I Have A Theory

Chapter Four, Darius And Eva

So, while Jesus sleeps under his father's dead body. While Jeong-Su's hand performs magic tricks in ten dimensions of space. While the whole facility seems to center around us, and conflict brews to the tune of Greene's quiet steps through the halls at night. While Robertson pushes up his glasses.

While all of that happens.

Darius Knight and Eva Malay go somewhat unnoticed.

And one day, I arise, watch the flesh, grab my coffee from Robert Daniel Robertson. I sip the hot coffee and I walk into the study hall--the arena--to start on this latest day's work.

Not a corner is unmarked.

Overnighter. Eva stands in a far corner, clearly exhausted, smudging and smearing marker as she leans against the massive pattern on the wall. Darius lies flat, looking complete and whole and indomitable.

Fist clenches. Throws his arm up into the air. Triumphant?

Eva Malay clears her throat.

"We figured out why we're here."

I give her a nod, but it's so slight and begrudging that I doubt she even sees it.

"Kimberley," says Darius, his voice vague and beseeching, "You are the one I respect most, and you found your Christ, just as you predicted. Jeong-Su had another theory, and demonstrated it, too. Between you two, we are willing to share our thoughts. Do you want to get him?"

Look around, in askance of the walls. "Why would I?"

Eva and Darius give each other matching stares. Cute and nonverbal, annoying.

I groan. "No, we're not still fucking."

"So you were," notes Darius.

"Once. My god, just once."

"Your god is dead," replies Eva Malay.

I nod at her, confused. Look back at the walls for advice, but they're too smothered in Darius and Eva to help me. Like ivy, like strange gaps in understanding.

In fact, there are strange gaps. All throughout the various words, lines, and color-coded loopty-loops. One of them is central, and in it lies Darius. Duplicated within it, in the color green, are all of the various scribbles, in broad strokes. A recursive image.

"So your theory is about the facility around us," I note.

Darius nods, pushes himself up off his hands, and runs to get Jeong-Su. Doesn't even care about the streaks of white his trainers leave as he rushes from the room.

Eva frowns.

"I proved to him that the flesh doesn't exist. He took all my work, my meticulous calculations of mass, density, vascularity, tissue structure, and summarized it, slotting his theory like a capstone onto the pyramid I made for him."

I nod. "You're saying you're a woman."

Frowns harder. "When he described how we challenge and provoke each other--his grand theory of counterparts and foils--I didn't think our conflict would be one of jealousy. Of sex. I thought we were going to entice and goad each other, to bring out the best."

"Conflict is conflict is conflict," I say. "I think he might have planned this counterpart thing from the beginning--to set everyone important in opposition to one other. To pick you up, then break you. Darius Knight was the first one with a theory, though mine was flashier."

I don't even know if it's true, but I watch her fracture under the weight of my words.

And then, Eva Malay starts to tell me things.