- Pronouns
- They/Them
Well, fair enough. I hope it is alright for what it is, though.
Future Written In Blood (Death Note)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
Well, fair enough. I hope it is alright for what it is, though.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[] Try to jump ahead of it… and talk to the Canadians, eh, and see if they'll cooperate.
I feel like this, or at least we should be sending messages ahead, telling them to expect a rash of killings? Maybe we could say it's a serial killer that some projections put heading through X CanuckTown.
Not sure on how to handle the #1 Killer investigation in the meantime, though.
I feel like this, or at least we should be sending messages ahead, telling them to expect a rash of killings? Maybe we could say it's a serial killer that some projections put heading through X CanuckTown.
Not sure on how to handle the #1 Killer investigation in the meantime, though.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
A holding action is always possible. Or you could use the threat of #3 against #1.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Darius as an intermediary, maybe? Bringing it up to them, how there's this new very rampant killer and the heat is going to get worse, or something?
Or mentioning competition rules, if it's threat in a more supernatural sense. Do you really want your name getting linked with a Death Note investigation if you know Alaska killer is out there and might want to eliminate you? Alaska could just write both your names down, if we make a public arrest and announce you're tied to this case.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
A good idea. Remember, any idea is better than not voting.
[X] Try to jump ahead of it… and talk to the Canadians, eh, and see if they'll cooperate.
[X] [Media-Response] Go with the standard issue responses, verify nothing more than that the police are investigating the case, that the police are stepping up surveillance to find the cause, and ask for nonspecific cooperation from the public regarding the mysterious deaths. It won't satisfy the press, but nothing short of the killer's name and means would. If there is a suitable police hotline to dump the resultant flood of helpful but wrong or uninformed persons, provide it.
[X] [Killer #1] Step up the pressure, drop hints and cues that the police might be attributing the new deaths to them. They'd probably crack soon under that pressure to act.
[X] [Media-Response] Go with the standard issue responses, verify nothing more than that the police are investigating the case, that the police are stepping up surveillance to find the cause, and ask for nonspecific cooperation from the public regarding the mysterious deaths. It won't satisfy the press, but nothing short of the killer's name and means would. If there is a suitable police hotline to dump the resultant flood of helpful but wrong or uninformed persons, provide it.
[X] [Killer #1] Step up the pressure, drop hints and cues that the police might be attributing the new deaths to them. They'd probably crack soon under that pressure to act.
[X] Try to jump ahead of it… and talk to the Canadians, eh, and see if they'll cooperate.
[X] [Media-Response] Go with the standard issue responses, verify nothing more than that the police are investigating the case, that the police are stepping up surveillance to find the cause, and ask for nonspecific cooperation from the public regarding the mysterious deaths. It won't satisfy the press, but nothing short of the killer's name and means would. If there is a suitable police hotline to dump the resultant flood of helpful but wrong or uninformed persons, provide it.
[X] [Killer #1] Step up the pressure, drop hints and cues that the police might be attributing the new deaths to them. They'd probably crack soon under that pressure to act.
Yeah this is likely better than my own suggestion.
[X] [Media-Response] Go with the standard issue responses, verify nothing more than that the police are investigating the case, that the police are stepping up surveillance to find the cause, and ask for nonspecific cooperation from the public regarding the mysterious deaths. It won't satisfy the press, but nothing short of the killer's name and means would. If there is a suitable police hotline to dump the resultant flood of helpful but wrong or uninformed persons, provide it.
[X] [Killer #1] Step up the pressure, drop hints and cues that the police might be attributing the new deaths to them. They'd probably crack soon under that pressure to act.
Yeah this is likely better than my own suggestion.
Evil Plan
Not nearly so nefarious as my name signifies
- Location
- Eastern United States
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I'm not sold on this, actually. From what I know from story posts, it seems plausible to me that the Alaska Killer is just that other Shingami screwing around.
From a meta perspective, of course, whatever the source is has to be something we are capable of dealing with, but that's not enough to ensure it's a mortal with a death note.
[X] [Killer #1] Step up the pressure, drop hints and cues that the police might be attributing the new deaths to them. They'd probably crack soon under that pressure to act.
[X] Try to jump ahead of it… and talk to the Canadians, eh, and see if they'll cooperate.
[X] [Media-Response] Go with the standard issue responses, verify nothing more than that the police are investigating the case, that the police are stepping up surveillance to find the cause, and ask for nonspecific cooperation from the public regarding the mysterious deaths. It won't satisfy the press, but nothing short of the killer's name and means would. If there is a suitable police hotline to dump the resultant flood of helpful but wrong or uninformed persons, provide it.
[X] [Killer #1] Step up the pressure, drop hints and cues that the police might be attributing the new deaths to them. They'd probably crack soon under that pressure to act.
[X] [Media-Response] Go with the standard issue responses, verify nothing more than that the police are investigating the case, that the police are stepping up surveillance to find the cause, and ask for nonspecific cooperation from the public regarding the mysterious deaths. It won't satisfy the press, but nothing short of the killer's name and means would. If there is a suitable police hotline to dump the resultant flood of helpful but wrong or uninformed persons, provide it.
