Interrogation

[thethiefofvictory 339]

 

This story is part of a story, complete details in this post. It is highly advised that you read all previously published stories before reading this - in particular, An Attempt on Her Life, The Controlled Assassin, Her Wish, and Guests and Suspects are just about essential.

 

 

“Who are you?”

 

“You act well, Sarah… Spark.”

 

“And you, you remember well, James.”

 

“So do you. You remember everything. I trained you well, then. Victoria was not so inept at combat as you made her look like. The student has beat the mentor, it seems.”

 

I feel a faint smile appear on my face, one which echoes that which is long gone. Memories appear as videos playing in front of me, the desk and the man on the other side visible through them. I say a phrase, familiar from the scenes that my eyes play before me.

 

“The student cannot beat the teacher, no.”

 

“Then you have done the impossible, once again. You said the same, all those years ago. Stone, elated yet unable to believe that you won that duel. That you defeated me.”

 

The smile widens, now accompanied by a tear. I sense a similar smile on the man’s face, though I do not see it. I keep my eyes low, but I do not understand why. Shame? Respect, awe? Or what?

 

“And then the letter came. We both knew that was your end, though neither dared to state it. The assassination of a Queen is not a trivial matter, even for the greatest of assassins.”

 

“It broke the stone spell, at least,” the man says in a slightly comedic tone, possibly hoping to break the sad, nostalgic atmosphere of this small, dark room. The attempt fails, as he knew it was fated to, but at least it makes me suppress a slight, sadistic laugh at his failure.

 

“You haven’t told me. Why are you here? Surely you would have more important things to do than converse nostalgia with the assassin of your wife, Queen of Peace, and that too in a particularly suspicious manner?”

 

I hear his evidently false coughs as he attempts to prepare a ridiculous reply. He doesn’t cough unless he’s trying to crack jokes. For some reason, “will you marry me" and a ring of paper come to mind.

 

“There was a woman at the control room of the War Palace. Until you showed up, I thought she was the assassin, so I killed her.”

 

“Shocking. That wasn’t a joke. I’ll be honest, there are a lot of people at Deadcliff who could qualify as the woman in - wait, control room of the War Palace?”

 

I sense him nodding. “Somehow, the answer is yes. And what’s more, it appears there’s a Hex in that room. One would think it controls the Scythe AI and the Palace functions, but you don’t need one of those supercomputers for that, let alone the most powerful one ever. Something’s afoot, and I know you can give us at least a clue.”

 

“Us? I wonder if that is the Night Sister…?”

 

“You know me too well. Yes, that is her. But she has no idea who you are, and how I know you, or why I’m really here. She thinks it’s an interrogation, and I want to keep it that way.”

 

“But this is an interrogation. No?”

 

“No. Just a request. Can you tell me anything?”

 

The word ‘request’ feels odd, almost alien to me. For all my life, I have received orders from my superiors, never requests. How must I reply? Should I treat this as an unusually polite order? Or is it really… just a request?

 

He speaks before I can, his tone soft and consoling. “Sarah. Don’t worry. You don’t need to tell us anything.”

 

This clears my confusions, and in an instant I have almost forgotten how those few moments of thought felt. This time, I reply.

 

“One of the mountains houses another Hex. The people at Deadcliff have codenamed it Mount Gold. You may have heard of the name from the secret room in Sister’s house at the Peacewatch headquarters atop Research. She was investigating this matter, and it appears that’s why they attempted to kill her. Or maybe they just wanted to make her appear to be dead. Whatever their plans were is not our primary concern. I suspect Mount Gold refers to the Pacific Peak, directly west of the river’s origin.”

 

“Pacific Peak you say? I’ve been there. An assassin tried to kill the doctor, but I managed to intercept his teleport connection and discovered a ‘Gold’. Teleporting there revealed a computer and the assassin’s controls, allowing me to make him kill Page instead.”

 

“You probably won’t believe this-"

 

“...but you were the assassin. I believe you, Sarah.”

