002 | Voice

[purgation]

[This communicator has been hacked.

Attached to the broadcast is the alias LUNATIC, a name some of you may have come to know by now, though most of you will not have. Not to worry, of course. There will be plenty of opportunity in the future...]

I have been watching.

[The speaker's voice has been manipulated to sound both artificial and faintly hollow.]

There are sinners in your midst. [You know their names, don't you? Perhaps some of them even spring to mind: Lucifer, The Manipulator, Annie Leonhart, Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Hoover...and so on. It's possible you even sympathize with some of them, though it's clear the speaker does not.] You answer their crimes with rewards of friendship, forgiveness...and freedom.

Foolishness.

[What follows is clearly exasperated, but spoken in such quiet tones that it forces listeners to be all the more attentive.]

As expected, heroes...your idea of justice...is weak.

But that is why I have come.

[The speaker pauses, perhaps for dramatic effect, for when he begins again there is a certain zealousness to his tone.]

My name...is Lunatic.

[Do not mistake him for a hero.]

I will strike down the evil that has arisen. For the wicked ones...there will be no escape. The time for them to atone for their atrocities is now.

They will hear the voice of Thanatos.

[Those listening closely may hear the crackling and hissing of flames in the background...it grows louder and louder before the communication is suddenly cut and the line goes dead.]




[OOC: Please note that icon links have been broken. This broadcast in no way reveals the connection between Yuri and Lunatic.]

Comments

[purgation]

[Ah...an astute mind.]

When your justice system and your heroes fail to do what is needed, intervention becomes necessary. Or would you have these criminals kill again?

Do you wish to see innocents suffer?

[godly]

[A mind that is drawing all sorts of parallels between this Lunatic fellow and other things kept to himself.]

Of course not. But do I wish to see one man killing others, blinded so much in self-righteousness that they can't see what they're doing is wrong?

[purgation]

No.

It is wrong to do nothing while

body snatchers
demons
and self-confessed murderers

walk the streets freely

when all that truly stops them from harming other people is their unreliable word.

[godly]

[Body snatchers, demons and self-confessed murderers? Light makes a mental note of that, and it wouldn't be too difficult to put a few names (or aliases) to those descriptions.]

Doing nothing and becoming a killer are rather opposite sides of the spectrum, aren't they? People who will require scrutiny will receive scrutiny; society has always been historically swift to decide that much. As for those who require justice? The law will find them soon as well. There are plenty here who are adamant to see it so.

[Just not quite as.... adamant as Lunatic.]

[purgation]

[Not hard at all, particularly for one with Light's capabilities.]

Doing nothing is turning a blind eye. Doing nothing is the allowance of evil, the permitting of its existence.

[Not that he expects those who are incapable of taking action to suddenly take up arms. No...what he expects is for those in the position of power to use it to their utmost and not abuse it. In theory, it shouldn't be too much to ask of anyone. Of course, humans have a nasty tendency of rebelling against theory, especially if they have reason to believe cutting corners (even if it means cutting down those in their way) will better their life in some fashion.

Selflessness is truly a rare breed.]

Light Yagami...do not make the mistake of relying upon broken order.

[godly]

[He scoffs, partially at the utterance of his name (which is an involuntary annoyance on his part; Light's name is clearly posted in this exchange, after all) and partially in reaction to that last statement.]

If you think that I'll argue the point of this place being perfect in terms of order, then you'll be disappointed. There are, and always will be, qualities that need to be improved upon. [Both here and in his world. And, he'd imagine, every world in-between. Humans were flawed by nature, and it would be ridiculously naive to think otherwise.

But even so. How does that justify being comfortable with either extreme: turning a blind eye, or taking justice into one's own hands? It's something he's been thinking about as of late, even without the help of a man like this posting to the network.]

But I don't rely on anything broken. I'd be more inclined to try to fix it from within. What you'd be doing is murder, plain and simple, no different from any other killer that wanders the streets.

[purgation]

It is not always possible to fix broken things from within.

[godly]

I disagree. It's often the best way. Have you even tried?

[A prying sort of question, under the guise of being provocative.]

[purgation]

[Nice try.]

Will you enter the government, Light Yagami? Will you stand for the Soviet spies who were denied their right to trial? Will you infiltrate the ranks of the Soviets themselves to try and put a stop to future attacks?

Would you join me to stop me?

I repeat: it is not always possible to fix broken things from within.

[godly]

[He furrows his brow, his question having been nicely side-stepped. Looks like he won't be getting any personal information from this individual so easily.]

