Genosha: In the Balance - Solitaire
Jun. 1st, 2012 10:28 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logs Tabitha's interrogation.
Warning: Graphic imagery. Mention of Rachel's death.
The interrogation room was not much more than a small, bare office, with a table bolted down to the floor and two plastic chairs. In one sat a thin, spare man in a plain black suit, a file folder on the table before his neatly-folded hands. He looked up as Tabitha was brought in, hands cuffed in front of her, and motioned for the guard to put her in the other chair. His eyes were so pale they were almost colourless, hard to focus on for longer than a few minutes.
"If you'll leave us," he said to the guard. "I'll call if I need you."
Tabs sat perfectly straight in her chair, both feet on the floor, back stiff. She didn't look at the man across from her, but through him, as if she could pretend he wasn't there hard enough and he would disappear. She intently studied the wall behind him, perfectly okay with waiting.
So was he, apparently, as he opened the file folder and spent some moments leafing through the contents. At last, he looked up at Tabitha, taking in her disheveled appearance.
"My name is Mr. Grey," he said crisply. "I will be asking you questions about the Xavier's Institute and why you are here. You will answer my questions." He went on with the barest hint of a pause, not enough for Tabitha to speak, but enough for him to take in her expression. "I see you have spent the past several days in solitary confinement," he continued. "Tell me, how was that?"
She shrugged. "Quiet," she said. He wasn't disappearing, so she actually looked at him. "I'm a librarian, I like the quiet." Her gaze went back to the wall.
"A librarian? I find that hard to believe." He turned over another page of the file folder. "Librarians are not known for attacking government buildings and being responsible for the deaths of dozens of security forces. Ordinary men and women, with families and lives, snuffed out by you." He pulled photographs from the file, several colour pictures of various bodies, skin burned, limbs gone. "Your handiwork, Ms. Smith."
Her eyes slid over the photos. She didn't let herself see the images on the paper. "Most people are surprised," she said. "But the books and knowledge are amazing. They're proof that sometimes we're more than monkeys in shoes." Her mouth twitched in an almost-smile. "Sometimes."
Mr. Grey picked up a photograph. "Let me tell you something about these 'monkeys in shoes'," he said, putting the picture up close to Tabitha's face. "Miriam Soweto, age 29. Mother of two children, five and seven. Killed by an explosive impact trying to stop your group of terrorists." The woman's face was almost burned completely off, her arms ending in mere stumps where she'd obviously tried to shield herself. "Killed by you, Ms. Smith. Are you still amused now?"
Tabitha's gaze turned lazer-sharp to Grey. "Miriam Soweto, age 29, volunteered for a potentially dangerous job in which she supports human experimentation. Rachel Summers, age six, ripped from her family and destroyed in the name of said experimentation." She held his gaze a moment longer, then went back to staring at the wall.
"That incident was... regrettable. But you and your people had already been responsible the deaths of dozens of Genoshans. Genoshans who, yes, had volunteered to protect their country against invaders." Grey dropped the photograph, collecting it and the others together. "Invaders such as your 'school', Ms. Smith. A school for mutant terrorists, it appears, considering the havoc your staff and students have managed to inflict on us. A school into which that child you spoke of was undoubtably also to be indoctrinated, another member of the Brotherhood."
Tabs' gaze wandered back to him a moment. "Heh, regrettable," she repeated his word and looked away again. "I'm not here to defend myself to you, what do you want?"
"Answers." He flipped over another page, pen at the ready. "When were you first recruited to Xavier's?"
She took a macabre amusement in that. "Recruited? I suppose it could be called that, in the sense of 'go to the army or go to jail.'" The fingers of her right hand danced along the metal of her left handcuff. "It was an opportunity, and I took it."
"So this school is like the army?"
She raised her eyebrows. "That's going a step or eleven farther than I did, but if you want to argue semantics, I have all the time in the world."
"Actually, you don't." Mr Grey gave her an almost sorrowful look. "Once we have finished our questioning, you will be facing trial for terrorism. In Genosha, that is a capital offence." He gave her a thin smile. "So your time is indeed limited, Ms. Smith. If you cooperate, the Court may be lenient. If not..." He didn't have to finish.
"Then I guess my time is yours," she corrected herself with a false smile. She forced down the anger boiling in her gut. She couldn't afford to go on the defensive, she had to stay calm and boring. She just had to bide her time until her teammates figured a way out of this mess. "As for your charges," she huffed in a humorless laugh. "Well, history is written by the victors."
Grey sighed and shook his head before getting up from his seat. "I had hoped that you would see the benefit in cooperation," he said, regretfully as he walked around the table. "But I can see there is only one thing you and your people understand. Violence." His hand flashed out, lightning fast, and backhanded her across the face. HIs expression, when he looked down at her, was almost distasteful. "This is largely a facility for political prisoners and those undergoing the mutate process, but there are some more...unsavoury elements as well. Unless you become more cooperative, I shall arrange for you to be placed with them. An attractive young woman like yourself, I'm sure you'll be very... popular. For tonight, you will return to solitary. You will have time to consider your options. I suggest that you use it."
Tabitha's blood plummeted from boiling to a flash freeze. She continued to stare straight ahead, this time unable to move, unable to even make a reply. It was several long moments before she remembered to breath again.
He nodded, watching her face. "I believe we understand each other now. Guard!" He raised his voice on the last and the prison guard opened the door. "Take Ms. Smith back to solitary." As the guard moved to escort Tabitha out, Mr. Grey spoke to her again. "And do not make the mistake of thinking I am bluffing, Ms. Smith. I assure you, I don't care what I do to get the information I need. You are nothing to me."
