DISCLAIMER: Big O and all related characters are property of Sunrise, Inc. This original story is property of me.

The Handmaiden

By The Lady Razorsharp

Prologue: Roger

Ne irascaris Domine,
(Do not be angry Lord)

ne ultra memineris iniquitatis:
(Or remember iniquity forever)

ecce civitas Sancti facta est deserta:
(Behold, the Holy City is a desert)

Sion deserta facta est:
(Zion is made a desert)

Ierusalem desolata est:
(Jerusalem is desolate)

domus sanctificationis tuae et gloriae tuae
(the house of You Holiness and glory)

I left Gordon Rosewater's farm that afternoon with my nerves raw and jangling. At his insistence, I took the synthetic tomato, along with the half-finished book, back with me to the Gryphon. My hands were shaking as I keyed the security system. Only once inside the armored vehicle did my heartbeat slow to its usual steady pace.

I fought the urge to rest my head against the smooth wood of the steering wheel. The interior of the car smelled of well-oiled leather, evidence of Norman's care and attention to detail. Thoughts of the steady old man brought a smile to my face for the first time that day; he was the one constant, without pretensions or hidden agendas.

Everyone else, though…they were all like cursed mummies hidden in tombs, luring with the promise of treasure--the recovery of the lost memories--yet dealing nothing but death. Each layer of secrets, it seemed, crumbled away to reveal only more secrets.

For the first time since I'd left the Military Police, I wondered if this city would be the end of me.

I shook my head and started the Gryphon, determined to put as much mileage between me and Gordon Rosewater as humanly possible.

The questions surfaced again, and as I turned onto the smooth ribbon of highway leading back to the domes, I gave into them for a rare moment.

Who am I?

Where did I come from?

And how do I know how to pilot the Megadeus?

**********

AN: Thanks to www.EnigmaLyrics.com.ar for the Latin/English translation of Enigma's "Beyond the Invisible."