paint the man, cut the lines

[realitymods]

[Meredith appears on a platform with a screen beside her. It is a hologram. Wherever your character is, if they are on the Plane, they are seeing this.]

Some of you expressed concern about what would be done to the individual chosen in the vote, and I can tell you now. We gave him his wish. We made him immortal. You didn't pick the responsible person, but it isn't a problem. The conditions were met.

[The screen flickers on, and it's the Master. He is bound to a table and his body is painted in an odd pattern. A hooded individual lowers the knife towards the line that starts at the Master's navel. And no one can keep from screaming forever.

The transmission cuts after that first burst of noise.]

It's just more of the same, so you don't really need to see more. But I can show you any time you want to check in on him.

[For all this, the even expression under the hood has not changed.]

You might want to know what the conditions were. Some of you already know that beings who want sacrifices can be selective. It's why we needed your help to select a subject. The subject had to be voted for by more than fifty percent of the voters. If no one had won that many votes, no one could be selected. Every person that didn't vote made it a little bit more likely that someone would meet the requirements.

To people who voted, we're sorry that the others didn't counter what you did. You tried, though. Perhaps knowing that will help.

I should also mention that one voter alone guessed correctly. If those of you who voted come together, you might be able to work at who really did it.

[She pauses, listening to something outside of the projection's range. Then...]

Be careful in the library.

[And then the hologram goes out.]

[ooc; You are free to use this as an IC discussion post if you wish.]

Comments

[oliverplus]

[stares, shocked and appalled by the sight] You...you can't! How... [shakes his head, disbelieving. he knows Meredith probably can't hear him, but he can't stop himself] What could it possibly be for!? How could you...how could anyone do that? That's...that's horrible...

[shewalks-away.livejournal.com]

[Rose is watching, looking and feeling very guilty. She approaches Oliver, looking away from the screen and putting a hand on his arm]

Hey, I don't think they can hear you. That's not gonna do you any good right now or anything.

[oliverplus]

[whirls on Rose, too frustrated and upset to even connect for a moment who exactly is there] But they're torturing him! How could...how...

...Rose?

[shewalks-away.livejournal.com]

I don't know. How could they go and do half the things they're doing?

[she bites her lip, looking down]

I voted for him. I thought he had to be the one. It looks like I was wrong, yeah? [she looks back up at him] Did you vote?

[oliverplus]

You... [but he's speechless, too frustrated and angry and overwhelmed to have any idea what to say to that]

I...yeah. But not for him.

[visionsinprada.livejournal.com]

[Cordelia has been trapped on the plane all the while, and isn't sure if what shes seeing is this place's version of a vision. Her eyes go wide and shes shaking.]

Oh, great. Just what I wanted to see when I don't have anyone to tell what I'm seeing TO!

[She stamps her feet in frustration.]

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

[Hey, he lives with a snarky brunette who gets visions although he doesn't know anything about the vision part. Arthur is more confused by Cordelia though.]

While there are many things to be upset about right there, I'm not entirely sure being unable to tell anyone is one of them. Particularly when everyone here can see exactly what's happening.

[visionsinprada.livejournal.com]

Actually, it really is a big prob- ...Wait. Everyone else can see this too?

[Cordelia seems genuinely surprised and this cuts off her snippy response that Arthur doesn't know what he's talking about and it -is- super important.]

[destinedking.livejournal.com]

Of course everyone can see it. [he looks at Cordelia like she's crazy] It was being displayed in a very noticeable way. It would be difficult not to notice it.

[visionsinprada.livejournal.com]

Hey buddy, don't get an attitude with me. Where I come from there are plenty of things that not everyone notices. Not to mention how am I supposed to know if this is something specifically for me versus the rest of you people?

[Indignant Cordelia is indignant]

And also, it is important someone who matters be told, because it's clear that guy needs some rescuing.

[bit_impossible]

[of everything in the projection, seeing the Master like that rattles him the most. he stops where he is in the middle of the Plane to watch the rest of it, his anger brewing beneath the surface. by the time it's finished, he's positively furious]

What?! Oh, come on! Voting for the Master is the most obvious thing in the universe! It's like blaming the coyote if a little TNT goes missing and there's an explosion in the desert!

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

[she's pretty horrified by what she sees and quickly looks away and goes over to the Doctor.]

It's a bloody good excuse, and it's worked a few times.

[or she might just be feeling guilty at the moment]

So I bet you have the answer to it all then.

[bit_impossible]

Well, I can tell you my answer didn't involve that in any way. [points at where he had just seen the projection]

[brandyhabit.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly certain no one's answer involved that, even if they did vote for the Master.

[empirical_data]

[He has no idea who that was, but he does know that he doesn't like what he sees. He stares blankly, trying to work out what's going on.

He recalls being told that the machine runs on blood.] What is happening?

[forever-noble.livejournal.com]

[Donna stares at this, well, stranger in a mix of horror and disbelief] Are you for real? That is--was--I don't know! The person being tortured was the Master.

[empirical_data]

I don't know who the Master is. [Data admits, though he's also hesitant too. The Master sounds like he was in charge of something, perhaps some sort of leader. Whatever it was, it looked very unpleasant, and he clutched discretely at his forearm to guard from a phantom memory.]

[forever-noble.livejournal.com]

Figure yourself lucky then, sunshine. The Master wasn't the nicest person around here, but not even he deserved...that... [she shudders, wishing she could forget the sound of that scream]

[she tries to lighten her tone, but it's a bit forced] Sorry, you must be new around here. Not exactly the welcoming committee with that projection thing, is it? [she glances away slightly] It wasn't always bad around here.

[bonnypiperlad]

[Jamie stares, quite horrified by the sight unfolding before him and desperately wishing for someone - anyone - to latch on to for reassurance. Lacking that at the moment, he tries to hold on to himself instead.]

B-but...why? Why would ye do that if he's not the one?

[collector]

[Braxiatel's tone is very mild. He looks completely unshaken by what they have just seen.]

If he had been the responsible individual, would that have justified what was done?

[bonnypiperlad]

[Well, Jamie is plenty shaken, and makes an attempt to clutch at Braxiatel's sleeve, now that he's realized someone else it there. It's an automatic gesture that he doesn't quite realize he's done - he's still staring at the screen. He startles at the questions turns to look at the Time Lord.]

What? N-no, of course not! How can ye justify that at all?

[collector]

[Braxiatel ignores the physical gesture with cool politeness]

Isn't that the point, Mr McCrimmon? That we can justify anything if we put enough work into it, and that anyone can be bought at the rice price. Even were the Master an innocent, if his suffering were necessary to build a trillion Utopias for all the people in the universe, how many would dare destroy so much good for that one man?

[He shakes his head to brush the spell away.]

But perhaps that isn't the case here. We may be able to appeal for his release.

[semantating.livejournal.com]

[ ... Well, that is quite a way to ruin a new arrival's settling in, as it were. For a brief moment, there is disdain in his expression... but only briefly. It is fleeting, and goes unnoticed by anyone nearby, before once more... Break is smiling again. Though his smile... has a sharpness to it. An intensity, you might say. Admittedly, he has no idea what he's just seen nor the meaning behind it, however... ]

... My, my. "Be careful what you wish for, or you just may get it"... hm?

[shatteredqueen.livejournal.com]

Harrry...? Stop! You have to stop!

[boxtheotaku.livejournal.com]

[Box stares bewildered. Some people got hurt because of them?]

I- I didn't... [...vote for him. But it's still something terrible to happen. And that this many people voted for someone who was 'innocent' in all this.] We picked the wrong person...?