Warning: Graphic imagery. Mention of Rachel's death.
The interrogation room was not much more than a small, bare office, with a table bolted down to the floor and two plastic chairs. In one sat a thin, spare man in a plain black suit, a file folder on the table before his neatly-folded hands. He looked up as Tabitha was brought in, hands cuffed in front of her, and motioned for the guard to put her in the other chair. His eyes were so pale they were almost colourless, hard to focus on for longer than a few minutes.
"If you'll leave us," he said to the guard. "I'll call if I need you."
Tabs sat perfectly straight in her chair, both feet on the floor, back stiff. She didn't look at the man across from her, but through him, as if she could pretend he wasn't there hard enough and he would disappear. She intently studied the wall behind him, perfectly okay with waiting.
So was he, apparently, as he opened the file folder and spent some moments leafing through the contents. At last, he looked up at Tabitha, taking in her disheveled appearance.
"My name is Mr. Grey," he said crisply. "I will be asking you questions about the Xavier's Institute and why you are here. You will answer my questions." He went on with the barest hint of a pause, not enough for Tabitha to speak, but enough for him to take in her expression. "I see you have spent the past several days in solitary confinement," he continued. "Tell me, how was that?"
She shrugged. "Quiet," she said. He wasn't disappearing, so she actually looked at him. "I'm a librarian, I like the quiet." Her gaze went back to the wall.
"A librarian? I find that hard to believe." He turned over another page of the file folder. "Librarians are not known for attacking government buildings and being responsible for the deaths of dozens of security forces. Ordinary men and women, with families and lives, snuffed out by you." He pulled photographs from the file, several colour pictures of various bodies, skin burned, limbs gone. "Your handiwork, Ms. Smith."
Her eyes slid over the photos. She didn't let herself see the images on the paper. "Most people are surprised," she said. "But the books and knowledge are amazing. They're proof that sometimes we're more than monkeys in shoes." Her mouth twitched in an almost-smile. "Sometimes."
Mr. Grey picked up a photograph. "Let me tell you something about these 'monkeys in shoes'," he said, putting the picture up close to Tabitha's face. "Miriam Soweto, age 29. Mother of two children, five and seven. Killed by an explosive impact trying to stop your group of terrorists." The woman's face was almost burned completely off, her arms ending in mere stumps where she'd obviously tried to shield herself. "Killed by you, Ms. Smith. Are you still amused now?"
Tabitha's gaze turned lazer-sharp to Grey. "Miriam Soweto, age 29, volunteered for a potentially dangerous job in which she supports human experimentation. Rachel Summers, age six, ripped from her family and destroyed in the name of said experimentation." She held his gaze a moment longer, then went back to staring at the wall.
"That incident was... regrettable. But you and your people had already been responsible the deaths of dozens of Genoshans. Genoshans who, yes, had volunteered to protect their country against invaders." Grey dropped the photograph, collecting it and the others together. "Invaders such as your 'school', Ms. Smith. A school for mutant terrorists, it appears, considering the havoc your staff and students have managed to inflict on us. A school into which that child you spoke of was undoubtably also to be indoctrinated, another member of the Brotherhood."
Tabs' gaze wandered back to him a moment. "Heh, regrettable," she repeated his word and looked away again. "I'm not here to defend myself to you, what do you want?"
"Answers." He flipped over another page, pen at the ready. "When were you first recruited to Xavier's?"
She took a macabre amusement in that. "Recruited? I suppose it could be called that, in the sense of 'go to the army or go to jail.'" The fingers of her right hand danced along the metal of her left handcuff. "It was an opportunity, and I took it."
"So this school is like the army?"
She raised her eyebrows. "That's going a step or eleven farther than I did, but if you want to argue semantics, I have all the time in the world."
"Actually, you don't." Mr Grey gave her an almost sorrowful look. "Once we have finished our questioning, you will be facing trial for terrorism. In Genosha, that is a capital offence." He gave her a thin smile. "So your time is indeed limited, Ms. Smith. If you cooperate, the Court may be lenient. If not..." He didn't have to finish.
"Then I guess my time is yours," she corrected herself with a false smile. She forced down the anger boiling in her gut. She couldn't afford to go on the defensive, she had to stay calm and boring. She just had to bide her time until her teammates figured a way out of this mess. "As for your charges," she huffed in a humorless laugh. "Well, history is written by the victors."
Grey sighed and shook his head before getting up from his seat. "I had hoped that you would see the benefit in cooperation," he said, regretfully as he walked around the table. "But I can see there is only one thing you and your people understand. Violence." His hand flashed out, lightning fast, and backhanded her across the face. HIs expression, when he looked down at her, was almost distasteful. "This is largely a facility for political prisoners and those undergoing the mutate process, but there are some more...unsavoury elements as well. Unless you become more cooperative, I shall arrange for you to be placed with them. An attractive young woman like yourself, I'm sure you'll be very... popular. For tonight, you will return to solitary. You will have time to consider your options. I suggest that you use it."
Tabitha's blood plummeted from boiling to a flash freeze. She continued to stare straight ahead, this time unable to move, unable to even make a reply. It was several long moments before she remembered to breath again.
He nodded, watching her face. "I believe we understand each other now. Guard!" He raised his voice on the last and the prison guard opened the door. "Take Ms. Smith back to solitary." As the guard moved to escort Tabitha out, Mr. Grey spoke to her again. "And do not make the mistake of thinking I am bluffing, Ms. Smith. I assure you, I don't care what I do to get the information I need. You are nothing to me."
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