-The Whole Family-
	By Lyinginbedmon (Lyinginbedmon@ntlworld.com)
The sequel to Nemesis, Christmas has arrived and been revived, at least in the
Smith Household, and R. Dorothy is making it a point to have everyone over for
the celebrations

-----------------------------
Winter has come to Paradigm City; snow has fallen to earth and is covering most
of the roads, restricting a lot of work. Roger however, is enjoying the time the
weather has given him, since little work means little cases for him. He lies on
the couch in the lounge, the windows to the balcony closed and the curtains
drawn as he begins to snooze. He has managed to slip into the habit of taking
naps in the middle of the day since winter started, much to everyone else's
chagrin. R. Dorothy and Norman find it bothersome because it disrupts their
usual work, and prevents R. Dorothy from playing the piano during the afternoon,
simply because it is rude to use such methods during the day (though strangely
not the mornings, as so often demonstrated by her). Scott and Jack tend toward
going out on long walks, one gathering information about City life, the other
strategising ways to defeat the defences should the need arise.
	Unfortunately for Roger though, Tim has no such misgivings about waking someone
up this late in the day, and he is soon erupting with a variety of bodily
noises, ranging from cracks, to blasts, to electrical discharges, all in an
effort to wake him up.
"Tim, why can't you let a dying man rest in peace?" he asks sarcastically
"Because you're not a dying man, but if you persist with this routine, I might
just grant you your wish" Tim replies with a monotone, while organising his
various Role Playing Game charts on the coffee table.
"You may be more of a god than a man, but either way it's still impolite"
"I'm not a god, for the fifteenth time, I'm an Overlord, and until you can
conjure up a large number of lived years to add to your repertoire, which I
myself have already, you will not critique my manners kiddo" Roger decides to
quit while he's behind, and gets up off the sofa to build a few more of his
hourglass'.

A few hours later, R. Dorothy returns from the grocery store with the usual load
that would be much too heavy for any other girl her size and catches Tim reading
one of his books, one entitled "Deities and Demigods", ironically he is so
immersed in his reading that he is startled when she asks him about it. "What
does that book contain, Tim?"
"Not much, its just an RPG guide for gods and religions, y'know Hanukkah, Mass,
Christmas, the usual stuff I guess" Intrigued, Dorothy presses further,
"What is Christmas? I've never heard of it before"
"You don't know what Christmas is? You've gotta be kidding me here!"
"I am not kidding Tim, I honestly have never heard of 'Christmas' before"
"Hmm, guess that was lost in The Event, among so many other things. Basically it
was the single greatest annual event ever to trace its origins to a religious
faith. It involved cutting down a certain deciduous tree, termed a Christmas
tree, and bringing it back to your home where you decorate it with many
different ornaments to make it look beautiful. It also involved giving your
friends and family members gifts on the 25th of December, also known as
'Christmas Day'. There was also a legend about an old man named 'Santa Claus',
but that's another story"
"You seem to know a lot about it, I thought you hated religion because it
directed humanity's attention from the true creators of the earth?"
"True, but when you spend over a hundred years on a religious planet doing
recon, you tend to pick up more than your fair share of info"
"So, are you inviting your family to Christmas Day?" R. Dorothy is encroaching
on a section of Tim's history he'd rather not delve into, but he answers none
the less, 
"I don't think so, I'd rather not see them on such an occasion"
'"Why not? They are your family, you already have two of them here at the
mansion, and it seems only logical that you invite them"
"Believe me, you would not desire to know our families, besides the fact that
mine are total wackos, Jack's have a private cult of oriental assassins, and
Scott's are mostly devoted researchers that wouldn't leave their studies if you
shoved a bazooka up their.. never mind, the point is I don't think you'll get
any of them here in time for Christmas, not even you could do that Dorothy"
"Why not?" Tim has struck a nerve of his own, if only accidentally
"Well, no offence, but the only way I could see you finding them all is if you
yourself were somehow related to Santa Claus"
"I shall prove to you that I can get all of them in time for Christmas, by doing
so in the next two weeks"
"Two weeks? I bet you a night on the town that you'll never do it"
"And if you win, I play your RPG campaigns for a month?"
"Sounds fine by me, you've got a deal!" The two colourful characters shake
hands, despite Tim unconsciously rolling dice to determine the ability scores of
R. Dorothy's RPG character...

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

Scott has returned from his walk into town, and is sitting on the balcony wall
surveying the ant-like people continuing with their meagre lives. He mindlessly
watches a young woman walking into an Oil Shop, and jots down his views in his
notebook as usual. "How was your walk Scott?"
"Fine Dorothy, I made a couple of significant observations, a lot of them
humorous"
"Scott, I was wondering, do you now.." She is cut short by Scott's unnerving
ability to predict the near future, which can get rather annoying,
"Where our families reside and if it's nearby in the City?"
"Exactly"
"Of course, Lady Tsunami lives..." The next few minutes see Scott rattling out a
substantial list of names and addresses to Dorothy, who just stands on the
balcony and records the information in her memory effortlessly.

NO SIDE - 07:00:00

-The Whole Family-
	By Lyinginbedmon (Lyinginbedmon@ntlworld.com)
The sequel to Nemesis, Christmas has arrived and been revived, at least in the
Smith Household, and R. Dorothy is making it a point to have everyone over for
the celebrations

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

R. Dorothy walked between the alleyways criss-crossing the streets of Paradigm
City, the dense snowfall obscuring all but the most perfect of vision from her.
She managed to locate a small blue door a couple of metres down the alley, and
just as Scott had told her found a marking of a spiralled blue dragon clutching
two orbs in his claws. She proceeded to knock on the door, a few moments later
her call was answered as an old woman much shorter than herself opened it.
"Oh, hello, who are you young lady?" asked the old woman in an aged voice
"I am R. Dorothy Wayneright, I am looking for Tsunami Tidal, is she here?"
replied Dorothy in her chilled monotone
"Ms. Tidal? She never gets visitors, please come in, come in" The old woman
leads Dorothy into the poorly maintained apartment building, carefully examining
every detail for a sign that it might collapse soon, as Scott had also
instructed. She walks up several flights of stairs until she reaches the top
floor and the door marked "No. 159". "Yes, this is Ms. Tidal's room. I believe
she's in but I'll leave you alone now" she hobbles down the stairs once more,
leaving Dorothy alone on the dark landing, she knocks on the door
"Hello? Who is it?" a distant voice replies from inside the apartment, it sounds
quite ghostly and almost heavenly at the same time
"Is that you Ms. Tidal? I have a message for you" The sound of the locks
unlatching resonate from inside, and the door opens to reveal a young woman with
long blue hair and two blue gems in her forehead
"Alright then, what is it?"
"You are cordially invited to the Christmas Celebrations of Roger Smith and his
family, will you be attending?"
"Oh, I'm afraid I wouldn't have time, why did he invite me exactly?"
"He didn't, but I am to gather the family of his residents"
"His Residents?"
"Your husband is hoping to see you there"
"My, husband?" Her eyes move to a sombre and almost tearful state, but she
eventually returns to a broad smile, "Alright then, tell Scott I'll be there"
"I will, thank you Lady Tsunami" Dorothy bows to the distinguished lady, her
politeness pleasing the woman and making her even happier
"I'm glad he could remember to tell you that much, such an old custom" she
giggles as R. Dorothy returns to an upright position.
"I was informed it was customary to greet members of the Genesis Squad in that
manner, Lady Tsunami"
"Please, just call me Tsunami, it's been a long time since anyone called me
'Lady'"
"Very well, Tsunami"
"Well, now that that's sorted out, what exactly are these Christmas
Celebrations?"
"It is a recreation of the ancient custom where a group of familial humans
gather together and exchange gifts in a motion of good will and love, followed
by a rather obese elderly gentleman who squeezes himself down any available
passage similar to a chimney"
"I think that's called Santa Claus"
"Claus? Is he a lawyer?"
"No, just a children's story."
"Do you know of it?"
"Obviously, would you like to come in and I'll tell you of it" Tsunami beckons
Dorothy inside her apartment, checking the outside for any unwelcome visitors
before closing the door and returning the locks to their stations.

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

"Let's see now, which would suite her better?"
"Something on your mind Tim?"
"Yeh, Roger, I'm just trying to figure out whether or not R. Dorothy would be
better suited as a Bard or a Cleric"
"I'm pretty sure she wouldn't play your games Tim"
"By the end of the week she will be, we made a bit of a wager" a smile crosses
his lips as he examines the list of Bard abilities, 
"Oh? What kind of a wager?" Roger's interest has been piqued
"Well, if she can find our families by the 25th then I have to take her out for
the night, and if she doesn't"
"She has to play your RPGs? I think you may want to reconsider those terms Tim"
replies Roger with a sarcastic tone
"I don't see why, she'll never do it"
"What makes you think that?"
"Because for Dorothy to find ALL our families, she'd have to go and see an old
lady-friend of mine, and that would mean that she wouldn't come back in one
piece"
"Who's that?"

