The Big O Act 15: Negotiations with the Dead

Dorothy’s early morning piano playing wakes Roger up. Roger comes to see Dorothy, who is dressed in a dirty cleaning outfit. She claims waking him up like so has become a tradition. Roger says traditions shouldn’t dictate people’s actions, but Dorothy interrupts him and says he has a visitor. Dorothy says Norman is busy and goes to attend to them. Roger tells Dorothy to consider his rules regarding letting people in. Meanwhile, Norman works on re-attaching the Big O’s right arm. Roger meets with the visitor, Mrs. Kelly Fitzgerald. Kelly says he’ll be negotiating with an assassin. Her husband, Roscoe, is a member of the Senate and his friends have been assassinated. Roger believes the members of the Senate are trying to hide something from over 40 years ago. Roger says the Military Police have already dealt with the assassin, thinking of the Winter Night Phantom. Kelly notes her husband was killed after that. This surprises Roger, who asks why she is requesting he be protected from an assassin. Roger and Dorothy go with Kelly to her mansion in one of the domes. They are led into a large library where she introduces them to her wheelchair-bound husband. Roscoe claims the alter egos of the Senators were the victims of the assassinator R.D. Roger says he believes they were killed due to speaking of having recovered memories from 40 years ago. Roscoe says those memories couldn’t have belonged to them due to their young age and that the memories belonged to the Senators. Roger says the assassin is no longer in Paradigm City. Roscoe says he knows the assassin was an android, but wonders if it was activated on its own or not. Roger speaks of the possibility of someone awakening the android. Roscoe writes out a check to give to Roger, and Roger says he’ll have to figure out whom he’s negotiating with. On the drive back Roger thinks of R.D., who looked just like Dorothy. Roger and Dorothy head to the Speak Easy bar. Big Ear claims how odd it is for him to bring a woman here. Roger tells Dorothy it would be easier to wait in the car, but she says there are things she wants to learn. Roger asks about the origin of R.D. Big Ear wonders if 40 years ago human-like androids existing was normal. He doesn’t think anyone outside of Timothy Wainwright could have constructed R.D. Roger thinks it will remain a mystery how he had the memories to construct Dorothy and her MegaDeus counterpart. He wishes he questioned more why R.D. looked identical to Dorothy. Roger receives a call from Norman, who reports repairs are complete on Big O. Norman asks about dinner and Roger says he won’t be back until late.

Roger and Dorothy return to a mansion in the domes, which Dorothy notes the original Dorothy Wainwright she was based on was born. They head inside, seeing a painting of the original Dorothy, as well as a fake Nightingale in a cage. They head upstairs to a large golden door. Roger has difficulty opening it, but Dorothy opens it with ease. The entire room inside is covered with copper plating. Dorothy says she doesn’t know what the room was used for. She thinks Dr. Wainwright was afraid of something. Roger thinks it hasn’t been long since someone cleaned the room spotless. As he walks by he trips a laser near the ground. A red caped figure walks into the mansion. Roger and Dorothy come across another golden door and head inside, where they find a ruined laboratory. Roger thinks this is where she was born. Dorothy is suddenly lifted to the magnetic ceiling. The red caped figure arrives at the second floor. A partially created android comes in and jumps towards Roger, attacking him. The android is shot in the head, then several times more by the red hooded figure, who is revealed to be Angel. Angel asks Roger if it’s time he reconsider his no guns policy. Roger wonders if Wainwright’s client was someone like her, who came from somewhere other than Paradigm City. Angel says it doesn’t matter where she is from and she acts on her own free will. Dorothy requests she be let down and calls Roger a louse when he says he forgot about her. A MegaDeus, Glinda, rises out of a river nearby. Roger loads a disc found in the laboratory into Dorothy. She starts speaking about the implanting of memories of Senators into several young people, all but one of which have been killed. Roger asks if the person with Roscoe’s memories is still alive. Dorothy says there never was someone with Roscoe’s memories, making Roger and Angel wonder why that was the case. Dorothy says Roscoe never lost his memories. Norman contacts Roger via his wrist watch, telling him of Glinda. Glinda heads through one of the east side domes. Dastun and the Military Police head there. Kelly goes to check in on Roscoe, who says the negotiator has done his job just fine. Roger, Angel and Dorothy head toward the dome. Roger wonders why a MegaDeus has appeared now. Dorothy thinks that someone else may know about Roscoe’s memories, suspecting Angel has released the information. Inside the dome the Military Police fire upon Glinda with no success. Angel asks Roger if he’s going to call Big O, which he does. Glinda blasts the tanks firing upon it with a laser. The ground shakes nearby and Big O rises up from the ground. Dastun complains about the Military Police never being able to take care of things themselves. Glinda fires its laser upon Big O, which is able to block it with its shielded arms. Glinda jumps over Big O and kicks it, but is blocked. Roger starts punching it with Big O. Dorothy and Angel come to see Roscoe and Kelly. Dorothy says that Roscoe has hidden his memories and has hidden his desire to make that public until now. Dorothy says there is no sense to it and that she is the same as him. Glinda takes out a sword from its leg, which it slices at Big O with. Angel asks what Dorothy meant by what she said. Roscoe gets out of his wheelchair, revealing that he’s an android. Big O’s punch is powerful enough to destroy Glinda’s sword and knock it over. The Big O reveals a machine gun in its right arm and blasts Glinda until it explodes. Later, Roscoe reveals a disc in his head containing his memories. Kelly says everyone wants to protect their memories, whether human or robot. Roger asks if a robot would really hope for that. Roscoe says his memories are the most valuable payment he can offer. Suddenly, Alan Gabriel, who had been hiding on the roof, shoots at Roscoe, blowing his head off. He grabs the disc containing Roscoe’s memories with an extended hand. Alan calls Roger a joke, asking if he only has android clients. Angel tells Dastun to shoot, but Alan escapes by ascending a wire he had attached to the top of the dome. Kelly cries, trying to gather the destroyed remains of Roscoe’s head.