FUCK OFF, ACADEMIA!

MADELAINE:          AND  BRING  EVERYTHING  OUT  AT  ONCE.          it wouldn’t do to continually be interrupted during their meeting.          the waitstaff was used to this routine.          the girl left the coffee and tea near the side of the table where ava would be able to serve them if necessary.          the black and white uniforms   vanished   just as quickly as they had appeared,   madelaine expecting nothing less and nothing more from them.          contented,   she sat back in her tall,   cushioned chair,   and regarded ava.          a large palm leaf arched over the scientist’s head and she couldn’t help but notice how the   green   seemed to suit her.          her back was as straight as an arrow,   as stiff as a board.          she knew that if ava had things her way,   they wouldn’t even be sitting down for lunch.          the rendezvous would take place in some quiet,   far - off office,   where ava would have complete freedom and control to launch right into her findings.          truly,   the woman had no taste for the finer things,    it sometimes seemed.          look,   look at how she hardly regarded the food and drinks when they arrived in a sudden and theatric flourish.          the table was laid beautifully,    sunlight glinting off the still warm plates,   cutting through the slightly peachy colour of ava’s hard drink.

“     bon appetite,     ”          said madelaine with a wide smile.          carefully,   gracefully,   she opened up her cloth napkin and laid this across her lap.          ava’s lap was still occupied by her bag.          “      it’ll be hard to enjoy your food with that in the way.       REALLY,   DOCTOR  MONDAY,   IT’S  NOT  LIKE  A  THIEF  IS  SUDDENLY  GOING  TO  SWEEP  IN.       you’re precious work will be fine.     you know i’d never do anything to endanger it…   or you.       ”           not that any thief would have the skills to get very far,   anyways.          all the best thieves this side of the atlantic were either   already dead   or already under her thumb,   she liked to think.          she swiped a piece of toast through the french dip and popped it into her mouth.         “      really,   you’re making me nervous.       ”

AVA.          she was a woman with many different hungers and they were not all equal.          there was the hunger that lived right beneath her skin,   most likely etched right into the meat and bone :     this one often cried out for cold order.          it was why she never took a hot shower,   but rather let   frigid   water cascade over her body.          it was why her hands were often so steady,   steady as a surgeon’s,   never flinching away from the touch of biting metal or the sharp pricks of her needles.          another hunger lived at her centre,   this one being irrevocably more human.          it reminded her that she was not immortal.          it reminded her that she needed to eat,   sleep,   drink just like so many other creatures on this planet.          THIS  HUNGER  ANNOYED  HER  THE  MOST.          without actually grumbling,   ava gave an air of annoyance and moved her bag off her lap.          below the table,   she kept the long leather strap wound loosely around her ankle.          following madelaine’s lead,   ava swiped a piece of bread through the french dip and chewed on it slowly.          the other woman was already heaping the other foods onto her plate,   making neat distinct pools of colour on the creamy china.          ava’s hand grasped her glass next.

empty stomach yearns for some form of  nourishment  to keep him afloat.    alcohol lowering his guarded facade,    although it was a weak one,    and proves his  emotional state  which is actually more than what she’s seen.     a scorned heart ?     crying betrayal like a wolf howls at the moon ?      no.      calvin couldn’t care about the fact her intentions were ill,    but more so that she left.      THEIR FEELINGS WERE REAL        it’d break him to the core to even come close at believing she  lied  about them.     the soft whisper from her lips while they lay in bed   …     i love you   …    without request,     without being prompted,     without hearing the words leave his lips first.     he stares at the empty glass.     lips beginning to frown.     lost in memories he forgets to look up and face the reality that she isn’t here.     unable to move on.    cemented to this consciousness of being with her.    a low rumble comes from his belly.     calling for him to order   food,     but as they go on and she  continues  ordering hers   …    he feels as though they must remain the same   …    and orders another drink.          “     it’s amazing you know,   [  words begin to slur   …   the alcohol reaching his speech ] finding someone and thinking the world of them,   only for them to leave without so much as a note  …     i’ve had the thoughts you know   …   i’m not  …   i understand there’s a possibility she didn’t lo-  …   and they come and they go  …  but i don’t believe it  …     ”

