martinthomasoregan

[martinthomasoregan]

He lifted the cup to his lips and swallowed the last of the cold water. He could feel the cool liquid running down his oesophagus and into his empty stomach. He left the cup on the table resolving to bring it back up to the kitchen on his way for his shower. This was in strict terms a breach of protocol as the manual stated in Article 5.3: ‘An officer of The State is a representative of The State and as such his behaviour at all times should be exemplary. It is the duty of all officers to practice cleanliness and efficiency in all personal habits and appearance disregarding any discomfort to his/her person. Exceptions may be made in extraordinary circumstances in the field where it may be necessary to blend with subjects or surroundings in execution of ones duty or where an officer must practice subterfuge for the greater good of The State. Service to The State is the officers paramount responsibility and will remain his priority. Where possible an officer will seek Departmental authority in the form of permission from his commanding officer or a higher Department official before breaching this protocol. However in recognition of changing circumstances that may occur in the field retrograde permission may be granted where The Department sees fit after subsequent scrutinisation. An officers past adherence to his duty and his service record may be taken into account while under scrutinisation but such consideration is not obligatory. The Department has ultimate authority in imposing sanctions in all cases.’ He was sure given the extraordinary circumstances he found himself in that no sanction would be forthcoming. His physical condition being so weakened that it was a matter of efficiency to preserve energy by keeping his exertions climbing stairs to a minimum in order to maintain his service to The State. It was now incumbent on him as the last Resident officer of Complex 3492 C to continue on his daily inspection so he made his way down into the belly of the beast.

The water sloshed about in his contracted stomach as he descended the stairs to check the perimeter and take inventory in the store-room. The store-room was yet another terminal alcove secured by a drop down corrugated metal door kept under lock and key. The key was stored at all times in the office as access to the store-room was under the authority of the Resident officer in charge who was stationed in the office. The Resident officer in charge was a nominal title as none of the Resident Officers outranked each other. Temporary authority was granted on a daily basis under a strict rota for the sake of efficiency. It would not be wise to have one permanent superior as power would be derogated into one individual’s hands lending that person authority over the other officers that would make them disinclined to report any abnormalities they may observe in that individual for fear of sanction. Four Resident Officers of equal rank willingly observing each other as well as everybody else led to a well maintained complex and accurate reporting. He continued down the stairwell to the office.

Of all the alcoves the office was the only one which appeared to be purpose built. All the others were at the end of, and in direct alignment with, whatever passageway they were located in whereas the office was at a right angle to the passageway on the ground floor. There was a purpose to this as this gave the office a commanding view of the basement stairwell that gave access to the warren. He lifted the counter and entered the office. When he closed the counter he sat on the stool and ran his hand affectionately over the smooth counter-top. This was the hub of the warren where all officers signed in and out for duty. Where all reports on the subjects resident in the building were deposited to be sent to the security division of the Directorate of Internal Affairs for scrutinisation and on to the records depository of the Secretariat of the Directorate of Internal Affairs. It always gave him solace to sit at the counter. A feeling of pride and satisfaction welled up inside of him when he thought of the many hours of diligent work that had passed through this tiny alcove squeezed between the walls. To his left on a nondescript shelf sat The Manual. It was always present in his life since childhood in various manifestations. They had learned off sections of The Manual in school but this was one of the most complete editions, authorised for Security Officers only. The Manual was to be handled with care and not to be disseminated to the general population. In reverence for The Manual and for it’s security it was strictly forbidden to remove it from the office.

The Manual held within it the code that all proper citizens of The State adhered to and all Officers

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of The State abided by in every aspect of their lives. It was the sacred contract between The State, The Department and the people to ensure the prosperity that comes from a well ordered society. Every morning he read through some articles of the manual to reaffirm his own commitment to The State even though he already knew them by heart. He took the well thumbed book in his hands and felt it’s weight solidly in his hands. He opened the book at the beginning and started to read the first Article.

