(AN: Turns out, writing while waiting for online lobbies is actually a really helpful way to write! Who knew? Anyway, with us in the new trial, what can come out of this?
Hope? Despair?
One things for sure, we're getting closer to the end! I'm thinking maybe by March, we should be done, but here's hoping we can get done earlier! Enjoy the chapter!)
What was planned to be a day of hope leads to a day of despair as Vector vanishes, and a mysterious body appears. The threads of despair spin and twine into the cloth of terror, and the trial to determine the mystery of the unknown student, Infinite the Jackal, begins…
CLASS TRIAL
ALL RISE!
Egg Robo did his usual as he cleared his throat and shifted into his chair, getting comfortable.
"Ahem, let's begin with a basic introduction of the class trial, so your votes will determine the results! The purpose of the class trial is to figure out "Who did it?". If you can find it out, only the blackened who committed murder will receive their punishment. But... if you pick the wrong one... then I'll punish everyone else besides the blackened, and the one who deceived everyone else will graduate!"
The robot yawned. "Y'know what? You kiddies sure know by know how this whole thing goes. I mean, six trials! You gotta admit, that's a good record! This time, I promise I won't interrupt! I'll leave this up to you guys! At least, you guys ARE smart enough to figure this out, right?"
"At least you know your place," Wave said. "Regardless, I think we need to first talk about the victim. As we know, the EggPAD doesn't specify who the victim is, so we need to make that clear."
"It's Vector! There's no other explanation!" Silver said.
"But…" Amy said, a strange look on her face. "Vector's standing right there."
"No! It's a ghost!
"Are you an idiot?! What about Vector makes you think he looks like a ghost?!"
"Yeah, he has like, legs. Don't ghosts have that like, swishy bit below their torso? You know the one I mean, right?" Tikal asked.
"It's because he's the true evolution of ghosts, that's why! You know that image that shows the evolutions of mobians? Vector is like that except it's the… ghost version!"
Wave sighed. "My brain can only take so much stupidity before it turns into mush, and frankly this is already being tested before this trial even begins…"
"So, what…" I said, confused. "Should I just prove that the corpse isn't Vector?"
The crocodile in the meantime simply stayed silent. While his face displayed no emotion, I couldn't help but wonder if he was amused or annoyed by this. Wave however, wasn't having ANY of that.
"Oh no, oh no no no NO!" she sternly said. "We are NOT wasting an argument on this! I know this silver hedgehog isn't so STUPID to think that Vector, who is CLEARLY standing in front of us, is a ghost. It's just… the fact that we even must pay attention to this tells me that for the rest of this trial, dorkfest here is nothing more than dead weight!"
"Hey, I'm not dead weight! I come up with good theories!" shot back Silver.
"Really now? You come up with good theories? Oh please. Jet could come up with better excuses than you ever could."
"But shouldn't we try to make him feel a little appeased?" Tikal asked. "I mean, I doubt he'll let it go. He seems absolutely convinced."
The swallow groaned. "Ugh fine, we'll play your little game if this will move the trial along. Even if it's the most mind-boggling thing ever… Alright, Charmy… tell us, how is this… GHOST, standing in front of us if the body that was blown up as Vector."
Well that one WAS simple. I imagine once we got to something that WASN'T idiotic, from here the trial wasn't gonna be this easy. But for now, there was only one answer to that question.
"The difference between Vector and the body in the garden is the gloves he wears," I replied. "There were no gloves anywhere on the body when it exploded, so if that's the case, Vector's hands should be exposed. But clearly, they're not."
"Satisfied, dorkfest? Now can you PLEASE shut up and let the actual intelligent people return the trial?" Wave asked.
"No!"
"What do you mean no?!"
"Because there's a chance that there could have been gloves prior to the explosion and they got burnt up!"
"I'll give you props for TRYING to act smart but trying is a huge difference from being smart."
"If you want an ACTUAL reason why…" I said. "It goes back to why Vector has on gloves. Egg Robo mentioned that Vector has on gloves to hide his hands due to it being, in his words, 'horrific'."
"Jeez, I wouldn't describe it like that…" the crocodile mumbled. "But yes, the gloves I wear are specially made fer me. Any other gloves would make it far too uncomfortable fer me to wear, so the ones I'm wearin' now are the only ones I can wear. Now, do yeh want me to write what I just said down and stick it up yer ass with super glue?"
"No need to be so cruel, I think I get it now!" Silver replied.
"Well I'm glad you do because this is something that should have been obvious from the VERY BEGINNING, BECAUSE HE IS STANDING RIGHT. THERE." Wave said, red in the face. "Tell me, Amy… what do you see in him?"
"Don't look at me!" the pink hedgehog retorted. "I don't know why Rosie loves him either! She just thinks of him as another Sonic when he's clearly a dollar store Sonic!"
"It's like you guys love ganging up on me today…" Silver bemoaned.
"I think we had our fun making fun of him," Tikal said. "Please, let's continue."
"Please, let's do, I'm ready to ACTUALLY move onto topics that have relevancy to this trial," Wave replied.
"Okay so, who's the victim?" Silver asked. "We should make that clear!"
"T-That… that's literally what I was going to open this trial up with before you started moving us off task with all of this ghost nonsense. Look, during this trial, do one thing for me, Silver: Actually grow a brain. Then maybe we'll let you consider interjecting. Now please, let us actually talk about identifying the body."
She was right, we had to start with that.
…and not with some ghost nonsense.
MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!
"So, Vector isn't dead…" Silver said. "And neither is he the blackened. Then... who did die?"
"There has to be some way to figure it out..." Tikal asked, arms crossed.
"Well, didn't the EggPad mention something about the face being burned being recognition?" Amy added. "And I remember something too! It mentioned that the victim couldn't be identified!"
"So, if we can't identify the body..."
"Then there's nothing we can do!" Silver bemoaned.
NOTHING we can do?...
"I'm not sure of that!" I yelled.
"Whoa, catchphrase change!"
"I say that because there is only ONE thing, we can use to identify the body. While it's true that the body got burnt, one part of the body was perfectly fine: the right hand. Specifically, on the right hand, there was a tattoo on there that read, "Jackal Squad"."
"Jackal Squad?" Tikal asked.
