “If she is as predictable as I believe, she'll be telling Roger all about it in 5 minutes.”

“Is that why we are here?” she asked.

“Well, that’s one of the reasons,” he answered. He looked towards the dance floor and smiled. “Want to dance?”

Dorothy: If you think that would help. Yes, I would like to.

Tony and Dorothy made their way to the dance floor. Tony shuffled his feet, in a failed attempt to conceal the fact that he was utterly clueless about dancing. To his relief, a slow song started to play.

“You dance wonderfully,” Tony complemented her, trying to start a conversation.

“Thank you,” Dorothy replied unemotionally, still staring at Angel. “I am programmed in 25 different dance moves.”

“Really, what other dance moves do you know?” Tony asked, trying to seize Dorothy’s attention.

“Well, I know how to Tango,” Dorothy announced as she finally gave Tony eye contact. Unexpectedly, she started to dance the tango, lifting him off the ground.

He disparately tried to stop the dancing android. He tapped her on the shoulder. “I need something to drink.” She stopped and released him. They made their way back to their table and rested.

They stayed at the club for a few more hours, danced to a few slow songs and talked.

“I think that's long enough,” Tony stated, exhausted of the club scene. “Are you ready to get going?”

Dorothy sighed noticeable in relief. “Yes, let's go.”

A few moments later, Tony and Dorothy were walking towards the car. Tony noticed that Dorothy was staring at the car with the desire to drive it. He pulled out the car keys from his pocket and dangled them in front of her. “Hey Dorothy, have you ever driven a car before?”

“No, unless you count steering a car with my foot while standing on the hood,” answered Dorothy as she stared at the keys.

****************************

Zola and Luis stood at the entrance of Tony’s cubicle. As usual, Luis was totally riveted by his accounts of last night’s events. However, Zola covered her face with her hands.

“What!” shouted Zola. “You let that...that glorified household appliance drive Falcon 7's car?”

“Don't tell me you guys were the ones that got caught parking?” Luis laughed. “I heard something about it on my police scanner!”

“Wait up, guys. I am not finished, yet!” Tony appealed.

“That is the last time I do a favor for you,” Zola snapped. “I'm calling Falcon 7.”

“Go right ahead!” Tony sneered. “Wow, look at the time! I have to get to work!”

“What, you're leaving just before you get to the juicy part? Come on, Tony! Give!” Luis begged.

“Yeah, I want to hear about how she wrecked the car!” Zola demanded sarcastically.

“Nah, I really have to go,” Tony was delighted they had taken the bait. “I'll finish the story at lunch!”

Tony entered the gigantic cafeteria of Paradigm Corporation. With a lunch tray in his hands, Tony walked towards the dining section. He scanned the area as he walked forward, looking for his coworkers. The cafeteria was quite full, but he finally found them sitting at a table near the windows. Falcon 7 was with them. "Hi guys" he greeted them, taking a seat by Luis.

”Hi Tony,” Falcon 7 looked annoyed. “Zola told me that you and Roberta-the-Robot were caught doing unmentionable acts in my car! What gives?”

”I bet you she got oil all over the seats,” Zola scoffed, her arms crossed.

Zola and Luis laughed loudly, but Falcon 7 remained silent and furious.

”Nothing happened to your car. I'm getting it washed and waxed, as we speak,” Tony explained hastily. “As for what went on in your car...”

Suddenly there was an uneasy silence. Luis had a shocked expression as if Tony admitted to committing a murder. “You didn’t! Did you?”

”Paradise by the dashboard light? Ewww...,” Zola looked faintly ill.

Falcon 7 expression changed as he burst into laughter. “Do tell all the details.”

“Well, brace yourselves,” Tony warned, he took a sip of his drink. “It was like this...”

*************************

Tony and Dorothy stood beside the Corvette outside Chez Rosewater. He removed the car keys from his pocket and dangled them in front of her. “Hey Dorothy, have you ever driven a car before?”

“No, unless you count steering a car with my foot while standing on the hood,” answered Dorothy as she stared at the keys. “Roger gave me a lesson once, but he was not very happy with my performance. I drove the Griffon through a wall."

"You must be joking," Tony grinned. His smile faded as he realized she was completely serious. "Why did you do that?"

"During our lesson, Norman called to tell us that a bank robbery was in progress. When he told us it was Beck, I decided to go after him," Dorothy explained.

"So, what happened?" Tony asked, beginning to regret his offer.

"He made a sudden stop and I kept going," Dorothy continued. "Roger hadn't explained that I could drop the car into a lower gear, so we were going much too fast to stop in time."

"You know that now, right?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Yes, Norman started me on lessons a week later on the condition I not speak of it to Roger." Dorothy replied earnestly. "He is by far the more patient teacher."

Tony chuckled at that. "I can imagine," he said. He walked over and handed her the keys. "Here! It's an automatic, so you won't have to worry about shifting."

"Okay," Dorothy accepted them with a pleased smile.

Dorothy walked around to the driver's side and entered the vehicle. Without hesitation, she started the car.

Tony tapped on the passenger side window, making a circular gesture with his hand. “Unlock the door?” he asked.

She pressed the unlock button. “Please excuse me,” she apologized. “I'm a little excited.”

“It's all right. It's your first time in this car,” he said with a big smile.

Dorothy shifted it into drive and throttled the accelerator. “Where should we go now?”

“It’s up to you,” shrugged Tony. “The next thing we need to do is... is…Well, it depends if you want to go on to the next step.”

Without hesitation, Dorothy replied, “I will go as far as I need.”

“Fine.” Tony said as he opened the glove compartment and pulled out a notepad. “I know Colonel Dastun is on duty in the Central Dome, 3rd district,” explained Tony, as he nervously scanned through a page. “It's a long shot, but if he's there, we'll he to...”

“Have sex?” Dorothy asked indifferently.

“No!” Tony shouted. He blushed bright red. “Just making out will do. Hopefully he'll see us and inform Roger.”

“Making out? You mean kissing?” Dorothy asked, seeming genuinely interested.

Tony nodded. “Yes, that's what I mean. Of course, this is only for show.”

“For Dastun to see, right?” asked Dorothy.

“Right,” Tony answered. He pointed to an abandoned movie theatre. “Stop right here. I have noticed that Dastun walks by and stares at this joint a lot. It's like he relives his childhood there or something like that.”

Dorothy turned to look at Tony. “Yes, he dreams of this place a lot.”

“Dreams, right,” replied Tony. He saw that the officer was crossing the street and heading their way. “Remember what I told you, we are only acting.”

"I see him," she nodded, and promptly grabbed Tony and kissed him.

"I can't breathe," Tony gasped, squirming around a little. "Dorothy, you... you..." She eased up on the pressure but didn't release him. After another moment he began to return the kiss in earnest, his hands running over her back.

Suddenly, there was a sound of a nightstick tapping on the roof of the car. “Hey you two, get a room! Don't you know...” Dastun said angrily as he was looking inside the car from the passenger side window. After a moment, he recognized Dorothy and became confused. “Dorothy, is that you?” he asked as he turned his attention to the gentleman beside her. “Hey, you're not Roger! What's going on here!”

Dorothy warmly stared back at Dastun. “Hi Dastun, I am on a hot date and as you can see, we are quite busy at the moment!”

With red lipstick all over his face, Tony snapped, “That's right! So beat it, flat-foot!”

“You! Out of the car!” Dastun angrily demanded.

“Don't worry. I'll be fine,” Tony nervously whispered to Dorothy.

Dastun grabbed Tony by the coat with one hand, while making a fist with the other. “I should teach you something about respecting the law!” He then glanced at Dorothy. But, I am going to let you off with a warning since you’re a friend of hers.”

Tony nodded. He knew that Dastun had a very short temper. “Thank you, sir.”

Dastun stooped down and looked at Dorothy through the front windshield. “You should get back home, young lady. Roger is probably worried sick about you!”

“Well, she's with me. I'll take care of her.” Tony replied in Dorothy’s place.

“Yeah, right,” Dastun snickered. “Beat it, buddy. Or I’ll give you a ticket for loitering.”

“Come on, honey,” Tony entered the car. “He's right, why stay here when we could get a room? Thanks, Officer!”

Dorothy started up the car and drove off.

While she remained focused on the road, Dorothy asked, “How was that?”

“Dorothy, that was awesome,” Tony praised. He repeatedly looked back to see if Dastun was following them. “Where did you learn to kiss like that?”

“I have my secrets,” Dorothy replied with an innocent expression.

“OK, we'll leave it at that,” Tony grinned while when made a hand gesture. “Hey, we should be getting you back home. It's already 4 am.”

“What for?” Dorothy asked, still minding the road. “I don't require sleep and Roger won't wake up for another 8 hours.”

“Dorothy, he's up! Believe me, he won't be able to sleep knowing that you are out on the town with me,” Tony chuckled. “Especially, after Dastun tells him about our dirty deeds.”

“You're enjoying this, aren't you?” asked Dorothy, as she tried to hide her smile.

“Dor-able, I live for this.” Tony replied with a toothy grin.

*********************************

As they got within a kilometer away from the Smith Mansion, Tony asked Dorothy to pull over. She complied, but was puzzled by his sudden demand. “OK, why did you want to stop? Did you forget something?”

“No, we need some irrefutable evidence,” Tony said as he looked at his reflection on the passenger side mirror. “You know what to do, right?”

“Oh, you mean what we discussed earlier,” Dorothy hesitated. “I’m not sure if I should. I may hurt you.”

“Don't worry, Dorothy,” Tony assured her. “After all, I am unable to do it to you. So, get on with it.”

“OK, One hickey it is.” Dorothy shrugged. She loosened his tie and undid the top button of his collar and put her lips to his neck. His eyes widened and he started to squirm.

“Well, that's it...Dorothy, that should be enough,” Tony announced. He rubbed his neck. “Don't forget to get some lipstick on my collar.”

“Won't it stain?” she asked earnestly.

Tony laughed while he nursed his bruised neck. “You're so thoughtful. I couldn't care less about the shirt.” He shivered a little as she kissed his neck along his collar. “That's probably good en…”

“The lipstick has worn off your face,” Dorothy stated as she kissed him again.

Tony pulled away reluctantly. He can see that her expression was warm and willing, but he felt morally wrong and lightly pushed her away. “If we're going to be keeping this just for show, we'd better stop right here.”

Dorothy stared at his bruise. “I hope that doesn't hurt you too much tomorrow.”

Tony ran his hands through her hair to make it a bit messier. “And if things with Roger don't work, I am always available,” he mumbled.

“What did you say?” Dorothy asked, but seemed to have heard what he said.

“Nothing,” Tony nervously replied. He looked away from her for a moment. In a desperate attempt to change the subject, he asked, “So…how about this car? Isn't it great?”

“Yes. I like it,” Dorothy agreed. “But it’s not as fast or efficient as the Griffon.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Geez, everybody's a critic,” He briefly looked at his watch. “Okay, let me drive you home, if you don’t mind me driving?”

Dorothy nodded and exited the car. Tony followed suit. As they switched, he noticed something joyful about Dorothy as she made her way to the passenger side. She actually smiled, not her typical cold and superficial manner, but as warm as any human’s.

After a moment of thought, Tony entered the car sped towards the Smith Mansion. He then pulled the handbrake and spun the car into a parking spot by the front door.

“That was good,” Dorothy complemented. “Roger tried it a few times, but he always ended up on the sidewalk.”

“Well, I have been practicing,” Tony announced proudly. Suddenly, he became nervous. “I hope that Falcon7 doesn't hear about this.”

***************************

“Man, I asked you not to wreck it!” Falcon 7 snapped.

“No, I didn't. I promise, if there is anything close to resembling a scratch...” Tony assured him.

“Shh… Falcon! This is getting good,” Zola pleaded sarcatically. She continued to stare at Tony. “Tell me, does she taste like Mobile One or Cooking Oil?”

Luis coughed out his soda violently. “Man, it came out of my nose!”

“Guys, Focus! As I was saying…,” Tony continued, frustrated by the constant interruptions.

********************************

Dorothy sat inside the car, which was parked in front of the main entrance to the Smith Mansion. Tony exited and hurried around to open the door for her. He announced, “Mademoiselle,” with a grin.

“Thank you, Tony,” Dorothy said. “You are such a gentleman.”

Tony approached her and begun to kiss her on the neck. As she tilted her head upward, he whispered, “Is he watching?”

Dorothy replied in a mildly sensual tone, “Yes... Yes... Yes...”

“Good. Let’s go inside,” Tony smiled as he pulled away from her neck.

Tony followed Dorothy into the lobby. He was startled to find Roger standing inside the elevator, waiting.

“Well, here we are,” Dorothy told Tony, she ignored the fact Roger was inside with them.

“Dorothy,” Roger called, annoyed by the charade.

“Yes, we are. I had a wonderful time,” Tony agreed, ignored Roger as he gave her a kiss goodnight.

“Dorothy! What the hell are you doing?” Roger asked angrily, masked in an apathetic voice.

“Roger Smith, you will never cease being a louse,” Dorothy proclaimed. “Tony was only seeing me to my room.”