CALVIN ?  YEAH?   ARE YOU SURE YOU LOVE ME?    I’VE NEVER BEEN MORE SURE OF SOMETHING.

they continue playing in his mind like a movie.   a marathon of good  …   so he can’t experience the bad.    is this what it is to go through an abusive relationship?    to know something isn’t good but hold on for hope?    only remember the good ?

he watches her write.    her hand quite  aggressively  writing down each detail she believed to be important  …   shortening the words and making it understandable to her.     a puzzle she was  determined  to get the end result of.    the waiter comes again,   annoyed with his drink before telling them both they’re cut off.      guess the drunken night comes to a halt   …    but with this last drink calvin decides to savour it.    allow it to effect his vision and blur the edges a bit.    funny how the substance could bring forth emotions you wanted to burry.    thoughts at the back of your mind  you refuse to let slip.

“    you said it’s hard going through life without  having been played a fool  at least once   …      this is my first.      maybe that’s why i appear broken.   unwilling to heal properly.     sure i’ve dated before her,    but when you’re in love you know it.   feels different.   with this knowledge i understand i was never in love before her.    maybe that’s why i’m stuck.   if you know of another way to move on from such an experience,   please do tell   …    cause lord knows i’ve done my fair share of drinking.    ”     calvin sighs,   lifting his glass to take a sip of his drink,     then places it carefully down.

by this time he finally gives in,    waving down the waiter and ordering from the menu a simple appetizer.     he asks for some toast for the doctor,    not wanting her to leave this meeting hammered.     carbs were good for that.    one by one each knuckle recites the hymn of a broken heart.     crackcrackcrackcrack   fingers stretch and curl feeling refreshed.     hearing that his beloved wouldn’t be harmed eased his trust in this woman.    maybe it was the alcohol.   they’d been drinking for over an hour.    an empty stomach on calvins part has the view now veiled with a glow.    even the doctor is looking good.    and then came her next statement  …      “  i couldn’t kill her if i tried.   i’d have to be  …  destroyed beyond repair …   angry with a rage that’d allow me to see past what i feel now.   ”       lips are pressed into a fine line as he  ponders  why it might be he still sits across from the doctor.    alive.

“     I COULDN’T GIVE YOU A REAL REASON.       she loved chaos   …   maybe to  torture me  …     ”

one  …   two  …   three  …    and still no answers popping up.          “     i can’t really understand it either  …   i think  ..-     ”          i think she killed people  …   and i’m sad to say it doesn’t phase me.          “     i think she killed people  while we were together  …     i can’t tell if it’s a  distorted  memory or a dream  …   she was washing blood off her hands in the kitchen..     ”          mind is a mess the way everything was  a possibility.   how could he be sure charlotte hadn’t distorted every part she stayed in the banks of his memory.   he looks at the photo she holds in front of her face,    and remembers  the day it was taken.    the smiles and laughter from that day.      HE WISHES HE COULD GO BACK TO IT.       “     if she had the urge to kill  …   she didn’t take it out on me,     ”          calvin downs the rest of his drink,   then smiles at the doctor.

“    I DON’T KNOW WHY.   I KNOW YOU SEE IT TOO,   I’M NOT SPECIAL.    ”

“     LOVE ISN’T EVERYTHING,     ”               she stated dryly.          her face was like a blank page,     passive.          the only hint at her   annoyance   was at the edge of her voice as she bit out the neccessary words to keep this conversation going.          they were far from done and she always knew it was going to be a long night,    but now she worried whether the   heart - broken detective   could handle such a challenge.          perhaps he would be more useful come morning.          the pen stilled in her hand as he continued   on and on,     spinning the dreadful yarn of a   love lost   to confusion and some sort of  inherent wickedness   of this woman’s part.          nothing in what he said could be take objectively ;      IT  WAS  ALL  TOO  SUBJECTIVE,     but   love   was complicated and difficult in that way.          again,    it wasn’t as though she could not   understand   his hurt...          but   empathy   was nowhere to found in the space between her vital organs or the chambers of her heart ;      and of course,    there was no room for something so fleeting in the mechanisms of her mind.           still...      a little consolation could go a long way,    perhaps even more so on a night like this.          besides,    she needed him focused on   her      -     even if did hurt him to do so.