‘Departmental Manual for members of the Directorate of internal affairs

Article 1: Definition of The State

1.1 The people are The State. All power of The State derives from the people. Power is invested by the people solely to The State. The State exists for the purpose of ensuring the common good of the people. The State guarantees the security of the people from external and internal influences that would seek to destroy this cherished covenant.

2 No individual or group, foreign or domestic may question the motives of The State or criticise any action by The State as The State acts only in the collective interest of the people. It is the duty and responsibility of each and every citizen to adhere to the policies of The State and abide by all decisions of the State.  Through this covenant The State will fulfil its obligation to realise the future destiny of the people.

2.1 The State declares The Department of Administration (hitherto referred to as The Department) as the manifest will of the people. The State recognises the right of The Department to be the sole representative of The State in matters of policy and administration of that policy. The State recognises The Department’s legitimate right to govern in the name of the people. The State asserts on first principles that the Department and The State are one and the same, unified in the common goal of pursuing all interests for the collective good of the people.

2 The State asserts the right of The Department to bear arms for the protection of The State against all enemies foreign and domestic. The Department will represent The State in all foreign relations and is free to enter into any international trade deals or political treaties that it deigns desirous for the benefit of the people. In all issues of security The Department is the sole authority and has vested in it the supreme authority to wage war and form military alliances.

3 The department has vested in it the power to derogate any of its aforementioned powers to any of the bodies or its officers under its supervision and authority such as, but not exclusively, a directorate or court. The Department reserves the right to scrutinise and be the arbiter of any instance of derogation of these powers. The Department shall according to circumstance in the interest of the proper running of The state create new bodies to serve its interest. The Department can terminate any of the bodies under its authority it deems necessary.

4 The maintenance of a well ordered society is necessary for the functioning of The State. In order to perform its duties The Department is reliant on the co-operation of all its citizens. It is the duty of every citizen and resident of The State to familiarise themselves with all the policies and regulations of The Department and to strictly adhere to them. Each citizen of The State will aid The Department in its effort to maintain a well ordered society. It is incumbent on every citizen to report any individual or group that may pose a threat to the integrity of society. The Department is charged with the responsibility for the care of all those citizens who strive in such a way from the cradle to the grave. This being the cherished covenant between The State, the people and their future generations.

Articles 2 and 3 are redacted. Redacted by the Directorate of Internal Affairs. All further editions will not contain reference to these articles.’

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[martinthomasoregan]

Schneider

From the moment he met Sergeant Schneider he irked him. He was a thin weaselly little fellow who looked old beyond his years. His character was such that he found it hard to fathom how he could exist in a perfectly ordered society. He represented chaos and often his conversations with him led to violent seizures in his brain from irrational thoughts he was sure were treasonous. He could never figure out how Schneider had rose to the rank of Sergeant although he suspected nepotism was involved. That alone was a treasonous thought as he was sure nepotism did not exist in The Department yet how else could he explain the existence of Schneider. The likes of Schneider could not exist without some form of collusion concerning familial relations. Schneider had such an effect on him that he was sure he was a menace to society as he always considered himself to be incorruptible. Schneider’s friendly and outgoing personality belied his anarchic intent and his semantic reasoning was so abstruce that it was impossible to deduce what exactly he was implying. He would say the most pass-remarkable thing with a knowing smile that while taken in its entirety was of no malicious intent but his tone and facial manner implied a deeper more sinister agenda. In the ten years he knew him Schneider had never displayed any ill-will towards him and he would even say they enjoyed the most convivial relations. Schneider confused him and he was certain that confusion was a contagion.

