immuno: (get what i want.)
lydια #ɪᴀʟᴡᴀʏsғɪɴᴅᴛʜᴇʙᴏᴅɪᴇs мαrтιɴ ([personal profile] immuno) wrote in [community profile] maskormenace2015-01-21 03:42 pm

005 ʙᴏʀᴏɴ ⚛ VIDEO (backdated to 1/18)

[ It happens like it always does—she doesn’t realize where she’s going until she’s already there. For all that Lydia had been planning to depart the university and make her way back to the parking garage, her body had other ideas, feet carrying her far from her car and into an unfamiliar part of the city.

She only notices the wrong turn when she looks up from her phone. By now, she knows what it means, and her stomach drops. Call Scott, her instincts bid, but Scott’s not here. The hair on the back of her neck prickles and stands on end, and without Scott to help, she creeps around the corner of the building, phone securely in one hand, wary of what she’ll find.

The burns on Dean Winchester’s corpse are still smoldering. This was recent. But the worst part isn’t the fact that he’s charred beyond all recognition: it’s the half of his head that’s been removed. Lydia drops her phone, and her hands fly to her mouth to muffle a curdled scream.
]

[ Another lonely night that Simon’s wandering Heropa alone. Normally he stays safe, stays toward the inner city, but he really just doesn’t want any company. Not right now. Or so he thinks; screaming and the very pungent odor of burnt flesh somewhere in the distance draw his attention. Curiosity overrides self-preservation, and Simon finds himself approaching with a strange calmness. He processes the sight—a charred body, male, jagged edges at the top of his skull—and decides it’s too different to be Lunatic’s work.

Not that it makes the scene less sickening.
] Oh, fuck.

[Here, he turns to the lady and has a million questions but tries to go for the important ones.] Hey, are you all right? Did you—did you see who did this, or…?

No.

[ Eyes wide, unerringly fixed on the body in front of her, Lydia shakes her head. She wishes she had. If she’d been a little sooner, maybe—

Maybe she just would have been another body. After a transfixed moment of silence, she turns her attention up to the newcomer, tilting her head at him. Something occurs to her and she crouches, grabbing her phone: this is obviously the work of a metahuman, and given that...
] But someone else might recognize it.

All right. [ His mouth’s gone dry, and he swallows to get a lump out of his throat. But he nods as he sees the girl pick up her phone. He, too, whips out his own phone to use the distress signal app that he’d downloaded from Barnaby last month. ]

[ Lydia composes herself and turns the video function on her phone, broadcasting her own face for a moment, body well off-screen. ]

We have a problem. If you’re squeamish, now would be a good time to stop watching.

[ Tapping the screen, she flips the camera, and instead of her face, the video captures an image of Dean’s body. ]

I don’t think I have to be the one to point out that an imPort did this.

[ Which means bad news bears for all of them: imPort crime has a way of lashing back to make all of them look bad. ]

[ Simon’s voice from off-screen adds, ] It doesn’t look like Lunatic’s work, not from what I’ve heard. Things don’t quite match up, and. I think. I think the victim’s head is… empty.
somethinghidden: (i really did kill her didn't i)

action;

[personal profile] somethinghidden 2015-01-31 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ He lets out a sigh of relief at Barnaby's assurance before feeling somewhat abashed about being out so far. ]

Well... I was just going out for a walk, really. Normally I'd just walk around Heropa; it's something I've done quite a bit since arriving here. But I just wanted to be away from the crowds and the people. I didn't want to run into any company, you know? Because it was one of those things where you need some time alone and away from everyone else to think about things, that's what it was. So I took a bus pretty far out, somewhere around here. I think it might've been the stop at [insert some intersection here], actually. Where I started walking from...

[ He takes another deep breath before quickly cocking his head to the side. ]

And then I guess I wasn't alone, after hearing the scream. And things.
attainment: (There's something deep inside of me)

action;

[personal profile] attainment 2015-01-31 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Barnaby gets needing to be alone, and he's certainly been too wrapped up in his own head to fully grasp what's going on around him before.

Out of all the times to find a charred body with its brain missing, though...]


All right, then. I think I know where that stop is. [Hopefully the buses are still running by the time they get there.] Are you up for walking?
somethinghidden: (in the event of an event or situation)

action;

[personal profile] somethinghidden 2015-01-31 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
[ He gives it some careful consideration. Walking around was what got him into this mess, wasn't it? But he wouldn't have to worry about being alone this time. And if he did run into trouble this time around...

Simon stops that thought and decides to answer instead.
]

Yeah, I think. It might be better, trying to walk it out of the system.

[ And hopefully he'd have better luck this time. ]

I hope that's all right with you. I can't say, well. It's more that I don't really know just how busy any actual hero's schedule is.
selfimage: — ɢᴀʀʙᴇᴛᴛ — (MAGIC HANDS.)

ACTION.

[personal profile] selfimage 2015-02-01 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
An opportunist that hasn't made themselves known yet. That may a bit more.

[ and he holds out a hand, leaning forward until his fingers are outstretched above the body. he begins to mutter, but it quickly turns to a mantra. there's a dull green light, a flash of shapes spun in a green glow above the body, twisting until they seem to find the right interlock before disappearing as if they were dust. ]
theoryandcalculation: (there was dirt all around)

[personal profile] theoryandcalculation 2015-02-01 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
[Ugh, they keep having to remind him that the brain is missing...]

Have the police been called? Shouldn't they look at the fire extinguisher for prints?

[Seems like it could be a clue.]