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

"Lady Suwah? Why should I be careful around her, Tsunami?"
"Well, for starters her 'assistant' has a pretty bad temper from her father's
side of the gene-pool, and Suwah's is even worse"
"I believe I am quite capable of handling myself against an enraged teenager"
"Tough talks coming from someone barely four years old"
"That is irrelevant, I have the collective strength level higher than any mere
human"
"True, but we're not talking about a 'mere human' Dorothy, we're talking about a
Goddess", R. Dorothy merely sips her tea from across the worn table, "Look, if
you're going to go see her, just be sure to watch your back on the way there,
okay?"
"I understand Tsunami, do you know where Lady Tokimi lives? Scott neglected to
relay that information because he thought it too dangerous to undertake"
"Sure, she lives about a mile out of the city"
"In the desert, or just outside the domes"
"Oops, sorry, I get them mixed up, she lives at about 5,280 feet above the
domes"
"In the sky? Does she use a Megadeus?"
"No, more like a flying fortress, it's almost impenetrable, I'd suggest you find
someone to take you"
"Big Duo is currently undergoing repairs, and it would not be wise for me to ask
Alan Gabriel, do you know of anyone who could fly to that height?"
"Well, there is one way, but it might not be such a good idea either"
"My options are rather limited, it might be my only choice", she comments with a
look of sarcasm engrained into her eyes
"Alright, do you know the titles of the other Goddesses, Dorothy?"
"Yes, Lady Suwah is the Goddess of Knowledge, Lady Tokimi is the Goddess of War"
"And myself?"
"You are the Goddess of Life"
"Correct", she nods in assurance, "That means that I can control what happens to
people and bring them back from the dead," she pauses, "it also means that I can
control that FFX Files"
"The FFX Files? What are they?"
"A branch of the control files on the Genesis, they allow you to take control of
causality and create fate instead, the Fate FX Files"
"And how are they a method of reaching Tokimi?"
"Because I can give you wings with them", Tsunami smirks at Dorothy, than gets
up to measure and inspect her back whilst she sits, puzzled
"Are you sure you can do this? It defies all logic and possibility"
"And I suppose you haven't seen that happen before?" she lifts Dorothy's arms up
and measures her arm span,
"You do have a point, but how am I to control the flight?"
"I can give you some tips and a couple of in-built files for that, but you'll
have to pick it up quickly if you only have a week" she reaches over to the
kitchen bench and picks up a pen and notepad, she places them in front of
Dorothy and removes her empty tea cup, "Could you give me an idea of what kind
of wings you want?"
"What do you mean, what kinds are there?"
"Well, there are the Angel kinds where the wings simply come out from the back
with feathers, there's the Bat kinds where the wings replace the arms, there's
the Wingweaver kinds where the winged feathers are in three pairs on the back,
and then there's the", Dorothy interrupts her,
"The Wingweaver kinds?"
"Yeh, there used to be a card around here somewhere," she reaches back on her
seat and rummages around in a draw near the taps, she takes out a small stack of
about 73 cards and sifts through them until she finds the one she's looking for,
she takes a moment to lament about it, and then hands it over to Dorothy,
"Wingweaver, Fairy type, Light category, 27-50 attack and 24 hundred defense"
"A card game creature?"
"Back in the day it was valued almost as much as gold to collectors, nowadays
no-one even knows it exists unless you tell them. What do you think of her
wings?"
"These will do nicely Tsunami"

NO SIDE - 06:11:19

-The Whole Family-
	By Lyinginbedmon (Lyinginbedmon@ntlworld.com)
The sequel to Nemesis, Christmas has arrived and been revived, at least in the
Smith Household, and R. Dorothy is making it a point to have everyone over for
the celebrations

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

Dorothy stands in the middle of a newly-cleared apartment kitchen, atop a
tattered old rug that was probably older than the building itself, Tsunami sits
in a chair about a metre away from here, busily checking all possible outcomes
in the room's interiors, "Are you ready Dorothy?"
"I am ready Tsunami", Tsunami nods in agreement, and holds her hands up a few
centimetres from her lap, as a small, almost transparent, board appears just
millimetres below them, she begins typing as another appears at an angle from
the first, displaying all manner of incomprehensible information,
"What is that Tsunami?" inquires the metallic visitor
"It's an air-top, holographic, micro-optic, Gen-e-tech computer. It allows me to
alter the FFX Files while I'm down here instead of on the Genesis"
"A computer? The only computers I have seen are much less technologically
advanced than that one"
"Well there are some perks to being the Overlord of Knowledge's wife. Aha, here
we are, the FFX Files. Okay, R. Dorothy Wayneright/Soldano of Paradigm City,
location: Apartment No. 159 of the Louisiana Apartment Building."
"All that is recorded in those files?"
"Not exactly, it's all in the log files, you just open the FFX Files and upload
the data and then alter it to whatever needs you want. Right, I've got the
design specs on the new wings. Ready?"
"I am Ready Tsunami" R. Dorothy is obviously becoming frustrated at the
recurrent question, this being the eighth time she has been asked it,
"Alright then, protocol in place, design active, beginning sequence, now" she
lifts her hand and slams her index finger on the button. The room shakes
slightly, although no physical vibration is evident in the room's attire. A
sudden force knocks Dorothy to the floor, and her dress is ripped from her back
by an invisible identity
"Tsunami, what is happening?" Dorothy's usual tone has heightened slightly to
show that she is obviously scared
"Well, in order to execute such a strange fate as this, I had to upload a
scenario that would result in you having your wings. The only available option
was that you would be abducted and experimented on, hence your current attire,
or lack thereof", she lets a minor smile creep through her lips as R. Dorothy's
body form surges in all manner of irregular positions, her foot size increasing,
her panties bulging, her back splitting open in a barrage of wiring and parts,
"You never mentioned this before", a medical gown appears over her helpless
form, just in time for her wings to finally be constructed from her cracked
spinal tubing. Her clothes re-appear, albeit with minor modifications to
accommodate the new appendages. "Is it over?" Dorothy's fear subsides though her
newfound discomfort does not
"Yes, it's over Dorothy, your new wings are all done," she reaches down, "And
then some"
"I do not understand, what do you mean 'and then some'?"
"Well, remember that scenario? Let's just say that your wings weren't the only
modification they made to your original chassis," she giggles loudly as Dorothy
protests, but she is soon sent on her way by Tsunami, who constantly laughs at
Dorothy's new 'equipment', especially since there were at least eight different
scenarios for her to choose from...

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

Dorothy stands atop one of the many pillars lining the patio, scanning every
region of visible sky in search of Tokimi's flying fortress. She finally spots a
small black dot roughly 5,300 feet above the domes, she presses her new broche
and her wings push their way from her back thusly. She spreads them and takes
flight in due haste, passing 2 thousand feet in a few minutes,
"I wonder where she's off to?" inquires Tim to the empty patio having seen the
beautiful takeoff. Meanwhile, R. Dorothy reaches just above the cloud cover
concealing the fortress, its massive black walls defying any number of
scientifical laws in its locale. 
'Tsunami was right, a nearly impenetrable fortress' thinks Dorothy as she glides
around the flying metal monolith, just barely noticing a camera lens detecting
her presence. She dives sharply as the wall-mounted cannons talk aim and fire at
her, just barely missing their target as Dorothy flies beneath their firing
range. She grasps the underbelly armor plating firmly and proceeds to tear it
from its seams, creating an otherwise defenceless breach in the infernal
defensive structure. She wanders through the maze of dark corridors in her
seemingly endless search for the second Goddess, until she manages to find what
would appear to be the command centre for the fortress. She turns sharply around
when footsteps echo from behind her, a young girl with long black hair thrusts
at her with a long spear, but R. Dorothy easily dodges it in time to wrench it
from her grasp.
"What do you want here?"
"I am looking for Lady Tokimi" she answers with the spear held as far away from
the girl as possible
"Lady Tokimi? You're looking for mom?" the girl replies with a surprised look
upon her face, she obviously never thought that anyone would actively search for
the Goddess of War. She cries into the darkest corridor behind her, and her
scream is soon answered by a taller woman with lighter black hair and eyes
completely blue, her pupils barely visible in their darkness, 
"Ah, I see you've caught the intruder," she comments with a voice that seems
almost child like in its pitch, but soon notices that Dorothy is the one holding
the spear, "Or did she catch you?"
"I had complete control of the situation mom, she just, caught me off guard is
all" she lowers her tone slightly as she finishes, then retreats backward
slightly toward Dorothy, intent on retrieving her spear,
"So, are you the one who bears the wings of the wingweaver?"
"I am"
"Then I take it that you either had a very bad incident, or you met my sister
Tsunami"
"I did indeed meet Tsunami, I have been sent to request your presence at the
Christmas Celebrations of Roger Smith and his family, will you be attending?"
"Roger Smith? The infamous Negotiator of Paradigm City, I have watched him with
great interest young lady. Tell me, what exactly would bring him to desire my
presence?"
"It is his tenant that desires your presence, Lady Tokimi"
"His tenant? Would that be, by chance, Overlord Jack?" Dorothy nods in reply,
and the girl bursts into a fiery rage, 
"WHAT? You mean you knew where dad was and you never told me?" Tokimi motions
for her to calm down, 
"I only recently detected him a few months ago, at the time it seemed irrelevant
for you to know of his whereabouts"
"Irrelevant? Why I outta-"
"I take it you will be attending then?" breaks Dorothy before the girl gets
ugly,
"Yes, and tell Jack that Infidel and I will both be attending" Infidel merely
grumbles under her breath in the background,
"Alright then. Will you be able to help me locate Lady Suwah?"
"Suwah? Yes, there's not much I don't see from up here, but why do wish to see
Suwah? Could it be that Tim also desires her presence? I very much doubt that"
"Why would he not desire her presence at Christmas?"
"Because they haven't even seen eachother since he found out that she was
pregnant with Koryo, Infidel's cousin"

