synthneon | oceanview (different path) || ❝ lost in mist for days and days, now you see the sunny seas. ❞

[ The Director walks down the hallway. She's not the only one walking. Alan's walking too, walking in circles around the room they stuck him in. He's restless, antsy, agitated. He doesn't want to be in this room, but they're not letting him leave this room. He can't do what he needs to do if he's here.

... But what does he need to do? ]

I need- I need to talk to the Director. The Director can help. I don't know how, but I think- I just need to talk to her.

[ He keeps walking, sometimes in circles, sometimes in a straight line then doubling back, but he keeps mumbling to himself: ]

I need to talk to the Director.

[ Eventually, Alan runs out of places to walk... or maybe it's that he runs out of steam. Everything's been a whirlwind since he came back: since he appeared on the shore of Cauldron Lake. How did he end up here? How did he end up being questioned by Kiran Estevez?

Can he trust her? Can he trust the FBC and the Director? I have to be able to trust the Director... don't I?

Alan's steps halt and he moves over to the window and just stands there staring out at what he can see of the forest outside. The trees are moving lightly, as there's a slight breeze, but it's not violent or harsh and it's not dark outside, not yet. Sometimes the scene before his eyes changes; the trees appear splintered, broken in half, as if some unseen force damaged them beyond repair.

He blinks and the scene clears and the trees appear normal again. God, I'm really losing it.

At first, he doesn't even register the sound of the door opening or footsteps moving into the room. It's probably just Estevez coming back for round two. But unlike when Estevez entered the room for the first time, Alan feels something. Maybe he hears something too, but he definitely feels a tingling sensation on the back of his neck and at the base of his spine. What is that?

Then a voice breaks the silence, and he knows it's not Estevez. But who is it? He doesn't turn from the window right away. ]

... Who wants to know? Is it your turn to try and get answers, since she couldn't do it before?

[ « Does he recongize me? You? You're reaching out to him, aren't you? »

Her guide shifts again.

Jesse moves her weight from one foot to the other.

« Come on. Come on. Turn and look at me. It's me, Alan. Jesse. YOU reached out to me. Every single time you have, I've answered. Turn around. Should I try another way? »

Jesse swallows again. That urge to run up and throw her arms around him strikes again. She's not the young woman anymore. She's the Director. People need her to be in charge of her emotions. Clear headed.

« But, it's Alan. He's home. Finally... »

Polaris reaches out to the Writer. A gentle and familiar sound. ]

Hi, Alan.

[ Alan keeps looking out the window, but he's not really seeing the trees anymore. He's trying desperately to make sense of this. To make sense of being back, being home, but feeling like something's missing. It's not like how he felt when he was missing that week thirteen years ago. It feels... worse.

He still doesn't turn around, because... well, he's scared. Scared that he's not himself anymore; scared that this feeling of something missing is going to be permanent. He'll never get back whatever it is that he's missing. I want it back. I want it back and I don't even know what it is. Why don't I know what it is?

He feels his thoughts start to slip away from him, spiraling off into something bordering on crazy. He starts to feel himself going crazy. That's what happened when Estevez tried to question him, isn't it? His hands curl into fists as that feeling of agitation washes over him again, until...

What?

Something brushes against him. It's almost like a hand on the back of his neck, but nothing's there. A sound's there. Can a sound be like a touch?

He still doesn't turn around, but he turns his head to look at the person in the room with him. ]

You know who I am? I mean- yeah, of course you do, a lot of people know who I am, but I thought... I thought people would be glad to forget about me.

[ Jesse watches him closely. People watching has become less a skill and more as second hand nature. Reading someone became a survival skill--if she could trust them or not. Alan Wake had become the one person, before becoming Director, that she had trusted with every aspect of what happened in Ordinary. About Polaris.

« Now, he won't even turn around and look at me. »

Her gaze darts to the side as an uncomfortable feeling starts to rise in her chest. A feeling she knows. She just doesn't want it to be true when it comes to Alan.

« I know you're trying. Thank you. » ]

Your books went from best-selling cult classics to blockbuster Hollywood movies. I'm pretty sure that qualifies as "being missed."