"Dun forget that at the top of the tattoo, the word 'commandant' was above the symbol," Vector said. My eyes lowered.
"Wait, you mean to tell me that was there and I never noticed it?..."
"Ya should really pay more attention sometimes…"
"What's the point of a tattoo anyway? What, was it some kinda hazing thing or something? I hear about that sometimes!" Amy said.
"Whoever the guy is would just do whatever just to get accepted into some kinda group?" Silver added.
"No," Wave growled. "First, what did I say about growing a brain? Amy, you're not helping. Second, the identity of the victim is hidden within that tattoo."
And of course, there's only one thing and person that can be connected…
"This tattoo exists because the body belonged to Infinite the Jackal, leader of the Jackal Squad, and you could say, their main commandant."
"So, what does that have to do with Infinite?"
"Likely, each member of the Jackal Squad gets physical proof on their body that they're a member of the group. Many gangs do the same thing too," Wave replied.
"And with that, it proves that the body belongs to Infinite!" I added.
"Wait a minute!" Tikal said. "Weren't we originally saying that Infinite was the one behind this?! I know we said he couldn't be because Egg Robo is still around, but now we have actual proof that he is dead!"
"Ho ho ho! You're all acting like someone trying to play Sonic the Fighters for the first time! Absolutely confused!" Egg Robo said. "You all guessed right! Our trial this time is to solve the murder of Infinite the Jackal!"
"Wait, so… you're saying the mastermind is dead… and yet, we have to have a trial… Man, I'm so confused! Can't we go back to investigate more?!" Amy whined.
"No, he's not implying that," Wave replied. "He's saying we were wrong in thinking Infinite was the mastermind."
"I mean… think about it: Ultimate Despair DOES sound like something dangerous; don't you think?" Tikal asked.
"…I don't think you're right, pacifist girl. Frankly, I don't think ANY of us were right. All this time, we saw Infinite not by his proper status, Ultimate Mercenary, but instead what we were told from Charmy: Ultimate Despair. In fact, he and I even got to look at Infinite's profile, and there was NOTHING about an Ultimate Despair status. Besides, despair is a state of being. You can't be an ultimate from a state of being. Charmy, who again did you say told you that Infinite was the Ultimate Despair?"
"V-Vector?" I replied.
"Of COURSE, Vector! Why WOULDN'T it be Vector?!"
Vector remained silent.
"So, Vector was wrong for the first time?" Silver asked. Tikal bounced in place.
"Then who in the world IS Infinite the Jackal exactly?! All we know is that he's the Ultimate Mercenary, he's the head of the Jackal Squad, and… that's it! He never appeared once and now that he has, he's suddenly dead!" Tikal exclaimed.
"In my drama shows, whenever a main character dies, it's very much shown in as much detail as possible!" Amy added. "And yet this isn't the case! What's going on?"
"If I had to guess, you don't see Infinite as someone who isn't important, right pinky?" Wave asked.
"P-Pinky? What's with the sudden name?"
"Because by then, I think you'd all have to realize that Infinite was a participant to this game just like the rest of us."
"Then who's the real mastermind?" Silver asked. "Infinite ain't it, and none of us are controlling Egg Robo now so… who is it?"
"I think it's the headmaster!" Amy pouted. "Why else would he-"
"The headmaster ain't got nothin' to do with it!" Vector suddenly interrupted.
"Oh? But how are we certain?" Wave replied. "Your information on Infinite was wrong, so how can we expect to believe that the mastermind has no connection to this killing game?"
"My information AIN'T wrong-"
"Okay okay, we get the point! Jeez, I'll give you time with the controller, just don't tell mom fer cryin' out loud!" Egg Robo said. "All you guys need to figure out who killed Infinite. Capiche?"
We were all silent.
"CAPICHE?!"
"Capiche…" we all reluctantly said.
"Look, we can come back to uncovering the identity of the culprit. But know this Vector:" Wave suddenly stared directly into the crocodile's eyes. "No matter, I will find out the truth. I will bet my lineage as a Babylonian on it if I must, anything to go against whatever plans you have."
"…and now, all comments from here on are banned, and you get one million years in fanfiction jail if you make an unnecessary comment!" Egg Robo said. "Now, allow me continue… The reason we're having a class trial right now is because a killing between the students has taken place. Now that you have that crammed into your little brains, go on and say it. Do it!"
"We're having a class trial because-" Amy, Tikal, Silver, and I said before Wave stopped us.
"You REALLY do not need to repeat him, stop it," she said. "Tell me, robot: you're saying that the victim AND the culprit is a student, correct?"
"So, it is true that one of us killed Infinite…" Tikal said with sadness clear in her voice.
"No! Maybe there's a mystery 19th student! It's probably Ashura the Hedgehog!" Silver said.
"Wrong piece of media, Silver! There's only 18 students who participated in this killing game!" Egg Robo replied.
"So, one of us DID kill Infinite?!"
"Who… who is it?" Amy asked. "Please, let's just get this over with. There's no reason trying to hide, Charmy will find you out regardless!"
"Unless Charmy is the one involved," Wave smiled.
"Huh?"
"Based on all evidence so far, who do you think is the biggest suspects in this case?"
I looked at the swallow with a dead stare, already knowing what she was talking about.
"…Vector and I, right?" I asked.
"What's yer reason?" Vector added.
"Oh, I have every valid reason to say so," Wave continued. "Just last night, I went to the garden. Now, for reference, I should mention that there was no body in the garden when I checked."
"H-Hey! How are we certain you didn't do it and that you're covering for yourself?" I asked.
"If I did do it, I think everything from my actions, to the way I speak, to various other tics would point to me being the murder. But I clearly don't, so let's continue. The murder took place after I left the garden if all these things are taken into consideration. Putting this into perspective, whenever the murder happened after I left, Egg Robo was found in the gym, and myself, Amy, Tikal, and Silver were there all night."
"Egg Robo was found there?"
"Ah, you don't know. That's right, we found a destroyed Egg Robo bot in the gym, and I spent all night dismantling it. I should also bring up that we were very careful about going alone, so whenever we had to leave the gym, we had to use the buddy system, even when going to the bathroom. By this accord, all of us have alibis except-"
"Charmy and I… That's where yer list of suspects comes from, right?"