NO SIDE - 05:22:38

-The Whole Family-
	By Lyinginbedmon (Lyinginbedmon@ntlworld.com)
The sequel to Nemesis, Christmas has arrived and been revived, at least in the
Smith Household, and R. Dorothy is making it a point to have everyone over for
the celebrations

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

"Tim has a daughter?" questions a bewildered, winged, android to the strange
woman,
"Yes, Koryo is quite simply Infidel's polar opposite, they fight at any chance
they get. Hence the difference in the polarities of their homes" Infidel
continues to groan,
"Could you describe her personality? Tokimi?"
"Yes, she is-"
"Just like her mother, stuck-up, brutish, fickle..." interrupts Infidel
"I understand, Infidel. Where does Suwah live?"
"Exactly 26,540 fathoms underwater just outside of Paradigm Harbour" replies
Tokimi
"Yeah, but there's no way YOU'll ever get there" continues Infidel
"Yes, it is true that the pressure is far too great for any ordinary machine"
comments Tokimi, "But there are a few ways to get there safely"
"Dare I ask what it is Tokimi?" returns the disappointed android,
"Relax, it doesn't involve any special alterations like the ones for your wings,
I can just encase in an air bubble and you can swim down, or you could borrow
one of the Valkyries"
"Valkyries?"
"They were named after the Norse Mythological women who decided which warriors
went to Valhalla, or Heaven" answers Infidel, seeming much calmer now than
before, "They were also the perfect warrior maidens, and were practically
indestructible by mortal means"
"So I take it that they would be able to withstand the pressure?"
"Yes, they're quite sound and extremely well built. They can function on land,
in the air, and underwater very effectively" finishes Tokimi
"I believe that would be a preferable idea," replies Dorothy to the two women 

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

The steel door opens out to the hangar of the impressive fortress, and after
having to spend thirty minutes walking to it, Dorothy is pleased to finally see
the impressive Valkyrie Squadron, their large mechanical wings tucked away so
they fit inside the relatively small room. "These are the Valkyries?"
"Correct Dorothy, they are the most advanced flying machines ever created"
Dorothy walks up to the first Valkyrie in the hangar, she places her hand along
is spectacular beak, and startles slightly when it responds by cocking its head
into her hand and blinking,
"I assume they have artificial intelligence then?" questions the still surprised
mechanical woman,
"The finest, Aunt Suwah built them, so it's no wonder that she would give them
actual minds as well" The mechanical eagle screeches quietly in response, it
kneels down, and a small compartment slides open on its back, Dorothy assumes
that it must be the cockpit, "Aren't you going the wrong way Dora?" Dorothy
ceases climbing the bird, and takes a moment to look into the opening. A large
mass of wires surrounds a metallic box with a circular opening at its peak, 
"I think you'll find that you're climbing into the Dominance Centre of the
Valkyrie, should you examine it a tad more closely" concludes Tokimi,
"Dominance Centre?" Dorothy begins climbing down from the Valkyrie's back,
landing just as Tokimi replies,
"Suwah takes very much after her daughter, and vice versa. One of her greatest
dreams is to create a functioning fighter robot that can recreate itself, the
Dominance Centre of the Valkyrie is one such advance towards that goal"
"..." Dorothy's false cheeks begin to show a faint tinge of red, as her hardware
recognizes that she is embarrassed to have almost gotten intimate with a bird,
"Now that that's sorted, HBFD-004 could you please open your cockpit please?"
The mechanical bird whirrs for a moment, then closes its Dominance Centre as
it's frontal chest plate splits open horizontally, revealing the plush red
leather seat that its unnecessary pilot would sit in. "Just climb in there and
tell him to take you to Suwah's underwater laboratory, he should do the rest"
Dorothy nods in agreement, then proceeds to climb into the cockpit and take hold
of the secondary joystick controls on either side of her arms. The plates return
to their original position, as the hangar bay doors open underneath the
mechanical eagle. It plummets for a couple thousand feet, before stretching its
wings, and flying gracefully towards the harbour. 

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

After a few moments of gliding, the bird manages to successfully locate Suwah's
lab underwater, and internally alerts Dorothy to his finding,
"Alright, you may submerge 004" The bird screeches once more, then folds its
wings and dives straight into the water, reaching five hundred fathoms quickly
before unfolding them again to allow a swimming motion. A small screen in front
of Dorothy shows her the surrounding waters, as well as the many strange
creatures that begin to inhabit them the deeper they go, whilst a second one to
her right displays the current depth, dropping quickly as they reach twenty-six
thousand fathoms. "Activate the search lights 004" The bird remains silent as
its eyes burst with intense light, penetrating the abyssal darkness of the
waters with ease. It floats gently through the water, tilting its head in an
attempt to locate the lab. Meanwhile, Dorothy watches a rather comedial
'in-flight movie' being displayed while 004 searches, though it has no obvious
effect on Dorothy, the plain monotonous android not so much as raising a corner
of her mouth a millimetre, "Why would a talking donkey desire to travel with an
ogre?" she asks 004, but she receives no audible reply, however the subtitles of
the movie change to reveal that he thinks it is an old movie from before the
Event, when comedy wasn't very popular he adds. Suddenly, the movie vanishes
from the screen, replaced by the dimly lit image of a circular red building,
dwarfing the mechanical bird fantastically with its size. "I think we have found
it" The bird glides down to the building, and examines what appears to be an
access hatch, before it opens to reveal blinding light, which he swims into to
find a dock, which promptly empties itself of the water after closing the door.
Dorothy leaves the safety of the mechanical bird, much to his chagrin, and goes
in search of Suwah and Koryo.

She wanders through the echoing corridors; all painted the same shade of red, or
featuring a crab montage. "Is anyone here?" The corridor remains silent for a
moment as Dorothy ceases walking,
"Well now, who do we have here?" a voice is emitted by a nearby ceiling-mounted
speaker,
"I am R. Dorothy Wayneright, are you Lady Suwah?"
"I am" the voice replies,
"Then I am to ask you to attend the Christmas Celebrations of the Smith
Household in Paradigm City" The voice does not reply, although a mechanical
whirr alerts Dorothy to her right as a small door opens. Much to her own
chagrin, the door sprouts thousands of mechanical crab claws, which promptly
capture her and drag her inside, the door closing soon afterward. 

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

Dorothy awakes on a cold medical table, bound at the legs and arms, with a
chain-held choker strapped to her neck. A bright spotlight almost blinds her
from above, as she struggles vainly against her bonds, but her movement is far
too restricted to create any large amount of force, with which to break free.
"Don't bother trying to struggle dear, I assure you it is quite impossible to
break free of my table" the same voice resounds from a darkened corner, as a
small child with long spiked red hair walks out wearing a white lab coat, "I am
Lady Suwah, and you are my new test subject"
"I did not come to be experimented on Lady Suwah, only to invite you to-"
"I think I've heard enough chit-chat from you lady," she turns her head to a
poorly lit glass window above the door, "Koryo, could you activate the Milieu
Naturel Field and focus it on our guest please?" she queries with a slightly
French tone on the mechanisms name,
"Sure thing Mom, what setting?" replies a teenager's voice from behind the
glass,
"Oh, just put it on Third Level for me hon'" The spotlight changes colour
slightly, as a smaller object appears below it. A sharp blast is projected onto
Dorothy, and she shuts her eyes to avoid any damage to them. When she opens
them, she is horrified to discover that any form of attire she had has been
removed by the blast, "Yep, right down to the third level of clothing,
excellent!" Suwah begins closely examining Dorothy's body, beginning by
examining the circuitry in her chest, by removing an almost invisible plate that
is usually her abdomen, "Oh my, someone was a very thorough builder now weren't
they?" she comments as she locates a small triangular compartment, that appears
to be made of rubber. It is somewhat disconnected from her other components,
practically lying inside of her with no power support leading to it whatsoever.
Dorothy winces as Suwah re-attaches the wires of the compartment to her spinal
cord, allowing power to flow through it once again as its two oval outcrops
begin to pulse and glow. "Now where does this part go?" Suwah pinches the bottom
of the triangle, and pushes the majority of her own head into Dorothy's abdomen
to see closer, where she spots a small opening that has been sealed with a form
of latex, "That must be it" She pulls it over the hole, and uses a strange thin
item to pry apart the opening and join the triangle to it. 
"I believe you have attached it on the wrong side Lady Suwah," returns Dorothy
as Suwah notices just where she has attached the triangle, "However, this will
not be defined as your acceptance of our invitation", Suwah replaces the panel, 
"Huh? What invitation?"
"You are cordially invited to the Christmas Celebrations of the Roger Smith
Household and family on December the 24th. Will you be attending?"
"The Negotiator is throwing a Christmas Party?" Koryo's voice echoes from the
glass, as the lighting inside is turned on to reveal the spike light-blue haired
teenage girl, with a look of surprise upon her visage,
"Yes, you are both invited to join us," replies Dorothy, still strapped to the
table with as much fabric upon her form as the floor beneath her.
"But why would the Negotiator want us to come? And just how does he know about
us anyway?"
"It is not his personal wish that you come, I have been instructed to gather the
families of his tenants as part of a wager"
"A wager?" Koryo's mouth pricks up into a small at the mere suggestion,
"Your father and I have placed a wager to decide whether I can gather the said
families before Christmas"
"Huh? You mean to say that TIM is the one you're gambling with?"
"Exactly Lady Suwah"
"DAD!? What's he doing around Paradigm City? I thought you said he went back to
the Genesis Suwah!"
"Well I thought it would be a better story than 'sorry dear but your father's
run away and I haven't seen him since he found out I was pregnant with you'. Do
you have any idea how much it would cost to build a psychiatrist for that kind
of mental dilemma?" Koryo becomes enraged, and begins banging loudly on the
glass in an attempt to get at Suwah, "We'll be attending Dorothy" 