Roger observed the hickey and multiple lipstick stains on his shirt. “I'm sure he's very interested in your safety.”

“What's wrong with that?” Tony said, noticed that Roger was getting upset. “If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were jealous or something.”

Dorothy stepped between the two men. “Roger, you have no right to interfere. Didn't you once say that I should be myself?” She turned her attention to Tony. “Call me.”

Tony smiled and looked to Roger. “Sorry we were so late, we were having so much fun we completely lost track of time.” He held his hand out. “I took good care of her, really. Friends?”

Roger turned away, completely ignored Tony’s peace offering. “I have a busy day tomorrow. I just wanted to make sure you returned in one piece. Good night.” He walked away as he shook her head.

Dorothy laid an innocent kiss on Tony. “Thanks for a wonderful evening.”

Tony blushed and stuttered, “I…I’ll see you tomorrow.”


“That's it for now,” Tony announced sincerely.

“Wow Tony,” Zola cheered. “I didn't think you had it in you.”

“All right!” Falcon said as he shook Tony’s hand. “Well, if you need to borrow my car again, you got it.”

“I need to get back to work!” Zola announced. “Later, Cupid.” She walked off with Falcon 7 and Zola.

Tony turned to Luis. “So, what did you think?”

Luis patted Tony on the shoulder. “You need professional help, buddy. But, I like your style.” He then looked at his watch. “Lunch is over, we better get going.”

“Ah, you go right ahead. I need some time to think.”

Tony stormed towards his cubicle. He ignored every co-worker as he passed them by. He finally reached it and threw his backpack on the guest chair. He noticed that Zola and Luis were staring at him, so he looked away.

“Hi Tony. What's up?” Luis greeted. “What happened to your perky disposition that we all have grown accustomed to seeing?”

“You actually look like there is something bothering you,” Zola stated the obvious. “What happened, did Robo-Babe kick you out of bed?”

Luis and Zola started to laugh, but cut it short when they noticed that Tony wasn't responding at all.

“What's wrong?” Zola asked sincerely.

“Yeah, what's up?” Luis asked equally concerned. “I haven't seen you this deep in thought since you were working on the STP project.”

"Guys, I am facing a moral dilemma," Tony told them, his internal torment plain to see. "Last night…

***************************************

Roger sat by his desk in the study room. He was reviewing some documents for a pending case.

Unable to concentrate, Roger pressed the intercom button. “Norman, is Dorothy here?”

“Yes, sir. She has just arrived from the market,” announced Norman. “Shall I summon her?”

“Yes, Norman,” Roger answered eagerly. The door knocked, he picked up a pen and pretended to be writing something. “Come in.”

“Did you call for me?” Dorothy asked.

“Yes, please sit down,” Roger offered professionally.

”I would rather stand,” Dorothy insisted.

“Suit yourself,” Roger replied, annoyed by Dorothy’s uncooperative behavior. “I wanted to ask you what your plans were for this evening.”

”Roger Smith, is your memory failing you? Norman told you that my friend was coming over tonight,” Dorothy replied, her expression displayed annoyance.

“Really, which friend?” he asked, hiding his insincerity. “Is it Instro?”

“It’s not Instro. Tony will be stopping by for dinner,” Dorothy clarified, actually rolled her eyes.

”R. Dorothy Wayneright,” Roger erupted. “I don't believe that you should be associating with that shady character. What do you know about him, anyways?”

“Well, I know that he makes me happy,” Dorothy explained calmly. “Besides, why should I tell you anything about my affairs? Do you not yourself associate with Angel? Is she not a shady character?”

“Well, then. If that is the way it's going to be…” Roger started. He stopped and thought for a moment. He amended his expression and politely stated, “Fine, he may stop by for dinner. Now, I need to attend to my work.”

“Thank you, Roger,” She slightly bowed with gratitude.

Roger opened his desk drawer and took out a picture of Dorothy in her red party dress. After a staring at it for a long moment, he places it back in the drawer.

********************************

That evening, Tony stood in front of the Smith Mansion. He was dressed in a simple black suit with a matching black tie. He pressed the intercom button and waited impatiently.

”Yes, may I help you?” the elderly gentleman asked.

”Hello, Norman. It’s Tony,” he replied.

“Come right in, we have been expecting,” Norman’s voice warmly greeted.

A buzzing noise sounded and Tony opens the door. He walked into the entryway and waited until Norman joins him. “Thank you, Norman.”

“I see that you are dressed to code,” Norman complemented him with a small smirk.

“Yeah, Dorothy told me about it,” Tony replied nervously. “Is Roger in a perpetual state of mourning?”

Norman coughed out a chuckle. “No, sir. I don't believe that is the case.” He led Tony into the main living room. “Dorothy will meet with you shortly.”

“Thank you, Norman,” he replied. Tony looked around, he felt awed by the room’s size and luxurious decor.

“I see that you have observed the dress codes,” Roger announced from the balcony. He stared at the street with a drink in his hand.

“Yes,” Tony replied nervously. “Dorothy told me that you were obsessed with the color black.”

Roger slammed his drink on the railing. “Is that what she told you?”

Tony approached the railing and stared at the skyline, he made it a point not to look at Roger. “In so many words.”

“What are your intentions concerning...” Roger suddenly stopped as Dorothy entered the balcony area.

Dorothy was dressed in a forest green shoulder-less dress and matching shoes. “Hello, Tony. You look good.”

Tony walked up to her and reached out for her hands. “Dorothy, if only I had words to describe how beautiful you look.”

“I believe that breaks the dress codes, Dorothy,” Roger announced sarcastically.

Dorothy turned to Roger. She gave him a frighteningly serious stare with her charcoal colored eyes. “How about when Angel stops by? She doesn't wear black. I never hear you complain about her choice in clothing, especially when she’s wearing those low-cut shirts that make you think she’s going to fall out of...”

Roger suddenly became nervous and hastily interrupted her. “Dorothy, this is neither the time nor place.”

“Shall we, my lady?” Tony offered her his arm, in an attempted to defuse the situation.

Dorothy took Tony’s arm. “Yes, of course.”

Roger was annoyed and dejected. “Dorothy, the dress code is a very important rule here!”

Norman stepped on top the balcony. He bowed his head and announced, “Dinner is served, Master Roger.”

Roger stormed inside, almost bumped into Norman. “The sooner this is over, the better.”

******************************

Zola and Luis leaned on the cubicle wall across from Tony. Luis shook his head, while Zola stared relentlessly at Tony with a new found respect.

She asked, “So what the hell is the problem?”

“Yeah, sounds like you got him all riled up,” Luis agreed.

“Guys, that’s not even the half of it…,” Tony continued.

***********************************

Roger sat at the head of the table, while Tony and Dorothy sat on the opposite side. Norman stood behind him with a bottle of red wine in his hand. He emptied his glass, and his servant filled it up again.

“So Tony, tell me what you do for a living?” Roger asked, he seemed to want to interrogate him.

Tony tried to gulp down his food. “Excuse me. I don't like to talk when my mouth is full.”

“Roger, what seems to be the problem?” Dorothy scolded. “If I interrogated your guests in that tone of voice, you would be very angry with me. Don't be such a…”

Roger interrupted her sarcastically. “Yes, I know. Don't be such a louse. Well, I'd like to know something about this man you are dating.” He then spoke in his smoothest Negotiator voice possible. “So, Tony, what do you do for a living?”

“I am an AIT Software Engineer for Paradigm Corporation,” Tony proudly replied.

“So, you punch keys all day. Fascinating…,” Roger responded mockingly.

“Well, I like what he does,” Dorothy defended Tony. She turned to Tony. “In fact, do you mind if I fix your lunch tomorrow?”

“Wait a minute!” Roger cried. “Norman may need your help with...”

Norman smirked, “Oh, I don't have anything specific planned for Dorothy.”

“Roger, if I want to bring Tony lunch, I will do so.” Dorothy said as she stared at Roger. “Just because I work for you doesn't mean I'm on call twenty-four hours a day. I get to take a lunch break, if I choose to.”

“A lunch break? You don’t need a lunch break, you’re an android...” Roger stopped. “Sorry, I didn't mean that.”

Dorothy hunched, she seemed upset. “Norman, thank you for dinner.” She stood up and took her plate to the kitchen.

Tony stood up to follow her. “Honey, don't listen to...” He stopped to stare at Roger and shook his head. “I hope you are satisfied.” He then stormed out of the dining room in pursuit.

“I believe tonight was a success,” Norman said, failed to mask his sarcasm.

Roger sighed heavily. “Norman, I don't know what got into me.”

“If I might be so bold, sir, you can't blame her for wanting a life of her own. You've certainly never consulted her about your activities,” Norman replied, he looked disappointed at Roger.

“Why do I get the feeling I've just been slapped by everyone in the house?” Roger responded somberly.

*************************************

Dorothy sat on a chair inside her bedroom. She stared silently at the skyline through window. She heard the door knocked, but did not respond.

“Hey Dorothy, may I come in?” Tony pleaded gently.

“Enter,” she replied simply.

“Looks like we got him where you want him,” Tony said as he walked inside her room. He watched as her eyes welled up and a tear fell down her cheek. Concerned, he ran up to her. “Hey Dorothy, don't cry.”

“I am not crying,” Dorothy insisted, but was unable to convince Tony.

“He didn't mean it, really,” Tony apologized. “I could tell he felt really badly for what he said.”

“He should be speaking for himself,” Dorothy sobbed. “You shouldn't have to do it for him.”

Tony embraced Dorothy tightly and kissed her on the cheek. “He’s getting there, I'm sure of it.”

Dorothy smiled warmly. “Do you think so?”

“I know so,” Tony smiled.

Roger knocked on Dorothy’s door. “Dorothy, may I come in?”

“Are you going to insult me in front of my guest again?” asked Dorothy.

“No, I'll be a gentleman,” Roger voice sounded dejected.

“That isn't necessary, being pleasant will be adequate,” retorted Dorothy.

“That hurts, Dorothy,” Roger replied sarcastically. “Okay, I'll be nice.”

“Enter,” she said simply.

Roger entered only to see Tony lying on the bed, dressed in black pajamas. Dorothy was combing her hair by her dresser, wearing a beautiful green nightgown. Surprised, he lowered his head. “I see. Maybe I should stop by later.”

“No, please say what you were going to say,” Dorothy insisted.

Roger nervously looked around, he made it a point not to giver her eye-to-eye contact. “I just wanted you to know I had Norman fix a guest room for Tony.”

“How thoughtful, for a change,” Dorothy said, using her emotionless tone. “But, Tony will be staying with me tonight.”

Roger cringed as he stared at Tony on her twin-sized bed. “I don't believe that both you and Tony would be comfortable there. Besides, don't you need your privacy?”

“No, but thank you for thinking of me,” Dorothy replied.

“Dorothy, be reasonable,” Roger pleaded. “Besides, it is inappropriate to...”

“This is my room and I can have any guest I want in it. If you have a problem with that, I can stay down Tony's place. Really, Roger! It’s rude of you to lecture me this way in front of company!” Dorothy scolded.

Roger shook his head. “But…but…” He stuttered for a moment, then conceded defeat. “Fine, you win, Dorothy. Do what you want.” He walked slowly out the room.

Tony stared nervously at the ceiling. “Man, this is going to be the death of me.”

“Well, it is midnight,” Dorothy stated. “You must be sleepy.”

Tony was amazed that Roger capitulated. He noticed that she stared at him with a warm look. “Yes, but you take the bed,” Tony smiled nervously. “It's your room, after all.”

“Tony, don't forget,” Dorothy smiled noticeably as she corrected him. “I am an android, and I don't need to sleep. But, if you don't feel comfortable with my sleeping in the same bed as you, I can sit in that chair over there.”

“Dorothy, I cannot allow you to do that,” Tony appealed. “Besides, we'll both fit. I'll take the left side and you can have the right.”

Dorothy climbed into the bed. “Shall I shut off the light?”

“OK. Thank you, Dorothy,” Tony replied.

Dorothy reached to her lamp and hit the switch. “Good night.”

“Good night, my lady,” Tony replied nervously.

After a moment of silence, Dorothy called, “Tony?”

“What is it, Dorothy?” Tony answered sleepily.

“Roger was really a terrible tonight,” Dorothy announced. “Are you sure it’s just because he’s jealous?”

“Without a doubt,” Tony replied, he hoped that would comfort her. “He doesn't act that way all the time, does he?”

“Not quite that badly,” Dorothy replied in a way that can only be described as somber.

Tony yawned as his eyes became watered. “Well, there you go. Don't worry, he'll come around.”

Dorothy remained silent for a few minutes. “What if he doesn't?”

“Huh? What?” Tony said, disorientated by his sleepiness.

“What if he doesn't come around?” she asked as she made some weepy noises.

“Are you crying again?” Tony touched her face and felt her tears. “Aw, come on, Dorothy. It will be fine.” He put his arms around her and mumbled, “You'll still have me.”

“Do you really mean that?” Dorothy asked almost happily.

