Never As It Seems

Interrogation

The room Flames had been taken to was dimly lit. It was big; it could have easily fit a thousand or two people. However, the entire room was for the most part unoccupied, save for a few chairs in the center, along with a couch and a table with a couple of chairs sat around it, a discarded look to them. There were many unopened doors along the walls, and in the right corner was a staircase that led to a room upstairs. Other than that, though, it was empty.

It was the room that Flames had received his battle uniform as a fifteen year old - except it obviously didn't hold changing rooms and sign up desks anymore. He doubted the upstairs room had anything in it at all, much less an abundance of uniform parts in every size. 

He had had about ten seconds to take it all in when a man appeared in front of his face, blocking the view. He scrutinized him as if he were searching for something in his facial features. 

"Are you Pond, Flames R.?" he said. 

"Not usually in that order," said Flames. He gulped. The man was still peering at him, and his eyes narrowed. 

"Now, I don't want any sarcastic talk. We're going to be serious here - very serious - and very honest. If you're completely veracious with us, then maybe we'll let you go without a scratch. Maybe. But only if you comply."

Flames smiled awkwardly. 

"And no subliminal looks. I don't know what you're thinking, and I don't want to, but it better not be a plan to escape." He said that last part with obvious disdain. "You're going to sit here, and you're going to listen to me. Everything I say. That's not too hard, is it? Just answer my questions, and don't do anything else."

"Um... forgive me," said Flames. "And I'm being totally honest right now - but why exactly am I here? What do you need with me?"

The man laughed. It sounded harsh, and Flames winced. "What do we need with you? You, Flames Pond? Oh, you're going the 'playing dumb' route, are you? well, it won't work with me, and it won't work with any of us. You know very well why you're here."

"But I don't," said Flames. He looked around nervously for some sort of sign that he could get out of there, and fast. None came. "I told you I was being honest. I'm really not clear on this whole situation here at all. You see, I just arrived here, and I didn't expect -"

"Okay, let's say you're really being truthful," the man interrupted. "Which isn't likely, I might add. You came here alone? Or with friends?"

Flames clenched his teeth and looked around again. "I didn't say anything about that... I, um, would prefer not to answer?"

The man looked at him, his expression blank. Flames looked back, now terrified. 

"You don't know how this works, do you, Pond?" he said finally. "You are to answer every question I pose. You are not to be ambiguous. You are not to sneak around anything, and we know you, Pond. You like to sneak. That's stopping here. You are to be completely honest, with every question, or you won't like it. No, you won't like it at all."

"Yes, I agree," said Flames. "I won't like it. I still want answers, though. Just answers! Not the secrets to your government's inner workings or whatever. Just, why am I here?"

The man looked away from him and started pacing. Flames watched him nervously, half expecting him to suddenly bring out a knife and start charging at him with it. Rick had said that Adam had died while in an interrogation room, after all...

The man stopped in place and looked back at Flames, now smiling a sinister smile. "You're here, Pond," he said, "because we want you here. Got it?"