Schneider’s favourite post was the office. The office was located on the ground floor and doubled as a reception area. It was at the office that each officer signed in and out at the beginning and end of each shift. It was another of the alcoves with a counter-top suspended over a wooden half door as a partition. There was a stool behind the counter for the presiding officer and on either side there was a series of box shelves for official documents. There was a box shelf for each apartment in the complex and it was here that the reports on every subject in the complex were deposited.. The only phone in the warren sat on the counter but it was for use only in the direst of emergencies to call divisional headquarters. What exact circumstances would constitute such an emergency were not known to him and being a Resident Officer he surmised they were not known to anyone else. As a result nobody had ever dared use the phone for fear of incurring censure from The Department. Equally no-one had ever called from Divisional Headquarters which of course was an endorsement of the good work the officers were carrying out.

He remembered it was at the office two years ago, almost a month from his ten year anniversary,  he saw Schneider. He was perched on his stool and had placed a large stand-alone magnifying glass on the counter-top. He was hunched over the magnifying glass and was fidgeting nervously with his hands above what appeared to be a small metal carcass. Both of his thumbs were placed against its opposing index finger and though there seemed to be nothing between them his movements were swift and deliberate like a surgeons. Schneider never looked up just mumbled pleasantly ‘good afternoon Fuchs’. Fuchs was his name, he had almost forgotten. ‘Good afternoon Schneider’, he said, ‘I have come to register my daily report’. ‘I will be with you in a moment if you will. I would say I will be with you in a minute but as I have not currently any precise method of ascertaining the length of such a whimsical measurement of the temporal dimension a moment will have to suffice.’ Fuchs leaned over and stared at what appeared to be a mass of tiny congealed cogs on the counter-top. They were so small that one had to squint to see them otherwise it just seemed to be a solid god nugget. The object glittered so much under the paltry light that only for a fraction of a second could you discern the indentations that were the teeth of a cog before being blinded by its radiance. Fuchs was convinced he was staring at the sun and such were the mad thoughts running about his head that he became dizzy. ‘I would take a couple of steps back if I were you. One wrong move here and I could take out your eye’ said Schneider. He took a couple of wobbly steps back unsure as to whether he would keel over. ‘Aaaaaaand there, that’s done’ said Schneider. Schneider carefully moved his hands over to a small antique wooden box and placed them delicately into it as if

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removing something. Now what is it I can do for you? Ah yes the daily report’.

His head was reeling and without thinking he gave voice to his suspicion,’what on earth is going on?’ he asked Schneider in consternation. ‘Oh nothing or in point of fact almost nothing’ said Schneider. ‘You know my name Schneider’. ‘Yes’, said Fuchs. ‘You know what it means’, asked Schneider. ‘Yes’ said Fuchs ‘it means tailor, doesn’t it’. ‘Precisely’, said Schneider ‘and I come from a long line of tailors so naturally I am making a watch but not just any watch. I am making a watch that tells perfect time. Well as close to perfect as can be expected given the elastic nature of time.’ Fuchs was as confused as ever after only a few moments with Schneider. ‘I thought tailors make clothes’ said Fuchs. ‘ Tailors make personal items that can be worn on the person. What could be more personal than a watch. It is true that tailors make clothes also as my great great grandfather once did but my great grandfather and all the Schneiders after him specialised in watches. Come here and I will show you.’ Fuchs took a hesitant step forward and Schneider put his hand into the box and seemed to pull something out but Fuchs saw nothing. ‘Do you see this’ asked Schneider. ‘No’ said Fuchs. ‘Of course you don’t’, said Schneider ‘now look’. Schneider moved the magnifying glass around with one hand while still holding the imaginary object in his hand between his thumb and index finger. When Fuchs looked through the magnifying glass he could see the slenderest needle-like object was in Schneider’s grip. ‘Can you see the tip of this needle’, asked Schneider. Fuchs concentrated for even with the magnifying glass the tip appeared to melt into a blur. ‘Yes I can’, said Fuchs. ‘No you can’t’, said Schneider ‘what would you say if I told you that was not the tip of the point but merely the point at which the needle vanishes. In fact the point of the needle doesn’t even start there. It is at least another inch before the needle starts to come to a point and nobody knows where the actual tip of the needle is but it is at least another two inches’. ‘Amazing’ muttered Fuchs ‘but why and how?’. ‘ My area was famous for its precise needlework and we were the best tailors in the area. That instrument and all the others in my box are the result of three generations of craftsmanship. My great grandfather started fashioning instruments with with the slenderest of silk needles and then fashioned others with them. Each generation inherited a set of instruments fashioned by the previous. The next generation fashioned even smaller instruments with the previous set and so on until I have here what I consider the finest set of instruments in the world.’ Schneider carefully placed the barely visible object back in the box. It was at that point that Fuchs decided to keep a detailed report on Schneider’s shenanigans.

