With Norman watching over the clinic, I prepared dinner that night which thankfully was frozen leftovers and enough to feed everyone. Beck stayed late into the night, he and his team making sure Big O was ready to go at a moment's notice. Dorothy didn't take the news well with Angel, eating very little and her anxiety taking over. Dr. Plebanski and Carlye stayed, trying to comfort her, to no avail. Eventually, Dr. Plebanski gave Dorothy a mild sedative that night so she could sleep that wouldn't affect the twins, which allowed them to go back to the clinic. I had a plate of food ready for Norman that night when he returned. I sedated my own woes with alcohol. Norman at some point stopped me and put me to bed, as I woke up the next morning, holding Dorothy.
Angel would wake up a few days later, extremely weak, and under the orders of Dr. Plebanski, I was not to talk about what happened to prevent her from getting upset. Dastun at this point took Angel's detail to use as his own to get to work, as he was now nervous about the changes in the government, and wanted a group of people he could trust near him. Dorothy and Norman helped Dastun take care of her when he wasn't around.
Dastun's words were weighing heavy on my mind. Feeling the need to do something, I paid a visit to Big Ear to find out about the MP personnel moves and the earthquake. Big Ear told me he had heard a rumor that there was a possibility the earthquake originated from underneath Paradigm HQ, possibly a science experiment gone wrong, and that a faction growing against the President within the government and not related to the Paradigm Liberation Front from months ago. The moves were probably related to this as the faction was looking for "like-minded" people. The President's absence had also been noticed as she had not returned to her suite yet or the office. I realized the council had probably received news from The New World Order that they were ready to make their move and with her out of action, it would be the perfect time. Upon receiving this news, I called Dastun to let him know what Big Ear told me, and went back to mansion to make plans on a secure line for her to make some orders, to at least let the enemy know that she was still around, to buy some time to get her strength up. But Dastun and I knew it wouldn't be much, time wise.
My household seemed to have grown overnight. Not only did I have Dastun and Angel staying with me, but I also had Beck and his team coming over and staying late with work related to Big O. Beck used the results from the training to tune up Big O to the max he felt would be safe enough for him to endure as well as me. I once again offered to pay Beck for his services, which he shot me down quickly. I heard from Norman that on the day Angel's power lost control, he had stepped in front of Dorothy when they heard Dastun driving the car to the mansion, unaware it was him at the time. I asked him about it and his response was a simple, "Because I'm not stupid," and he went back to work. I left it at that.
Dorothy reached 16 weeks in her pregnancy at the end of June, and we found out we would be having a boy and a girl. It was the only good news we received that entire week for me and Dorothy. Even so, as Dorothy went to check on the children, Dr. Plebanski must've seen how worried I look. She gave me a necklace, a cross of sorts, one that I had never seen, and told me to wear it. I'm not one for superstition, but as a gentleman, I accepted the gift with grace. She told me she prayed for me the day I got stabbed to pull through, holding that necklace, and then recited the prayer she had shown me that day in her book. There's probably been some things she has experienced in her time that she herself can't explain, so for her, this probably provides her peace. She told me that she felt I needed it more than her at the moment, but expected it back once the case was done, her way of negotiating to make sure I stayed alive. Once we were home and I told Norman the news, Norman approached me about planning a baby shower, trying to take my mind off everything happening. I told him to postpone it as Angel was still recovering, and I knew Dorothy would want her there.
Dastun had noticed that same week MP equipment being shuffled around, and realizing this, managed to hide a good stash of decent equipment away from the transfer orders, just in case if he needed to do anything, so he said. As June turned into July, the heat and humidity began to suffocate Paradigm in a rare heat wave the city had not seen in its memory. I took it as a sign that the fight was just around the corner. I doubled down my efforts helping Beck with Big O, knowing that if I didn't do something right, this could very well be our last fight together. But Angel finally had regained her strength back, and was ready to talk about what happened that day…
Angel's strength had been improving gradually. She was now able to walk on her own for some distance, at least the length of the hangar and back, without feeling too tired. She was sitting on the couch next to Dastun, drinking some tea that Norman had brought, across from Roger and Dorothy. Beck was standing by one of the armchairs. Norman remained standing.