[X] [Killer #1] Step up the pressure, drop hints and cues that the police might be attributing the new deaths to them. They'd probably crack soon under that pressure to act.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Try to jump ahead of it… and talk to the Canadians, eh, and see if they'll cooperate.
[X] [Media-Response] Go with the standard issue responses, verify nothing more than that the police are investigating the case, that the police are stepping up surveillance to find the cause, and ask for nonspecific cooperation from the public regarding the mysterious deaths. It won't satisfy the press, but nothing short of the killer's name and means would. If there is a suitable police hotline to dump the resultant flood of helpful but wrong or uninformed persons, provide it.
[X] [Killer #1] Start using the media to pressure them, in addition to surveillance. Make sure they're aware of how much public focus there is on mysterious deaths now, and hint that the public might hear about some of their killings as the investigation expands.
[X] [Media-Response] Go with the standard issue responses, verify nothing more than that the police are investigating the case, that the police are stepping up surveillance to find the cause, and ask for nonspecific cooperation from the public regarding the mysterious deaths. It won't satisfy the press, but nothing short of the killer's name and means would. If there is a suitable police hotline to dump the resultant flood of helpful but wrong or uninformed persons, provide it.
[X] [Killer #1] Start using the media to pressure them, in addition to surveillance. Make sure they're aware of how much public focus there is on mysterious deaths now, and hint that the public might hear about some of their killings as the investigation expands.
Episode 18-B
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Episode 18-B (February 1st-4th)
"You don't make this easy, do you?" Rick asked, staring at Alex. They were sitting in chairs across from each other, reviewing the information and data.
"Nobody does," Alex said. "This is an important case."
"And you've buried everyone in headaches and paperwork. They're going to demand to know exactly what they're dealing with, you know."
"And there's a problem with the truth?"
"I prefer lies to the truth," Rick said, bluntly.
"That makes two of us," Alex said, smiling playfully.
Rick didn't take the bait. "So I'm supposed to tell them that Mr. Alex just wants them to open themselves up and allow the FBI to decide whether their citizens live and die?"
"No. For one, I am not Mr. Alex," Alex pointed out, leaning back slightly and glancing at the paperwork. It really was a hassle, but there was the fact that this was going to be moving along quickly. It depended on where the killer was headed, but surely if they had a car, then they could be tracked.
"I'm not sure what you are. I looked at your paperwork, and…"
"So I lied. And evaded. And avoided," Alex pointed out. Their paperwork said different sexes at different gates. It was all a complex lie, and they knew that lying to the government was not usually so encouraged. But they didn't care. "It is the way of things."
"The way of what?"
"The way of Alex."
Rick groaned. "You think you're absolutely adorable, don't you? But the rest of us like to live in a…"
"A what?"
"A realistic world."
"How's it going, in lying to the government about the provable fact that gods of death exist?" Alex asked, their voice without inflection.
"Fine, so it doesn't make sense. I don't like it, and I'm not a monomaniac like Nancy."
"I've seen her smile enough to know that she actually likes this. She likes it when she had a logic puzzle, and while it's tearing her hair out, I'm sure she'll be fine. Unlike you." Alex stood up. "You're doing good work, but you need to think less about me and more about--"
"Think about what? I'm partnered with some podunk police, and all of you are weird. James is at least reasonable."
"Great," Alex said. "That's the word for it. Do you want to go for drinks after work?"
"When? I'm going to be up all night." Rick frowned. "Even if I wanted to."
Alex nodded. "The offer is there, it's always there."
"Sure, and so's a bed. Neither's going to happen anytime soon."
********
Sometimes one had to work smarter, sometimes harder. The Canadian government was quick to accede to at least some cooperation once they knew that there was a killer driving through their lands murdering people in a way that couldn't be directly tracked.
But it was likely fruitless to catch them on the larger highways, which was why Alex was hoping that in the small communities, people passing through would be noticed.
And they were.
A trail of suspicious sightings multiplied, as every single person who passed through a town of fifty became a suspect. But what there wasn't, oddly, was a consistent trail. Three days in and that's what they had: somehow, someway, the killer was not in fact doing what every single other car was that seemed to be following the line across Canada, clearly aimed for Toronto or one of their big cities.
Appearing.
The only possibility that Alex could think of was that they were switching cars constantly, and with patrolmen writing down license plates now, it was likely that they'd continue this.
Who were they? Alex didn't know, but they'd left a trail of destruction in their wake… but one that seemed several days behind their movements.
Three died in one town of 40. Twelve in a town of sixty. On and on and on, the bodies began to pile up, slowly marking a trail of destruction that was going to soon hit Edmonton.
********
"Check it out. It's the latest fad," Oliver said, showing the phone to James.
James looked at it, "Does Alex know?"
"Yes. He said of course one of the newsies would leak it."
James frowned as he looked at it. They were selling face masks online. But how had that leaked? The face masks in specific. Unless, of course, it was the Anchorage Cops. They could have easily told a friend to warn them, and then it got out from there. Either way, it was a trend, and the media was picking up on it.
They'd had to use three or four local cops as answering-machines, and every time James stepped outside, or any cop for that matter, there was a deluge of attention.