"Right."
It seems like at this point, Vector and I were stuck in the mud. Unless we were able to clear our names, both of us were the prime suspects.
But how could I clear my name?
"Erm, I have something to say in regard to the alibi," I said.
"Are you raising an objection?" Wave said, brow raised up.
"Not so much raising an objection, but I want a better look at what time the murder took place. If we do that, we can at LEAST find a clue, no?"
"Fine, someone help him out."
"I will!" said Silver, hand in the air. "Wave and I can both confirm the body wasn't there after nighttime. If you gave me a rough estimate, I'd say… 10 pm!"
"The proper timeframe would be from 10 until we found the body, correct? So, like, 11 hours!" Amy replied.
"That's right! We found the body at 9 am after Rosie found it!" Tikal added.
"Now that it's clear that the time frame is approximately 11 hours, I should mention that I was asleep before the nighttime announcement, meaning by 10, I have an alibi," I replied. "But I met up with you all before 9!"
"How could I forget! Half an hour until 8! You helped me out in the kitchen prepare breakfast, and I can say with certainty you didn't go anywhere!"
"But from 10 till you met Tikal, you STILL don't really have an alibi, dude," Silver added.
"Look at you, playing detective. Keep this up and maybe you would have proven to me that you DID grow a brain, dorkfest," Wave replied. I ignored the swallow and continued to think about it.
10 till 7:30 am…
I had to prove an alibi! And if I didn't, well, there was no need to fret. All I had to do was prove that the murder didn't happen during the time I didn't have an alibi!
But that now brought up a new question: when EXACTLY did the body appear in the garden? And could I use this to my advantage?
MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!
"I should make it clear that there's a timeframe for the murder. 10 PM to 9 AM." Wave began.
"And Charmy doesn't have an alibi for that time period!" Silver continued. Tikal put her finger on her lip.
"From 10 to 7:30 at least..." said the orange echidna.
"That's plenty of time to commit murder. If you have any objections Charmy, go right ahead," Wave continued.
Wait a minute… I just remembered something.
I got out my PAD and looked through my clues. Flipping through each one, I stumbled across the clue about the sprinklers. According to Egg Robo, it said that they turn on each morning at-
I gasped. "This is it!"
"What is?" Wave asked, arms folded.
"The proof I need to show you all that I didn't commit the murder! You see, the murder couldn't have taken place as early as 10 PM. You see, there's something that happens each morning in the garden. Something that rhymes with… winklers!"
"Winklers?"
"Y-You mean the sprinklers, right?" Silver asked.
I nodded. "According to what Egg Robo told me, the sprinklers turn on at 7:30 am each day to water all the plants in the garden. If we take this into consideration, then that would mean the body would be completely wet if it was in the garden any earlier than 7:30!"
"W-Wait! Hold on, hold on!" Amy said. "I remember that the body was dripping wet! Wouldn't that mean that-"
"Nope."
"No?!"
"It was wet because of the water Wave and I used to put out the fire after the bomb exploded the upper half of Infinite's body. That still means that the body wasn't wet before 7:30 am, thanks to the murder happening after that time!"
"Oh… right, forgot about that! Sorry Charmy…"
"Which means that only the murder could have happened after they went off, and when they did, Charmy was with me preparing breakfast!" Tikal said.
"Hey, look at you man! Guess you did have an alibi!" Silver smiled.
But…
That still made me nervous. Sure, I cleared my name, but I wasn't in the clear.
Because what Wave said next only made my fears more real.
"Then if Charmy DOES have an alibi, the only one who doesn't is you, Vector," she said.
The crocodile continued to stay silent. Was he really Infinite's killer? Was the idea of him being Ultimate Despair so awful to Vector that he had to kill him? Before I could voice my concern, he spoke up.
"I wanna make one thing clear," he said. "I understand why ya all suspect me of bein' the murderer. I can swear on everythin' and anythin'. But I'm gonna warn ya now."
The crocodile suddenly took off his hat for the first time, all of us staring into his sharp eyes.
"If ya vote fer me as the murderer, the mystery of this zone and everythin' that's happened dies with me too. It's yer call if ya wanna do that. But I ain't gonna let any one of yeh vote for me!"
What… is he saying? The mystery of this zone? Does he know something that even I don't know?
He must have found it in the second floor. If he dies… he leaves us with nothing. Sure, the door to the second-floor dorms is unlocked via the music room but…
How much does he know?
"So, you're telling us you're not the culprit, I imagine?" Wave asked.
"I ain't! I have no reason to kill ANYONE. All of this is a trap!"
"A trap? Vector, I'm scared! Tell us what this means!" Tikal said.
"Stop being vague and tell us! You got no reason to be afraid!" Amy added, but Egg Robo silenced her.
"Ho ho ho! Doesn't this bring back old memories? Whenever you blamed me for everything? Gaia, I sure DON'T miss those days! Stop wasting our time, Vector! You can cry all you want about traps, and, if you're thinking about trap in THAT context, you're frankly disgusting and should go jump off a cliff! But if you mean a trap that the mastermind is pulling, your little trick ain't gonna work!"
"Shut the hell up! We didn't ask for your opinion!" shot Wave.
"Got it, queen Wave! Shutting up now!"
"Anyway, Vector, you had a reason to kill Infinite."
Oh no… Was it what I thought?
"This whole time…" she continued. "You assumed that Infinite was the Ultimate Despair, you know, the mastermind of everything. By killing him, you think you could stop that. Isn't that right? And yet… we found out that Infinite wasn't the mastermind. And here we are, ANOTHER trial where we must find a murderer, and sure enough, thanks to your actions, I think it's safe to say that we already found it."
"That's… his motive?" Amy asked.
"Well he DOESN'T have an alibi so it probably would be a good idea to take what Vector says with a grain of salt…" Silver added.
The crocodile continued to stay silent.
"Playing the silent game isn't a response, Vector," Wave said.
"I'm just gonna letcha know right now… if ya wanna suspect me, go right ahead. But am I REALLY the only one yeh should be suspectin'? Shouldn't someone like… Charmy, be another?"
I quickly turned to face him.
"W-What…" I flatly said.
