exsilium | nine; video + text

nine; video + text

[ When the video clicks on Roslyn looks a little tired but primarily determinedly mad, someone who's been running on coffee and protein bars for too long and is in no mood for anyone's games. Her voice is brisk, no nonsense and cuttingly sharp. ]

As of this moment, all identified mutineers are in the custody of the police. Should anyone wish to provide help with guard duty it will be appreciated. Visits to them will be allowed only under supervision. Should anyone attempt to injure them, that person will find themselves in cuffs faster than they can blink.

My patience with having to repeat myself on this matter is wearing thin.

[ Her tone softens a little, almost an appeal. ]

While there will be consequences for their actions, we have enough war and bloodshed on our doorstep without killing each other. Nothing will be gained and much could be lost. We do not execute people, and I will not tolerate it as a suggestion.

All systems should be restored. The base should now be fully operational again and you can return to your daily lives, if that is what you wish. Alternatively, you can consider what was said on both sides and determine if what we are doing is truly enough, or if we have become complacent.

[ Just saying. Small out. ]

private text to Sonya;

You're the closest thing to an unbiased lawyer I have right now. If you're available, I'd like to talk.

private text to Saul;

Consider yourself recused from any potential trial in anything but an advisory capacity due to emotional bias. Should you wish to advise, however, I would be interested in hearing your opinion.

private text to Tony, Barbara & AI;

Is there a way to limit the mutineer's access to the network by making it impossible for them to encrypt messages? I don't want to cut them off but if it were possible to keep their communication on it public that might be useful.

private text to Jesse & Steph;

I need to talk to both of you about the events of yesterday, if you're feeling well enough.

private text to Kate;

As soon as this mess is over, how does you, me, a locked room with a bed & a bottle of wine sound.

We can talk about the other thing some other time.

private text to police force & DiTR staff;

Thank you for your service during this crisis.

[ ooc: all mutineers can now be considered to be locked up in empty rooms in the West Wing for the immediate future! I will keep all arrested mutineers updated as further consequence type developments occur, feel free to let me know if you have preferences that we could maybe work out. log for mutineer & visitor shenanigans can be found here. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I don't feel I need one. I got a right to one. And Sonya and Edgeworth're prosecutors, so they don't do me a whole lotta good.

[ Her voice is suddenly very mild. ]

You have a right to one, yes, but generally people only take that when they're being questioned as a suspect. [ She spreads her hands. ] I was under the impression I was taking a witness statement from the victim of a crime, but if you feel as if you should be under suspicion, by all means. Call Saul.

[He shrugs and pulls out his tablet, ready to record his own copy of this conversation.]

Tell ya what. You go on the record and say the police can't and won't charge me with any crimes, and I'll tell you all about what happened. I don't wanna get tied up in this shit, either.

No. [ It's still entirely calm and mildly polite, but there's weight behind it nevertheless. ]

If you have committed a crime, you will be charged with it. I don't have the time for games, Jesse. If you want a lawyer, get a lawyer, and we'll resume this conversation with you in the capacity of suspect.

I can't tell. You charging me right now or just threatening me?

Nothing in that was a threat. [ Roslyn is not swift to anger, so this isn't anger on her face, but it is slowly growing irritation. ] That was a statement of fact in response to your attempt to broker a deal with an officer of the law. Whatever crimes have been committed their perpetrators will be charged. That is how the law works, and that doesn't change because you want me to say that you are exempt from it.

[ Leaning forward, hands clasped on the desk. ] Either you are nothing but a victim of a crime and you can give me a statement now, or you are aware that something in that statement makes it sound like you have committed a crime and therefore you require a lawyer because you think that will help you get out of it. As I said, I have no time for games. So you decide which one it is and we'll move on from there.

Listen: maybe you got a short memory, but I don't. This time last year? Your department falsely charged me with murder, when all I was was a witness. And thank god we had like a working system back then instead of whatever the hell this is, 'cause I got my trial and I got proved innocent.

Now? Up here? In the middle of this shit? I ain't in a rush to end up in lockup again 'cause your people fucked up or you got something against me or whatever the hell this is.