"You don't have to do this until you're ready, Angel. I want you to know that," said Roger.
Angel looked at Dastun, who nodded at her. She looked back at Roger.
"I need to do this. It might help us."
Roger nodded and sighed. "Whenever you're ready."
Angel took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"That day, the day of the test, after the earthquake, I felt like someone was trying to pull me somewhere and then I recognized the feeling, that it was Big Venus. I tried to resist… I remember Dan saying something to me, asking if I was okay, but it seemed the harder I tried to resist, the greater the intensity grew. And then… there was this immense back pain, and the next thing I knew, I was in front of Big Venus. But… there was something wrong with this interaction. It was like… she was in pain and struggling to maintain the connection."
Angel paused and took another breath before speaking again.
"The darkness, it was powerful and strong. It actually brought her to her knees. She warned me that there was a terrible danger, and that the unification was nearly complete. She said the resurrection, folly of man, it's called Magnus Gamma, finis lator, and it's the Big that Dorothy drew a while ago. I saw it in a vision she showed me. But then, the darkness swarmed her and… I just ran toward her, there was a bright light and I remember pushing it back… then I don't remember much after that. Just waking up to you, Dorothy, and Dan…"
Roger eyes were trembling, his hands shaking.
"What was the name Big Venus, told you, one more time?" Roger asked slowly.
"Magnus Gamma, finis lator… what does it mean?"
"It's Latin, with the exception of Gamma. It's another dead language, but this one I know. They taught it at the private school my adopted mom and dad sent me too. It means… Big Gamma, end bearer or bringer…"
The room fell silent at Roger's words. Dorothy stared at Roger, her face now mingling with fear at the sight of his face, which had a mixture of dread and anger.
"So, the enemy… they have a Big or Gigadeus, like the one Dorothy drew, and… that's its name?" asked Beck, "It suits it, but how… that thing… it's so big, how did they resurrect it?" Beck asked.
"They've had two resets since the first to fix what went wrong, I guess," said Angel, "You weren't there for the first meeting, when I hired Roger to negotiate with this power or with the people who may have been in control, but I had said they were figuring things out a long time ago, and that they may have succeeded. I think… at some point during the last reset, they thought they could use Dorothy, as an android, to power this Big and well… when she got turned to human, they had to find something else or resort to something they already knew would work. I think that's why they're stealing the electricity, and it's just taken some time."
"Alright, so we got word from Big Venus that Big Gamma is about to awaken. What we need to do is stop it before it awakens," said Beck.
"And how do we do that?" asked Dastun, angrily, "There's a good chance that along with their personal army, they have a decent chunk of the MP backing them along with the fire power. That would explain the recent transfers. They're trying to find people who will back them. And, we have no idea where this thing is. We had an idea, but if Big Venus contacted Angel, they might've moved it already to do…whatever to it, and that's probably why Big Venus sought to warn Angel, at the risk of her life."
Roger remembered that when they surveyed the Wastes and JFK Mark for potential training grounds, JFK Mark was sealed off from the public.
"Dastun, JFK Mark."
"What?"
"What if they're not in the underground anymore? What if they moved it? Maybe they had another facility?"
"Crow Boy, that don't make any sense. Something like that, they'll need to keep it on the power source to feed it."
"Unless if that earthquake from the other day was Big Gamma awakening. The rumor I've been hearing is that it came from the central part of the city. Maybe they needed the space for the containment tank underground, and then moved it to their headquarters to finish the awakening process," said Roger.
Roger thought long and hard. There was something he was missing. Moving a Big that size would be risky, and Beck did have a legitimate point about its power source. Unless…
"Angel, is it possible the dark presence you have sensed this entire time might've been the New World Order or Big Gamma? You did say someone had access to your power, to control the events of the reset."
"I… dunno. It's possible."