Max's little article was released to great fanfare, and now people were terrified and speculating on what could be doing this. The mayor dead, foreign figures dead.
There was an uproar in the halls of the FBI, no doubt, ane Jesus Smiley looked more and more tired each day, as did Rick Oates. All of them had to be under a lot of pressure, but Ulrich and Nancy both seemed more able to ignore it. Governments around the world had to be demanding answers now, since more than a few of the latest deaths were on foreign soil.
Patricia had clearly automated the murders, because every day at around the same time, midnight or so, one or two targets died. Usually one was a serial killer, and the other a member of a terrorist or hate group of some prominence, and their deaths were done in a way that left no doubt as to what was going on.
But would people realize that these were two different sets of murders?
They hadn't yet, but it was just a matter of time.
The murders were rapidly diverging, as the tally for the third killer was nearing five-hundred despite having been active only for a matter of days.
If it passed six-hundred-and-sixty-six, then it was a human for sure.
Not that Alex thought it was a god of death. Ryuk seemed to smug for that to be so, and Darius was trying to bribe him as much as possible.
So was Patricia, for her own Shinigami, that much was obvious by the increased budget for apples that her mother had started.
But bribe him to do what? That was the question.
********
"You know, we have to stop meeting like this," Alex said, holding out their badge. They dressed in a plain, traditional style, going for a noir detective who went to prep school, what with the long jacket and the blazer, and the smart pair of glasses perched on their nose. Non-perscription.
Patricia looked tired, and nervous. She looked like someone who had not slept in days, and of course why would she? "We do. If you would excuse me."
"I wonder. All of those murders going on," Alex said. "Do you think they'll realize that there are differences?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"Of course you don't," Alex said, with a sly smile.
"This killer is another annoyance, another person ruining your reputation. You want to be viewed as a righteous murderer."
"Either arrest me on some bogus charge, because I have no idea what you are doing, or get out of my way." Patricia's eyes were dark, her hair a mess, but Alex had to carefully decide whether this was a bluff or not.
It might be a bluff, and… maybe it was. It had to be in one sense, because she knew that even if they didn't get anything, it'd severely hurt her ability to function. She was being trapped in, caged in, and she needed to find a way out.
How?
Alex looked at her. "You wonder, how does anyone view this as anything other than murder? I mean, imagine how it must feel, to stand back and watch someone slaughter people en masse, no doubt based on some inane justification that does not in any way justify what they were doing." Alex tilted their body. "Perhaps we share something in common. I watch you, and you watch the Alaskan Killer. People will blame you, people will hate you, and whatever game you are playing… consider this. The government will sentence you to life in prison: there are worse results if you keep on playing this game."
"What game?"
Lie.
"Oh? Is that what you're going to say?" Alex shrugged. "Think about it. I'm not a murderer. I don't kill people."
The look Patricia gave was skeptical. "Why do you keep on coming back to me?"
"Because I'm not stupid," Alex said. "Think on it. There are rocks and hard places…"
Patricia very carefully didn't glance up, which told them that she was seeing something.
Patricia sighed. "May I go? Or am I under arrest?"
Alex didn't say that if they were going to arrest her, it'd be by surprise.
"You may go."
*********
Killer #3: (Choose 1)
[] Search for cars.
[] Search for people.
[] Set a trap in Toronto.
Team (Choose 2)
[] Buy masks.
[] Begin planning on what to do when the existence of the Death Note leaks.
[] Get to know a team member.
-[] Write-in.
[] Question Ryuk about this Game.
[] Bribe Ryuk for more information.
Killer #1 (Choose 1)
[] Ignore for now. Let it simmer.
[] Search warrant.
-[] Choose person, such as Rachel, Patricia, or Wendell.
[] Arrest warrant.
-[] Choose one person.
[] Monitor the fan-sites to see how they're reacting to the third killer. The fan sites are one of the vectors by which another vector of the Note could be used without monitoring.
*******
A/N: Here.
"You don't make this easy, do you?" Rick asked, staring at Alex. They were sitting in chairs across from each other, reviewing the information and data.
"Nobody does," Alex said. "This is an important case."
"And you've buried everyone in headaches and paperwork. They're going to demand to know exactly what they're dealing with, you know."
"And there's a problem with the truth?"
"I prefer lies to the truth," Rick said, bluntly.
"That makes two of us," Alex said, smiling playfully.
Rick didn't take the bait. "So I'm supposed to tell them that Mr. Alex just wants them to open themselves up and allow the FBI to decide whether their citizens live and die?"
"No. For one, I am not Mr. Alex," Alex pointed out, leaning back slightly and glancing at the paperwork. It really was a hassle, but there was the fact that this was going to be moving along quickly. It depended on where the killer was headed, but surely if they had a car, then they could be tracked.
"I'm not sure what you are. I looked at your paperwork, and…"
"So I lied. And evaded. And avoided," Alex pointed out. Their paperwork said different sexes at different gates. It was all a complex lie, and they knew that lying to the government was not usually so encouraged. But they didn't care. "It is the way of things."
"The way of what?"
"The way of Alex."
Rick groaned. "You think you're absolutely adorable, don't you? But the rest of us like to live in a…"
"A what?"
