Chapter Text
The thrum of a near mechanical heartbeat, the heady sound of static, the rise and fall of his chest, they are the only signs of life present in this desolate place. While the relative silence could be oppressive, it is something he is grateful for. He would rather not have their presence arrive anytime soon. The Thin Man sits patiently as always, his outward demeanor consistently calm and even. Inwardly however, that is another story. All the rage, all the hatred, all the anguish… It simmers at a constant boil, courtesy of that yellow coated wretch.
He knows of course, he knows that what he’s enduring is nothing but a persistent cycle. How long must this cursed existence have carried on for himself, he wonders. The question is near pointless, naturally. The same sequence of events had been what his captors had settled on for the majority of his imprisonment, any variation being mild and largely out of his control. All his efforts, rendered moot just at the cusp of his victory. What was so sweet turned bitter at the simple action of a girl letting go. He still wishes he could understand. He wishes he could ask her, for he knows she’s out there, flourishing while he rots and awaits his inevitable doom. Perhaps she shall meet a bitter end as he’s certain he will, regardless of how hard he tries to prevent it. Perhaps she would deserve it. He certainly believes she would.
Part of him wonders if it was always this way, however. Every cycle has its beginning after all. He was not always this fallen world’s Broadcaster, surely. There had to be a start. And if this iteration of the Thin Man can help it, this time, there will be a finish.
*******************************************
The detective sits at his desk, watching the life of the city ebb and flow beneath him. The smoke of his cigarette clouds the room as he slowly takes a drag, the intoxicating feeling both disgusting and invigorating him. He hates that he has grown a fondness for these things, but sometimes they are the only thing that can calm him under the mounting pressure he faces. Staring into the distance at the monstrosity that causes his current predicament, his angular black eyes narrow. That strange, otherworldly building had popped up in the city seemingly out of nowhere a few weeks past, and ever since then, things had been bizarre to say the least.
Magic had been a constant presence in their world, yet usually, it was benevolent. Its users carried it with pride, their talents benefiting those who lacked the gift as the world’s people came together in harmony. This tower though, it felt… wrong. Ever since it had arrived, an unsettling air settled over the previously thriving city. For some, there were benefits. Several of the city’s dwellers who carried magic reported that their abilities amplified. Others seemed to have theirs drained in turn. This was cause for concern of course, but what truly caught the public’s attention was that people had begun to vanish with no explanation. The detective tapped his desk at the thought. Some of his team had attempted to get closer to the hulking building, yet they had disappeared in turn. Now most of his men were unwilling to so much as approach the streets leading to the tower, and the detective couldn’t blame them.
His mind was snapped to attention as his intercom beeped insistently. Tapping the button, the detective answered. “Yes?”
“Sir, something strange has occurred.”
“Something strange is always occurring nowadays, Malloway, you’ll have to be more specific.”
“Well sir, it’s just that… There are six people here who have been brought in by the PCPD. The department claims that they came out of the tower.”
The detective freezes at that. “Bring them in for questioning. I’ll be down in a moment.” His sergeant ended the call, and the detective quickly puts out his cigarette, hands twitching in excitement. With a tilt of his head and a buzz of static, he warps out of the room.
*******************************************
“Number five, step forward.” The detective watches the other man from behind the glass of their interrogation room, the lineup of the six individuals twitching nervously. “Do you remember your name?”
“N… No sir…” the fifth witness answers, voice jittery. Interesting. That was consistent between all those who’d exited the tower, none could recall who they’d been before entering. None could seem to recall how they’d entered the building either.
“Do you recall anything inside the structure, anything that could key us in on how to enter ourselves?”
“Nothing… I… everything’s a blur, I’m sorry…”
“No need to worry, thank you. You may step back into the line now.” This was going nowhere fast, the detective grumbled to himself. Only one witness remained. “Number six, step forward.”
The sole woman of the group did so, and before the detective could ask the same questions that he had to the others, she cut in. “I do not remember my name.” Her lilting, slightly deep voice was nearly impatient. “I do not know how I entered the structure, nor do I know how I exited.”
The detective glanced up at that, truly taking the sight of her in for the first time. With raven black hair, pale skin, and deep chocolate eyes, the sixth witness was perhaps the most beautiful woman he’d seen in his life. Compared to the other witnesses, who were fairly disheveled and shaken, she appeared composed, head held high as she stared back at the man questioning her.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, but as I have nothing to give, I would prefer not to be held here for much longer.”
