Fourth Trial

[bathymetric]

[ After the evidence (and what a large batch of evidence it is, this time) has been gathered up, after actually patiently waiting a longer time than usual to make sure everything's been grabbed, the speakers over New Rapture crackle to life. ]

Time's up, everyone. You know where to go.

[ The lower number of bathyspheres, as you descend, is starting to become really notable, isn't it? The descent is the same as ever, lower and lower into the sea. The bioluminescence of those slugs on the ocean floor is almost brighter today, somehow, and some of them have even crawled up the cliff face around you as you pass them.

The dome approaches, slowly as ever, gleaming red in the darkness. The bathyspheres land in a row, doors opening one by one to reveal the familiar sight of the trial room, three more podiums now darkened. ]

Take your places, ladies and gentlemen. You've got a doozy of a situation to discuss. Ass Man and Silver Fox are dead. You know what happens if you can't figure out whodunnit.

[ Welcome to your fourth trial. ]

Comments

[asymptotes]

[ A shrug. Not an unreasonable conclusion. ]

My best defense is that I think it was tacky.

[allatonce]

But you would do something tacky in order to be more, to fix something fucked up. [She smiles.] Wouldn't you?

[asymptotes]

[ He laughs. ]

I didn't tell you what happened when I fixed the multiverse, did I? I didn't tell you that I won?

[ He grips his podium. ]

I created one perfect world. And it destroyed itself. The universe wants to work the way it does. There's not nothing out there, Joy. That's the worst part. And there's no fixing that.

[specialyellthing]

… Yeah. That sounds about right. [sighing…

remember when zero hour literally made a new big bang

this was BEFORE flash went so fast that he erased zinda from continuity]

[allatonce]

Oh, I know. But that's where you and I are different. You're a hero, aren't you? So even if you can't fix the whole multiverse, you could maybe fix something. And that's enough.

[asymptotes]

No. It'd never be enough.

[ THAT'S HIS CHARACTER FLAW AND HE'S STICKING TO IT ]

[allatonce]

[She laughs, just a little.]

That's why you ever even tried to fix it, huh?

[asymptotes]

I'm not going to fight symptoms while the sickness rages on.

[ truly why are they the same except in the one way that makes them this different ]

[allatonce]

[sometimes your mom is earth asian instead of space asian and it gives you ever so slightly different trauma!!]

I personally thought it would just be easier to wipe the slate clean and just start over.

[daimakaicho]

[ just to get it crossed off the list, even if does go nowhere – ]

Hypothetically speaking, does that opinion change if you thought he had anything to do with the poisonings?

[hotpaprika]

-Wait, why on earth would anyone think Dandy did that?

[daimakaicho]

Hypothetically.

[ She snaps straight to Jonathan, her pupils turning into slits again. ]

[inaclearing]

I don't know, but we sure still don't know anything about that.

[This bothers him a lot!]

[asymptotes]

[ Drakkon laughs. It's not kind. ]

Honestly, out of respect for pulling it off, I just might let the person who did it live with the shame of not having finished me off when they had the chance. But coming down here... what do you think the odds actually are on someone winning this thing while there are so many people left? I fight teams all the time, I'm not stupid enough to go after this one with a half-baked plan. Despite the change in attitude, there are some of you I do actually respect.

[daimakaicho]

I'd agree the odds don't look good. But there are those here who have and will try their luck, hoping for the offhand chance they catch everyone on an off day.

So long as someone's willing to make that deal, we're still going to end up here. That's just the terms of the contract.

[ But honestly as long as nothing else happens to come up in the interim, she seems largely satisfied with that answer, giving Drakkon a smile. ]