Article 40.4 of the departmental manual states ‘Nobody is above suspicion. By their very nature all biological beings are prone to weakness therefore everybody is guilty of something. It is the duty of all officers to be alert at all times and to report immediately any suspicious behaviour whether or not the officer perceives them to be a danger to the order of society. Behaviour in this instance includes: any strange or divisive utterances made, any character flaws, physical or mental deficiencies, unusual actions, extraordinary deeds, unsound thoughts or modes of expression, delusions, irrational writings, unconventional artistic or musical compositions. In all instances it is not for the officer but for The Department to judge whether prosecution is warranted.

A month later it was Fuchs’ ten year anniversary in the warren. Sergeant Kruger sat opposite him in the mess. It was Fuchs’ last day of his shift as he had a week off starting the next day. Kruger was the same height as Fuchs 5’10” but stouter. He had the jolly character and optimistic outlook of an imbecile and he was an interminable bore. Schneider arrived and said ‘Ah here he is, congratulations’ as he slid in along the bench beside Kruger. ‘We wanted to mark your ten year anniversary here so I have something for you’. He took out a small parcel wrapped in brown paper tied with twine and gave it to him’. Last week it had been Kruger’s ten year anniversary and they had given him a cap, the week before had been Schneider’s and they had given him a solid steel

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pen. When he opened the parcel there was a watch inside. ‘That is what I was working on, it is the watch’ said Schneider triumphantly, ‘put it on, put it on’. It was a gold watch with a brown leather strap and it was without doubt of exquisite quality. He fastened the watch around his wrist while Schneider excitedly moved over to his bench at the table eager to explain its features. ‘There are four hands, an hour hand, a minute hand, a second hand and a micro-second hand. The micro-second hand is so infinitesimal that it cannot be seen at all but it is completely accurate and keeps the time perfectly. Also because of the microsecond hand the second hand and all other hands glide so smoothly that one can hardly notice any movement at all except for the second hand. There are two magnified areas on either side at the top of the face. One for A.M. or P.M. as we have no windows in this place and one with the date and month to help keep track of the days. The best thing is due to my own ingenious design you will never have to adjust any of its features or wind it as it is perfectly autonomous. I put a semicircular white face at the top and exposed the inner workings at the bottom as they are so fine. Fuchs stared into the inner workings, each cog spun smoothly and set several other cogs spinning. They glistened so beautifully as they whirred about in his head. Each cog was separate yet each cog was spun by several other cogs, it went on and on like this ad infinitum. Cog meshing against cog, the endless silent whirring with no perceived purpose except the marking of time.

The next morning Fuchs went to divisional headquarters and handed in his report on Schneider to his superiors. When he came back after his week long furlong Schneider was gone and was never seen again. Fuchs was allowed keep the watch.

[martinthomasoregan]

