second trial

[airlockedmods]

[When the announcement sounds and the evidence gathered it’s time for a trial. When the remaining champions are all gathered by the repaired docking bay doors they slide slowly slide open.

The two lines of sentry robots are there again, creating a border path from the docking bay doors to the circle of metal podiums. The podiums themselves were made of strange metals in red and gold and orange and black, each one etched with the name of one of the Champions. There are flood lights - like spot lights - in front of each podium. The lights on Diego, Kiss-Shot and Erika's podiums have been turned off and their floating grey scale portraits have joined the four from last week.

Blaze Dudely stands on a repair deck on top of his ship, which looms over the proceedings ominously. Rather than the glee the Champions may think he would take in this kind of display, he merely stands there with his arms crossed, expression unreadable and his cyborg eye scanning the Champions with a piercing scrutiny, like he's searching for one of them to act out of line.]

Mornin’, Champions. Here’s how this is goin’ to go: take the evidence ya found, piece together what happened and find who took out the Champion Detective and... [He pauses, running through Kiss-Shot's excessively long title in his head.] The vampire one. Founders, I regret giving her that title. If ya find them, they’ll be dealt with. If ya don’t, they’ll be free to go and the rest of ya will face punishment. Take the time ya need but don’t bore me.

Comments

[tenimuho]

[Oda has a significant amount of blood splashed on his pants that he didn't have earlier in the morning.

Guess who found the blood.]

There was a bucket of blood in the fridge in the infirmary. Since Kiss-Shot was drained of blood, and didn't die of bloodloss unlike Erika, I expect it came from her.

There was a bloody chef's knife on the floor, but while it could have been used to cut at her kneck, the wound on her chest was too small to have been made with that knife. It could have been made with a knife from the incinerator room instead. In addition, that chest wound was very precise and straight to the heart.

[andneversaydie]

...

I'm so glad I just left the room.

[silverguitarhero]

It seems her killer knew how to handle vampires, then.

[power_of_dominance]

The killer drained the vampire's blood? Were they hoping to use it somehow? Maybe... to become a vampire themselves?

[That's a horrifying thought, but being a vampire would allow someone to survive on the blood of others, rather than being subjected to the slow starvation they're all feeling.]

[goldrighthand]

Erika had no blood whatsoever left in her body. [legit. One might notice Akande seems actually a little...disturbed by this? He's frowning and his brow's furrowed, at least.] We had assumed Kiss-Shot drained her, as there were two puncture wounds at her neck.

[And, you know. Assuming she's actually a vampire.]

[chides]

There was also a blood trail in the hallway that lead to the fire room, and then stopped immediately near the entrance.

[ and then uh

also. erika's stupid pirate hat is here? he puts it on his podium. ]

I also found this at the start of the blood trail. It was probably Erika's.

[empathiser]

I found a scrap of pretty burnt fabric in the incinerator. Probably not going to surprise anyone by telling you it's orange, but there are some parts of it that look like dried blood.

Someone was trying to get rid of some evidence in there, but didn't manage it completely.

[tenimuho]

...I have blood on my unitard now, but it's because a bucket of blood fell on me.

[Alec and Elaine were in the room at the time, they can verify.]

But it might be good to check for clothing damage. Even if vampire blood might heal wounds, it wouldn't fix clothes.

STRIP CHECK

[tenimuho]

Strip check again.

[Since Soma wouldn't do it first, Oda is going first this time pulling down his unitard to waist level.

While he does have a fair number of scars, he has no recent injuries.

...There's blood all over his pants, but.]

The blood is from the bucket. Anyone who was in the infirmary at the time can verify that.

[...After a moment he just takes his pants off. No wounds there either.]

[power_of_dominance]

[Yeah, he's blushing a bit and he hesitates, but eventually Soma peels his unitard down to his waist as well. Then, after an even longer pause, he skins out of it completely. As before, there isn't a mark on him anywhere, natural or otherwise.]

[empathiser]

This is becoming a theme.

[Still, whatever.

Will pulls his unitard down to waist level as well. There are no recent injuries there but he does have a big scar across his stomach like someone tried to straight up gut him. The scar is faded like it's at least a year or two old by now.]

