Chapter 2: A Nation United Cannot Trust - Deadly Life
Start.

You fall backwards on to the septs of the escalator and cover your face with your hands. You try your best to pretend this isn’t real, but you know better. Once you look up, you’ll see Jordan’s body is still there and you know what that means. You hear someone running to you from the 4th floor, but you don’t look up. You hear people running along the 3rd floor to you, but you don’t look up. You hear their reactions and screams, but you don’t look up. Finally, you feel a hand placed on your shoulder and look up. Reginald is standing over you looking down upon the crime scene. He opens his mouth as if he wants to say something, but closes it without a word.

Looking around, you see that everyone has gathered around Jordan’s body, but not one of them has made any effort to investigate it yet. Slowly, Svetlana reaches forward to examine the body, but freezes when a loud buzzer sounds throughout the mall. “Stop right there!” says the mechanical voice that you’ve grown to hate. From atop the escalator Monoscrap looks down upon all of you. With surprising skill, the bear jumps into the air and lands a few feet from the body. “Nobody do anything! This crime scene is off limits! Not one of you are to investigate it or talk about the murder to anyone until tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow?! Why do we have to wait so long?” Chuck says angrily. “We need to find the killer before he can strike again.”

Monoscrap sighs. “I have my reasons for putting the investigation and trial off till tomorrow, but if it helps you, I’ll forbid any more killing this round. This is an unusual situation and giving you kids the security of a no murder for 24 hours is the least I can do. Anyway, anyone who does any investigation, tampering, or even talking about the murder will be gagged and forbidden from taking place in the trial. We all know how disastrous it could be to not participate, so I think that is a good reason to not disobey me.” Monoscrap then waddles off snickering.

What will you do?
>talk to someone (topics relating to murder are forbidden)
>go to dinner
>go to bed
>write in (investigation is forbidden)

>>994983
>go to dinner
Welcome back.

>>994983
>Investigate

>>994989
Yup

>>994989
You look around at everyone. There is no getting around your temptation to investigate, but the risk is far too high. Because of your memory, you can’t help but notice that none of your “classmates” have any blood on them. Although you don’t think this counts as investigating, you decide to not push your luck and go to dinner early.

At the laundromat, you take your usual seat and wait. One by one, the others start to arrive as dinner time approaches. As monoscrap brings everyone their meals, you look around to see that no one is making eye contact or even talking out of fear of breaking the ban on talking about the murder. You didn’t think the air could get any thicker, but now that you are knowingly eating in the same room as a murderer, you find it difficult to eat. In silence, everyone finishes their meals, and returns to their beds.
On the way back to the mattress store, you see that one of the escalators have been blocked off. You decide it is worth looking into once you can investigate in the morning.

Along with the others, you climb into bed and go to sleep without a single word. After another dreamless night, you wake up and get ready to investigate. Looking around, you see that the doors to the store have been closed and Monoscrap is sitting in front of them.

What will you do?
>talk to Monoscrap (include topic/question)
>wake someone up
>write in

>>995210
>>>talk to Monoscrap
So, tell me. Hypothetically. What of Accidental deaths? Do we go to trial to find out if it was an accident, or not?
Also, suicide?

apart from rules. How many iterations have you run of this twisted game? How have they ended?

>>995210
>talk to Monoscrap (Accidental deaths)

>>995216
>>995242
Seeing that no one else is up, you walk over to Monoscrap. “Sorry kid, no one leaves till there are at least 3 people awake just to make sure the killer can’t go and change things after you found the body.” Monoscrap says.

You shake your head. “Actually, I wanted to ask you a few questions.” You can hear the inner workings of Monoscrap screech as he turns his head to face you. “I wanted some more information on how accidental deaths and suicide work in this game.”

“This again?” Monoscrap sighs. “Well, for this situation it might be best to make the rules absolutely clear on this matter. Any and all deaths will be brought to trial unless the railing is involved. The same goes for accidental deaths and suicide, and there is still going to be a killer in those cases. If it was an accident and the person responsible was directly involved, then he or she is guilty. If the person responsible is indirectly involved, then it will count as suicide and the victim will count as the killer. Please note that if the killer and the victim are one and the same, you still have to get the right answer or you will all die. Also, even if you work out the whole mystery before it’s time to start, we will still have a trial. In this case, if Jordan killed himself by mistake, then he is the killer, but if someone caused him to kill himself or unintentionally took actions that directly led to Jordan’s death, then that person is the killer.”

