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]

[Sorry he's like this. But he almost whines a little because the longer he sits the more sore he actually is, but he also doesn't really want to move yet.]

There's still a lot I need to figure out, dude. And I'm not setting off more mines. Doesn't that count as resting?

[antietam]

[ Nope, he's not allowed to joke about it. That makes Adam scowl. ]

You can't think this is good for you. At least lay down while you're working on it, alright? God forbid you actually feel decent at some point.

[chiseler]

[He sort of settles for staring blankly at him before he heaves a sigh and stares up at him.]

You're writing my notes for me then. [Writing sideways is apparently hard, and so is standing.] I'll be fine in the morning probably.

[antietam]

Fine. [ He doesn't really know how to get Luke up without being too forceful and hurting him. So he'll just softly tug at his wrist. ]

Where does it hurt? I have ice.

[chiseler]

[He ponders for a moment before he shakes his head, slowly closing his notes and also stopping the movie. He's not looking at him, but his wrist sort of hangs loosely in Adam's grip.]

Why do you keep doing this? [It's not irritated or annoyed, but it's a question that comes from truly being curious about Adam's motivations.]

[antietam]

What do you mean? [ It seems so obvious that he's not sure if it's what Luke's really asking. ]

Is it weird that I don't want you to be in pain?

[chiseler]

I...[He's not sure how to answer that. So he holds out his notes for Adam to take so he can work on standing up.] You keep coming back no matter what stupid shit I do. It's not even that bad...like taking a really hard fall and being sore for a long time after that. [Up on his feet he goes and he's...leaving the sandwich and tablet on the floor. Fuck it, he can't grab those.] I ended up launching backwards and hit my back against the wall pretty hard. I probably should've broken my spine but the shield stopped most of it.

[antietam]

I made a promise to you. Even when things got ugly—ugly like stupid shit you do—I wouldn't bail. [ He grabs the notes and then the sandwich and tablet.

Does he think that description will help because Adam's crushing the sandwich in his hand a little bit. ] Oh, that's great. Would have loved to see your corpse come back with a broken spine. Oh, wait, you'd be blown to pieces instead. Fun.

[chiseler]

[...he sure did fuck up today didn't he. It's not until they're at the makeshift bed and Luke eases himself down and into a bunch of pillows (on his stomach so that his back isn't touching anything) that he decides to verbally respond.]

...do I have to apologize again? Or just explain.

[antietam]

[ Adam will set his things down in front of him but keep the notes. Then he puts the ice on the center of his back and sits next to him, letting Luke have all the pillows. ]

I don't really care. It doesn't change this. [ He's going to heave a really, really big sigh. ] I know you were trying to help. I know you're a hero. You're just like Gansey and Ronan who can barely keep themselves alive.

Did you know Ronan once dreamed a version of himself that was dying right in front of me? Bloody and twitching... So he got mad and I got mad and I guess he had to bury his own body himself. [ There's probably a point to that somewhere. ]

[chiseler]

[Adam's free to keep the notes. It's diagrams of how the bodies were found, blood stains, notes about the timing of the explosions, etc. There's a hiss of surprise when the ice is on his back but ultimately he sort of settles down. He rests his cheek on one of the pillows and closes his eyes, listening to Adam talk before furrowing his eyebrows together.]

...I don't think I can bury my own body because I'm not Ronan, so where exactly are you trying to go with that? [And then he thinks.] ...I already told you I'm not gonna die on you.

[antietam]

I don't want to have to see more people I care about die. It's hard to believe you when you say one thing and do another, you know. [ Adam will start adding stuff into the notes, anything he hasn't mentioned or just more details to certain things. He will also note that Luke and Jason left Jessie behind for two hours. He was probably supposed to be transcribing the notes, but eh. ]

Can you really not see what the big deal is?

[chiseler]

[...no, he can. He can absolutely see the big deal because that used to bother him very much, too. He doesn't say anything, staring at the back of his eyelids and breathing deeply to distract himself.]

...used to drive Annabeth crazy, too. [There's a very tentative smirk.] One of the last things she ever said to me was that I always pushed myself too hard. Maybe that's true. Can you at least believe that I'm sorry?

[antietam]

[ It's definitely not hard to believe Luke was doing this even before he died. Adam is questioning their friendship just a bit. ]

Sure. But you'll be sorry next time too. [ He'll stop writing to reach over and pet Luke's head. This is probably time for that. ]

We're partners and this is kind of what I'm supposed to be protecting you against. I wouldn't be doing my job if I let you get away with it.

[chiseler]

[There's a defeated sigh, but he has enough energy left to push his head into Adam's hand. That's acceptable, that's probably the only part of his body that isn't sore yet.]

That's debatable. It depends on what I do next time. [He's probably just kidding. Probably.] You realize you basically just said your job is to protect me against myself, right? I don't know if that's how that works.

[antietam]

You're easily the biggest threat to yourself here. [ Come on. He's sure there aren't many people left who could get the upper hand on Luke. ]

Maybe I'm not that useful against aliens, but you? I can handle you.

[chiseler]

[There's a short grin that says yes, he knows.] Probably. I made my own choice to end it, didn't I?

[The biggest threat of them all. He pauses though, opening an eye to look at Adam.] You know that means you'll have to do this everyday in Virginia. That's a lot of responsibility.

[antietam]

[ Adam catches his eye and then ruffles his hair. ] I've mostly gotten Opal to stop trying to take bites out of trees. Same thing, right?

I'll even give you treats when you're good.

[chiseler]

You did not just compare me to your kid. Or a dog. I'm not a pet, Parrish. [Other than Adam's petting his hair still and Luke's learning new tricks. Goddamnit.] Okay...no more stupid things that might get me killed. But what else am I supposed to do during trials?

[antietam]

Yeah, guess you're right. Even Opal knows that walking in front of traffic is a bad idea. [ Meanwhile he'll have to retrain Luke so much. ]

Why don't you use your head a little bit? [ In a lower tone: ] I know you don't want to let people know you're clever, but maybe try it out for a day.

[chiseler]

[He makes a face instead.] Don't even joke about that. I've almost been hit by a couple of cars running away from monsters, and before you give me any sass, I was really young.

[He suddenly opens both eyes, staring at him incredulously before murmuring in the same tone.] ...I should have known you'd figure that out. I was born with battlefield reflexes, not the ability to solve algorithms. It's why I need you. You're pragmatic and I'm sometimes impractical. Being clever isn't always the same as being smart, is it?

[antietam]

[ He is clearly thinking about giving him sass. Maybe it's the fact that he's lying face-first in pillows with ice on his back that makes Adam give him a break. ]

It's not like you're not smart either, idiot. I can fix things and work out solutions to problems, but that doesn't mean anything if I'm not given the problem in the first place. You're the one who's always giving me new ideas to work out. [ He gives him a small smile. ] You challenge me. You're especially useful when you're not out of the room for two hours with a mine.

[chiseler]

[Adam Parrish is the worst friend and by worst we mean best since the ice helps a little and the pillows are soft. He snorts in amusement at the almost contradictory statement.]

Oh yeah? [He almost seems genuinely curious about that assessment.] Gotta keep you on your toes somehow don't I? I did start out as your mentor. [He doesn't bother opening his eyes much further as he settles back into his pillows.] If it makes you feel any better I have a feeling I won't be doing much moving tomorrow anyway. I've got a lot of questions I want answered tomorrow though. Up for the challenge then?