“You may need to be, madam. We are still searching to see if there are any records of you after all,” Malloway says shortly, but the woman hardly spares a glance at him.
“I was speaking to the man in charge,” is all she says, gaze latching onto the detective as he regards her back. The detective’s mouth twitches upwards slightly at her snipe.
“You may go.” The detective’s words stun his colleague.
“Sir, surely…”
“They have nothing to give,” the detective states plainly, pretending not to notice as the woman watches him with her lips quirked upwards. “If we need them, we’ll find them.”
“Sir, please, what are you doing…?” Malloway questions anxiously as the witnesses are shuffled out of the room.
“Trust me,” is all he says. Malloway stares at him with a frown, before his boss vanishes in the blink of an eye. The lower ranking detective sighs at the sight. Typical.
*******************************************
The woman exited the building slowly, taking in the sight of the city before her. Grimacing, she tries to recall if this place was her home, yet there is nothing familiar about the sight before her.
“So, now that you have your freedom, where will you go?”
She jumps at the intrusion of the smooth voice, staring in bewilderment at the detective who leaned on the wall beside her. “I seem to recall you still being in the interrogation room,” she remarks, shoving down her surprise.
“I was.” His body almost seems to flash before her, and suddenly, he’s at her other side. “Until I wasn’t.”
Her brows lift. “Impressive. Got magic then, have you?”
Shrugging, he lit a cigarette, bringing it to his lips. “Seems so. How about you? Any tricks up your sleeve?”
She shrugged in turn. “Maybe. If that’s the case, it’s something I regret I cannot remember.”
“What a shame,” he says simply. “Although, it seems to me that you remember more than you claim.”
Her eyes narrowed. “That so?”
“It is.” He stares at her intensely. “You were the only one out of the lineup who had a semblance of calm. You know more than you’re letting on.”
She chuckled at him darkly. “I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. What I said was true. I don’t remember who I am, and I don’t know how I got in or out of that building.”
“I believe you. But you know something else about that thing, don’t you?”
Her calm demeanor wavered slightly. “That readable, am I?”
“Hardly. You hide it well, but it’s my job to sniff this kind of thing out, madam. Now, if you’d please. What was it you were avoiding telling us in there?”
“What makes you think I’ll tell you?”
“Oh come now, it can’t be that bad now, can it?” he teases lightly, but a shift in her expression causes him to hesitate. “Can it?”
“I don’t know that I can trust you if you hear it… you may not believe me…”
Frowning, the detective tries to loosen his posture, make himself more approachable. “Madam, it’s okay. I’ll believe you if you tell me.”
“Hah… how do I know that I can trust you? I don’t even know your name.”
The detective hesitates at her words. “My name is something that only a few have the privilege of knowing. I’m in a position where it’s best if it remains unknown. But, if you’d like, I suppose you may know my moniker. I am typically known by codename Mono.”
“Mono? As in ‘one’ or ‘alone’? Or are you perchance named after the disease?” She smirks at him, and he scoffs.
“Means ‘one’ in this case. I’m ‘Detective Number One’ around here, so to speak.”
“Well, it’s a pleasure then, Mr. Mono. I’d give you my name, but…”
“I understand. Would you prefer it if I just call you madam?”
“Hah, no need to be so formal. Maybe you should just call me Six, since all us poor souls are just numbers to you,” she jests, and the detective goes along with it playfully.
He bows at her with a flourish. “Well Lady Six, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” They grin at each other, before the detective’s face grows serious again. “And now that we are acquainted, perhaps you’ll be able to find it within yourself to tell me what you saw within that tower.”
The woman hesitates. “I’m… not certain if what I saw is real, to be frank. Those of us that were taken, I remember it seemed to be… examining us, as if it were looking for something. It almost felt alive. It seemed to be intrigued by me, if that makes any sense, but I suppose I wasn’t quite what it wanted. The others were less than satisfactory to it in comparison, maybe that’s why I remember more…”
Raising his eyebrows, the detective took her words in. A sentient building… That was…
“You’re making a face. You don’t believe me, do you…”
Attention snapping to the woman, he shook his head. “No, I believe you, you seem to be telling the truth. I’m just… trying to make sense of it I suppose. Do you think it let you go then? Because you ‘weren’t what it was looking for’?”