“Well, yeah. Of course I do,” answered Tony shyly. “I think you’re beautiful and a lot of fun to be around.” He became alarmed when he realized that she was undoing the buttons on his pajamas. “Dorothy? Dorothy? What are you doing? Doro…” After a few moments of his superficial resistance, he became subdued by her passionate kissing.

**************************************

Zola and Luis stood shocked as they trained their eyes on Tony.

After a few moments, Zola snapped out of her attention induced trance. “Wow! What did Roger say in the morning?”

“Yeah, did he kick your butt?” Luis asked sarcastically. “Tony, I didn't think you had it in you!”

“Actually, I don't know what he said,” Tony responded sadly. “I left for work, and as far as I know, he was still sleeping. I just feel strange about the whole thing.”

“Why?” Luis asked sincerely. “Looks like you got him running scared now!”

Zola was shocked. “You aren't falling for her, are you? You’re joking!” She laughed briefly, then paused. “Right?”

Luis also noticed that Tony had a serious expression. “Dude, you can't be. Look, my cousin knows this girl…”

Tony interrupted. “Don't worry about it. I can handle my own affairs.”

“You better be careful! If you fall for her and she goes off with him, you’re going to end up with a broken heart!” Zola scolded.

“Don't worry guys. It's all good,” Tony explained. He looked at his watch. “Geez, look at the time. I got a meeting in 5 minutes. Later guys.” He stormed out of his cubicle.

“Wow, we've got to do something about this,” Luis demanded. “He’s really getting serious!”

“Nah, he’s a big boy, I'm sure he can handle this himself,” Zola assured him. She looked at Luis thoughtfully. “At least, I hope he can! Hey, did you get that email report?”

It was before dawn at the Speakeasy. Big Ear was reading his newspaper, as he ignored the cussing and fighting between two unruly men near a pool table by him. Roger entered the room, the two men stopped fighting and walked away.

“Hello Roger, It’s been awhile,” Big Ear greeted.

“I have been swamped with work lately,” Roger lied.

“I know you better than that,” Big Ear replied. “Have the information you have requested.”

Roger took a drink of his bourbon. “So, what did you find?”

“It looks Mr. Perez is a walking anomaly. According to his records, he is a clean-cut poster boy of Paradigm City. He was born to a middle class family; attended a decent school; works for Paradigm Corporation as a programmer,” Big Ear said.

“So, what’s the problem?” Roger asked, he looked impatiently at Big Ear.

“Let me explain something to you. A person with such a bland record usually has something to hide,” Big Ear explained. “It seems that he applied for his first credit card three years ago and the same time he started working for Paradigm Corporation. This is the same time he rented his apartment and bought his car.”

“Are you telling me that he is living under an assumed identity?” Roger asked hastily. “Is Dorothy being conned?”

“No.” Big Ear answered decisively. “He has not been involved in anything as devious as what you have described.”

“Then what is it, pray tell?” Roger pleaded.

“I am not sure. He doesn’t associate himself with foreign sleepers or any of the known criminal elements,” Big Ear responded. “And from what I hear, he seems to be very good at his job, at least until recently.”

“What do you mean?” Roger asked earnestly.

“It seems to me that he has taken a liking to your maid,” Big Ear answered bluntly. “Making him an irresistible target for the vultures in high places.”

Big Ear saw Roger placed a roll of money on the table. He quickly covered it with his newspaper and lifted his glass to him, as if he were toasting to him.

************************************

Later on that morning, Zola and Luis were talking by the water cooler in the AI Software Engineering Department. Zola realized that her friend Kay from Q&R had approached them. “Kay, what are you doing here?”

“Yeah, why aren't you in your coffin down in Q&R? It's daytime,” Luis laughed dryly.

“I've got a little "quality and reliability" issue on this ARA code. Tony around?” Kay asked concernedly.

“Nope,” Zola and Luis chorused.

“No more than I expect,” exasperated Kay. “Look, Zola, you're up on this project, right? I only have a couple questions. C'mon, I'll buy you a cup of coffee.”

Zola agreed. “Yeah, all right, since you ask so nicely....

Kay and Zola walked down to the break-room, poured their (free) coffee, and found two seats in the deserted room. Kay insisted on sitting near the center.

“Look, the real reason I brought you down here is Tony himself. He needs to trim his sails,” Kay said quietly. She opened a printout as if to point out something in it.

Zola stared at the printout and tried to look puzzled. “What do you mean by that?”

Kay looked at Zola impatiently, she placed the printout on the table. “You software guys should get out of your cubicles once in a while. He's been over at that Smith place in the Illegal Residence Sector. Our "lord and master" is taking way too much interest in him.”

Zola suddenly became nervous. “Why would Rosewater worry about what some programmer is doing in his spare time?”

Kay rolled her eyes and picked up the printout again. “You guys really are at the end of the gossip food chain! Rosewater is obsessed with that Roger Smith; don't know why, don't want to know why, but if I were Tony, I'd stay far, far away from anything Alex Rosewater was interested in.”

“Where'd you hear this?” asked Zola skeptically.

”I have my sources,” Kay answered loftily. “Look, in Q&R we have to keep our ear to the ground to keep up with project slip. Everyone figures they hand off perfect code that takes half an hour to read through.”

“Ok, I have heard that,” Zola laughed.

Kay interrupted. “But what we really have is some snake pit that could take a week before we can test it properly. So in order to arrange the mainframe time we'll need, we have to have realistic scheduling on when we'll have something to test. After all, we need to live up to our motto!”

Kay, with a pious expression and Zola, with rolled eyes chorused, “We're not happy until you're not!”

“Anyway, that's what I wanted to tell him,” Kay said sincerely. “Let him know, ok?”

Zola paused and stared at Kay briefly. “And why are you doing this? Out of the goodness of your heart?”

“Of course not!” Kay denied. She paused a second. “Well, maybe a little. He's one of the less-annoying software geeks. It'd be the pity of the world if he were to make a career-limiting move. Just tell him to keep an eye on the weather gauge.”

“Shall I tell him you like him?” Zola asked impishly.

Kay flustered. “Don't be daft! I like guys who are handy with hardware.” She smirked. “Of course, if he wanted to learn which end of a welding torch to hold, he could pass the word....”

Zola winked at Kay. “Sure.” They stood up in unison. “Thanks for the coffee.”

Kay smiled sincerely. “My pleasure.”

***************************

An hour later, Tony walked to his cubicle, giving each co-worker as he passed them by. He noticed that Luis and Zola were waiting in his cubicle. “Hi guys,” he greeted. “What’s up?”

Luis waved at him. “Hey, Tony. How’s life?”

Tony gave a toothy grin. “Cool. Looks like things are turning out right. You?”

Zola stood impatiently staring at him. “Hi Tony. I have a question about the ARA project.”

“Sure, what do you need to know?” Tony asked.

Zola looked around nervously. “Not, here.”

Tony sensed that something was wrong. “Fine. How about the simulation room?”

“Good,” Zola assented. “How about in 30 minutes.”

“Great. See you there,” Tony confirmed.

Tony entered the darken simulation room 30 minutes later. He was about to flip the light switch on when he felt Zola’s hand covering it.

“Zola, what’s up?” Tony asked anxiously.

“I need to know something straight out,” Zola started. “What’s the deal with you and Dorothy? Stop blushing and tell me the truth, this is serious!”

Tony hunched down and looked miserable. “I don't know. I believe that I have fallen for her in a big way. She’s just…well, she’s amazing! I've never known anyone like her. The more time I spend with her, the more I like her, but I think that she really wants to be with Roger, and I promised her I would help her.”

“Well, I think you ought to reconsider. Big Brother is watching you,” Zola warned. “He is very interested in your after-hour activities, especially, the ones involving the Smith Mansion.”

“Why on earth would he care?” Tony asked, shocked by her revelation. “Who told you?”

Zola stared at Tony seriously. “Does it matter? We are all worried about you. Is it worth flushing your career down the toilet? Maybe you'd better back off for a while and let things cool down. Think about it, won't you?”

“Thank you, Zola. I appreciate your telling me this. It is you who should be careful; I hate to think of you and Luis getting caught up in this. Maybe I should stop telling you what’s happening--the less you know, the better. I don't want to think your jobs might be on the line.” Tony said, still hunched down.

Zola hugged Tony. “Don't worry. I think you should do what you always do--if you didn't, it would look really suspicious.” Zola paused for a moment. “Just…Tony? Maybe you should be looking at doing the right thing for yourself, and not worry about Dorothy and Roger so much. Promise me you'll at least think about it?”

Tony smiled. “Will do. We probably should get going; they'll be looking for us. You go first, I will follow in 5 minutes.”

“Talk about suspicious!” Zola laughed. “No, we go back together, just follow my lead.”

They exited the Simulating Room and walked down the hall.

“I really appreciate your clearing that up,” Zola said, pretended to be referring to something work related. “When I first saw that e-mail, I thought you meant something totally different and I got mad.”

“I'm sorry,” Tony apologized. “I should have realized you could take it two ways.”

“Well, I'm sorry for biting your head off, I should have just asked. Thanks for taking the…,” Zola voice trailed off as they saw Angel waiting inside his cubicle.

Angel was smoking inside his cubicle; she completely disregarded the no smoking policy of the building. “Good afternoon, Mr. Perez.”

Tony was shocked that Zola’s prediction came true so fast. “Hello, Ms. Jenkins, How are you on this fine morning?” He nervously asked. “The ARA is still on schedule, there are only a few bugs to take care of.”

“That’s great. Actually, I am here to give you this,” Angel replied, uninterested in the project. She handed him an envelope. “The President would like you to join him for lunch.”

Tony’s eyes lit up. “The CEO? Why would he…,”

Angel interrupted rudely. “The president of Paradigm Corporation, Alex Rosewater.”

Tony glanced at Zola with a frightened look, then turned back to Angel. “Of course, I would be delighted to join him. Is it a formal affair?”

Angel laughed dryly. “You don't need a black suit, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Tony smiled, hiding his contempt for her. “I see. Will you be attending?” he asked sarcastically.

Angel sensed his sarcasm. “No, I have prior engagements. Thank you.” She rushed out of his cubicle, headed towards the elevator.

Zola waited until Angel was out of sight. In a low voice, “I always loathed her.”

Luis, spoke just quietly. “No argument there, Zola. She’s a snake in silk.”

Tony smiled, attempted to mask his fear. “Guys, I will handle this matter. It’s probably totally unrelated to my dating Dorothy. Maybe, it’s just a coincidence.”

“Good luck!” Zola and Luis chorused.

Tony allowed a bit of his worry to show. “Thanks, I have a feeling I am going to need it.”

***************************************

Alex stood by his chair in his own personal dining area. The place was surrounded by columns, each column was covered with vines and other assorted plants. Upon Tony’s arrival, he extended his hand. “Mr. Perez, it is an honor to finally meet you.”

Tony nervously entered the dining area. “Mr. President, the honor is all mine,” Tony mimicked as he shook Alex’s hand.

“Please, sit down,” Alex offered kindly.

Alan pulled up a chair for Tony. “Thank you,” Tony said as he walked to his chair. He sat down and Alan pushed the chair back in to the table.

“Mr. Perez, would you like to something to drink?” Alan asked as he giggled.

Tony was completely disturbed by Alan’s appearance. “Water would be fine,” he said as an attempt to get Alan to leave.

“Tell me, Tony… Oh, can I call you Tony?” Alex asked across the table.

“Of course,” Tony replied politely.

“You can call me Alex,” Alex return Tony’s politeness. “Anyway, I wanted to meet you.”

Tony looked puzzled, but tried not to stare at Alex. “Really, why?”

“Well, you did win the Programmers Award three years in a row,” Alex replied.

Tony sensed he was insincere. “Oh, I see. Does every award winning developer get such an honor?”

“Only those that interest me,” Alex answered indifferently.

Alan wheeled a stainless steel serving cart towards Tony. He lifted one of the silver lids and asked, “I hope you like steak.”

Tony stared at the plate as Alan placed it on the table. In all the time he has been in Paradigm City, he never once saw a cow. “Steak? You mean from a cow?” Tony asked perplexedly. “I didn't know that they existed here.”

Alex had a puzzled expression at first, but then smiled proudly. “They do for us.”

Alan was serving Alex as he giggled. “Tony, it’s medium rare, just like you like it.”

Tony, unadjusted to Alan’s weirdness responded politely, “Thank you.”

Alex lifted his champagne glass. “Let’s have a toast. To the success of Paradigm Corporation and all those who make it great!”

Tony lifted his glass. “To Paradigm.” He took a sip and placed it on the table.

Alan walked behind Tony. “Would you like another refill?”

“No, thank you,” Tony answered nervously. He noticed that Alan did not move or offered Alex another drink.

“I foresee a long, profitable career for you here,” Alex continued. “However, there is one thing I'd like to ask you.”

“What is that?” Tony asked slowly, his nervousness became undeniable.

Alan giggled loudly.

“I'm wondering, why you need a negotiator?” Alex asked directly.

Tony pretended to have missed what Alex said. “Excuse me?”