Roger looked at the growing belly on Dorothy, then met her gaze. She saw that the dread and anger was now gone, but now the calm, serious nature that his eyes always had during negotiations. She gave a small smile as he looked at the floor, thinking.
Going after it before it finished fully awakening would be the wise plan of action. But without any details on the New World Order's headquarters, staffing, or fire power, they would be going in blind. And after engaging them in the underground, they would be more prepared than ever before to deal with intruders, even with Big O. However, waiting to meet it in the battlefield ran the risk of it gaining its full strength and overpowering Big O. There was no easy answer to the dilemma. But there was one question on Roger's mind.
"Norman, didn't you say 'Gamma' meant radiation on the day you translated the file?" he asked.
Norman nodded. "Yes indeed, sir. Why do you ask?"
"There's something about this that's not adding up. Beck has a point about its power source. They've been stealing electricity, and have gone to great lengths to acquire it. But isn't radiation a source of energy?"
Beck thought long and hard. "Well, nut job said he used electricity to revive Big Fau, so that its core memory workaround could be installed. Perhaps, they used the electricity to revive the core memory in Big Gamma, a lot of it. And perhaps it's powered by radioactive material, maybe mixed with something else to. Maybe that earthquake from the other day was the core memory finally awakening, and now with it revived, Big Gamma can sustain itself without being connected to a constant stream of a power source."
"So, then it could be summoned at any time?" asked Angel, alarmed by this notion.
Beck nodded. "In theory, yes. I know it's not much, but it's all we got at the moment."
"So… then we have to go after it," said Angel, slowly, "We find it and we destroy it."
Roger sighed. "Destroying it may not be the best plan of action. We may unleash something even worse."
"Sooo… we just let it live in a dormant state, Roger? Where it will be a constant threat to us, to the city, to the world? Where it can awake at any time?"
Angel was now starting to get upset and Roger understood where she was coming from. Roger switched tactics.
"No, that is not what I'm suggesting. I'm suggesting we look at all of our options before jumping to conclusions. If there's another route that we can take that'll stop the threat and save Paradigm without causing harm, then that should be the route to take. I just have the feeling destroying it may not be the best idea considering how long it's taken to resurrect this Big."
Angel grimaced at Roger. Dastun tried to hold her hand, but she withdrew it quickly.
"Roger, there's no other way. We can try to lure it out at sea, and do it there."
"The shelf disappears after five miles from shore and Big O can't fight well in open water. You also run the risk of an explosion causing a giant wave to wash out the south end of the city, which by way, contains a good portion of the people who have supported you over the past year. We need to be smart about this."
"So, what you're saying is that you're a coward and won't confront it!"
"ENOUGH."
Dorothy finally interjected herself into the conversation, especially after seeing Roger getting red at Angel's last comment. Angel herself appeared heated. Dorothy cleared her throat and continued.
"He's NOT a coward, not after everything that has happened to him. You're used to Roger summoning Big O, beating the bad guy, and going home. But things have changed, just like everything else. Your case is not that simple and needs more finesse than fists. Fighting will be a part of it, yes, but fighting smart is what we need to do, Angel. You're my friend, and you've been through a lot too. I'm not diminishing that, but also understand, everyone here has suffered because of these people in some shape or form. There's been enough suffering as it is, and we need to find a way to make sure we can reduce innocent bystanders from getting hurt. There's also the issue Dan brought up as well. Even though you've trying to run the government from here, you're nowhere to be found. At this point, it would be safe to say the only allies you have are the ones in this room right now. We want to help you, and free you of this power you have, I get it. But, recklessly charging in blindly is not the way to do this. Please."
Angel fists were shaking. Something inside her broke. She was done with dealing this. This needed to end now. If they waited anymore, they risked the getting the public, or themselves, hurt or worse. She couldn't stand it anymore. She was tired of waiting. Waiting for the next move. Waiting for the enemy to show themselves. Waiting on the sidelines and watching get people hurt on her behalf. Waiting, waiting, waiting… she had enough with waiting.