I asked for counsel. That's a right, not an admission of guilt. And this ain't a game. This is me making sure last year's bullshit don't happen all over again. So yeah, I will give my statement as a victim if you agree to my terms, or we can tie up that traitor bitch in custody 'til I got my lawyer here.

Sounds to me like you got more important things to be doing, so maybe we wanna do this the easy way. But me, I got all the time in the world.

[ Listening to that entire spiel rather impassively. ]

You have attempted to extort an immunity deal from me in exchange for your cooperation, something that was not only a poor and guilty sounding choice on your part but actually an illegal one that I'm choosing to not pursue. I'll chalk up the immediate assumption you need a lawyer to your past bad experiences. And if you're suggesting that if I did find reason to suspect you of a crime you wouldn't get your trial, well, you're entirely wrong.

Now either go get your lawyer or give me a statement.

Extortion would mean I attempted to threaten you into compliance, which the record will show I did not do at any point, but nice try.

[He has spent way too much time around Saul.]

What I'm negotiating is called transactional immunity and it's a hundred percent legal and pretty fuckin' standard. If you need to take a second and go look it up, I can wait.

Saul's gonna argue the same thing, so you might wanna just sign off on it now.

Transactional immunity in the United States in my time is subject to six standard guidelines which you don't fit, and here doesn't exist as of yet.

Stop wasting my time.

[Jesse puffs out a long sigh and glances over to the door. He considers, and then reconsiders, and finally tucks his tablet away as look at Roslyn again.]

Okay, look. I'm gonna trust you here. I'll talk. If it was just about me getting my ass kicked, I'd be packing it up right now. But this bitch tortured Steph and I don't want her just getting away with it. So what do you wanna know?

I'll hear Steph's end from her soon, hopefully. All I need from you is what happened when you encountered her. Obviously assault, but I need to know the outline of how it happened.

Okay, so I was walking down the hall and I run into this crazy-eyed bitch. And, like, I knew her but I didn't really know her, you know? Anyway, turns out she's the same person who did the thing to Steph.

Which, like, I figure out when she tries to do the same thing to me. Like right there. Except that shit don't work on me, 'cause of my power. So what happens is, my power kicks in like in automatic defense, takes her power away.

And then this bitch flips her fucking shit. She goes all ninja, knocks me back against the wall so she can take my gun outta my jacket, takes that apart in like two seconds, then she starts... I don't even know what it was. She was doing this thing, like hitting my pressure points or something. Like the kinda torture you see in yakuza movies, you know? She wants to know what I did to her with my power and I'm too busy shitting my pants to tell her, like - hey, maybe don't try mind controlling random people!

Anyway, the last thing I remember's Saul showing up and telling her to let go of me, and she knocks me out.

She fucked up my arms so bad I couldn't move my fingers anymore, you get me? Like serious nerve damage. It's damn good we got healers around here.

[ She absorbs all of that, concentration back to the case and the issue at hand, namely the continuing complication and disaster this mutiny has turned out to be. ]

All right, thank you. I only have one question for the moment. Can you clarify for me what her ability was, if you know, and how yours worked to take hers?

[He can do that. Like he's a goddamn superpower dictionary or something.]

She's an empath. She can get inside people's heads and mess with their memories and feelings. Like, manipulate 'em. Happy, sad, horny, whatever the fuck she wants. Or she can take it all away and make 'em not care about anything at all. That's what she did to Steph. Stripped her down, like hollowed her out.

Me, I'm always shielded against that crap. Somebody tries digging into my head, they get pulled in and stuck there. Or their powers do, anyway.

[He spreads his hands, unapologetic.]

Serves 'em right, if you ask me.

[ For a moment her fingers tap on the table, considering that. It's not something she's run into before and the idea is more than a little unsettling on both ends. ]

Thank you. That's all I needed for now. I'll let you know when further progress has been made, but for the moment rest assured she is under custody.

[Jesse slaps his knees and gets to his feet.]

Right on. Good talk.

[He can't believe she ate that up.]

Jesse.

[ She doesn't look up from her tablet. ]

The gun will remain in evidence. Thank you for your cooperation.

Yeah. No problem.

[Jesse won't miss it too much. He's out the door before she can change her mind about arresting him.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

nine; video + text

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

Re: [ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ] WAS THAT SO HARD JESSE

[ action ] y e s

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]

[ action ]