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

Dorothy is lead back into the dock, finally reunited with her clothes, as she
walks back over to the panicking 004, "Oh, the Horus 004 model? So you last saw
Tokimi then didn't you Dorothy?"
"Correct, she gave me HBFD-004 to travel here as the pressure at this depth is
far too great for my physical design"
"She still calls it the HBFD? I stopped using that name years ago!"
"What is its name then Suwah?"
"Well, its full title is 'Horus Black Flame Dragon LV4' after one of my
favourite cards, but its just 'Horus' for short" She smiles with glee at
mentioning one of her favourite inventions, as seven of her robotic assistants
attempt to hold Koryo back from her, "If you want I could give you the upgraded
model to fly back in?"
"Upgraded Model?"
"Yeah, like I said the LV4 is a pretty old model, I've got up to LV8 now"
"Alright then, would it be possible for you to retrofit this unit for the
upgrade?"
"Gotten quite attached to it I see, sure I can upgrade that one" Suwah lets
loose a sly smirk at Dorothy, remembering the sight of her lower organs with a
sense of schoolgirl joy that she hasn't experienced since Tim left,
"Make it so please Suwah"

NO SIDE - 04:09:57

-The Whole Family-
	By Lyinginbedmon (Lyinginbedmon@ntlworld.com)
The sequel to Nemesis, Christmas has arrived and been revived, at least in the
Smith Household, and R. Dorothy is making it a point to have everyone over for
the celebrations

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

Horus screeches loudly as a massive metal frame lowers itself on top of him,
sealing him in place as its base locks to the floor tightly. Dorothy stands a
few metres away from him, watching in solemn remorse as he desperately tries to
break free of his bindings, to no avail. "Are you sure this will work Suwah?"
Suwah leans over the banister behind her, a few metres above the dock floor,
"Of course, you're looking at the most brilliant mind in the galaxy!" She
returns to her console and changes a few of the settings as Koryo also tries to
break free of her bonds as she hangs from the wall behind her, her mouth gagged
as she wrestles vainly against them. "Okay. Upgrade set, current model set,
power maximum set. Alright then, this shouldn't take too long Dora" A large
circular pod descends from the ceiling above Horus, and projects a light-beam
grid on the area he occupies, "Ready down there Dorothy?"
"I am ready. Will this hurt him?" Suwah allows her coy smile appear again, 
"Only a little, it'd hurt you much more. Beginning genetic unit upgrade, NOW!"
The pod fires a giant red beam down on Horus, along with several bolts of
electricity. Horus struggles terribly as he is frightened beyond bounds,
screeching frantically in his attempt. Dorothy quickly grows worried, and dashes
over to him to try and calm him down, "Dorothy stay away from it!" Suwah screams
from the control panel as Dorothy runs into the containment grid with Horus, and
tries to hold him steady, much to her regret as her systems are over-run by a
massive electrical surge. She collapses just as the treatment ends, and the room
falls into a deadly silence. Suwah releases the frame, and hurries over to
Dorothy's lifeless form, as Horus too remains frighteningly still, petrified in
a pose of absolute terror. "Come on, wake up!" Suwah violently shakes Dorothy by
the shoulders, and her eyes fly open with startling speed. Suwah releases her as
she rolls over onto her hands and knees, and begins screaming loudly. "What is
it? What's wrong?" Suwah desperately tries to help her, as Horus finally begins
to move again, but he begins screaming as well. 

His body grows to an enormous size, almost breaching the ceiling of the dock.
Two massive, almost human-like, claws protrude from the area where his wings
meet his torso, and his legs extend to include two more sections as they become
much bulkier. His tail feathers shoot out into a long mechanical tail, and his
chest plates mutate into something more befitting of a knight. A large blue gem
appears in his forehead as finally his head is changed to include a spiked-back
collar of steel feathers. Dorothy continues to scream on the floor next to
Suwah, Koryo unable to assist in any way from her place on the wall. "Oh no,
this means that-" Suwah is unable to finish her sentence, as she is thrown
across the room by Dorothy as her arms crack open into giant silver wings. Next
her legs also crack open into powerful bird-like talons, and her dress and
panties are destroyed as her entire pelvic region is replaced by a larger silver
version, complete with tail-feathers and a longer mechanical silver tail. Her
chest bursts from the remnants of her clothing, revealing a quickly growing
silver chest plate. She shrieks a raucous cry, as her original face is at last
sealed off from her original form, encased in a metallic eagle's head. "Well, on
the bright side she's just been changed into a LV6 Horus, as opposed to the LV8
model"

Horus steps over to the new Dorothy, eagerly examining her with his powerful new
sensors. Dorothy returns the favour, peering closely at his new body with just
as much curiosity. Suwah calmly runs away from the giant mechanical beasts, and
back to the control panel, with extreme haste, which naturally isn't a problem
for her and is only helped by the otherwise 'engaged' Dorothy and Horus. She
sneaks under the panel and pushes a few buttons, being as quite as she can
possibly be, but Koryo doesn't make it easy. She viciously struggles against her
gag, loosening the bond that kept her quiet, "Alright, which one of you wants to
fight first!" she echoes across the hangar,
"Koryo you idiot" mumbles Suwah as she stands up from the panel. The two birds
begin to thunder across the dock floor with ease, appearing barely a few metres
away from Suwah in seconds, "This should do it!" screams Suwah, as Horus is
flung across the dock by a powerful magnetic field, and Dorothy is imprisoned
once more inside the steel cage that held them both captive not too long ago. 

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

"Well, I'm glad that was over before you did anything you'd regret," mocks Suwah
from beside Horus, Dorothy sitting in his new cockpit with clearly blushed
cheeks.
"I believe I should be going, Suwah. I still have Schwarzwald, Angel and Big Ear
to invite to the celebrations" Koryo's face turns to a look of surprise,
"You're not inviting Mata?"
"Who is Mata, Koryo?"
"You don't know who Mata is? He's only the most powerful person underneath Dad!"
Koryo boasts, Suwah obviously knowing that Tim isn't the most perfect of gods.
Nevertheless, she proceeds to inform Dorothy of Mata,
"Mata is the Spirit and co-ordinator of the Well of Knowledge, its what Scott
uses to keep track of all the information regarding the universe, and he's one
of Tim's favourite creations. He shouldn't be too far away from Scott, he was on
vacation the last time I checked, which means that he'll have found an area
bustling with info to organise."
"Is that his idea of a vacation?" replies Dorothy, as she seals the cockpit and
takes to the sea and surface back to Paradigm City, the massive mechanical
dragon darkening several sections of Paradigm's docks in the process. 

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

Horus lands in the crowded street, a giant hole appearing underneath him as the
terrified citizens flee from the otherwise kind-hearted bird. Dorothy jumps out
of the cockpit, and walks over to a nearby apartment building, the crowds gladly
moving aside in her wake. "Is this the Colonica Apartment Building?" she asks
one of the cowering staff members,
"Y...Yes, it is" he stutters as though he were out of breath, but Dorothy persists
in questioning him,
"Then is it also correct that Michael Seebach lives here in Apartment 83?" The
valet nods rapidly, but turns sharply and runs when she turns her back to walk
up the stairs. She soon arrives at the door marked 'No. 83', and knocks
impatiently at its oak finish, a cry of 'Hang on, I'll be there in a minute'
resounds from inside, facilitated by a deep, gravelled, male voice that shows
his hard life. "Definitely Schwarzwald" comments Dorothy to the empty corridor,
as the door finally opens. Dorothy takes a moment to realise her obvious
mistake, this man is not covered in bandages. "Are you Michael Seebach?" she
asks the handsome, black-haired man, his knowledgeable green eyes staring
solemnly at her with unwanted curiosity,
"I am, R. Dorothy" he replies simply, Dorothy blinks a couple of times in
surprise, but the sound of rustling catches her ear, and she attempts to peer
behind Schwarzwald, "What are you looking for? Has Roger sent you here to check
up on me?" he asks, trying to change the subject from her curiosity,
"He has not, I have been sent her by the will of a wager between myself and
Overlord Tim" she returns her eyes to his face, disregarding the noises from
within,
"Tim? Wager? What manner of wager would send you here to me?"
"One that bids me to find the families of the Smith Mansion's residents in time
for the 25th December"
"That doesn't answer my question then, why are you here?"
"I was told that Tim had family here with you" Schwarzwald startles slightly,
but his attention is called hindward by a familiar female voice beckoning him,
"Who's at the door Michael?" questions a voice that has not been heard for a
long time, Dorothy attempts to pry again, but her curiosity finds its answer
when a nightgown-clad Angel appears from behind him and clings onto his
shoulder, half hidden behind him, she rests her head on his shoulder, "Dorothy?
What are you doing here?"
"She's looking for Tim's family, but I think she must be mistaken to be looking
here" he replies
"Nevertheless, you are both invited to the Celebrations on the 25th of December
in three days" Angel's eyes light up, and she moves from behind Michael with
eagerness, revealing a rather swollen stomach partially hidden underneath her
garments,
"You are pregnant Angel?" inquires the monotone android, now staring at Angel's
belly,
"Oh, yes. I've been like this for about seven months, the X-39 Beta I was given
lasted a while. Personally, I'm expecting triplets with the weight their giving
me to carry"
"Almost two months after the Nemesis Tournament then? Who is the father?"
"I am" replies Schwarzwald, as he draws her near for a close embrace, his smile
broadening in the fresh morning sunlight, as it refracts off of the small ring
wrapped around his finger.
"You are married then?"
"Since about eight months ago, our honeymoon was when this happened" he nods in
the direction of Angel, and she playfully pushes him into the door frame with a
smile,
"I was not informed of your wedding, why did you not invite us?"
"We didn't really want to make a fuss, it wasn't something that half the city
didn't already know anyway" jokes Angel, "At any rate, what are these
Celebrations for this late in the year?"
"There are the Christmas Celebrations for the Smith Household"
"Christmas?" reply the two in unison,
"It was a massive holiday before the Event, Tim has decided to resurrect it to
bring a 'bit more life' into Paradigm City during the Heaven's Day season. The
requirements are that you bring gifts for the family, but the dress code is
casual", the couple nod once more in unison, and Dorothy turns toward the
stairs, "I will see you in three days then, Mr & Mrs Seebach"

