Chain Me

Take One For The Team

     I hold my elbow in one hand and use the fingers of my other to tap over my lips nervously. The observation room is cozy to allow for spectators to further enjoy the interrogations, but I'm not much interested in comfort right now. I'm worried about what may happen when Mariam enters the interrogation room. Surely the subject remembers her, and she may act antagonistically.
     The subject is seated behind a table, waiting patiently for what may come. Not even a few minutes ago did she come out of her drugged haze to find herself in an unfamiliar room. She didn't complain or try to escape. She simply sat down in the chair provided and sighed.
I asked the General not to have her cuffed or strapped down as a sign of trust and he agreed, but he did mention that if anything went haywire, I'd have to take the blame. I would take the blame, but I still think things would go smoother if I was the one going in there. Precautions were taken, of course, but having a block of soldiers at the ready and Cas seems extreme. Hopefully neither will be needed.
My fingers tap my lip harder as the door to the interrogation room opens.
     And the subject tenses.

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     So many heart beats, all around me, beating in a crazy way that makes me frown. I've woken up in an interrogation room this time but this definitely isn't the police station. I feel like something big is about to happen but I'm unsure what. I suppose the people that are keeping me here finally want to know about me. Honestly, I assumed this would be sooner, but I won't complain since I got to spend time with the woman with the pretty voice.
     After a while, when I've shaken off the drugs that were shot into me, the solid door to my right clicks open, a buzz signaling me even though I don't need it. I lift my head to see the first face in ages... and it's that refined woman with her lion girl companion, Cas. Immediately I tense, prepared for a retaliation, but Cas doesn't attack and that refined woman waits by the door as it closes and locks behind her. I narrow my eyes and slide my hands into my lap just in case I have to rip the table from the floor and use it as a weapon. That's dramatic, but I remember from our last fight that Cas is much more trained than me in combat. She has actual skill while I only use brute force, which would be fine if she were a normal human. If I were trained I'm sure I would have won the last round.
     "I'm guessing you remember us, then," that refined woman says, still remaining by the door with Cas.
     I lean back in my chair and let my fingertips run over the underside of the table. "Yes, I remember."
     That woman adjusts her glasses. "May I sit?"
     Well, at least she's polite. "Okay," I say, eyes on Cas.
     "My name is Mariam, by the way," the woman says as she takes the only other seat in the room. "I didn't get a chance to tell you last time." She adjusts her glasses again and crosses her legs, then motions towards Cas. "And this is-"
     "Cas," I finish. "Yes, I know. You yelled it when she killed Seras."
     Mariam nods slowly, a pained look on her face. "That's... I'm sorry."
     I shrug. "It happened."
     "Yes it did, when it shouldn't have. Are you okay?"
     My eyes find Cas again and I stare at her. She doesn't look all too upset about ending a life, but I know by the quick words floating around her head that she does regret loosing her cool. She really does think she could have handled things better. She knows Seras's death could have been avoided. It should have been avoided.
     I lift my chin and nod once. "I forgive you," I tell her earnestly. And I do. I was attached to Seras, but most, if not all of it, was thanks to the collar. Now that I don't have it, I feel almost nothing. She was cruel to me and gave me more bruises and cuts than anyone else who's ever owned me in such a short time. I won't speak ill of the dead, just in case they come back, but Seras wasn't exactly the nicest person around.
     Cas furrows her brow. "What?"
     "I forgive you," I repeat. "You don't like that you lost your temper. That's enough for me- your regret."
     Cas glances at Mariam, who nods encouragingly. "Yeah, okay... Sorry. You're not going to try to kill me?" she adds suspiciously.
     I put my hands atop the table. "Depends. Are you going to try to kill me?"
     "Not unless you try first."
      My fingers spread and I lift a shoulder slightly. "We'll see how this goes." I raise an eyebrow at Mariam. "Because this might end badly, right?" The way she felt, and still feels, about this meeting is written all around her.
     Mariam hides her shock well and says, "I... never said that."
     Eyes narrowed, I read the slow, unsteady words in the air. She thought it and said it. I didn't hear her, but she's thinking about that moment. "I don't want to talk to you if you're going to lie to me."
     "Who says I'm lying?"
     "I do," I declare, leaning forward, causing Cas to take a step to me. "Don't move," I warn her. She's all too ready to pounce on me if I make the wrong move. At least I'll see it coming. "You may have more skill than me but I'm better than you in every other way. I'll be on Mariam before you reach me."
     Cas growls and her jaw ticks, but she stops moving. Smart. But she's still thinking about all the ways she can possibly get me before I do any damage. All of her ideas aren't so fun for me, but I trust that she won't try any. At least not yet.
     Mariam, on the other hand, touches the frame of her glasses and smiles nervously, though pretends it's sincere. "So I was lying. How did you know? Did you hear me say how I thought this would go?"
     "Does it matter?"
     "Yes. It does."
     Bringing my legs to tuck under my chair, I cock my head. "You're not the only one that thought this wouldn't go well."
     "That's true," Mariam admits.
     A little smile quirks my lips. This is my chance to find out who the woman with the pretty voice is. Mariam wouldn't lie; she's not that stupid. "Who is she?" I ask, trying not to sound too eager.
     Mariam purses her lips, wondering if this is a test to see if I'll catch her in a lie again. Before she can open her mouth, though, an all too familiar voice fills the room, saying, "Don't tell her my name."
     I'm happy to the hear that beautiful voice again, but I'm confused as to why she won't let me know her name. I figured she was watching and I thought that maybe she'd come see me even...
     "You know what my name is, right?" I ask the walls.
     "Lost. But that sounds made up, doesn't it?"
     My face heats at the observation. "Yes... It was given to me some time back."
     "What's your real name?"
     Cheeks getting hotter, I look down. "I don't know. I've... forgotten."
     "Can you tell me my name then?"
     I snap my head up, my confused expression mirroring Mariam's and Cas's. "What?" I ask, flicking my eyes around.