[ « What happens if he does turn around and look at me? He's taking so long. Why? »

That feeling continues to rumble in her chest.

« Polaris? »

The resonance once again reaches out to Alan. Like two hands gently resting on the back of his shoulders. A familiar touch that must surely feel as if it comes from days long gone. One that belongs to not only the shifting bell like sound, but a person he has been trying to find for quite some time. ]

Edited 2024-08-29 22:15 (UTC)

[ He can almost feel Jesse's eyes on him even if he's not looking to see what she's doing or if she's looking at him. Somehow, all of this feels wrong, like he's wrong and not reacting the way he's supposed to. He can't put a finger on why he feels wrong, but all of his instincts are telling him that his reactions aren't right. This wasn't supposed to be like this.

Then she reveals how his books have been adapted, and he freezes in place. ]

Wait, they've- What? Whose idea was that? No, I know who it was, it had to have been Barry.

[ He wonders to himself if he'd ever have the guts to watch the movies made from the books he wrote.

But then he feels something... something strange and yet comforting even if his mind is still struggling to reconcile the conflicting feelings and sensations and what seems like fragmented memories that used to be whole.

It feels like someone's hands are resting on him, and part of him wants to lean into that touch. Why do I know this? ]

We've met somewhere before. Haven't we?

[ She gives a shake of her head even if he really can't see it. It would have to have been Barry Wheeler and Alice Wake. The divorce had never fully gone through with Alan's disappearance, which meant the rights and franchise all fell to presumably those two parties. Jesse was never involved. Why would she be? She only knew Barry a handful of days and none it would have been enough time for her to be included in anything with legalities.

« Not that I would have wanted it. I just wanted him home. He's home now, but...

It wasn't supposed to be this way. »

Not that there was a predetermined way for it to be. Just what she had imagined and hoped for in her own head.

His question tells her everything she needs to know. Confirms everything she was already suspecting.

That emotion rumbles in her chest. Green eyes tilt down to the floor between them and she stills. It reminds her of the time she thought Alan was coming home only to find out he was trapped in another story. Another story that, by the end, the villain was vanquished and the sunrise featured Alan and Alice Wake... and she was left behind.

Again.

Now...

« He forgot. »

She wrote him a note so he wouldn't forget. It was on his own instructions she did. Which means he forgot about the note as well. All that must have stuck was somehow him learning that "Jesse Faden" had become the Director. That her "guiding star" was still there too. He wrote a story where she vanquished the evil from the Lake and... she was left behind.

Again.

« At least whatever was left of Dylan remembered me. Remembered us. He knew I was Jesse and his sister. He knew and could see you. »

A frown tugs on the corner of her lips. She forces the walls to stay in place.

« No. I'm the Director now. People need me. They need someone to call the shots; to be the leader. This can't intefer with that. »

Her free hand curls.

« Thirteen years... and he forgot. »

Everything gets pushed down. Hidden behind walls she let him through once. She can't pull Polaris back, especially as her friend quite literally hums through the whole building. That doesn't mean she needs Polaris to reach out again. She has the answer she needed.

« He wanted the Director. So, he can talk to the Director. Not that I'm going to introduce myself that way. » ]

Estevez was trying to get you to co-operate with us. The Buearu has been holding down the area since you disappeared in 2010. We have reports from our own investigation thirteen years ago, but, they missed details. Details she was hoping you'd be willing to give to help us stop what we call "the Shadow", and what you call "the Dark Presence."

[ She pauses. ] We also have the reports the Director wrote up as she was involved with everything thirteen years ago. Hell, the locals still have pictures if when the two of you were here together.

[ « Part of me really hates this. It's not supposed to be this way. Did I really wait ALL this time for this...? »

Her free hand moves into the pocket that has her half of thr charm she gave him all those years ago. ]

The Director was also able to clear up some details about Dr. Emil Hartman... after she had to take him down at HQ. Her report said you contacted her about him.

We just wanted answers and to clear things up so we can help each other. You flew off the handle at her, Wake.