NO SIDE - 03:21:16

-The Whole Family-
	By Lyinginbedmon (Lyinginbedmon@ntlworld.com)
The sequel to Nemesis, Christmas has arrived and been revived, at least in the
Smith Household, and R. Dorothy is making it a point to have everyone over for
the celebrations

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

A red sun rises over the horizon on Paradigm City, as Tim watches tirelessly
from his place on the balcony column. A shadowy, black sphere floats next to him
at shoulder-height. "She's getting just a little too close then" he asks the
strange orb
"Yes, she has already gathered 86.7% of the total guests in just 111 hours and
25 minutes" replies a quiet, echoing voice from within the centre of the globe
"That's an average of one guest every," he chews some air in his cheek,
pondering, "16 hours, 42 minutes, and... forty...five seconds I believe, isn't it?"
"Correct Tim" The orb shakes slightly, a humorous attempt at nodding
"So, if I want her to play my RPGs, I'm gonna have to slow her down for about 2
days. You got any ideas Mata?" He raises his eyebrows at the tanned bald figure
in the sphere, a dim blue star shining in his forehead
"Perhaps you could shift her attention onto other aspects of her day"
"Such as?"
"In the past 21 days, she has gone shopping for edible supplies approximately
1.5 times. She has also visited her piano tutor 7 times. It would be well
advised to use one of these activities as a base for diverting her from her
search for the final two guests"
"Okay, well I guess I could start by causing a much more rapid decay in the
supplies already here so she'd have to go shopping more, and perhaps I could
somehow persuade Instro to double her lessons until Christmas, which shouldn't
be a problem. Thanks a lot Mata" Mata bows his head, and the sphere fades
further from view until it has completely vanished. A broad smile etches its way
across Tim's face. 

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

Dorothy walks along the corridor and steps into the elevator, which just barely
manages to contain her weight. She motions for it to take her to the ground
floor, and sure enough the doors close and the lift descends into the darkness
between the floors. She stands like a sculpture, perfectly still as the dead,
almost rigormortic. A black emanation suddenly bursts from the corner, waving in
all directions, until it dissipates and reveals the familiar form of Tim from
within it. "So, how goes the searching Dorothy?"
"Very well Tim, I have already invited the majority of the guests in a
proportionally short amount of time" Tim nods along sarcastically, 
"Well, since you're doing so well. Would you mind doing some more shopping, the
supplies here aren't going to last till the party, not to mention the end of the
week"
"Alright, I will do so after I am done inviting everyone so as to purchase the
accurate amount" Tim sighs in her easy escape,
"Okay, and what about your lesson with Instro today. Isn't that in a few hours?"
"Yes, I will be seeing him before I look for the remaining guests" A smile
appears once more on Tim's face,
"That's good, I'd hate to think that our little bet had disrupted your regular
routine" he comments with a deeply hidden glee behind his dark blue eyes. The
elevator stops at the ground floor, and Dorothy exits soon after the doors slide
open, bidding Tim farewell as he continues to smirk behind her back. 

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

"Good afternoon Dorothy" welcomes Instro as R. Dorothy enters through the bar's
door, the clock chiming a prompt 2 o'clock to her right.
"Good afternoon Instro" replies Dorothy. She sits down at the piano, and raises
the cover to reveal the elegant form of the ivory keys, upon which she has
played countless symphonies in Instro's presence. "What would you like me to
play today, Instro?"
"Perhaps we should practise your Beethoven's Fifth again, I noted that you were
still rather textbook when you played it last week" Dorothy reaches down into
her basket and pulls out the music notes for Beethoven's Fifth, then places them
on the piano stand, awaiting her prodigious sight to read them. She places her
hands on the beautiful keys, Instro awaiting her almost flawless music, 
"We'll see how you play," resounds a voice in Dorothy's mind. To her horror, her
fingers take upon a life of their own, playing a song that she has never heard
before, and worse still, she begins singing along with it,
"I live for electric piracy; it's my new religion
High technology, 1-28 bit encryption
In just another minute, I'll be bigger than god
Intelligence is supreme
I bow my head, I pay my time
To the church of the machi-" Instro grasps her hands before she can play another
note, clearly outraged that she would play such a song on his piano,
"Dorothy, just what do you think you're doing?!" he screams at her, clutching
her hands with intense rage,
"I did not mean to play that Instro, it wasn't my fault, that was not the music
I was intending to play"
"Regardless of what you were intending to play what you played was not
Beethoven's Fifth. If you are serious about taking lessons from me then I will
have to triple your lessons simply to drown out this disobedience to your tutor,
young lady!" Instro's voice has changed to something much different, a tone that
does not lie happily in his throat, one that struggles to escape his lips, and
one that he surely wishes he were not using. 

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

Dorothy wanders to the shops having completed playing Beethoven 23 times for
Instro as penance for her outburst earlier. She passes an alleyway, and for a
brief moment glances down it, whereupon she sees the same shadowy emanation that
appeared in the elevator, and which quickly dissipates from view having been
spotted by its quarry. She frowns, but continues to the shops to do her
shopping, having lost more time than she can already. "Why would he do that?"
she thinks, weaving through the afternoon crowds, she honestly cannot decipher
his reasoning for causing an increase in her piano lessons, and then it dawns on
her, he wants to decrease the amount of time that she has free to search for the
guests so that he can win the wager. She frowns once more, but must continue on
to purchase the items that the household requires, whilst simultaneously
remembering that she bought the exact same items less than 48 hours before.
"Twice a man can participate in this genre," she thinks to herself as she
collects the oil for herself and Big O from the bemused vendor, who had once
again foolishly offered to have it delivered for her. 

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

A knock arrives at the door of the Speakeasy, and the usually stoic bartender
leaves his post temporarily to answer the door. He opens it to reveal a young
brown-haired man, wearing a courier's uniform. "I've got a delivery for a
'Matthew Torolon and a 'Matthew Tantalite', are they here?" The bartender
studies the names a second time, then peers to the back of the building, he
calls to a grey haired old man with a hearing aid reading a newspaper, who
compliantly gets up and signs for the Torolon package, then returns to his seat.
He opens the attached letter, which reads 
"Dear Big Ear; you are cordially invited to the Christmas Celebrations of the
Roger Smith Household on the 25th of December. It will begin promptly at 18:15
PM. You are required to bring a gift for the family, and the attire is casual
based. I patiently await your reply, R. Dorothy Wayneright" He smirks at the
invitation, before reading the additional letter, "Enclosed you will also find a
similar invitation for Matthew Tantalite, who I am told is also known as 'Mata'
and who is supposedly living close to you. As I am currently too busy preparing
for the Celebrations, I humbly ask that you deliver this invitation to him as
well. In advance of your reply, thank you Big Ear" The old mechanical man sighs,
then folds his newspaper and leaves the dimly lit bar.

NO SIDE - 02:08:35

-The Whole Family-
	By Lyinginbedmon (Lyinginbedmon@ntlworld.com)
The sequel to Nemesis, Christmas has arrived and been revived, at least in the
Smith Household, and R. Dorothy is making it a point to have everyone over for
the celebrations

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

Dorothy unpacks all the new shopping with Norman as the sun quickly fades
beneath the horizon in the icy winter sky outside. "Well, Miss Dorothy. Did you
manage to invite everyone in time?" questions the old butler
"Yes, all 15 guests have received their invitations prior to the engagement,
despite Tim's efforts to keep me from achieving such a goal"
"Really? What did he do?" asks Norman as he turns to the oven to supervise the
thawing chicken,
"Firstly, I believe he caused a much more rapid decay of the food supplies we
had so that I would have to go shopping for more, and secondly, I also believe
that took control of my hands and vocal synthesiser to cause me to play an
ancient song at my piano lesson instead of Beethoven's Fifth. Fortunately, he
neglected to halt the courier I sent to the Speakeasy to invite Big Ear and
Mata"
"Well, perhaps there's a reason why he's just the Overlord's bodyguard then" He
smirks at the thought of Tim being incompetent at anything but protecting Jack
and Scott, but it degrades rapidly when he realises what he would do if he
realised what he was thinking. "And perhaps there's also a reason why he is
quite productive when he desires something"
"Really Norman? What could that be?" Dorothy completes stocking the cupboards,
and places her basket back next to her coat,
"Well, if he truly is the creator of the planet and universe, then it would
stand to reason that he wanted something in return for doing so, would it not?"
Dorothy remains silent to the question, unsure as to the answer, "I believe he
may have simply been bored with the company, or perhaps the layout of his home
at the time, but another idea suggests that he actually just wants to make
people happy, and what grander a scale than an entire planet to make so?"
"Perhaps you are correct" she finally replies, picking up her coat and basket
and preparing to replace them in her room. She leaves the kitchen as Norman
prepares the oven for its own Christmas present of the chicken. 