Between the Walls

He was awake but he still hadn’t opened his eyes. If he opened his eyes he was awake. How could he open his eyes if he was not awake as the effort to open his eyes would require a conscious thought. How could he have a conscious thought when the state of sleep is by it’s very definition a state where consciousness is practically suspended. Although the male subject in 612 often took to talking and walking about at all hours with his eyes open while still in the practically unconscious state of sleep. His nocturnal antics were a source of great annoyance as the subjects bedroom was directly on the opposite side of the wall. He did not trust the subject in 612. The Departmental Manual stated very clearly in Article 4, Section 5 that: ‘Sleep is a condition of body and mind which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended. While a subject cannot survive without oxygen, water or food, it is unclear if sleep deprivation can kill a subject. Although it is possible that given enough time, it will. While no biological being* is known to have died from staying awake, animal research strongly suggests it could happen. Dr Allan Rechtschaffen conducted a series of groundbreaking experiments on rats. After 32 days of total sleep deprivation, all the rats were dead. Curiously, researchers still do not agree on the cause of death. It is possible that the rats’ body temperature dropped so much that they succumbed to hypothermia. Another theory posits that the rats’ immune systems became so depressed that bacteria normally sequestered in their intestines spread throughout their bodiesthough Rechtschaffen counters that his rats perished even when they were administered antibiotics. A third explanation points to some evidence of brain damage among the sleep-deprived rats. It’s also possible that extreme levels of stress contributed to the rats’ demise. The longest recorded time without sleep for a subject is approximately 264 hours, or just over 11 consecutive days. Whether lack of sleep can kill a subject is irrelevant as by the eleventh day the quality of information that may be extracted is of no value due to the subject lapsing into a state of extreme paranoia and psychosis. The subject may be allowed to rest for a period until it is fully recuperated and the process may be started again if some degree of progress was attained during the first instance otherwise alternative methods may be employed. There is some anecdotal evidence that those who experience an anomaly known as chronic insomnia are more resistant to this form of persuasion. Insomnia is a condition whereby the subject experiences disturbed or less frequent sleep. It may be a temporary or chronic condition. It is posited that those who experience insomnia habitually develop coping mechanisms that render them more resistant to the disorientating effects of sleep deprivation. Research to confirm this hypothesis is ongoing. It is required that an officer practice undergoing sleep deprivation for a period of at least seventy two hours bi-monthly(once every two months) in expectation that he may accrue some resistance to this technique and acquire an understanding of the process the subject is undergoing during extraction. The coping mechanisms developed by this practice will be invaluable in the field in stressful situations where an officer will be required to function rationally without the recommended hours of sleep. The recommended daily hours of sleep at the time of writing are as in accordance with Department Directive 43168795                                                Newborn-3 months old       11 hours                                

