retrospec | (no subject)

[ For the past few days, Retrospec users may have noticed that Zee has been unresponsive. On the 29th, a message from Delta#68422 appears - for once a network connection in video form. The girl on the screen is recognizable to some as Joanne Wiseman: a blonde teenager with blue eyes and curls tied back, in a Retrospec technician's white labcoat. Far from her usual bubbly appearance, she looks upset and stressed out, her eyes red-rimmed. ]

Hi... [ She scrubs at her eyes for a second, then tries to smile. ] Um. So! The thing is - the thing is, I can't tell you exactly, but one of you - someone got something back, and it's...

[ Joanne pauses. There are voices in the background, and she glances off-screen to her right, lips thinning before she turns back. ]

We can't take it back, you know, we reroute items - Maurice does, I mean - but it's not like we're giving things on purpose. I mean, those we are. He takes them back now if you don't want them but it's not like you can take back things you can do, and - and. Someone did something, but I can't say who, or how, 'cause of restrictions. But I can tell you something happened, and - with all those deaths recently.

[ She takes another breath, deep and slow. ]

And. Our liaison, Zee, he - he wasn't on the same level, you know? Mid-level management. Like - so he didn't have the... [ another pause as she scrubs at her eyes again. ] So - the news, the normal news, it probably said already but you might not have known if it was real but he's. He's dead, and it's the permanent kind, and we can't fix it. I'm so sorry, he already - he'd already, we'd already done it before, and he ran out of - he ran out. My Aunt doesn't want to send anyone else in until - the, the issue. With one of you. Until something's done, but even then...

[ A helpless little shrug. ]

I never got to clear up the mess last month, the message. I'm sorry, we've been a little - it's been hectic. I'm not sure this won't get messed up before I send, but I think I can route it around - well, anyway. Jim said it would work, he helped me with it, and...that's. That's it for now? We're trying to - this is bad, but we're trying to avoid something else right now, so. I can't - we can't - focus on this. I'm sorry. I'll try to contact you next month as soon as I can - we're trying to avoid a repeat of August. I mean, last August. God. Stay safe, and -

[ And with that, the message ends in static. ]

As of this post, Zee is no longer in play until further notice due to player plot and game plot reasons! He may make a reappearance in the later months and player action can change this outcome if characters come up with a solution. Anyone who goes to look for information about this death will find out that Zee has been killed and his body was found staged in front of the Wiffle-Waffle waffle house. What a bad break.

We are now entering the final phase of the summer event; please be on the look-out for September's plotting post with details for the next month!

Please feel free to use this post as a network mingle. Every toplevel can be considered a new post, and threadjacking is permitted. No NPC response will be given. Characters IDs will be comprised of the following: The date your character first appeared on Retrospec (so in Zee's case, that was 02/01/18) and the last four digits of your character's IC inbox as found in the HTML (in Zee's case, 8329.), not aliases or chosen nicknames or usernames, and seemed to have filled themselves in; nothing characters do can change or obscure their names currently.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

so
what
we can't do anything then?
this murderer is just supposed to run free?

Alpha#02010681 The murder is still being investigated. Even people not on the network know someone was killed, they can see the facts of the case.
Alpha#02010681 It is, unfortunately, just like any other time people have been killed.
Alpha#02010681 I know it feels extra powerless, because even if her words aren't evidence, Joanne let it slip that it was someone on the network.
Alpha#02010681 That doesn't mean we have the right to go after them.

and why not

Alpha#02010681 Because we don't, we don't get to go against the system of law in this city. Especially when it can still tell that something has happened!

so you'd rather wait and put more people at risk of getting killed by this guy

Alpha#02010681 I'm saying there is a good chance that we'd get it wrong if we try to do this ourselves.
Alpha#02010681 Let's say you get it right, though. You figure out exactly who it is.

Alpha#02010681 What do you do then?
Alpha#02010681 Be specific.

hand them and all the evidence over to the cops so they can put them in jail without having to waste time investigating

and then if that doesn't work just throw them in some basement somewhere and throw away the key

Alpha#02010681 Can you make sure to collect all that evidence without tampering with it? Can you be really dispassionate about putting that evidence together for someone else to understand?
Alpha#02010681 An 'investigation' would still happen, even if you drop that on RPD's doorstep, the processes of law enforcement would still happen.

fine
then lock them up in a basement until the police can finish doing whatever
or like i said, just toss them in the basement forever from the start

Alpha#02010681 If the result is the same, then why do you need to get involved at all, instead of letting it be handled by people trained to do so?

because we can find them faster
we already know it's someone on the app, that narrows it down a lot
and the faster we find them the less chance they have to kill anyone else

Alpha#02010681 If we guess wrong, not only did we punish an innocent person, but the real culprit is going to go to ground.
Alpha#02010681 Is it worth it to possibly get it wrong?

the police might do the same thing
what difference does it make
other than them being slower about it

Alpha#02010681 Because it's their jobs. It's not yours.

so they're allowed to imprison innocent people and let murderers run around free because they're getting paid to?
bullshit

Alpha#02010681 They're allowed to enforce our law system they're trained to. Because people without the training and dedication can't make the right calls. And no the system isn't perfect, but our society depends on putting our faith in the people who uphold that system.
Alpha#02010681 You can't guarantee that you'd get the answer any righter than them, so why not let them do their jbos?

fine
so let's assume we're all just okay with the police handling it
and they don't manage to get this guy, and they keep killing
then what, huh?

Alpha#02010681 If they don't get him on your timetable, that is. Since you're so concerned about speed.
Alpha#02010681 Maybe I should be asking you that question, what do you do then?

i asked first, you answer first

Alpha#02010681 I keep doing my job and keep looking for whoever it is. But do I also have to worry about keeping people on here from forming a mob? THAT'S my real question.

god of course you're a cop
who else would be this gung ho about leaving it to the police

i don't know
maybe you do
maybe you should