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

Dorothy proceeds down the darkened corridor to her room, passing Tim's door as
she does so. She halts for a moment, and peers through the slightly open doorway
at the interior, but to her surprise, she finds none. Simply put, all she can
see is a black room divided into squares by thin beams of blue-ish light. She
slowly opens the door to reveal Tim standing in the middle, watching as he types
numerous commands into a transparent keyboard, the screen above it flickering
rapidly. "There is not wind enough to twirl. That one red leaf, nearest of its
clan. Which dances as often as dance it can" Dorothy attempts to decipher his
latest riddle, but is dumbfounded instead by a large burst of tempestuous flame
that explodes from just metres in front of Tim, who simply stands there as if
nothing had hit him at all. Still she watches, as the flames reverse inward,
until they become a single, unified, ball of molten rock. Tim types a couple
more commands, and then ball cools to a blackened state, and then erupts into
life as hundreds of small trees shoot up all over its surface. Oceans appear all
over it, dowsing what little heat remains in the ball. Dorothy's eyes zoom in,
revealing tiny light-blue creatures than thunder across the plains of the world,
towering over anything else there. Tim startles slightly, and Dorothy quickly
closes the door and hurries back to her room before she is discovered spying on
him. 

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

Nighttime comes quickly to Paradigm City, and it is soon engulfed by a large
black sky, the single solitary moon shining brightly between the equally bright
stars that dot themselves around it. Dorothy lies in her bed, contemplating what
she saw inside Tim's room when she was spotted. She deduces that it must have
been some kind of simulation, or else Tim would have experienced massive fire
damage from the initial explosion, or perhaps it was real, and Tim was creating
a new planet to insert somewhere. She slowly drifts into a trance state, her
equivalent of sleep, until she hears a most curious sound from outside. A large
number of bells echo as the sound of something very large landing on the roof
reaches her poignant ears. She removes her covers, and walks to the living room
door quietly. "Could we be being robbed?" she wonders, as she silently opens up
the door. She sees first that the balcony doors are open, a chill wind blowing
through them, and then that a rather obese man is at the chimney. She bursts
open the door, and confronts him in the eerie scene, "Who are you? What are you
doing here uninvited?" she asks the strange figure,
"What?" he startles, "Oh, I had no idea you were awake my dear, run along now
back to bed" he smiles through his thick white beard. Dorothy is puzzled as to
his attire, a completely plain white suit, except for the woolly white cuffs, a
bobbled hat inclusive.
"I will ask again, who are you?"
"My name is Nicholai, Dorothy. Now, as I recall, you are one of the most well
behaved people in Paradigm City, aren't you?" Dorothy herself startles to learn
that this 'Nicholai' knows her, but continues with her questioning,
"You still have not answered my question of what you are doing here Nicholai"
"Oh, where you not expecting me?" he asks in return,
"We were not expecting anyone at this time of night"
"Midnight"
"Pardon?"
"It is technically neither night or morning as it is currently Midnight, young
Dorothy" Dorothy glances over to the grandfather clock, and indeed it has
completely stopped with both hands frozen at 12 o'clock.
"That still does not explain your presence Nicholai"
"Oh come now, you've heard the stories of Santa Claus before, surely this is no
surprise to you"
"Are you implying that you are Santa Claus?"
"I am indeed Dorothy. Nicholai Claus at your service. Which stocking is yours
exactly?" He motions toward the rather long line of stockings, stopping
specifically on the strenuously long one, which just happens to belong to Tim.
"Mine is the second one from the right Nicholai" He nods, and then begins
placing all manner of things in her stocking, mostly chocolates to her glee.
"Now, I remember reading that you had a few wishes this year Dorothy, what were
they?"
"Wishes?" He nods,
"Yes, there were...three...things you severely wanted from me inscribed into your
database. What were they?" Dorothy blushes slightly, but answers nonetheless
"I firstly wanted for..." she points downward at her legs, and fortunately Santa
manages to get the idea.
"Gladly done Dorothy. No woman should have that to endure" He snaps his fingers
and Dorothy feels a tremendous relief vanish from her processors,
"Secondly, I wanted to know why Tim created the universe"
"The meaning of life? That's a very simple answer, the meaning of life is to
live"
"To live?"
"It's quite obvious, Tim is the Guardian of The Overlords and as such it's his
job to protect, period. So naturally the meaning of life for his creations is to
continue living. It's a task that he has invested quite a large amount of time
in I'm afraid" Dorothy nods compliantly, then continues,
"Lastly, I'd like to know what it is to be..." she stalls for a moment,
"To be?"
"To be, in love." She finishes with a deep breath
"To be in love? Why would you want to know that?"
"Well, everyone I have met thus far has been in love with someone; Schwarzwald
with Angel, Scott with Tsunami, Jack with Tokimi, even Beck has managed to
acquire a lady friend recently"
"You have no idea," grimaces Santa, "I honestly wish I could tell you what love
is Dorothy," he sighs, "But I'm afraid it is something I myself haven't
experienced in over 5 thousand years"
"Why not?"
"There just never seemed any reason, not after Rachel died"
"Rachel? You mean Mrs. Claus is dead?" He leans on the fireplace, his head
supported by his hand, and nods. "I am terribly sorry for you loss Mr. Claus"
"It's OK, it happened a long time ago. I'm afraid the only way to know what love
is is to be in love yourself Dorothy"
"Then, could you instead make it possible for me to be in such a condition?"
"Well, I'm sure Suwah could do that, but she'd likely play around with
everything else inside of you as well" Dorothy's silent blush reappears,
"Alright, I'll give such an ability, if only for the season" He snaps his
fingers again, and Dorothy is enveloped in an uproar of bright light. Her
systems are taken by a tremendous storm, as she floats a few inches above the
ground, her nighty flapping about in an invisible wind as a large portion of her
is altered significantly. Finally, the light subsides and she returns to the
floor unharmed. "That should do it" Dorothy clutches her chest, and feels within
an almost remarkable beating, one she has never felt before, "Pinocchio lives
again ay?"
"Th...Thank you, Nicholai" Dorothy lifts her head toward him, and for the first
time in her life, her smile is not dimmed by her mechanical emotions, as it
breaks through clearly onto her face, brightening the otherwise dark room with
its presence. "One last question, how do you know of the Overlords and the
Goddesses?"
"Well, aside from the old 'he sees you when you're sleeping' gag, they created
me" Santa smiles back at the pleased android, or woman considering her very
recent alterations, "I am the product of a rather curious experiment of Tim's
over 8 thousand years ago in the year of 350 AD"
"Which means that by the oldest known recorded event, you are currently the
oldest person in known existence, after the Overlords and Goddesses"
"And yet I remain irrevocably human, startling isn't it?"
"How can you possibly be human if the average human life span is 76 years?"
"Originally, I was to be born of a human parent, but the plans changed a little
after my birth, and the history of earth was changed slightly to allow me my
longevity and other abilities, as I'm sure you will have noticed."
"Who were your parents?" He smiles, then walks to the centre of the fireplace,
taps his nose twice, and with a whoosh, he vanishes up the chimney as quickly as
he had come. Dorothy rushes onto the balcony, just in time to see a large sled
bearing 9 reindeer flying off into the night, 
"Merry Christmas to all!" he yells at the top of his lungs, "And to all, a Good
Night!" Dorothy smiles again at the old man, who is becoming more and more
distant as she watches in the bitterly cold night, her feet encrusted in the
freezing snow. Eventually, she can no longer see him, and she quickly retreats
back into the house, closing the balcony doors behind her, and returns to her
room. She takes a moment in the bathroom to realise just how different she is
now to when she got up from her bed just 15 minutes ago, roughly. She realises
just what she has lost, her original emotions, her harshness, her unrelenting
unwillingness to change her routine, but also what she has gained; real human
emotions, a warmness within her new heart, a human woman's body, complete with
all the common traits. She reflects on just how lucky she is, and realises just
how late it is. She yawns for the first time, then snuggles up in her bed, and
sleeps, dreaming of what beholds her in the morning...

