Art and Science

"A Mandlebrot set is a continuous pattern of points that define the boundary on a plane. It is spiraling, contorted, and infinite. But it is also distinct. There are few less recognizable images than that of a Fractal, the result of a visual interpretation of the Mandlebrot set. I think they're beautiful."

"What's so important about that?"

"Well, like I said, it's infinite. As the set continues it just gets more complex. It never diminishes, it never weakens. It continues, forever. Permanent. It may change appearance, color, or design, but the Mandlebrot fractal cannot be stopped."

"That's why he draws the spirals on the victims?"

"Yes. Or at least, that's what I think. You should be looking for someone who knows mathematics. A university student, at least."

"Well, anyone could have just looked it up on wikipedia."

"But it takes a certain mind to have an appreciation for complexity."

- The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Spoiler:

Fractals made Leonhard's head hurt. He had seen a lot of crazy things in the last few weeks, but he needed to relax. When he heard about the Fractal exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art, he decided to take some time to let his brain...

....

...well, it didn't let his brain rest. Something about the images awakened something in him. It was the patterns, they were so absurdly complex that he felt something that he never felt before: Pure deduction. He could stare for hours and hours and find new information, but would not once draw any conclusions about the mathematical processes behind them. They were chaos, constrained to a pattern. There was nothing random about them, but at the same time, they were impossibly deep. He felt that he could stare for his entire life, and not unlock all of the relationships within the images, or the patterns within the data. They fascinated him.

He sat down on a bench in front of the Mandlebrot Set, and tilted his head slightly, and exhaled.

Elegant.

Row-Echelon had memorized the note that the strange man had given him. And he had acted upon that information. It was three in the afternoon, he was in the Museum of Contemporary Art, and he was currently standing around looking at the fractal exhibit. His mind was calmly sorting through all the patterns present, they were quite relaxing to look at. Most of the time his processors were running at eight thousand percent, but right now? He had toned them down to a gentle three hundred. Just looking at patterns, and finding equations.

He saw only one other person stay in the exhibit room, as others trickled out to go look at the other exhibits. Sitting down beside him, Row-Echelon decided to be as subtle as possible. “So, Leo, right? I take it you’re the one I was supposed to ask about the Mandelbrot set? Some man wearing all black told me to say it, and so I’m saying it. I hope this excites you, or meets your expectations. Either way, I’m pleased I could help.” That must have sounded smooth as silk. Row-Echelon was ready for anything.

"....what?"

Leon looked at the man who approached him. His eyes darted all over the man carefully. Man in black... He thought carefully, not sure whether this was some sort of secret code or not. After what he had been through in the last few weeks, he wasn't about to jump at questioning. "...Yeah. I do enjoy the mandlebrot set. It's..." He glanced at the image. "...it's elegant." His voice was obviously a little put off by the sudden introduction. "...what do you think about it?" He narrowed his eyes carefully in judgement.

Row-Echelon gave the man a peculiar glance. Elegant? Well, mathematics was beautiful, and he supposed that elegant was similar enough in meaning. “Elegant? I suppose it is in a way. Although I do agree with you on the matter of its beauty, I much prefer the Julia set. Quite a bit more intriguing to me. Though both are mathematically incredible, I really like your mathematicians.”

The man seemed to be all right, he enjoyed math for one. Well, that was quite a faulty gauge of character, but Row-Echelon didn’t care. Really, what kind of an evil mastermind would be sitting in a museum, just staring at things? “So, do you have some sort of super-secret spy stuff for me or something? Just trying to understand why I’m here. If it’s just for lunch or something, I know a nice little place a few blocks away.”

Leon turned, rather surprised, at what he heard Row-Echelon say. He paused for a second, looking at him more carefully. "What is your name...?" He muttered, suspicion rising on his face. His eyes began to reveal more and more of Row-Echelon to himself. He looked at the figure's fingers. Ink stains. A writer? Not likely, perhaps a professor or a teacher. He saw the way Row-Echelon carried himself, the way his clothes moved, all of it indicated that Row-Echelon was not an athelatic hitman or any sort of dangerous person. That being said, Leon had encountered the most danger from an 11 year old boy this week. He had to be particularly careful around anyone and everyone.

It was only now that he was realizing his folly in coming to a public location.