come on and slam

[frostythehitman]

WHO: James "Bucky" Barnes + YOU!
WHERE: the police station and later prison
WHEN: Sept 21 onwards
WHAT: James turns himself in for attempting to murder Zee, gets arrested for his actual murder.
WARNINGS: probably some melodrama, lbr


A. 9/21 at like 1am, police station, OTA

[ It's 1am when James Barnes walks into the police station holding a trash can lid. And it had been a quiet night, but it won't be any more, because James walks up to the front desk, starts banging his metal fist against the trash can lid to make a truly unholy racket, and immediately starts bellowing at the top of his lungs: ]

My name is James Buchanan Barnes and I'm guilty of attempting the murder of and assaulting Zee Carlisle!

[ A pause to wait for reaction, then he starts up again: ]

Hello? I said, I'm a murderer who needs to be arrested!

[ He sticks his arms out, wrists together, ready for handcuffs.

And he will continue on, repeating himself as he walks in circles causing a ruckus until someone with a pair of handcuffs takes him in. ]

B. any time on 9/22, police station, police and police-adjacent characters only

[ James sits in a holding cell, sighing and idly picking at the grooves of his metal arm to give him something to fidget with while he waits to be processed. He's not sure exactly what follows here--an interrogation to verify his confession? Or will they toss him straight into jail as soon as they get the paperwork in order?

He doesn't know what's coming next, but he's ready for whatever it may be. ]

C. 9/26 onwards, prison, OTA

[ By now it's been several days since he turned himself in. He's had his trial, he's been sentenced to 15 years in prison, and the news has already reported on it. He's even already been transferred out of a holding cell and into the federal prison that he expects to make his new home for the next many, many years.

But hey, he's got visitation rights now.

Anyone who comes to visit him will see him sitting at the table in the visiting room, wearing the prison uniform, uncharacteristically lacking his eyeliner, and looking more calm than one might expect, given his situation. ]




published in the Recolle Times on 9/26

TRIBUNAL TERRACE -- A military dependent from Fort McCoy was found guilty of the murder of Zee Carlisle after turning himself in earlier this week. The culprit was not a suspect in the case, but had a history of public violence as well as a personal history of previous altercations with Mr. Carlisle that came to light during his confession. He has been convicted of murder, first degree attempted murder, and aggravated assault and has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Fort McCoy officials have declined to respond to calls asking about the convicted dependent or the murder of Mr. Carlisle.

Comments

c

[maidofmistakes]

[Lina walks in quietly. She doesn't look nervous or uncomfortable, oddly enough, more like she's been here a lot. Still, she sits at the other side and doesn't look at James.]

It can't really be you, right?

[frostythehitman]

What can't be me?

[maidofmistakes]

You know! The person we've all been investigating and stuff for!

c

[thebeastwithout]

The hell are you doing, you dumbass?!

[Gar barges in unceremoniously and shoves an octopus tentacle into James's face.]

For serious?! We literally just spent a day getting proof about who did it, and it obviously wasn't you! What the hell!

[frostythehitman]

Calm down, or they'll throw you out and cut the visit short!

[ James hazards a look over at the guard overseeing the visitation room. Stern though he is, he doesn't seem to be reacting at all to the commotion, or Gar's tentacle. So, maybe he won't do anything after all? ]

[thebeastwithout]

I don't need visitations to visit and yell at you.

[Gar scowls.]

How were there even still enough PCs for a trial to actually happen?! What are you doing, man?

c

[liberal_arts]

[ Kasen sat himself down with little fanfare, letting out a long, held breath as he stared at James across the table. One could say he simply looked... unimpressed, but deeper than that it was just exhaustion. James was testing the limits of his empathy here, to say the least. ]

I don't believe for a single second that you actually killed that man. So why are you doing this?

[frostythehitman]

Because I almost did, six months ago. That's what I turned myself in for.

[liberal_arts]

Alright.

But then you'd be in jail for attempted murder. Which you are not.

So what game do you play here?

B

[standalonehuman]

So long as everything stayed within some kind of normal bounds, it looked like all the people not on the app in the city were just going to keep on staying in the same places, doing the same things. It would take a lot to get their attention.

James' little stunt here has completely thrown off that balance.

There is an argument happening out in the hallways, too far for James to hear, but close enough that everyone else in the bullpen is pretending not to listen in. Togusa is absolutely not budging until they let him in to talk to James. He got woken up for this, called by someone who thought he was on the Carlisle case. Whoops, he's not. But that isn't going to stop Togusa.