Edited 2024-08-30 03:06 (UTC)

[ He waits for an answer that he's not sure is ever coming. Why does it matter, anyway? Those books were from his old life. The movies have nothing to do with him, not really. Still, in a way, it's a connection to that life, even if he no longer feels like the man who dove into the Lake thirteen years ago.

All I wanted was to go home. Am I home now? Is this real? Can the Director help?

He feels himself hunching over, hands moving as if they want to grasp both sides of his head. No, I can't go to pieces now. I need the Director to help me. I need- I need what I'm missing to- What?

His movements are slow as he finally turns completely away from the window; he's straightened up again, and he's not clutching his head. There's a wary look in his eyes and in his posture, as if he's not sure he can trust her. Can he trust anyone around here? In his mind, even the walls of this room look threatening. Untrustworthy. Don't ask how a wall can look like anything but a wall.

That might as well have been a prison... those four walls. ]

Estevez. [ Alan's expression shifts to something not exactly unreadable, but there's something hesitant in it. Still wary and untrusting. ] I know what she wanted, but she wasn't doing a very good job getting me to do it. [ He huffs out a dry laugh. ]

Even the best negotiator probably would have a hard time. Are you the best negotiator? I- Wait.

[ Belatedly, her words click in Alan's mind, except they don't make sense. ]

I wasn't here with the Director. I was with... someone. Not the Director. You can't take those memories. They're ours.

[ Suddenly there's a hint of force behind Alan's words; it's not anger or hate, just an inexplicable force that even Alan doesn't understand. He's not even sure who the force is directed at. It's not directed at the woman in the room with him. ]

Those reports can't be real. Maybe the story changed and tried to make them real. Tried to make you all believe.

Hartman. He became something else. Turned into something else. The Third Thing. He's been taken care of?

[ Belatedly, Alan realizes his hands have clenched into fists, and he forces himself to relax them a little. ]

Sorry, I- [ He points at his head. ] It's kind of crazy up there. Not that I expect you to know that. What can I clear up for you? I could fly off the handle again, not that I want to do that. But what did you want to know?

[ Should I even tell her anything? ]

[ Her breath catches in her throat as he finally turns around. The beard and longer hair are new, but it's definitely him. It really is Alan Wake. He's older, but, the eyes are the same. Those gray eyes that can become light or dark depending on his mood.

« Something tells me it wasn't that Estevez wasn't doing it right. »

Her gaze drifts down once more as it's obvious that Alan doesn't recongize her. Nothing in his face or his gaze has the spark of realization. Especially as he continues by saying the Director wasn't who he had been with. His voice snaps and she visibly startles at sudden jump in tone.

That feeling in her chest increases. Her shoulders drop.

« He really doesn't recongize us. » ]

Jesse Faden is the Director. She was here in 2010. Not only that, but she was with you. We thought that's how you could contact her about Hartman. Because of that bond.

[ « I guess not. » ]

She took care of him four years ago.

[ Her gaze drifts to the side before looking back at him. ]

We know the event closed when you disappeared into the Lake. You somehow contacted the Director four years ago. We found a manuscript underneath a door in a place called the Oceanview Motel. What happened after you went into the Lake?

[ Alan's expression morphs into one of sheer confusion. It doesn't help that his memories are scattered, but the words he's hearing make no sense at all. ]

Why are you saying that? To get me to trust you or something? I know I wasn't with the Director back then. I- I'm trying to find someone. Yeah. I'm trying to find the Director, but-

[ This time, he scrubs his face with his hands as the confusion in his mind only grows. ]

I don't understand, I- Why doesn't this make sense? Why don't I remember things? I remember Hartman, and I remember... I was desperate. Scared. Trying to reach out to someone, anyone who could hear me.

... When did Jesse Faden become the Director?

[ He rubs his eyes more as if that will help dislodge the memories he can't seem to grab hold of. ]

What happened after I went into the Lake? I think... I think I figured out how the story had to end. All stories have an enemy, don't they? The enemy needed to be stopped. But I didn't know then that the enemy was much bigger than I thought it was. Barbara Jagger, or what was left of her, wasn't the real enemy.