"A realistic world."
"How's it going, in lying to the government about the provable fact that gods of death exist?" Alex asked, their voice without inflection.
"Fine, so it doesn't make sense. I don't like it, and I'm not a monomaniac like Nancy."
"I've seen her smile enough to know that she actually likes this. She likes it when she had a logic puzzle, and while it's tearing her hair out, I'm sure she'll be fine. Unlike you." Alex stood up. "You're doing good work, but you need to think less about me and more about--"
"Think about what? I'm partnered with some podunk police, and all of you are weird. James is at least reasonable."
"Great," Alex said. "That's the word for it. Do you want to go for drinks after work?"
"When? I'm going to be up all night." Rick frowned. "Even if I wanted to."
Alex nodded. "The offer is there, it's always there."
"Sure, and so's a bed. Neither's going to happen anytime soon."
********
Sometimes one had to work smarter, sometimes harder. The Canadian government was quick to accede to at least some cooperation once they knew that there was a killer driving through their lands murdering people in a way that couldn't be directly tracked.
But it was likely fruitless to catch them on the larger highways, which was why Alex was hoping that in the small communities, people passing through would be noticed.
And they were.
A trail of suspicious sightings multiplied, as every single person who passed through a town of fifty became a suspect. But what there wasn't, oddly, was a consistent trail. Three days in and that's what they had: somehow, someway, the killer was not in fact doing what every single other car was that seemed to be following the line across Canada, clearly aimed for Toronto or one of their big cities.
Appearing.
The only possibility that Alex could think of was that they were switching cars constantly, and with patrolmen writing down license plates now, it was likely that they'd continue this.
Who were they? Alex didn't know, but they'd left a trail of destruction in their wake… but one that seemed several days behind their movements.
Three died in one town of 40. Twelve in a town of sixty. On and on and on, the bodies began to pile up, slowly marking a trail of destruction that was going to soon hit Edmonton.
********
"Check it out. It's the latest fad," Oliver said, showing the phone to James.
James looked at it, "Does Alex know?"
"Yes. He said of course one of the newsies would leak it."
James frowned as he looked at it. They were selling face masks online. But how had that leaked? The face masks in specific. Unless, of course, it was the Anchorage Cops. They could have easily told a friend to warn them, and then it got out from there. Either way, it was a trend, and the media was picking up on it.
They'd had to use three or four local cops as answering-machines, and every time James stepped outside, or any cop for that matter, there was a deluge of attention.
Max's little article was released to great fanfare, and now people were terrified and speculating on what could be doing this. The mayor dead, foreign figures dead.
There was an uproar in the halls of the FBI, no doubt, ane Jesus Smiley looked more and more tired each day, as did Rick Oates. All of them had to be under a lot of pressure, but Ulrich and Nancy both seemed more able to ignore it. Governments around the world had to be demanding answers now, since more than a few of the latest deaths were on foreign soil.
Patricia had clearly automated the murders, because every day at around the same time, midnight or so, one or two targets died. Usually one was a serial killer, and the other a member of a terrorist or hate group of some prominence, and their deaths were done in a way that left no doubt as to what was going on.
But would people realize that these were two different sets of murders?
They hadn't yet, but it was just a matter of time.
The murders were rapidly diverging, as the tally for the third killer was nearing five-hundred despite having been active only for a matter of days.
If it passed six-hundred-and-sixty-six, then it was a human for sure.
Not that Alex thought it was a god of death. Ryuk seemed to smug for that to be so, and Darius was trying to bribe him as much as possible.
So was Patricia, for her own Shinigami, that much was obvious by the increased budget for apples that her mother had started.
But bribe him to do what? That was the question.
********
"You know, we have to stop meeting like this," Alex said, holding out their badge. They dressed in a plain, traditional style, going for a noir detective who went to prep school, what with the long jacket and the blazer, and the smart pair of glasses perched on their nose. Non-perscription.
Patricia looked tired, and nervous. She looked like someone who had not slept in days, and of course why would she? "We do. If you would excuse me."
"I wonder. All of those murders going on," Alex said. "Do you think they'll realize that there are differences?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"Of course you don't," Alex said, with a sly smile.
"This killer is another annoyance, another person ruining your reputation. You want to be viewed as a righteous murderer."
"Either arrest me on some bogus charge, because I have no idea what you are doing, or get out of my way." Patricia's eyes were dark, her hair a mess, but Alex had to carefully decide whether this was a bluff or not.
It might be a bluff, and… maybe it was. It had to be in one sense, because she knew that even if they didn't get anything, it'd severely hurt her ability to function. She was being trapped in, caged in, and she needed to find a way out.
How?
Alex looked at her. "You wonder, how does anyone view this as anything other than murder? I mean, imagine how it must feel, to stand back and watch someone slaughter people en masse, no doubt based on some inane justification that does not in any way justify what they were doing." Alex tilted their body. "Perhaps we share something in common. I watch you, and you watch the Alaskan Killer. People will blame you, people will hate you, and whatever game you are playing… consider this. The government will sentence you to life in prison: there are worse results if you keep on playing this game."
"What game?"
Lie.
