GEOVRU: IV

Chapter 9

"Tell us one more time, for official record, what did Thomas Gathway start PRAT in order to accomplish?" The man asked me. There was a bright light directly in my face and my Atomiton's audio recording was activated. The room I was in was dark and the table I sat at was almost completely metal.

"Thomas Gathway was a deranged man who wanted to destroy his own creation. The man sort of had a reputation for that kind of thing. First his daughter was too much for him to control, so he drove her to her death, and then he made PRAT to destroy the power that the Atomiton had formed over humanity as a whole." My voice was monotone and uninterested. I wanted out of the room I was stuck in. I had been here for the last hour or two answering pointless questions, sometimes more than once "for official record". I couldn't get the sight of Thomas being riddled with bullets out of my head. I'd once respected that man with the highest regard, he was my hero. To see him just slaughtered like that undoubtedly scared me for life.

"You said he has a reputation like this with his deceased daughter? Would you like to clarify that point?"

"No."

"Caedes, some people are saying that with the death of its creator and the damage that PRAT has caused will be irreversible to the community and those that still support a future with the Atomiton chip. What do you have to say about a world without the chip?"

"The Atomiton has been a key function of the world's society for almost three generations. If the world deems that the device is too dangerous, that is their call."

"Caedes are you saying that you are indifferent to the halting of the atomiton's production?" the man asked. I swear he had probably asked this question three times.

"I have nothing else to add to that topic." I told him, quickly ending that train of thought. I had been around his type before, new reporters. "Are we done here?" I asked.

"I supposed we are. Thank you for taking time to answer our questions." The man said, getting out of his chair and leaving the room. Just as he left, another man walked in and sat down in his place. This one was wearing a black uniform with a gilded badge over his lapel. He was in here before the news reporter. This one was a police officer. He was trying to get information out of me about PRAT, information I didn't have. I continued to tell him over and over again that he needs to ask Daimain and Sajison those questions, but he just kept saying that they were 'uncooperative'.

"I hope Mr Shakovich didn't bother you too much." The man said. So that was the reporters name? I guess I never bothered to ask. Oh well. "I just have a few more questions for you, and then you may go. Someone is here to see you as well."

"Is it Krystal?" I asked. I was hit with a sense of déjà vu. Had I asked that question before? Everything was just so blurry and mushed together since Thomas was shot.

"No." the man said, crushing my dreams. I had no interest if it wasn't Krystal. I hadn't seen her since they pulled her away from the train station in an ambulance. Me, Cry and Halit were each packed into the back of a different patrol car. Come to think of it I hadn't seen them either. "Now if we can get down to business I assure you we can be out of here within the next minute or two."

"Go ahead." I told him. "But I already told you I don't know anything that you don't know about PRAT."

The man chuckled. "That's not what I was going to ask you." He said. "No, I was going to question you about speaking legally."

"I'm sorry?" I asked him. "What do you mean?"

The man sighed. "Caedes, things are changing, people are talking and they're concerned. After everything PRAT has done there is talk about stopping the production of the Atomiton."