Ultramarine | The Darkest Minds Fanfic

Chapter 17, Cole

"You." I banged on the glass to wake the boy sleeping on the other side. It is three in the morning, not that it would matter much to him—the lights here stay on whole day through—but he was sleeping. "Get up. You're having a word with me."

　　He didn't move at all, except lifting his arm off his face. "Fancy you here, Stewart." He said, turning only his face towards me, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

　　"I know you're not giving us everything you know, so spill." I said.

　　He raised his eyebrows. "And what's in it for me?"

　　"How about letting you keep your life?" I retorted.

　　He snorted. "I think we had already established that you're not killing me."

　　That much is true. I hated that so much. But if stick can't work, we still have carrots. We—well, I—had already given him well more than he deserved. The blanket and the pillows were all granted yesterday under the futile hope that he would let more slip if he's comfortable. Not to mention the clean clothes.

　　But I have more tricks up my sleeves.

　　"I heard you are bored." I said, and took out a copy of A Farewell to Arms from the bag I brought in. "And I heard you like books."

　　One look at the president's boy confirmed my victory. His eyes sparked before he could contain it with a front of contempt—he's taken that bait. This had been my one gift, what makes me a good agent; a great one, even—the postures and the facial expressions might lie, but eyes never do, and I catch those lights in people's eyes like no one else can.

　　"I want War and Peace." He said.

　　"Don't have that here." I said. It's the truth, but even if I do have it here, I would still lie. In interrogation, you never give the prisoner what they want off the bat. "But I could find it in my heart to get you a copy—"

　　"If I'm a good boy?" He finished.

　　"Looks like you know the drill." I said.

　　He let out a long sigh. "What do you have there?"

　　"Guess."

　　He rolled off his bed, and stood up. "Stewart, you know I could do much better than that."

　　"Sheena is outside, and she has my permission to blow your brains out as soon as you try anything on me."

　　It's a lie. Sheena is still in my room after she asked me to leave her alone, and there's no one else. But from the look on Clancy Gray's face, he couldn't tell. He narrowed his eyes at me, and didn't say anything as he was obviously trying to figure out if I was bluffing.

　　"Fine." He said finally. "But I don't know anything about your colleagues, except they are going to be put into one of those black sites. For all I know, they are most likely dead."

　　I felt my face drained of all blood. How did he know that? The ring finger on my left hand gave out a sharp twitch, and I clenched it into a fist.

　　No. He's baiting me. Cool it. "And you think I'm going to buy that?"

　　"Buy it or not, it's the truth." He said, "That's the first piece of information. Now give me my book."

　　I snorted a little, and threw in a book through the slot on the door. He all but jumped for it, until he realized what it was. He picked the book up with two fingers, an obvious disgust on his face.