"Oh? Is that what you're going to say?" Alex shrugged. "Think about it. I'm not a murderer. I don't kill people."
The look Patricia gave was skeptical. "Why do you keep on coming back to me?"
"Because I'm not stupid," Alex said. "Think on it. There are rocks and hard places…"
Patricia very carefully didn't glance up, which told them that she was seeing something.
Patricia sighed. "May I go? Or am I under arrest?"
Alex didn't say that if they were going to arrest her, it'd be by surprise.
"You may go."
*********
Killer #3: (Choose 1)
[] Search for cars.
[] Search for people.
[] Set a trap in Toronto.
Team (Choose 2)
[] Buy masks.
[] Begin planning on what to do when the existence of the Death Note leaks.
[] Get to know a team member.
-[] Write-in.
[] Question Ryuk about this Game.
[] Bribe Ryuk for more information.
Killer #1 (Choose 1)
[] Ignore for now. Let it simmer.
[] Search warrant.
-[] Choose person, such as Rachel, Patricia, or Wendell.
[] Arrest warrant.
-[] Choose one person.
[] Monitor the fan-sites to see how they're reacting to the third killer. The fan sites are one of the vectors by which another vector of the Note could be used without monitoring.
*******
A/N: Here.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X][Killer #1] Monitor the fan-sites to see how they're reacting to the third killer. The fan sites are one of the vectors by which another vector of the Note could be used without monitoring.
[X][Killer #3] Set a trap in Toronto.
Looking for cars isn't going to do anything, I think. They know we're checking for that and they have some gimmick.
[X][Team] Begin planning on what to do when the existence of the Death Note leaks.
[X][Team] Get to know a team member.
-[X] Rick.
Task voting like this, right boss?
[X][Killer #3] Set a trap in Toronto.
Looking for cars isn't going to do anything, I think. They know we're checking for that and they have some gimmick.
[X][Team] Begin planning on what to do when the existence of the Death Note leaks.
[X][Team] Get to know a team member.
-[X] Rick.
Task voting like this, right boss?
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- They/Them
That helps, certainly. Oh, you get to choose two things for the team.
[X] Set a trap in Toronto.
[X] Begin planning on what to do when the existence of the Death Note leaks.
[X] Bribe Ryuk for more information.
[X] Monitor the fan-sites to see how they're reacting to the third killer. The fan sites are one of the vectors by which another vector of the Note could be used without monitoring.
Uh, would buying masks take an action in itself? They're not exactly difficult to get while shopping for stupid amounts of apples?
[X] Begin planning on what to do when the existence of the Death Note leaks.
[X] Bribe Ryuk for more information.
[X] Monitor the fan-sites to see how they're reacting to the third killer. The fan sites are one of the vectors by which another vector of the Note could be used without monitoring.
Uh, would buying masks take an action in itself? They're not exactly difficult to get while shopping for stupid amounts of apples?
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Buying masks, fake IDs, and figuring out how to combine that with the right sort of security.
Other elements that might be involved: checking about security cameras. Think about it: a security camera if the killer has the eyes is just a free menu, if they can get access to it.
Pathetic King
"I Speak To The Audient Void."
- Location
- Colorado
Killer #3: (Choose 1)
[X] Set a trap in Toronto.
Team (Choose 2)
[X] Buy masks.
[X] Begin planning on what to do when the existence of the Death Note leaks.
Killer #1 (Choose 1)
[X] Monitor the fan-sites to see how they're reacting to the third killer. The fan sites are one of the vectors by which another vector of the Note could be used without monitoring.
[X] Set a trap in Toronto.
Team (Choose 2)
[X] Buy masks.
[X] Begin planning on what to do when the existence of the Death Note leaks.
Killer #1 (Choose 1)
[X] Monitor the fan-sites to see how they're reacting to the third killer. The fan sites are one of the vectors by which another vector of the Note could be used without monitoring.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Vote closes in the next few days or so?
[X][Killer #1] Monitor the fan-sites to see how they're reacting to the third killer. The fan sites are one of the vectors by which another vector of the Note could be used without monitoring.
[X][Killer #3] Set a trap in Toronto.
[X][Team] Begin planning on what to do when the existence of the Death Note leaks.
[X][Team] Buy masks.
[X][Killer #3] Set a trap in Toronto.
[X][Team] Begin planning on what to do when the existence of the Death Note leaks.
[X][Team] Buy masks.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Vote closes tomorrow morning. Been stressed and tired.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Well, four votes? I guess that's something. I'll try updating tomorrow morning.
Episode 18-C
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Episode 18-C (Feburary 5th-10th)
"How's this?" Alex asked, holding up a mask.
James laughed, staring at it for a moment. It was definitely a mask, that was for sure, and it definitely would fit, but that was about all he could say, staring at Alex incredulously. It had blush on the 'cheeks' of the white mask, and yet it also had a fake, bristling mustache painted on. The features were vague and non-existent, and yet that didn't seem to really matter, or at least, Alex didn't seem to care.
James own mask was even simpler, just a hockey mask, more or less, and he didn't like wearing it all around everywhere. No, he preferred to stay out of the way of any of this new security paranoia.