Lunatic is that serial killer they've been trying to catch, isn't he?
rocketsmodernlife: of my descent into madness and despair (this is the story)

audio. sorry man

[personal profile] rocketsmodernlife 2015-02-01 10:39 am (UTC)(link)
Shock does some funny shit. [ that part at least... well. he's not sympathetic. like. at all. ] It's no excuse for actin' like you don't know what you're talkin' about. Brains are weird, I'll give ya that, but I still don't see anythin' that says anythin' concrete. [ Unless the video showed a tattoo even, which isn't confirmed, there's not much as yet to even say it was an imPort. ]
attainment: (in this gloom)

action;

[personal profile] attainment 2015-02-01 11:57 am (UTC)(link)
[Technically, he's always busy. It's just a matter of prioritizing what needs to be done, what can wait until later, and what he can drop from his list. Although he usually doesn't escort people unless there's some kind of immediate danger, Barnaby doesn't think it's such a smart idea to walk home alone after coming across a crime scene as grisly as that one. Not just from a mental standpoint, but also in case the killer decides to wipe out whoever outed their handiwork over the network.

Of course, saying that last bit out loud doesn't sound like such a good idea, so he wisely keeps it to himself.]


That's fine. Trust me, I wouldn't have offered if it weren't. [With another polite smile, he gestures toward the direction they need to go and starts to walk.] It should be this way.
somethinghidden: (also: killing that fucker)

audio. lol can't be helped

[personal profile] somethinghidden 2015-02-01 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Who's acting? Seriously, I don't know. [ While it may be natural for people to want immediate answers and clarity, Simon can't actually bring himself to comprehend that need at this point in time. ]

Look, I just explained what I saw, what I came across here as best I could. Maybe one or even both of us made assumptions or drew some conclusions a little prematurely. At least I'll admit I don't have any immediate answers, and there are already others willing to come down here and sort it out. If that isn't good enough for you, by all—fucking—means, you are welcome to investigate for yourself.

[ He decides to hang up before he has a conniption or something. ]
Edited 2015-02-01 21:50 (UTC)
somethinghidden: (i'm even more stressed now)

action;

[personal profile] somethinghidden 2015-02-01 10:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Given the responses to their network post, it's certainly crossed Simon's mind that the killer might come for him and Lydia. He thankfully isn't actually in the videos, but whoever did it still might know if they'd been in the area. Simon tries to keep his mind off this but is already beset with quite a bit of paranoia. And now, he's experiencing an adrenaline dump wherein the shock of the situation is rushing in. He's spooked. ]

Thanks. [ He answers as they walk, and then he's quiet for a few moments before asking, ] But just so I know, that... wasn't Lunatic's sort of work, was it? Do you think one of the locals did it, or that it might've been an imPort?
attainment: (I think there's something)

action;

[personal profile] attainment 2015-02-02 12:57 pm (UTC)(link)
The forensics team will probably be able to give a more definite answer, but...judging by appearance, it's not something Lunatic would do. Once he kills his victims, he doesn't stick around, and stealing people's organs doesn't align with his motives.

[A beat.]

As for your last question...I wouldn't be surprised if an imPort did it. Our community is somewhat insulated, and most homicides are committed by someone the victim knows.
selfequipped: (awkward awkward awkward)

[personal profile] selfequipped 2015-02-02 06:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Dorian Gray.
somethinghidden: (sold to paddle eighty-eight)

action;

[personal profile] somethinghidden 2015-02-02 08:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Barnaby's first answer serves to calm Simon somewhat, reminding him that Lunatic's motive is to punish sinners; he kills those who've taken the lives of others. That and more, and so it couldn't have been Lunatic, which means Simon was right not to suspect him. But the second answer begs the question, "Then who?" As such, Simon can't fully calm down. No, he's quite high-strung and on the edge.

Simon frowns.
] And that's... from a statistical standpoint?
selfimage: — ɢᴀʀʙᴇᴛᴛ — (Never let me down.)

ACTION.

[personal profile] selfimage 2015-02-03 03:42 am (UTC)(link)
The short explanation? It's a tracker. As soon as he resurrects, I'll be able to find him.
rocketsmodernlife: well that's just fucking fascinating tell me more (no? sorry what was that?)

audio.

[personal profile] rocketsmodernlife 2015-02-03 09:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ wow bro ok he wasn't even talking about you he was talking about the fire shit but sure be weird. go for it - he's not gonna chase after sensitivity or whatever. ]
attainment: (There's something deep inside of me)

action;

[personal profile] attainment 2015-02-03 11:45 am (UTC)(link)
Yes.

[Sorry, Simon. You asked for his opinion, and he's going to be honest about it in this case, even if it's not particularly pretty.]

Just because it's statistically more likely doesn't mean that's what happened, though. The statistics just mean that acquaintances are a good place to start when investigating a murder.
selfimage: — ᴢᴅᴀʀsᴋʏ — (Boys keep swinging.)

ACTION.

[personal profile] selfimage 2015-02-04 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
Just in case.

[ it's always good to have a backup of a backup if need be. if something happens and their murderer friend decides to show their face again, then there's a one-up in their court. ]

With a missing brain? We'll see how well the nanites provide.

[ he looks up from the mess that was Dean and over at her. ]

You're going to wait for the police?
selfimage: — ɢᴀʀʙᴇᴛᴛ — (Time will crawl.)

ACTION.

[personal profile] selfimage 2015-02-04 06:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Lydia you made that reference, not him! ]

Most likely.

[ his eyes go from her to the mess again, and then back to her and his expression softens somewhat. ]

Lydia ...
selfequipped: (oh. i ate all the nutella.)

[personal profile] selfequipped 2015-02-05 07:20 am (UTC)(link)
... It could be worse.

[The real ringing endorsement for Dorian Gray.

"There are worst guys."]

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