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Darnell: *once they're outside, to Connor* ...thoughts?

Conner: ...I do not know what to think. My logic systems tell me that spirits cannot exist, and yet I cannot deny what I saw in there. Something /was/ strange, and it /did/ lead us to that body...

Darnell: ........ *nods* Your logic systems tell you that spirits cannot exist because they were created by people who don't /believe/ that spirits exist. Sometimes people who have authority over us - parents, teacher, in your case your creators - feed us invalid information. Either because they are outright lying to us, or because what /they/ believe to be the truth is, in fact, not the case and they are misinformed. I'm sorry, Connor. I never would have wanted to put you into this kind of a situation. Humans can barely deal with this sort of thing. It's not really fair to ask an android to try to make sense of it.

Conner: ...*he just...nods, taking it all in, processing.*

Darnell: *will give his arm a supportive squeeze, then will climb into the car, settling to fill out his journal*

*It won't take long for the coroner to arrive. He'll take the body and promise Darnell his report. Darnell and Conner can leave the area now if they want.*

*Unless Connor has any objection, Darnell will drive them back to the office.*

Conner: *no objection at all.*

*They’ll get back to the office, make their report to Chief Inspector Fanzone, who approves them getting the original case files for the missing teen so they can review.*

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Darnell: *will retreat to his office with Connor to do just that - in part, they're looking for others involved that they can question anew...but mostly Darnell for one just wants to bring closure for the kid's family*

*Reading over the old report they’ll learn that the young man’s name was Jaden. He lived at the farm with his family. They’d been there for about two years when one evening their son vanished. Mother and fathee had been out for a horseback ride together, and evening tradition for the couple, and their daughter, Jaden’s yoinger sistee vouched for theor alibi, as did a neighbor who had chatted with the couple. Lily, Jaden’s sister, had been distraught durring her interview. She’d seen her brother go to his room, thought she heard something and went to check on him and he wasn’t there. She searched everywhere, calling for them, then called 911. Her parents got home to find police all around the house, thier son missing. No evidence of foul plau was found by the officers at the time, and obviously the young man was never found, remaining a missing person until today. It’s a tragic story, but at least Darnell and Conner can now give this family closure.*

*They'll track down the family...and go visit. Darnell's badge, along with the promise of news on their missing son, gets them let into the house despite their unannounced arrival. They'll state that their son's body was just found and is currently in the custody of the coroner for examination. It'll be released to the family as soon as her exam is completed. In the car ride over, he asked Connor to let him do most of the talking, though he's certainly free to answer if addressed directly. Mostly, he just doesn't want the paranormal aspect brought up. The family likely wouldn't believe them, it could unnecessarily upset and possibly even anger or offend them, depending on their spiritual beliefs. Darnell will tell them of being sent out due to reports of suspicious activity and describe searching the house and finding the panel in the floor of the closet, where they found the son's body. He'll tell them about Connor climbing into the space and making the same mistake Jaden must have, and how he couldn't hear Connor calling for him even though he was /right/ there and /knew/ Connor was in there. It explains why Lily never heard Jaden's cries.*

*Conner is fine letting Darnell talk. If nothing else because he’s still partly processing all this paranormal stuff. He does express condolences to the family. They’re heartbroken all over at learning that their son was /there/ the whole time. The mother always felt he was close, she just never imagined he’d be /that/ close. They’re /thankful/ to Darnell and Conner for finding Jaden, and they are eager to get thier son’s body to put him to rest.*
Conner: *as they’re headed back to to office.* You said you would tell me more about paranormal happenings...?

Darnell: *nods* I'll point you in the direction of some internet materials you can go through, too. I think that'd be a really good use of your time while I'm asleep tonight. *pulls a breath, casting for where to begin* Throughout human history, pretty much all cultures believed - and many still do - in things that don't exist in the material world, that aren't manifest in a physical way. Ghosts, spirit and animal guides, angels, gods and goddesses. Don't look too closely into who says what's real and what's not - humanity also has a confusing knack for clinging to contradictions too. Pure logic would say "if A, then also B", but you'll find plenty of instances where people will argue A but /not/ B, for a variety of reasons. Spiritual and religious beliefs are funny things that way. But anyway . . . along came the Age of Reason, when the sciences became the End-All, Be-All across Europe. "Primitive beliefs" were cast aside for what was "real," what could be measured, proven, repeated with accuracy. Anything that science couldn't explain got shunted aside called "supernatural," "paranormal," and not actually real. *CLEARLY has more to say, but he'll pause at that and glance over at Connor* With me so far?

Conner: *takes that all in. He has information about religions so as to be able to speak with people on a personal level, but his programming doesn’t say what is or isn’t real in that respect. He nods.* I follow.