Now each day they recorded all movement in the area, all of it in their little office space, and then they wrote down a summary of events and destroyed the tapes. A perfect summary, apparently, with time-stamps and everything. It was cumbersome and ridiculous, which meant of course that Oliver was taken with it, because it felt high-tech and interesting in a way that James assumed drew him in.
Ulrich was similarly on board, in this case because of paranoia, and if he had his way, everyone would have to go around wearing a mask. As it was, they wore them when they were doing any official work, and if the killer was proven to be getting closer, then they'd just have to start wearing them everywhere.
"...fine," James lied.
"Good. I hate it," Alex said, playfully.
"Oh," James said. "You had me going."
"I was lying. I actually like it," Alex said, deadpan. And there it was, it was hard to know when Alex was telling the truth, and that was part of their cleverness.
Part of the game they played with the world. It wasn't a game, though, it was too deadly serious for that.
Just like the investigation.
"Make up your mind," James said.
"Like the fans are doing?" Alex asked.
James rolled his eyes. A lot of time had been spent watching the site, and a few things had been noticed. First, there were actually quite a few different people on the site who lived in Mid-City, which meant that they could be a vector for spreading the infection of Death Note use. But it also meant that there were more eyes, watching for any sign that their 'hero' was among them.
That's what they called her, a hero. And yet the community had split in two over the new killings, even as they rolled onwards without end, or for that matter without sense or logic. It was bizarre, it was entirely predictable in another sense.
Each day the crisis continued was another day where people could figure it all out, which was why Ignatius was making a media package for how to respond to each and every leak there could be.
Including the possibility that the killer just openly stated their intentions somehow or somewhere. It was a long-shot, but what if the third killer went public with their manipulations and their games? What if they didn't care about subtlety, any more than they cared about the lives of other people. It was clear that those didn't matter, so why not expose everything?
Patricia and Rachel, meanwhile, monitored the website. Or rather, Rachel did. And Patricia?
She was looking awfully pale lately.
*********
Ignatius knew that his first instinct was wrong in this case. Being a representative for police meant knowing the art of denial, and yet not being too liberal with it. Because ultimately, he thought, rubbing his eyes, denial could get you in a bad situation when the video-tape turned up that no, the cop hadn't been under attack.
Mid-City hadn't had as many such incidents as some areas, but not as many didn't mean none. So the PR Wizard had spent sleepless nights, three of them, planning up what to say.
And what could be said? It was best to spread the basic details: that a 'Death Note' exists, that a name and face are generally needed, and that there are many complicated rules, but that the most important one to assuage public feeling was also the simplest one:
You could not kill more than one person with a single name written in the Death Note. That meant that the immediate fear of a war being started might be reduced.
Still, it was going to be chaos. Ignatius hoped that this was just not going to happen, but he couldn't be sure. It was stress to eat a man inside out, and it also meant he had far less time for his girlfriend than she'd like.
Or he'd like for that matter. It was just how things went, though. He couldn't step away from this, not now that he was creating a media package for all of this.
He rubbed his eyes once more and got back to work.
******
'Lol, you think that our Hero would be responsible for that? It's a plot!'
'But what if they deserved it?"
Oliver rolled his eyes, trying to ignore two things at once. First, the comments in the 'Hero Chat' and second, the fact that Alex was flouncing around again, checking up on all of the projects at the same time. They were…
They had on a skirt. And a very nice blouse. And something…
Oliver hated that. That well, that he was affected.
'But then who is phone?' Oliver typed in the chat, while Alex continued to flutter from place to place.
He wanted to say something, but what was he supposed to say? This wasn't the time or place for flirtation, and it wasn't even as if they were entirely compatible.
But then there'd been that drunken night, and now sometimes they wondered about another drunken night.
He also worried about one, considering how much alcohol seemed to be going into Alex at times. James was worried too, but what could any of them say? It was Alex's body, and Alex's choices.
'Who is… oh.'
'There's something going on up north,' Oliver typed.
There was too much going on with Patricia. Several of the most vocal supporters of the 'Hero' had dropped off the website recently, which could mean any number of things, but it made Oliver suspicious, because their posting habit didn't seem to fit with that.
Rachel couldn't actually post, because it was too likely to reveal her hand, but she visited the website time and time again. She couldn't help but do so, and occasionally she'd leave a post in the off-topic discussion threads, where they talked about sports, or the like.
Talked about things that weren't, in fact, the murder of hundreds of people in the name of justice.
It disgusted Oliver, and he knew that Alex was even more furious over all of this. More furious and more stressed. Fraying at the edges.
But it was necessary.
*******
The five-hundredth death occurred on the 8th. It was in Edmonton, which meant that there was likely a trail. A trail that was going to end in Toronto. But before that scheme could be enacted, things changed.
******
"Jesus!" Ulrich said.
Jesus Smiley looked up. "What?"
"No, not… fuck. Look at it."
It was a video, a live-stream of the news.
"This is Ron Howard, with Breaking News Network," the put-together anchor said. He was a middle-aged man with blond hair and a short mustache, always smiling and making some joke or another.
Breaking News Network was a 24/7 news channel, and one of the biggest in America.
"I have an announcement," he said, holding up a piece of paper.
