Martha sat in the center of a wooden bench while Rossin paced around the cell
Avoiding stepping over her 3 cell mates
He was scratching his chin
Rossin
'He literally has no link, not just hooks - as if he is a robot!'
One of the cellmates leaned back - stretched their foot out.
Rossin pass through it, unnoticed
Martha Crisp
"You said they were in media - he doesn't consume any...
Ergo - no hooks."
Male Voice
"Who are you talking to, miss?"
A cellmate asked
Rossin waved his hand at that
His free one
Rossin
'Children books, radio, newspapers, billboards.
Fucking billboards - and he just happened to not see anything.
Not once - in his life.
He looks like he is what, 40?
You really think a 40 year old detective could live his life without consuming any media...
This by the way includes textbooks.
You do not appreciate exactly how saturated this world...
This country is in these hooks.
He is either a statistical anomaly...'
Rossin paused
Groaning, he laughed
Rossin
'He is missing part of his brain.
You saw him scratch at his head - he probably has a scar back there...'
Martha Crisp
"So he's a brain damaged detective?"
Martha asked
Rossin nodded
Rossin
'Not sure how.
I, my writer, always thought the link was tied to consciousness...
Any injury that would cause the link to fail would also put you in a coma...'
Martha Crisp
"Maybe he was in one?"
Rossin
'I doubt it would be one you wake up from...
Which - also, by the way, is exceedingly rare.
You do not just wake up from a coma: that happens on TV.'
The other people in the cell shared glances.
Nontalkative as they were, they were clearly being put off by her talking to thin air.
Martha looked at them
Martha Crisp
"Should we be talking now?"
She asked as she gestured to the three in front of her.
Rossin glanced around
Rossin
'Oh, them?
We can always have them forget after - or during.
Are they making you uncomfortable?'
Martha Crisp
"Well, no.
But I don't think they think I'm sane."
Rossin
'So what?
If you want me to, I could just hook them so they turn around and will not hear us.'
Martha considered
She shook her head
Martha Crisp
"It didn't work with the detective."
Rossin
'The detective is a fluke...
One I - My writer - would have loved to study...'
Martha said quietly
Martha Crisp
"What if it's me?"
Martha Crisp
"What if I damaged something, when I was stopped?"
Rossin considered
Rossin
'More reason to give it a try...
Just let me keep control from me while I am connected and we will be fine.'
Male Voice
"Hey lady, I said who are you talking to?"
The tone had an undercurrent of aggression - one that expected an answer
Martha nodded, and switched the flip in her brain
Before she knew it she was outside herself in that shadowy perspective
WITH(
(hooks)
.turn=>(Wall)
.ignore=>(Self=>(!"Stop"))
.end=>(Self=>("Stop"))
).
Her three cellmates stood up, and walked to the front bars
Each standing in a row - facing outwards
Rossin
"You can take back control now, they'll stay like that until we say otherwise."
Martha walked over to them, watching them stare out of the cell
None were talking to each other
She glanced up at the corner of a wall
A small black camera was pointed at the holding cell
Martha Crisp
'What about cameras?'
Rossin sighed
Rossin
"Again, it really doesn't matter, but..."
Rossin turn toward the camera
target_mems = Self =>
memory(All)
.located(Here)
WITH(
(hooks)=>(
FOREACH(target_mems(hooks.target))(
TRY(
.propagate(Self=>(Human))
.erase(Memory)
)CATCH(
.sleep(sec=10)
.repeat(This,max=10)
)
)
)
)
Rossin looked back to her
Rossin
"Anyone who sees this will forget they saw you, and also destroy any tapes or recordings.
We would do that on our way out anyway."
He sat down
Rossin
"Which reminds me.
Now's as good a time as any - what you did: you shouldn't do it again.
Not until you know exactly what you did - I couldn't get you out...
And I wasn't with you."
Martha tilted her head
Martha Crisp
'What exactly did I do? I just remember...'
Martha searched for the words
Martha Crisp
'Like I just...
Stopped.'
Rossin signed and leaned forward across the bench
Rossin
"You weren't exactly in your own head.
You didn't stop you just stopped being in you...
And you weren't through the link, just probably right between your mind and it...
You took a step into the back of the mind but didn't go in...
You were stuck.