Alex stared at Tony. It was obvious that he was annoyed. “Well, it has been brought to my attention that you have been in the Illegal Residence Sector lately. And, that you have been visiting Roger Smith. So, what does an elite software engineer need from a negotiator?”

“It’s a private matter,” replied Tony as he looked down and took a bite of his steak.

Alan giggled, again.

Alex stared at his glass and he stirred his drink. “You do understand that you are an employee of Paradigm AI Software Corporation, which is a subsidiary of Paradigm Corporation…”

Tony took a bit out of a piece of steak. “I didn't think that the personal life of a mere developer was that important to you.”

Frustrated, Alex slammed his fist on the table. “Mr. Perez, do you like your job?”

“Yes, of course,” Tony stuttered.

Alex face became relaxed and he leaned back. “Well, how would you like to be a project manager, or maybe a master architect?”

Tony thought about his prospects for a moment. “That would be nice. I certainly would enjoy the raise. But programming is what I like best.”

Alex stood up and made a hand gesture. “Tony, I really must insist. What is your business with Roger Smith?”

Tony felt Alan’s cold metallic hand on his shoulder. “I have no business with Roger Smith at all,” he stuttered as he stared at Alex.

Alex frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I don't go to there to see him at all,” Tony frantically explained. “I am friends with Dorothy Wayneright.”

Alex glanced at Tony then walked round the table. “I see,” he said as he gave an almost an imperceptible nod and Alan backed away from Tony. “Here is my business card. If you see anything I might find interesting, you will find it worth your while to give me a call.”

Tony stood up from his chair and accepted Alex’s business card. “I see. Thank you very much for the meal.”

Alex nodded and exited the dining room.

Alan escorted Tony to the door while whispering loudly. “I too like to play with pretty little dolls. Please, send her my regards.” He giggled softly.

Tony walked away, without looking back at Alan. “That’s really disturbing, Alan. You may need to seek professional help for that.”

**********************

Tony walked rapidly back to his cubicle. Zola and Luis were waiting impatiently there.

Zola noticed Tony’s frightened expression. “What happened?”

“What did Big Brother say?” Luis joined in.

Tony sat down as looked down at the floor. “Thanks for the warning, Zola. I think he believed me when I said I was only there for Dorothy. It doesn't really matter.” He looked at his watch and smiled. “Five more hours until my date with Dorothy.”

Luis face became flushed with anger. “You’re crazy, man. Are you a glutton for punishment? Is she worth losing a paying gig?”

Without looking at them, Tony replied, “I guess that’s something I have to discuss with her…” He turned his seat around and started to type on his keyboard.

“I can’t believe this,” Luis cried as they left Tony’s cubicle. “Zola, you should knock some sense into him.”

“No,” Zola shrugged. “I believe that he knows what he is doing.”

At Paradigm Corporation AI Software Engineering Department, Tony walked to his cubicle, giving each co-worker as he passed them by. He smirked as he placed an empty box on his desk.

“Hi Tony. What's up with the box?” Luis asked.

Zola emerged from her cubicle. “Yeah, are you going on an extended vacation, or something?”

Luis and Zola giggled, but stopped when they noticed that Tony didn’t respond, he just continued to smile sarcastically.

“What's wrong?” Zola asked with a perplexed expression.

“Yeah, what happened last night?” Luis pried.

Tony looked at them. “Man, ain't life wonderful.” He placed some of his personal belongings in the box. “Angel canned me last night.”

“What?” Zola shouted, in shock. “She fired Mister Company-Man! What happened?”

“Oh no, what about the project?” Luis asked, equally shocked.

Tony stared at his awards on the wall for a moment then packed them into the box. “To hell with the project!” he announced loudly. “Actually, Angel and Paradigm Corporation can kiss my...”

Zola interrupted him, abruptly. “What about making a living? Did you think about that? What are you going to do?”

Luis squinted his eyes and crossed his arms. “Does this have anything to do with you and Dorothy?”

Tony stopped what he was doing and looked at them. “You really want to know?” They both nodded and he restarted to pack but begun to speak. “Fine. It all started when I went to pick up Dorothy last night for our date...”

************************

In the twilight of the evening, Roger was sat on a chair on the balcony, as he stared vacantly at the skyline. Several steps behind him stood Norman, prepared to grant him his every whim. “Norman, can you prepare two more places for dinner?”

“Yes, sir,” Norman replied gracefully. “May I inquire who will be joining you tonight?”

Roger shrugged. “Angel will be coming over and I assume Dorothy will be inviting Tony.”

“Very good, sir,” Norman complied. He turned to go into the house.

“Oh, one more thing, Norman,” Roger started. His butler stopped but didn’t turn around. “Don't let Dorothy know about my plans.”

Norman looked down and shook his head in disgust. “Very well, Master Roger.”

*********************

A couple of hours had past. Roger was still sitting on the balcony, with a drink in his hand. Dorothy had joined him earlier, but didn’t utter a word since her initial greeting. She stood silently on top of a pilaster as she gazed at the skyline.

“Master Roger, Miss Angel has arrived,” Norman announced coldly.

“I was not aware that you were expecting company,” Dorothy calmly stated as she continued to stare at the Central Dome.

“Well, I can have guests too,” Roger sarcastically responded. “Or do you disapprove?”

“You may invite whomever you like,” she replied unemotionally. “It isn't a matter of approval or disapproval. My objection is to your assumption that you have a right to tell me what to do.”

Roger became annoyed. “I see.”

Angel entered on to the balcony with a bottle of wine in her hand. She was wearing one a form fitting black dress, with a low neck line. She walked up to Roger with a smile on her face. “Hello Roger.”

Roger returned her warm greeting with an equally warm hug. “You made it.” He then accepted the bottle, placing it on the balcony floor. “You look good!” he said as he checked her out.

Dorothy sighed in a very low tone. “If you like that sort of thing.”

“Excuse me, Dorothy. Did you say something?” Angel asked, annoyed that she didn’t hear her remark.

Dorothy smiled faintly as she continued to stare at the skyline. “I was a little surprised to see you, that's all.”

With a contemptuous smile, Angel retorted, “I wouldn't miss dinner with Roger for anything. So, how are you and your new boyfriend getting along? Tommy Pez, I believe his name was?” She saw that Roger miserably failed to hide his smirk.

“It's Tony Perez,” Dorothy corrected. “Can't you remember your own employees’ names?”

Roger glared at Dorothy. “That was uncalled for!” he scolded.

Dorothy turned to stare at Roger. “Perhaps it was. However, Roger, it was rather insulting to Tony that she could not remember his name considering he's one of their top programmers. He has won many awards for his work; he's very good at what he does.”

“Miss Dorothy, Mr. Perez has arrived,” announced Norman from the glass doors.

Dorothy face lit up. She leaped off the pilaster. “Thank you, Norman,” she said as she walked between Roger and Angel. She walked up to the programmer and said, “Tony, you've been invited to dinner.”

“Oh, that is awesome. Norman is a great cook.” Tony announced with a small box in his hand. Norman smiled and disappeared into the living room.

Unable to resist, Angel sarcastically said, “You're right, Dorothy. I should have remembered; I'm just terrible with names. Our top coder! Talk about a match made in heaven: you're a robot and he's a programmer! I bet you make beautiful software together.”

Tony noticed the Dorothy’s slight change in expression, but didn’t want to engage in open hostilities, especially against his boss. So, he pretended to laugh. “You know, I never thought of it that way! You might be on to something.”

Gave an equally fake laugh, Angel responded, “Well, they say like attracts like!”

Roger started to sense the tension. “Dinner should just about be ready! Shall we?”

With total disregard to what Roger had announced, Tony handed the small box to Dorothy. “You once told me that you wanted a little color in your life.”

Dorothy opened the box. She stood silently for a while, then hugged Tony. “I love it.” She removed a bracelet from its case; made of green circuit board cubes, framed in gold. She happily placed it on wrist.

“How appropriate? What does a person give an…” Angel started before being cut off by Roger as he made a gesture to stop.

“Dinner awaits, and Norman does get impatient,” Roger chuckled.

Roger and Angel led Dorothy and Tony into the Dining Room. Norman was already present; he diligently served them their meal. Roger and Angel sat down and begun to talk amongst themselves.

Tony gentlemanly offered a seat to Dorothy. She sat down and smiled warmly. He then struggled to push her sit in.

Angel noticed that Roger was staring obsessively at Dorothy, particularly at her humanly expression. She became noticeably irritated when Roger sighed as Tony gave Dorothy a bite from his fork. “Oh, how cute. She's pretending to eat,” she scoffed. She then turned to Tony. “You're a better coder than I thought. Bravo, great trick!”

“He's promised to program me to spit, too,” Dorothy replied which forced Tony to quickly turn away and cough out a laugh.

Roger hastily tried to change the subject. “How do you like the fish? It's excellent, isn't it?”

“Once again, Norman has outdone himself. What do you think, Dorothy?” Angel asked in a falsified charming manner.

“It's very good. Norman is a wonderful cook,” Dorothy replied coldly, yet pleasantly.

“Yes,” Angel sarcastically agreed. “I am sure that your sensors can pick up its composition marvelously.”

“Of course they can,” Dorothy said proudly. “I can sense many things, Angel. The current temperature is 20C, the wind velocity is 5 Km/ph due east, the fish is perfectly done, flaky but not rubbery, and did you know the roots of your hair aren't the same color as the ends?” Tony shook his head, as he attempted to conceal his laughter.

Angel grabbed the ends of her hair. “At least I can grow hair.”

“Dorothy, that's quite enough,” Roger demanded politely.

“No, Roger, it was my fault. Forgive me. Friends, Dorothy?” Angel asked insincerely.

“No need for apologies,” Dorothy smiled coldly. “I haven't found you the least bit insulting. Were you trying to be?”

“Dorothy! Angel is a guest here and that was uncalled for,” Roger scolded.

Dorothy lowered her head. “I don't believe that I was being rude. But, if I was, I apologize.”

Tony started to breathe heavy at this point. With his hand, he gently turned Dorothy’s head so that she would face him. “No Dorothy, don't apologize. It's not wrong to defend yourself. If anyone should apologize, it's Roger.”

“Me?” Roger hollered with a shocked expression. “Why me?”

“It's not right to correct her in front of everyone like that,” Tony scolded. “Do you like my doing the same to you?”

From behind Roger, Norman made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle and covers it with a little cough.

Roger realized that Tony had a point and tried to change the subject. “Norman, can we have the after-dinner wine, please?”

“Yes, sir,” Norman complied. He poured some wine into each person's glass, but poured a little more into Angel’s glass.

“Thank you, Norman,” Roger said politely. He raised his glass. “What should we toast to?”

Angel raised her glass and laughed. “To Tony and Dorothy, may their relationship blossom and may they make many beautiful programs together.”

Tony rolled his eyes and said, “Angel, that’s getting a little stale.”

“It was only a joke,” Angel replied falsely.

“You see, she's only kidding,” Roger added.

Tony became clearly angry by Roger’s defense of Angel. “I'm not laughing.” Tony grabbed Dorothy’s hand. “Dorothy, are you laughing?”

“I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me tonight,” Angel explained nervously.

Visibly taken hold of his temper, Tony stood up. “Well, dinner was wonderful, but if we're going to catch that movie, we should get going.”

Dorothy seemed to be relieved at the moment. “Yes, the show starts in 30 minutes, 15 seconds.”

“She makes a fine watch,” Angel whispered to herself.

Roger rolled his eyes as he tried to ignore Angel’s comment. “Have a nice time you guys.”

“We will,” Dorothy replied as she and Tony started towards the exit.

With disregard to Roger’s sentiments, Tony said “Norman, thank you for dinner. It was excellent as usual.”

Norman contained his smile and nodded his head. “Thank you, sir. Enjoy your evening.”

***********************************

Tony and Dorothy exited the movie theater and walked towards the Smith Mansion.

“He’s really starting to get really nervous if he’s inviting Angel over!” Tony announced.

“Are you sure?” Dorothy asked lowly. “I am starting to wonder if I have been misreading him all along.”

Tony hugged her. “I don't think so.”

“The facts suggest otherwise,” Dorothy reasoned. “You have said that he hasn't been able to declare his intentions because he is shy. According to my observations, you are shy too, but that hasn't stopped you at all.”

“It’s a different situation,” Tony explained. “I wanted to get to know you, become friends with you. The other stuff just sort of...happened.” He became really nervous and looked away.

“You didn't like it?” Dorothy asked as she looked at her feet.

Tony sensed that he was trapped. “I didn't say that!”

“You acted as though you liked it,” Dorothy said thoughtfully, without any inhibition or hesitation.

Tony panicked briefly since it was incredible that she could be so human. He then hugged her. “Well of course I did. Dorothy, you know I think you’re beautiful.”

Tears started to stream out of Dorothy eyes. “Roger never says anything like that.”

“He’s not very good at that kind of thing. That doesn't mean he doesn't care about you.” Tony explained as he held her tightly in his arms.