That wasn't the end, even though a part of me wished it was. [ He's not sure if that even answered her question, so he just offers her a half-apologetic look that probably doesn't clear anything up at all. ]

She became the Director in 2019. Nine years after you went missing. [ Her tone softens despite the authority in it. Saying the dates outloud just make her heartache more. Over a decade... ] She was nineteen when things happened in Bright Falls.

I don't say things to get people to trust me, Wake.

[ « If you remembered me, you'd know that. » ]

So, you stopped the Dark Presence in the form of Barbara Jagger. The Lake closed behind you. You were trapped in another dimension for thirteen years, but managed to get messages out.

Now what? Another story? More manuscript pages to hunt down? Agent Anderson and Casey found some by the Lake. You had some on you as well. [ She frowns slightly. ] What exactly is going in between the Dark Presence and you this time?

[ Her hand curls around the charm.

« Telling him that I'm her--the Director, Jesse, won't even matter. It's just the feeling I have. He doesn't recongize me and can't even see the two points as yhe same person. There's no point. » ]

The Bright Falls team has found manuscripts over the years that have come up from the Lake. The Sheriff even had them on record. What is going on, Wake?

Edited 2024-08-30 20:18 (UTC)

2019... Nine years. [ Alan's expression seems to drift as his thoughts try to go back in time, back to 2010 and back to Bright Falls. ] I don't think I asked.

[ He looks at her then as if he's seeing her for the first time, and his gaze seems to focus more as he does. ]

There's something I don't understand about- well, about you.

[ It's more than not understanding. He's completely confused by it, and he's not sure if it's something he should know. ]

What's going on between us now? I'm- I've been trying to write my escape. I've written so much, written so many different things. It doesn't want this. It doesn't want me writing. But...

[ It got out! With my face... ]

I think it wants to bring the Dark Place here.

[ « No, he didn't. Not that I would have been entirely truthful at the start. Being afraid to let him in... then let him go. Not that it mattered in the end for the second one. »

Jesse listens intently to what he says to answer her questions. So, the Dark Presence wants what it's always wanted. It's still trying to get what it wants through Alan. She frowns slightly, but nods to show she's understanding what he's said. ]

I belive you.

[ A crawling sensation makes it's way up her back. She hates being examined or studied still, despite tests she's needed to do for her powers. She feels as if he is looking for something by staring at her the way he does. There is some answer he wants but he won't ask the question to even get the answer.

She finally pulls her hand from her pocket. With one motion she puts the keychain on the table for him to see. The other half of one she gave him a long time ago now. A buck and a doe for Deerfest 2010. ]

[ ...I didn't ask what? How old she was? I didn't ask her who she is. If she's the Director, why hasn't she just said that?

Alan's frown only deepens as he tries to follow the trains of thought his mind is having. But then he looks at her in surprise, as if he didn't think she'd believe anything he said. Or, well, if she did, she'd question him thoroughly before deciding either way. ]

That's it? I just say that, and you believe me? I'm not lying, but I thought...

[ He expected more questioning, given the approach Estevez had.

But he forgets all about that when he sees her pull something from her pocket and places it on the table. He stares at it for a second or two before realization and recognition hit. ]

Deerfest... the keychain. Our keychain. [ He looks away from the keychain and back at her, a questioning look returning to his eyes. ]

Where did you get that? How did you get that? Wait- she was trying to find you. The FBC. But she didn't want to be found either.

[ His hands clench into fists once more. ]

What did you do? [ He pauses. ] Who are you?

Edited 2024-08-31 19:27 (UTC)

This is our job. We investigate things like this. Try to learn what we can to detect these things and, if we can't prevent it, then at least try to be there to help the local population with the after effects.

[ « Try to be more humane than what Trench had the Buearu be. Not that he needs to know that. It wouldn't matter if he doesn't remember me. »

She watches him closely for the reaction to the keychain. Maybe it will help him click the pieces there. Maybe he'll finally realize that she's the one he had been looking for. That the Director Jesse Faden is the woman he wants.

He begins to speak and the hopes quickly crumble.

« ... I shouldn't be surprised. Reunions don't work how I hope. I should have KNOWN better. After Dylan, why would... »

The protective wall lowers just enough to see the upset in her eyes.