Her frown deepened. “Maybe. But… there were others, besides us six. They were being… absorbed.”
“Absorbed?”
“That’s all I can describe it as. I don’t know how long they’d been in there compared to us, but I think they were long dead. I guess it didn’t like them as much…”
Now that was bad news, if it proved to be true. If those who entered the tower wound up dead, and those who escaped remembered little to nothing about their experience within it, then finding a way to deal with the strange structure could prove to be near impossible. There was no way he would be risking any more members of his team, so as far as he was concerned, there was only one other option present.
“Thank you for your information,” he tilts his head solemnly. “If you wish, my men will provide you with money to stay in a hotel for the time being while we search for your records.”
“Wait, what are you going to be doing about the tower?”
“I’ll have to see about entering it myself, if I can.”
“Do you have a death wish?!?”
“Not particularly, but enough of my men have vanished within that cursed thing. If there’s any chance that I can find them or stop it from taking people, then I need to do so.”
The woman shook her head, aghast. “You won’t make it, Mono!”
“You made it out, I might as well try.” He smiled wryly at the woman. “Besides, my powers could prove useful in this situation. Ever since that thing arrived, they’ve been strengthened. They were always quite intense either way, so maybe I’ll make it like you did.”
“Did the others you sent have powers?”
“A few, but they were mostly mild in terms of strength. There’s a reason I made it to the top of the department.” While his powers weren’t particularly something he likes to brag about, he did have to acknowledge their effectiveness from time to time. Especially in his line of work. “I’m probably the most qualified to go out of my team.”
“Then let me come with you.”
“Pardon?”
“That thing took my memories. If you’re going to try to stop it, then I’d be glad to help.”
“Lady, I can’t bring a civilian into this.”
“But you don’t know if I’m really a civilian now do you?” she reasons with a wave of her hand. “Besides, considering I’ve already gotten out of the tower, maybe I can get back in, while with you, there’s no guarantee!” She leaned back, crossing her arms daringly as he remained motionless, analyzing her movement. “It’s not like the tower can take anything more from me.”
Mono doesn’t speak for a pause. “…Not a word about this to any of my men when we get back,” the detective states. “Who knows how many rules I’ll be breaking by doing this…” he mutters, mostly to himself.
Gesturing for her to follow him, the man leads her to a sleek, black car, before he holds the passenger door open for her, welcoming her to enter. She steps in without hesitation, watching him move into the driver’s seat. It’s almost comical how his massive height nearly makes him fold in on himself within the vehicle, his back and legs hunched as he adjusts himself in the seat.
“Can’t teleport us there?”
“I could, but there’s a sort of invisible barrier that encompasses the majority of the tower’s reach. Outside of it, its influence seems to be lessened. I’m not sure if the border’s spread at all, and I don’t want to risk it.”
She taps her fingers against her cheek as she leans against the window while the car starts and he pulls out of the small parking lot.
“A border?”
“Don’t remember, huh? I suppose you’ll see when we get there.”
*******************************************
They mostly drive in silence, the woman occasionally sparing swift glances at him. He pretends not to notice. She finds him intriguing to a degree. Compared to the other detectives in the Pale City’s department, he seemed the most ‘put together’ so to speak. There’s a certain calm elegance in his demeanor that ignites her curiosity.
“So…” finally deciding to break the quiet, she begins to prod him. “How long have you had your powers?”
“Ever since I can remember.”
“Can you only teleport?”
He chuckles slightly. “Hardly. The range of my powers as far as I can tell is rather extensive. I’m not even sure if I’ve accessed them all.”
“Give me an example?”
“Hmm. Well, I can travel through TVs.”
“What?”
“It’s a bit of a strange one, and I think it’s an extension of my teleporting abilities to a degree, but I can warp myself through different televisions. I can hear and see through them too, so it comes into use when I need to observe suspects.”
“That’s a tad disturbing…”
He shrugs, a slight frown curving downwards in his mouth. “I try not to use it too often for that very reason. Few people appear to appreciate it.”
“Sorry, I don’t mean to offend.”
“Don’t fret. If I try really hard, I can also slow time around me, and I can pull objects to me.”
“Quite a range.”
“I suppose.”
A silence hangs over them once again, until they pull into a quiet alleyway. The detective hits the brakes suddenly, jolting the woman in her seat. “What gives?!”