“     but if you really want to know,    if you really   need   to know,     then you’re best chance is to find her.     THEN  YOU  CAN  LOOK  IN  HER  IN  THE  EYES  AND  ASK  HER  YOURSELF.     ”

ava pressed her mouth into a thin line.          inwardly,    she groaned and fought the urge to roll her eyes.          it was unfortunate that she was learning more about the   detective   than their target ;     it was certainly backwards,     wasn’t it?          the pen began to grow   heavy   in her hand,     the ink settling inside the column.           there was her drink to distract herself with as he went on about how his heart was not as   foolhardy   as he might have hoped.          or perhaps,   that was just what love was,   hm?          that,    or whoever     (  whatever  )     this woman was,     she was real clever about these sort of things.          ava laced her hands together,    rested her elbows on the table,    and stretched her neck this way and that.          she looked down at the photographs as he spoke,     taking in the woman’s pretty features and understood how a   smiley,  lovely   mouth like that could easily lie ;      even as her opinion of the detective continued to waver between   indifferent and poor,     she could not blame him for believing that she had loved him.          love wasn’t everything,    but it certainly could be so dangerous,     couldn’t it?

she licked her lips and heaved a sigh,     wanting to move on from these   romantic   deliberations.          “     it’s not my expertise,    detective.      maybe you should call one of those   relationship advice radio stations,    instead.      MAYBE  IT’S  JUST  A  MATTER  OF  TIME.     ”          her lips came together and her teeth clicked.          if he sought any   earnest emotion   from her,     he’d fail to find it.

the food arrived,   then.          she took the plate of toast and set it aside,     not wanting to distract herself or clutter the space before her.          once,   twice,    she tapped her pen on the edge of her notepad as the conversation turned back towards fascination and focus.          a   wry chuckle   slipped past her lips as she considered which would be more entertaining :     the reunion of this good detective and this apparently monstrous woman       OR       the   attempted murder   of the monstrous woman at the hands of the gold - hearted detective.          her mouth pinched as she wrangled her humour back under control.          DISTORTED  MEMORY,    DREAM...          her pen scratched against the paper.          it was beginning to become difficult to see,     the last of the orange sun - rays faded from the sky,     and any time now,    they would flick on the lamps.          URGE   TO   KILL...

“     if the intention was to torture you,    then she has very well succeeded in that aspect,     ”          she said,    continuing to write,    crossing one leg over the other.          “     you’re the detective,    figure out whether or not that was truly her intention.          it wouldn’t be wise to   assume   anything about her.          LOOK  TO  THE  EVIDENCE.     ”          she made a vague gesture about the table and the mess of papers.          “     no,    you’re nothing special to me,    but unless we can see into her mind...     WE’LL   NEVER  KNOW  IF  MAYBE  SHE  SAW  SOMETHING  IN  YOU.     ”

             𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑺  𝒀𝑶𝑼  𝑯𝑨𝑽𝑬  𝑺𝑨𝑰𝑫   /    with  coffee  mainlined  in  your  veins  ,  with  dark  circles  under  your  eyes  ,   a  millimeter  of  new  beard  growth  dusted  along  your  jaw.   ‘  ooh   ,   someone’s  persnickety.  ‘  the  woman   ,   and  barely  that  ,  back  then  ,  aged  eyes  and  a  youthful  face  ,  dark  hair  grown  long  ,   had  no  more  patience  for  you  then  than  she  did  now.   THINGS  YOU  HAVE  SAID   with  eyes  like  glass marbles  in  your  skull  ,  a  flat  sort  of  light  to  them  ,  manic  behind  glasses  flashing  blue  toned  glares  back  into  the  space.   “  ah  ,   “   you  tut  ,  noise  cutting  through  the  space  from  between  white  teeth.   “  that  would   be   because  they  aren’t  as  familiar  with  your  workings  ,   monday.   “   cane  swings  in  lithe  hands  ,  gloved  fingers   ,   he  belongs  here  ,  in  the  way  that  all  dark  things  belong  in  the  night  time   ,  casting  a  black  shadow  among  her  plants  ,  easily  over-looked  if  not  for  the  exposed  teeth  ,  the  grin  cutting  across  his  face.   A  SKULL  WITH  A  RICTUS  SMILE.   

