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

[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.