Even this conversation is painted with the strange effect of this month, though. Togusa keeps seeing suggestions of what to say, responses every time his superiors stop talking. It's more irritating than anything else, he can get through this on his own, thank you very much. But the 'choices' labeled in blue keep lining up closely with what he wants to say anyway. He knows James, the kid isn't capable of this, he's got his entire file here, they should send in someone that James has already shown that he trusts. (Every time Togusa gets angry and tries to highlight one of those responses labeled in red, he keeps getting some kind of error message that he 'doesn't have enough skill.' That's probably the only thing that keeps him from mouthing off at any point.

He is prepared for all the counter-arguments. He's the newest detective on the payroll. He knows. He's not assigned to homicide. Oh, he fucking knows. But he manages to get them to listen when he keeps harping on the question of how. How did he get someone of Zee's size onto a rooftop and string him up like that? The real reason they relent is because they think Togusa is going to get a more detailed confession, and his own question will get answered. That is not Togusa's intention at all.

James and Togusa. They've been here too many times before. Skipped the interrogation room this time, went to the holding cell. Togusa's approach is usually cautious, or trying to set James at ease as much as he can. Even that goes out the window this time.

Togusa opens the door, pauses only long enough to make sure it shuts behind him, and walks over to the bars. The look on his face is fearful, for James, not of him, because his body language isn't shrinking away at all. A drop of the folder onto the chair on his side, and Togusa doesn't even sit down.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

[frostythehitman]

James didn't think this conversation would be taking place with him still in the holding cell. He's washed over by a sudden sense of deja vu. He knows Bucky was held in a cell and had a conversation with the Major just like this, in some other lifetime. Except this time, it's because he's being responsible, not reckless, and he's here on purpose instead of accidentally.

He doesn't expect Togusa to sound quite so brusque though, and it immediately puts him on a more combative edge.

"What does it look like? Turning myself in. Aren't you the one who's always talking about how everything needs to be done according to procedure?"

[standalonehuman]

"Not if that procedure puts the wrong person in this cell." Togusa is pacing around, too much pent up energy, but he is keeping watch on James for any clue he can get on his state of mind. What possible motivation could he have for doing this?

"You didn't kill Zee. You've got more of a reason to have a grudge against Retrospec than anyone else I know, but you still wouldn't resort to murder." Togusa's head shakes, a hand goes to the back of his neck, rubs furiously before his hand drops again.

"Why go to all this trouble to try to convince us you did it?"

B

[megatechbody]

Mariko waits until Togusa had his chance to talk to James and as a result has a far easier time getting in despite not being a cop. She's the Private Investigator that's been working with Detective Togusa, you see, so she's just trying make sure she has her information correct before they move on anything else. The city is getting more dangerous if they've got kids running around acting like murders so she needs to be ready for the sake of her own case work.

Also, she has attended the precinct holiday party for years and unlike most of the wide-eyed rookies here - she doesn't have a long career with the PD to threaten. No, sir - there's no reason she would mention such a thing, aside from the fact the holidays are coming and aren't you excited for the opportunity to relax?

She enters the holding cells, just her and James Buchanan Barnes and she winces as she pages through his file. Hell of a name. It's an easy pin for the murder, James is trouble on two legs and anything that can't be said outright will be happily supplied by the imagination of a scandal hungry public.

"You never struck me as the type to roll-over and die, Barnes. So either this is a Bad move or it is the move. Which is it?"

[frostythehitman]

James was not expecting Mariko, of all people, to come here. He knew she was a private investigator from Derek, who'd mentioned it to him when he was in her body, but he didn't think she'd come here to see him behind bars. But when she talks to him, his expression grows stern and stubborn.

"It's the only move, as far as I'm concerned. It's not rolling over and dying, it's doing the right thing."

[megatechbody]

Mariko doesn't bother disguising rolling her eyes, because the 'right thing' talk is barely tolerable coming from Togusa.

"Save that look for the cameras kid, I'm not buying it."

Her tone is casual, probably more than anyone else who's been through those doors since he got moved to holding. Instead she leans on the nearby desk and looks at his file again. He's sure, so damn sure just like Togusa that she has half mind to ask how long they've known each other before she goes on. But that will come later, after they spring this little idiot and Togusa gets his fill of chastising him.

With no familiarity and nothing besides his file and what she remembers from swapping bodies with him, Mariko wonders if she's going to get anything worthwhile.

"Look, I'm sure something happened that you think deserves punishment. But I'm wondering if it was you."

