trusthell | Accountability.

"Killswitch? I 'left Alphys to die'? Please, darlings, don't tell me you actually buy all these tired old storylines..."

It's been a few weeks since that particular voice has been heard by anyone in the Vault; it's sharp, flamboyant and incredibly familiar, and it's coming from the same place the Kingmaker's always seems to - nowhere and everywhere at once, piped in through some unseen system.

"You know, normally I'd balk a bit at being dragged out in front of all of you for another trial, because I think you all know by now how much I hate repeat performances. Fortunately, there's a difference, isn't there? Between now and then... And if the crowd cries for an encore, who am I to deny it!"

There's a panel of wall behind that balcony, one that slides open quickly and easily; the pair of people that emerge from it...well, they're different than anything the Vault has seen so far, that much is obvious.

The first is reasonably slight in frame, his hair and his clothing bright in color; he's resplendant in...just about every tacky accessory Caren unwittingly brought with her to the Vault - with the exception of the bra, naturally. Because we've got to have some dignity here, clearly, even if that dignity doesn't extend to the fucking leopard-print bucket hat currently sitting on his head at a jaunty as hell angle. His expression is intense and deeply manic, his body shaking a bit and fists clenched at his sides as though he's trying to keep himself from laughing, from lashing out and hitting the wall, from doing something to relieve some of it, but his eyes...

...His eyes, though. His eyes are dead as hell, his stare cutting and utterly devoid of emotion all at once.

And the second...well, he's familiar, though it seems his avatar has changed quite a bit since the last time you saw him. It's something more suiting, let's put it that way.

He's the one leaning over to greet you now, hands braced tight against that railing spanning the length of the balcony.

"Beauties and gentlebeauties, I'm pleased to introduce to you our hosts for the evening! First of all, the Kingmaker, without whom none of this would have been possible!"

And that gets a sweeping gesture to his side, where the ginger just...enthusiastically pumps his fist in the air, and that's when the laugh escapes him, harsh and uncontrolled. "It's about time!"

Mettaton tosses his head a bit at that; he doesn't laugh himself, but he seems pleased enough with it before he continues. "As for me? Well, I'd like to wish you good evening and good luck - both sentiments straight from the King of the Underground! Try to make this good for us, all right?"

"Make it cool!"

"...Sweetheart, really."

...Right, well! Let's begin, shall we?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Okay. Okay, he can try to be useful. He's not just dead weight here.]

We know why we ended up here - entertainment for the city, and for you. We still don't know how, given that one of you is a human and I really doubt Mettaton can teleport people out of different worlds.

However we got here, we were then drugged and put into a virtual reality. And now here we are.

One thing that's bothering me [aside from the obvious] is the empty vault we saw on display in the surveillance... normally, you wouldn't have the same show running overlapping itself, would you? That seems a bit strange.

Of course not, that's tacky.

[Thanks, Mettaton.]

[Thanks indeed.]

So it's not from other shows like this one running concurrently. In that case, are they rooms you could swap in for ours?

...We really don't have any control over what those other games are doing, actually. I wouldn't choose to run it this way - again, that's tacky - but they're definitely populated and running.

Ah. So they are concurrent.

Do you talk to the people running them? Shoot the breeze, how's your murdergame going, mine's just fine thank you?

I was never able to get any sort of communication through. And until recently, Ryuunosuke didn't even know about that feature.

Hm. Alright.

...So what are we missing now...?

[He's running low on mysteries here.]

I'm from 1993, cut me some slack...!

......We have one thing in common.

At least you're not from my world! Though I would've taken the werewolves, that sounds kind of cool.

It's not all that "cool", believe me.

Too many people getting plucked from terrible times, if you ask me.

[like the 1800s...]

...so we're not the only ones going through this right now.

You definitely aren't.

I don't know where the others are, but it's pretty safe to say that they're all VR soundstages like this one. They could be anywhere.

...I see. Thank you for telling me.

[Guess who's just made it his mission to find all these other murdergames and end them. Once he gets out of this one.]

...Are you going to try to put a stop to them?

[He doesn't sound concerned or anything, exactly; it's a genuine question.]

...

[There's a quiet pause, and for a moment Bruce's grip on his podium tightens.]

...I chose to be an Avenger because I was shown the possibility of being able to help people with my powers. I was told by everyone about how I saved New York and the world, how I smashed a mythological god to the ground, how I-- [another pause] --how I saved the man who would be my best friend, at least for a while.

Things have changed since then. Protecting people isn't as simple as its cracked up to be, and I've made my fair share of mistakes then and even before any of this. [Ultron, for one.] It'll be easy for me to say 'I give up' and thrown in the towel.

But if I know there are people out there who need help, who are going through this exact thing as me and everyone else in here did... [He trails off and shakes his head here, and when he looks at Mettaton his gaze is determined and focused, perhaps for the first time since all of this began.] Then I simply can't turn away and pretend all of this isn't happening. Nobody should ever have to go through something like this. I may not be an Avenger any more, but that doesn't mean I'll stop helping those in need.

...I meant what I said when I told you that you were one of the five people I didn't want something to happen to that week.

[And that seems to come out of nowhere, but he's going somewhere with it, all right.]

If this has given you something to live for in some way, then that's...good. Even if nothing else is.

[...its surprising, honestly, to hear that, and Bruce isn't quite sure what to make of it. Morality has always been a funny thing.]

...I'll put an end to them. As many as I can. Even if I have to do it alone.

You are not goin' anywhere alone. Especially not chasin' after murdergame hosts, geez.

Pines-san is right. I can tell you with certainty you won't do this alone, Bruce-san.

[Because Mouri knows he'll do the same, he's going to get to the bottom of all this]

Edited 2016-04-30 02:55 (UTC)