tushanshu | 004 || video

As some of you may know, I was hired to find the person responsible for multiple killings in September, along with an attempted homicide. That person has now killed the Emperor. [ There's a flash of something like remorse, but it only lasts a second before her jaw tightens. There's no time to feel guilty for not catching the person sooner. She has to stop him now, before he kills again. ]

I have a list of suspects. I've narrowed it down significantly. If you were one of the people I talked to about it, please see me immediately.

[ The message is simple, one she can essentially cut-and-paste to each person. It's short, but far from sweet. She doubts they'll appreciate it. If the killer is killing again, then they have to move to catch him, and quickly. So screw pleasantries. ]

Get in touch with me as soon as possible.

[ Sharon looks tired. She doesn't want to have this conversation, but it's part of the job. The horrible thing is, Barry seems like a nice guy. A good guy. But that doesn't mean he can't be a killer. ]

Barry, I hate to ask this, but do you have an alibi for the time when the Emperor was killed, and is there anyone who can verify it?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Ha. Oh, Kirk. You're cute. But are you cute enough?

No. Probably not. Sorry. ]

During the week in September when so many people switched bodies, abilities, or genders, did anything happen to you?

[He is quiet for a very long time, and his expression settles somewhere around 'serious'.]

Yeah. But unfortunately, it's classified. So if you're trying to figure out whether or not I'm a suspect, we'll need to go through other channels or you'll have to take my word for it.

[Frankly, he doesn't recognize what she's doing as having any real authority anyway. Admirable? Yeah. But Jim's too used to the idea of a chain of command a la Starfleet, and this isn't it.]

[ Classified. Right. ]

Very well. Where were you between last evening and dawn today?

[His mouth thins.]

Holding a Christmas party. Basically anyone who was there can vouch for that. Commander Spock, Doctor Leonard McCoy, Admiral Christopher Pike and Ensign Pavel Chekov were there out of my crew. There were a bunch of other people if you're the type to think a Federation Captain would try to coerce or suborn his people to lie on his behalf.

[So maybe there's a touch of bitterness there, but it's not quite directed at her. He's thinking about Marcus, and that thought is the only reason he's taking this seriously rather than blowing her off in annoyance.]

I was there the whole time, if you need a timeline of events to clear myself or others there I'll provide it. What I can guarantee about September is that I was in no condition to do anything. I didn't leave the house I was at.

[He couldn't. The Archive being dumped into his mind was like having his brain hit repeatedly by a sledgehammer swung by a Klingon.]

[ Parties are easy enough to sneak out of, but could he really sneak away long enough to get into the palace, kill the Emperor, and return as if nothing had changed?

She makes a note of the names he gives her. She's suitemates with Christopher Pike, so he should be easy enough to track down. ]

I would appreciate any details you can give me.

[Give him a few minutes, he's used to compiling reports in a hurry. Owes it to the fact that he tends to leave his paperwork for last and has learned all the shortcuts one can take to make it presentable for a higher power.

And then she gets a list of all the people there, when they arrived, the approximate length of their stay, whether or not he spoke with them directly, etc. The adults filtered out between three and four AM, and those last few hours are unaccounted for. Jim leaves them stubbornly blank, because he's not going to give her the name of the one person that could give him an alibi for that time.]

[ It's several minutes of perusing the list before she gets back in touch with him. ]

Very well. I noticed the time at the end, which I suppose means you were with a partner and don't want to give me their name. That's fine. I wouldn't tell, but if you're determined to keep it a secret, we can find some other avenue to explore. [ HOW MANY TIMES IS THIS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THIS INVESTIGATION? There's never a goddamn terrorist cell when you want one. It's just silly crap that people think matters for some reason, like this. ]

You said in September, you were in no condition to do anything, even to leave your house. Someone must have helped take care of you during that time, correct? Would you be willing to share their names?

[Bluntly,]

I don't care if you'd tell or not. It's none of your business. If that's a game-breaker for you you might as well just lock me up now.

[Excuse you casually dismantling his Oh So Subtle reasoning over here!! His mouth quirks downward as he considers her next question. Ivy's someone else he'd rather people not know about. Kyle's paranoia is rubbing off on him in all the worst ways.]

Sorry, but no. It ties into the whole -- [handwave] classified angle.

[ These guys. So freaking noble. Ugh. ]

Can you at least tell me if you were in your own body during that week? And if not, what was your height. Or, if applicable, your sex.

[ Freaking noble freaking sfiuhwefjnsfdiha She wants some freaking terrorists, damn it. And a SHIELD mainframe. And damn it. Damn it all. ]

[Eyebrow up.]

Yeah, I was in my own body, but I had someone else's abilities. Those abilities-- [a faint grimace.] weren't meant for a normal mind, it almost killed me. No physical changes, though, everything was, well. [He reaches up and taps his temple.]

[ Which means he would have had a doctor around. The most likely choice is Bones. She can talk to the good doctor later, she supposes. ]

Was anyone with you when the spell was broken?

Same person through-out. I'll talk to them and see if they're okay with me giving you their name.

Thank you.

She said she'll contact you to confirm, should be within the next few minutes.

[ooc; care to handwave the Archive's affirmation of his innocence because Em's hiatus? We can just skip on in the convo if you'd like!]

Thank you. I apologize for the inconvenience.

[ ooc: Works great for me. Thanks! ]

Don't apologize, catch the guy.

[He ducks his head, lifts a hand in a salute and cuts the feed.]

004 || video

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