He cleared his throat, and he must have gotten approval from his colleagues, because the video didn't cut off. "These dead are just the start. We shall drown the world and bring Rapture at last to the door of the universe. I am your new God, Jesus Christ reborn, and I shall blanket the world in fire. There are two others such as me, who have my power over life and death. But they lack my eyes, which can see into the souls of sinners, and see their names: and all men are sinners, and all men must die if Christ is to be reborn."
Someone rushed onto the stage, trying to fight him. He saw that it was a camera-man, but Ron pushed him back, rising up and yelling out the words at the top of his lungs.
"My eyes see the glory of the lord, and they see through the false lies of the two others. One killed for revenge and profit, the other for a sterile, dead, godless 'justice' that does not understand the nature of guilt! I am coming for them, I shall destroy them and retrieve their notes, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Repent now, ye sinners, and your deaths shall be in your sleep."
Jesus glanced at Ulrich. "Alex…"
"Knows," Alex said. "People are dying. Lots of them. He's going to prove that he's not a Shinigami by bypassing the six-six-six rule."
Alex strode in as Ron continued ranting at the top of his lungs, until station security tackled him, and yet even then the feed didn't cut out.
The camera man stepped in front of the camera, smiling. "This is the killer again. You should not do that."
The security guard convulsed and died where he was on top of Ron, and Ron pulled himself back up and kept on reading.
"Know that this is the only true justice, what I do. If any government raises their hand against me, I shall destroy their leaders, and cast down their country, starting with those from the highest and going on down. They are known to me. My eyes can see all. Fear me and God. Or die. It is your choice," Ron said, and then he pulled out a snub-nosed revolver and put it in his mouth.
And at last, someone must have gotten control of the broadcast, because it cut out before the last possible end.
Jesus stared at it. "Fuck."
*******
So, the trap!
[] Try to monitor all people leaving and entering the city, which can be very hard, but maybe they can pull someone over and they turn out to be the killer?
[] Put a high priority target in place. Someone who claims or acts against this Killer's Agenda, yet whose name is carefully pre-obscured so that he or she might have to go to meet the target.
[] Lock down the city. If it is at all possible. Now is the time to act as if this was a national emergency… because it is. But of course, the Canadian government has to play ball, and if they do?
********
A/N: So, yeah! Things were doing stuff.
"How's this?" Alex asked, holding up a mask.
James laughed, staring at it for a moment. It was definitely a mask, that was for sure, and it definitely would fit, but that was about all he could say, staring at Alex incredulously. It had blush on the 'cheeks' of the white mask, and yet it also had a fake, bristling mustache painted on. The features were vague and non-existent, and yet that didn't seem to really matter, or at least, Alex didn't seem to care.
James own mask was even simpler, just a hockey mask, more or less, and he didn't like wearing it all around everywhere. No, he preferred to stay out of the way of any of this new security paranoia.
Now each day they recorded all movement in the area, all of it in their little office space, and then they wrote down a summary of events and destroyed the tapes. A perfect summary, apparently, with time-stamps and everything. It was cumbersome and ridiculous, which meant of course that Oliver was taken with it, because it felt high-tech and interesting in a way that James assumed drew him in.
Ulrich was similarly on board, in this case because of paranoia, and if he had his way, everyone would have to go around wearing a mask. As it was, they wore them when they were doing any official work, and if the killer was proven to be getting closer, then they'd just have to start wearing them everywhere.
"...fine," James lied.
"Good. I hate it," Alex said, playfully.
"Oh," James said. "You had me going."
"I was lying. I actually like it," Alex said, deadpan. And there it was, it was hard to know when Alex was telling the truth, and that was part of their cleverness.
Part of the game they played with the world. It wasn't a game, though, it was too deadly serious for that.
Just like the investigation.
"Make up your mind," James said.
"Like the fans are doing?" Alex asked.
James rolled his eyes. A lot of time had been spent watching the site, and a few things had been noticed. First, there were actually quite a few different people on the site who lived in Mid-City, which meant that they could be a vector for spreading the infection of Death Note use. But it also meant that there were more eyes, watching for any sign that their 'hero' was among them.
That's what they called her, a hero. And yet the community had split in two over the new killings, even as they rolled onwards without end, or for that matter without sense or logic. It was bizarre, it was entirely predictable in another sense.
Each day the crisis continued was another day where people could figure it all out, which was why Ignatius was making a media package for how to respond to each and every leak there could be.
Including the possibility that the killer just openly stated their intentions somehow or somewhere. It was a long-shot, but what if the third killer went public with their manipulations and their games? What if they didn't care about subtlety, any more than they cared about the lives of other people. It was clear that those didn't matter, so why not expose everything?
Patricia and Rachel, meanwhile, monitored the website. Or rather, Rachel did. And Patricia?
She was looking awfully pale lately.
*********
Ignatius knew that his first instinct was wrong in this case. Being a representative for police meant knowing the art of denial, and yet not being too liberal with it. Because ultimately, he thought, rubbing his eyes, denial could get you in a bad situation when the video-tape turned up that no, the cop hadn't been under attack.
Mid-City hadn't had as many such incidents as some areas, but not as many didn't mean none. So the PR Wizard had spent sleepless nights, three of them, planning up what to say.
