Nightshift 45: Ruins

[herr-inspektor.livejournal.com]

[from here]

Here they were.

Conversation gave way to quiet observation as Lunge paused at the top of what was probably once a road, looking out onto the dark shell of a town that lay before them. Moonlight picked out the glint of glass and the ragged edges of debris scattered like fallen stars under the sheath of fog, and, rising out of that, the bent, wrecked bodies of decaying buildings. Even by the light of his flashlight he could see little fragments of what once was- a half-eaten chintz sofa, a dresser with most of the drawers missing, even a burnt-out oven tipped onto its side. Domesticity deconstructed within twenty feet of him.

It was, not to put too fine a point on it, as quiet as the grave.

This wasn't simply a matter of weathering, or a gradual collapse into disrepair. L's friend had been right- the town did look as though it might have dated from around the 1920s, even if Americana wasn't anywhere near his own field of interest. That kind of destruction simply didn't happen in less than one hundred years. Time could erode, but it couldn't bring entire buildings to their knees.

Laurier. What would he make of this? Obviously, the man had come expecting to find nothing out of the ordinary, and yet it was impossible to deny just how extraordinary this place was. He waited until Laurier was standing alongside him to speak. "I suggest we start with the church," Lunge suggested, pointing his flashlight down the road towards the remains. "That is, after all, what we came here to look at."

Comments

[ryuuzaki]

Daniel's only response to Lunge's apology -- Sincere, he thought, but perfunctory -- was a curt nod. You didn't mean to bring up any unpleasant memories, no, but you were not averse to them emerging as an unintended effect of your meddling.

He understood this because he had been the same way; L would not have cared whether his questions made someone feel uncomfortable. In many situations, that result would have been his objective, the core motivation for the inquiries. It was a habit which Daniel was determined to alter in his own behavior, and, as such, a frown flickered over his face. Resentment rose in his chest, and he pushed it down -- A useless emotion.

The terrain seemed to be more level, now. His leg was irritated and aching, under its bandage, but more stable ground would be less stressful to the injury. He hoped that he would be able to rest for at least a few minutes when they reached their destination.

He noticed that his companion had fallen silent. At first, this meant nothing to Daniel; this jaunt had been characterized by sporadic, uncomfortable conversation. But then, Lunge stopped in his tracks. Daniel caught up to him, and stopped too, giving him a questioning look.

Lunge seemed to be staring at something far in the distance ahead of them, where Daniel could see only fog and the indistinct shadows of trees. When Lunge pointed his torch into the haze, speaking of a church, Daniel pressed the switch on his own flashlight and focused the beam in the same direction.

He saw nothing of interest: the ground, with its patchy grass, if he squinted into the darkness, but they had certainly not reached their destination.

"Yes, when we find it." Daniel's tone was flat, noncommittal. He had the uneasy impression, from Lunge's behavior, from the statement that they'd 'come here,' that he believed they had found it already.

If it was still something they needed to find, wouldn't he have said 'going there'?

[herr-inspektor.livejournal.com]

Laurier seemed rather less taken with the town than he was, if that tone was anything to go on. But then, perhaps 'taken' was a reaction that was destined to be exclusive to himself anyway- Laurier was an intelligent, sensible young man, who, doubtless, was not enchanted with the prospect of spending the night in a dilapidated old town. Hmm. Lunge's brow contracted into a slight frown. The scope of the man's imagination was disappointing, to say the le-

When we find it.

Lunge blinked at his partner. When they found it? There was nothing left to be found. They were here- the entire town was laid out before them, dark and enveloped in mist, yes, but most definitely there. Was the man being deliberately obtuse (highly unlikely, he values his reputation) or was there something else at work...?

But no. He couldn't jump to any conclusions, particularly not unfavourable ones, when they'd only just arrived. Perhaps Laurier simply couldn't make out the shape of the building- without its spire the church could easily have been mistaken for just another building.

Yes. That was it. He swallowed his concern and tried again. "You don't see it?" he asked, tilting his head at the man. Of course you do. You're simply looking and not seeing. "It's just down the road and on the right, behind the school. See?"

[ryuuzaki]

Daniel experienced a mercurial mix of reactions to Lunge's insistence that they had reached their destination.

Nothing, there is nothing there. Is he -- hallucinating? He seems lucid, apart from his statement that he sees these buildings, but I suppose if he were truly sane, he would have dropped the Lunge persona. Would Otto Jung see them? Then, a more disquieting question: Would L?

It was difficult for him to know how to feel about the total absence of the ruined town. On one hand, if it had been here, it would have been an interesting sight; on the other, its absence was a strike against the rumors about the Institute itself. His mind was a swirl of frustration, relief, disappointment, and, under it all, a hint of longing. He would have liked to have seen it, but not to the exclusion of his sanity.

There was confusion, too, based on another vexing question. If it was not merely a case of differing levels of mental stability (an explanation which left a few too many loose ends for his liking), what could it possibly mean that Lunge was certain that the town was there, and Daniel was certain that it wasn't?

How could he investigate an absence, particularly when he was determined to give up the act of investigation in itself?

The same way you would investigate anything else. By taking a closer look at what is not there.

"Mr. Lunge," he said, in a quiet, steady tone, "I don't see anything. That is, there is what appears to be a tree line some distance away, but there are no structures, ruined or otherwise."

Without waiting for Lunge's response, he set off for the area indicated by the beam of the torch. "The buildings you see -- I am getting closer to them?"

[herr-inspektor.livejournal.com]

But... how was that even possible? Lunge may have been watching Laurier with the usual detached curiosity, but had he any less control he would have wanted to shake the man. This wasn't simply a case of brainwashing, this was an outright twisting of the senses. Trust none of what you hear and only half of what you see was a good code to live by, but how did it apply when even your own eyes tried to decieve you?

He became, suddenly, very aware of how cold it was. Uncomfortably so. L was a singular man, that much Lunge had gauged from their previous meetings, a suitable equal for his work. If they had managed to bend his mind so wholly, what chance did he himself stand against them? What was to say that he was not at their mercy even as they stood there, freezing, among the ruins?

No. The thought broke in sharply, clear against the binary-rush of activity in his mind. Your mind is your own. You have not been subjected to the same affliction as L has been. Until proven otherwise, you will not doubt that what you have seen is true. Be logical. Be objective. Be the eyes for L as well as yourself, for both of your sakes.

Be logical. Then what of the town? Why could Laurier not see it? Certainly he had seen the Institute and the surrounding area.

Be objective. He would decide with further investigation. Finally, he picked his answer. "... I see." He did not see. At all. "Then-"

But Laurier was already off, walking down the road and towards the remains of the church- passing by the black skeleton buildings as though he were walking unhindered through an open field rather than tracing a path of destruction.

Be the eyes for L as well as yourself. "Yes. You're not far, now."

Lunge followed, then gained pace and overtook Laurier until they stood in the dark shadow of the church.