vivariummods: (Default)
vivarium mods. ([personal profile] vivariummods) wrote in [community profile] vivarium2014-08-29 04:23 pm

THE HEART OF THE MATTER - CONCLUSION





This morning starts off with Calhoun blowing an air horn at precisely 6AM. He will not tolerate anyone sleeping in, and if they attempt to he’ll just keep blowing his horn until everyone gathers in front of the table that he stands on. Upon closer inspection, characters will realize that beside him is a large cage, being held shut with a heavy duty lock, and contains numerous brown envelopes, some more bulky than others. Beside that is a container of lighter fluid and a stack of matches.

He puts down his air horn and raises his arms, shaking his head.

“Even as tiny as your little brains might be, you should all know that your time is now up! No more shows, because you know what, this is pathetic. Is this really the best that you test subjects can do? We got two more shows yesterday, yeah, but nothing that tingled my spine. How disappointing.”

He shakes his head, and then nudges the cage with his paw just a bit.

“Well, you all know what that means! You can say goodbye to all your precious memories and further details about your secrets. Everything that you’ve so carelessly gave up on and didn’t care about is right beside me. I will burn everything away, so all twelve of you will never have the chance to get them bac--”

And then he suddenly stops.

“--Hmmm?”

Calhoun stands on his tips of his bottom paws and looks at the room, from one side to the other, pointing at each one silently.

“Wait a minute, there’s only eleven of you here! Who are we missing?” He takes a second to go through everyone before answering himself. “We’re missing the Hat-Wearing Test Subject!”

During the entire commodation of suddenly being woken up and seeing all your secrets/memories in that cage, minutes before they’re burned away, no one might have noticed that they might have been one person short. Now, looking around, it’s true. Akiko is nowhere to be seen in the group, nor does she seem to be in the warehouse’s lobby.

Calhoun lets out a long (clearly dragged out and exaggerated) groan.

“Ugh, of all times that she’s out. Just when I was getting all dramatic and in the mood too…”

He slumps over, but then he stands right back up again, as if hit with lightning. He points at everyone.

“Okay, time out!! Instead, you’re going to find this Annoying Test Subject and bring her out here! I don’t care if you have to drag her from the toilets, just go find her, so I can get to burning your precious things and reveal your secrets!”

He will end it with that, and should anyone try to argue against him or attempt to negotiate with him, they will find it worthless. He will refuse to speak and just tell them to hurry up, find their dumb Hooky-Playing Test Subject! He’ll be here waiting, should you find her, so the search begins.

However, characters will soon discover that Akiko is nowhere to be seen. She’s not in the warehouse lobby, that’s for sure, but she left her hoodie and hat behind, so she must have stepped out quickly to the washroom. Once going in and calling for her, though, characters will only be greeted by silence in the washroom. Then how about the lounge? Perhaps she couldn’t sleep and wanted to go through a few video games, but yet again, she is not there. How about the second floor of the warehouse? The stairway? The elevator? Everywhere they look, she cannot be found. It’s almost as if she has complete disappeared. Eventually, it will come to the fact that while they have thought they’ve checked everywhere, there was still one room they haven’t searched:

The cafeteria.

That’s not possible, though, since it’s not like she could be in there. She doesn’t have enough BP, but there’s no where else she can be. A feeling of dread and fear might begin to pool up, as someone pulls on the lever. A metallic groan fills the air, and the doors slide open...
blind_badass: (Default)

Much later

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-08-31 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
*After Snake had helped Calhoun clean up the mess, it seemed natural to want to go to Heiji, someone who clearly had knowledge of police procedures, to figure things out. Except.*

*Except in the sobering light of a new day, Snake knew he'd made some poor choices. He wasn't going to apologize for them because they honestly did have to try something to appease Calhoun and they did get an answer that helped him know what exactly he needed. However, in doing so he'd abused part of the trust put in him by someone who had clearly stated he wanted no part in Snake getting himself injured.*

*Did he still have a friend? Snake wasn't sure. In light of the death of someone, it wasn't that important. But it was important in another way, if he could help find out who killed Akiko or if he needed to step away and let other people handle it.* Hello, Heiji.
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: coast is clear)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2014-08-31 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
Heiji turned. "Up and about, huh?" Well, at least Snake was looking better today than he had lying on that couch. If he was well enough to walk around, he was probably okay. At least until they found out if the wound was infected or not.

Unusually, Heiji had the brim of his cap turned the right way around.
blind_badass: (hunh?)