two  people  unused  to  the  crude  unfair  portions  of  sharing  ,  the  idea  that  they  would  need  to.  and  still  ,  there’s  something  similar  to  camaraderie  in  the  space  between  them  ,    “   oh  but  ava  ,  “   lips  curl  around   the  name  ,  cradled  in  the  chasm  of   his  mouth  ,   “  such  strong  words  ,  surely  you  can  see  the  macabre  implications.  the  chilling  aspects  of  it  ,  why  ,  it  tickles  my  fancy  is  all.  “   it’s  a   full  body  shudder  ,   a   shiver  of  movement  that  pulses  through  him  ,  leaves  him  wild  and  breathless with  the  thought  of  this   ,  how   WHIMSICAL   he  doesn’t  say.   how   interesting   ,   the  light  in  her  eyes  played  through  the  lens  of  clinical  study   ,   new  blood  and  old.    he   is  movement  incarnate  ,  a  study  in  the  central  nervous  system  ,  a  trick  of  the  mind  and  the  way  long  ,  spindly  limbs  loop  into  motion   ,   he’s  slender  ,  too  tall  for   the  axis  of   his  shoulders  ,  leaving  him  with  a  constant   look  of  being  unbalanced.    “   come  on  then  ,  we’ve  got  places  to  be  i  suppose.   “   a  moment  of  stillness  ,  one  moment  of  consideration  the  manic  light  of   him  faded  between  one  moment  and  the  next  ,  he  does  not  offer  his  arm.    “   what  part  of  the  road  do  ghosts  like  to  travel  the  most  ?  “

AVA  DOES  NOT  SHY  AWAY   FROM  THIS  STRANGENESS.          whether by nature or training,    it was inscribed into her very being now,       this   refusal   to look away even when the   grotesque and ugly   appeared,     even when by all laws of normalcy implored that she look away from such    indecency,     she won’t.          she simply cannot.          so,    she watched him as he shuddered and writhed,     watched with something like disgust on her face,       and wondered that whenever     (  if ever  )     his body did begin to break apart,    to decompose,      WOULD  THOSE  THAT  FOUND  KNOW  THAT  HE  WAS  ONCE  HUMAN?             between his mind and his tongue,     there was a shared and   collaborative   sort of madness.          even her own name turned into something wrong and   perverse   which flicked off his tongue.          monday...     ava....          “     if they are unfamiliar with who i am and what i do,    that’s their own fault.      I’M   NOT  HIDING.     ”

MADELAINE.        the men who accompany me cannot see through my skin.          they see the   constellations   that scatter there,   but they only gaze from a distance as one always does when looking skywards.          i alone can see through my skin,      &  MY  BONES  TELL  A  DAMNING  STORY.

the hotel lobby was busier than usual and she could not deduce a proper reason for it.          it bustled with cliental and staff,   a   buzzing and humming   system of exhausting humanity as those who could not decide whether they were   homesick   or not haunted this transient place instead.          and yet,   heads did not fail to turn as she descended the steps,   the   glow   of mid - day sun surrounding her.          a deity,   an angel,   perhaps?          in contrast,   the woman that she stared at,   the woman she walked towards,   seemed like an   omen.          the weight a dozen gazes vanished as ava stood.            “     doctor monday,   YOU’RE TOO KIND.     ”          the lady madelaine beamed,   her mouth softening with a smile.          it was difficult to take anything the good doctor remarked without a grain of salt,   a rather sharp and rough grain of salt.            “     thank you for making time to see me today.     i know how busy you are,     ”            she said.          without a word of welcome,    she moved towards the atrium where a lunch table was reserved for the two of them.          the sturdy grip that ava kept on her bag did not escape her ;     so,   the usually dauntless woman was nervous…     HOW  INTERESTING.

