trusthell | Take Responsibility.

The allotted time for investigating comes to an end, and those elevator doors slide open at the end of the first-floor corridor; it's a bit of a walk down from the fifth floor, but at least the ride down is swift and smooth.

To say nothing of spacious. Your numbers are running low.

The podium circle, as always, stands out against the black-walled courtroom where it's encircling that pit in the center; Mettaton and Shirazu have joined the ranks of the deceased, photographs in greyscale watching the proceedings from their podiums draped in black.

The Kingmaker, too, is watching all of you; as always, it isn't until everyone has settled at their podium that he speaks, his voice sounding out through the room for all to hear.

"Sacrificial has been taken from you. Maybe this time the guilty party is going to actually succeed at Rule Seven - but of course, whether they manage it is still up to the rest of you."

Eleven Survivors remain. How many are still standing by the end of the day is up to you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well what's this now?]

Please pass that phone to Mr. Banner so he may inspect it.

[Judging by what Aiden said, he's pretty sure he knows what Bruce will find.]

You won't be able to get into it. [ Because Aiden is a pretty good hacker. He's not T-Bone sure but he has taken down the entire network of Chicago with some help.]

But I'll tell you, if you want. [ He's lost at this point, and he knows it.]

Spill.

[Oldworld technology was never her thing, but she could admit they made some pretty neat stuff.

This is now tucked under "neat stuff".]

I bet we'd all like to hear about it now.

[Put him down for "confused but increasingly interested".]

I doubt there's anyone among us who isn't interested.

It's my main weapon of choice. It can interact with everything electronic in Chicago, which is 99% of the city at this point. Bridges, cars, traffic signals, the subway, bank accounts, police communications... [ He could go on, but he won't.]

I don't have access to the network here, but that doesn't mean I couldn't make something to interface it with. The bomb wasn't set off remotely but the lure was. [ He'll point at the strange device, which now has a name finally!]

It was just a distraction.

[!!!]

I was right!

[... Maybe these stilettos have got something in them hot damn she's wearing them to the Kingmaker's door when they find a weak point.]

Mostly. [ But largely, yes.]

[Well let her click her four inch heels-- okay no that's a mistake, she really is regretting putting these one when she knows she'll be standing for a while, she's leaning on the podium.]

You oldworlders are pretty amazing, having stuff like that. And you're worth your word about your skills too.

[...]

If your sister's there, I'll make sure she goes someplace safe. My parents are there with everyone, and there's other people who can protect others, so... even if it's not just a refugee camp, she's in good hands. If she asks after you, though, what do you want me to say?

Thanks.

[...]

Her name's Nicky. Tell her that I love her, but that her and Jacks are better off without me. [ ....and he actually looks incredibly somber.]

It's better that he grows up without me influencing him.

(no subject)

captainobnoxious - 2016-04-16 21:03 (UTC) - Expand

uro_cyon - 2016-04-16 21:06 (UTC) - Expand

...more like I was right.

[SOMEBODY IS STILL MUMBLING STUFF HERE]

That's... amazing! [And impossible from his point of view. What the hell is a Chicago.]

In a future like... that, you could control anything.

You can. It's dangerous. [ Let's just say he knows from experience.]

...

Our time is a really dangerous place.

[Bruce knows from experience, too.]

That's why I don't trust science!

[Well, that and one other reason]

Edited 2016-04-16 20:59 (UTC)

amygdalae - 2016-04-16 21:01 (UTC) - Expand

Well it's no wonder you were called "Adept".

[He can definitely see why.]

You lead us around for a while.

[ He chuckles.] Better than being called the vigilante.

Though I liked my other nickname back home better, "The Fox".

isafraid - 2016-04-16 21:26 (UTC) - Expand

uro_cyon - 2016-04-16 21:31 (UTC) - Expand

isafraid - 2016-04-16 21:33 (UTC) - Expand

[~~Starkphones~~ His phone is also nigh impenetrable as well, so Bruce doesn't expect anybody less from a hacker. All their most important data is stored in their electronics, after all.

So yeah, he doesn't really look much into it. There isn't a point, anyway.]

We've all been here for long enough. You should know better than to fall to his pushing.

[ About that...]

When I first arrived here, the first thing he showed me was her being kidnapped by my ex-partner. Anything he offered me at that point was moot, because she could still be trapped in that situation.

Last week he finally showed me that she wasn't. I've achieved everything I wanted to do [ His revenge back home, as it were.]. If I did nothing, and he actually had her here, then I couldn't risk her being injured.

If she's still safe, then it doesn't matter. I forced her to move far away, so she wouldn't see me anymore regardless.

[...

'They could be fake', he wants to say, but he also knows its probably a moot point. Aiden is smarter than that.]

...why him?

[Why pick off Shizaru?]

No particular reason, it wasn't personal. It was business. [ He was an easy target, being out so late at night.]

He didn't suffer. [ Because as much as he's killed people, Aiden isn't that type of person.] We fought for a bit, but I was able to get his abdominal aortic artery eventually. It was over fast.

So that's why you used the bomb. To hide the injury.

[Just as Bruce suspected from the start... because the bomb was a bit too much.]

Yeah.

You and Mouri aren't bad at solving things. [ He had to make it more difficult, somehow.]

sleepingkogoro - 2016-04-16 21:04 (UTC) - Expand

amygdalae - 2016-04-16 21:07 (UTC) - Expand

goodforsomething - 2016-04-16 21:09 (UTC) - Expand

Then the knife I found...

[ A nod.]