You make a metal note about the rules that Monoscrap set down and then ask another question. “How many times have you done this before?” Monoscrap sits in silence as if he is thinking hard about the proper answer to your question. Finally, he chuckles. “Well, isn’t that an interesting question. Maybe I’ll tell you later, maybe you’ll die before that can happen, who knows?”

What will you do now?
>talk to Monoscrap some more (include topic/question)
>wake someone up
>wait for people to get up
>write in

>>995283
>wait for people to get up

>>995283
>If the person responsible is indirectly involved, then it will count as suicide and the victim will count as the killer.

> if someone caused him to kill himself or unintentionally took actions that directly led to Jordan’s death, then that person is the killer.

Wut
>Waitu for the peoporu

>>995330
>>995403
You decide that you don’t have any more questions for Monoscrap at the moment and wait for the other students to get up. Slate and the twins arrive first and Monoscrap unlocks the doors to set you all free. It is time to investigate

What will you do first?
>talk to Slate
>talk to the twins
>go to breakfast
>investigate elevator
>go to 3rd floor to examine body
>write in

Alright, going to call it here for today, the next few days might be a little slow thanks to family, but I’ll keep at it.

>>995403
Short version, if someone else is responsible, then that person is the killer. If Jordan killed himself by mistake, then Jordan is the killer.

>>996169
>talk to Slate

>>996173
Thank you for running and Happy New Year's

>>996174
You follow Slate on his way to the crime scene. “So, what do you make of this?” You ask uncertainly. Slate shakes his head and pulls up his hood to cover his face. “I’ve got no clue. Jordan was only out of our sight for two or three minutes at the most, and yet in that time someone killed him and managed to hide. Not only that, I can’t help but wonder why Monoscrap made us wait over 12 hours to start investigating. Last time we started as soon as the body turned up. Something’s fishy.”

The two of you reatch the escalator and he starts to walk down to the body. Slate looks to you and says, “I’ll watch over the body since you know that it’s impossible for me to be the killer.” He then leaves you alone at the top of the escalator. You can hear the others start to wake up and leave the mattress store.

What will you do?
>talk to someone
>investigate elevator
>go to 3rd floor to examine body
>write in

>>1001744
>>go to 3rd floor to examine body

>>1001744
>>go to 3rd floor to examine body

Seems like the obvious place to start.

>>1002179
>>1002741
As you approach the escalators, you see that both of them have come to a stop and only one escalator is open. Nearby, a hand drawn sign says “Due to possible evidence, the escalator that Jordan was found at has been closed off. Only those investigating it may make use of it. -Monoscrap :P” You can’t help but roll your eyes at this. It is hard to tell if you are afraid of Monoscrap or annoyed by him.

When you arrive at the crime scene, you find Slate standing next to a chock outline and a stack of papers in his hands. To your surprise, there is no sign of the body. “Monoscrap told me to give these out.” Slate tells you and proceeds to hand over one of the pamphlets. Without saying a word, you start to look it over.

Monoscrap autopsy report:

Due to the potential smell, I have taken the liberty to dispose of the body before the trial. However, this report will go over every clue you might have found and even some you could have missed. The cause of death was a large metal object being pushed through his body resulting in him bleeding to death. Before he died, Jordan was beaten all over his body and had received a strong blow to the head. He was found face down supported by a metal rod and his knees.


What will you do?
>talk to someone
>investigate escalator
>investigate location on 3rd floor
>ask Monoscrap about wait time
>write in

>>1003402
>>investigate escalator

>>1003469
You decide that now is a good a time as any to start looking over the rest of the crime scene. At the bottom of the escalator, there are some chipped floor tiles where Jordan’s body was found. It almost looks like something sharp was scraping along the floor and got lodged between two tiles. Along the steps near the 3rd floor are specs of blood and there seems to be a few dents up to the middle of the escalator. Additionally, the emergency stop switch has been pressed at the top of the escalator.

You can’t seem to find any more evidence at the crime scene. As you get ready to leave, you see Chuck approach with Svetlana at his side. The grand puzzler had a notepad and pen ready to go while the “leader” of the 3rd floor has his arms folded. The two of them go up to Slate and start talking. It seems they are about to start their investigation. If Reginald shows up while Chuck is still at the crime scene, you’re worried that it could lead to another fight.

What will you do?
>talk to Chuck and Svetlana
>go fins someone else to talk to
>go find Reginald
>investigate location on 3rd floor
>write in

Calling it here for tonight. Sorry again that things are so slow at the moment.

>>1003610
Eh, starting again so close to the holidays mightb e the cause of the slowness

Also, i have to ask, was our friend's body found at the bottom of the escalator or at the top?