NO SIDE - 01:12:17

-The Whole Family-
	By Lyinginbedmon (Lyinginbedmon@ntlworld.com)
The sequel to Nemesis, Christmas has arrived and been revived, at least in the
Smith Household, and R. Dorothy is making it a point to have everyone over for
the celebrations

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

The beautiful morning sun rises on the sleeping residents of the Smith Mansion,
as Dorothy awakens for the first time in her new body, and Horus snores on the
roof. She stretches her arms out in the air, before rubbing her eyes to remove
the remnants of her first night asleep. Then she gets up, still yawning, and
proceeds to get dressed. She discovers many things doing so, not the least being
her body's new sensitivity to the fabric of her clothes, or their abnormal lack
of proper size to fit her form. Nevertheless, she continues to the Living Room,
where she sits drinking her first cup of tea on the couch, marvelling at the
number of presents that Santa has left under the tree. She remembers how
painless it was to get the tree in the house and decorate it, although she
laments that she now feels pain from the slightest prick of its pines. She
reflects further on the advantages and disadvantages of her new body, her
favourite point being her emotions, being the double-edged sword that they are.
But that is probably what startles her the most, that she could actually define
something now as her favourite, or her most hated, or most liked. Indeed, she
can define any number of things as an equally great number of things with not
the slightest hesitation with her new mind. She continues thinking as Tim
stumbles through the door, still half-asleep in only a few parts of his regular
uniform, "What are you doing up this early?" he asks the gleeful Dorothy, who is
half laughing at his current state,
"I just thought that I'd get up to see what I got from Santa" Tim rubs his eyes
twice, 
"Did you just express excitement and anticipation? Funny, I thought you were
more of a monotone person?"
"Call it a New Years Resolution Tim," She giggles as he sits next to her,
yawning greatly as he does, "What are you doing up?"
"Same reason as you I guess," he looks at her, then blinks a couple of times
after noticing something odd, "Since when did you have a heat signature
Dorothy?" he smirks,
"Well, I" she blushes slightly against his question, but luckily he answers for
her,
"You met Nicholai last night didn't you?"
"Well, Yes I did. I heard him coming into the house and I went to investigate"
"And I'll bet he pulled the three wishes thing on you didn't he?"
"Yes, he gave me every one of them" Tim chuckles slightly,
"So what did you wish for to get this?" He points sharply at her chest,
attempting vainly to indicate her new body, however identical it is to her old
one,
"Well, I asked him to tell me what it is" she plays with her fingers for a
moment, "to be in love", she pushes her hands apart onto her lap, "And then he
told me that he couldn't do it, and he said that he could make me experience it"
"And then he made you Human? What am I going to do with him?" he chuckles at the
thought of Dorothy being Human, "What else did you wish for?"
"Well, I wished to know why you created the universe, and then I wished to be-"
she stalls, not sure of how to express her first wish without embarrassing
herself,
"He got rid of them didn't he?" finishes Tim, having read her now easy-to-read
mind,
"Yes" she replies, slightly blushing,
"Sorry to disappoint you, but that's something that remains limited on his
ability list" Dorothy turns to him quickly, and notices immediately that he's
not joking, his face twisted into a look of empathy for her, "That will probably
wear off in about, an hour or so from now" Dorothy returns to staring at her
lap,
"So, I'm still a-" she pauses again, blushing
"I'm afraid so", he pats her on the back, "So? Shall we unwrap our presents!?"
he jumps in excitedly. Dorothy laughs, 
"Not until the Party Tim!" 

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

Roger stands at the door, greeting everyone who comes in as Dorothy and Norman
maintain the generously filled buffet table. "Schwarzwald! Good to see you, at
last, and Angel you look-" he gasps "pregnant?"
"Well, just a little" she giggles, arm in arm with Schwarzwald
"I think you can find a much longer version of the story from Dorothy"
"Oh, I don't know about that, she's had a few alterations done since you last
saw her," responds Roger, Schwarzwald and Angel with a look of confusion on both
their faces...

Meanwhile, Tim frantically counts the guests in the room, "9 already? I hope she
didn't find the last 2 in time"
"Looking for someone, Tim?" Tim startles as Tsunami taps him on the shoulder
from behind,
"Oh, its just you Tsunami. How's the FFX's?"
"They're running smoothly considering the alterations I had to do to make
'Wing-Dorothy' other there" she motions in the direction of Dorothy at the
table,
"Ah yes, she's still just a tad peeved with you about that, but I'm afraid that
the most of those alterations are gone by Nicholai's hand"
"Nicholai? Tell me why is it that he can perform some of the most powerful
miracles, but he can't complete most of the simpler ones? I would have thought
the former would have granted unlimited ability in the latter?"
"Well, it's like this. Imagine for the moment that Nicholai has something of a
hard drive for his abilities. Now, once he's used up all the space he needs for
the larger abilities, he's got little to no space left for the smaller ones, so
they become limited whilst the larger are unlimited" Tsunami nods in defeat,
having almost no clue as to what Tim just said,
"So what's with the wager you set up with Dorothy?"
"Well, basically if she could find all the guests for this party in the space of
a week before it, then I'd treat her to a night on the town, otherwise she'd
have to play my RPG games for a month"
"Seems like a fair deal. Speaking of Dorothy, what's up with her today?"
"What do you mean? It's the same old Dorothy"
"I mean why is she actually acting a little more, well for lack of a better
term, 'Human'?"
"Ah, that's because she currently is Human" Tsunami stares blankly,
"Don't tell me, Nicholai right?"
"Right, apparently she wished for it when she caught him last night"
"Well that explains it, what about her-"
"Assets? The ones you gave her with that phoney 'only one I've got' scenario for
Wing-Dorothy?"
"Yes"
"Oh, they'll be back in about 3 hours from now" Tsunami nods; looking over in
Dorothy's direction as she hurriedly refills the rapidly emptying sausage roll
tray. "Hmm, there's something odd" he continues,
"What?"
"Well, you haven't seen Scott in about, 6 years right?"
"6 and a half, why?"
"Well, you've been here for about 30 minutes, and not once have you gone to talk
to him. Is something the matter?" She blushes, not sure of how to answer,
"Well, it's just that I uh-"
"You're too shy to go and see him aren't you?" Tim points at her, smiling
evilly, "Well if that's the case, let me give you a hand!" He grabs her by the
wrist, and quickly drags her over to the small group of Scott, Schwarzwald and
Angel, whilst she struggles vainly against it. "Schwarzwald, Angel, this is
Scott's Wife Tsunami, Tsunami this is Schwarzwald and Angel, they're married
too. See ya'!" he dashes over to the door before Tsunami can retaliate, but she
is forced to join their conversation having just been introduced,
"So, you two are married now?"
"Yes, for about 8 months now." She points to her abdomen, "Honeymoon present"
"Oh, is this your first?"
"Obviously, if you ask me I'd say I was sterile before that X-39 Beta at the
Tournament"
"Oh yes the Tournament, I remember that. You were in Big Venus in the first
match weren't you?" Angel blinks rapidly,
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Well, I bet about £18 on you beating Tim in that match, I was watching from the
spectator seats"
"I never saw you, what row were you in?" asks Schwarzwald
"D4, right behind your group in the front row"
"You're lying! I would have remembered seeing a blue haired woman in that
crowd!"
"Well, as it happens, I wasn't a blue haired woman at the time"
"You have to remember that anyone related to the Overlords is polymorphic, so
she obviously changed to the form of someone else to avoid me noticing her
there" resolves Scott, "Not that it helped at all with Mata in the Well of
Knowledge" he smiles as Tsunami giggles,
"Speaking of Mata, do you know how many people Dorothy managed to invite?"
"All 15 of them, including the ones already here in the first place"
"So, does that mean he loses the bet?"
"Yes" Tsunami turns to Tim,
"I BET £200 ON YOU LOSING THE BET TIM!!" she screams across the room
"FINE BY ME!" he yells in return

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

Jack sips his champagne, whilst talking to Schwarzwald and Norman, retired from
his duties at the buffet table, "Interesting, I had forgotten all about that
section of the control panels, does Big O's still work?"
"Yes, quite adequately considering I only found it a few years ago. I was lucky
enough to find that it was still functioning considering how much rust it had
acquired" replies Norman
"Big Duo's was almost worn away by the sand in the desert, it was quite
fortunate that it was underground or it might not have been there at all given a
couple more years" continues Schwarzwald, champagne in hand,
"You always did have an eye for weapons detail" comments a child-like voice from
behind the group, Tokimi standing right behind them.
"It's been a long time, Tokimi" Jack turns to his wife, after consuming the vast
remainder of his wine in a single gulp,
"6.5 years to be precise, I haven't heard from you since you left. Would you
mind explaining that?" she corrects, a coy smile crossing her inquisitive visage
"Well, it's like this, I went mucho loco, got locked away, then everyone lost
their memories, Tim included, and then went mucho loco again, and then Tim reset
the place again, and I completely forgot" he attempts to return, but Tokimi is
dubious of his excuse.
"And why did you go 'mucho loco' in the first place?" she asks again
"Tim reset the world again?" asks the forgotten Schwarzwald in the background,
Norman shrugging is the only answer he gets,
"Well, I think I may have had just a scootch too much to drink and then there is
the matter that I am the Overlord of War and then I-"
"You can save your excuses for your daughter, which reminds me, Duck" Jack gets
the point immediately, hitting the floor just as a ball of fiery energy rebounds
off of the wall behind him, obviously intended to hit him square in the face as
it returns to its owner, the group falling silent for a moment,
"Hello, Infidel" he whimpers to his daughter as he gets up off of the floor, the
danger passed
"Mom, do you happen to have an AK-47 on you? I'd like to do some target
practise"
"Now Infidel, there's no need to open up with firearms, there are Humans in the
firing line here"
"That never stopped you before, daddy"
"True, but remember that there's a certain someone here who would have my head
if any of them were killed"
"Some of use twice" comments Schwarzwald
"And I should care why?" Jack gulps, he retreats a few steps back and whispers
to Norman on his right,
"Could you please find me enough tranquilliser for an African Elephant,
quickly!"

