Platinum Skies (The Manifests Series #2)

[2] To Flee Without Worry

April 26, 2023, 2:00 pm, Minhyuk's Settlement, Daegu, South Korea.

It was now afternoon, and Zeke and Jihyo were now going to Vanta, with Hangyeol as their guide. The place where he was imprisoned is far off at the edge of the settlement---away from the people and important places, so that he doesn't cause trouble should he choose to do so.

A few minutes of quiet walking has passed and soon, they arrive.

The place was near one of the construction materials, scraps, and Koul'in technology parts that Hyungwon and his team had salvaged over the past few months. It wasn't as properly fixed like most of the buildings in the settlement, but there were a few intact rooms that were seemingly reinforced with steel.

"I've... never seen this area before." Jihyo looks as she scans the area.

"Minhyuk-nim plans for everything, you see. He wasn't indifferent to the possibility that we would eventually take alien prisoners for interrogation or something, so he went ahead and made this small prison area after your battle with Shintel." Hangyeol explained. "....But he never focused on it much because we've been pouring resources on keeping people safe on the main base, so... yeah."

"I see. And on this one room... Is where Vanta is?" Zeke asked as he points on one of the reinforced doors with a lamppost open next to it.

Hangyeol nods in response.

"I don't know what to ask him." Jihyo said as she turns to Zeke. "I mean... Interrogating people for information isn't something of my expertise, especially if the being in question is our enemy."

"Don't worry. I'll do it." Zeke replied. "It's just going to be like taking interviews from applicants back in the office..."

The three of them took a deep breath, and Hangyeol soon opens the door.

The dark blue room was a bit colder than the outside. It was nothing short of a regular room--- with a cot, a small table and a few chairs. Sitting on the white tiled floor was Vanta, seemingly fixing up the seams on his leather and metal armor.

They walk inside, and Vanta notices as he looks at the four of them with his dark blue eyes. Hangyeol then closes the door as he stood guard infront of it, and brings out a pouch of mango juice to drink.

Zeke quietly grabs a chair and offers it to Jihyo, and grabs his own chair and moves it right infront of the Koul'in soldier. He observes him intently for quite some time.

Jihyo notices the sudden seriousness in Zeke's eyes, and the obvious change in aura. It felt like he's a totally different person--- as if he's hellbent on drawing information out of Vanta by any means necessary.

Jihyo then looks at Vanta. He looks like he's intimidated by Zeke's presence as he shudders faintly. It was quite obvious that he was willing to give information about what was going on regardless of what may happen, and that Zeke didn't have to be all too serious about his interrogation.

But precautions had to be made. Zeke knew that if he approached the Koul'in soldier with a lax attitude, then Vanta might use it against them. He's not taking any chances.

"I'm going straight to the point here." Zeke began. "Why are you helping us?"

"I just... don't want to die." Vanta replied.

"I'm not convinced, not one bit." Zeke replied. "Self-preservation is just a basic goal; a natural response to a threat of death. I believe if you remove that threat, your goals will change. Now you're completely safe here and your life is spared, I'm sure you now have something else in mind, hmm?"