... do I need to go any further with this?

[goldrighthand]

[Akande's pretty much been walking around with his unitard half-off for the past week. Shirtless o'clock more like eternal shirtless of the fuck the maid outfit he's not putting that on. Aside from what seems to be some lingering patchwork from his Blaze fight, he's clear.]

[chides]

[ well. we're doing this.

mako pulls his uniform down to waist level. no injuries. ]

[pr159]

[ ....sighs and awkwardly maneuvers around Matilda to get the top of his unitard down. Now there's a metal animal on his naked back, EVEN BETTER.

He has a number of deep but old surgical scars, and there are some fresh scrapes around his shoulders and neck, but they're just. You know, monkey wounds. ]

[heartswapped]

[Elaine gives an exasperated sigh and just fucking takes it all off.

She's wearing the standard orange unitard that isn't covered in duct tape this time, but does also have a few blood splatters here and there from the investigation.

She strips, gently placing it in a pile next to her. There's a fairly large tattoo on her back shoulders that covers up most of the scars there, but let's focus on the front. From around the knees up there's a few faded stretch marks and scars that look like animal scratches or badly healed scrapes, but starting from the waist and spiraling downwards, there's a number of shiny scars that twist and turn until they reach her knees.

Not that there would be anything to injure from the knees down. Her lower legs appear to be made of some type of plastic-y resin material...

but there's no recent injuries.]

[rickdiculous]

[Rick sensually strips out of his labcoat. Slowly. Like everyone's eyes are on his bod.

He's clean.]

CATHERDING TIME

[toomanybaseballs]

Ugh... Okay, since it looks like taking everyone's clothes off was a complete waste of time, let's just... Go through this again.

Erika got bit in the hall, then was dragged to the incinerator bleeding all over the place, then someone cut Kissy girl's head off in the infirmary. I get the feeling blood's got a lot to do with it since someone used the mop bucket to store blood and drained Erika of it.

Am I missing anything here?

[goldrighthand]

...if Kiss Shot was also drained of blood, how?

[ebonyknight]

[Something about this vampire hunt seems... Wrong. There's something... She slams her hand down on her podium.]

Hold on.

Draining Erika of blood is one thing. Kiss-Shot stated she'd need to do that to a person to live. Someone drained Kiss-Shot of blood. Why?

Yes, storing the blood might have meant that it's for food but there's another reason one could have done that. Someone was trying to make a point.

[toomanybaseballs]

???

[You spooked him as he was putting on his earrings!]

[But he's gonna have to ask because this did not occur to him.]

Someone making a point... Like, someone who didn't like vampires, you mean?

CLOTHING CHECK

[empathiser]

[Because they haven't had enough of these so far.]

Okay. Seeing as we've checked everything else, let's check everyone's unitards, if you're still stuck wearing them. There was torn orange fabric in the incinerator, so in theory someone's walking around with a tear in their clothes.

[To start things off, he holds out his own arms and does a little turn on the catwalk. No tears or bits of missing fabric here.]

[tenimuho]

[Oda's orange unitard has a good bit of blood on it, but no tears.]

[tenimuho]

I didn't do much investigation in the incinerator room, but from what I saw, there were several knives that were clean and only one that wasn't. That's in addition to the larger, bloody knife in the infirmary.

Why have that many knives that aren't going to be used to kill someone? Furthermore, they had to already have them out, since at one in the morning you couldn't have gone back into the kitchen to get them.

Even if you're already planning to kill someone, why that many knives?

[power_of_dominance]

I'd say misdirection, but it doesn't work if only a couple of knives have blood and the rest are clean.

HEY KIDS IT'S TIME FOR AN MTB

[canted]

Mundanes. So willing to believe anything.

Why would I care about Erika's death? It's no secret that I don't like her, so why would I intervene?

[READY? START!]

[ebonyknight]

Really? That's simple.

Because you hated vampires more.

alec is sorry but i'm not

[canted]

I did not kill Erika. Under the Accords, however, I had authority to attack the vampire as a rogue Downworlder.