There's a threshold, a barrier - one you have to have some..."
Rossin struggled for the right word
Rossin
"Momentum to make it though...
Otherwise you get lost in the weeds of your mind..."
Martha Crisp
'But I am here now.'
Rossin nodded then spread out his hands
Rossin
"I couldn't do anything to bring you back.
It took something physically frightening enough, to trigger an automatic response...
A base instinct for self-preservation.
When part of your mind started moving again, you latched back in."
Rossin sat up
Aware of something
Martha pressed the switch
She felt herself cycle back underneath her skin again.
It felt like a constant ripping and a stretching that bordered between pain and pleasure
Martha Crisp
"I don't think I want to get used to that, it's like crawling back underneath your skin... from..."
She struggled to find the words
Rossin
'He is close.
Almost here.'
Rossin was sitting where Martha had been in that shadow perspective
She closed her fist a few times, testing.
Rossin walked through the bars toward the door
Rossin
'And about getting out of here.
I expect it would be a good thing to do sooner rather-'
The door opened
Pausing Rossin's warning as it passed though him
In strolled a man
Not in a police uniform but.
A white suit that looked like it belonged on a luxury cruise line.
His smile made him look like a predator ready for a meal.
He quickly glanced at the 3 standing in front of the bar and leaned over to look at Martha
Felix Danabrus
"Hello there."
His voice reeked of condescension, and a trace of annoyance
Felix Danabrus
"Do you know where I was?"
Rossin
'He was in fiji, tell him that.
Keep your head still, just answer.'
Martha nodded
Felix Danabrus
"A long flight, and I find you here..."
Behind him was an officer, a large one she could almost remember seeing before
Felix Danabrus
"Open it."
Normal words from the stranger's mouth and the officer obeyed
He strolled in and sat in the cell across from her
Felix Danabrus
"Leave us."
The did - walking back into the offices of the station
Felix Danabrus
"Take those with you."
He gestured towards her cellmates
Martha saw a glassy stare of the police officer glimmer in acknowledgement
After some rustling the three continued to walk forward outside the cell.
A bit more rustling they and proceeded to walk out of the room.
While sliding face-first against the wall
The stranger looked on, his eyes went from wide to narrow in the span of a second
Felix Danabrus
"Adorable..."
He turned to face her
Felix Danabrus
"So why are you here?"
Martha looked at him, unsure of how to answer
Felix Danabrus
"You choose to be here, I want to know why?
I'm Felix, nice to meet you."
He extended his hand - Martha took it and shook it
Felix Danabrus
"Alright, so Martha..."
Felix sat down across from her
Right next to Rossin
Felix Danabrus
"Why are you here?"
Martha Crisp
"I killed someone..."
Rossin perked up
Rossin
'Tell him you were bored.'
Martha Crisp
"I...
Haven't done that before."
Felix paused, considering
Felix Danabrus
"I see.
You know you can bring them back right?"
Martha looked up sharply, eyes darting to Rossin, who shrugged
Rossin
'I tried to tell you...
But you stopped listening to me...'
Martha tried to remain calm.
But her chest hollowed, an on mix of terror and relief
Rossin smacked his head as Felix tilted his head
Felix Danabrus
"Empathy is good. It was a mistaken then..."
Felix considered
Felix Danabrus
"They're in the back of the mind, somewhere - you just need a...
Vessel - to house them."
['A vessel...',
'Just another human?',
'Any human?',
'Any living thing?',
'Would people recognize them?']
She held her tongue - intent to ask Rossin later
Felix Danabrus
"I figured that's why you were here.
Looking for some lowlife to make the world a little better with their absence."
Felix leaned in
Felix Danabrus
"I was at your house... the son of that dead fellow seem quite distraught."
Martha Crisp
"It was an accident."
Felix Danabrus
"Good. Wouldn't want you doing that sort of thing to good people."
Martha waited
Martha Crisp
"Next time I'll practice on bad people."
Felix smiled
Bits of relief fell through her
Felix Danabrus
"Much less work if you break things..."
He leaned back
Felix Danabrus
"So you want to fix him - fix your mistake."
Martha Crisp
'Okay, so he means a trade - one life for another...'
She did those trolly problems in college - morality tests.