And what could be said? It was best to spread the basic details: that a 'Death Note' exists, that a name and face are generally needed, and that there are many complicated rules, but that the most important one to assuage public feeling was also the simplest one:
You could not kill more than one person with a single name written in the Death Note. That meant that the immediate fear of a war being started might be reduced.
Still, it was going to be chaos. Ignatius hoped that this was just not going to happen, but he couldn't be sure. It was stress to eat a man inside out, and it also meant he had far less time for his girlfriend than she'd like.
Or he'd like for that matter. It was just how things went, though. He couldn't step away from this, not now that he was creating a media package for all of this.
He rubbed his eyes once more and got back to work.
******
'Lol, you think that our Hero would be responsible for that? It's a plot!'
'But what if they deserved it?"
Oliver rolled his eyes, trying to ignore two things at once. First, the comments in the 'Hero Chat' and second, the fact that Alex was flouncing around again, checking up on all of the projects at the same time. They were…
They had on a skirt. And a very nice blouse. And something…
Oliver hated that. That well, that he was affected.
'But then who is phone?' Oliver typed in the chat, while Alex continued to flutter from place to place.
He wanted to say something, but what was he supposed to say? This wasn't the time or place for flirtation, and it wasn't even as if they were entirely compatible.
But then there'd been that drunken night, and now sometimes they wondered about another drunken night.
He also worried about one, considering how much alcohol seemed to be going into Alex at times. James was worried too, but what could any of them say? It was Alex's body, and Alex's choices.
'Who is… oh.'
'There's something going on up north,' Oliver typed.
There was too much going on with Patricia. Several of the most vocal supporters of the 'Hero' had dropped off the website recently, which could mean any number of things, but it made Oliver suspicious, because their posting habit didn't seem to fit with that.
Rachel couldn't actually post, because it was too likely to reveal her hand, but she visited the website time and time again. She couldn't help but do so, and occasionally she'd leave a post in the off-topic discussion threads, where they talked about sports, or the like.
Talked about things that weren't, in fact, the murder of hundreds of people in the name of justice.
It disgusted Oliver, and he knew that Alex was even more furious over all of this. More furious and more stressed. Fraying at the edges.
But it was necessary.
*******
The five-hundredth death occurred on the 8th. It was in Edmonton, which meant that there was likely a trail. A trail that was going to end in Toronto. But before that scheme could be enacted, things changed.
******
"Jesus!" Ulrich said.
Jesus Smiley looked up. "What?"
"No, not… fuck. Look at it."
It was a video, a live-stream of the news.
"This is Ron Howard, with Breaking News Network," the put-together anchor said. He was a middle-aged man with blond hair and a short mustache, always smiling and making some joke or another.
Breaking News Network was a 24/7 news channel, and one of the biggest in America.
"I have an announcement," he said, holding up a piece of paper.
He cleared his throat, and he must have gotten approval from his colleagues, because the video didn't cut off. "These dead are just the start. We shall drown the world and bring Rapture at last to the door of the universe. I am your new God, Jesus Christ reborn, and I shall blanket the world in fire. There are two others such as me, who have my power over life and death. But they lack my eyes, which can see into the souls of sinners, and see their names: and all men are sinners, and all men must die if Christ is to be reborn."
Someone rushed onto the stage, trying to fight him. He saw that it was a camera-man, but Ron pushed him back, rising up and yelling out the words at the top of his lungs.
"My eyes see the glory of the lord, and they see through the false lies of the two others. One killed for revenge and profit, the other for a sterile, dead, godless 'justice' that does not understand the nature of guilt! I am coming for them, I shall destroy them and retrieve their notes, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Repent now, ye sinners, and your deaths shall be in your sleep."
Jesus glanced at Ulrich. "Alex…"
"Knows," Alex said. "People are dying. Lots of them. He's going to prove that he's not a Shinigami by bypassing the six-six-six rule."
Alex strode in as Ron continued ranting at the top of his lungs, until station security tackled him, and yet even then the feed didn't cut out.
The camera man stepped in front of the camera, smiling. "This is the killer again. You should not do that."
The security guard convulsed and died where he was on top of Ron, and Ron pulled himself back up and kept on reading.
"Know that this is the only true justice, what I do. If any government raises their hand against me, I shall destroy their leaders, and cast down their country, starting with those from the highest and going on down. They are known to me. My eyes can see all. Fear me and God. Or die. It is your choice," Ron said, and then he pulled out a snub-nosed revolver and put it in his mouth.
And at last, someone must have gotten control of the broadcast, because it cut out before the last possible end.
Jesus stared at it. "Fuck."
*******
So, the trap!
[] Try to monitor all people leaving and entering the city, which can be very hard, but maybe they can pull someone over and they turn out to be the killer?
[] Put a high priority target in place. Someone who claims or acts against this Killer's Agenda, yet whose name is carefully pre-obscured so that he or she might have to go to meet the target.
[] Lock down the city. If it is at all possible. Now is the time to act as if this was a national emergency… because it is. But of course, the Canadian government has to play ball, and if they do?
********
A/N: So, yeah! Things were doing stuff.