genessia | [video] in which shit gets so very real

[ The feed turns on to a concrete ceiling, a single lamp hanging from the center of the room. There's the sound of footsteps walking a slow circle around the device before they stop - the sound of a metal chair being dragged away from the table, a person falling into it to be seated. ]

Showtime!

[ If the voice doesn't give him away, the visual certainly will as Mercury flips the device up off the table to hold it back at arm's length, his smirk ever-present. ]

How are we all doing today? Good? Great? Well I'm here to brighten everyone's day just a little bit more. Now I know some of you may have noticed a sweet little guy by the name of Armin just up and vanished. Poof! What a mystery!

[ He leans in a bit, grin widening. ]

Well fear not, citizens - I found him.

[ A blur, as he tosses the camera up to flip it around in his hand - to reveal Armin, tied to a chair on the opposite side of the table, wrists and ankles secured to prevent any hope of escape. There isn't a blindfold, but a gag prevents him from making much noise.

More importantly, he looks like hell. One eye is bruised to the point that it's nearly swollen shut, his face littered with scratches and abrasions. His clothes are shredded in places with visible (but not life-threatening) wounds beneath them, and it's clear he's been made to bleed quite a bit. His throat is bruised abundantly, as if he's been choked roughly and repeatedly, and there's dry blood beneath his nose indicating he's been struck there at least once. His hands are visibly ruined - fingers have been broken, and from the look of things his hands have both been burned horribly, as if they were actually lit on fire at some point. He's awake, very clearly unhappy (rightfully so) but also very much alive. There's some anger there, for sure, but from how wide his eyes are (well, the one that CAN open wide anyway) and the light tremble in his shoulders, the rapid rise and fall of his chest, he's afraid. Very, very afraid. ]

He's not having a good day, but let's see what we can do about that.

[ A blur, and the camera is switched back to Mercury as he pushes his chair to lean back on it, kicking his feet up to rest on the table. ]

I know what some of you might be thinking - "Hey, golly Mr. Mercury, didn't you kidnap him in the first place?" And you would be right! I sure did. But I'm going to tell you all what I told Armin on day one: If everyone cooperates, he'll go home safe and sound. So with that in mind, let's go over my list of demands. It's brief, don't worry.

[ He crams his other hand in his pocket, digging for a crumpled sheet of paper which he flattens out to begin reading from, clearing his throat. ]

Alright, so, number one...

[ He falls silent, eyebrows lowering a bit - then abruptly turns the device around to prop it on the table so it faces Armin. There's the sound of scraping metal again as he rises to his feet, walking briskly around to stand behind his prisoner with his hands buried in his pockets. He cocks his head a bit as if in thought, before raising one leg to press his foot against the back of Armin's head, heel against his scalp. The blond is trembling fiercely now, straining against his bindings and trying to turn his head to see what's happening, but he doesn't get the time to turn his head far enough. ]

Change of plans.

[ And that's that. He shoves his foot forward with a flare of white Aura as the firing mechanism in his boot activates with a deafening bang, and the gruesome sight of Armin's head being blown open (practically apart) is only visible for a millisecond before the blood splatters over the camera, obscuring the feed with a blanket of red. There's a thud as the momentum causes Armin's body (as well as the chair he's tied to) to fall forward against the table, then a second thud and a clang of metal as he falls on one side against the floor. It's a few seconds before the device is lifted again, Mercury's thumb dragging across the camera to clean the lens - even then there's still a red haze to everything, which does nothing to soften the wickedness of his grin, the air of satisfaction in his gaze, and he shrugs nonchalantly as he looks towards the mess on the floor. ]

My only demand? Don't bore me.

[ With that he tosses the device to the ground and strolls towards the door, laughing cruelly as he passes the body. After bouncing once and skidding a bit the feed ends up almost exactly as it had began - facing the ceiling, the single light still shining from above, but now with a few specks of red on the ceiling. With a click the light is turned off, and the feed remains black until the recording times out. ]

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That, my friend, was the idea all along.

[ His face falls back to smug neutrality, rolling his shoulders a bit with a yawn. ]

But don't be naive - of course I'll do it again. It's a big city, and there are only so many eyes watching so many places.

...No. I won't let you.

If you murder even one more person, I promise you will regret it.

[ Please, Mercury. He's an investigator so he WILL find you sooner than later since you kind of ousted yourself here so he knows what you look like. ]

S-Sir-

[ Tooru's face swims into focus moments after he starts the video call, a sickly pallor to his skin even as he tries his best to look resolute, look calm. (God, he isn't calm at all. How could someone do that-)

He wipes at his brow with the back of a hand. ]

Should we go after him? You... You can't go alone.

[ Sure, of course he can, but Tooru won't let him, doesn't want to let him. ]

[ Haise tenses when he hears Mutsuki's voice and it takes everything in him to try and school his expression to be calmer, but it's hard to when he just saw a human being get murdered like that. ]

Mutsuki... if you come with me, you have to be careful.

[ His tone said he was still reluctant but he didn't want to make his comrade worry. ]

I don't want you getting hurt, alright?

[ He can't help but swallow. Seeing Sasaki without his composure... It reminds him of a time when he'd seen him act in ways he'd never imagined.

But now isn't the time for those thoughts.

There's a sharp clenching in his chest, though he doesn't know if it's fear or guilt or some mixture of the two. ] I-I will. I'll try not to get in the way.

[ Tooru presses his lips tightly together for a moment before he admits his own concerns. ] I don't want you getting hurt either, sir.

It's my responsibility to be with my superior if he's going to be in a dangerous situation, especially if the rest of our squad isn't here.

[ That's fine. Half the point is for him to BE found eventually. ]

So conversely, if I don't murder anyone else, I won't regret it? Am I getting that right?

Not entirely. I assure you it will be much worse than if I were to catch you right now.

[ With how angry he is right now, Haise's so close to throwing morals out the window and aware he wouldn't hold back if he were able to find him; that is if anyone else hadn't found him already. ]

Is that so?

... Want to test that theory?

...That depends on if my agreement involves you finding and killing another innocent person in cold blood as a part of it.

[ Spoken flatly with irritation in his voice, not having stopped moving since this started and everything about this just rubs him the wrong way each time the man speaks. ]

However I get the feeling you'll still do so if you find yourself bored again so it doesn't matter, does it?

[video] in which shit gets so very real

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