Dorothy cried in earnest. “You told me you aren't very good at that kind of thing either. But you somehow manage.”

“Let’s go in there,” Tony pointed and they walked into a small park. He led her over to one of the benches and sat down with her. “Don't cry, Dorothy. You know I hate seeing you upset,” Tony beseeched helplessly.

“You act more like you love me than he does,” Dorothy sobbed.

“I'm sure he really loves you,” Tony replied nervously.

“But if he can't show me, what difference does it make?” Dorothy rationalized. “It’s the same as if he didn't.”

“Well, that’s why we came up with our little plan, isn't it?” Tony tried. “To get him to realize he'd better speak up?”

Dorothy calmed down a little. “The longer it goes, Tony, the more I think I'd be better off just forgetting about it.”

“You can't mean that!” Tony pleaded seriously.

“Why would I say it if I didn't mean it?” Dorothy asked earnestly.

“You’re just upset,” Tony dismissed her statement. “You'll probably think differently when he starts to come around.”

“I don't know if I want to wait that long,” Dorothy retorted stubbornly. She reached out for Tony’s hands. “Will you stay tonight?”

Tony remained silent for a moment. He didn’t need any more proof to convince him that she was more than a mere android. He was absolutely certain that she was woman. But, his sense of morality prohibited him from accepting her offer. He wanted Dorothy and Roger to be together, not separated because of a self-serving software developer. The moral dilemma ripped his soul apart. “I don't want you to take this wrong, but… I can't. I'm sorry.”

Dorothy dropped her hands to her sides and lowered her head. “You don't want me either.”

“It’s not that at all. I want you too much.” Tony admitted, he felt miserably trapped between desire and morality. He put his hand on her chin and tilted her face up so she is looking directly into his eyes. “After… after I spent the night, I realized something. I'm falling for you and I can't let it happen.”

“What do you mean?” Dorothy asked as her face lit up.

Tony stuttered, “I...I mean that if I…I let myself fall in love with you, I'm not going to want to let you go, ever. If I stay with you again…” His face was crimson colored. “I'm just not the type of guy who can… who can be with someone and have it not mean anything.”

Dorothy kissed Tony. “I know, that’s why I…”

Tony abruptly interrupted her. “Don't say it, Dorothy. Please. Not unless you mean it for keeps.”

Dorothy started to say something else but changes her mind and starts kissing him again.

Tony half-heartedly resisted. “Dorothy, there are a few things I need you to know about me…”

********************************

Several hours later, Angel and Roger were in the Balcony area. By them, an empty bottle of Brandy.

“Roger, you know that it’s better this way, right?” Angel asked, mildly intoxicated.

Roger was tipsy, but still rational. “Angel, I'd rather not talk about it right now.”

“Well, what would you like to talk about?” Angel flirted. She moved a little closer, putting her hand on his arm.

“I'd like to know a little bit more about you.” Roger smirked. “What do you like to do for fun? It seems like every time we get together, there’s some kind of crisis.”

Angel seemed pleased as his interest. “Well, I like to go dancing.”

“Really? What kind of dancing?” he asked innocently.

“Well, regular dancing is fun, but slow dancing is the best,” as she started to hum a tune, wrapped her arms around Roger and started dancing with him around the balcony.

Roger seemed to be having a good time in spite of himself. “Well, next time I'll ask Norman to set up the record player.”

“I'd like that,” Angel said as she stopped and looked up at Roger with the clear expectation of a kiss.

“Do I get to choose the next song?” Roger smirked.

“You’re not getting away with it this time, Roger Smith!” Angel protested. She pulled his head down and kissed him.

Roger broke away for a second. “Angel…”

“No more games, Roger.” Angel demanded.

“It’s not a…” Roger started.

Suddenly, the sound of a throat being cleared can be heard. “Master Roger, Miss Dorothy and Mr. Perez have returned,” Norman announced from the glass doors. “Would you like me to bring up a nightcap?” Tony and Dorothy walked out to the balcony.

“Yes, thank you, Norman,” Roger smiled, delighted of his butler’s impeccable timing. He turned to Dorothy and Tony. “How was the movie?”

“It was terrible,” Dorothy answered emotionlessly. “The cast had no talent, the action scenes were bland and the story was predictable.”

“Too bad. Maybe you should have stayed here with us,” Roger said semi-sarcastically.

“If it weren't for Tony’s company and the walk after,” Dorothy replied. “I would say that tonight was a total failure.”

Angel stared at Tony lipstick covered collar. “Looks like you had a good time afterwards.”

He realized that Angel was too intoxicated to be reasoned with, Tony answered, “Well, it was nice. Dorothy and I...”

Angel interruptedly laughed. “Worked on your latest flowchart?”

Dorothy looked at Angel in a calm and cold manner. “It seems that you need to learn more effective jokes. I'm afraid your sense of humor escapes me.”

Roger tried to save the peace. “Norman is bringing up a nightcap.”

“Thank you, but I don't want anything,” Dorothy declined.

“Me either, thanks. I have to drive home soon,” Tony joined her.

Angel awkwardly stumbled toward the railing. “How cute. I just adore how they agree on everything,” she announced sarcastically. She looked at Roger. “I told you they made a great couple”

At this point, Roger was unable to mask his annoyance. “Angel, please,” he pleaded angrily.

Angel leaned on the railing for support. “Roger, I'm happy for them!” Norman returned with a tray of drinks, handed one to her with a small smile.

Norman handed mugs to both Dorothy and Tony and seated them. “Spiced apple cider, no alcohol in yours.”

“Thank you, Norman,” Angle said before she gulped drink. “So, where was I?”

Dorothy took a sip of her drink and replied, “You were saying you were happy for us.”

“I knew you could serve a useful purpose, Dorothy!” Angel slurred. “But I am happy for you. You've found someone as cold and calculating as you are.”

”Angel!” Roger cried.

Angel examined Dorothy’s new bracelet. “Tell me something, Dorothy. Do you feel comfortable wearing that…that thing.”

Dorothy looked down at her bracelet, then to Angel. “Yes, I do. Why?”

Angel laughed. “Well, I would be. Wearing the inners of my relatives would make me nervous.”

“Angel, that’s enough,” Roger pleaded.

Angel started to laugh to herself and then made an ambiguous gesture. “Roger, you need a real woman to make you happy! I never understood your attraction to that…that mechanical doll.”

Tony turned to Roger. His eyes were inflamed with anger. “I think she’s had too much to drink. One of us ought to drive her home.”

Roger reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. “Angel, I think you've said enough. Come on, I'll give you a ride.”

“I'm not finished yet! Roger Smith, I should still be angry with you after the way you ignored me!” Angel announced angrily as she pointed at him. She drained her glass. “I couldn't believe you'd rather be with that…that bucket of bolts instead of me!”

Tony pointed at Angel. “Angel, you are way out of line!”

Roger stared at Tony and laughed dryly. “Speaking of out of line: How was your lunch with Alex?”

Tony shook his head and placed his drink on the floor. “Do you ever think of anyone other than yourself? Did it ever occur to you that Angel might be hurting Dorothy’s feelings?” He waited for a response. He realized that Roger was not going to break his silence. “No? Well, she is, and when I try to put a stop to it, you act as if I've done something wrong and you have the nerve to ask for a descriptive account of my meeting with Alex! Well, if you must know right this instant, I didn't tell him anything because there was nothing to tell. I'm here for Dorothy and if you aren't man enough to defend her, well, I am.” He stood up and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Roger snickered, “Also, tell us a little about your past. I mean, prior to three years ago.”

Dorothy pleaded, “Please, Tony. I'm not taking this seriously. Angel is obviously intoxicated and Roger is too angry to be reasonable.”

”Roger, I have nothing to say to you.” Tony looked down to Dorothy, who was still sitting. “Come on, Dorothy. There’s no need for you to put up with this.”

“Put up with what?” Angel scoffed. “Getting her feelings hurt? What feelings could she possibly have? It’s all sensors and circuits.”

“Angel, you are not helping matters,” Roger pointed out as he placed his palms on his eyes.

Angel looked at Dorothy. “Go ahead, go with Tony. I'll take good care of Roger, don't you worry.”

Tony kneeled and spoke softly to Dorothy. “You can stay with me for now and we'll find you a nice place of your own. You don't have to work here any more.”

Roger accidentally dropped his drink on the floor. “What? Dorothy isn't going anywhere. She was working for me to pay off a debt,” he said in annoyance.

Tony reached in to pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Fine, how much does she owe?”

“Two hundred and forty-three dollars and eighty-three cents when you add in this week’s room and board,” Dorothy replied slowly.

“I'll round it up to two hundred and fifty,” Tony said as he placed the money on the table, beside Roger. “There you are, Roger. She’s free and clear,” Tony told him angrily. He turned to Dorothy, “Let’s go, my lady. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Roger furiously cut them off and blocked the doorway. “How dare you come into my house and bark orders at me? If you want to take her, you're going to have to go through me!”

Tony clinched his fist. “I was hoping you'd say that,” he threw a punch, striking Roger in the right eye.

Shocked at first, Roger rushed into Tony, tacking him to the floor. “You think you can...” He throw a few punches at Tony, but none of them had any affect.

Angel started to cheer incoherently. “Hhhhhhit him, Roger!” she slurred loudly.

Dorothy started to cry. “Stop it,” she demanded. She pushed Angel out of her way. “Stop it! Please!”

Almost pinned down, Tony started to throw some wild right punches. “You son-of-a...”

Roger, on top of Tony tried to land a few punches. “Bastard!”

Dorothy dragged Roger off of Tony. “Both of you stop it!”

Angel attempted to pick herself from the ground. “Get away from Roger, you…you…wind-up toy!”

Tony stood up and looked Angel in the eye. “Don't you talk about Dorothy that way. If you were half the woman she was...” He paused and smirked. “Maybe you'd get somewhere.”

Angel laughed wildly. She approached Tony and poked him on the chest. “Mr. Perez, don't bother showing up for work tomorrow! You’re fired!”

“Too late. I quit!” Tony shrugged as he reached for Dorothy’s hand. “Shall we, my lady?”

Dorothy took Tony’s hand, even though she was upset. “Please.”

Roger dusted himself off rapidly. “Dorothy, don't go! We'll get this all worked out in the morning, I promise.”

Angel rushed to Roger. “Let them go. I'll get some ice for your eye.”

Roger pushed her away. “Get away from me! You have done enough already!”

“You don't mean that you actually care if that insufferable android leaves?” Angel asked sarcastically. “She’s with Tony, you’re with me. That’s the way it should be.”

Roger stared at her. “Norman, please take Angel home!”

“Fine, I hope you realize what you are missing,” Angel miffed.

Roger reached for a napkin on the table. “I do, believe me.” He turned to say something to Dorothy and Tony and realized they had left while he was dealing with Angel, who was being marched to the elevator by Norman. He looked out over the rail just in time to see Tony’s car going down the street. “Dorothy!”

Norman stopped Roger from pursuing them. “I think you have done enough damage for one night. I suggest you put some ice on that, while I take Miss Angel home.”

Roger cringed after he touched his swollen eye. “I just can't let her go!”

“Then you should have said something sooner. If you go after her now it will just make things worse. She has made her decision,” Norman announced coldly.

Roger looked at him with a shocked expression. “What are you talking about?”

Norman dipped a napkin in ice water and pressed on Roger eye a little roughly. “You have behaved like an overgrown spoiled child. Dorothy loved you and you acted like it didn't matter.”

“But...But...” Roger stuttered.

“You let Angel insult her. When her friend tried to stand up for her, you accused him of using her so he could spy on you for Alex Rosewater. As for fighting with him…,” Norman continued.

“So what am I supposed to do now?” Roger sulked.

“There is nothing left to do but wish her happiness in her choice.” Norman turned his back on Roger and escorted Angel to the Griffon.

*******************************

At Tony’s house, he and Dorothy were sitting on his bed. She just completed bandaging Tony’s ribs.

“Dorothy, I'm sorry it turned out like this, but I couldn't stand the way he was treating you any more,” Tony apologized.

Dorothy replied, “It’s not your fault. Norman has been telling me I shouldn't let Roger get away with acting like that for months.”

“Really?” Tony asked, intrigued by Dorothy’s revelation.

“Yes,” Dorothy replied simply. “He was happy when I met you. He said I deserved to be treated like a lady and he could see that you would do that.”

“Well, maybe we can go talk to Roger tomorrow,” Tony half-heartedly insisted. “Now that you’re not working for him any more, hopefully he will change his ways for the better.”

“I have no intention of talking to Roger,” Dorothy proclaimed coldly.

“What do you mean?” he asked earnestly, flushed with anticipation.

“Exactly what I said. I am not going to go and talk to him,” Dorothy explained, faintly emotional. She puts her arms around him and kissed him.

Tony broke away from her and stood up. “I thought we had come to an understanding about this kind of thing.”

“We have. I love you, Tony,” Dorothy proclaimed candidly.

Tony was utterly astonished. He stared at her in disbelief. “Did you just say what I think you said?”

Dorothy smiled warmly. “Do you want me to say it again?

