Fifth Trial

[bathymetric]

[ There's a long while of examination before the Mayor speaks up. There's plenty of evidence to pick up yet again this week, after all. ]

Annnd that's going to do it. Wrap it up and head to the bathyspheres, kids, you've got some business to attend to.

[ The bathyspheres take you all down, down, into the now-familiar dome below the city. The similarly familiar red glow persists until the lights properly turn on - the projection of Fontaine's silhouette is gone, of course, replaced by that same flickering "please stand by" message. But your mayor's voice is still the one that speaks over the increasingly empty circle of podiums. ]

If you somehow need a reminder of why you're here, three of you are dead. Get away with it, killer or killers, and the execution room gets to really work overtime today. But I guess if you wanna live, you should find who murdered three people. Could be important for you guys.

[ Welcome to your fifth trial. ]

Comments

[asymptotes]

No, I suppose not. But being placed at a crime scene isn't proof. I just want to know you all can finish the job.

[visiblepattern]

Being placed at a crime scene does raise the question of what you were doing there, if not actively committing murder.

There's also the question of who you would suggest did this. Personally, if we were to ask, who do you think is likely to have done this?

[asymptotes]

[ Looks around. ]

I'm not here to do your homework for you, Pink R- Forrest. If you're going to defeat a monster, do it properly.

[visiblepattern]

No, I'm within my right to ask questions. In situations like this, questions are often all we have. Am I to assume you have no answer?

[asymptotes]

You found two others, didn't you? Gaius and Nandor?

Let me ask you something in return: how much of this do you intend to pin on me?

[howveryglib]

You did play at being friendly and helpful for long enough that I could easily see Jonathan writing a pleasant note about how much he appreciated you.

[asymptotes]

Maybe, but poison? Come, now. Not my thing. Not for someone as frail as Jonathan Harker.

[howveryglib]

True, I suppose there are far quicker and more painless ways to kill someone like Jonathan.

[visiblepattern]

I believe that there's likely another killer. I also believe that you killed Misfire.

In the end, what I believe doesn't matter. What I intend to pin on you doesn't matter, either. What matters is what the group believes. We could vote you out right now, without playing your game, if we wanted to do that - especially since you've more or less admitted to your guilt already. You're going to die either way; my question in response is what you gain from trying to test us like this.

[asymptotes]

[ He takes a long breath. ]

I have nothing to go home to after this. Reality rewrote itself without me. I no longer exist or have a place in it. All I have is the lot of you and a desire to see the Mayor destroyed. I just want to know you can before she makes someone I've killed stab me in the back or whatever it is she intends to do.

[visiblepattern]

...Did you not have faith in your own abilities to make it to the end of this?

[asymptotes]

Look at me, Forrest. Look at the way I am. Even if I made it out of this? With my plans fallen through, my powers stripped from me... I'm maybe one tenth of a decent mentor.

[ He sighs. ]

I think sometimes part of being a hero is admitting when it's time someone else take on the fight.

[visiblepattern]

You said it yourself - you still had us. And that means that it's not your place to decide when to give up, because your responsibilities don't fade just because you don't want them anymore. They're still there. Just like we're still here, and we would have continued to be here for you if you'd let us.

[...]

I know you just want it to be over. And I'm not going to condemn you for that, because I understand. I do. But still...

[asymptotes]

... Yeah. You're right. If I'd let you.

[ He laughs, like Forrest told a joke instead of pointing out one of his central flaws. A flaw that... he sees, now. ]

You kids would make a decent set of Rangers.