James sits against the back wall of the cell. The nail file he received from Urumi rests lazily in his hand. Long scratching noises fill the sheriff’s office as he scrapes it across the wall.

“Hey, what are you up to in there?” Bryan asks from where he’s stationed inside.

“What any prisoner does when faced with long days of ceaseless monotony…” James says, “Carve lines in the concrete walls.”

“Well, you’ve got no one to blame for this but yourself.”

“Still, it’s really quite a shame, isn’t it?” James slowly remarks, “A brilliant man such as myself wasting away in these stone walls… and who are the lucky ones who are allowed to remain under the sun? A few militaristic brutes, a reckless terrorist, an unstable drug addict… and yet I’m considered the dangerous one here? For saying a few hurtful words?”

“Those people have shown themselves to be trustworthy friends time and time again.” Bryan replies, “All you’ve ever done is hurt people.”

“As I’ve explained numerous times, I’m the most helpful person here… not that any of you seem to care.” James remarks, carving another line into the wall. “Still, why don’t we change the subject… I have to ask. You do realize how inane is all is, right? Imprisoning me while the rest of you are imprisoned?”

Bryan rolls his eyes. “That doesn’t even make any sense…”

“Well, my point is, we’ve all been imprisoned on this airship for quite a while now. Don’t you ever wonder how things are going outside? For example, what do you think’s going on with your friends and family?”

“What are you getting at?”

“Well, nothing. It’s just a simple thought exercise, that’s all.” James continues, “What of your father for example? He was a firefighter, correct? That’s quite a dangerous job. For all you know, he’s been killed in the line of duty by now.”

Bryan almost whirls around to face the director, but he stops himself, clenching his fists and continuing to face ahead. “…I think you’re wrong.”

“Still, there’s no way to know for sure. It’s a bit like Schrodinger's Cat, you see…” James sounds almost bored. “Until someone escapes and opens the theoretical box, both possibilities are true in theory… So it’s quite possible that your family is out there grieving, and you’re not there to comfort them. A death in a family is a time for everyone to be together, and you’d be wasting your time here looking after me… It’s quite interesting to think about.”

Something James said seems to hit Bryan hard. He turns around, tightly grabbing one of the cell bars with his hand, and says, “Y’know what, James? I’m sick of dealing with your bullshit!”

“I’d hardly compare quantum theory with cow droppings, but do as you please,” James says.

“No, seriously,” Bryan continues, “James, I challenge you to a duel at high noon!”

This seems to attract the director’s attention. He sits up and gives Bryan a perplexed look. “…What?”

“We’ll settle this like they do in Westerns. You know, take twenty paces and fire when the bell rings.”

“Are you a bigger idiot than I thought or completely insane?” James asks, “I’m not risking my life to prove I’m right.”

“We won’t use real bullets. There are some rubber bullets we can duel with. No risk at all.” Bryan explains, “Still, you don’t have to accept. If you want to prove you’re just a coward who can’t stand up for his beliefs, then go ahead.”

After a short silence, James lets out an annoyed sigh. “What is this, a kindergarten recess? Whatever, if I must, I’ll participate in your juvenile farce. But it’ll be your dignity on the line.”

“It’s settled, then. I’ll find someone to judge the competition.” Bryan walks off, leaving James alone in the cell. The director sighs and returns to the wall he’d been working on.

“Okay, listen up, you two,” Oscar says from where he sits on the bank steps, the brim of his ten-gallon hat pulled low over his face. “Both of these revolvers have one rubber bullet in the cylinder. That’s all you’re getting, so don’t waste it!”

Bryan reaches out and take one of the revolvers. “Believe me, I don’t intend to do that.”

James sighs as he takes a revolver for himself. “You can act tough as much as you wish, but that won’t change how childish you’re acting.”

“Childish?! You’re the childish one!” Bryan shouts, “It’s about time you learned that actions and words have consequences!”

“And for the horrific crimes I’ve committed, my punishment is a rubber bullet to the chest, huh?” James remarks, “Indeed, those are some simply dreadful consequences…”

“You’re missing the point, James! I’m not here to injure you. I’m here to make it quite clear what happens to people who trash my family and my friends!”

Before James can form another rebuttal, Oscar stands up and separates the two of them. “Hey, don’t start dueling now. There’s still some time until high noon. First, you need to take your twenty paces!”

Oscar lines up James and Bryan back-to-back in front of the bank’s clock. As the two start walking, Oscar calls out, “Don’t shoot from the wrong chamber now! That would just be disgraceful, wouldn’t it?”

Once the two have walked their twenty paces, they turn to face their opponent. Bryan’s hand is already hovering over the holster on his waist, where his gun is resting, but James looks unconcerned, simply looking about the street with his camera slung across his shoulder, tapping his foot.

As the climactic hour approaches, the other passengers begin to drift towards the street, attempting to watch the two figures from inside the buildings. Meanwhile, Oscar sits on the bank steps, watching carefully.

At 11:59, the minute hand stops just next to the hour hand, barely an inch away. Oscar pulls out an old pocketwatch and stares at it. The tension on the dusty street continues to build, though James is still only somewhat focused on his opponent.