Tony became pale and nodded. “Please.”

“I love you, Tony” Dorothy said as she pulled him down to the bed. His face lit up, he placed his arms around her and started to kiss her passionately.

***************************

Zola and Luis were frozen where they stood. It wasn’t until Tony asked Luis to move out of his way so that he could open his filing cabinet.

“Wow! I can't believe that you quit,” Zola stated in utter shock.

“Yeah, what are you going to do now?” Luis asked, still shivering from the intensity of the story.

“Actually, I always wanted to start my own business,” Tony replied. “I was starting to feel like I was drowning here, anyways.”

”Well dude, if you go, I go,” Luis proclaimed and stormed out to pack his stuff.

“You know Tony, I would join you…” Zola started.

Tony interrupted politely, “Don't worry about it, Zola. Besides, I have one request for you, and you can't fulfill it if you aren't here.”

“Whatever helps you out,” Zola proudly offered.

Tony wrote down an address on his ex-business card. “If Norman or Roger shows up, give him this.”

“Tony, you won! To hell with the Negotiator,” Zola replied angrily.

Tony pleaded, “Please, promise you'll do this for me.”

Zola agreed grudgingly.

Angel appeared suddenly with a clipboard in her arms. “Zola, don't you have work to do?” she scoffed as she stared at Zola.

Zola saluted and replied, “Yes, SIR!”

”Well, code-boy. You are never going to work in this town again,” Angel gloated.

Tony laughed heartedly, “You think you won? Is that it? If so, you have another thing coming to you.”

“Well, I hope that you and your beloved find it comfortable out on the street,” Angel laughed.

Tony smiled. “Angel, you are so clueless it's hilarious.”

Luis interrupted, coming between Angel and Tony. “Out of my way! I've got to get my stuff packed. Oh, and by the way, I quit!”

“Fine! Zola will do the work for both of you,” Angel said angrily. She noticed that Zola was looking at her. “Don't you stare at me! I'm sure you have plenty to do!”

Zola mumbled something obscene and replied, “Yes sir.” They saw Angel stormed into the hallway. She looked at Tony and Luis. “I'm going to find myself something else as soon as possible.”

“Just give Roger or Norman that address before you do,” Tony said as he hugged Zola.

“Good luck, guys. And give Dorothy my regards. You’re a lucky man, Tony,” Zola said happily.

Tony thanked her with a big hug, then helped Luis put the last few things in the box. With his box in hand, they walked through the aisle way. He shouted, “It was nice knowing you. Good-bye, all. I’m free at last!”

On the AI Software Engineering Department floor, Falcon 7 walked towards Zola’s cubicle. He gave her a kiss and sat down on a chair beside her. “Hi honey.”

Zola continued to stare at her computer monitor. “Hi, baby. I am almost done.”

Falcon 7 looked around. “It’s strange, isn't it? It sure seems empty around here!”

“Yeah, Tony and Luis quit last week. It’s been hell ever since.” Zola responded.

“So what are they doing now?” Falcon 7 asked earnestly.

“They started their own software security business,” Zola responded rapidly, still busy with her work.

Falcon 7 was intrigued. “Really? Is it doing well?”

“Yes, I heard that Dorothy and Tony are doing most of the development and Luis handles sales and pitches in on the programming when they need him,” Zola answered, annoyed that she wasn’t done with her work.

“So, why did they leave you here?” Falcon 7 asked concerned of their lack of understanding. “That wasn't very considerate of them.”

Zola smiled and closed her eyes briefly. “Well, actually, they have a job waiting for me, they have more business than they can handle. It’s just that Tony asked me to wait for somebody.”

“Who?” inquired Falcon 7.

Roger suddenly appeared, standing beside Falcon 7. “Hello…” He read the nameplate on the cubicle wall. “Zola, is it? My name is Roger Smith.”

Zola smirked at Falcon 7. “Well, speak of the devil! It’s about time you showed up. I have been waiting for you.”

“Is that the jerk?” Falcon 7 asked.

Zola continued to look at Falcon 7. “Yup. This is the genius that got Tony fired.”

Roger seemed surprised. “What? No, it was a terrible misunderstanding. I'd like to try to make it right.”

Falcon 7 fronted Roger, stared at him, face-to-face. “Do you want me to take care of this, honey?”

“No, we’re all set,” Zola replied with a smile. Looked at Roger. “So now that you have finally showed up, what do you expect me to be able to do for you?”

Roger looked nervously at the floor. “I was hoping you would tell me how to get in touch with Tony.”

Norman entered the already crowded aisle way. He bowed at Zola and Falcon 7, then turned to Roger. “I am unable to find Angel anywhere, sir.”

“That skunk?” Zola scoffed. “She left two days ago. She moved higher up the Paradigm ladder.” She then looked at Norman with a smile. “So you are Norman Burg? It’s nice to meet you. Tony has spoken very highly of you.” She stood up and shook his hand.

Falcon7 also offered a handshake. “Would you like to join us for lunch?”

“Well, thank you but...,” Norman replied nervously.

“You can go ahead if you want to, Norman. In fact, why don't you take the rest of the day off? This is something I really need to do alone,” Roger consented.

“Very good, sir. Please give Miss Dorothy my regards,” the elderly gentleman said warmly. He then turned to Zola and Falcon7. “I would be pleased to join you.”

“That’s great,” Zola cheered. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a card and handed it to Roger. “You will find Tony here.”

Roger gave a nervous sigh and winked at her. “Thank you, Zola. I do appreciate it.” He started to walk away.

Zola held up her hand and called him back. “Wait just a second. I have something to say to you, Mr. Negotiator. Consider it payment for that address.” He paused, but wouldn’t meet her eyes. “You, Roger Smith, are a louse and that’s all there is to it. Dorothy is a great girl and you don't deserve her.”

“Zola, I know what I am. Try to understand that...” Roger started.

Zola waved her hands and interrupted. “I don't want to hear it! What I want is your promise that you won't try to guilt her into coming back. Tony’s a wonderful guy and he'll treat her right. If you really love her, you’ll let her go.”

“I don't know if I can,” Roger replied somberly. He then walked away without looking back.

“Well, at least he was honest about it,” Zola considered. “Lets go, guys. I'm starving!”

“Feel like Chinese?” Falcon 7 asked, his stomach grumbled.

Norman grinned. “That sounds good.”

“Norman, don't let me forget to give you Tony and Dorothy’s phone number before you go home. She told me to send you her love and tell you that she’s happy,” Zola said with a smile.

***************************

Roger exited the building, temporarily blinded by the artificial sun. He pulled out his sunglasses and walked towards the Griffon to find Angel leaning against the driver’s side door. “I don't have time for this.”

“Just hear me out, Mr. Negotiator,” Angel pleaded.

Roger stopped right in front of her, expressionless. “What is it, Angel? I need to be somewhere.”

“I don't know what it is about you that brings out the worst in me,” Angel frowned. “But I really like you, Roger, and I think somewhere under that louse exterior, you like me, too.”

Roger laughed sarcastically. “Angel, you don't get it, do you? I don't care for you in that way. I tried to get Dorothy jealous by inviting you to dinner and it blew up in my face.”

“I may have been drunk,” Angel explained somberly. “But you didn't kiss me like you don't care for me in that way.”

“I'd just as soon forget the entire unfortunate evening,” Roger embarrassedly replied.

“But you won't,” Angel insisted. “Don't lie to either of us, Roger Smith. If they had shown up a little bit later, they might have seen a lot more than you want to admit.”

Roger looked away and laughed. “You are contemptuous. If you really think I'm like that, then you don't know me at all.”

Angel became genuinely apologetic. “I am sorry. But if things don't go the way you want them to, think about it. Maybe… maybe we can just start from the beginning as if we were strangers.” She started to cry.

Roger noticed that she truly repented and hugs her. “Angel, I always thought you were a good person, you just have a way of landing in bad situations.”

Angel pulled herself away, wiped her tears from her cheeks. “Well, Roger Smith, you know what you have to do. I hope that you and Dorothy work it out and live happily ever after.”

Roger opened and entered his car. “Thank you, Angel. I appreciate it.”

*****************************

Roger drove recklessly through the streets. He saw the building with the address that Zola gave him. He pulled the hand brake and spun the Griffon perfectly into a parking spot.

He smirked as he said, “It worked!” After a brief moment of contemplation, he removed the business card from his pant’s pocket. He read out loud, “Suit 525.”

Security Guard, who was reclining on a chair by the elevator, cried out “You looking for Suite 525?”

Roger was startled, since he hadn't noticed the guard sitting there. “Yes, do you know where it is?”

“Fifth floor. Take the elevator, turn left and go all the way down the hall,” the security guard hollered.

Roger followed the directions and arrived in front of a glass door with a wood frame. It had a sign on it which read “DLT Software Inc.” He held his breath, opened the door and walked in.

Luis sat by the window, wearing a dark gray suit, light gray pinstripes. He noticed the black suited man. “Good afternoon, may I help you with something?”

“Yes, is R. Dorothy Wayneright in?” Roger asked, nervous with anticipation.

Luis squinted his eyes. “Sorry, she’s not. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Is Tony Perez in?” Roger inquired.

Luis grinned and stood up. “Why yes, he is. Do you have an appointment?”

“Well, no. I don't. I need to talk to him, though,” Roger insisted.

Luis walked toward Roger and shook his hand. “Well, if you need security software, I can help you.”

“No, I am not here to buy anything,” Roger clarified. “It’s personal.”

Luis narrowed his eyes, again. “Let me guess, you must be the infamous Roger Smith.”

“Yes, I am. You heard of me?” Roger answered as his face lit up.

“Yeah, you’re that jerk that treated Tony and Dorothy so badly,” Luis replied sarcastically.

Roger lowered his head. “I know.”

Luis picked up the phone and pressed a red button. “He’s here.” He shook his head a few times as he smiled at Roger. He hung up the phone and said, “He is in the right-hand office.”

Roger walked into Tony’s office hesitantly. He saw Tony standing by his desk. “Hello, Tony.”

“Close the door behind you, please,” Tony requested. He paused until Roger closed the door. “Good afternoon, Mr. Negotiator. How may I be a service to you?” He gestured to the coffee machine. “Coffee?”

Roger walked towards the coffee machine. “Yes, please.”

Tony rushed and cut Roger off. “Sit down, I'll get that for you,” he insisted.

“I came here to apologize to you and speak to Dorothy if she'll see me,” Roger explained.

Dorothy entered the office with a laptop in her hands. “I see you, Roger Smith.”

Roger looked at Dorothy with joy in his eyes. “Dorothy, I missed you.” He started to approach her, but she made a stop gesture.

“Roger, what is it?” Dorothy asked apathetically. “What do you want?”

“Dorothy, I need to tell you something,” Roger pleaded. He looked at Tony. “I need to tell you both.”

“Go right ahead,” Dorothy consented emotionlessly. “You are free to say whatever you want.”

Roger cringed after he nervously sipped of his strong black coffee. “I would like to apologize to you and Tony. I came to realize that I was cruel to you, Dorothy. I treated you like an object, not a person that I...”

“Go on...,” Dorothy urged him on.

Roger’s face turned crimson. “Not like a person I love!”

“Roger, I can never work for you again.” Dorothy explained coldly.

“I know. I can accept that,” Roger lowered his head. “What I was hoping was that you would give me another chance.”

Dorothy hastily placed her laptop on a filing cabinet by the door. With a smile on her face, she embarrassed Roger. “Of course. I would very much like to be friends with you, Roger,” Dorothy announced cheerfully. “In fact, Tony and I would like to invite you to our wedding.”

Roger backed away. “You’re getting married?”

Dorothy continued to smile. “Yes, in June. Do you think Norman is willing to give me away since my father is gone?”

Roger shook his head in disbelief. “I thought the good guy was supposed to get the girl…”

“He did!” Dorothy retorted as she offered her hand to Tony.

Tony grabbed Dorothy by the hand. “Come on, it’s past lunchtime already! Thanks for coming by, Roger. We'll send you an invitation.”

Dorothy smiled as she gave Roger a peck on the cheek. “I'd appreciate it if you would talk to Norman about it. I hope we see you soon!” She and Tony left Roger standing there alone in the office.

Roger took a swing of his coffee and collapsed on a chair. “Wait, it’s not supposed to end this way!”

********************************

Tony was standing inside a darkened, abandoned train car, in Grand Central Terminal. Zola, Falcon and Tomato were sitting on the broken bench seats.

“That’s it,” Tony concluded. He reached for his thermos and poured himself another cup of hot tea.

Zola nervously placed a cigarette into her mouth, but failed lit it up. “Tony, is that why we are all here?”

Tony lowered his head briefly and then stared them. “I married her. Then, I was taken away. I intend on returning and growing old with her.”

Falcon stood up. “Tony, I will help you get back.”

Zola nodded in agreement.

Tomato remained seated, he tried not to look at Tony. “Tony, I do sympathize. However, I cannot be a part of this. I can’t!” He stood up and started towards the exit. “There are things in life we have to learn to accept. Accept my warning to you; don’t interfere with this or any other universe.”

