EVENT - THE MILGRAM EXPERIMENT

[avibusraris]

Come one, come all! This wonderful test of brain power and courage is about to commence! What is it exactly, you ask? Well then, don't worry your little head about that one bit! The birdie here will explain it all to you.

The rules are very simple. There is a shocker and a shockee, following so far? The inmates will both be lead into different rooms. There is a glass wall that separates them, and of course a glass wall for the audience to be able to see and watch everything! Now then, the shocker will be provided with questions thanks to a digital screen. The screen itself is integrated into the table they will be seated at, as well as a button, and questions will begin to appear once the game begins. The questions start out easy then start to get harder, and if the shocker tries to tell the shockee any answers, then they will receive the electricity instead, seeing as how they are strapped down to an electric chair as well.

Sounds pretty fun so far! Either way, each pair has four questions to get through. For each question answered correctly, they will gain CP. If the shockee is unable to answer a question, or answers wrong, then it's up to the shocker to provide the pain and then they get the CP. See it's a good game where everyone is rewarded! The shockee cannot die on the first two questions, if they are to answer it wrong (or if the shocker gets the electricity instead) but they can die on the third question, and they will die on the last question if they are shocked. Now then, off to the CP count.

First = 30,000 CP
Second = 40,000 CP
Third = 50,000 CP
Fourth = 80,000 CP

Oh, and there are no extra rewards for dying in this event. The CP gained from questions and shocking will be the only CP awarded. So, comment in the proper spot with your muses entering, and then the shockers will be getting PM's with the questions!

Let it begin!

Comments

[birdinhand]

No. No no no no no.

This wasn't going to happen. This was the absolute last thing he was going to tolerate.

"What the fuck is this?" His eyes were wide, and if it weren't for what was coming out of his mouth, he'd look scared. He was angry with the guards, of course. Just because they'd disturbed him.

He was sitting on the edge of the chair unconsciously. He just wasn't having this. "No way. Why should I have to deal with these shitty questions? This is dumb." Sure, he was talking a good game. But that wide-eyed look never really faded out of his eyes.

[dreiwuensche]

Ankh sort of looked like a frightened bird, Hina observed. She fussed with her skirt.

"Ankh, it's-- it's okay. Let's just do this, all right?"

[birdinhand]

"I don't need to hear that from you!" he spat. He looked down at the screen and back over to her. He suddenly looked like something truly offensive or disgusting had appeared there. Or maybe he smelled something nasty. "What the hell? 'How many noses does a slug have?'"

[dreiwuensche]

"What kind of question is that?" Hina frowned. "Zero, right?"

[birdinhand]

"It's a guarantee these are all going to be really dumb questions." He commented. He knew his sister, knew that while she was a good, sweet, girl that tried her hardest, things like science and biology had never been a forte of either of the Izumis. Even if he'd aced some of the exams, he couldn't say he remembered any of it after walking out of the testing room door.

Still, there was a small hope that he wouldn't have to make this decision so soon. He couldn't even find anything in Ankh to spit venom and call her an idiot. But he couldn't let this crumble what he'd built so soon. Sure, this was terrible, but it was only one day. He had to think long term. She was going to get out of here one day, and she needed to live her own life not tied the shadow of a brother that could no longer stand on his own feet.

He didn't say anything about her answer being right or wrong. He just jabbed the button, hiding behind his hair.

[dreiwuensche]

She knew Shingo was so deep in his act as "Ankh" that he wasn't going to acknowledge her as his sister, but she still never imagined that he would actually hurt her. So when the shock came, she was taken by surprise.

She screamed and convulsed as it coursed through her, and sniffled a little when it died down.

[birdinhand]

Her scream cut him right down to the core. He actually flinched, and shrank back against the chair as if he was the one being injured. Stupid, stupid, stupid. What the hell had he been doing all of this for? It was to protect her, to keep her from needing to know the kind of monster her brother had become. Well, he sure just showed her what he was. Utter trash.

One she stopped screaming, and the shock seemed to have faded, he opened his eyes again. Of course the first one wouldn't be enough to kill anyone. He was only partially relieved. There were still three more.

He didn't start immediately reading the next question to her. He just stared at the screen, reading it over and over. "What the hell kind of bullshit word is this? They've got to be making this up!"

[dreiwuensche]

As she recovered from the shock, it took her a few moments to realize that Ankh was saying something. She took deep breaths to steady herself.

"What... what's the question?"

[birdinhand]

He stared a bit longer at the screen, trying to gather this all up in his head so it makes some kind of sense in his head. It didn't help that he was freaked out by what he'd just done. His nails picked at the wood of the arm of the chair.

"Okay. Hina, you have to listen close to this." The rough edge was out of his voice, but it wasn't quite Shingo's either. And that was the first time he called her by her actual name. He realized neither of those things at the time, though. He was too busy wrapping his brain around everything. "'Hippo.... Hippopoto...monstroqui..." He let out a frustrated growl and tried again. "Hippopotomonstrosequippeliophobia is the fear of what?" And when he finally looked up at her, there was definitely fear on his face that he didn't have a hope of hiding. Why couldn't he have ended up with Eiji? He could at least hurl abuse to get the edge off.