"His explanation is insufficient."
"W-What are you talking about, Vector?!"
"Sure, it's easy to say the sprinklers didn't get the body wet, but that doesn't mean the murder happened when he said it did. There's a way the body could have avoided getting wet."
"Interesting…" Wave said. I was in pure shock now. What was he doing? Why was he throwing me under the bus?! I get that I said that he's the only one without an alibi but… this doesn't make sense! Was I…
Was I backstabbed?
Jet and Wave said so earlier in this game, not to trust anyone. Was… Was this now proof that I shouldn't have trusted him?
It turns out, staying in my thoughts wasn't a good idea once I heard Wave yell my name.
"Huh?"
"Did you not hear what Vector said?!" she rebuked.
"N-Not at all."
"Of course. Vector's arguing that there was a way to cover the body with something to prevent it from getting wet. Tell me, I'm sure you know PLENTY about that, no?"
The body was covered with something? No, he wasn't implying that… was he?
"I think I got it!" I said. "It's… it's the tarp, right? The same tarp Amy found in the supply shed?"
"Ya catch on quick," Vector replied. "All ya have to do is cover the body with the tarp, and there ya have it, the body can't get wet because the tarp protects it. That's exactly what the killer did. Did ya notice how one part was clean and the other wasn't? The wet part of the tarp was the one that got wet due to the sprinklers and was protecting the corpse from getting wet, and the clean side was the side that the body was touchin' and was keeping it dry. This proves that the tarp was used to prevent it from getting' wet!"
"And yet, all this effort, and for what?" Wave asked.
"To cloud the issue of when it took place. Obviously, if there was no tarp and it got wet prior to the murder, then we would know by then what time it took place. But by coverin' it…"
"We REALLY don't know when it took place…" Tikal said.
"Exactly! Only creatin' an excuse, just like how Charmy gave us!"
I felt sweat trickle down my back as my mouth was open. What was even going on anymore? Why was Vector doing this to me? Why did he want to blame this on me? Didn't he know I'm just as innocent as him?
No, forget about that! If the tarp was used like the way Vector said… Covering the body despite the fact there was a clear bloodstain…
"Wait, stop. Something isn't right," I said.
"Oh?" Vector said, skepticism in his voice. "And pray tell, what might THAT be?"
Geez, it's just like the last trial. He sure is going on the aggressive with this one. I guess this is what happens when you're a crocodile…
But still, I had to do whatever I could to refute that I was a killer! And that was to show that for the first time, Vector is wrong!
MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!
"By coverin' the body with the tarp, the killer prevented it from gettin' it wet," Vector began.
"So, because the tarp was dirty on one side, that means that same side was wet because the water from the sprinkler sprayed on the dirty part!" Silver replied.
"But on the underside of the tarp, it was spotless!" I refuted.
"Cause that side was protected from the water! Since it was facing down towards the body, of course it didn't get wet and dirty!"
"No, that's wrong!"
"YOU DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT THAT BEFORE SAYING I'M WRONG!"
"I don't need to think about that at all because the underside being clean isn't correct."
"Isn't correct?" Amy asked.
"Tell me, anyone here, what do you remember about the body before it was blown up? Specifically, what was ON it?!"
"On it? Uh… Oh!" Tikal gasped. "The blood!"
"That's right. There was wet blood on the body before it was blown up. If we can say that the body was covered with the tarp… why was there not a single drop on it?"
"Maybe the culprit washed it?" Silver asked.
"No, because you would have wanted to wash both sides instead of just one," Wave replied. "By washing both sides, you would have erased any evidence."
"Oh… oops."
"No, I dun think that's the case. First, think back to what the EggPAD said," Vector replied. "It mentioned how he was shot, and then stabbed in the same area where he was shot and was hit with blunt force. One of those could have been the way he died."
"I was curious about the shot part…" Tikal added. "How could he have gotten shot? The only guns in this zone are the guns in the locker room on the second floor. Could Infinite have died that way?"
"A machine gun shot is highly unlikely. Remember, you all saw what Knuckles looked like after he got shot by the machine gun back during our second trial," Wave replied. "No, I think it might be something smaller like a pistol."
"Then, do you think that's the cause of death?"
"Well, while it's not unlikely to think that's the case, think back to the multiple things that happened to the body besides being shot, such as being stabbed and blunt force trauma to the head. One of those could easily be the cause of death. You could theoretically survive one of those, even a bullet wound, although you'd have to be pretty lucky to do so."
"More importantly…" Vector said. "I'm thinkin' the cause of death might not even be stabbin'. After all, what if the blood we saw was some kinda camouflage?"
"Pardon me, you said camouflage?" Amy asked.
"It's true that the killer did use the tarp to cover the body, but what if the blood belonged to someone that WASN'T the victim? After all, the stab wound I imagine was several hours old. By then, blood wouldda dried up."
"S-Someone else's blood?! Whose blood could it be?!"
"Wait! Maybe it's like what Storm did!" Silver said. "Got some of the blood packs from the infirmary and poured it over the body, right?"
I could see Wave bite her lip from where I was.
"That's a good place to start, but it ain't it," Wave replied. "The blood was obtained from the garden. Not from the killer, but from someone else."
Someone else in the garden? There's nothing living besides plants and the-
I stopped.
Oh.
Oh GAIA.
PLEASE tell me that's not what the killer did.
"Vector… it… it's not the Chao, is it?"
I could hear Tikal loudly gasp. The crocodile nodded.
"All those scared Chao ya saw? It's because the killer took one of the Chao from the kindergarten, killed it, and spread its blood over the body," he replied. Tikal squeaked in response.
"How dare the killer do that! Don't they know how cute they were?!" Amy yelled.
"The poor little guys were so scared too!" Silver added. "I didn't know THAT was why!"
"And that explains why there's only four instead of five, right?" Wave asked.
"Who… who could be so cruel… to hurt such an innocent species?" Tikal whimpered.
"Someone who didn't wanna walk around and cause suspicion, that's who," Vector replied. "Remember, this was goin' on while Charmy and yeh were workin' on breakfast, Tikal. Had the killer gone out to get the blood from the infirmary, there was a possibility that yeh two wouldda seen them. So, they went with the best thing they got."