Zola waited until Tomato exited the car, she then shook her head. “Pygmalion will be furious. But, I have to ask. Was it really me there?”

Tony nodded.

“Will I hook up with Roger?” Zola asked earnestly.

Tony nodded with a smile.

“Was I there? Did I change my name to Falcon 7?” Falcon asked.

Tony shrugged. “I don’t know. He looked like you, but it was an alternate universe.”

They remained silent for a moment. Then Tony concluded, “Falcon you need hookup with Angel. She is our only hope.”

Falcon complied and they exited of the abandoned train car together.

[The sequel is in the works...]

This is another one of my early stories. Like "A Stroll with Dorothy", this one wasn't properly edited. I hope you enjoy it.

I'd like to thank the following PCF members for allowing me to use them as characters in this story:

- Zola
- Pygmalion
- Falcon7
- A Clockwork Tomato
- Advinius


This is for you, IronMaidden720.

********

The Experiment

An impatient group sat waiting in a cold and dark conference room. The lack of background lighting gave the impression that the room had no boundaries.

“Where is he?” Tomato tapped his fingers on the rich mahogany table impatiently.

Zola, their AI specialist, sat across from him, lit cigarette in one hand and her notes in the other. “Don’t worry, he’ll be here,” she said nervously.

Falcon showed his impatience by continuing to fuss over an already detailed illustration. “Yeah, I have work to do myself. I don’t want to sit here forever.”

Tomato finally picked up his notes and pen. “If you want to sit here all day, that’s fine. I am going to leave.”

Before he had risen from his seat, a brilliant illumination appeared in the black abyss-like background. The loud slam from the door confirmed that the meeting had officially begun.

“It’s about time,” Tomato announced. “ What have you got?”

Zola and Pygmalion ignored him. “How was it?” they asked anxiously.

Tony, wearing a black suit, resembling a caretaker of a funeral parlor, sat down and opened his briefcase. Seemingly to keep everybody in suspense, he slowly reached out for the pitcher of iced water and poured it into a tumbler. He stirred the iced water around in his glass for a while and took a sip. Suddenly, his face became lively and hollered with an unusually excited voice, “Guys, it was awesome.”

He looked at Falcon with an excited smile and asked, “How long was I over there?”

Without hesitation, Falcon responded excitedly, “About three hours.”

“Tony, let’s cut to the chase. How was it?”, Tomato interrupted as he threw his pen down at the desk. “Did the experience feel realistic?”

“In answer to your question: Yes, the experience was realistic,” Tony said proudly. “However, I believe that the Alternate Reality Simulator didn’t perform as we expected. Actually, that is the reason I kept you waiting. I needed to confirm my findings.”

“What do you mean that the ARS didn’t perform like a simulator?” Zola asked in an uncharacteristically harsh manner. “Did it fail?”

Equally anxious, Pygmalion asked, “Are you saying that it didn’t work?”

Noticing that the staff members were getting anxious, Tony stood from his chair and shouted, “No, that’s not what I am trying to say!” He noticed that he had the group’s undivided attention. “It worked, but not in the way we had envisioned it.”

“Then, what exactly do you mean?” Tomato asked, perplexed by Tony’s vagueness.

Tony untied his necktie and unbuttoned his shirt collar, exposing an oval-shaped bruise.

In disbelief, Falcon asked, “Is that a bruise?” He then examined the contusion closely, he shook his head and said, “Tony, that looks like a…”

“A hickey,” Tony interrupted abruptly. “That is what I am talking about, people. My adventure with Dorothy did not follow the algorithm we developed in the lab. No, after a few days, it completely went astray.”

A shroud of silence had fallen upon the room. For a few moments, it seemed that everybody took leave from their own consciousness. It was not until Tomato’s pen rolled off the table and struck the ground, that the group uttered a word.

Shocked, Pygmalion asked, “Tony, you mean to tell me that R. Dorothy Wayneright did that to you?” She slapped her own forehead. “This is too fantastic to believe.”

Zola nervously placed a lit cigarette in her mouth. After a brief intake, she gasped, “Tony, we need more proof. Maybe your mind was so far entranced, the hickey she allegedly gave you forced your body into creating one in reality.”

Weary of his team’s doubts, Tony decided to show them his irrefutable proof. He opened his briefcase, grabbed a few items and placed them on the table. “What do you think of these?”

Once again, the group was silenced by awe. The items on the table were simple enough: A pair of keys, a black wrist watch and a plain wedding ring.

Unable to resist, Falcon proceeded to pick up the pair of keys. Pale and with a shaky voice, he asked, “Is this really the keys to the Gryphon?”

Tomato grabbed the black wrist watch, as well. “If this is really Roger’s Communication Watch,” he said skeptically. “Then, it should be able to emit radio waves as well as tell time. Right?”

“Well,” Tony shrugged. “Get it analyzed! You will find that it emits four distinct frequencies of radio waves: Audio, Video, Data and Radar.”

“You see! I knew it’s true. My ARS…,” Falcon shouted excitedly.

“What do you mean by your ARS?” Tomato interrupted.

Sensing tension brewing in the meeting, Pygmalion announced, “Gentlemen, please. This doesn’t prove anything.” She turned towards Tony. “Your sense of humor escapes me.”

“This is no joke, Pygmalion.” Tony pleaded. “Guys, I am not insane, nor am I fabricating anything. Also, I do not appreciate your accusations.” He grabbed the pitcher and refilled his tumbler. After a drink, he pointed at the watch, “That is Roger Smith’s communicator wrist watch. Here are his keys to the Gryphon.” He pointed at the ring. “This is my wedding ring! The same one that R. Dorothy placed on my finger at our wedding.”

Zola failed to contain her laughter. “You got married with R. Dorothy? But the scenario program only allowed for conversation, not feeling or loving.”

“That is what I am talking about!” Tony responded, excitedly. “It took three years before I had my first encounter with Dorothy. Before then, I tried to invoke the emergency control panel, but I was unable to locate it. I tried yelling the termination codes, but nothing happen.”

“Three years? Tony, you were only gone for several hours,” Pygmalion said. “You were not gone for that long, Tony.”

Tony looked at the group with an expression of intrigue. “This may be conjecture, but apparently, there is nothing to tie time together between universes. Inter-universal may be another source of proof of Einstein’s law of Special Relativity. The Earth where Paradigm City lies may be traveling towards or away from the the center of its own universe, faster than our own. Hence, causing time on Paradigm City to seem faster than our own. Either that, or we have found that the laws of Physics only apply to our universe.”

“That’s preposterous, Tony,” Pygmalion snickered. “Your theories maybe part of your grand and elaborate hallucination.”

Seemingly ignored Pygmalion’s statement, Falcon said, “Hallucination or not, I want to go in next!”

“Wait a minute,” Tony said earnestly. “Nobody is going anywhere.”

“That’s right,” Pygmalion agreed. “If what Tony said is true, then he was transported to a universe where ‘Big O’ is a reality. If that’s true, then the damage inflicted upon that universe may have been catastrophic.”

The rest of the team nodded, all except for Tomato. It seemed that he didn’t believe in the Parallel Universe theory. “You are assuming that this is an alternate universe,” he said, suspicious of Tony’s motives. “As oppose to an elaborate prank by you, Tony.”

Tony was outraged. “Tomato, maybe you want to try this universe for yourself,” he said. “Or, maybe you want to try another Big O universe which I didn’t ‘contaminate’.” He knew Tomato’s weakness was his romantic notions of Dorothy and Roger uniting in matrimony.

Pygmalion glared at Tomato. “No you don’t.”

“Well, I want to try it out.” Falcon pleaded. “I promise not to do anything stupid.”

“I believe that is a great idea!” Zola agreed.

Pygmalion was unable to dissuade the team from using the ARS. “OK. As project manager, I must stress the importance of creating some ground rules.”

“Agreed,” the team chorused.

“First, we are not to interfere with any event or situation,” Pygmalion commanded.

“Agreed,” the team replied.

“Second, we are not to inform anybody of our true identities. We can tell them our names, but nothing about our universe or our mission,” she responded.

“Agreed,” the team again concurred.

“Third and final, under no circumstances shall we come into direct contact with the main characters. That means Dastun and Angel!”

“Agreed,” the team repeated in unison, in a monotone voice.

“…Vera, Alex, Alan and Norman!” Pygmalion continued.

“Agreed,” the team chorused.

Pygmalion took a sip of water. “That also goes for Dorothy and Roger!” Pygmalion said firmly.

“Agreed,” Tony, Falcon and Tomato said in unison. But clearly, they were not pleased. In protest, Falcon threw his pencil to the floor, while Tony and Tomato hissed noticeably.

Pygmalion noticed the absence of the only other feminine voice. She knew Zola had a fixation with Roger. After a few moments, she asked, “Zola, I didn’t hear you. Do you agree to our terms or not?”

Zola didn’t respond. Her arms were crossed and her head slightly hunched, she hoped that Pygmalion’s rule would some how be retracted. However, it became apparent that she had to yield or risk cancellation of the mission. “Fine, I agree.” she responded peevishly.

Pygmalion sensed the insincerity in Zola’s voice, but the chance to witness a parallel universe was too irresistible for her to pass up over principle. Seemingly to change the subject, she asked, “Tony, do we need any money or any trade goods?”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Tony said smiling. “We can hack into the Paradigm Corporation main frame and give ourselves identities and jobs.”

“Good. Also, we should not take any high rank positions. That might blow our cover,” Falcon added.

“Also, we need to work apart. It may look suspicious if we are seen together.” Tomato stated.

Pleased to hear her team’s enthusiasm, Pygmalion said, “Good work, ladies and gentlemen. Every night we’ll meet at the Speakeasy.”

“Yes, let’s meet there,” Zola agreed excitedly.

“Agreed,” the team chorused.

“Fine, we are all set,” Pygmalion stated. “We will meet at the ARS test facility, tomorrow morning at 6 AM sharp.”

“OK, but I am not a morning person,” Zola cringed.

“You snooze, you lose,” Pygmalion proclaimed earnestly. “If there are no other questions, concerns or comments, meeting adjourn.” She then picked up her personal items and proceeded towards exit.

The rest of the team stood behind, collecting their belongings slowly. Once they noticed that Pygmalion closed the door behind her, they stopped and sat back down.

“Hey guys,” Zola called. “I am not going to be denied my shot at Roger.”

“Or my shot at uniting Dorothy and Roger in marital bliss,” Tomato added.

“Angel… Hmmmm…” Falcon responded gently.

“Fine, then.” Tony replied, with an unusual smirk. “We will meet at the rendezvous point at 5 AM. Security won’t be suspicious of our earliness; we’ll say that we are doing a system test before the launch. This will give us at least an hour head start. Pygmalion won’t be able to catch us all at the same time.”

“What about the military?” Falcon 7 inquired. “Won’t they get ticked off?”

“What are you talking about?” Tony asked, he was completely caught off guard by the question. “What does the military have anything to do with this?”

“Don’t you read your newsletters anymore?” Zola was annoyed at Tony’s lack of attention to the matter. “The Marine Corp is now funding our project. They have assigned, Lt. Major Coble as our liaison. Apparently, they are interested in a total virtual battle simulator.”

“Geez, we will have to take some precautions,” Tony said, tried to mask his concern. “We will have to cross that bridge when we get there.” He then looked at the group. “Any other questions, concerns or comments?”

“I hope that Pygmalion doesn’t kill me,” Tomato said with fear in his eyes. “But if she does, it will be well worth it.”

The group laughed, as they tried to mask their nervousness. They stood up and proceeded towards the blackened exit.

“Well guys, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tomato said calmly as he left Tony, Zola and Falcon.

“By the way, who are you going after?” Falcon inquired. “I mean, Dorothy and Roger are taken by Tomato.”

Tony smiled at Falcon and said, “I had my fun. Actually, I am going there as a bad guy.”

“Really?” Zola asked, surprised by his candor. “What do you plan on doing?”

“I am not saying,” Tony replied. “But it involves Beck and a Megadeus. I resent being a goody-two-shoe all the time.” He looked at his watch and gave a superficial worried expression. “Well, I hate to spoil the fun, but I got to go. Later guys.”

Outside the ARS laboratory building, with its mirror paned glass and its faded vanilla-colored walls, stood Tony, Falcon and Tomato. Despite their coats, the morning breeze chilled them without effort. It was dark and very cold, the only light visible was the eerie blue glow from the moon.

“Where’s Zola?” Tony asked, as he shivered. “I distinctly remembered saying that we must meet here at 5 A.M. sharp.”

“Tony, relax.” Falcon replied, his teeth chattered. “She will be here. She is only a minute late.”

“A minute and twenty-three seconds,” Tomato corrected.

Suddenly, Zola appeared running towards them. She was breathing heavily. “Sorry about that. I needed to hide the car.”

After Tomato mumbled indecipherably, Tony reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring with only one key on it. After inserting and turning the key, Tony said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we are read to embark on a great…”

“Enough with the speech, Lincoln! Open the freakin’ door,” Falcon cried.