[dreiwuensche]

Hina curled her hands around the arms of her chair, biting her lip. This was a side of Ankh she hadn't seen before. He really was concerned about her, even if he tried to pretend he wasn't.

Or maybe she was just hoping for that against all odds.

"Hippo... what? Uh, can you spell that? I mean, are you allowed to do that?"

[birdinhand]

He shook his head. "It's too goddamn long to just spell out. Tche." He cast around to the guards. "One of you assholes have some paper and a pen so I can show her or do I need to set you on fire?" The way he was pulling on those straps, he was bound to scratch himself enough to draw blood.

[avibusraris]

And a message shows up on the screen for Ankh:

work with the tools you are given. <3

[birdinhand]

"Fuck you, bitch!" he spat at the screen. He seethed quietly while he stared at the screen. He gave it another try. "'Hipp...'" He took a deep breath. As agitated as he was, he couldn't focus on both the word and keeping his voice sounding different. So when he finally started reading it again, he sounded, at long last, like himself. "'Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of what?'" He stumbled over himself more than once, but what he finally spat out actually resembled the word.

[dreiwuensche]

Hina looked offended and confused at that outburst, but when Ankh started to read it again she bit her tongue to keep from interrupting him.

"Hippopotomon..." She sighed and shook her head. What the heck? "Um... really big animals?"

[birdinhand]

He shook his head. "No."

And now he had another decision to make. He couldn't take another round of her screaming. He took a deep breath and braced himself.

The shock raced through his body and while he tried not to scream, eventually he just couldn't help himself. He thrashed in the chair.

Finally, the shock stopped and he caught his breath. He didn't want another one of those. He didn't want to give Hina another one of those. He wanted to set someone on fire for even putting them in this situation.

[dreiwuensche]

"Ankh!" Hina cried, leaning forward as far as she could against the straps. "What are you doing? Why didn't you shock me?!"

[birdinhand]

"It doesn't matter!" he shouted back at her. Honestly, why was she questioning it? She should be happy she didn't get the pain.

"Next question! 'What is the ratio of vending machines in Japan to its population?'", he fired off quickly. The faster they got through this the less he had to think about what was going on.

[dreiwuensche]

"I--I don't know, one vending machine to a hundred people? Push the button if it's wrong, Ankh, I'm not anyone special to you, right?" She didn't know where that spitfire came from all of a sudden. She just didn't want to have to hear him scream again.

[birdinhand]

His hand hung over the button. He glared at it, as if that would change anything. No, he couldn't take her screaming either. But he was the one able to make the decision, so make it he was going to do.

Sure, he was scared. He didn't have any intention of dying. But maybe, just maybe, this was how he could scratch the surface of making up to her what he'd put her through. What he was still putting her through.

The shock hit him like a brick wall. This time he had no threshold for holding back the screams. If it weren't for the straps he would have curled up into a ball.

[dreiwuensche]

She screamed his name almost as loudly as he screamed from the shock. But there was nothing she could do to change the outcome.

Tears streaked her face by the time he quieted down, and she looked downright desperate.

[birdinhand]

When he finally came down from it, his chest was heaving. He looked just as freaked out as she did. One more of those was going to kill him. But it would kill her, too. That was something he wouldn't deal with. No. He wasn't going to sink that low. If it was either her or him, then the choice was easy.

Enough with the pretending, the pretense, and the alternate identity. She needed to understand. "Hina-chan. Listen. I've caused you a lot of pain that I could never, ever, be forgiven for. I know you're a strong person. But if I don't do this, then I really am nothing but a monster." There he was, under that crazy hair and edgy, studded clothing was her brother.

[dreiwuensche]

Hina's shoulders slumped. "Shingo, you idiot," she sobbed out. "I don't know what happened to you or why, but I don't want you to die. Okay? Please don't die for my sake."

[birdinhand]

He shook his head. "I'm not going to, because you're going to get this next question right. And we'll both be okay. Alright?" Speaking so gently to anyone felt foreign, but not wrong. He could deal with what came after as it came.

He was just as scared, but he kept his head on. Somehow that was easier after shedding Ankh's facade. "Just take a few deep breaths and calm down. Remember, that no matter what happens today, it isn't your fault." This was probably the best decision he's made in a while. Somehow, despite everything, he smiled at her. "Let me know when you're ready."

[dreiwuensche]

Blinking back the tears, Hina nodded. Hearing Shingo's voice speaking so gently to her was a big help. She managed to calm herself and even out her breathing, and finally she said, "I'm ready."

She would give the right answer and then nobody would have to die. It would be okay.

[birdinhand]

He nodded. "Good. Here it is." He looked down at the screen, and he wasn't as disturbed by what he saw there as he had been. This was a somewhat normal question. "'The cat's clavicle, or collarbone, does not connect with other bones but is buried in the muscles of the shoulder region. This allows the cat to do what?'"