WEEK 9 - Trial

[al2955]

the pygmalion. . . ONLINE CAPTAIN'S LOG: WEEK (9)

saturday TRIAL DAY ONE (19) survivors At 9 AM, a klaxon alarm begins blaring in every area of the ship. The alarm will continue to go off until everyone has gathered in the conference room. Should anyone be running late or avoiding the trial for whatever reason, a robot guide will appear wherever they are and gently but firmly escort them into the room. Once all the living players are present, the conference room doors will lock shut; anyone who wishes to leave for whatever reason will need to ask AL-2955 or one of the robots. Anyone leaving for non-investigative purposes, such as bathroom breaks, will be accompanied by a robot escort. The large round table in the center of the conference room has been set up to help the trial run as smoothly as possible. Three holographic screens hover above the center hollow of the table, visible from every angle. The first screen displays the pictures and profiles of the suspects and victim; the second displays the autopsy report; the third displays a blank word processor. Each of the chairs comes equipped with a virtual keyboard which can be used to type information directly into the third screen, such as theories and updated information; they can also be set into privacy mode, which will transfer whatever notes someone writes directly into their datapad instead of on screen. There's also a tablet function for those who wish to draw charts or pictures on screen. The keyboards will detect the DNA of whoever's using them and record who's typed what - simply press an area of text and the name of whoever wrote it will pop up. The area to the right of the table has been temporarily sectioned off with a glass partition and sliding door for hygienic issues. Inside, the victim's body has been laid out on a metal autopsy table, covered by a plastic sheet. Above it is a holographic screen that displays a close-up color photograph of the body when it was found. A hand sanitizer dispenser has been considerately attached to the wall nearby for anyone getting up close and personal to the body. To the left of the conference table is a display case. Any evidence found during the investigation will be carefully collected by the robots at some point the previous day and placed here before the trial starts. Beneath each piece of evidence is a small tablet where players can type up information, such as a short description or where it was found. There are also empty areas left over for any evidence that may be found during the trial. The shelf at the very bottom of the case has been reserved for an extra rulebook in case anyone needs it. Food will be served throughout the day by the robots, who will take individual orders whenever you're feeling hungry. The trial will end at 9:00 PM, at which point all players will have been expected to cast their vote.

victim



suspects



Character Statuses
Setting
Rulebook
Voting

Comments

[chiseler]

I'm glad one of us got some amusement out of it. [A half-smile. But that's quick to disappear, too.]

There's not gonna be an us to go back if we don't figure out everything possible. It's been nine weeks and we're just now figuring this kind of stuff out? Come on. You have to see it that way...

[antietam]

You don't have to be the one to do it. [ And there's his real problem. ] It's called self-preservation. Let someone else test these things out.

Promise me you're not going to keep putting yourself in danger.

[chiseler]

I let somebody else test these things, somebody else is gonna get hurt. You want that instead?

[There's a pause.] ...I...[Am not sure he can promise that, really.] Will try. As much as possible.

[antietam]

[ He doesn't answer that because yeah? That was the point. Someone who isn't Luke should get hurt. ]

Luke. I know that means you're not going to try at all and tomorrow you'll be shooting yourself out of a cannon. [ How can he get Luke to understand. ]

Alright, next time you do something like that, I'm doing it with you.

[chiseler]

[He reaches up and pulls on his hair a little. No, Adam, that's not how we handle things. Not really, anyway. Ask him later when his ears aren't ringing.]

Don't be ridiculous. We don't even have a cannon on the ship. [He smirks even if it isn't funny at all.] And you are not doing anything like that, you understand me? Don't even think about it.

[antietam]

See? That's how I feel. And if you're not going to listen to me, I'm not going to listen to you. So yeah, I'm doing it. [ He'll do it to prove a point even if he really, really doesn't want to get hurt. ]

[chiseler]

[WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS.]

You. [UGH.] Are not. Doing. Anything. Like that. [A pause.] ...just until tomorrow. After tomorrow, after we figure out what happened, I promise I'll stop. Okay?

[antietam]

[ Raising his eyebrows in challenge. You're not his dad!!! ]

You're not doing anything life-threatening tomorrow. Nothing that'll break bones because I'm not pushing you up the ladder to your room every day. Deal? [ Why are they bargaining. ]

[chiseler]

[This is the worst.]

Did you miss the part where I can do life-threatening things right now and live through it? Just until the trial's over. That's it. Then I'm done, no more...no more trying to blow myself up or anything.

[antietam]

What are you even planning on doing that you want this for? And yeah, you can live through it but you'll also get hurt too.

[ Sharply: ] I don't want to see you like this anymore.

[chiseler]

[Well excuse him. It's the last part, and the tone especially, that gets him to stop talking entirely and he stares at Adam in bewilderment. In the end he closes his eyes instead.]

...fine. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. And that's what worries me a little bit.

[antietam]

I'm positive that no one has to almost die to figure this trial out. Whatever happens, we'll get through it like we got through last week.

You don't have to do everything on your own. You told me that.

[chiseler]

[To his credit, at least he looks a little embarrassed.]

Let's talk about this later, all right? This isn't helping us figure out anything that we didn't already know. [i.e. that Luke's a total idiot.] Focus on theory. You can be mad at me when we break for the evening.