>talk to Chuck and Svetlana
We should stand with Slate in case Chuck gets pushy
Also, Svetlana a best

>>1004667
You walk down to the 3rd floor to talk to Chuck and Svetlana. “So, what have you found?” Chuck says aggressively once you are within earshot. You take a deep breath and tell everyone about your findings on the escalator and the broken floor tile. Chuck doesn’t interrupt you and listens with his arms folder while Svetlana takes notes on everything you say. Once you finish Chuck nods and says, “Alright, that’s all I need for now. Svetlana, look everything over once more and then we will investigate the Dillard’s.”

“Hold on.” Slate says as he attempts to stop Chuck from leaving. “You better not start anything with Reginald while you are up there.” There is a chill in the air as Chuck tries to think of what to say next. With a long sigh the Grand Glory Hog looks down upon Slate and replies. “There is a killer among us, my first and only priority is weeding him or her out. I don’t have time to deal with him and I would think he feels the same.” Chuck starts to walk away again, but is stopped once more by Svetlana this time.

The girl places her top hat to Chuck’s chest and looks him in the eyes. “Just a moment. We should hear what they were doing at the time of the murder before we move on.” Chuck only rolls his eyes and looks to you and Slate. Both of you recount the events that led up to you confronting Jordan and finding his body that the bottom of the escalator. After finishing, you look to the two of them. “what about you two?”

Chuck snorts. “I was taking a walk around the 3rd floor. When I heard you scream, I came running and saw the body. At the time, I had already turned the corner and was unable to see the escalator till I got there. I wish you had told me about Jordan, I would have been willing to assist in his capture.” You then look to Svetlana who looks up from her notebook. “I umm, well, Gabriel told me about Jordan beforehand, but he played it down and just told me as a warning. He said that we were going to do something that night and to get ready. As for where I was, I in the bathroom at the time, but I came as soon as I could. On the way, I saw Mercedes leave the sporting store and followed her.”

You are thankful that your perfect memory lets you remember all the new information. Although it is a lot, there is a good chance this information will be valuable.

It looks like there isn’t much left to do here, what will you do now?
>go fins someone else to talk to
>investigate location on 3rd floor
>ask Monoscrap about wait time
>write in

OOC

>>1004667
>Eh, starting again so close to the holidays mightb e the cause of the slowness
That's the main reason that I don't update as much right now. As soon as my family leaves I'll speed things up.

The body was found at the bottom of the escalator going from the 3rd floor up to the 4th.

>1005549
Nah, i meant for the slowness of our replies
We are still getting our bearing together

>>1005535
>ask Monoscrap about wait time
[non-chalant] (So, what changed this time?)

>>1008349
You walk up to the 4th floor and see Momoscrap walking to the elevator with a cart full of used dishes. You can guess that a few of your “classmates” decided to have breakfast before starting their investigations. You are able to quickly catch up with the waddling bear thanks to your legs being much longer than Monoscrap’s. “Wait!” You call out as you block Monoscrap’s path.

“What is it?” You whence at the mechanical crackles in his voice, but you are becoming more accustomed to it.

“I wanted to know why you had us wait until today to start the investigation. You had us start immediately last time. It just doesn’t make sense.” You say as you move around to prevent Monoscrap’s attempts to move the cart past you.

Finally, the bear stops trying to move past you and places his hand on his chin. “Well, I guess there is no harm in telling you now.” You can hear a faint chuckle before he continues. “The prize for killing this round was the return of all the memories I stole. However, if we had the trial yesterday, then the killer would have been executed before I could give him his or her prize. So, while everyone was sleeping last night, I gave back all of the killer’s memories!”

“So why are you telling me this now instead of when Chuck asked yesterday?” You ask hesitantly.

Monoscrap shakes his head from side to side. “Well, let’s say returning those memories had some unintended effects that put the killer at an unfair advantage. Since it is kind of my fault that the killer now has an upper hand, it’s only fair that I warn you about it, but don’t think that I’ll give you any help beyond the warning.” While you are still trying to process everything you just learned, Monoscrap pushed the cart past you and gets on the elevator.

You are unsure what to think about this development. One of the people you are trapped with has all of his or her memories and possible answers to what is really going on. However, that person is also the killer and you doubt that is going to make them willing to tell you anything. What really worries you is that the killer has some sort of advantage thanks to those memories. You want to keep thinking about this, but you still need more information and learn what everyone was doing at the time of the murder.