Not answering her, Mono steps out of the car, staring ahead. Following his gaze, she takes in her surroundings for the first time in a while since their drive began. Where the earlier streets they’d been on had been fairly busy, other cars passing by on the road, pedestrians lining the sidewalks, this area appears… dead. There isn’t a hint of another person in this place, no sound of cars or chatter break through the air.
“The border’s expanded again,” Mono gasps faintly, observing the desolation before him with a remote stare, one that the sixth witness can tell is trying to shove back any trace of fear. He swallows, before he glances to her again as she too exits the vehicle. “Well… No time to waste.”
Stepping forward, he is halted as the woman grabs his hand desperately. All eagerness to dive into this quest vanishes from her at the sight of the emptiness before them. “Mono, wait! Are you sure you want to do this?! I mean, look at this place!”
“This is why I came, Six.” He uses the nickname she’d granted herself as a joke, but his voice lacks humor as he stares upon the deserted street. “I can’t back down now.”
“Mono, I…”
“You wanted to come, Six.” Regarding her severely, his eyes question her. “But I wouldn’t hold it against you if you chose to go back to the department. You would be well within reason to do so.”
Her gaze widens, then hardens as she too stares forward. “It wouldn’t be fair to leave you alone out here.”
“Very well.” He doesn’t shake her hand off of his as the two inch forward, and she has no desire to let go at the moment. Pressing on, little by little, the two feel the air shift as they step into the invisible border. Holding their breath as they sense the change, they wait in terrified anticipation, but nothing happens.
“Huh…” Six stares around her, still waiting for any sort of shift to occur, for something to reach down from the sky and grab them. The thought sounds silly now when she ponders it. “Seems we’re okay.”
“It would appear so…”
“Should we grab the car?”
“My colleagues who tried to bring their vehicles in saw them stop working almost the instant they passed the border. I doubt it will be different for us.”
“You mean we’re going to have to walk all the way there?” Gazing in the distance at the looming structure, Six wonders how long the journey will take them.
“Nonsense, I’ll get us there in a jiffy.” His grip on her hand tightens, and the world spins around them. Before Six can wrap her mind about what just occurred, Mono collapses suddenly on the pavement beside her. His eyes are blown out in disbelief. “What the…”
Glancing around, it becomes clear that they are not at the tower, but rather at another point within the tower’s circle of influence, the structure still looming in the distance. “About getting us there in a jiffy…”
“That’s never happened before!” he gasps as he rushes to stand, long legs wobbling. “Something’s wrong…”
“I could have told you that,” she remarks sarcastically, but her expression softens when she recognizes his dismay. “Hey, relax. I can handle walking, and I’m sure that a big strong detective like you can too.”
He seems to be wrestling with the fact that his powers are acting strange within this place, but he lets out a begrudging, albeit wavering smile to her. “Guess I can. Well… no point lingering here. Let’s get to it.”
*******************************************
Hours have passed since they began walking towards the tower, and it feels like they’ve barely made any progress. Taking in the vast emptiness before them, they search vainly for any sign of life, yet there is nothing. The detective glanced back at the woman, observing the droop in her eyes.
“Let’s see if we can get into one of the buildings,” he says quickly, “see if we can find a place to sleep.”
“Are you sure you want to stop? We could keep pushing on if you…” she pauses to let out a yawn.
He chuckles. “Yeah, let’s find a place to sleep. We’re both tired, and it would do no good to arrive at the tower exhausted.”
Approaching an old hotel the detective knew from his years of patrolling these streets, he luckily finds the entrance unlocked. Although he had the means to break in if he chose, he’d rather not cause any unnecessary damage. He hoped to see these places repopulated soon after all. Going behind a desk where the receptionists would usually be stationed, he rifles through the drawers before he pulls out two room keys, and holds one out to the woman.
“Nuh uh.” Grabbing it, she tosses it aside. “One room is better.”
His heart nearly skips a beat in bewilderment. “Is it…?”
Her cheeks flush slightly, embarrassed at the realization of her phrasing. “We don’t know if anything else is out here. We’ll need to keep an eye on each other.”
“What else would be out here?” Questioning her, his brow quirks up. “It’s quite empty as far as I’ve seen.”
“I don’t know, something in the air feels… wrong.”
“Wrong or not, I suppose you’re right. It’s best for us to stay together.”