I would never join someone like you, nor would I ever remotely consider thinking the same way as you. [It's spoken with clear certainty, as sincere as he can make it sound. Even though it's not really all that true. And since with such an admission he may be conceding the point, he makes certain to clarify:]

I'm a member of this imPort society, contributing what I can and planning to contribute more. I can stop what wrongdoing I can to the best of my abilities, and influence others to do the same. All this, I can do within the confines of what is right and wrong, what is just and what isn't.

I'm not like you, inciting fear and violence and death. In fact, I'm more inclined to hinder people like yourself the best I can.

[purgation]

Violence?

The end I offer is quick, that I promise.

[No fire burns hotter or faster than his, and as to the rest...]

...you will meet the same end, of course. Should you stand in my way.

I will know then what kind of justice yours is. And I will not forgive it.

[godly]

[One can be pretty sure that if he knew the details of aforementioned fire, he'd still neatly file it under the "violent ways to die" category. But even so, the last bit makes his tone flare up slightly in irritation, though the sentiment is honestly not altogether unexpected.

Again, parallels. He isn't too fond of them.]

And there it is; the threat of death towards those who are guilty of nothing more than questioning you, of aiding of the protection of life. How hypocritical. You're all the same. Your moniker suits you.

[But despite his simmering frustration, Light knows that gathering information should be his priority.]

Tell me, exactly how do you go about offering a "quick" end?

[He can hear something in the background, if he listens carefully. The crackling of... flames?]

[purgation]

It is a warning. Protect the truly innocent and you shall have nothing to fear from me. Protect those who are wicked...and you will find yourself struck down.

Your precious laws promise the same. The aiding of a criminal is itself a crime.

[As to his alias...he would laugh if he didn't know better. He has lost count of how many people try and throw his name back in his face. It is desperation at its finest.

And his method of making criminals atone...]

Fire.

To purge the world of their evil.

[godly]

The aiding of a criminal in the process of an actual criminal act is indeed a crime; show me the edict in which saving such a person from being murdered is the same, and your words will hold more water.

[In other words, he isn't terribly impressed.]

Fire? That's hardly quick and painless.

[purgation]

A criminal who is attempting to elude justice is in the process of committing a criminal act. Any attempt to aid such a person...is, by your definition, also a criminal.

[Oh, and Light? Who said anything about painless? Lunatic only promised that it would be quick.]

It is purifying.

[godly]

And what's eluding justice in your terms? Simply living, when your own set of ideals dictates that they should not? Surely you can see the fallacy in that. [Some of the people he's alluded to have confessed their crimes publicly, have even taken their pasts to the military itself. One is currently imprisoned. How far will this man go?

And, well, "quick" often denotes some measure of painlessness. Sheesh, Lunatic, how very dramatic.]

It's cruel.

[purgation]

Those who take life forfeit their right to their own.

[As for how far he'll go, the answer is...pretty far. But the rules here are different from the rules back in Sternbild. The game is not so easily played.]

They are lucky if they know seconds of pain in their final moments, compared to the barbaric torture some of them have forced others to endure.

Though...I would not call it a mercy, either. They do not deserve as much.

[godly]

You're not the one who gets to decide that for everyone else.

[But they could argue in circles like this all day. As adamant as Light would like to be, the logical part of him (attempting to temper his more passionate side) suggests that he focus on obtaining details rather than engage in heated moral discussions that can only reach an impasse at best.

Fire. Death by fire is one of the most painful ways to die; he knows this, just as he knows many other inadvertently morbid things; living in a household where his father was police chief afforded him of certain facts and details that most his age would be oblivious of, whether the divulgence of such information was purposeful or not. So, to know only seconds of pain -- Light can only conclude that it would be quite a flame that could snuff out a human life so totally and quickly.]

I hear fire now. That's what that is, isn't it? Show me.

sorry

[glassinine]

[ All right - Edgeworth had intended to just lurk and listen, to not provoke this man, but he cannot hear this and not speak up. ]

Sir, I beg that you not threaten Mr. Yagami like that. He's merely a boy himself, and ought not be on the receiving end of such threats.

lmfao

[purgation]

[...you just don't quit, do you?]

He has proven himself intelligent enough to be responsible for his own actions.

sorry i can't quit you

[glassinine]

[ never. ]

Intelligence has no bearing on moral culpability or lack thereof. What justice is it, sir, to abuse a young person for his idealism? Even if Yagami were utterly wrong, to threaten his life so would be cruelty of the highest order.

:'D

[purgation]

[Excuse you, Edgeworth...]

I admire your intention.

But on me your breath is wasted. The one you should be begging is Light Yagami.

[godly]

I'll be fine, Edgeworth.

[glassinine]

Yagami, I know about this man. He's incredibly dangerous.

[godly]

[a frown] And how is it you know about him?