Smithers enforces sterile protocol after violence
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Forrester, having finished cleaning up Farrow's blood, suggests they clean their hands. Smithers directs them to a sink in the lab.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Cold, calculating resolve—he’s already moved past the murder, treating it as a completed task rather than a moral failure. His energy is that of a man who sees the next step clearly and expects no resistance.
Forrester takes charge with the brusque efficiency of a man used to giving orders and having them followed. His command to 'get this muck off our hands' is not a suggestion but a declaration, framing the act of washing as both necessary and non-negotiable. He doesn’t wait for Smithers to lead; instead, he asserts his authority by initiating the transition to the lab, treating the sink as an extension of his control. His physical presence is dominant—broad, unyielding, the kind of man who fills a space without trying. There’s no remorse in his voice, only the impatience of someone who sees obstacles (like bloodstains or guilt) as logistical problems to be solved.
- • To reassert control over the situation by transitioning to a space where he can enforce his authority (the lab).
- • To eliminate any physical evidence of the murder, ensuring the cover-up can proceed without hiccups.
- • That morality is a luxury they can’t afford in the pursuit of progress (DN6’s approval).
- • That Smithers’ compliance is guaranteed, and any hesitation on his part is a temporary inconvenience.
Numb stoicism masking creeping dread—his actions are mechanical, but his voice betrays a flicker of the horror he’s suppressing.
Smithers stands slightly apart from Forrester, his posture rigid but not defiant, as if bracing against the weight of what just occurred. His voice is low, almost clinical, when he directs Forrester to the lab sink, offering a solution that feels more like a reflex than a choice. His hands, likely still stained with Farrow’s blood, are not yet washed—he hasn’t yet participated in the act he’s suggesting, which lends his directive an air of detachment, as though he’s already dissociating from the violence. His compliance with Forrester’s authority is evident, but there’s a hesitation in his tone, a quiet acknowledgment that this is not just about hygiene but about complicity.
- • To restore a sense of order through institutional protocol (washing hands in the lab).
- • To avoid direct confrontation with Forrester’s authority, even as his conscience gnaws at him.
- • That following procedure will somehow absolve them of moral responsibility.
- • That Forrester’s leadership is non-negotiable, and resistance would only make things worse.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The lab, with its sinks and workbenches, becomes the space where institutional protocol trumps morality. Here, the murder is not mourned but scrubbed away, a problem to be solved with soap and water. The lab’s clinical order is a stark contrast to the patio’s chaos, reinforcing the idea that science and progress are prioritized over human life. The sink, in particular, is where the physical evidence of the murder is erased, but the lab as a whole symbolizes the system that enables such cover-ups. For the companions, the lab is a place of hidden dangers—giant equipment and chemicals pose threats, but it’s also where the truth of DN6’s dangers is buried, just like Farrow’s blood.
The patio, still slick with Farrow’s blood and heavy with the weight of the murder, serves as the threshold between chaos and control. It’s a crime scene, a place of violence, but also a space where the horror of what they’ve done is inescapable. The transition from here to the lab sink is a deliberate move away from emotion and toward institutional detachment. The patio’s stones, stained and uneven, contrast sharply with the lab’s sterile surfaces, symbolizing the shift from raw humanity to cold efficiency. For the companions, the patio is a dangerous expanse—giant and unforgiving—but it’s also where the truth of the murder lingers, a truth that Forrester and Smithers are determined to bury.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"FORRESTER: All right, let's go and get this muck off our hands."
"SMITHERS: There's a sink in the lab."