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-08-31 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
*Snake was better, but not exactly well, looking a bit strained in his face. His hand hurt along with his arm, not helped by him cleaning up the mess but he had to do SOMETHING and that seemed like a job he could do.*

I would classify myself as barely functioning, but making do. *He canted his head toward Heiji. He couldn't tell anything about Heiji's hat but he did sense a change in his voice. If Heiji really did know about murder scenes, perhaps this was him all business?* Do you...do you want me to help? With figuring out the murder, I mean.

detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: deduction)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2014-08-31 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Heiji barely hesitated; he wouldn't have stopped anyone from trying to find out who killed Akiko, of course, and Snake seemed pretty sharp. That he'd be an asset in figuring this out was a given. "Sure. Far as I know there ain't anything wrong with your brain. I'll tell ya what I know so far."

"Akiko's body sustained severe trauma and burns to the left arm and left skull. The damage was consistent with a small, extremely concentrated explosion that had left her right eye almost untouched. The wounds from the blast caused massive exsanguination, which would've killed her quickly even if the damage to her head hadn't.

Upon further examination of the blood spatter and pattern of tissue damage, it's clear that it was a single explosion that damaged both her arm and skull. The blast locus was her left wrist. Judging from her close proximity to the warehouse doors, it's easy to deduce her actions during the last few moments before her death.

Finding herself confined in the cafeteria, Akiko attempted to escape. She knew the rules about trying to get in without the required 9 BP. When she couldn't force the doors open herself, she pounded on them with her fist, trying to let us know that she was trapped inside. During that time, the explosive went off... and took her wrist and head with it.

This is all consistent with Calhoun's security footage, which shows the murderer pushing Akiko inside and her tryin' to escape. But due to poor video quality and the angle, it was impossible to distinguish anything about the killer besides the hand they used to shove her in.

Questioning Calhoun revealed that in addition to Soporil and Tubocurarine, the BP bracelets also contain compact explosives, which are reserved to deal with uncooperative subjects if the drugs prove insufficient. He confirmed that the explosives go off when the wearer of a bracelet enters a restricted area without permission."
blind_badass: (conjecture)

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-08-31 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
*Wow. That...was a lot of information. Heiji really hadn't been boasting. Observing and solving crimes was his forte. Snake covers his eyes with his left hand, thinking how the scene looked to him.*

Which hand shoved her in?
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: cap pulled down)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2014-09-01 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
Heiji shook his head. "Couldn't tell from the recording. I was trying to figure out if they had a bracelet on, but I couldn't see that, either. Well, if ya think about it for a second, there's no reason for the rat to give up that kinda information. After all, if we found out who it was..."

He pulled the brim of his cap over his eyes. "...Well, you could argue that that might get him what he wants, too. What I can say was that there wasn't any hesitation. Whoever did it was all in."
blind_badass: (well crap)

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-09-01 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
*Absently, Snake noted that Heiji didn't sound angry with him at all. Either he was distracted by the case, genuinely not angry or he was saving it up for later. He'd guess he'd find out later.*

I wonder...Heiji, because Akiko died, it means that all of our memories and secrets are safe. If it was one of us, it means someone either needed to remember something or needed to protect a secret so badly that the person didn't hesitate to kill.

*Which...didn't make him a very trustworthy person in that regard. However, he was passed out on the couch and the only way ANYONE could sleep on that thing would be because of drugs.*
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: cranky)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2014-09-01 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
Heiji tensed when Snake started on that part about their memories and secrets being safe. If Akiko's death was what it had taken to buy the possibility that some day, he might be able to assuage his own personal guilt, then... well, so what? At this point, he didn't care if he ever remembered.

"So whatcha trying to say? The possibility this would happen was always there. We can't trust each other, but we gotta trust each other... the big difference now is what happens if someone gets fingered as the culprit."

Heiji wasn't going to say that that it was murder, but lbr it was probably murder.
blind_badass: (conjecture)

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-09-01 03:12 am (UTC)(link)
We'll have to determine what to do with the murderer now or it could easily spiral out of control, depending on who it is. We'd need to...hold or a trial or contain the murderer somehow. *Won't that be a giant pain in the ass when it happens? Because all they needed were reprisal murders.*

So we know what happened but we have no idea who did and we can only surmise the reason it happened was to either regain a memory or protect a secret. And by the way, there probably is something wrong with my brain because I can't come up with anything other than this.
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: injured tsun)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2014-09-01 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
"It ain't just up to us," said Heiji. "It depends on everyone else here, too." As much as he believed in the rule of law, he also knew it was possible that someone else might not see it that way. And depending on who the culprit was, it might not be so easy to contain them...

"I said there ain't anything wrong with your brain 'cause what you're sayin' is true," said Heiji. He was still facing Snake, but looking off slightly to the side, almost like he was speaking in a begrudging fashion. He touched a thumb to the center of his chest. "It's this."