« ...but it's Alan... »]

Alan...

[ As if on queue, the door behind them opens. The Ranger Captain steps in, his hand on the door to wedge it open. Jesse turns to look at the man. A knowing look is in the old pilot's gaze before giving a noncommittal shrug. ]

"Sorry to interrupt, but Estevez needs you. She's got a lead on something."

[ Jesse glances to the side before inhaling and placing everything properly behind the walla she's constructed. Walls that Alan has always been good at pulling down. ]

Alright... Wake can speak with you when he's calmed down and ready to talk again.

[ The Ranger Captain nods. ] "You got it, Faden. Miss Director." [ He steps out of the way and allows for Jesse to pass by without another word. Then, he looks over at Alan and shrugs once more. ] "I'll be outside if you need anything, Wake. Just knock."

That doesn't answer the question. So you investigate things like this... the weird things that no one can explain, right? I get that, but what I don't get is... investigating doesn't mean believing, unless you already decided you believed me before you even walked in here.

[ Maybe he's being too skeptical, but something tells him he's not. ]

... The after effects. [ Names start forming in Alan's mind unbidden. ] After effects like Stucky and Rose? Rusty? Emma Sloan? And what about Bright Falls?

[ It might look fine, but there's an undercurrent of something. Maybe that something's always been there, or maybe it was accentuated by Alan. Because of Alan.

But he doesn't have time to think more about that, because the door opens, and the Ranger Captain walks inside. Alan also turns to look at him, but as far as he knows, he's just another person that's attached to the Bureau.

But before he knows it, Jesse is moving and walking away from him, leaving the room. The words she exchanges with the ranger don't seem important, because it's the fact that she's leaving that's struck a chord with Alan. She leaves, and the ranger says something about being outside if he needs anything, and then they're both gone.

Alan just stands there, hand slightly outstretched, although he doesn't remember moving to complete that action.

Wait...

The request for Jesse to wait never formed, and he never spoke it out loud, and now it's too late. Why?

He stares down at the keychain that she left behind, and he realizes that he didn't want her to go.

Faden. Miss Director. That's what the Ranger Captain called her.

Is it...? Is she who I've been trying to find? How could I have forgotten about her?

He realizes suddenly that he's standing up, and he doesn't remember doing that, but he suddenly and rather abruptly drops into the chair near the table, and he grabs the keychain, folding his fingers around it as if he never wants to let it go.

What the hell do I do now?

If the Ranger Captain happens to peer in again, he'll just see Alan sitting down, head in his hands, and the keychain clenched firmly in one of them. ]

[ Jesse hears the door close behind her. She can tell there isn't something that Estevez really needs. Her right hand man had bailed her out of a situation that was going to compromise things. A situation going out of control that needed to be salvaged. She glances behind her and the Ranger nods.

Jesse keeps moving. Walking. Her pace picks up. She's quickly walking to the room considered hers. She walks to the bed and simply sits down. Her hands are shaking. Trembling.

She inhales.

A moment later the door opens.

She looks up to see Estevez standing there.

The door closes.

Estevez takes a seat in the chair across the bed. Hands sit in her lap. A gesture is made.

« Right.... the whole story from 2010. She needs to know it. » ]

"How about we go back to thr start? And, no, it's not an interview. I don't have the authority to do that. But, I need to know, Jesse. I have people counting on me... and you do too."

[ « Stay with Alan. Okay? »

Meanwhile, the Ranger Captain steps back into the room with Alan. He closes the door behind him. Then, he crosses his arms and waits. ]

[ Alan doesn't move when he hears the door open and hears the footsteps entering. They don't belong to the woman who left; the tread is too heavy for that. He wonders what he wants. What do any of them want?

The woman that just left doesn't look familiar or even feel familiar, but she had the keychain. How could she have that, unless she always had it? That keychain was theirs, their way of representing their connection.

How could I just forget we had a connection? Was that in the story? Did I put that in? I don't know where my part of the keychain is.