What will you do now?
>go talk to someone (include who and any other questions beyond what they were doing at the time of the murder)
>investigate location (must include location investigating)
>write in

OOC
>>1008349
Yeah, that was the longest I've had to wait, but I'll keep at it. The holidays along with the long pause between part 4 and 5 really made this quest lose a lot of steam, but I'll power through it.

As for what changed, last time we asked Monoscrap questions, we didn't ask about why we had to wait to start investigating.

>Go find the biggest group of people we can find and ask them how are they holding up, then what they were doing at the time of death

>>1008528
>As for what changed
I meant that as a question for Kuma, not an OCC one.
But it has been answered already
Next time, i'll frame said comments in quotes

>>1008635
You start walking back to the 3rd floor when you see the Brittany Ann, Jeremy, and Frank leaving the laundromat. Seeing your opportunity, you walk up to them, and as you approach, you see that they are carrying armfuls of food. “Hey, what’s up with the food?”

Brittany Ann turns around and speak in unison as usual. “Since a lot of people skipped breakfast to investigate, we thought it would be best to bring everyone some food. It’s the least we can do to be useful.” She then hands you an orange and a Pop Tart.

“Yeah, it’s not like we’re that good at finding clues and stuff.” Jeremy chimes in before taking a bite out of an apple.

Frank rolls his eyes. “Hey, save some of that for everyone else.” He then looks to you. “We figured that the smart people have a better chance at solving this than we do. It’s not like my title of ‘Grand Truthteller’ is going to make me useful in the investigation.”

You are surprised that so many people are shrugging the investigation off since their lives are on the line, but you decide it isn’t worth spending time to scold them over it. “I was wondering if you all would be willing to tell me where you were when the murder happened.” You say before taking a bite into the Pop Tart.

Brittany Ann frowns as soon as you remind her of the murder. “I was with Slate and we came running as soon as we heard you scream. You already know what happened before and after that happened.”

You look to Jeremy who quickly swallows her mouthful of apple. “I was in the candy store with Gabriel. We heard the scream at the same time and went running. You and Chuck were already there. So, I guess I’m in the clear.”

Finally, you turn to Frank who frowns. “I was in the bathroom at the time, and I was kind of in the middle of it when I heard the scream. I came as soon as I could, but I was still the last person to show up. Unlike those two, I was alone, but I give you my word I had nothing to do with this.” You nod and thank all of them before they head down to the 3rd floor to talk to hand out the food.

What will you do now?
>go talk to someone (Gabriel/the twins/Mercedes, include extra questions if any)
>check on Reginald
>investigate location (must include location investigating)
>write in

>>1008796
>check on Reginald
And not because we like him or anything
Ask for some spare food and go see him

>>1008807
Before heading back down to the 3rd floor, you walk back to the mattress store to check on Reginald. However, before you can get there, you seem him slowly walk out of it towards the escalators. “Good morning Samantha.” He says as he draws closer. “I would think you’ve been busy investigating.” You hand him your uneaten orange as the two of you walk to the railing.

It’s clear that he is still in a lot of pain from his fight with Chuck and doing his best to hid it, but you don’t say anything about it. “I’ve already talked to most of the others,” You begin. “out of the people I’ve talked to, Chuck, Frank, and Svetlana don’t have anyone to confirm where they were during the murder, I still need to speak with the twins, Gabriel, and Mercedes, but assuming the twins were together, they are all off the table and were accounted for by other people.”

Reginald walks over to the railing and uses it to support his body. “You said Frank was unaccounted for, did he say he was innocent?” You nod. “Then that should be enough, ‘Grand Truth Teller’ isn’t a title that is given lightly. That Just leaves Chuck, Svetlana, you, and myself as the only ones who could have done it.”

“Wait us?!” You say in surprise.

Reginald nods while looking down over the railing. “It’s possible that you’re the killer, after all, you had the opportunity when you were chasing him. As for me, I was resting in my bed, but there’s no proof of it. It is unlikely I could have done it, but it’s not impossible. We need to keep this in mind going in to the trial since the others will probably be thinking about it.” Reginald lets out a small grunt as he pushes himself away from the railing. Even though Chuck said he wouldn’t get into another fight, you can’t help but feel worried about Reginald.

Should you take Reginald with you for the remainder of your investigation?
>yes
>no

What will you do next?
>go talk to someone (Gabriel/the twins/Mercedes, include extra questions if any)
>investigate location (must include location investigating)
>write in

Well, I'm just going to call it here for tonight.

>>1009390
>yes
But protest if he asks to lean on us

Let's go meet the twins, it is like killing two birds with one stone... Not like that!!