Darnell: *nods* Okay, good. So...I mentioned the Stone Tape Theory? Well, let me back up first. You're familiar with the idea of everything being made up of molecules and atoms, right? Even the most solid things, like you and me, this car, our clothes, trees and rocks and...everything, is made of molecules of /energy/ if you drill down to the most basic level...?

Conner: Yes. *listening. Curious as to where this is going...*

Darnell: So, essentially, everything is made of energy, and energy can't be destroyed, only changed, right? Well, emotions are energetic, thoughts are energy, memories are energy. So there's this . . .it's popularly called a theory, but it's not technically, it's just a hypothesis. But the name of it is Stone Tape Theory. I don't rememeber the details off the top of my head - you can look it up tonight - but basically, there are materials like I think limestone that, if there's a powerful trauma that takes place by them, like a murder or an accidental death, the materials may, in essence, "record" the incident, the e ergies getting imprinted into the material. And then, when atmospheric conditions are right, the energies can get played back just like a recording. But because the exact conditions for any given location are all but impossible to determine, let alone replicate, it can't be tested and proven, therefore scientists, who already don't believe in the supernatural, write it off as not real, that people are lying or self-deceiving.

Conner: ...I see. But this... wasn't like a... "recorded event", was it?

Darnell: No, it wasn't. You're right, Connor. Again, there is energy in sentience too - bio-electric energy in the body, neural electricity in the brain, thought energy, awareness energy, emmotional energy . . . what happens to all that energy when the body dies? Remember, energy doesn't just cease to exist, it changes. Changes into what? Not every time, obviously - the world would be overrun otherwise - but at least sometimes, those energies stay cohesive, it seems. Jaden died very slowly, probably running out of air and suffocated. He was painfully aware the whole time. He'd have been absolutely terrified. That level of emotion, of energy, for a prolonged time - not a flash but sustained over several minutes - would leave a mark. Jaden died knowing his family was right outside and they'd never know he was there. That emotion, that thought, locked his whole energies to the house, simply wanting to be found. Then at long last, he was. He knew his family would be told, they'd know the truth after all this time. He could finally find peace and go wherever it is that spirits normally go.

Conner: ...This is... difficult to accept. I know it can’t be as you say, and yet I cannot deny what happened today. My programming and my experiences contradict each other.

Darnell: *nods* I knew that would happen. It's what I tried to protect you from. Just know that you may /never/ be able to reconcile the two. Even most humans struggle with that, so at least you're not along in that.

((“Alone” for when I’m home to copy to doc))

Conner: ...May I ask what other cases you’ve been on that have paranormal aspects?

((Done. XD;;;))

Darnell: *nods* All the cases in those paintings on the bookcase, for starters. Since finding myself in this line of work, art has become a way to cope. Getting the dark things, the things that have scared me, the things that have hurt me, getting them down on paper or canvas helps get it /out/ of my head, where thinking about it, remembering it, reliving it, doesn't drive me crazy. I seem to average about one paranormal case a year, though early on, I had no fewer than /three/ back-to-back with about week's time. *glances at Connor as they pull into the parking garage at MCF* The worst, though, have all been Ravenhearst Manor outside of Blackpool, England. *and Connor will see the hints of haunted memories in his eyes at saying the names*

Edited 2018-10-01 01:27 (UTC)

Conner: ... *studies Darnrll... and nod.* I...will do my best to comprehend the paranormal, should we end up on another such case.

Darnell: *gives him a wry grin* That's all /any/ of us can do, Connor. Our best to try to comprehend. Once we finish our reports, we can leave for the day. At home, I can tell you details about some of my cases if you'd like. Oh, I've also got all my past case notes. Though… *rueful grin* There was one really important and dangerous case I don't have a journal for. I'd started one, but it kind got lost in the ocean.

Conner: I would like to hear about those cases. ...your journals, in the box beside the couch. Those are your case notes, aren’t they?

Darnell: *nods* I keep them with me - send them here when I'm home for the summer and back to London when I return. I don't know why. You're welcome to read them, though. I'll even put them in order for you. But yup, I'll tell you whatever you'd like to know.

Conner: ...I assumed them another expression of creativity for you....

Darnell: You're not wholly wrong, really. Just that they're not fiction. Most would take them for it, though. What's in those journals is hard if not impossible for most people to comprehend, let alone believe. Even my own family doesn't know about those cases. I hide them behind claims of being confidential…which some of my work is, so it's not implausible. Honestly, I'd expect to be mocked for what's written in those journals, which is another reason I like to keep them with me - less likely that someone will randomly find and read them if I always know exactly where they are.

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