TRIAL 04

[thecomputer]

Attention, Citizens! You have ten minutes to proceed to the Loyalty Chamber. Anyone who is late to the Loyalty Chamber, or who brings any weapons into the Loyalty Chamber, will be immediately executed.

[Once you arrive, you will find a large chamber, with twenty podiums spaced around the room in a circle. On the ceiling, a massive screen showing the digital eye of The Computer, turning to look at whoever is talking.]

You have one hour to come to a consensus about who to eliminate. Ties will be broken randomly.

[The floor of the chamber begins to split apart, eventually only leaving the twenty podiums as safe places to stand, above a seemingly bottomless abyss. Each podium lights up with a touch screen showing twenty user IDs (the dead are grayed out), plus the word “ABSTAIN”. However, ABSTAIN has now been grayed out as well. The trial begins now!]

[[Vote here]]

Comments

[stinkingdeadendjob]

Here's an idea.

[That's a bottle of whiskey he's pouring into a glass. The man's upgraded from algae to whiskey just now.]

What if you were both communists? I think given the web of deceit you both have been laying out for the jury, that's a fair notion.

[fullonbraced]

What's the point of that? Anthy already tried that with Yomiel. Why would I?

[stinkingdeadendjob]

I'm glad you asked, sport. It's simple.

[He takes a sip of his liquor, smiles, and... remains... ever so still.]

[fullonbraced]

[......Uh.

What.]

Hello? What's simple?

[stinkingdeadendjob]

What? Oh, right.

[He comes to... at least, for the moment. All the same, he retains his pleasant demeanor.]

Let's say Yomiel, the Commie-killing Commie, has it right and you're as Red as that jacket. Now that he's aiming for you, you'd want to get rid of him and prove your innocence all in one shot.

It's as clear as this glass I'm holding.

[fullonbraced]

That does make sense.

[stinkingdeadendjob]

Hey, it's your logic. Don't give me all the credit.

[schrodingers_man]

What happened to trusting Greed's judgement?

[stinkingdeadendjob]

Well, there is that. But isn't it possible that he could have made a teeny little mistake?

[He holds up his whiskey glass.]

You gotta admit, the little, err, lady's argument makes sense. Gotta crack some eggs to make nog and buddy, life is the finest nog you can make!

[Clay makes a tiny hiccup.]

[schrodingers_man]

The only mistake Greed made was telling me you were clear. And have you stopped to figure out why he trusted me enough to do that? He knew what my role was, you idiot! I investigated him on the first night and told him on the second! I wanted somebody I could trust, and you took that from me, you disgusting lush!

[ It's probably for the best that everybody's stuck on their own podiums right now. Probably definitely for the best. ]

[stinkingdeadendjob]

[Clay takes a sip from the glass and looks up at Yomiel, his gaze not terribly focused and his mouth, slack-jawed. At this point, his mind is completely in the fog the alcohol he's imbibing produced for it.]

Funny. I remember Greed saying to trust me and no one else till the fat lady sings. If I heard an exception to that rule about a red-suited pinhead, maybe I'd give you some credit.

But while Robin there has a point and she's not the one who's unreasonably cold towards me, well...

[schrodingers_man]

[ Why can't he just hate you to death. ]

[stinkingdeadendjob]

[That would only be too easy.]