❧ Time is Running Out

[luministimods]

[while the music still plays, the two voices beyond the door finally stop arguing for a moment. if anyone is listening, they can hear this:]

[the first voice is obviously Resarci's--accented as always. his tone is firm] I think I've said all that I can.

[the other person sighs wearily. as he begins to speak, it becomes obvious that this is Mayor Caligin, though there is no trace of his usually-cheerful tone] I know, Ernesto, but I still cannot believe they... [he trails off] I never thought it would come to this.

[there is sympathy in Resarci's tone, but that firmness doesn't fade] Neither did I, but it doesn't change what's most important here. The project must be successful. As it is now, the subjects are too unwilling for our testing to proceed as planned.

[he pauses] Yes. Yes...you're right. [sighs again, and there is a beeping sound, followed by humming]

What is it you have done?

Only put up a barrier. They cannot reach you this way.

Ohhh! Brilliant, Constantine--as always. [his tone picks up with excitement] Now, shall we initiate the protocol? It will bring the project back on track. I guarantee!

[Caligin's tone, however, is subdued] Not quite yet.

[confused] But...why wait?

I want to speak to them first. After...everything, I owe them that much.

If you insist, Constantine, but remember--it is for the good of the project.

[a brief pause before Caligin says] Of course.

Then we shall talk again when it is done. I must prepare! [footsteps are heard against the floor, fading into the distance]

[suddenly, the doors fly open and happy, bright music practically bursts out, along with puffs of white confetti from two confetti guns. inside is a grand ballroom with expensive, vast crystal chandeliers hanging along the ceiling and around each one are swathes of white cloth tied off to give the whole room the feel of being in a giant tent. white and yellow rose bouquets in grand vases in the shape of lions bookend rows of chairs facing a flowered trellis, and beneath it is--Mayor Caligin himself.]

[only...while color floods the entire ballroom, Caligin is physically in grayscale, just like every broadcast of his has been. he extends his arms, grinning at the people in the room beyond and starts to speak.]

Welcome and hello to my most illustrious citizens! I hope you have enjoyed your stay in my humble abode. The joyous occasion you have been waiting for has finally arrived--!

--Is what I would love to say. [his smile fades as he steps down away from the trellis] However, there won't be any such ceremony today. What a shame, too. [he clicks a button on a small remote in his hand, and everything but the chairs shimmers and dissolves, the music stopping, revealing thousands of security screens set all around the room, each one watching a spot in town or inside the mayoral house itself. just in front of Caligin, however, a sheen like an oily spot can be seen stretching from wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling.]

I am--[he pauses for a moment]--disappointed it has come to this. We could have done so much good for so many people together... [he glances down at the remote in his hand] But I'm afraid it is time to say good-bye.


[ooc: You heard the Mayor--this is your one chance to speak to him. He is about to initiate a protocol recommended by Resarci. What he actually does comes down to all of you and your actions right now. This plot will run for one week real-time, during which characters can speak to the Mayor on this post. This is it, citizens! Can you convince the Mayor not to do what Resarci is planning? And as for what that is...well, hopefully, you won't have to see.]

Comments

[grimmjerk.livejournal.com]

For the guy in charge, you're not too smart, are you?

[Grimmjow's kept his silence up until now - at the very least, he looks calm again. calm enough to talk without taking any limbs with him]

I'm not from here, either.

I'm not even alive.

[luministimods]

[to Grimmjow] Ironic statement, Mister Jaegerjaquez, especially from the man who couldn't even successfully cross a simple barrier to kill me.

[but he does look troubled now, having heard what Sophie and Brax said] It...no, it couldn't be possible. I've heard of alien life; our government alone is home to thirty different species! And they all have different levels of technology, so I thought... [he trails off]

[irreversibly.livejournal.com]

I'm not human, either. I'm just... a copy. [Xion stares at her hand for a long moment before clenching it and dropping it to her side.

But she looks up again.] Was Doctor Resarci involved in bringing us here?

[luministimods]

Ernesto? His only involvement was funding the project. No, someone else was responsible for that.

[irreversibly.livejournal.com]

Then who was?

[luministimods]

He--or she--never gave their name. For the sake of argument, let's just settle on "he" for now. He simply showed up one day and...offered me the final thing I needed for the project. A means to actually do what we'd been researching--and he said he'd handle the gathering of the test subjects.

[collector]

Tall, dark coat, black hat?

