dualink

The cold rain that began the night of the Heart’s final meeting has continued steadily, and finally subsides around noon on the third day after the raid at the warehouse. The sunshine returns, deceptively cheery as a grim scene unfolds in Central Square Park. All roads in and out of the park are barricaded and guarded by Iterations, and should you find a way to make it into the park on foot, further entry is barred by even more barricades and Iterations about half a mile from the center, in the same clearing where the mayor’s Dualis Days commencement speech was bombed months ago.

The mayor isn’t present at the park today, but a large raised platform has been set up, with about a dozen poles spread evenly across, each with a beam jutting out and a noose hanging from the end of it. Short stools are set underneath each rope, waiting for the condemned to step up and meet their fate. In front of the platform are three places of honor for three special executions - the captured leaders of the Heart. The one on the left is a clear box, about double the size of a phone booth. In the center, a wooden stake has been placed, with a pile of kindling at the base. To the right is a small, plain wood scaffold. At each execution site, a pair of Iterations has been posted.

All channels buzz to life with a video broadcast of this scene, and a man’s voice begins to speak over the video, businesslike and stern: “We interrupt your regular programming to bring you footage of this important, historic event. This is Blake Botzir, reporting live from the studio, and joining me today is Mayor Marcelina Dubanowski. Mayor?”

The all-too-familiar voice of the mayor replies, exactly as pleasantly cheerful as always: “Thank you, Blake, I’m thrilled to be here. Thanks so much for having me!”

“Mayor, will you tell our viewers what it is we’re seeing here today?”

“Well, of course, Blake! You see, there’s been a group of criminals terrorizing our fair city for quite some time. They call themselves ‘the Heart,’ which I can only guess is supposed to be some kind of mockery of the Head, we never could get any of them to give an answer about that. Today, I’m pleased to announce that these terrorists have finally been apprehended, and in just a few minutes here, we will finally see justice done.”

One by one, the captured members of the Heart are marched out by Iterations from armored vans into the center of the park, battered and manacled, some more dragged along than walking the path toward their final ends. Most are filed up onto the platform and prodded to climb the stepladders, where an Iteration places and tightens the noose around each of their necks. Some of the prisoners are crying, some are stoic, some are angry, but none of them fight back.

Mello, Marie, and Vergil are marched out last, each placed at one of the three execution sites at the front of the gallows. Mello is pushed down onto his knees in front of the clear box, seething with rage but offering no resistance. Marie is taken to the center and chained to the stake, struggling to maintain her composure in the face of her imminent death. Like Mello, Vergil is shoved to his knees, but in front of the small scaffold, where an Iteration grabs him by the hair and slams his head down, holding him in place.

Blake takes up narrating again over the video footage: “So, Madame Mayor, from what I understand, these criminals were captured and interrogated a few days ago, then sentenced to final death for the crimes of sedition, terrorism, and arson, correct?”

“Yes, Blake, that’s exactly right! This is an extremely rare sentence for the city’s justice system to dole out, but extreme cases call for extreme consequences, and I can’t think of a more extreme example of wrongdoing in the entire time I’ve lived in Dualis. It’s unfortunate that it’s come to this, but our hope is that these executions will send a message that this sort of senseless criminal activity won’t be tolerated in this fair city of ours.”

“Thank you, Mayor Dubanowski. It appears the proceedings are about to begin. At this time we’d like to caution sensitive viewers to use discretion in watching the following.”