4-11 months old                 10 hours                                

1-2 years old                        9 hours                                

3-5 years old                        8 hours                                

6-13 years old                      7 hours                                

14-17 years old                    7 hours                                

18-25 years old                    6 hours                                

26-64 years old                    6 hours                               

65+ years old                       5 hours 

*Article 4.1.1 defines a biological being as one who is an anatomically modern Human of the order Homo sapiens. All other living things being organisms. It should be noted that these targets may be subject to change in accordance with the requirements of the Department. In order to function at maximum efficiency an officer is required to sleep six hours within each 24 hour period under normal conditions. Another anomaly is that of talking in ones sleep. The subject may also walk in its sleep or even open its eyes and appear quite lucid while being in a state of sleep. This is a very desirable condition in a subject under observation as information may be extracted without recourse to the usual methods of persuasion. The quality of the information gleaned in such a manner is at the discretion of the officer and/or his superiors to judge and may be used as evidence or as a confession from the subject. While this condition is desirable in a subject under observation it is completely unacceptable in an officer given the confidential nature of the officer’s profession. Officers are required by Departmental regulation 25674 to inform the Departmental official to whom he reports of any officer of the Department or other official who may be in possession of confidential information who to his knowledge may display such flawed characteristics.’ His sleepy face twisted in a wry smile. One night that fool on the other side of the wall will say the wrong thing and when the report is finally read he will get a decent nights sleep. He found to his surprise his eyes were open, having no recollection of making a conscious effort to do so. The light bulb gave a slight flicker as he shuddered. He could feel the twist in his stomach as he stared up at the grey ceiling in despair. The ceiling seemed so far away when you were lying prone on the bed when in reality it was only 6ft from the floor. His bed was wedged between two concrete walls with no gap on either side. Above his head was another cold concrete wall. The proximity of the walls were the reason the ceiling seemed so high. The walls were so confining one could not curl up in the 2ft wide bed and his feet dangled over the end of the 5’6” long bed. Every night he had to crawl up on the bed and pull the covers over him. In the morning he must first pull himself up into a sitting position against the back wall before crawling out. Butterflies gnawed at his empty stomach when he thought of this effort. He gave himself a conscious order to rouse. He heaved his gaunt body up to a sitting position. His head spun for a moment and the far wall at the turn of the passage seemed to grow further and further away.  He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall. He rubbed his slender fingers against his forehead and after collecting his thoughts he opened his eyes again. He looked down the slender shaft and to his relief everything had regained its familiar proportion. He sat up on his hunkers and fixed the sheet on the bed smoothing it with his hands. Having tucked in the sheet he crawled carefully down to the end trying not to cause too much disturbance. When he alighted from the bed he turned and stooped to fix the sheet. He dropped his right hand to steady himself due to a moment of weakness then slowly and deliberately ironed out the sheet. Having finished dressing the bed he stood to survey his work. A feeling of pride was betrayed by the slight grimace that turned into a grin of satisfaction. ‘Nothing like a well made bed’, he thought. The bed was no more than a foot high wooden frame with a thin mattress laid over wooden laths nailed into the frame. The numbers wrote on the piece of wood at the top of the end were faded but still legible. They were 1 2 3 4 and referred to the four resident officers that occupied the warren once. He picked up his rubber soled deck shoes and sat slightly on the bed to put them on. A quick inspection of them beforehand told him they would soon disintegrate due to wear. The soles were worn thin and were starting to become unglued from the frayed uppers. Nevertheless he put them on as they were the only footwear he had left. Another slight dizziness overtook him when he looked at his watch. The movement of the hands were difficult to discern and it took all his concentration to read the time. It was almost 6 a.m. the second hand glided smoothly towards the twelve. He watched it slowly progress towards its destination. It was a strange phenomenon of time that when you count the seconds they seem to take an age yet whole years fly by in an instant. Threee, twwooo, oooonnne,  6 a.m. on the dot so he stood up from the bed and proceeded down the hallway. After a series of bewildering turns to the left and right he descended a winding staircase with a quite alacrity. At the bottom of the staircase was another similar hallway and he negotiated the many turns to the wash-room. The wash-room was located at the other side of the complex on the fourth floor. In fact none of the so-called rooms could be called rooms they were merely cul-de-sacs where each passage ended with no distinguishing partition or door except for the office and supply room on the ground and second floor. Neither the bedroom, the wash-room, the kitchen nor the mess were the intended destination of their respective passages rather an incidental result of the termination of each passage. The wash-room consisted of a toilet fitted flush to the end wall, in front of the toilet, to it’s left, a square concrete basin protruded from the wall with a spout in close proximity above. The pipes were exposed and could be seen running into the hot and cold taps attached to the wall. A simple turn of a handle directed the water either to the spout over the