And this one hadn't exactly come up
Felix Danabrus
"How new are you to...
Knowing about all this?"
Martha waited for Rossin to supply a time frame, he did and then some
Martha Crisp
"A few months now.
I'm still...
Learning.
Last night was my first time using a hook...
It...
Lost connection."
Felix Danabrus
"A few mon - who said you were ready?"
A small heat in his voice, not directed directly at her
Felix Danabrus
"So you did it on your own, behind your teacher's back?"
Martha Crisp
"No - I... am self-taught, I don't have a teacher...
Other than what's in my head."
A small eyebrow raise
Subtle - Martha barely noticed
Felix Danabrus
"Undernet ring a bell?"
Martha Crisp
"What's that?"
Felix smile brittled and his eyes narrowed
Felix Danabrus
"So...
No teacher?"
Rossin waved his hands - urging Martha not to speak
Martha started, then stopped
Rossin paced around the room faster
Felix Danabrus
"Do you want one?"
Rossin paused, and looked at Felix in disbelief - inspecting him
Suddenly Rossin smacked his head
Rossin
'Stupid men, he thinks your pretty, use it...
That is something they teach others - do not share the power...
It could be a trap. but...'
Rossin leaned in again studying the man
He was almost... excited
Martha nodded
Rossin
'Narcissists love a good ego stroking -'
Martha Crisp
"I've been looking...
Have I found a good one?"
Her lip curled just a bit - the way she saw it done on tv
Martha Crisp
'Just enough to...
There!'
He smiled back
Felix Danabrus
"Top of the class..."
He lowered his head
Felix Danabrus
"Now: about who you killed."
Martha Crisp
"My neighbor."
Felix Danabrus
"Do you want them back?"
Martha Crisp
"I don't want to kill anyone to bring them back?"
Martha Crisp
"Because I don't want to kill anyone."
Felix Danabrus
"You already have.
The total number of people you've killed will remain the same.
The difference is in the quality of the person you killed."
Martha Crisp
"I don't..."
Felix Danabrus
"Okay - first lesson.
Ready?"
He didn't wait
Felix Danabrus
"You are a god.
You decide who lives, who dies, who does what, who is what.
Take a step out of personal morality.
Ask the question: would the world be better if my neighbor was still alive and a psychopathic killer was dead instead?
You have that choice.
By not doing that and letting your neighbor stay dead.
You're making a choice.
You are saying you would rather have a random killer on the loose than your neighbor.
Is that what you want?"
Rossin
'That escalated quickly...'
Martha Crisp
"I'd have to find a psychotic killer first.
I don't exactly have access to a lot of them."
Felix Danabrus
"But you do...
What do you think...
Right - you're new."
He suddenly turned his head to the side and screamed
The police officer shuffled in
A blank stare across his face
Felix Danabrus
"Go get us a killer, a real psychopath."
Rossin put his hands up in a calming gesture
Rossin
'Let this play out, it is what I was trying to tell you earlier.'
Albert walked out of the room, and was back in moments
He was holding another scrawny police officer by the collar.
In Albert's grip raised just enough for his black shoes to leave the floor
Felix Danabrus
"Well that was fast. Looks like...
Raise your sleeve up a bit, would you."
As requested, he raised it to his forearm
Revealing the track marked at the elbow's bend
Felix Danabrus
"Yep, looks like heroin to me.
So let's go make him your new neighbor."
There was a twinkle in Felix's eye, a glint of pure delight
Felix Danabrus
"Always leave a place better than you found it...
It's bad form to trash the playground."
He turned back to Albert
Felix Danabrus
"Bring him to the car..."
He extended his hand to her
Felix Danabrus
"Let's get out of here, shall we?"
Martha took it.
Rossin leaned over to her
Rossin
'This is a stroke of luck - him not trying to erase you...
I think that is lucky at least...'
They exited the room the holding cell was in.
Only to find the police station quiet and still.
With no police officer, or anyone in the station moving or making a sound.
They stood where they had been doing something.
Eyes all glassy forward staring showing nobody was home
Albert pushed open the double front doors to the station and opened to dawn's light.
As they closed hands twitched and faces contorted
Where people spilled papers they cleaned up.
Where coffee was spilt it was soaked.
Each were busy in their own personal mess they didn't notice each other's