THE THIRD TRIAL

[strangerpeople]

THE THIRD TRIAL
(~SK. 17-18)


[When the investigation ends, the D O N G rings throughout the ship, followed by Zero's voice.]

It is time. Everyone, come to the theater. Time is...wasting.

[And so it is. The seating has once more changed to reflect the fallen-Moriarty and now Brain's podiums are draped in black. And, of course, there is no food-

The screens come up, and the mask of Zero appears, ever inscrutable. Their instructions are brief.]

Your Brain is gone, I'm afraid. Cut into pieces and cast aside...and someone here knows why. Now, it's time for you to discover the truth as well...if you can.


[The trial for the murder of Brain, the Blue, has begun.]

Comments

[autonomousthought]

Alright. Lean on me, and we'll get out of here.

[She'll give him the hand up if he wants that part. She's unsure if it's an energy thing or a balance thing, but either way, she's prepared to support.]

[voidseeing]

[As much as he hates to admit it, he does want that part, though he won't say a word as he accepts it.]

... guess I can't complain when we're all sinners here.

[autonomousthought]

I don't disagree, but...what do you mean, exactly?

[Something about that statement feels like it may mean something else.]

[voidseeing]

That our hands are all stained, whether we've committed a murder here or not.

[That's one thing that has become increasingly clear to him over the course of these trials.]

[autonomousthought]

The voting, if nothing else, not to mention our backgrounds. Is that it?

[voidseeing]

Yeah. I don't think any of that is a coincidence.

[Is that why they were chosen? He honestly can't say, but he has a gut feeling.]

[autonomousthought]

You may be right. They're all such different backgrounds, too - it would be one thing if everyone was made for it, like me. But most of the rest of the group isn't.

[It's worth considering...maybe she should go back to searching for trends among them.]

[voidseeing]

"Made for it"?

[Well, that definitely gets his attention there.]

[autonomousthought]

Well... I am a weapon. I was a weapon before I was a person, and being a person doesn't mean I'm not still a weapon.

[voidseeing]

... we're not that different in the end.

[Oh, he's human, to be sure, but he's a human who has been molded into what is basically the equivalent of a living weapon.]