Suddenly, a loud noise like clanging thunder rumbles through the town. A train seems to be passing on the railroad tracks. However, no one lets it distract them from the event before them, especially not Oscar. His voice rises even above the clamor of the passing locomotive as he reads off the seconds until noon.

“Ten… Nine… Eight…”

Bryan clenches his fists at the sight of James, who seems to be the only one with no interest in the duel.

“Seven… Six… Five…”

The second hand of the clock approaches the top of the clock face. The tension swirls like a dust storm.

“Four… Three… Two… One…”

Bryan’s hand moves like lightning, pulling out the gun and firing. The bang of the gunshot can scarcely be heard over the train.

“…Zero.”

A dull bell rings as the minute and hour hand unite over the 12. Both competitors are still standing as the passing train disappears into the horizon.

James has his hand over his chest. He pulls it away and stares at it. Grim recognition flashes on his face.

Oscar does a swirling motion with his hand and then points it at Bryan. “And we have a winner. The brave Sheriff Suarez has defeated the wily outlaw, who… didn’t even fire his gun, it seems.”

Indeed, James’s gun was still holstered. He didn’t respond, he just started coughing.

“Uhh… James? You okay?” Bryan asks, holstering his revolver.

James stared down at his clean white shirt, where a red stain was starting to blossom, spreading through every thread. He looked up at his opponent, staring uncertainly at their gun.

“No…this couldn’t possibly be… Have I truly been…?”

Slowly, James begins to fall backwards. He slams onto the ground, dust billowing around him in a cloud.

“J-James!” Oscar shouts as he rises from the steps. However, Bryan is faster, racing over to James and kneeling next to him.

“Wh-What? How the hell did this happen?”

“That…wasn’t rubber…”, James coughs. “This is…the end for me…”

“W-Wait!”, Bryan shouts. “Who did this to you, James? Who shot you?!”

James doesn’t respond. Instead, he vaguely stares behind the two and murmurs, “They… truly outsmarted me… this time…”

“Wh-What? You’re not making sense, Mr. Clement!”, Oscar yells.

But James doesn’t seem to be listening. He leans onto the dirty ground and slowly closes his eyes. The two try to revive him but to no avail. He doesn’t get up.

There was no “perhaps” here-- James Clement, the Ultimate Director, had truly died.

“Oh, egads! One of our passengers has been murdered! Please gather on the street as soon as possible! The trial will begin in about an hour, so begin your investigations immediately. Good luck!”

It wasn’t long before most of the remaining passengers were all gathered on the street, staring at James’s body, their emotions conflicted. All they heard for a while was the desert breeze sweeping through the quiet town. They envied the wind, soaring off to new places while they were left behind here, wondering how many corpses they’d see before they just stopped caring.

“Hey, uhh…” Bryan slowly asks, “Where’s Raul?”

“He’s resting in the saloon,” Keri replies, “Apparently, he got shot.”

“Wh-What?! Is he okay?”

“He says he’ll be fine, and I believe him.” Urumi says, “I mean, we all saw what happened last time he got shot…”

Another desolate silence blankets the street until Jack speaks up.

“Hey, I know things seem bad… but none of you need to worry. I’ve already got this murder figured out.”

Koichi gives him an exhausted glance and replies, “…What are you talking about?”

“Well, just think about it,” Jack elucidates, “It looks like he was shot to death, right? But that can’t be right… It’s too easy!”

“Too easy?” Urumi asks, “He’s got a bullet wound. What do you think happened?”

“Well, that’s the beauty of it, huh? You’d easily assume the bullet wound was the cause of death, but he was actually killed four hours ago, probably by some poison, and he just happened to get shot right after the poison killed him.”

Otto’s annoyed voice transmits through everyone’s bracelets at once. “Oh, I can’t stand to listen to this poppycock anymore! Look, he was killed by a bullet, alright? Does that satisfy your wild imaginations?”

“Well, maybe the bullet was poisoned…” Jack adds.

“Oh, just shut up,” Urumi snaps, “Come on… let’s get to the investigation.”

As people begin to filter off, Keri quickly adds, “Remember, James might not have been the nicest person… but he still deserves justice. So please, treat this investigation as seriously as you would for any of us…”

The passengers nod half-heartedly as they walk off.

Investigation Teams:
Street: Koichi, Urumi, V.A.L.
Three Buildings: Keri, Oscar.
Four Buildings: Raul, Bryan, Jack.

…

With their investigation finished, everyone, including Raul, makes their way to the storage room. The floor is already lifted when they arrive, allowing them to head into to the trial room for the fourth time.

The view out the window now displays the vast plains surrounding the town, brightly illuminated by the sun high in the sky. The many portraits marking the podiums of the deceased were now joined by one depicting Irene… and one depicting James. The passengers slowly walked to their podiums.

James… alright, nobody here actually liked him. He was a jerk from start to finish, never worthy of the class's trust. He was ready to kill for his own selfish motivations and didn't regret it in the slightest. He was irredeemable and the others knew it.

Still, his antics were one of the few things they could count on remaining the same, and no one could deny that the group just felt strange without him. Even after everything he’d done, it was hard to feel relieved that he had been murdered. Still, they had no choice but to discover the truth of his death.

After all, the one who had killed him… was one of them.