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Nobody blames Dr. Darling for being a little bit changed after he came back. They do blame him for many things but not for that. No one gives him a side eye for getting vacation as soon as he comes back. Some are happy they get time to prepare for his comeback. Others see it as a deserved break after years spent in another dimension.
Like usual, Dr. Darling loves to act against other's expectations. He is back to work a week after he came back from another plane of existence. He no longer has to take care of the bureaucratic red tape, which gives him so much more time to spend doing what he actually likes. Also, he behaves weirder and weirder as time goes on.
Emily doesn’t feel optimistic about the upcoming meeting with Dr. Darling. She has prepared everything that would normally be needed to present a new theory. She has the historical background summed up in neat bullet points. The previous research is shown in an elegant table. Next, her hypothesis and several observations point toward her being right.
But… She’s been here before. She knows that there is a very high probability she's forgotten about some small detail that Dr. Darling will notice and just brush off her whole theory. Probably even won’t tell it what it is, which will cost her another few hours of going over the whole thing again. Sometimes she thinks he just doesn’t like her and relies on her finding faults in her own work while he just disagrees on principle.
The elevator dings, and she gets out. Fortunately, Dr. Darling is in one of the labs that she has access to. She won’t have to try to get his attention through the glass door while he is busy with something and has completely forgotten about their meeting. She hopes. Not that it ever helped while working with this man.
The laboratory is mostly silent. Everyone is busy with their work in different areas of the Oldest House. She can see a white lab coat twirling around one of the tables with black rocks strewn around. Steeling herself she comes in.
"Dr. Darling.” She greets her superior. Ex-superior? His position isn't yet clear.
Like usual she waits for Dr. Darling to pay her any attention. He is very much focused on his work. He squats in front of the table to be in the line of sight with the rocks, then stands up, only to fall down once again. After several such squats, he huffs and mutters something under his breath.
"Hello, Dr. Darling.” Emily keeps her tone in check. She can feel her usual patience thinning before the oncoming dismissal of her work.
Her voice seems to finally reach Dr. Darling. He looks up, clearly confused to see her standing there. For a second, he stares at her, but then understanding seems to dawn on him.
"Ah! It’s this time already.” He looks at the watch on the wall. It is broken. He frowns. “I suspected something was wrong.”
Emily nods.
“I have prepared a presentation about my recent theory. I have all the materials with me, but I would need a projector.” She tells him.
“Yes, yes. Come on.” He leaves the black rocks unattended on the table and turns towards one of the doors leading further into the laboratories. The room inside is dark, but she can see several chairs standing in front of a white screen. The projector stands behind them.
“I didn’t know we have a room dedicated to presentations near the labs.” She follows him inside.
“Yes, well, we needed something less old-fashioned to play recordings saved on drives and not tape.” Dr. Darling turns on the light. It’s not the harsh light of the outside lamps, instead, the room looks almost cozy with the warm hues.
“Start when you are ready.”
It feels weird to connect her laptop and start the presentation in silence. Dr. Darling either moves around, murmurs, or talks. Seeing him simply sitting and waiting makes her a little weary. Still, she has a mission, and she is going to carry it out.
“Alright, I will start now.” She walks to the front of the room and starts talking about her proposal.
While she talks, she tries not to look at Dr. Darling. He often doesn’t control his face, and seeing his arched eyebrows would bring her out of the speech. Fortunately, he doesn’t stop her at any point; he just sits there unmoving while she tries to convince him. Once she is done, she finally looks at him. His brows are furrowed. Is that a good thing? She doesn’t know. A part of her is nervous that it is not. Hell, with Darling, she knows it…
"A good theory!” He speaks up. Before she can gather herself from the whiplash, he continues. "You should look more into the parts about anima/animus you brought up at the end. There seems to be some connection to the asynchronicity you might be missing.” He nods more to himself than towards her.
“I… Thank you?” She tries to make it sound more like a statement, but the shock feels almost like too much. “So it’s not completely wrong?”
“Wrong? No. Most of the theories have some grain of truth in them. Yours usually have a grain of “need for further research.” He makes air quotes at the end.
