[voice]

[hot_mes]

I've been through this before. I've been targeted on a hit list like this, precisely five days before I arrived in this world.

I guessed from the wording of the Null broadcast that some people might not have seen that they were named as targets. Consider this fair warning to everyone in this city: the Null would rather kill you than work with you.

[a pause, and then his tone turns positively savage]

As I did before, I'll do again. My only target is the one putting out the hit list. I will destroy the Null and anyone who tries to kill us. Anyone who'd foolishly sacrifice our chances of getting home for this death game should be dealt with, and I have no problem doing so.

[addendum message, five minutes later:]

I've been blocked from the message. Anyone who was quick enough to copy it, we'd appreciate a public airing of the names on the list.

Comments

[hot_mes]

[Law runs through his options, staring at the floor for a moment]

I can remove the heart from the body, leaving the victim alive but without a discernible pulse or heartbeat. I can amputate any body part, even a head, without killing them. I can also shock the heart and technically kill them for a brief time, so long as I can restart it within a certain amount of time. [and, importantly:] I've not used any of these techniques here, so far. No one has seen what I can do, except maybe in a dream.

If the person intended as the murder victim is a terrible actor, I would recommend going for the heart. If I remove it, there's a window of an hour or so in which they'll be unconscious and heart-free, so no pretending to be dead is involved. Taking the head is only effective so long as they keep their eyes closed and don't move.

[circumitus]

[Oh.

[Those all sound useful -- and insanely risky.]

Don't know about the acting part, but if there was someone on that list who was willing to appear "dead" by any physical mean, would you be willing to help?

[Seeing that Rey is not on that list, neither does she have any intentions on expediting the process, she'll have to find a volunteer. Fortunately, she already has someone in mind.]

[hot_mes]

[he allows for an appropriate pause to suggest thinking it over, even if he already knows his answer]

Yeah.

This is to fool the Null, I take it? Do they need the body as proof or will they take a photo? In which case, I'd go for the head.

[circumitus]

[Rey nods.] For the Null, yes.

As far as we know, they just want to be contacted as soon as one of their targets has been eliminated. Don't think they can extract anything from here, though it might not be impossible if they can transport a mole and weapons.

[hot_mes]

...that's it?

[heap that on the pile of things that don't make sense]

Without proof, what's stopping us from lying to them outright? All you have to do is tell them you've killed everyone on the list - if they don't demand proof of the deed, they're even more stupid than I thought.

[SIIIIGH]

If the charade becomes necessary, I'll do it. If just telling them you've killed someone doesn't work and they want to see the head.

[circumitus]

Have thought about that, too. But we don't know how close their mole is working with them. So if someone who's been openly in opposition of the Null suddenly acts complicit to their face, they might suspect deceit.

[Pause.] Or they could in fact be fucking stupid and not pick up on when they're being duped. We don't know for sure.

[She nods.]

Head it is, then.

[hot_mes]

All right. Let me know when you want me. I'll be there.

[oh goodie he gets to show off]