"Something still doesn't make sense," Wave replied. "The tarp came first to cover the body from it getting wet, then after the water was turned off, the Chao was killed and the blood was spread. However, since it was still fresh, how was it that the blood never dripped onto the ground? Only the clothing was covered in blood."
"I dun think the blood was applied at the scene, but before it happened."
"Before?"
"I wanna ask yeh: When ya discovered the body, the coat was on, right?"
"Of course."
"Since it was described that he had wounds on his body that was already old, let's assume he was stabbed and the blood had already dried up. The dried blood could have been cleaned, then with the blood gathered from the chao, was slathered over Infinite's body, and then to make it seem like he died via stabbing, the killer stuck the knife into him."
"Okay okay, please slow down, Vector!" Tikal said. "Can you repeat that sequence of events?"
"Yeah, it's getting too hard to follow!" Silver added. The crocodile sighed.
"Fine. Okay so… Infinite was killed in one of two ways: either by a gunshot wound, or blunt force trauma to the head. Regardless, both events still happened, and the murder took place before the sprinklers went off. Now, that's the important bit. The body was covered with the tarp, but after the sprinklers went off, that coat that Infinite was wearing… was put on by the killer!"
"Y-You mean to say that Infinite wasn't killed with the coat on?" I asked.
"Exactly. Now remember, a Chao was used to put the blood on the coat, so at this point, only 4 Chao are in the Chao Kindergarten. With all of this in the mix, from Infinite's cause of death, to the time the tarp was covered over the body and the stabbing was falsified, leads me to believe this was all done to disguise the time the murder had occurred."
So, from what he's saying… the order of events seems to go like this: First, Infinite is killed after Wave leaves the garden but before the sprinklers went off at 7:30 am and I woke up. The killer waited a while for the blood to dry up, and once it did, the body lay in the garden before the sprinklers turned on. After that, a Chao from the Chao Kindergarten was killed to falsify Infinite's cause of death by spilling the blood from the Chao on the lab coat Infinite had worn. To hide the gunshot, Infinite was stabbed in the same area so we likely wouldn't think about where he was shot once we read it in the EggPAD. All of this was done to make it seem like the murder happened after the sprinklers went off…
"So, with all of this, then I think it becomes possible that a murder could have happened earlier," Wave replied.
"But think about it: the tarp was over the body and the coat hadn't been placed on Infinite to fake his stabbing. Wouldn't that have meant the killer should have gone back after 7:30? I mean, you had to kill the Chao, get the coat, pour the blood over it, and stab Infinite, and surely by then, someone would have seen the killer," Tikal replied.
"Not impossible as ya think it is," Vector added.
"Huh?"
"The coat was already ready at the scene, meaning that all they needed to was to put the tarp over the body, then once that was done, put the coat on Infinite, cause I imagine the Chao was already killed. All the killer needed to do was to stay in an area that could keep them dry from the water, which I imagine wouldda been the shed."
"Maybe so but…" I was about to say before I was interrupted.
"Tikal, when ya arrived at the gym to deliver breakfast with Charmy, did ya stay together?"
"Huh?" the echidna asked. "I mean, of course we did. Well, except for one part."
"One part?"
"Halfway when we were there, Charmy got tired from the heavy lifting and asked to take a bit of a break and told me go on ahead. It probably wasn't a few minutes that I waited for him in the gym lobby so he could open the door for me."
"Ya gotta rough estimate?"
"Hm… two or three minutes maybe?"
My eyes widened. My arms were already arching before I even reached the gym, so I DID ask Tikal to take that break, but… I didn't realize she wanted to use that testimony against me!
"Hm… I think while he DIDN'T kill Infinite at that time, he musta done it before he arrived to meet Tikal and before the sprinklers went off, prepared the scene, and THEN somehow got lucky enough to take that break. It sounds coincidental, I know, but that does that prove that Charmy's innocence needed to be questioned," Vector smirked. Now my lips were drying, and I felt my hands completely clammy under my gloves.
"V-Vector! I don't know what you're doing at this point but s-stop! That's not-"
"Doncha even DARE tell me it's not possible, cause it is."
"Kh!"
"Unfortunately, the croc offers solid evidence, which means that yes, Charmy. We have all likely reason to see your testimony as inadequate," Wave replied.
…
I don't understand though. I tried so hard to prove to the others that I wasn't responsible, and yet… Vector was making it happen. Why… why was he doing this? Was this… his own way of backstabbing me? Had I suddenly become no longer useful to him to a point where he decided to get rid of me? Maybe he was still upset about what happened during our last trial that he wanted me to get a taste of my own medicine?
I just… I don't understand.
"So, we're back to square one," Wave replied. "With Charmy's alibi being useless, our suspects are still him, and let's not forget you yourself, Vector."
"Which one of them did it?" Silver asked. "I'm tired of playing untitled goose chase! How about we leave luck to heaven? Flip a coin!"
"No, we're not gonna do that, cause I just remembered something!" Amy said.
"Huh?"
"Do you remember the knife at the scene? I don't wanna call myself a skeptic but… isn't that the same knife I gave Charmy earlier this week?"
"Hey, it is!" Silver said.
I stayed silent, not reacting to the shock on my friends' faces.
"You don't seem shocked. Could it be that you perhaps noticed it earlier?" Wave asked.
"I… I did," I replied.
"So, you're admitting to us that you lied about it?"
"I'm… I'm-I'm not lying about it!" I stuttered. "It's just that…"
I stopped myself before I could continue. COULD I even tell them about what happened last night? Would they even believe me? With how my case was looking right now, they had every right to suspect me if I told them about what happened. I could see it right now: Wave and Vector would accuse me of lying, Tikal would at least believe me, Amy would probably at most question it, and Silver would ask about why I didn't get up and fight even though I was sick.
But… now that made me worried. Is it possible that I did kill Infinite, but my illness made me forget about it?
"That's suspicious! How is it coincidental that the knife happened to be the one Charmy had? Look! He's not replying to us truthfully! He's trying to get out of it by 'stuttering'! "Silver said, pointing at me. "I'm convinced! He did it! He killed Infinite, he's guilty, he did it!"