Emily feels like the floor is no longer there. Dr. Darling complimented her. It feels… weird. She’s been hearing from others that he is somehow different recently but this… She needs to check with security. Has he been swapped? It wouldn’t have been the first time it happened at the Oldest House.
“Still, if you want to create a cohesive theory, you need to look more broadly. We need hypotheses we can check, but getting lost in minutia is something we all are guilty of as scientists.” He actually smiles. Almost fondly. "Now then, I need to get back to my rocks. Good work, keep it up.” The last part sounds almost rehearsed, and then he is gone.
She can see him standing over the table again, slowly falling to his knees and not letting the rocks out of his sight. She is glad for his lack of decorum. It gives her an opportunity to simply sit down on one of the chairs and stare at the wall for a few minutes. She really wants to comprehend what just happened, but her brain is still stuck on ‘A good theory!’. Finally, she chuckles to herself. Jesse won’t believe her. Or maybe she will, Darling has always been nice to their new Director. Maybe out of guilt for how they treated her bother. Still, it feels like he is extending that to others in the Bureau.
The next time Emily runs into Dr. Darling is rather unremarkable. She is just getting her tea one evening when she spots him brewing coffee. It isn’t her problem that he stays up late. Yet curiosity pushes her to speak. There have been whispers about him leaving the Oldest House rather early - something unheard of before.
“I thought I would be the last one here.”
“Ah.” Dr. Darling turns in place and nearly spills the coffee over himself. Once he gathers his wits, he smiles at her. “Well, there is no time like today to finish work. After all, tomorrow will be a busy day!”
“True…?” She doesn’t exactly know what he is getting at, but that doesn’t seem to deter him.
“Yes, yes. Did you know that there are so many different art installations in New York? I never paid them any attention, but apparently, most of them are only temporary!”
She makes a noise of interest. She cannot say that she is much interested in New York's artistic scene. Yet she has known Dr. Darling for years and only ever saw him this happy when he was deep into an experiment.
“This week, they are closing one near… ah, I don’t remember the street.” He takes a break to drink his coffee.
“So you want to finish work to visit this gallery?” She prompts.
“Yes, yes, of course. I wouldn’t be able to focus if I left it unfinished. And art needs focus.” Once again, he smiles fondly at his own words, almost like he is quoting someone.
“Dr. Darling… You do realize you don’t need to do those experiments? After all…” She pauses. “There are no work obligations for you for the next few months at least. The Director has given you time to settle for a reason.”
Dr. Darling looks at her like he doesn’t understand what she is telling him.
“But just leaving it in the open is a waste of our time. Who knows when we will get another invasion! Besides, it’s not a hassle.” He nods. “Really, if not for our weekend plans, I would just come in tomorrow.”
Ah. The ‘our’ makes Emily even more curious. Someone finally pushed through the doctor’s shell. It seems almost impossible. Yet it is endearing to see him like this. He seems more human than he used to.
“Well, I hope you have fun. I will be staying for another hour, so if you need something, I will be in my office.” She informs him with a smile.
“I do have a question. About your theory.” He sets the coffee mug on the counter and pats himself down, looking for something. He doesn’t find it in his lab coat’s pockets, so he digs into his pants pockets.
She observes him with a smile. He always wears the same clothing to work. Even after being stuck in another dimension, he still went to buy more of the same sweaters and pants. She does notice something different, though. Underneath his necktie, she can see a silver necklace hanging. She doesn’t remember ever seeing it before.
“Ah, there you are.” He pulls a small notebook and opens it. It takes him another second to find what he needs, and then he looks up at her from over his glasses. “You have mentioned that the vibration of the thresholds and the waves of sound of the Hiss can be connected.”
She puts all of her focus back on him. He may no longer be her boss, but she knows if there is someone that could decide about the life or death of her theory, it is him. Even if it is on Friday night.
It is a well-known fact that people shouldn’t bring anyone from the outside to the Oldest House. Unless, of course, that person is a parautilitarian, an alerted item in disguise, or you really don’t like them. You also don’t ask your friends to visit you at your work when you are a part of the FBC. When a man waltzes through the main door of the Oldest House and simply moves through the checkpoint like it’s nothing, the guard freezes for a split second. Then the alarm turns on and she is out of her booth.