basin or the shower head above. In the centre of the banked floor was a hole for the water to escape and a couple of metal hooks were placed on the wall for towels and clothes away from the direction of the water flow. All the officers had to be careful as to when to use the shower due to the noise and also as to when the toilet was flushed. Both of these operations could only be done when the adjoining apartments were empty. The cold tap squeaked as he gently turned it and after a slight belch a steady flow of water emerged to his relief. He didn’t touch the hot tap as the pipes always creaked and moaned as if the bowels of the building were relieving themselves and at this hour the noise would be heard throughout the whole complex. He imagined such a noise in the early hours of the morning would induce terrors in the residents. The Department Manual stated in Article 40.5:  ‘When a subject is to be apprehended in a residence by officers of The State whether it be an arrest or for questioning/observation the officers under the rules of best practice should fulfil their duty between the hours 03:00 and 06:00. This is the optimum window as the subject having arisen at a time when normally asleep will be disorientated and less likely to protest or flee. The occupiers of adjoining residences will in general be less likely to notice or will deliberately ignore such a disturbance in preference to rising from their beds. Those who do not however and partake in witnessing the event should be considered abettors in trying to dissuade the officers from performing their duties. Under Article 1.1.2 and Article 2.2.4 there is no reason for anyone to actively witness The State in performance of its official duties unless of course by requirement of The State. Such activities imply that The State or The Department may in some way be negligent in the performance of its duties or in deliberate non compliance with its own regulations as in the ruling in Case 179 per Regulation 36754: “It is the duty of each citizen to trust in the apparatus of The State and any disregard would not be aiding The Department in its function to maintain a well ordered society”.’ He rubbed his hands methodically under the cold water then cupped them applying the cool liquid to his face and the back of his neck. Having finished he turned off the tap ringing out his hands. He navigated his way back through the close corridor and descended the stairs making his way to the kitchen in forlorn hope. There were no cooking facilities in the kitchen but there was a small fridge and a food preparation area. There was no food in the kitchen. Although he knew there was no food he still checked the fridge in the expectation that food might appear. To his chagrin there was no food to be seen. He closed the door with a heavy hand and surveyed the kitchen. There was a deep concrete sink in the corner with a wire rack attached to the wall above it for dishes to dry. Beside the rack were four cupboards and the numbers 1,2,3,4 scrawled in black marker on the brown laminated surface of each door. Beneath the press stretched a white laminated counter at the same level as the sink above a series of brown drawers. Underneath the drawers were four more cupboards and beside them the fridge where he stood. He went to the cupboard marked 3 and he opened it. He took a white cup from it and filled it with water from the sink. Once filled he turned and paused for a second remembering the days when the kitchen was full of bustle. He remembered when the fridge was full of cold cuts and the cupboards brimming with tins of food and fresh bread. His stomach grumbled bringing him back to the stark reality of his existence. He left the kitchen. The walls breathed in and out as the bare light bulbs dimmed and brightened with each breath. His heart thumped slowly in his chest. The corridor stretched far into a dark distance and the loud beating of his heart grew faster. He quickened his pace but the undulating ground beneath him fought against every stride. The air was thick as liquid as he gulped it down. He reached the stairway and stumbled down like a man who had lost his footing. At the bottom he leaned against the wall but it pushed him back. He steadied himself and ran as best he could brushing off the walls that rejected him. He knew he had to make it to where he was going but where that was he could not tell. Water splashed from his cup onto the floor and hissed like burning acid. The corridor moved and shifted, corner after corner each hallway was the same, taunting him. He turned a corner and saw the cul de sac that was the mess. It shimmered like a reflection in rippling water. He stopped and stared at the table. Slowly it started to come back into focus, he turned and anxiously looked down the narrow passage. It seemed no different than usual but he felt a change. He slid down along the bench and placed the cup on the table. His hands were shaking nervously as he wiped the cold sweat from his brow. He regained his composure and rested his back against the hard wall. How long did it take him to get here he wondered so he looked at his watch. His watch was always accurate and had never lost a second. He focused his bleary eyes and stare at it hard. It was a quarter past six only fifteen minutes had passed. It was one of those watches where the inner workings were partly visible and it always fascinated him. He stared at the shining golden cogs as they whirred around. Each one seemed to be attached to several others as they rotated at differing speeds. The closer you stared the more cogs appeared and as you delved into its mechanical universe you became mesmerised as even more infinitesimal cogs appeared making the tiniest of cogs seem like giants. It went on and on like this with no reason or sign of stopping. Somewhere in its unfathomable depths he was aware there must be a spring that set those cogs in motion but try as he could he could never see it until he wondered if one existed at all or were the cogs just simply in perpetual motion each one turning several others which in turn turned several more to infinity until the first cog was turned by a multitude of lesser cogs. The watch had been given to him here on the day of his tenth year of service in the warren by Sergeant Schneider the First Resident Officer.