Alan's grip on his head tightens and he feels pressure behind his eyes and in his head starting to build as he tries to make sense of this. It doesn't matter that he's being watched. It doesn't matter that the Ranger Captain is probably observing him and thinking he's a nutcase.

Why don't I know what I'm supposed to do next? Didn't she say that they found manuscript pages? Maybe the answer is on those, if they'll let me see them.

Slowly, Alan's fingers loosen and pull away from his head, but he still doesn't look up at the other man in the room with him. ]

[ Ranger Captain Steve Mitchell simply watches Alan. Not like a hawk or a man on guard. More akin to someone who has seen something similar too many times before. Not everyone can handle going from threshold to threshold. Not every Astralnaut can handle the intensity of visiting the Astral Plane.

There's no documentation on someone in another dimension for thirteen years and coming back.

There's no knowledge of what happens to the mind after that long.

Steve looks down at Alan and tilts his head. The man will ask a question eventually. He can't lead the man on or suggest questions. It has to come naturally from the missing writer. ]

[ Somehow, Steve's presence makes Alan feel like he's being scrutinized. Examined and assessed.

He's not sure if he likes that feeling.

But whether he does or not, it doesn't seem to matter. The FBC wants answers, and they seem determined to get them from him. It's just a matter of time and whether or not he can cooperate.

What will they do if I don't work with them? I know I wanted to find them because they might be the only people who can help, but... I don't think I have a choice. I don't think I can do this alone anymore.

For another second or two, Alan's gaze remains staring down at the surface of the table, but slowly, his head raises until he's looking at Steve. Part of him wants to recoil, and another part wants to hide, but he can't do that, can he? ]

S- sorry they stuck you in here like this. Watching a nutcase probably isn't at the top of your priorities.

"I've seen my fair share of this shit break people, Wake. You shouldn't have my job if you're not prepared for it." [ Steve non-chalantly answers. ] "You're not the first and you won't be the last."

[ He can recall seeing how the Hiss Invasion rattled so many of his squad mates. Other Rangers. Other members of the Buearu. How having to put down someone they just called friend less than twelve hours before hand twisted them. He can recall how seeing some Rangers couldn't handle coming back through thresholds. How some never came back as themselves.

He refused to leave Faden's side--as long as something didn't keep him from it--since he saw her clean out the Atlas Chamber. Her and that resonance that followed her cleaned through the Oldest House. He knows it taxed her. He knows the secrets she found haunted her on some level. Especially when she had found her lost brother.

Especially when she had to navigate through what Investigations had done to Hartman. What the man did to himself. What Investigations found. He imagines, though, that's the Director's story to tell.

He instead decides to let Alan set the pace and questions. ]

You have, huh? And how are you defining "this shit"?

[ How Steve answers that will be telling. Of course, he heard the explanation that it's the FBC's job to keep track of insane things like this, but that doesn't tell Alan what he needs to know. Alan knows that he's being a skeptic, maybe more skeptical than he has any right to be, but a part of him can't help it.

In all honesty, Alan's surprised he hasn't come apart at the seams more than he has. Even so, if Steve is expecting him to set the pace, or set anything at all, well- they might be here a long time.

Other than those questions, Alan's just drawing a blank. If they want him to make decisions, if they want him to direct this anywhere... He's not sure he can do that. ]

Look, I- What do you want? I know what the agent from before said, and I know she was really not happy with me, but...

[ He shakes his head, and after a second's pause, there's a thud as his fist connects with the table, a flash of that old temper resurfacing. ]

Maybe she had it right. Maybe you should just make this an interrogation and get it over with.

"What we call Altered World Events. When realities brush up against each other and cause a mess. What happened in 2010. What's apparently happening now. Every event is different even if it involves the same people and the same otherworldly entity."

[ An unimpressed raise of his eyebrows. ] The Buearu wants your co-operation and help in putting an end to the AWE. They want to know what's going on, why, how, and what they need to do to stop it. They want to know why you're involved, how you're involved, and if you can be trusted.

As for Faden? I think she wants something else. She's waited what sounds like a long time for this--you being back.