"Well, it looks like Jack's family reunion is running smoothly," comments Tim as
he sips his own glass of champagne,
"Indeed, I didn't know teenagers could require that much tranquilliser"
"Well, you have to remember Infidel is no ordinary teenager. After all, how many
teenagers are the daughter & granddaughter of the Overlord of War?"
"Infidel is Jack's granddaughter as well?"
"Technically speaking, Tokimi is Jack's daughter. So the combination of them as
parents creates the effect of the resulting creature being both his daughter &
granddaughter"
"Or the effect of a paedophile"
"So sue me if it's just a technicality! You should be glad we can have kids at
all, androids ARE naturally sterile Big Ear!"
"Some, but not all of us"
"Ah yes, she is the exception isn't she?" Tim calms down for a moment, the cool
alcohol relieving some of his tension, he turns toward the giggling Dorothy,
enjoying the entertainment of watching Jack attempt to outrun Infidel, her eyes
glowing red. 

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

"Enjoying the wine Dorothy?" Dorothy ceases her giggling, her cheeks rosy from
the laughing,
"Very much, thank you for buying it for the party Tim"
"It was no problem, how are things as a Human so far?"
"Well, there are some things that I'd rather retain from being an android, but
there's a lot more that are better as a Human!"
"I can probably hazard a guess as to a couple of them. The design, though simple
and imperfect, is one of my best if I do say so myself" he smiles, "Obviously,
being imperfect, the data for their programs has a rather large tendency to
become corrupted or manipulated by others, noticed any of that yet?"
"Define corrupted first"
"Corrupted: To be generally bad tempered, in ill health, or just plain bad or
evil, depending on the level of such behaviour"
"No, nothing like that yet, but I have only been Human for a few hours"
"True, I suppose it would take a while longer to cause corruptions"
"So, what were you working on last night in your room?"
"Oh, you saw that eh?" Tim's eyes jolt open, "It was just a little something I
thought I'd do, just a little experiment, nothing too special"
"With any other android, that excuse would pass easily,"
"But you're not any other android any more are you?" She nods, smiling brightly,
"Well, tough. Its for me to know and you to cry your new eyes out because you'll
never find out!" Tim smiles again, finding that making Dorothy laugh is a most
pleasurable experience in itself. "So, did you manage to find most of the guests
in time? If not you've only got another hour or so left"
"Yes, I managed to find them"
"She even found me, honey" Tim gulps deeply, his face displaying a look of utter
horror, he grips Dorothy by the shoulders,
"Dorothy, tell me you didn't find-"
"Is that how you greet your wife?" continues the familiar voice, as Tim turns
around sheepishly,
"S...S...Suwah, good to see you, how's the lab this time of year?"
"Perhaps you could tell me, when Koryo is finished splitting you apart in it"
"She's here too!?"
"She's standing right behind you"
"Hello daddy, miss me much?" Tim turns around again, to find his
turquoise-haired daughter standing between Dorothy and himself, "How about a
hug" she hisses through her teeth,
"Uh, Dorothy would you mind holding my drink for me, I suddenly feel like an
afternoon run" He carefully hands Dorothy his wine glass, then makes a quick
dash toward the balcony door, joining Jack as they pass Scott, yelling in unison
"THIS IS WHY YOU DON'T HAVE KIDS ISN'T IT!?!?" 

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

After being forced into an hour-long marathon through Paradigm City to escape
their enraged daughters, Jack and Tim finally manage to calm down Infidel and
Koryo, namely by binding and gagging them, as they return to the party carrying
them on their backs. "So, who's up for more champagne?" splutters Tim, whilst
simultaneously trying to catch his breath.
"I could use a drink myself" replies Jack, also out of breath after so much
running,
"I guess you two aren't invincible then" comments Roger jokingly,
"Have you ever tried to outrun a pair of enraged, teenage, female, godlings?"
asks Jack,
"No? I thought not" concludes Tim as they both clamber through the door and into
the bustling living room, the party in full swing as all the guests have finally
arrived. 

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

Tim and Jack collapse on the couch, completely exhausted after being chased, and
then having to tie up their daughters and stuff them into the closet so that
they don't cause any more trouble for the time being. "Well, it certainly looks
like they're back in shape doesn't it? I could probably run further than them"
comments Angel, laughing so much she could practically cause her child to
cannonball across the room,
"Watch it Maestro, I can still hear you over here" replies Tim, still breathing
heavily
"What was it that possessed you to create her anyway?" asks Jack
"Who? Koryo?"
"No, that Angel character"
"Well, I needed someone to watch this place while I was busy with other things,
she seemed a rather good choice"
"Does she even know that you're both her parents rolled into one yet?"
"Not a clue, and don't you go telling her either, it's taken me a while to
convince her I couldn't possibly be, but then blondes are renowned for being
idiotic, much to my chagrin I must admit"
"I won't tell her, it wouldn't be my place to make my own brother-"
"And that's still under debate since neither of us can remember that far back"
Tim comments quickly,
"Run such lengths twice in one day, and on Christmas Day of all days"
"Glad to know it. Uh, Jack?"
"Yes Tim?"
"What's the temperature in this room?"
"About 38 degrees Celsius, why?"
"Because this sofa is reading about 49 right now"
"Don't tell me they escaped already" A quiet rumble emanates from beneath the
cushions, signalling that they should both move quickly, as both Infidel and
Koryo simultaneously burst from the couch, intent on murdering their immortal
fathers.
"Why did I have to watch the original Alien movie!" screams Tim as the two run
once again. Tim passes Dorothy within a few seconds of leaping, "Dorothy, keep
them busy for a while, take them on a tour of the Mansion if you can!"
"Alright Tim" Dorothy holds her arm out in the path of the rampaging girls,
knocking them to the ground with a sudden clothesline, "Would you two like to
come with me for a tour?" The two merely lie almost unconscious on the floor,
the froth covering their mouths bubbling incessantly, "I'll take that as a yes"
Dorothy heaves them to their feet, and drags them off down the corridors. 

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

"Well, that's them taken care of for another couple of minutes," sighs Tim
"Actually, if we factor in the current condition of Dorothy, I would say they'll
be back in a couple of HOURS!" corrects Scott, 
"Why is that?" asks Jack
"Well, she's already consumed 8 glasses of Wine, she's experiencing strong
emotions for the first time in her life, and there's the impending arrival of
her-"
"I get the picture. Should we head to Mexico or Russia?" snipes Tim
"Russia, Mexico is rather vacant this time of year" finishes Jack
"True, but Russia was known for its heavy snowfall and communism. I doubt they'd
like our company nor I theirs." The three nod agreeing, "WHO'S UP FOR
PRESENTS!!" yells Tim across the room, engaging the attention of all within it,
"Presents? We're going to boiled in our own internal organs if we don't leave
soon and you're thinking about opening presents?" comments Jack
"Well, might as well die with some new stuff" 

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

Tim reaches down underneath the tree, and pulls out a rectangular present to
Roger from Dorothy, "Open this one first Roj'" Roger takes the gift from him,
and reads the card out aloud,
"To Roger, I hope this gift absorbs much of your time so as to reduce the amount
you spend in bed, From Dorothy" he laughs, then opens it up to reveal a new
Hourglass kit, "Wow, I wonder where she found this? They stopped production
eight years ago"
"Well, I had a little hand in that" replies Scott as he raises his hand to the
air; Tim meanwhile pulls another gift from underneath the tree, this time it is
marked to him,
"Ooh, I wonder what this could be?" he asks as he shakes the box next to his
head, "Too heavy and firm for clothes, too big to be a book," he continues,
naming all the possible things it couldn't be,
"Just hurry up and open it!" giggles Suwah, having wrapped it herself. Tim rips
off the wrapping paper like an 8-year old child, and screams with delight as he
discovers it to be covering a thin metallic laptop,
"Alright! Now I won't have to make a holo-computer every time!"
"It's already linked to the computers on the Genesis, so you should have no
problem using it from the get-go" comments Suwah, still giggling as she downs
her wine. The presents continue to be unwrapped until there are none left
underneath the sparkling tree. Roger receives a set of black ties with his
monogram on them, and even an inscribed typewriter from Schwarzwald. Tim
receives a DVD-Rom for his new laptop, Suwah and the other Goddesses having
planned the entire set together, so he also receives 10 new DVD movies to play
on it. Norman is given a new pair of oven mitts and an apron reading "Hail to
the Chef" from Tim. The present giving, however calm and joyful, is interrupted
roughly an hour later, when Infidel bursts through the door into the Living room
screaming 
"KEEP THAT PERVERTED ANDROID AWAY FROM ME!!" whilst Koryo yells from down the
corridor,
"WHAT'S THE MATTER? YOU WERE LOVING IT A MINUTE AGO!"
"Looks like Dorothy's Christmas Present is back" comments Scott, as Tokimi
attempts to simultaneously calm down and cover up the half naked girl, as Koryo
continues to yell, 
"Infidel's frigid! Infidel's frigid!" until she is dragged back into the bedroom
by Dorothy, slamming the door behind her.

"I'm going to kill Nicholai some day" is all that Tim can manage to say as the
entire party turns into a drunken merriment of laughter, though not at anyone's
expense, as Tsunami attempts to enforce. A raucous menagerie of muffled sounds
quietly echoing from down the corridor...

NO SIDE - 00:00:58