"Then, I'll do it. I can use my power and destroy it."
"NO! Out of the question! Don't you remember what Dr. Plebanski told you? You'll die!" exclaimed Dastun.
"Dastun…" Roger began, but Angel cut him off.
"Really? You're going to order me around, and tell me how to live my life?"
"No! It's not like that! Don't you get it? I care about you more than anything, and this city needs you! I want you live your life free of all this! I've seen you at your worst and I'm still here. I don't run!"
"But you won't run with me into the fight!"
"No… that's not it! I just don't want you recklessly putting yourself in dang…"
SLAP!
Roger stood up and so did Dorothy, but Roger stepped in front of her. Dastun remained seated in shock, still feeling the sting of the slap on his face.
"Angel," Roger began calmly, "Take a moment, take a breath… let's not make any hasty decisions."
But Angel was having none of it. She was done and she realized she was going to have to do this on her own.
"I'm leaving. I'm doing this my own…"
She turned to walkout, and before Roger or Dorothy could stop her, Dastun stood up and grabbed her hand.
"Stop this! Think about what you're doing!"
"Chief, I'm ordering you to… let. Me. GO!"
Dastun was so stunned that she had pulled her rank over him that he loosened his grip just enough for her to jerk her hand free, as she stormed off to the lift. Dastun opened his mouth, but no words came out. Roger turned to Dorothy.
"Stay here. I'll bring her back, okay?"
Dorothy nodded, in shock that Angel had been so brash against Dastun. She sat back down, shaking her head.
"Norman, Dastun, come on!"
All three men went after Angel, trying to stop her, but she had made it to the lift, and they saw her descend to the ground floor. Roger groaned.
"Come on," he grumbled, heading to the stairs. They had ten flights of stairs to run, trying to catch up with her, but Roger knew the lift was much faster.
"This is pointless! She'll beat us. Dastun, Norman!"
Roger pointed his grappling hook at one of the railings and fired. The other two followed suit and they began descending rapidly to the bottom floor to catch Angel. As they landed, they heard the lift open and heard Angel walking out.
"Angel! Angel!" cried Dastun, but Angel ignored him, wiping the tears from her eyes. She didn't care where she ended up for tonight, but she was not staying here or at his place. No, she needed to finish this, before anyone else got hurt on her behalf. It was only fair. They had done enough and given her the answers she needed. Now it was time for her to do her part and finish it. She took off the comm, placing it inside her brassiere for the time being. She would dump it once she found a spot to ditch it later so they wouldn't follow.
"ANGEL!" yelled Roger, but she was outside the door of the mansion. All three quickened their pace and began running after her into the night. They didn't get far when Roger noticed something out of the corner of his peripheral, something shiny and metallic being pointed at them from a dark vehicle pulling alongside of them.
"DUCK!"
All three of them hit the ground as gunshots were fired in their direction. The car sped off, now heading for Angel, who took off running.
No, damnnit! NO!
Roger got up, running, along with Dastun who had pulled out his pistol, but it was no use. The car stopped alongside Angel and two men jumped out of the car, grabbing her.
"LET GO OF ME! DAN! DAAAANNN!"
Dastun snapped and poured every fiber and being of himself into catching up to her, but Roger saw one of the men point a gun straight at him, as well as Norman. As Norman took cover behind a building to return fire, Roger tackled his old boss to the ground, covering him.
"Leggo! Get off of me damnnit!"
With Angel now in the car, the man shooting at them disappeared inside, and the car sped off. Norman stopped returning fire once he saw Angel's head in the back windshield. While she was putting up a fight, they held her at gunpoint and Norman got the message.
"Master Roger, they're using her as a shield! I can't return fire!"
But Roger and Dastun were already on their feet, running as fast as they could, but the car had long sped off and turned, disappearing from sight. Roger stopped running, panting hard, but Dastun kept going, his screams into the night worse than the pain that radiated through Roger from hitting the ground hard.
"Angel! ANNNNGEEELLL!"