“I want Roger!” Zola said excitedly. Seemingly felt disturbed by all the stares from her teammates, she responded, “I mean; I want to meet Roger.”

“She is going to kill me,” Tomato said in a humorous, yet nervous manner.

“Pygmalion would kill us all if she knew what we were doing,” Zola added.

“Can it!” Tony shouted, as he tried to concentrate. “There it is. Everybody into the chamber. I need to set the coordinates and initiate the execution process.”

Before them, stood a gigantic metallic room with a windowless door and a red light above the doorway. About several yards away, stood a large grey control panel.

Tony typed in a series of coordinates on the control pane. “We are headed towards PU 1753-1.”

“Parallel universe 1753-1?” Tomato asked as he entered the chamber. “Isn’t that the universe that you had just returned from?”

“No, that was PU 1753-0,” Tony replied with a smirk. “This one is almost exactly the same, just that R*D actually survived her close encounter with Big O’s fist. Also, miniaturization was severely limited by the non-existence of microprocessors. Apparently, Jack Kilby was never born and nobody bothered to experiment with Germanium and Silicon. ”

“RD, eh? I see that you’re leaving your options open,” Zola said jokingly.

“Why should you guys have all the fun?” Tony replied as he ran towards the chamber and shuts the hatch door behind him. “Brace yourself, this is going to feel strange.”

Suddenly the room lit up and a loud high pitch sound emanated from the ceiling. The team covered their ears and shut, desperately trying to dampen the noise. After a few unbearable moments, a deafening silence fell upon them.

Tony, Zola, Falcon 7 and Tomato were no longer in the chamber. They found themselves on the floor of a filthy city alleyway. However, there was something different about the alley and its surroundings. The colors were brighter and not as subtle as usual. No, the alley and surrounding buildings were colored with more unnatural tones.

“I can’t believe this,” Tomato said in disbelief. He stared at his watch. For the most part, it looked the same, but had an unrealistic shine and tone to it.

“Are we in Paradigm City?” Zola said with an equally amazed expression.

Suddenly, a vagabond emerged from inside a dumpster near Zola and Falcon, almost frightened them to death. “Of course you are. Where else would you be?” the he answered, as he climbed out of a dumpster. “And they say I’m drunk!” He walked away towards the busy street.

“OK guys,” Tony said calmly. “Meet you all at Grand Central Terminal in one week. Right?”

The team nodded in agreement and walked away from Tony. He stood in the alley way, he then pulled out a written piece of paper from his peacoat pocket. He stared at it for a moment, and placed it back. With a soft tone, Tony said, “Dorothy, I’m coming back.”

Outside the ARS laboratory building, stood Pygmalion. Like the others, the morning breeze was too chilly for her. The first rays of morning sunlight lightly illuminated the roof.

“Where are they?” Pygmalion asked nobody in particular as she involuntarily shivered. “I said 6 A.M. sharp. It’s already 6:07 A.M.”

Suddenly, Pygmalion heard the sound of foot steps approaching her from a distance. At first, she could only see a silhouette of a heavy set man. She thought it was could be one the male members of the team, but was disappointed to learn that it was only the security guard she spoke to 5 minutes before.

“Ma’am,” the burly security said as he rubbed his hands together. “It seems that Tony, Falcon and Tomato checked in at 4:55 AM and Zola checked in at 5:01 A.M.”

“They did, did they?” Pygmalion responded with an angry shaky voice. “What was their reason?”

“They said they were system testing the ARS,” the man replied. “Why? Should I alert the security staff?”

Pygmalion shook her head and sent the security officer back to his post. Angry and dejected, she swung open the door and marched inside. She walked towards the control panel and noticed that it was still on and the original settings were still in place.

“Looks like they went to PU 1753-1-4323…,” she said as she typed in the execution security code. “Well, two can play at this game.”

A loud, feminine voice sounded from the loud speakers. “ARS will execute transmission in 15 seconds.”

“Tony, of all the irresponsible things you have done, this takes the cake,” the project manager said angrily as she ran into the ARS transport chamber.

“ARS will execute transmission in 10 seconds,” the artificial voice alerted.

“Zola, I can’t believe you would betray me like this,” she said after she breathed deeply.

“ARS will execute transmission in 5 seconds,” the artificial voice alerted.

“Tomato, when I get you home, you are going to get it!” Pygmalion shouted out as she closed her eyes.

Once again, the room lit up and a loud high pitch sound screeched from the ceiling. After a few moments of an unbearable sound and blinding light, came a deafening silence. Pygmalion landed feet first, on the floor of an alley.

“I wouldn’t believe it, if I didn’t see it,” the skeptical manager announced. “Is this really Paradigm City?”

The same vagabond, who greeted her team, stood behind Pygmalion. “Of course it is, lady,” he slurred with a bottle of cheap liquor in his hand. He throws the bottle to the floor and stumbling away. “I don’t know what they put in this crap, but these hallucinations are freakin’ too much for me.”

Pygmalion started to examine herself and her surroundings. The colors were so bright and everything was bordered with a noticeable black line. She stared at her arms and legs. “I look like an anime character,” she snickered in amazement. “I like it.”

The manager walked out of the alley and into an open sidewalk. The sounds of birds chirped and the synthetic sun shining bright over head intrigued her. She realized that she was in a domed section of Paradigm City.

While walking, the project manager pulled out her notepad and pen from her purse. “Where would they be?” she asked herself. “Judging by Falcon’s extensive collection of posters, he’ll try to look up Angel,” she said as she wrote her notes. “As for Zola, it’s a no brainer, she would pursue after Roger. But, Tomato is so fascinated by Dorothy and her relationship with Roger; they would probably neutralize each other off.”

Pygmalion stopped to look around to view the scenic city beauty that is Paradigm City. “As for Tony,” she thought. “Where would he go?”

Suddenly, she was drawn to the loud and scratchy voice of a paperboy. “Extra… Extra… Hear all about it. Master Hacker strikes Paradigm Corporation. Police suspects a foreigner.”

She reached in to her change purse and pulled out a quarter. “I’ll have one, please.”

The newsstand attendant laughed rudely. “Lady, we don’t accept funny money here.”

Feeling a little embarrassed, Pygmalion turned to walk away. She accidentally bumped into a tall man in a police uniform.

“Give the lady the paper,” the gentleman demanded as he opened wallet.

“Thank you,” she said with a nervous smile. She saw a very impressing, broad shoulder gentleman in a tan colored uniform, black gloves and a military cap on his head. Pygmalion soon realized that the uniformed gentleman was Colonel Dastun of the Military Police. “Colonel Dastun! It’s actually you,” she said in absolute amazement.

“Do I know you from somewhere, ma’am?” he said with a perplexed expression. “I’m good with names and faces, but…”

“No, I don’t think so,” she interrupted. Pygmalion understood that she needed to mask the fact she probably knew more about him than his own mother. “It’s just that I have seen many articles on your heroics and bravery.”

“Well, it is all in a day’s work, ma’am,” the colonel said with a humble smile. “You can call me Dan. And you are?”

Pygmalion was awestruck. She paused what seemed like an eternity. “My… My name is Pygmalion,” she stuttered.

The colonel smiled and offered her his hand. “Nice to me you, Pygmalion,” he said while shaking her hand. “That is a pretty name.”

“Thank you, Dan,” the manager blushed. “I have to go now. Is there any way I can contact you? Maybe we can have a coffee later.”

Dan reached into his breast pocket and removed a business card and pen. As he started writing, he said, “Here is my business card and my home number is on the back.”

“Thank you for the newspaper, kind sir,” Pygmalion said with a warm smile. “I hope we can talk again soon.”

The Colonel tipped his cap and bowed noticeable. “Good bye, Pygmalion,” he said while walking backwards for a moment, then he turned around and walked away.

“I still got it,” the manager said to herself with a large grin.

With the newspaper in her hand, Pygmalion started to walk away from the newsstand when she was stopped by the attendant. He told her that she forgot to take her change, he gave her $19.75. Before she was able to inform him that it was not her change, he ran back to his stand.

While counting the change, she asked herself, “I hope this is enough for a coffee?

After walking a few blocks away from the newsstand, Pygmalion finally found a suitable café to stop for a cup of coffee and rest a bit. Her feet throbbed and her legs were shaky. She thought of how amusing it was that an animated universe flats can be just as uncomfortable as those from her universe.

After a few moments of waiting by the host station in the lobby area, she was finally seated in the outdoor section. In an instant to her sitting down, a waiter approached her with an expression which illustrated his discontent for his job.

“Excuse me, how much for a coffee?” Pygmalion asked.

“Ten cents, ma’am,” the disgruntle waiter replied, as he rolled his eyes.

“Good, I’ll have one,” she said with a barely noticeable grin.

Pygmalion then proceeded to open the newspaper and read the headliner. She read, “Master Hacker strikes Paradigm Corporation. Military police suspect that it is a foreign hacker. The style and intensity of the hacking does not resemble that of all the known hackers of file, which includes “Schwarzwald” and “Beck”. The identity of this new hacker is not known at this time. Major Dastun reported that three bank accounts were hacked and drained. Also the police records of five known criminals were deleted. He did not release the identities of these criminals at this time…”

“Anything else, ma’am?” the waiter said as he flipped over the cup in front of her and poured from the coffee pot.

“No, thank you,” the manager said while still looking at the front page photo of Colonel Dastun as he gave a podium interview. The waiter walked away, she said to herself, “Looks like Tony’s been busy. But, he has only been here for two hours. Unless, the space-time continuum is not relative across parallel universes. If that’s the case, how long have they been here?”

Pygmalion wrote down some of the theories that she had. After finishing the strong, day old coffee, she said, “Tony said that he was at PU 1753-0 for three years, yet he was only gone from our universe for 3 hours.”

“Do you need an asprine, ma’am?” the waiter, interrupted Pygmalion from her thoughts.

“No, just a refill,” she replied, annoyed.

After he poured her another cup, she continued, “Well, if I am going to get Tony back to our earth, I will need help. I need to find Tomato.”

“May I suggest the Tomato and Cheese omelet,” the waiter offered with a silly smirk on his face. “It’s only a dollar.”

“No, thank you,” the annoyed manager replied. “But, do you know where I can find Negotiator Roger Smiths residence?”

“He resides at the Illegal Residence Section of the city,” the waiter answered rudely. “Everybody knows that.”

“Thank you,” Pygmalion said with a cold grin. She placed a quarter on the table and said, “Keep the change.”

The waiter shook his head and mumbled, as Pygmalion stood up and preceded toward the exit. She then walked across the sidewalk and stopped by the edge of the street. While looking down the street, she hailed for a taxi.

After a few failed attempts, a cab finally stopped for Pygmalion. “Hey sweetie,” the taxi driver said in a thick New Yorker accent. “Where ya going?”

“Do you know where the Illegal Residence Section is?” the excited manager asked.

“Ya goin’ to the Negotiator’s place, right?” the slick cab driver asked. “He lives on 72nd. That’ll be 10 bucks on the barrel head.”

“Let’s go,” Pygmalion said eagerly.

The Major walked into ARS laboratory complex. He saluted a few other officers who where at the scene. With only the profiles of the perpetrators and his wits as his aids, Major Ray Coble was assigned to seek out and retrieve all members of the ARS. So far, he was able to account for 35 of the 40 members of the team. However, the five members who were missing were the most critical to the project.

He walked up to the chamber and stared at it for a moment. He was been a fan of “the Big O” and followed the show thoroughly, which made him a prime candidate for this assignment.

“Major?” a familiar voice hailed. “What do you think?”

Ray turned to find his superior officer, Colonel Salazar saluting him. “I think this is quite a masterpiece, sir,” he replied, while he saluted the colonel.

“I meant, what do you think of this case?” the Colonel clarified, seemed annoyed by the missing person’s investigation. “If this wasn’t a top secret project, the local authorities would be looking into this.”

“Begging your pardon, sir,” Ray replied dryly. “I doubt they would have the capacity or resources to find them. They are not here. At least, they….”

“You don’t honestly believe that they have left our universe and are roaming some parallel universe?” Salazar asked sarcastically.

“Sir, I am only suggesting that we investigate this matter with an open mind,” Ray replied, attempted to mask his contempt for the Colonel. “The ARS was created to mimic an entire universe for battle simulation. Who is to say that while this universe is being simulated, a gateway to the real Parallel Universe couldn’t be forged?”

“Major, if you truly believe your theory, why don’t you put it to the test?” the Colonel baited.

The Major tried to hide his smile, since it would give away his desire to try out the ARS. The reports written by its project manager, Pygmalion, reported the possibility of a portal to a parallel universe, where ‘the Big O’ is a reality. He saluted the colonel, and said, “Yes, sir! I will dispatch a team as soon as…”

“Major, I am not about to authorize the risk of good men to a preposterous venture,” Salazar laughed. “No, if you are going inside, you are going alone.” The colonel turned to talk to another officer, but noticed that Ray was still stood in front of him. “Dismissed.”

Ray nodded and walked away. He knew it would take some before he would be able to leave.