[luministimods]

[he nods] That would be the one. He seemed terribly shy to me. We always spoke over the phone--until just recently, I should say.

[fortune_sought]

[stares] And you did what he said!?

[but she's angry partially because of what the Mayor did and partially because she understands why. after all, she did make a deal with a fire demon she'd only just met]

[luministimods]

He offered me the solution to my problem. Why wouldn't I?

[collector]

I know it's a little paranoid, but for myself, I do like to be very certain of the people I'm relying on. I have a mild aversions to knives being embedded in my back.

[luministimods]

Only mild? Fortunately for me, the only ones I have found in my back are from those who had wished to stop this project completely--not aid it from the start.

[collector]

As a politician, I've found that it's generally one's allies that are most likely to stab one in the back. You said you had no idea what Grimmjow was, but someone in your project did, well enough to fix up an injury he came here with.

[luministimods]

I stand by what I said. When Mister Jaegerjaquez came to us, he was already patched up. I thought he was chosen just after he'd sought medical attention back home. Ernesto never treated him.

[grimmjerk.livejournal.com]

[have a harsh snarl and a tightened fist.

but he's not about to make a fool of himself again]

Think what you want, but that's what I am. I died once. And you say you're doing this for the dead?

The dead are dead.

Just leave 'em. [he doesn't sound particularly sympathetic, but he doesn't exactly have reason to be] Cryin' and moanin' doesn't do anything but make monsters.

[and then he laughs, and it's not a very nice one at all] Humans can't let anything go, can't pull their asses out of the gutter once they fall in. Look at all this bullshit you've been tryin' to pull and for what? Corpses?

Push a rock up a hill. Payout's about the same.

[luministimods]

You did? What...what are you, then? I have to confess your facial adornment has puzzled me ever since you arrived.

But they wouldn't be corpses. It wouldn't reanimate the original body.

[grimmjerk.livejournal.com]

I'm a Hollow. A soul that's gone sour.

[leans in close, though not so close that he would come in contact with the barrier] Souls that don't want to be dead, souls stuck to a person that doesn't want them dead, that's what makes Hollows. They rot from the inside out, go crazy, get hungry.

Maybe if they and the meatsacks that were still alive just fuckin' let go they wouldn't end up as nightmares that snack on the living because they can't handle a little reality.

[luministimods]

[sincerely] Then I am so sorry for your predicament. Which were you: someone who didn't want to let go, or did you have someone who cared for you so much that they didn't wish for you to go?

[grimmjerk.livejournal.com]

Che.

I don't remember.

[luministimods]

Then perhaps there is more to those--what did you call them?--"meatsacks"?

[grimmjerk.livejournal.com]

It doesn't matter. About me, or about them.

The world goes on. You keep up with it, get ahead of it. Lookin' over your shoulder at the bodies just holds you back.

[luministimods]

Not even when one of those bodies belongs to someone you cared for?

[grimmjerk.livejournal.com]

[cared for?

cared for.





not a chance. those cowards weren't worth shit. they dropped out, gave up. he couldn't look back at them - wouldn't. they made their choice]

Not even. They're a part of me, so what the fuck do I need them back for?

Where I go, they'll go.

[irreversibly.livejournal.com]

He's... He's right.

I lost -- I lost a very precious friend, not long before I came to this town. It was... my fault. [Xion exhales.] If I could do anything to bring him back... If I could somehow go back and change things, make it so that it was me instead of him... [She lifts her head.] I'd do it in an instant. I love him. He's my best friend -- My first friend. I miss him so much... [Her eyes drop for a moment before raising.]

But, like I said, he's -- He's not gone. Not really. Because he's still with me, even now. Even though he's gone. He's a part of me, and not just because... not just because I have all of his power now. [Xion presses her hand to her chest, over her heart.] He's a part of me because I love him, and I always will. And that means he's with me wherever I go.

Your father... He's the same, too, isn't he? You finished out his work -- You kept going, for his sake. You're carrying him with you. You still have memories of him. And... And memories never go away, even when it feels like it. They're always there, deep within your heart. You'll never forget him, and he'll always be with you. Even if he's not standing next to you.

The Doctor is so proud of her ;_;

[luministimods]

[he doesn't reply immediately, and when he does, his voice is quiet] I miss him terribly. His memory is a heavy weight in my heart. He would have enjoyed this town. I filled it with things he would have liked.

Did...any of you like the town? The different shops and restaurants? Was it a comfortable place to live?