 

How did he guess? He did not see me or find any clues, and I know that well. Did he really just guess? But more importantly, why is he treating the assassin of his beloved wife so well? What does he want?

 

I cast these questions away from my mind and reply, trying in vain not to reveal my thoughts. We both know he will figure them out.

 

“And that woman you killed is one of Deadcliff’s assassin controllers, known in code as Strategy. She’s the same person whom you killed earlier in Gold. Or should I say, failed to kill. There are three more, one of them at your controls, possibly even now.”

 

“You mean to say… the cure was a lie? That it merely stopped the voices?”

 

“I have no idea, but if you want to learn more, you should pay another visit to the ruins, and to the War Palace. Scythe’ll recognise you this time. The mountains are dangerous and likely not worth it, and your sister should be able to investigate Research. I doubt anyone would hide anything important in a house, even if it’s in a secret room. You may want to check the safe in the wall, too. Chandelier, emblems and 1104, was it?”

 

I laugh as he gasps, shocked that I know the code and location of his royal safe. “How do you know?”

 

“Our former superiors know more than you thought they do.”

 

“Means I will need to rebuild the whole thing. Twelve years later and that experience still haunts me.”

 

“I’m not surprised. You’ve never been good at building things. I still remember the jokes we made about that.”

 

We both laugh, remembering the old days when he was the teacher and I the student. “How dare you make fun of your elders!” he replies, giggling through the sentence.

 

“Apologies.”

 

“Well. Thank you for the information, Sarah. I’m sure it will help. I should go, lest the people wonder where their king is, or why is he personally interrogating a murderer. And before I go, a gift for you.”

 

His hands reach into his coat and reveal a gun, handing it to my cuffed hands. They pick it up and examine it. It has no ammo, of course. It is not unlike any other gun, either, except for one detail: my name inscribed on a side. I look at the word with love, as my mind plays memories of the past. Years ago, he had given me this as a gift. Tears fall upon it as I remember her murder, and how a bullet I fired from this gun killed her. Despite my misuse of it, he has still given it back to me, again as a gift.

 

“Thank you for this, James. Thank you.”

 

“Oh. It’s nothing. I should go now. And don’t worry, Sarah, I’ll find a way to prove that... you are innocent.”

 

My mind is shaken by those last three words. My eyes, kept low for the entire conversation, raise in shock towards him. It is only now that I see him, indistinct from the young assassin who trained me over twenty-three years ago. For a moment, I sit there, stone, staring at the man standing before me, trying to decipher what he means. What does he intend to say? How has he forgotten my crime? How can he? How can he possibly forgive the murder of his beloved wife? How can he call me innocent despite being an eyewitness to the assassination?

 

My mind can come up with only one explanation, for it turns blind to the truth. Victoria must have forgiven you.

 

James is quick to notice my state, and faster to react. “Sarah? What’s happened?”

 

The voice wakes me from my reverie, but it takes me longer to understand the world around me, or to think about how to reply. At last, I say, “Oh, nothing.”

 

"Nothing does not explain your state. What’s happened, Sarah?”

 

I knew he would not accept nothing as an answer to this, but I cannot make myself tell him to leave. At last, I speak. “You said that you will prove I am innocent. What do you mean? You were an eyewitness to the murder. How can you deny the truth? Or… did she forgive me? Did Victoria tell you to see me as innocent?”

 

He thinks about how to reply and tries to say yes. But we both know he cannot. His face says it all. He accepts defeat and utters it.

 

“No.”

Edited August 7, 2018 by thethiefofvictory

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

Approved!

 

Another well-written article. I quite enjoyed it, although there were a few very minor mistakes in it, such as not using a hyphen for numbers such as twenty-three. 

[thethiefofvictory 339]

Approved!

 

Another well-written article. I quite enjoyed it, although there were a few very minor mistakes in it, such as not using a hyphen for numbers such as twenty-three.

 

"you have reached your quota for positive votes for the day"

 

Never thought that could happen to me, heh.

 

Anyways, I prefer twenty three rather than twenty-three. Won't let you fix that next time though, don't worry! :p