AVA.               there wasn’t any use pretending that i couldn’t see the each   odd gaze   following us as we walked on.          a   smugness   enveloped me,     a haze like a poisonous fog,     and brightens my face     (  i can feel it :     the gleam,   the smile  )     as though i was someone who would be happy to die.          no one else would dare walk in stride with the marvellous lady madelaine,     would they?            her pleasantries were a carefully constructed display of loveliness and if i were less inclined to     DISSECT    much of what i see,    perhaps i would allow the loveliness to sweep me away.          but i am not less inclined.

hand  raised  to  call  forth  the  waiter ,   other  hand  continues  to  hold  that  cigarette  shakily .  eyes  stare  blankly  at  the  woman .   it  almost  appeared  as  if  his  soul  had  left  his  body .   mind  gone  off  to  other  worlds  to  reminisce  about  the  little  love  affair  he  was  in  …  but  this  look  on  his  face  only  occurred  when  thinking  about  the  strange  and  ominous  memories  she  left .  soon  enough  he’s  snapping  his  fingers  calling  over  that  waiter  to  hurry  his  ass  up  so  he  could  order  heavy  liquor .    learn from previous mistakes ,   and never let it happen again .     moments  later  he’s  handed  said  drink ,  but  he  doesn’t  savour  it  …   no  relishing  in  the  taste .  instead  calvin  downs  his  drink  like  a  shot .

“    i got those so called feelings early on .    thinkin’  back  on  it  our  first  few  meetings  i  got  that  …   maybe  i’m  a  dumbass  for  goin’  against  it  .    ”    it’s  an  odd  feeling  when  you  can  pin  point  a  time  where  things  could’ve  been  different .  would my life be better without her ?   would i be happier having not known her ?   questions  like  these  just  can’t  be  answered .  i  don’t  really  know  if  i  can  honestly  sit  here  and  say  i’d  be  happier .  maybe  there  is  pain  right  now .  heartache  or  whatever  the  fuck  you  wanna  call  it  …              but  a  life  without  her  isn’t  one  i  can  imagine . 

he’ll  shrug  his  shoulders  as  if  it  were  no  big  deal .  slowly  he  feels  the  burn  of  the  liquor  in  his  throat ,  warmth  in  his  stomach .  hearing  her  say  she  believed  was  something  else .  being  told  it’s  in  his  head  and  that  he  was  just  a  spiteful  ex  …   well  it  was  beginning  to  get  to  him .     “    you do ?    ”       his  eyes  become  big ,  shocked  another  person  could  believe  in  this .  he’ll  smirk  at  the  woman  telling  him  how  to  do  his  job ,  but  no  anger  …   that  impulsive  train  has  left .   let  the  ride  of  liquor  progress .

“    she’s got her routines .      i  remember  them ,  it’s  just  a  matter  of  where  she’s  continuing  them .   she  tried  ruining  my  life .  staying  in  the  same  city  or  state  would  just  be  stupid .  she’s  smarter  than  that .  you  want  more  pictures ?  they’ll  all  just  end  up  blurry .  it’s  rare  her  face  shows  up …             almost  like  it’ll  only  happen  if  she  allows  it .    ”

A NEW GAME OF CAT AND MOUSE ?       a  new  game  to  play  sherlock  holmes  and  find  the  little  thief  who  stole  more  than  just  his  heart .   a  girl  who  knew  her  way  round ,  but  could  possibly  fuck  up  and  leave  tracks  …   unless  it’s  what  she  wanted .   he  knew  her  well  enough  to  know  if  she  wanted  to  be  found ,  he’d  find  her .  she’d  be  two  steps  ahead  with  a  grin  on  her  face .   waiting  for  me  to  aim  my  gun  at  her ,  then  lower  it  because  that  was  always  the  game  wasn’t  it ?   meet  her  at  the  end ,  and  lose .

eyes  narrow  watching  the  way  she  held  that  pen  along  with  feeling  off  about  her  last  words  in  response .  as  much  i  can  say  i  hate  her  and  not  mean  it ,  to  put  her  be  in  harms  way  gives  me  that  so  called  gut  feeling  it’s  a  wrong  idea .  it’s  not  entirely  obvious  but  once  you’ve  seen  enough  movies  about  ominous  creatures  …  aliens  and  such  you  know  what  doctors  want .  they’ll  cut  her  open  and  examine  everything  that’s  missing  inside  her .