No… No, I didn't! I need to make this clear with everything I have so far that I'm not a murderer! That I didn't use that knife at all… that I wasn't the killer!
MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!
"So, let's get this out of the way right now:" Tikal said. "The knife we found in Infinite's body..."
"It's the same knife I gave to Charmy!" Amy added. The orange echidna sighed.
"It is, isn't it? I was afraid of that..."
"So, if he did have the knife, that makes Charmy the culprit!" Silver said.
"Oh, what, I had the knife and NOW I'm the culprit?!" I shot back.
"Well, the stab wound was the fatal blow, right? You used the knife you conveniently had and killed him!"
"Charmy, how could you?!" Amy said, gritting her teeth.
"How could I? I should be saying that to you, Silver, as clearly you haven't been paying enough attention this trial," I smirked. "Tell me, Silver, what have I said in this trial earlier?"
"Uhh…"
"It's true that Infinite was stabbed with the knife, but that wasn't what killed him! Remember? Either that gunshot or the head wound is what killed him!"
"You're just trying to divert from the question!"
"And you're not smart enough to realize that the killer put the coat over Infinite after he had already died! Now, while it's true that we're not sure which came first, the hit to the head or the gunshot was either one of the two methods that killed him prior to being stabbed!"
"And? So what? Maybe you would have stabbed him twice!"
Twice? Nope, that couldn't be it.
"The EggPAD states that there was only one stab. But notice how it says something interesting: stabbed in the same location where he was shot. This would mean that he was shot first, THEN stabbed. That proves that the stab didn't kill him!"
"W-Well… okay, maybe you're right."
"Get it, everyone? The knife was nothing more than camouflage set up by the true killer! I'm sure it was done to draw attention away from what killed him. I imagine when it exploded, we would have discovered the true cause of death: either being hit or the gunshot."
"What an interesting turn of events. The culprit wanted us to focus on the knife so we wouldn't think about anything else. Of course, it was all written down on the EggPAD…" Wave replied. "…but, with the knife there, we would have been compelled to say that was the cause of death. After all, being shot and having blunt force trauma to your head, and yet no blood of any kind sans a stab wound that was bloody? No wonder we all felt compelled to say the knife was what killed him."
"Before we continue, I have a question," Tikal asked. "What happened with the explosion? Why did it explode?"
"If you actually learn to do a magical concept called THINK, you would know the answer, pacifist girl."
"Jeez, if you're so smart, then you tell us!" Amy complained.
"I'll answer for you! It was probably caused by the roar of the Ilbis Trigger-" Silver said before Wave pointed at him.
"You stop right there," she interrupted. "Ugh, surrounded by fools of the most foolish kind. Go ahead, Charmy. Tell them otherwise we aren't going anywhere with this."
I frowned. "What, making me solve it because you don't know it either? Glad to see you're silently admitting it," I thought to myself.
Regardless, there was only one explanation for the explosion…
"It had to do with a fragment found at the scene. Specifically…" I said, hoping for a cue from Egg Robo. When he wasn't responding to what I said. "Specifically…"
He continued to ignore me. "SPECIFICALLY!"
Egg Robo got interrupted midsnore by my yell, pushing a button on his chair as he went back to sleep. A picture of the bomb fragment appeared on the panel.
"See? This one. This fragment is the cause of the explosion!"
"Wait a minute… I'm getting flashbacks!" Amy said.
"You should be right in getting flashbacks, because this is the same bomb used in all Egg Robo robots to blow them up should we break the rules! It's the same one Wave dug out from the Egg Robo bot when she dismantled it."
"How could the bomb cause an explosion that violent?" Tikal asked.
"I don't think that's important, pacifist girl," Wave replied. "Regardless, I think the culprit's motive is becoming clearer. The killer used the knife to make it seem like he was stabbed, and we would blame it all on Charmy, who owned said knife. Now, while it's true there are two causes of deaths, one of them, a gunshot, wouldn't be likely. We can come back to what happened with that later, but now that I think about it, with all this talk of the killer and Charmy being framed, there's only one person I imagine benefitting from this. That's you, Vector! Our other suspect!"
Vector stayed silent.
"Wave, wait!" I said.
"Oh, you're gonna defend him, I bet? Even after he's been trying to set you up to be the murderer, you feel compelled to stand up for. Is that what it is, bee?"
"N-No, it's not that! I think that if we need to talk about something to continue this trial, we need to talk about the elephant in the room: how Infinite died!"
"We kept going back and forth on whether or not he was hit via blunt force trauma, or shot," Amy crossed her arms. "Which is it? Do you think there might be a clue on his body that could tell us which was first?"
"Fine, I suppose we should at least address that," Wave replied. "I'm sure something exists that'll show us what happened first."
She was right but… how could you tell what happened first? Nothing on the body could signal anything, but what about my clues? What do I have that could tell me what was first?
MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!
"Well, shall we debate further?" Wave began. "We've gone back and forth about what the victim's fatal injury was, but we haven't yet come to a conclusion."
"That explosion wasn't the cause of death, of course…" Tikal replied.
"Yeah! The EggPAD said Infinite was totally dead before that happened!" Silver exclaimed.
"The knife wasn't the final blow, it was either a gunshot or getting hit on the head by something heavy," Amy said. "A gunshot is likely to kill you, considering that the EggPAD said he was stabbed in the same place he got shot."
"Yeah! And it was around the chest area! So that must be it! Unless the killer for whatever reason decided to hit him after he died, then blunt force trauma by a heavy object must be what hit him first!"
Wave shook her head. "Don't forget: the EggPAD also mentions that there were countless wounds over his body. We shouldn't forget about those when thinking about what the cause of death and weapon used to murder him was."
Silver seemed certain that it was his gunshot that killed him. I wouldn't lie: I'd be inclined to believe the same thing too. I mean, sure Infinite was the Ultimate Mercenary but even mercenaries aren't bullet proof.
If I were to think about it, my line of thinking would go like this. If Infinite was shot first, there's a likelihood that he could have survived. After all, from where the knife was in the body, it doesn't seem like it would hit any major organs. But if you hit him afterwards with a blunt object, that could finish him off. But if you see it in the first way… then Infinite would have died, and there would have been no reason to stab him. Infinite might not have been immortal to bullets, but I'm sure he knew a thing or two about taking them.
