DEAD 04

[thecomputer]

[Welcome, Anthy, Sakura and Simon!]

[You regain consciousness in a waiting room of some sort. Something is clearly odd - your entire body is slightly transparent, and everything you were carrying with you aside from your clothes is gone. On the plus side, you seem to be impervious to all harm.]

[There is an end table with two stacks of papers. One is a large area to write in (there is a small assortment of pens next to this), and the other all bear the same message:]

Congratulations! You have died.

Please wait in this area until such time as the exercise is terminated. At that time, you will be transferred to your appropriate afterlife. If you were assigned a Communist role, rest easy knowing that any ultimatum given as part of your motivation was false.

If you have any questions, please shout them into the air, and a representative will get back to you within 5-100,000 business days. If you have any final messages for the living, please write them on form B and submit it into the slot in the south wall. Delivery is not guaranteed.

[Sure enough, there’s a slot. In addition, a hallway connects this room with a much larger room, not unlike a movie theatre. A large screen on the far wall shows various events back in the facility as they unfold in real time. A side alcove provides slightly transparent popcorn and a water cooler, although hunger, thirst and exhaustion don’t seem to exist here.]

Comments

[murimurimuri]

Does it matter which one goes first? Unless they're planning to tie down the other and let them be executed for missing curfew and want to leave the one that would put up less of a fight. I'd have done it before the trial just to make sure the "execution" didn't come with more clone copies to have to deal with, but otherwise that is a pretty good idea!

[alchemicals]

That is exactly my point, actually.

That and I don't know how well Fulbright's been taking to picking targets and I have absolutely no doubt that Newman's bad at it; the kid's stupid. In the event that we're joined by Yomiel tomorrow, we want to leave the stupid ones alive.

[ossifragant]

Newman is doing a great job incriminating herself. Giving her another day to realize what's about to happen doesn't sound like such a bad thing. Maybe it'll give them time to find out who her remaining friend is.

[alchemicals]

There's that, too - she's going to panic and she's not going to quit. Maybe she'll end up dragging her friend down with her.

[absolutejustice]

Why not let her bark uselessly? It's not like it matters what she says. She's going to die, along with all her murderous friends.

[alchemicals]

...You are really creepy when you're not being chirpy, you know that?

[absolutejustice]

You're not the first person to tell me that.

[alchemicals]

I'm not saying it's a bad thing.

[absolutejustice]

I just can't contain myself when I see evil that's about to be punished, that's all.

[ossifragant]

[.......]

Somehow that doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

[alchemicals]

I can respect a girl who gets enthusiastic about watching some fuckhead die, believe me. Whatever your reason is.

[murimurimuri]

Oh my, Seryu is scary! So, so scary!

[murimurimuri]

I don't think she's stupid at all. I think she's never had to do anything like this before and is in way over her head.

[He can almost sympathize... almost.]

Well, functionally it's the same, right? And I hate cops, so I'm all for sending Fulbright to the flames.

[alchemicals]

No, trust me, she's stupid. It's a well-meaning sort of stupid, but she's stupid as hell.

And I've wanted Fulbright gone since before he tried to set me up, and if they just leave him out until after curfew it'll probably be too nice an end for my liking. If I can't even punch him in the face, I at least want to see him burn.

[murimurimuri]

I'll concede to your opinion. You would know her better than I.

And ditto on Fulbright, albeit not for the same reasons. I should have set Horace on him before even you did.

[alchemicals]

Hell did he do to you, anyway?

[murimurimuri]

Nothing. I just don't like cops.

[alchemicals]

Any particular reason?

[murimurimuri]

You can't trust or count on cops. The police are bigger crooks than the crooks they chase, doing nothing but abusing their authority and maintaining the status quo.

[alchemicals]

...People are surprised by this?

[murimurimuri]

Of course they are. Cops are part of the lie that most people tell themselves. That the world is a fair place. That good things happen to good people and that the wicked will all be punished.

[alchemicals]

...wow. I'd like to see what sort of mass delusion you're surrounded by.

[murimurimuri]

That's modern civilization for you.