Walls Came Tumbling Down

"Good morning, Matt." Chrissie appeared at the bars. She caught his quick glance, before the redhead looked studiously back at his game. "It amazes me that you can still remain so silent. I know that you're not talking things over with Lauren, because we're monitoring your cell and this corridor." She waited. His thumbs moved on the controls, but there was no other response. "You've had Seroxat. You're no longer in cold turkey."

Matt spoke so softly that she had to strain to hear him. "How is Mello?"

"He's recovered well from the surgery, but he's in bad shape." Chrissie paused. She took the question as a good sign. Had that been Salvo lying in a hospital miles away, she knew that she would have been screaming the place down for information. Matt's quiet query was his equivalent of that. "His wound will take a good five or six days to heal, then he really needs to be resting for another eight to eleven days. In short, he's going to be hospitalised for at least another week. How does that make you feel?"

Chrissie saw the relief flash across Matt's features. His shoulders sagged and he exhaled. He put the game down, in order to light a cigarette. He was shaking. She didn't actually expect him to answer her, but he did. "Is anyone with him?"

"Hal and Deontic." Chrissie was watching him keenly. She saw the glistening tears before he turned away. "I'm going to make a case for you based on your anti-depressants. I've got Luigi writing a report about Seroxat. Just my preliminary research has thrown up horror stories about it. Ordinarily mild-mannered people turning violent. There are whole support groups for it. It was supposed to be the wonder drug, but it's caused more problems than it's fixed. Side-effects include paranoia, psychotic episodes, anger, distress, personality changes." She realised that she was getting no input from him. "How long have you been on it, Matt?"

Footsteps sounded in the corridor, leading towards them. Chrissie turned to survey Lauren. The Finn looked worn out, but she had at least slept for a few hours, knowing that Stephen Gevanni would be watching Matt. Lauren cast a wary look at Chrissie. Last night, Chrissie had warned Lauren off telling Matt anything. The rationale was that, if Matt had any confirmation of Mello's feelings, then the redhead could easily switch into even more erratic behaviour. If he was definitely rejected, then his genius would be turned to suicide. If he was definitely forgiven, then they'd be looking at Matt trying to escape. Lauren had not been wholly convinced, but she'd also been too tired to stage any effective protest.

Chrissie signalled to Lauren to be quiet, then immediately turned back to Matt. "You will be allowed to call Mello later, but first you must answer my questions and submit to Valerie's psychiatric examination. This is to help you. This is so that I can argue for your release."

"Just over a year."

"Pardon?"

Matt leaned against the wall, his back towards them. They could see the plumes of smoke from his cigarette. His quiet voice seemed devoid of emotion. "Nearly two years. I went on Seroxat not long after Kira. They helped. Mello hates it."

"When we were in the meeting, at Wammy's House, you said that Mello has been trying to wean you off anti-depressants. Were you talking about Seroxat?"

"Yes." Matt reached up to touch his face. It didn't take a genius to assume that he was wiping away tears. "Roger prescribed them. It will be in his records."

Lauren interrupted. "You speak of defending him, as his lawyer. Where is the judge? Defend him where and to whom?"

Chrissie resisted the urge to smack her. It was the most pertinent question of all and it was the whole reason that Chrissie was here. But that was politics. It was the issue that kept her awake at night and had done so for months. But no-one was going to debate it over Neuron. They just might over Matt. Bringing it out in the open now was too soon. Before she could answer, Matt coughed. "Lauren?"

"Yes, Matt?"

"Will you go to him please?" Matt's hand fell from his mouth. There was only the singed stub of the cigarette in it. "Will you...?" He swallowed and didn't finish the instruction. He whispered. "He likes you. On his side."

Chrissie frowned. "Why are you sending Lauren for information? I've already told you that you can speak with Mello later on."

Matt's fingers curled around the collar at his own neck. They held it tightly. He was still turned away from them, a shoulder up the wall and his head bowed. Lauren pressed on. "Under whose jurisdiction is he held here? Why can't I just fly him back to Aberystwyth now and let him speak with Mello face to face?"

"Under the same logic," Chrissie countered, "I can go across this building and release Neuron. Or is it one rule for one and another for the man with the Mafioso husband?"