That had to have been it! All I hoped was that my friends would be on my side.
"No, that's wrong, Silver! I do agree that Infinite was killed by blunt force trauma, however, what I don't agree with is you saying that the heavy object used first!"
"You uh… wait, I'm confused. So, you think he was shot… but that didn't kill him? How is that even possible?" the silver hedgehog replied.
"Think back to where the knife was in his body. Around the chest area, no? However, what you might have noticed one thing we talked about was that he was stabbed in the same area where he was shot. Bearing this in mind, by looking at the position of the knife, you can tell that couldn't be it!"
"Charmy is right," Vector replied. "From where it is here, the culprit who shot Infinite was just a few centimeters from the heart and lungs. Had he been shot there, that wouldda surely killed him. If anythin', it's a bit impressive the killer had a trigger finger that effective."
"So, if I'm getting this straight," said Tikal. "The culprit shot Infinite to immobilize him, but used a blunt object on his head to kill him, correct?"
"You catch on, pacifist girl," Wave said.
"But wait, if that's the case, wouldn't it just be easier to just shoot him a bunch of times?" Amy asked.
"I don't think that's the case. I think the culprit did that to send a message to him of some kind. Of course, it's just a theory, so don't take my word for it."
"Okay so… next question: All this time, we've talked about him getting hit upside the head with a blunt object. But now I'm just more curious… what WAS the blunt object?"
"The EggPAD doesn't mention much about what could have been the blunt object. It could really be anything," Tikal replied.
"Maybe it was the pickaxe! Not like, the side you use for picking, but the handle part! Think about it, it's the most convenient thing you have if you're in the garden!" Silver said. Wave shook her head.
"Again, good theory, dorkfest, but I don't think that's it. Besides, that's not how it works. The handle has no strength. All the strength and weight lie within the head. Besides, we already know what it is."
"We… wait, we do?"
"Charmy, if you would so please."
Ugh, what was it with her always making me do it? I turned to face Vector, who STILL stood silent.
The true weapon used to kill Infinite? Well, there weren't that many things we found that COULD suffice as a weapon, but there was one thing that flashed in my mind. What we found in the locker on the roof: the pile of rings and a bloodied sock. A ring on its own is just as dinky as ever, but put a bunch in a sock, and you have a something blunt enough that could do damage, especially with each ring being made of metal. But who had the strength to be able to lift all that up?
I looked at Vector again and shuddered. No, he couldn't have been it…
But my thoughts and anxiety wanted to tell me otherwise. I couldn't let this eat me from the inside, so I ignored it and presented…
"The rings Wave and I found on the roof!"
"Rings? You mean Infinite was killed with money?" Silver asked.
"And not even through his own greed? Someone used money on him?" Tikal added.
"That's right!" nodded Amy. "How can some rings kill someone? Sure, they're made from metal but…"
"Put them all together, and what do you have?" Wave asked.
"I… I still don't get it."
Guess the sock really didn't let them know what REALLY was going on! Regardless, I had to make that clear!
MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!
"Rings… our currency is made from such a very dinky material and frankly, cheap metal. But, it can deadly when misused... I think that's the murder weapon we're looking at," Wave began.
"Are you sure?" Tikal asked.
"You don't sound convinced," nodded Silver. "Do you yourself even believe that some rings could kill someone? You have to dive headfirst into it like a swimming pool if you want it to hurt you!"
"In the EggPAD, it mentions that there was a blunt object used to hit Infinite with. But surely if it was some rings… wouldn't there be a very large wound? A ring couldn't do that!"
"Then is there another murder weapon we don't know about?" Amy asked.
"There isn't one," I said. "Because a ring CAN do that!"
"H-How?"
"With maybe… a sock."
"A sock?"
"Inside the roof's locker, Wave and I found a sock under the pile of rings. Now, while you can't hurt someone with one ring, what happens in the case where you put a bunch of rings together in a sock?"
"Put… rings together? In a sock?" Amy asked. "Oh! Oh, oh! Now I get it!"
"How strong do you have to be to lift up all of that?" Tikal asked. "Sure, it's in a… sock but…"
"Besides, whose sock even is that? It seems like such a gross way to die!"
"But now you may be asking, what about the culprit who put the weapon in the locker?" Wave said, ignoring the two girls. "Well, there's only one person: You, Vector!"
"I ain't ever touched those lockers before."
"Oh no, don't even PLAY this game with me, croc. You ABSOLUTELY have."
"He… did?" Silver asked.
"Because, Charmy and I have proof, don't we?"
"Oh… I…"
I wasn't gonna lie, I was both partially taken back by Wave putting me on the spot, but also I was…
Hesitant.
If we argue about Vector having the key, this sealed his deal and would convince everyone else that he was the blackened. If he died, I had no one else left that I could trust on my gravestone.
"What's the matter, Charmy?" Wave asked. "Surely you haven't stooped so low that you would rather protect a murderer?"
"I agree, Wave. While I believe everyone should be given another chance, do something so heinous and you don't deserve forgiveness. I'm not saying Vector did it, I'm saying regardless of who it could be, you don't need to hold back for the sake of the murderer. You can tell us everything. Even… even the murderer would understand that."
"H-Hey, I don't wanna interject but, is there a rule over covering up a murder?" Amy asked.
"I wouldn't say a rule, but I will say what it leads to: the death of us all!" Wave finished, teeth gritting.
"D-Don't put words in my mouth! I remember!" I argued back.
"Then stop being afraid and SHOW us! Prove to us that Vector had the key!"
Vector continued to stay silent as I bit my lip. I felt sweet trickling down my body as my hands felt clammy. I was being pressured to sink Vector and… I… I… I don't want to do that!
But… I had no choice. It was either sink Vector or accept that we all die.
I closed my eyes and pulled out the evidence I needed: the woodblock key.
"It's this," I said.
"How in the hell does that prove anythin'?" Vector asked.
"Because… it was in your room."
"In… in mah room?"
Now I stopped. The way he looked, the way he sounded. It was like…
Like he didn't even know it was in his room.