B

[blessmefather]

[ When Matt got the call that the police had a suspect in custody for the murder of Zee Carlisle he rushed over to the precinct expecting to be introduced to someone with a name he had heard from the network. He braced himself for talk about Retrospec's wrongdoing and a story about returned powers. His calm expression goes slack and wide-eyed the moment he's told the suspect's name. Matt tells the officer he'll talk to the suspect now instead of waiting for a braille print up of the case notes, and he barges into the interrogation room where James is sitting alone with hardly another word to the police. ]

James.

[ His tone is disapproving to say the least. ]

Not another word about Zee until you have proper legal representation. I'm going to make some calls. Does your family know you're here?

[ ooc: Quick side note reminder, Matt can pick up on his lies. Not that James doesn't firmly believe he's guilty obviously. ]

[frostythehitman]

[ When James is brought into the interrogation room, he didn't expect Matt Murdock to show up. The surprise is plain in his voice. ]

What? What are you doing here?

Of course my family doesn't know I'm here. What's that go to do with anything?

c

[usurpers]

[ eren’s been trying to get through once news circled around. bad news circles fast, but, unfortunately, not fast enough to do anything against it. james, you are a fool.

slipping into the table once visits are open, eren’s frown is eminent, but— he holds back on saying everything he really did want to say, like bullshit if it was you who did it, what the fuck are you doing here, etc etc etc. basically, yelling, what an eren is, and always has been, very good at.

but he’s been trying to work on some things. pursing his lips and pressing them tightly into each other, eren rests his hands on the table in a fold. ]

Let’s hear you, first. I don’t want to call you a dumbass ahead of time.

[ either that was friendly ribbing or he was serious and couldn’t hold back as much as he had wanted!! hey, buddy, you’re losing your life in here.

but he can’t quite pretend he didn’t know about james’ guilt already. ]

[frostythehitman]

[ He shrugs, almost casual. ]

What is there to say? I tried to kill Zee. I figured it was about time I owned up to it.

B

[blondferret]

[When Derek hear that a kid named "James" had turned himself in for murder early in the morning, Derek is shocked. Derek knew James... or he thought he did! When he got his lunch break he makes is way from the crime lab over to the holding cells.

When he sees James he walks right up to the cell door.]

What the hell is going on kid?

[frostythehitman]

[ He's starting to grow impatient with all these Retrospec police folks coming in to question him. Does he really have to explain himself individually to every single one of them? ]

What does it look like? I committed a crime, now I'm turning myself in.

c

[commandertoolbelt]

Okay, the prison look? Doesn't really suit you, dude.

[ he was gonna say orange isn't your color but honestly bucky would make a good greek so - this is what he gets instead. ]

I don't think I've ever seen you without eyeliner.

[frostythehitman]

[ Alright, that genuinely gets James to laugh--the first time since days before this whole mess started. ]

Well, now you have. Here's my face, in all its naked glory. Get used to it, because this is how I'm gonna look for the next fifteen years.

A

[dulynoted]

[ Akira is there for completely unrelated reasons. He's a law student, after all, and has been in and out of the police station after his father's unfortunate demise. (Clearly murder, but written off as an accident. Thankfully he was able to take care of the culprits without police help.)

Of course, his father's involvement with other unseemly criminals who found themselves disposed of over the past few weeks has brought some suspicion onto any connections. That is why Akira has been there, one of many extended family members of various connections, taken in one by one to be questioned again and again for any information they may have.

It's tedious. It's boring. It isn't getting them anywhere, but Akira has to be willing to play along. It's remarkably uneventful, some days.

Today is not one of those days.

He's nursing his second cup of coffee as he waits quietly outside when the banging nearly causes him to spill it in his lap. ]

Shit--

[ ...I'm guilty of attempting the murder of and assaulting Zee Carlisle!

Wait.

What?

The station is still and silent.

Akira's heart seems to have stopped too. A woman sitting next to him looks appropriately unsettled, clutching her purse to her chest. Officers glancing to one another. Is this guy for real?

Akira stands suddenly. Murderer. Attempted murder.

This is... ]

Hold on--do you realize what you're saying?

[ He motions to the woman beside him for dramatic effect. ]

We're all here because of the recent string of death's, including> Zee Carlisle's, and you're naming yourself a suspect?

[frostythehitman]

[ He hadn't been paying attention to the other people sat in the station--his focus was on catching the attention of the police officers. So when another civilian speaks up, it takes him by surprise. ]

Wait, really?

Well--I'm not saying I'm a suspect in the actual murder. Just that I tried to murder him. Earlier. In...another encounter.

[ Boy is it weird to talk about this so rationally to a stranger. ]