VIDEO-ish (cw: torture and murder)

[bloomingdespite]

[Before the ICP flickers on, every passenger hears a resounding, deep voice thunder through every car in the train, carrying with it a deathly—if odd—proclamation:]

PENALTY GAME: HELL REVERSE!

[Moments later, every ICP turns on to reveal a figure shrouded in shadows, holding the unconscious body of Xue Yang with one hand as the Eye of Wdjat blazes on both of their foreheads. It's clear they're in the gaming car, but if anybody tries to enter from either end, they'll find the doors are impossibly locked.]

Passengers of the Voidtrecker Express, I hold in my hands an unrepentant murderer who slaughtered one of your very own: the victim being A-Qing, and the criminal being Xue Yang. While she has returned, this crime cannot go unpunished, and I have taken it upon myself to try and burn out the stain on his soul—or, at the very least, provide adequate agony for all of his victims, both on the train and off.

If you need to see proof of my justice...

Avert your eyes if you do not wish to see memories of the brutal death of a young woman in her prime.

[The screen flickers once again, this time showing A-Qing's murder, although it doesn't have any audio. ((OOC: Additional CW for graphic depictions of murder.))

When it returns to the interior of the Games Car, the shadowy figure is gone, but their voice and Xue Yang remain.]

I leave it to the council to dispense their own punishment, as meager as it may be.

Remember, passengers:

I am watching.

[The ICP clicks off, and the train is deadly quiet.]

Comments

[runs_on_batteries]

[Tony watched in horror at the ICP message. It takes him a moment to react, but when he does, he's livid.]

Who the hell are you? If anyone knows who this person speaking is, I want their name! Where did you get that video?

[blue_ice]

[ Kaiba is more subdued than usual when he answers. ]

His name is Atem. He's an ancient spirit with the power of shadow magic. He was from my world...

...but I have no idea how he's here. He's not on the roster, and the object that contained his spirit isn't here. Yugi or I would know if it was.

Xue Yang will probably wake up soon. I've done things I'm not proud of, if maybe not quite the same, and Atem performed this same punishment on me. It rendered me comatose for a while, but in the end...it worked as intended.

I realize he's undermining the council's authority and has no right to do this, but...that's what happened.

[runs_on_batteries]

[He listens to the answers he gets before responding. This was about the last thing he needed right now.]

Would you be able to find him? We need to speak with Xue Yang and Qing too.

[blue_ice]

I'll do a sweep of the train for him or any pieces of his relic, and ask Yugi to do the same. Yugi was his best friend, if I can't draw him out, he can.

[runs_on_batteries]

I was just told their name could be Wester too, but their information isn't on the roster. See if that helps Yugi and yourself... but be careful. I mean it.

[goingthroughaphase]

Atem?

[ That's not the name that she remembers. ]

Are you sure?

[blue_ice]

Positive. He...wasn't always like this. He became one of my closest allies, maybe even a friend. After he stopped doing things like this.

I'd know his soul anywhere.

[goingthroughaphase]

[ She frowns deeply, desperately trying to think. ]

That's...not the name that he gave me, though.

[ Then again, considering all this, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that he had given her a fake name. ]

[mtsilver_conquor]

We will find him. We have to. We've enough troubles without adding vigilantism into the mix.

[Eva's voice is tight. Both anger and fear.]

I was going to ask for my laptop at the end of the month, but it might be wise investing in one of the smaller psychic pokemon instead.

[You know, to help keep this kinda thing from happening again, if possible.]

[runs_on_batteries]

How would a psychic pokemon help with this?

[This time, he isn't dismissing the idea, just asking for more information.]

Will you meet me in one of the quiet cars in a bit? We need to grab as many council members as we can to act on this.

[mtsilver_conquor]

Agreed.

At most, the psychic'd be able to skim surface thoughts, but that is invasive and people would feel it. It's more like it'd quickly get a 'feel' for a mind enough to know if something was ever 'off' about the person.

At worst, it likely wouldn't be any help, but either way, a person would feel the psychic's mental touch and it could help us, but again, it might not. It'd depend on the psychic-type I could get; I know Banki's out of the question...