Lauren fell silent and sat down on one of the two available chairs. Into the silence, Matt quietly spoke. "I don't fully remember doing it."

Chrissie nodded. "What do you remember, Matt?"

"Standing in the doorway."

"Which doorway?" Chrissie knew that this was being recorded, as every word was, on the monitoring system. Nevertheless, she took her own dictaphone from her pocket and began openly recording her personal copy. "At the manor house?"

Matt's hand was at his mouth. They could hear him chewing at his nails. "The outhouse."

"Where was Mello?"

"Inside. Setting the bombs."

Chrissie smiled encouragement, though he still had his back turned to her. "Doing great, Matt. Were you armed at the time?"

Matt nodded. "Yes."

"Against who? Who did you think might attack that could be stopped with a bullet?"

Matt flinched. "Outline of a man. Silhouette of a man. He came towards us." He sniffed. "Like the woman on the other side of the wall, but evil. Really evil. And I thought it was infrasound. Eyes vibrating. Pareidolia. Something. And he came closer, right towards me and..." His softly given words gave out and he just stood there, head bowed over his gnawed nails.

Lauren interrupted. "The shadow man was seen by Kiana and by Hal. Kiana called it evil."

"The next thing I remember," Matt supplied, in barely audible tones, "I was in the house and nothing made sense."

Chrissie nodded. She had also received Hal and Deontic's report. She knew that Mello had described Matt as 'possessed'. She could see the goosebumps raised on Lauren's arms and felt the chill herself. Deontic and Hal had spent most of the previous night bringing Chrissie up to date about the events at the manor house. Some very sane and reasonable people were convinced about this. It had also frightened laid-back Century into a heart attack. It was difficult to retain the measure of detachment that the story should be due. Any other time, she might have dismissed it out of hand. "Carry on, Matt."

Matt shook his head and lit another cigarette. "I'll tell Mello."

"Tell us."

But Matt was apparently done speaking, as he didn't say another word for all Chrissie's pressing. After twenty minutes of her unanswered questions, it was Lauren who replied. "Can we not just drop this until we know what Mello wants to happen?"

Chrissie frowned. "The Watari System is not dependent upon Mello's wants and desires. Near didn't get dispossessed to pave the way for Mello's sovereignty. We have a committee." Awkwardness hung in the air. "Are you asking me to fear that Mello will come blasting in here with guns and bombs? Matt, is that what you're counting upon?" She looked from Lauren to Matt and back again. Matt kept his back to them, giving nothing away. Lauren fidgeted in her seat, radiating discomfort. "Is that why you aligned with them? Because that's where you identified the power being here? I think you've under-estimated Near's capacity to be a control freak." Chrissie sighed. "I was raised in an institution which was meant to be about justice. It undermined itself with its own practices and now we're reduced to this. A petty fiefdom with its own private army; permissible simply because it has the money and audacity to attempt it."

"With respect, you are blowing this out of all proportion." Lauren winced. "A lot of good has come out of Watari."

"Has it?"

Lauren looked incredulous. "The global crime rate lowered once L was established. If it wasn't for Watari, then Kira would still be out there."

"Yes, and the MayDay line is filled with happy customers." Chrissie agreed. "Matt was right. It's founded on criminality and the exploitation of children. Do the ends justify the means?" She peered back through the bars. "Mello got away with murder. None of us can prove it, but we know it. Raito Yagami went down without a trial, nor even the publicity about what he did or did not do. He came last in a deadly power struggle. That isn't the same as justice. Across this building, we have a young man, who buckled under the pressure and blew up in the wrong direction. There has been no attempt to give him a trial. Do we lock him away until he dies of natural causes? Or, perhaps, put a bullet through his head to resolve the problem?"

Lauren gasped, "You lot have just developed a whole fucking Resolution aimed at dealing with this!"

"And you are asking me to ignore it, in order to wait on Mello's judgement." Chrissie gestured back down the corridor. "And what of that witness? Morien Williams? Madeleine has him sedated, but have we even the right to keep him? Deontic has a complaint against him. He may have a complaint against Mello. And who are we kidding that justice is even a factor in any of these negotiations?" She stared at Matt's unresponsive back. "Valerie will be down to assess you shortly, Matt. Co-operate with her better than you've been co-operating with me and we'll see about that call to Mello."