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

[pairtner]

[Well then, people are starting to raise the alarm and look at her, Nandor even pointing out he would easily tell if it's Dandy's blood or not. In that case, there's only one other recent source of blood, isn't it? Or at least Aiba sees it that way.

Which is why she begins:]

I recall Forrest saying you should keep an eye on me, regarding the incident in the ice cream parlor. Well then, there are plenty of points about why I cannot be the culprit here. Allow me to elaborate.

[Even though she's in this situation, Aiba's voice continues as usual]

Undertaker suffered many injuries, according to the testimonies here. First and foremost, and something I have to lie down right now, is that I obey the Three Laws of Robotics. First one being that I cannot bring harm to a person. If you have any ideas of me stabbing anyone, then forget about them.

This applies to other potentially mortal wounds too -- such as for example, bludgeoning. I can't take an object and hit anybody with it, even if it's by throwing them, as Misfire remembered.

[Looks like this is it. Aiba refuses to confess. Instead, it seems she's...trying to form a rebuttal, point by point]

[inaclearing]

Aiba, it was a Rube Goldberg machine.

[onemillion]

[He does not know what that is, but following up on it:]

You wouldn't have to cause any harm at all personally; if someone walked into something like that, it wouldn't be your fault, would it?

[inaclearing]

The Laws of Robotics are - [well, from Asimov, but let's not go there] - it's a computer thing. Very literal. No nuance. If they don't directly harm someone, just set up a situation where someone might be...

[Brett trails off, shaking his head. He...sort of can't believe he's doing this right now; that facade's cracking a little, distress showing through.]

[onemillion]

I thought that might be it, thank you.

[Obey the law directly but find ways to work around it for the desired outcome. He gets that.

He doesn't like it, but it's a life or death situation here.]

[pairtner]

Is that so?

[Aiba shrugs]

How would this...hypothetical trap begin, exactly? If it's not something as simple as me reaching and hitting someone in the head.

[specialyellthing]

You’ve been listening to us talk about it this whole time!

[daimakaicho]

[ from over at "hms @ seo dawon" ]

Opening the door set off the first tripwire, right?

[onemillion]

Aiba, we don't have to do this. If you want us to walk you through exactly how the Undertaker died, we'll be here all day and it won't change anything in the end. You have his blood on you. You didn't investigate his body.

[sastruga]

...I don't see how this matters. We know there was a trap already and now we have pretty good proof you set it up.

We don't need all the details of the crime to vote for you.

[howveryglib]

…indeed. Setting up some sort of convoluted trap instead of attempting to cause direct harm seems like a means of obeying the letter of what you are permitted to do, if not the spirit.

[specialyellthing]

So… a trap, like the ice cream shop. That wouldn’t break any of those rules.

[pairtner]

Wouldn't it be far easy to make one single trap, instead of a series of them? What you all found is pointlessly cruel, isn't it?

[visiblepattern]

But you can vote people out. The trap you set up would bring harm to a person by circumstance caused by your actions, but it wouldn't be caused by you.

It goes back to what I said, just for a different reasson. You would set up a trap because you had to.

[pairtner]

Hm.

[Aiba crosses her arms]

If there's a trap to harm a person, it would require them triggering it in order to die. If nobody is harmed, then a trap is useless.

[visiblepattern]

You got his attention, though, didn't you?

[pairtner]

How would I be able to get his attention? If a trap targets him, wouldn't Undertaker be wary of everything around him?

[That's...not a no!]

[fuckingguy]

Well, the Undertaker's blood is on you, so clearly none of that counts for the Rude Goldberg machine.

[pairtner]

People say I set traps because I couldn't harm him directly. I'll put it in a more simple manner:

At what point would it be feasible for me to get blood on me? I cannot have done it to kill him. His blood can't have gotten on me.

[fuckingguy]

I mean, you probably were just kinda there... you know. Standing in the way of his blood?

[ come on aiba, you had to know this was the intellectual discourse you would get from posing bolded questions to this guy ]

You would also not need to breathe, of course.

[buriedstar]

[ Sorry, he's losing it a bit over here. ]

A lot of us don't need to, actually.

[howveryglib]

Brett did not examine the Undertaker’s body, yet after checking you he had his blood on his hands.

…admittedly, I must ask if Brett’s hands were checked before he checked Aiba, but…

[inaclearing]

That was weird.

[did not love having his hand sniffed like a sommelier!]

[specialyellthing]

Don’t worry. He’s not lookin at you all hungry like.

[fuckingguy]

And now it is done, and we are moving on.