“Stop right there. This is a government facility.” She points her gun at the slim back of the man walking towards the stairs.
For a second, she sees him vibrate, moving rapidly from side to side only to once again settle into one, normal-looking person. He turns and smiles at her. Bright blue eyes track her every move, and the smile is just a touch too wide. Bright teeth seem to shine in the shadow cast by something obscuring the light. There shouldn’t be anything obscuring the light. The guard tightens her grip on the gun.
“I know. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to. But see, my darling forgot his things, and since I was bored, I decided to bring them to him.” He shakes a dark bag he is carrying.
Now the woman can see him, she can tell that there are more things that feel wrong. It is freezing outside, but the man in front of her is only wearing a shirt and a jacket. His tight trousers and leather shoes don’t look very appropriate for the winter. Also, she cannot hold his gaze for too long without feeling like all of her life is being recorded, judged, and consumed to be redone into something greater. She shakes her head.
“If you have something for a personnel member of the Bureau, you can leave it here.”
“Hmm. I could. But that wouldn’t make my day less boring.”
“I can’t let you inside.”
The man just stops for a second. He doesn't move, doesn't breath and doesn't blink. Like a pause pressed on a movie. Then he looks her up and down, turns his head towards the stairs like he is listening to something only he can hear. Finally he looks back at her.
“Then what about this? You will call my darling, tell him I am here. And then we will both wait for him to come and get me.”
“I can inform that person you are here, but I don’t guarantee they will come.”
She really shouldn’t. But the way he is staring at her makes her all that more eager to make this someone else’s problem. Besides, that will be another FBC employee. After the Hiss, all of them were trained on how to shoot. Yes, more gun power against this thing wearing the face of a man will be a better choice.
“It would be best if you could wait in the lobby.” She is still pointing her gun at him, but that doesn’t deter him from coming closer. He passes her with a spring in his step, his smile looking even wider.
“Who should I call?” She calls after him.
“Doctor Darling, of course.”
Ah. On the one hand, it is even better. Someone so high up should know how to deal with this situation. On the other hand, if he gets killed because of her… The man sits down, throws the bag next to him, and just stares ahead, clearly waiting. Since he is settled down, calling for backup seems like the best option.
With a sigh, she uses her walkie-talkie to inform others about the situation. She doesn’t mention that she considered risking the life of their recently resurrected main scientist. And then she waits. A few minutes pass by, and the person who should be sitting at the front desk comes back from their toilet break. They look curiously at the man sitting near the door, but before they can come over and ask him anything, the guard catches their attention. She updates them on the situation, and together they stand near the booth observing that weird man.
Not that there is much to observe. He simply sits there, his eyes half closed. He leans back at some point, and his jacket falls open, showing a bunch of necklaces peaking from underneath the shirt. He looks like he has all the time in the world. The shadows he is casting seem to move even though he is staying still. And there are so many of them.
The guard hears the door to the elevator ping. She lets out a sigh of relief. They are saved. Only there isn’t any stomping of boots coming down the stars. Instead, it sounds like a single person running down. Soon that single person passes them, moving so fast she can only see a white coat moving behind them.
“Ah, there you are, darling.” The man-looking thing gets up. He moves languidly like a predator, lazily getting ready to catch its prey.
Not that the prey is unwilling to be caught. Dr. Casper Darling stands very close but doesn’t touch the other until he himself is enveloped in a hug. Only then does he spring back to life, quickly pressing his mouth to the other’s brow.
“What are you doing here, Tom?”
“Well, you forgot the things that you weren’t supposed to bring out of the lab.” The other man, creature, Tom, doesn’t seem to care about how loudly he says that. “So I am bringing them back.”
Dr. Darling turns his head quickly to check on those listening in. When he catches the guard's eyes, he smiles apologetically.
“Thank you. Come on, then. Since you are already here, I will show you what’s been keeping me away from home.” He turns towards the gate leading further into the House.
“After you, darling.” Tom follows after him but not before catching Darling’s hand in his.