               “     you wouldn’t hurt her ,  would you ?    ”

he  knows  the  true  answer ,  but  tests  her  to  see  if  she  was  an  honest  woman .  either  way  calvin  was  going  to  help  this  project  of  theirs .  the  need  to  know  what  charlotte  was ,  and  what  her  plans  were  would  never  escape  him .  cigarette  ashed  and  put  out  once  it’s  reached  it’s  end .  although  he  wants  to  light  another  and  continue ,  he’ll  just  order  another  drink  and  slam  it  down  his  throat  to  get  through  this  conversation  about  this  woman  he  couldn’t  get  over .

she continued to sip her drink,   her pen held in the other hand.          the man was coming dangerously close to being left behind in the   peripherals   of her mind.          he existed at the edge of her attention,   speaking   emotionally   and drinking ;     ALCOHOL  ONLY  EVER  MANAGED  TO  CLEAN  THE  WOUNDS,   detective,   it won’t go so far as to   heal   them.          belatedly,   she realized that he had posed a sort of question to her.          without looking up from the notes they had made over a particular image,   ava hummed an agreeable note.          it was low and seemed to stay   stuck   in the middle of her throat,   her lips pressed together until   bloodless   to get the sound out.          “     the details of your story work together to create a sensible picture.     from what you’ve described,   this woman exists outside of our current realm of understanding,   our current acceptance of reality.          doesn’t mean you’re wrong or delusional.     ”

HOW LUCKY ARE YOU ARE TO HAVE SEEN A GLIMPSE OF THE UNKNOWN.          a heart is a small price to pay for it,   she thought.

on her notepad,   she jotted down abbreviations of his thoughts.          this   thing   appeared human,   so it was within reason that it should exhibit some human characteristics.          when it came to studying animal behaviour,   the nature of each of species could usually be boiled down to   one   purpose or drive.          normally,   it was food or sex.          ava suspected that this creature   hungered   for more than just that.          suddenly,   she raised her gaze and stared at calvin ;     a new line of thought cutting her gaze and leaving a new gleam to behold.          it occurred then,   that detective calvin james was alive and well.     (  or,   at the very least,   alive.  )          this creature had left him alive.          “     if you manage to find or take more photographs,   i won’t turn them away,   but they shouldn’t be a priority.     ”          ava took another sip of her drink,   this one quick and meant to loosen her tongue.

the glass hit the table,   out of the way of their work.          she kept her impeccable posture,   but inclined her head until the bones of her neck jutted from beneath her skin.          each vertebrae pressed clearly against her skin and were clarified by the sunset - light that shone on her.          she was writing,   line after line,   onto her notepad ;     most of it was in an unique shorthand only she was fluent in     -     her own assistant only just beginning to study such a complex lingual system.          at the end of it all,   she scratched a   QUESTION  MARK    at the bottom of the page.          then,   she down the rest of her drink,   waving the empty glass at the nearest server,   allowing the crystal to catch the light and split into colours.          a new page was revealed and ava finally sat back in her chair.

“     NOT  WITHOUT  REASON.     i won’t shy away from doing so if i find it necessary,   detective.     ”

a new drink arrived and again,   ava took it right out of the waiter’s hand.          “     but i won’t   kill her,   if that’s what you’re worried about,     ”          she continued.          “     maybe you would like to keep that part of it for yourself.          i’m not keen on ruining the value of a live subject otherwise.     ”          she watched him carefully as she spoke.          the effects of   lost love   showed itself on him like an illness often rendered skin pale,   eyes dead,   lips dry.          admittedly,   he wore the look of a broken heart well ;     however,   such an observation did not matter in the least.          ava tried to see him from the perspective of this woman :     what did she see in him?          a target,   a victim.          a lover,   AN  ADVERSARY?               “     detective...     ”          from the pile of papers and photographs,   ava picked out     -     one of the few photos which had not been covered with their writings.          in this one,   the woman was smiling,   unguarded and close up ;   this one was personal.

@wrmwd 𝚂𝙰𝙸𝙳 “ 𝙸 𝙰𝙼 𝙱𝙴𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝙵𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙻𝚈 𝙵𝚄𝙲𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙲𝙸𝚅𝙸𝙻. ” @ 𝙴𝙳𝚆𝙰𝚁𝙳 !