"Don't play dumb," Wave growled. "The key is the final nail in the coffin. You tried so hard to escape from what happened that you left such a crucial key out in the open. For someone who prides himself on being a precocious worm, you pretty much signed your death warrant. Your 'fake' alibi, your motive, the fact that all through this trial, you've been trying to frame Charmy for the murder, it's all over, Vector. You've exploited the bee enough, now it's time to call it quits. Go ahead, explain the reason and prove me wrong. I DARE you."
I gasped. "W-Wait! Hold on!"
"Ugh, bee, shut up! Can't you see that he's using you? Forget about any kind of past relation you had and focus on the present! Do you think Vector cares about that now?!"
"It's not that it's just… I need to ask Vector something."
He raised his hat to look at me. "Vector… tell me the truth. Why were you in my room last night?"
"Why was I there?... Simple. Protectin' ya," he replied.
"Huh?"
"Ya heard me."
It was like time stopped. None of what I saw was a dream. The person with the mask really DID try to kill me, and Vector… Vector was there to stop it. He knew I was being attacked and came to my rescue… But during their struggle, I couldn't tell what was happening because I was in bed. Could it be…
Could it be that he really did kill Infinite for me?
I started to tear up. No, damn… I told myself I wasn't gonna shed anymore tears over this but…
I lost one friend to despair…
Was I REALLY going to lose another?
"Bee, you've had ENOUGH time to speak your mind," Wave said. "Frankly, I think it's about time YOU shut up too alongside dorkfest. All you want to do is believe in a murderer, and frankly, I've had enough. I think it's time we end this little trial right now and begin sentencing."
Vector raised his hand up. "Wait, stop! I'm warnin' ya RIGHT now, Wave! I ain't GONNA let you make this mistake!" he said, clear panic in his voice. "I ain't the killer!"
"Look at you, acting like a Clucky to its master," the swallow smirked. "I knew you and your bee friend were pathetic, but I never knew you two would sink THIS low. Maybe you two want to die together, seeing as you have a knack for defending murderers."
Now I started to growl. She was taunting us yet again. No, no! I can't keep letting her get to me like this! She WANTED to get a reaction from me, she WANTED me to argue Vector's case, only for this to turn around towards me. I now knew smarter than that.
But it seemed like Vector knew this too.
"Really? Talkin' 'bout me sinkin' low?" he asked. "Funny, I should be sayin' the same to yeh, Wave, as clearly ya know better than anyone else why I wouldn't do it. Go ahead. Tell me I'm wrong. I dare ya."
Now Wave was confused. "H-Huh? I… should know?"
My eyes were now wide now. What was Vector planning this time? Was there something we ALL missed?
And more specifically…
What DID Wave know?
MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT!
"What in the hell are you talking about?" asked Wave. "I should know?"
"Correct," replied Vector. "I ain't the killer and ya know this."
"Wave, what are you hiding?" Silver glared at the swallow, who promptly sneered at him.
"Exactly! Tell us!" Amy added, the swallow surprised that she was backing up Silver.
"Let me guess, there's proof you aren't the culprit?" Wave asked.
"Also correct," continued the crocodile. "Ya say I hid my evidence of the crime in the roof's locker, then left the locker key in mah room. But COULD I have done that?"
The locker key in Vector's room? That's right… earlier, he looked confused at the fact that it was in his room… like…
He didn't know it was there because someone else put it there.
"There is!" I pointed at Wave. "Remember, this goes back to the key of the locker. It was in his room all this time, and YET… YOU had Vector's key this entire time!"
"So-So… So, Wave is the killer instead?!" Tikal asked.
"I… I…" Wave began to visibly sweat. My heart fluttered for a second. Was… was it about to be revealed that Wave was really the killer? She coughed and continued. "I see. That's what you meant. Because I had the key, you could have never gotten in."
"Yer right. Sure, I'm strong enough to break down the door but, hey, not only would yeh all notice, but Egg Robo says that's against the rules, no?" Vector asked. "Am I wrong, Wave?"
"Ugh… just THIS time, I am…"
"You were wrong earlier in the last trial though…" I thought to myself.
"So, ya finally understand. No key, no way to get in."
You know how when someone says something so shocking, you kinda freeze as the world around you has inverted colors?
That moment happened to me as I realized what Vector just said.
"No key, no way to get in."
"No key, no way to get in."
Vector…
He didn't have HIS key.
He had the master Chao key he stole from Egg Robo.
I was in shock. Vector… lied. Only I knew he had this. But… why?! Vector lying… it isn't like him! Why was he doing this?
In fact, now that I think about it, everything about this trial seems so weird. We keep flipflopping on who the murderer is, we still DON'T know about how Infinite was shot if the only access to a gun any one of us can theoretically use is the gatling gun in the locker room. And more importantly…
I know Vector enough to know he wouldn't kill anyone. Neither would anyone else here. We've overcome so much despair, and for what? For us to kill again? Espio gave his life for us so, why would we kill?
Was Vector threatened because he really WAS the killer? Or… no. I had to think this through. A few possibilities sprang in my mind: either Vector was the killer and killed Infinite thinking he was the Ultimate Despair, he killed Infinite when the two were in my room last night, or… Vector isn't the killer.
In fact, he even said if we voted for him, the mystery behind EVERYTHING would die with him. Given that…
My eyes widened. Vector not only knew something we didn't, he specifically called it a trap.
Trap… trap… trap…
And once I put two and two together, it was like being enlightened.
This trial… was a sham. This trial was set up by the mastermind to trap Vector. Maybe… not even trap him, but trap all of us. Trap… me… too…
But… what was truth anymore? Is this all a trap set up by the mastermind? Or is Vector lying to get himself out of a situation he knows he couldn't get out of once he got exposed. I… I want to believe in Vector but… the idea of Vector getting his hands dirty didn't leave my mind, especially after what happened last night. And his testimony is a lie… All I could ask is…
Was it okay? Was it okay for me to expose the truth?
I thought back to what Vector told me about danger and risk.
Danger… risk…
I wasn't sure anymore.
Is Vector lying to me? Or is the mastermind lying to us all?
I stared at my hands as I felt the neon lights vibrate with my heartbeat. I didn't know what to say or do anymore. I just wanted someone to answer me…
Do I trust Vector? Or expose him?
TO BE CONTINUED…