I know what happened. Are you happy with yourselves? Doing things when you don't even know what you're doing, or why. Look what you did... there were people suffering, children crying. Do you know how much pain you caused? It isn't right. It isn't fair.

What gives you the right? You take other people's lives in your hands! Take their choices from them. Deciding whether we should live or die for us. Do you think that we want to die? I don't. While there's life, there still hope. We should keep on living, no matter what. We should always keep--

[After this brief speech, Kariya slumps, breathing heavily. His good eye widens, and the swollen veins in his face seem to pulse for a moment. The effort of speaking has obviously taken a lot out of him. The physical and mental shock of the worms returning has taken its toll on him. He looks as if he's having trouble standing upright at the terminal. A spasm of pain crosses his face. When he speaks again, his voice is weaker.]

I need a healer--is there someone who can help?

[It's taken him a great deal of time to get his composure together, after everything is said and done. He might have his body back, but the rush of memories and actions and guilt guilt guilt is enough to make him want to vomit. The images of himself, coated in women, stained in blood, saying one thing while meaning another, leading people astray while knowing otherwise - PRETENDING....

How dare they... How DARE they...

...

As overwhelming as it is, he can't just wallow. Someone HAS to know, and as much as it might hurt to hear it so soon, they have to know immediately.

So Guy slips to a terminal, holding himself composed if not extremely worn... and as strong as he tries to stay, he can't quite keep the small tremble out of his words as he starts to speak.]

If you're hearing my voice right now, then you need to stop and listen. What I'm about to tell you is going to be hard to hear, and I'm sorry. But it's important.

This week was a mess. No one can deny that. But some of you here in the Tower might have been aware of a few of us wandering around, claiming we had "control" of our minds. To some of you, we were your superiors, ordering you to do or say things for us. The few of us that had mixed colors in our collars or could maintain a conversation like normal, despite our modifications, claiming that the Administrators had failed and that we were fighting back.

We sent out a message this week, gathering people and information to try and establish what we claimed was a counter-resistance. Many showed up. Many put confidence in us.

[He pauses, swallowing hard.]

That was a mistake.

The truth is that we were just as brainwashed as anyone else... Even more so, I guess. Despite what we might have said or made people think, we were all actors. The few of us you may have talked to were sent out specifically for sabotage and information, all for the ones that did this to us. We were spies, and before coming back to normal, many of us just gave away information that...

[Another pause, a deep grimace crossing his face.]

Well, it might prove to be a disaster for quite a few people. If you spoke to a drone in what you thought was a form of confidence, especially against the Tower or in details of the resistance...

[His expression pains, grimace thinning into a guilty frown.]

Then I'm sorry. We've done something truly horrible.

[...

There's another long pause, the man at the screen tense and quiet. Either he's searching for something else to say, or his composure is about to slip from him. It's hard to tell.]

There's nothing we can do to take it back. Think what you would like of us. But we've tricked you, and you deserve to know. And right now... I'd recommend to be prepared for the worst.

[...]

If you have questions, then feel free to ask. I'm... not sure what any of us can tell you. I'm sorry.

[And with a tired, forced smile, the feed ends.]

[ Greetings people of the tower, have the King of Evil who cursed the tower this month appear on the terminals, for the first time in over six months. He looks fairly neutral, with a very light smile. ]

So long as it been since I last posted here, and yet I see nothing changed. The same cycle has been repeating over and over again, both here and where we come from. Higher powers play with those they see as inferior... Cruel and pointless games meant to satisfy their own amusement. From the tortured crowds sometimes a voice arise, then many--

But at the first bone tossed their way, the mindless masses go back in rank behind the higher powers they chose to venerate as deities. At the first occasion to forget, they chose blissful ignorance. Yes... In the end, complacency reigns. People always return to their meaningless preoccupations and lose of sight what should matter most.

[ He pauses and shakes his head in disapproval before continuing. ]

Have voice even been heard in this tower? Many entertained -and without a doubt still do- the idea that following certain golden haired women would bring them what they longed for. Yet, nothing happened. All they did was replace a deplorable situation with another, build a false hope they could comfort themselves with. All they did was turn a blind eye on reality.

Not a voice arise to stand against the status quo. [A very short and deep chuckle.] How pathetic. Tell me, Tower of Animus, do you not believe time has come for you to awaken and bring about an end to this?

[Hazy though the reception may be, a pair of dark, deep brown eyes pierce the veil of the deliberately bad reception.]


Attention, denizens of the tower Animus. I am Doctor VIctor von Doom.

( Click for hammy speech )