>>1010622
“Hey, we should stick together.” You say while making a beckoning motion. “Chuck’s investigating both floors and I don’t want you to run into him alone even though I doubt he’ll do anything.”

Reginald nods. “Alright, let’s go down and question the remaining people.”

The two of you head to the escalators and walk down to the 3rd floor. On the way, you can see that Reginald has started to put more into hiding his pain and is now doing a passible job. Once a you step off the escalator, you see the twins by the railing and approach them. “Oh, good morning.” They say in unison. They are each holding a half-eaten Pop Tart, so you suspect that Brittany Ann and the others have already been here.

“We were hoping you two could tell us where you were at the time of the murder.” Reginald says bluntly. If you didn’t know better, you would think that he had fully recovered in just a single day.

The twins nod and Sam starts talking while his sister takes another bite of her Pop Tart. “Well, we were in the laundromat at the time.” Samantha swallows and picks up where her brother left off while he takes a bite. “Since everyone was so hostile, we just wanted to find a nice quiet place to ourselves.” The twins continue to alternate speaking and eating. For some reason, you find the way they are able to do this even more unsettling than when they speak at the same time. “When we heard the scream, we came as quickly as we could.” Samantha then points to Reginald. “You came down the escalator a little after we showed up.”

Reginald folds his arms while the twins take their final bite. “I see. Do you remember who was there when you arrived?”

The twins shake their heads and start to talk in unison again. “Sorry, we weren’t really looking, but we did see that Slate was already there and saw Svetlana coming from one of the west side of the mall. Other than that, we can’t remember anything useful.”

You thank the twins for their help and start walking to Dicks with Reginald. On the way, you turn to him. “What do you think about what they had to say?” Reginald shakes his head. “Not much to think about it right now. They are each other’s alibi, so they can’t be the killer. I think the key to this is learning where everyone was at the time of the murder.”

“Why is that?”

Reginald smirks and speaks in an enthusiastic tone of voice. “Don’t worry about it. I think I’ve almost solved this case, so just relax when it’s time for the trial to start.”

What will you do next?
>go talk to someone (Gabriel/Mercedes, include extra questions if any)
>write in

>over 24 hours without any activity.
Well, I guess this is the end.

>>1014691
Oops sorry. Power went out for hours

>>1011365
We can't talk to Gabe with Reggie on tow.
Let's talk with Mercedes. Same questions

>>1016206
You and Reginald enter Dick’s and see Gabriel near the entrance. Once he sees the two of you coming, his face darkens and you can see his hands turn into fists. Reginald picks up on the aggressive mood and places his arm in front of you to stop you from getting any closer.

Gabriel closes his eyes and lets out a long breath. “I told you we should have done something.” He finally says.

Reginald raises one of his eye brows and looks to you. “What is he talking about?”

You look down to avoid making eye contact. “I told him about Jordan. He wanted to tell Chuck, but I talked him out of it.”

Reginald nods and looks back to Gabriel. “We can place the blame later, but right now we need to find out who the killer is. I just want to know where you were when it happened.”

Gabriel continues to frown. “I was with Jeremy at the candy store. I wanted to keep an eye on here since Chuck doesn’t trust any of you. We heard the scream and ran there together. By time we got there, Chuck had already arrived.”

Reginald nods. “Thank you. By they way do you know where Mercedes-”

“I’m right here.” You look behind you to see Mercedes entering the store with a half-eaten apple.

You walk over to her while Reginald continues to talk to Gabriel. “Hey, I just wanted to know where you were when it happened.”

The girl takes a bite from the apple and looks up in the air as if she was thinking. She then swallows and looks you in the eyes. “I was in here. Well me and Chuck were, but he left without saying anything, but that’s normal. A little bit later I heard the scream and came running. I saw Gabe and that girl who is always putting things in her mouth run out of the candy store and followed them. That’s about it.”

You thank her for her time and return to Reginald. Before you can say anything to him the buzzing of the intercom system fills the mall and you are assaulted by the sound of Monoscrap’s voice. “Alright. TIME’S UP. Everyone please report to the elevator on the 3rd floor and let’s get this show on the road!” Despair grips you heart. Despite questioning everyone, you still don’t know who the killer is. Suddenly, Reginald placed his hand on your shoulder. “Relax, I’ve already figured it all out. I give you my word, you are going to survive.”

Alright this is a good stopping point and I'll pick it up in a few days once I put the finishing touches on the trial.

>>1016206
Honestly if no one had posted I was going to just abandon this project. However as long as there is some interest I'll keep at it.

>>1019021
Oh, i am interested in the quest, but most of the time i only check this board once or twice a day.
Thank you for running