Second Deduction [Video]

[modernholmes]

[Three days in this place, and he'd made no progress in deducing the motive behind this situation.  There seemed to be no pattern in who had been taken and how long they had been kept here.  Not even the victims who had been kept here for long periods at all knew anything real about the situation.  The few supposed reasons he'd heard were ludicrous and obviously merely a guess on the part of his fellow captives.  Obviously, he couldn't make any more progress in this case until he had acquired more information.

And so....]

Hello!

[He smiles brightly at the camera.]

My name is Conan Edogawa!  I wanted to thank everyone who helped me when I woke up here.  Thank you!

But I'm still confused.  Did everyone here just wake up like that?  Someone told me that we're here because the scientists brought us here.  Is that really true?  And has anyone ever met them?  They must be very mean people if they won't let us go home.

Comments

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

What do you mean, Mister?

[Oi, oi, give me something I can use.]

[fierybluebird]

Marco. I'm not that old. [Okay he is, and then some, but still.]

Yes, everyone wakes up here just like that. No recollection of how they got here or why or that they were injected with a microchip by some scientists. Yes, we assume they brought us and the others here, if someone dies, it's also the scientists who return them. And yeah, that's true. People have met them, and yes, they're fairly "mean." Though not everyone here could go home even if not for the scientists, so in some ways, that's a small kindness. And they sometimes try to make it easier on the people here bringing presents. They used to run a weekly news, but they've gotten quieter.

What's your name kid?

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

[He honestly didn't know where to start with all of that. Microchips? Returning from the dead? Bribing the captives with gifts? Could it be that there was some kind of mental conditioning going on to make all the captives believe in some of this nonsense? But what was the motive?

But no time to think about this now. Conan makes a wondering sound and deliberately focuses on making his body language as childish as possible.]

Oh, okay Mr. Marco. I'm Conan Edogawa!

[fierybluebird]

Nice to meet you Conan. And welcome to Discedo. For better or worse.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

Thank you! But I hope I won't be here long. Ran-neechan gets really worried when she can't find me.

[fierybluebird]

Time passes a little strangely while you're here. I met someone several weeks from my past who's been here two years, and someone who'd been here a week that was two years into my world's future.

Basically, she probably won't know you're gone unless they bring her here, eh.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

[Is this the kind of white lie they tell kids these days?]

Eh, really? But I wouldn't want Ran-neechan to be kidnapped too.

[fierybluebird]

[Marco? LIE? Only like every other word. But that's only when it'll amuse him.]

Nobody wants their friends kidnapped usually, nor do they wish to be here, eh. The scientists are "mean," we covered that.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

But don't mean people usually have a reason when they do something?

[fierybluebird]

If you find one, you're welcome to ask them why, but I doubt they'll give you the kind of answer you're hoping for.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

Why do you say that?

[fierybluebird]

Because you're not the first person to wonder why we're here. Or why some friends get sent home and not others.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

Really? Does that mean there are detectives here?

[fierybluebird]

Define "detective."

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

Someone who uses logic to seek the truth.

[fierybluebird]

Pretty much everyone then.

As for "officially" there are a few marine-justice types running around, but not many.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

[Haa, everyone is a detective? I wonder if anyone here has even as much deductive ability as the old man?]

I met one, I think. He said that you didn't have police here.

[fierybluebird]

[Much less. Sadly.]

Right. Most people are just expected to follow the law of the wild. It's tricky since possessions are kind of limited and dependent on the scientists bringing them in, and murder victims get brought back to life. So if you mess with someone who doesn't deserve it, they usually have friends backing them up.

I wouldn't worry too much about that though. People rarely kill kids, even Blackbeard wouldn't sink that low. [Scowls darkly and grits teeth, but gets it under control.] The monsters are the bigger concern. And sometimes the scientists mess up -- or something -- and that tends to be more unpleasant. And dangerous.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

[Is he making up things because I'm a kid?]

...Thank you for the information?

[fierybluebird]

[Nah, the stuff Marco makes up is a lot more colorful and deadpan. Actually, so are a lot of his truths.]

Yeah, whatever.

Got any other questions?

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

Ne, do you know why everyone was brought here?

[fierybluebird]

Not a clue. If this is to rebuild, they choose mostly the wrong people. Which leaves me unconvinced that they even pick who they bring here.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

That would make it a crime of opportunity.

[fierybluebird]

Does it matter?

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

Of course it does! If we know why they're bringing people here then we will know the motive. And you can't solve a case without knowing the motive.