Doctor Mid-Nite

Pieter Cross a.k.a. Dr Mid-Nite. Ultrasonic lenses.

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

“Those were the days.” #JSA

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN "Yes. I solved it on my own. Happy Valentine's Day."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN "Let me talk to him."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

Deep in the city, 02:13

The body hangs from a rusted crane, turning slowly in the night breeze.

Coal dust drifts off it.

The Midnight Doctor stands below, his goggles whirring gently as he studies the scene.

"Corneal burns," he says. "Same chemical signature as the others.-

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN Pieter turns his head slightly toward him. "You said there was a witness."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN "Look, if we force him to adjust too soon, he changes his pattern. You know this. Then we lose what little consistency we have."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN The Midnight Doctor stands.

"He isn't making mistakes."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN "I think he wants time."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN "Nothing specific," he replies. "Not yet."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN "I assume he's counting on it."

Finally touches the victim's wrist. The skin temperature differential is noted. The collapse point of tissue stiffness is consistent with the previous two cases. No hesitation marks. No irregular angles.

"Time of death four hours," Pieter says.

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN "A technician," he answers. "Doesn't matter which field. This is someone who understands how to shut down a person without leaving signs."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN - the hall, water pipes settling, Rick's heartbeat sitting slightly above resting.

The scan finishes.

"No sedatives," he says. "Same clean neuro-block. Quick. Precise."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN "He's selecting," he corrects. "He's not opportunistic, he's consistent."

Mid-Nite doesn't reach toward the body yet. He waits for the goggles to finish processing. In the quiet, the sound-map of the room updates with a faint whir, registering the hum of a vending machine down -

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN There's a body on the floor. Male. Early thirties. No struggle. No bruising. No defensive wounds.

The Midnight Doctor kneels.

His goggles chirp once while they scan for trace chemicals. He doesn't speak for a while.

Finally, quietly, he says, "Same as the others."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN - proximity, and movement into structured input.

Everything comes in as crisp grayscale contours and thermal outlines, updated every fraction of a second.

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN The next day.....

The room is a community rec center office in the city, after hours. Fluorescent bulbs flicker. The Midnight Doctor stands still just inside the doorway, letting his goggles process the environment.

To him light is meaningless, but the goggles translate heat, -

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN Pieter doesn't answer yet. He is considering every possibility, including ones he does not want to speak aloud.

When he does finally speak, its quiet.

"He knew my name."

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN The voice continues, "You won't find me by looking at them. Look at yourself. Start there."

The line goes dead.

The Midnight Doctor lowers the phone slowly.

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN As they step into the hallway, Mid-Nite's phone buzzes.

Unknown number. He answers.

A man's voice, calm and steady, "You're looking in the wrong place, Doctor Cross."

Pieter stops walking.

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN "Then what does it feel like?"

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN The crime scene (third victim's apartment).......

The apartment is small, lived-in, nothing remarkable.
Pieter moves methodically, scanning surfaces.

[Doctor Mid-Nite @PieterCross]

@H0URMAN "I don't know."