The guard considers speaking up. Asking the doctor, „ can’t you see? this man is like a broken movie film. he is buzzing and moving and his shadow reaches out to you when you aren’t looking. but even when you are, he watches you like he wants to devour you whole .” but she doesn’t. And that thing with the face of a handsome man smiles and winks at her as they pass.
Emily trails after Jesse through the corridors of the Oldest House. They were in the middle of the meeting when the information from security came in. Not really a meeting. The official part ended fifteen minutes prior. They were mostly discussing what to eat for dinner when Jesse suddenly froze. Then the call came, and here they are, power walking through the Research sector toward one of Dr. Darling's labs.
“Who do you think it is?” Emily hesitates. „Or what?”
“I don’t know exactly. But Polaris seems to know it.” Jesse sighs. „It would be easier if we could communicate with words.”
Emily takes her hand and squeezes. Jesse shoots her a grateful look.
“Still, whatever it is, I hope Darling knows well enough not to bring anything too dangerous here.” The Director concludes. She chuckles at her partner's frown. "I did say too dangerous. Not necessarily safe.”
They round the corner.
“If it’s very bad, we still have Ahti to ask for help, when he finishes draining the pipes.”
Emily smiles. Even when nervous, she cannot help it when she hears how fond Jesse sounds of her… mentor? Weird adopted uncle? No one really knows who Ahti is, but he seems fond of Jesse, and Emily since they started to interact.
“I’m keeping my finger crossed that we won’t need to pull him away from his work.” She answers.
It wins her another smile. They reach the laboratories. It doesn’t look any different, just it is… empty. No one is in sight even though the security told them that’s where Dr. Darling brought his guest. As they come in, they hear a sound coming from behind one of the locked doors in the back. Jesse shares a look with Emily. Their confusion melts when among the shuffling, they can clearly hear a moan. It simply turns into mortification.
“What the…” Emily stops her half-whisper half-shout.
“Shh.” Jesse shakes her head. ”At least we know he isn’t being killed.”
To prove her point, another groan can be hard, this one clearly belonging to Darling.
“Let’s wait where we can’t hear them.” Jesse pulls her partner, and they move back from the room. They still can see the whole lab thanks to the glass walls, but now they don’t have to listen in.
“Do you think that it came here only for that?” Emily can’t help asking.
“To fuck Darling? Well, if it works, next time an invasion happens, we should look for volunteers to romance the monster.”
“We would get a lot.”
Jesse blinks at her. “Really?”
“Ah, you weren’t part of the usual training we go through. Well, there was always at least one person who had to leave after some OOP or being was shown to walk off some steam. And it wasn’t always the same person.” Emily speaks up louder to overcome the sound of what she assumes is the supposed monster calling Dr. Darling's name.
“Huh. Point taken.” Jesse looks amused. For a second, she gets a faraway look in her eyes, meaning Polaris is speaking to her. Emily is just about to ask what the being is trying to communicate when the door in the lab opens.
Emily blinks. She doesn’t know what she is more surprised by. The fact that Dr. Darling is very, very well built or that trailing behind him, smug like a cat that got a cream, is a double of Alan Wake. While she is sure that a. Alan Wake is in Bright Falls, b. He has a beard, and c. He is in some kind of weird relationship with his double. Another double. A double that also has a beard.
Beside Emily, Jesse freezes. She too, is watching the scene, but she doesn’t look too shocked. Instead, she looks weary. With a hand on her gun, she moves back into the lab.
“Ah, an audience!” The man isn’t too surprised to see them. A twinkle in his eye tells them he knew they were there. He moves like he wants to bow, which makes his unbuttoned shirt fall open.
„Director! Emily!” Dr. Darling looks from one to another, clearly frustrated. He had been buttoning his shirt when he saw them, but his hands froze. Now he starts to furiously push buttons into their holes to make sure he looks presentable. It earns him an amused look from his partner.
“I didn’t know you two were still in contact. Or that you would be visiting us, Zane.” Jesse’s tone is different. Gone is the laid-back, just curious about everything tone Emily knows.
No, the Director stares down the two men in front of her.
“Well, yes, I had to find a place to live, you see. And my dear Casper offered me a place to stay. I couldn’t say no.”