Think of it like passive monitoring or a last-ditch attempt to find whoever that was. It's not something I'd do lightly, either. Not with an untrained psychic-type.

[runs_on_batteries]

Hmm, we should definitely discuss it. For now we need to find ways to bind or contain someone. I believe the sick room has a lock on the outside and the person will remain there so long as they're designated the patient. It worked when I stayed in there a couple days.

[bridgetothefuture]

We already have people keeping an eye out for this train because some government organization thinks we're dangerous. The last thing we need is more people deciding they really need to show off a brutal murder and then claim broadcasting another near-murder is justice.

We've got kids on this train, for God's sake.

[runs_on_batteries]

Precisely. And how do we know that image we just saw was valid? I know of technology that could create an illusion like that.

[bridgetothefuture]

I know someone who can make you see things she wants you to see. Nothing but a bunch of illusions and lies.

Given the need for theatrics from this wannabe, I don't trust anything I've seen.

[runs_on_batteries]

Even if this was true, this was psychological abuse to the victim to make them witness it again in such an unexpected and public way.

[goingthroughaphase]

.....They might also go by Wester. That name's not on the roster either, though.

[runs_on_batteries]

Thank you Kitty.

You were working with the team investigating this weren't you?

[goingthroughaphase]

S-Somewhat. I'd first noticed the heart by A-Qing's name after it had happened, but that was really about it. I didn't really do much after talking with you.

[ Maybe she should have followed up with it, but...the thought of someone dying had rattled her more than she would have liked to admit. ]

[sizedoesntmatter]

[It had taken Yugi a while before he even considered saying anything. Considering the situation he knew that saying nothing, but knowing something would just end up with him in trouble potentially down the line.

But Yugi... at least figured that there was at least one other possibility.]

What Kaiba has said is true, but what he hasn't mentioned is that there is always the possibility of the person not knowing what they did after the act has happened. That depends on if he is here physically or as a spirit inhabiting someone else. If its the latter, then it's always possible the actual person doesn't realize what they have done and had a moment of blacking out.

[runs_on_batteries]

[Well, that was a new level of disturbing but..]

We still need to find and detain the person, even if they're only the host. I want you to come and join Kaiba when the council meets since you two have more knowledge on this subject than the rest of us.

Do you know any ways that can bind or trap this.. spirit or whatever he is?

[sizedoesntmatter]

Honestly, no. If the item isn't around then I can't say how it works. If the item was around just separating it from the owner would work. Binding is not at all necessary more so for a spirit who has already been bound to something for 3000 years.

They for the most part just need someone to talk to them and to keep them in line. That's how it worked before.

[so_dark_a_road]

We've got a problem, Tony. A nasty complicated one.

[ The dispirited sound of his voice doesn't erase the anger and the pain in his face. ]

You and Eva were talking about keeping Xue Yang in the Medical Coach, with guards? I'll volunteer. I tried to befriend him, so I'd be a good choice. I'll talk with him.

[runs_on_batteries]

[He hated seeing his friend without that warm spark that was always there. He hated all of this. The worst part was that he hadn't known it was happening until it was hurting everyone he cared for, including the elf speaking to him now.]

That we do. This is catching us unprepared when we should've come out of that council meeting with more answers and options.

[He shook his head, feeling the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. It was just who he was to take the blame for not keeping the train more protected.]

Curufin, do you or does anyone you know have any magic that can bind or contain someone? We're going to end up with two in custody and we only have one make-shift jail.

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin similarly hated seeing what these events were doing to his community, and that included his friend Tony. ]

Answers and options are be in short supply, for a problem of this nature. For that lack, I don't think we should blame ourselves, and certainly you should not blame yourself, Tony.

My magic can't contain or bind a person. I'm a vision-caster, and I can't think of a vision that would keep a person in one place, at least, not one I'd care to use. As for jail, I take it you're talking about the Medical Carriage. They have one locked room, I think. I wonder if we could talk the train into providing more locks? Or if we could install some ourselves? I don't like jail cells, but they're preferable to some of the other alternatives. [ Especially of the type that shadowy figure was demonstrating.]