Oh, right. Snake couldn't see what he was doing. "I think ya got something wrong with your heart."
blind_badass: (well crap)

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-09-01 03:14 pm (UTC)(link)
True. Depending on who did it...*What if it was the least likely person? Or that person you would never suspect?*

*Well. That was a pretty damning statement. At the same time, Heiji wasn't yelling, just stating the facts. Snake couldn't really deny that.* Because I didn't hesitate to hurt myself or other people to essentially get something I wanted. Is that what you're telling me?
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: injured tsun)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2014-09-01 04:20 pm (UTC)(link)
"No, 'cause you care about that girl so much, you were willing to go that far. Only if she was that important to you, ya think she'd get all bent out of shape just 'cause you lost your memory? She stuck by you after you lost all that other stuff; she'd be over the moon just to see you alive. If you end up dead, I bet she'll be cryin' her heart out, damn!"

"And the way you keep saying all this stuff about people havin' to put up with you and being useless... the heck is that about? You think it's impossible people just like havin' you around? No wonder you got that attitude!" In other words, Heiji was alternately angry at Snake for taking the risk, worried about him and Ema, upset that he saw the need to pull this stunt, and mad at himself for having lent the knife to Snake in the first place.
Edited 2014-09-01 16:25 (UTC)
blind_badass: (well crap)

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-09-01 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)
*Well to be fair, it's not like Heiji had any idea Snake would use the knife for stabbings. It's...also hard to hear that you've done everything wrong and here were actually good reasons why. Why did he want to go so far for someone he didn't have a complete memory of? Because she was worth it. It was the only explanation that made any sense. He was not sorry he did that, only that he took Ema along in his madness.*

*He wasn't an optimistic person. He was so opposite Heiji that it wasn't even funny. And yet, without prompting, he did basically say "what are friends for?" Either he was just doing it for fun and he didn't mean it and honestly didn't have a lot of people around him...or he did know the value of friends, but was really bad at consideration.*

*Between him and Hershel, they were giving Snake a whole lot of introspection he really didn't want to get into. So he gives a really annoyed noise in his throat. Which leads to another thought. If he really doesn't want to hear this, he could just get up and leave. It'd be so easy. Except for an even BIGGER annoying reason is he can't do that.*

...what are you trying to be, Heiji? My conscience?
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: what're ya doin?)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2014-09-01 08:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"Don't be a dummy; I ain't any good at that stuff." If Heiji were just trying to be the voice of reason, he probably would have been a lot calmer about the whole thing. Besides, it was incredibly unlikely that he'd even thought it through that far. Those were way too many feelings to articulate clearly, even if he were chill right now.

"I just... don't want anything to happen to ya, that's all."
blind_badass: (of course)

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-09-01 08:46 pm (UTC)(link)
*There's so many things he could answer that with. So many wonderful biting retorts. He can't do it. Snake can't do it because although it was difficult information, it was -true-. So...he tries something different for a change.*

Point taken. And, now that I think about it, potentially offing myself would be a waste considering two things. One, I promised to show you the Space Needle. Two, you promised to give me an audio tour of Osaka. Then we can compare and contrast the two towns on their merits and ultimately see which one is better.
Edited 2014-09-01 20:46 (UTC)
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: smile)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2014-09-01 08:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Heiji's whole face and voice lit up at once. "Ain't it obvious? Of course Osaka's going to come out on top!"

Snake couldn't see it, of course, but the smile on Heiji's face was comprised of utterly honest and open happiness. He just didn't hold anything back!
blind_badass: (hmmm)

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-09-01 09:20 pm (UTC)(link)
We'll have to see about that. *At least Heiji didn't sound pissed anymore so Snake supposes he did one thing right for a change.* I don't hear Hershel anywhere.
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: huh?)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2014-09-01 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"Probably cause he ain't around. Why, you duckin' him?" What on god's green earth would someone have to do to be forced to avoid Hershel Layton?
blind_badass: (hmmm)

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-09-01 09:35 pm (UTC)(link)
No, idiot. With Akiko's passing, I suspect he might be hurt. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing him here. I...suppose that I want to see how he's doing in light of all this. *Dammit Heiji, look at what you're making him do. CONSIDERATION.*
detectiveofthewest: (Heiji: what're ya doin?)

[personal profile] detectiveofthewest 2014-09-01 09:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Heiji stuck out his tongue. Good old Snake, ruining the moment forever.

"Already talked to him. He'll be okay. He was sayin' some weird stuff about a Get Out of Death Free card, but he didn't seem as down as he did at the start."
blind_badass: (hmmm)

[personal profile] blind_badass 2014-09-01 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Well...I'll go talk to him anyway. Consider it the start of making better decisions. If I find out any clues, I'll let you know.