The man with Wake’s face catches Darling’s arm and nuzzles into his arm like a big cat. The doctor doesn’t look surprised, maybe a little embarrassed, but mostly used to the affection.
‘ Ah .’ Emily thinks. ’ So this is the other part of ‘our’ .’
“And what have you been doing here in New York?” Jesse doesn’t let her guard down.
“Mostly catching up with the art scene. You know, it’s been years, decades, even since I saw anything new. And there are so many new, interesting things.” The man blinks.
“Tom has been helping me.” Dr. Darling interjects. „He has some great input into things we wouldn’t ever guess. The artist's mind is truly something else.”
If Emily had to judge, she would say he sounded smitten. Completely smitten. The warm gaze he shoots the man hanging on his arm is similar to the way he looks while talking about his experiments.
“We are, of course, honoring the rules about the access to information.” Dr. Darlin adds while looking back at their boss. “But there are things we came across in the Dark Place that often impact the things we do here.”
Zane smiles even wilder. His blue eyes move from Jesse to Emily, standing further behind. When their gazes meet, she feels a chill run down her spine. Something rolls behind the man’s eyes. They don't look like Wake's eyes, so sad and soulful. No, they look hungry. Like the thing hiding behind them is looking for its next meal and now it has found it. There aren't many shadows in the room but in that second all of them seem to coil around that man.
Jesse steps between, blocking her from the line of sight.
“It’s alright, Doctor. But as the Director, I need you to talk to me about such cases. After all, you are bringing an outsider to the Oldest House.”
Her tone seems less cold now, which in turn makes the creature wearing Wake’s face blink. A trace of suspicion appears in its eyes. It looks closer at Jesse, its brow furrowing.
"And since we welcomed Mr. Wake and his other, it would be rude to dismiss Mr. Zane." Jesse finishes.
“Oh, of course. If you don’t mind, I would love to bring Tom here from time to time to consult things on-site.” Darling grins happily, not noticing the change in the atmosphere.
Jesse looks him over. He is relaxed while standing next to something that is only wearing a human face. She knows that he survived the Dark Place thanks to that creature, but for all she knew, Zane stayed back in the darkness. To see him here, in the Oldest House... Polaris steers within her mind. She pushes and brings Jesse’s attention to the way Zane is standing. To the way his eyes aren’t really trying to measure her as an opponent but as a threat. He is holding on to Darling but not to show he is in power but like he is holding a lifeline. The prior amusement is gone. Just mentioning Wake was enough to bring him down a peg. And if what Darling told Emily is true… Jesse smiles back at the doctor.
“Just make sure to accompany him around. We don’t want any accidents to happen.” Zane can be useful, she decides. Useful as long as he is contained. And, after all, containment can take many forms.
“Of course.”
Jesse nods and turns away. She catches Emily’s gaze and nods towards the elevators. And just like that, they leave Doctor Darling with his partner. When they are out of hearing range, Emily speaks up.
“Are we alright with such power being near OOPs?”
“We will keep our eyes on him, but he is more bark than bite.” Jesse frowns. “Remind me to try to contact Wake. He should know more about it since they’ve spent some time together. And he probably didn't tell us everything.”
Emily isn’t her secretary, but they both know who is the more organized of the two. She notes down the reminder but also adds one for herself. She is very much curious if they have anything in the Archives about Tom Zane.
“That was close. Almost too close.” Darling looks at the closed door of the elevator.
While he enjoys the affection bestowed upon him by his partner, being caught by a superior who is thirty years his senior isn’t at the top of his list of hobbies.
“Ah, don’t worry. I wouldn’t have let them see us.” Tom lets go of his arm but doesn’t go far. Instead, he takes it upon himself to right Darling’s tie.
“So you knew they were there.”
Tom smiles and starts playing with the necklaces around Darling’s throat. It is warm from touching his skin. Such a little thing that would always point the way for his darling to find him.
"Better here than in the Motel. Or during one of our movie sessions." His smile widens when his darling clears his throat. “You wanted to show me something?”
“Yes, well. Mostly to show you what you’ve been not so subtly asking me about.” Darling uses the excuse. He catches Zane's wandering hands in his. “Come on, I can’t wait to hear your opinion about the Projector.”