031 → Voice

[homomachinis]

In 1914, in the middle of World War I, there was something called the Christmas Armistice. Around Christmas and New Years, there was an unspoken end to fighting just for the Holidays, although it was part of a trend that soldiers were just slowly becoming acclimated to not fighting [ A tap, tap, tap of his pen. ] You know, I was starting to,

Comments

Encrypted;

[enigmaestro]

Goodness. "Our own Edward Nygma", that's so -- well -- sentimental. I anticipate a vicious backlash from my adoring public.

So what is it, that we need to talk about? On my one day off, mind.

Encrypted;

[homomachinis]

Something extremely important. There's legislation coming up, and I've been asked to weigh in on it. [ a momentary pause, a slight huff. Party Politics. ] I want a united front on this, but it's one of those issues.

Encrypted;

[enigmaestro]

Those issues. [He sets his jaw.] We've discussed this before, I'm not keen on tax breaks for certain Goliath corporations -- import of otherwise. [Smugly.] Especially if the aforementioned includes Oscorp.

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[homomachinis]

[ A snort ] Did I ever tell you what I did before I left New York City? I raised taxes.

[ He pauses, a long pause. ]

But, to get to do things like that, I have to be draconian on other issues. Defense and Security in particular.

Encrypted;

[enigmaestro]

And that's why I voted for you, Mitchell, you've got the right idea about policy. [He says, smugly. Take that, Oscorp!

But the suspense of Mitch's pause erodes Eddie's faith.]

Defense and Security. [A beat.] Understandable, I suppose. But your scope is limited to the City -- so I presume you mean defense from outside influence? Vulcanus, perhaps? No one likes Vulcanus.

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[homomachinis]

Fuck Vulcanus, I'm not talking about them anyway. [ There's a shift, because he knows this isn't going to go well. He knows it. ]

When I came back, I'd realized how important it was to network with the people in DC if we want to get anything further done. I got into contact with DC, let them know what I'd reached.

It's been hairy, they think I'm fucking insane, but they've started listening, and they want to know that I can do things for them, if they'll do stuff for me.

Encrypted;

[enigmaestro]

What thing? [He knows, it's in the timbre of his voice. He knows it involves imports.] What things, Mitch? What about us, our population are you promising? We have been a boon to the native world.

[And a curse.]

And the only context of defense or security implies control. It implies certain elements that are desired as controlled.

Encrypted;

[homomachinis]

We also have a lot of deaths on our hands, Edward. A lot of deaths.

[ He pauses, he doesn't like this, that's the worst part. Edward could probably be able to tell that it isn't something he necessarily wants, but he'll do it anyway. Hah, politics. ]

Every time this happens, someone goes to jail, or the asylum, and they get out and come back. They do it again and again. More people die. Natural citizens die.

Encrypted;

[enigmaestro]

So what are you proposing? [His pitch heightens, adopting a mocking tone, a sarcastic glare translated through vocal chords.] How do you conceive controlling these people, these otherworldly criminals who won't die? Do you propose that we create some sort of suspended animation, in lieu of an impossible death penalty? That we reduce people to nothing as punishment? Is this the security you're talking about?

Is that what you're saying, Mitchell?

Encrypted;

[homomachinis]

No. They want something a bit more Babylonian, eye for an eye. They [ He emphasizes it out of necessity, it's not him, of course, but he'll stand by it ] They want a death penalty enforced. It doesn't matter that they'll come back, because it would be more punishment than they've had in ages!

They're giving up on incarceration, Edward. It isn't working. They want punishment. Vengeance.

Encrypted;

[enigmaestro]

A death penalty. Are they serious? I was being facetious, but what your proposing is worse. Far worse. Don't you see? A death penalty, on the relatively unkillable -- on the unstable populace of the unkillable? That guarantees public backlash -- you kill someone like the Joker and he comes back with more ruthless ambition. More innocents will die, more vicious cycles.

Mitchell, you see the implication here? Because damned if they don't -- this isn't a death penalty bid, it's a continual sequence of state-approved murder. The sentenced, if they were to return, would have to be killed on sight, again. And again. And again. Powerless and literally naked -- Mitchell. Mitchell, the implications.

It isn't hard to track our reborn bodies down, this isn't impossible to hold infinitely. Or until they break the condemned.

Encrypted;

[homomachinis]

Of course I fucking see! That's why we're going to get ahead of this, and make sure we don't see anyone pulled into a nightmare scenario. A cycle of death, or someone pulled into some Clockwork Orange type of shit! There needs to be something! We just had City Hall hit, remember?

We don't have any other solutions! We've got a rotating door for a prison, killers running loose, and nothing seems to be working! We invented a goddamn superjail, and people keep escaping! We're running out of options, Edward. We're running out of ways to keep a handle on everything. How many more times are we going to see fucking giant babies attack Times Square? How many times are we going to get buildings leveled before the military just decides to level the City?

We have to cooperate, or offer a better solution to this.

Encrypted;

[enigmaestro]

No other solutions? No other solutions! This is not a solution, Hundred! This is the beginning of a nightmare, this is surrendering our liberty as human beings! For what? Political grease and the lives of a few people who just didn't move fast enough?

It's not going to stop here, it won't. [A beat.] I cannot support this.

Encrypted;

[homomachinis]

The lives of a few people who didn't move fast enough!? People who get fucking kidnapped? Mothers getting killed by some fucking psychopath with a bone to pick? [ There's no crack in his voice, but his voice goes eerily level, betraying no emotion on that part. ]

We need something, Edward. We need a concession if we're going to get any support. We need to find a way to make this work, and no matter how many goodwill missions we send one meta on or another, we've still got a heavy population of people who start wars!

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[enigmaestro]

Bigger picture, Mitchell! Bigger picture. If we concede for support, we are giving them the tools to screw us over. It's easy to excommunicate someone like the Major from our society, it's impossible to regain our rights as citizens once we diminish them into bargaining chips.

[He exhales, clearly tense. Clearly so unsympathetic to Mitchell's tiny crack of feelings.]

They fear us, Mitchell. They fear us and that's not a bad thing.

Encrypted;

[homomachinis]

Excommunicate to send out on the rest of he people out there? Because we're barely equipped to handle him, so maybe they should take that?

There's a difference between unease and fear. I don't mind them knowing what we can do. It helps that they know, but fear, outright fear breeds resentment. It's one of the reasons I'm sure Vulcanus was able to do what they did. It's the reason we have terrorists and people asking us to support the goddamned death penalty.

It's-- [ He stops, and sighs, and starts again. ] It's an archaic system of vengeance that doesn't encourage reformation or lower crime. I don't want this to happen, but we need something, Edward. Anything! Something to tell the people who wonder if they're going to get kidnapped while grocery shopping that they aren't going to end up the puppet of someone's latest cry for attention!