Altered World Events. [ Alan repeats the phrase, trying to digest it and whatever it means. ] So that's what you call all these crazy things that shouldn't happen and shouldn't be able to turn people into monsters and- Got it. Kind of.

What if, when I tell the Bureau what I'm doing and what they might be able to help with, they decide that they don't want to help? That they don't like what I've had to do to get here... that they don't like what I might have to do to actually stop the Dark Presence? Because yeah, it's not stopped. It's still out there, obviously.

[ There's no attitude behind that last statement, just an acknowledgment that the Dark Presence is still a huge threat. The biggest threat, even. ]

Faden. Faden... [ He repeats the name, feeling the smallest nudge at his mind, as if something is telling him he should know that name and why she's important. The keychain tried to wake up something in his mind, but he still doesn't know what that is. ]

Why isn't anyone saying who she is? Is she the Director? Why the secrecy there, unless it's to protect her?

[ She's waited what sounds like a long time for this--you being back.

Alan's hand curls around the keychain again. But why? What's she been waiting for? Could it be that- No, that's crazy, right? ]

She said that the Director was here with me in 2010, but I know I didn't meet the Director then. Unless... did I meet the Director and didn't know it? Is that what she was trying to say?

[ A nod to his understanding, at basic level, of what is going on. ] "The Event is when the two realities bump and collide. Any person or item in it can be altered. Certain people end up changed, or already had something unique to them that makes it come out. People like Faden.

Honestly? Estevez will handle it how she will and ask Faden for back up. We're here to help her team stop the AWE. If whatever you're going to do puts more people in danger? They'll detain you."

[ Steve watches how Alan processed the name. Tried to put the pieces together. He can't see why the dots aren't lining up. A sigh leaves him before he pushes from the door. He opens the manilla folder he has on him and pulls out a picture. He placed it in front of Alan.

A red headed young girl standing with Rose Merrigold and a few others outside the Oh Deer Diner. A banner for the 68th Deerfest--2010. In the window a familiar cut out of the famous author Alan Wake can be seen. ]

"Jesse Faden IS the Director of the Federal Bureau of Control. She wasn't in 2010 when you were here. She became Director four years ago. She said the two of you were close... and she kept half of a keychain she gave you." [ Steve glances at him. ] "You've been in another dimension for thirteen years. We don't know how your mind is. She probably didn't want to cause a cognitive collapse... not to mention Faden is just a private person. She is probably hoping for a reunion you'd expect after thirteen years."

[ Alan's doing his best to make mental notes of this; maybe he won't remember, or maybe the Dark Presence will find a way to pull the memories out of his mind, but he wants to remember this. He wants to remember everything, but that seems to be more of a tall order. ] So that's what's happening now, and it happened in 2010. And probably more times than that, but the average person wouldn't know that, right?

Just- just trying to make sure I'm following.

[ Alan's expression darkens slightly, but he doesn't react more than that. ]

Maybe you should. But maybe the Dark Presence is bigger than all of you. Maybe... [ Something seems to click in his mind, finally. Maybe no one else could force him to realize it; maybe he needed to realize it on his own, and now that he has, he realizes how stupid he's been. ] Maybe I do need to work together with you, if you'll still have me. Or interrogate me. Whatever.

[ He's really given them no reason to want to work with him, after all. He probably deserves to be detained, with the key thrown away.

Steve places the photograph in front of him, and Alan's gaze zeroes in on it almost immediately.

He jerks back from it as if something about it burned him, but that's not it. That's not why he's suddenly clutching his head again. A switch flipped in his mind, and the memories that have been blocked or repressed or whatever it is are coming flooding back.

Steve's words register in his mind even as he holds his head and stares at the picture. It takes a few tries for Alan to be able to speak, and when he does, his voice sounds strangled, but the words are clear enough: ]

Jesse... I remember. I remember telling her- promising her I wouldn't forget. [ Fingers curl tighter against his head and his eyes squeeze shut. ] Why did I forget?

[ He shakes his head and his eyes slide open again, but he doesn't look at Steve, choosing instead to stare at the picture. ] She probably doesn't even want to see me now that I forgot. Some reunion.

OCEANVIEW :: INTO THE DARK

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