          𝚁𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝙳𝙸𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝚃𝙷𝚈 𝙾𝙵 𝙰𝙲𝙺𝙽𝙾𝚆𝙻𝙴𝙳𝙶𝙴𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃     /      no   hot-blooded   roiling  thing  ,   there   is   no  anger  in  him.   brash  words  or  not  the  eyes  that  meet   hers  may  well   as   be   DEAD.   something   not  un-familiar   to   the  both   of   them.    IT   TAKES   A   CERTAIN   TYPE    if lawyers   are  sharks   then   they   are   parasites   ,   symbiotic  ,  overwhelming  ,  flooding   and  dismembering   ,   taking  apart  what   they   would.   OPPOSITES   IN   NEARLY   ALL   THINGS.    the   cold   synthetic   skin  of   metal   ,   wires   as   veins  ,   criss-crossing   in   blue  blood   and   sharp   red.    BIOLOGY:    in   all   it’s   heaving   lush   and   withering   glory   ,   dismantling  what   makes   up   that   black   edge   of    science   and   godhood.    WHERE   ANGER   WOULD   BLOOM   ,   hubris   colored   behind   ribs   ,  where  blood   would   heat   ,   there   is   no   fire   at   her   tone.    CLINICAL   /   COLD  :    birds   of   a   feather   ,   like   to   like   ,   cut   from   the  same   cloth.     

almost   placating   ,    smooth   voiced    ,   the   nasal   whine   of   it   near   trapped   in   his   throat.   hands   long   to   tighten   on   staff   ,   on  cane.    head   and   hat   tipped   ,   acknowledgement   of  their   words.    “    ah  ,   but   what   is   CIVILITY   doctor  ?   man-made   ,   construct   as   time   ,  held   sway  to   the  morals   of   the   day   ,   the   place   and   the  deciding  lines   of   familiarity  and  culture.    let  us  say   that  you   are   in   passing   moment   not……”    the  pause  is   entirely   for   dramatic   effect   ,   the   twitch   of   his   lips.  THE   SLY   CREEPING   LINE   OF   HIS    SMILE.    “    actively   antagonistic.   “   the   hum   that   fills   the   air   is   more   reminiscent   of   mechanical   whir   ,   a   well   run  factory   than   the  faint   song   of   cicadas.   shoes   sound   clear   and   crisp   against   floor   ,   CIRCLED   HER.   not   predator   and   prey   ,   too   cautious   by   half   for   that.   tired   eyes  took   in   eyes   too   large   ,   stunning   in   sunken   face.    “   well    doctor   ,  “    respect   teasing   along   the   edges   of   half-playful   tone.   “   i   hear   you   may   very   well   be   interested   in   gotham’s   bumps   in   the   night.   “    

    WITHIN THE CAREFULLY CURATED MUSEUM OF MY MIND,                 (  edward nygma  ) :  one of the few living specimens .

SHALL  WE  ATTEMPT  SOMETHING  STRANGE,   OLD  FRIEND?          a blade,   cold and sterile,   pressed to the skin of our forearms,   a long and straight   slit   from wrist to elbow,   someone’s gloved hands to peel back the meat and skin,   and we shall peer inside.          what should we find,   are we so different,   you and i?          ava knew that she would bleed,   profusely,   an   embarrassingly   lively red shade.          but she looked   now   at him :     a face familiar thanks to the passing of time,   (   yes,   edward,   only a construct,   only a construct   ),   and thought how this man managed to seem to alive.          no one would question those curving lips to anything but alive.          FISH - LIKE EYES ROLLED IN THEIR SOCKETS,   STEADY ‘PON THEIR AXIS,   HELD BY STRONG MUSCULAR STRINGS.          intimidation   was struck from ava monday’s vocabulary but not from the expanse of her knowledge.          her straight black hair,   cut short to the shoulders,   no longer left long like it was back in her   girlish   days,   like it was when they had first laid eyes on each other ;     the dark curtains were swept back behind her ears.          “     RIGHT,     ”          she spat,   pulling her blazer back into place.

a memory superimposed. a woman caught in the arms of large, black - dressed figures.   a wild woman whose hair covers her face, but lets through her screams.   there is a heart - stilling moment where she defies gravity, lifted by the vehemence of her anger, of her incivility.

“     EXACTLY,     ”          she hissed,   entertaining a twitch in her leg,   a want to kick his cane out from underneath his balanced lean.          “     so,   what is their fucking problem?     ”