I thought the knife would just stun her, but apparently the magic that weakens our powers weakened her too so . . . I thought . . . I'm sorry. I just wanted to see Magnus again. I convinced myself that was worth more than your lives and it isn't.

I'm no better than Valentine, [Not that any of you know who that is.] and for that you shouldn't hesitate to vote for me.

[tenimuho]

[Oda is still next to Alec, since their podiums are next to each other, and still with his hand on Alec's shoulder if he hasn't shoved him off yet.]

...I won't hesitate. There are people I want to return to as well, and because of that I can't die yet.

But it's because I understand that that I can't blame you.

VOTING

[theoversight]

Seems to me that ya've come to a conclusion. [He's not smiling now, staring pensively down at Alec.] Put in your votes.

[power_of_dominance]

>Champion Slayer

[Hopefully that's good enough.]

>Champion Bullseye

I'm sorry, Alec. I hope, someday, you're reunited with your loved one.

[He bites his lip, again looking like he wants to ask something private.]

PARTING WORDS

[theoversight]

[When the voting is done Blaze Dudely glances down at Price's tablet and grazes his finger across the screen. Two robots break formation from the line-up to grab Alec by the arms and hold him in place.] Well done, Champions. Again.

Alec Lightwood. Have you got any parting words for your fellow Champions before you face your punishment?

[canted]

[He stands tall, hands carefully folded behind him, and addresses them without wavering.]

None of you deserved the way I thought of you, and for that I'm sorry. You're smarter than I gave you credit for, and I have faith that at least some of you will survive this.

[He swallows, aware he's about to ask something incredibly selfish.]

. . . And if. If you do survive, I . .
. My - Magnus Bane is immortal. If you happen to meet him, please tell him I'm sorry I didn't believe him about Valentine. I failed him, and I never deserved how much he . . .

[Alec closes his eyes and breathes, in and out.]

How much he loved me.

EXECUTION: Abra Kedavra

[airlockedmods]

[With Alec’s final words done the floodlight illuminating his name goes dark and, a few seconds later, so do the rest of the lights in the docking bay. The lights stay down for a long minute with just the ominous mechanical sounds with no clear origin and whatever sounds the Champions themselves make in the blackness.

Then there’s a soft click and mechanical whirr of a projector kicking on somewhere in the background. With Blaze Dudely’s metallic black ship as the screen, a video begins:

A single light beams down from the ceiling to illuminate a simple black metal chair in the middle of a room. The rest of the room is pitch black. The camera holds on this chair for a long few minutes before a door behind the chair opens and light from the hallway brightens the room just a touch. It’s smaller than the area with Diego and the dinosaur, with a faded wash of light illuminating what appears to be some kind of medical equipment before they close the door behind them and send the room back into darkness.

The robots who had held Alec at the podiums drag him into the room and set him down with little gentleness into the chair. He struggles a little as they strap him in, clearly tense while they lock his arms and ankles to the chair. When they’re done they step and vanish into the shadows, leaving Alec alone in the spotlit chair. The camera stays on him for a tense few seconds, bound and helpless and alone, before the sound starts, the first sound of the entire video. It starts out quiet at first, a high-pitched hum that starts off almost inaudible but slowly grows in volume until it’s almost a whine. As the sound intensifies a green light starts to blossom from the darkness. Similar to the sound it starts off tiny but quickly grows to about the size and shape of a dime.

Alec’s eyes widen and he pulls at his bonds, terror in his expression growing until the the whine of the laser finally stops. A stream of bright green light bursts from the tip and strikes Alec square in the chest. His body jerks violently before slumping forward in the chair, motionless. There’s no blood or no visible wounds, making it a stark departure from Diego’s violent end.

With Alec’s death the video ends after lingering for another minute and the lights in the courtroom come back up. Blaze Dudely is still staring at the spot where the screen was, his arms folded across his chest and his robotic fist, clenched in frustration, up to his mouth. If anyone is paying attention to him they’ll see his lips pull back in a sneer and an angry snarl start to rip from his throat when he’s cut off by a hoarse, hacking cough that rips through his body. He comes close to doubling over before he forces himself to straighten up, wiping his mouth with his robot hand and speaking in a strained voice:]

Get back to the damned station.