Interrogation: Sutherland

Posted on 04 Nov 2016 @ 8:22pm by Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast & Ensign Katniss Sutherland

1,918 words; about a 10 minute read

The interrogation room was a small room, barely ten square meters. It was dark and damp, and very sparse - there was nothing in the room save for a chair. However, unlike the holding cell where they had all been confined, there was a hint of technology here. The faint hum of some sort of technology could be heard, and although the room's periphery was very dark, there was a bright spot in the center, illuminating the chair, where the Hunters pushed down their guest.

Katniss squinted as her eyes tried to adjust, but it was too bright. She could hear the gentle buzz of equipment but she couldn't see much, her back had started to hurt due to the force of the hunters slamming her into the chair. She was determined that they were not going to get anything from her, not that she knew much anyway, she was a nurse, not even a senior officer. She knew nothing and hopefully as soon as her captors realized this, they would let her go back to her crew.

"Sutherland, Katniss. Starfleet serial number CX491176MWP, Rank Ensign." she shouted out into the light.

The Interrogator squinted his yellow eyes and tilted his head, looking at her quizzically. "Sutherland Katniss," he repeated in a calm and warm voice. "Is that your name?"

Katniss heard a calm strange voice from beyond the light, it made her skin crawl and freaked her out.

"Sutherland, Katniss, Starfleet serial number CX491176MWP, Rank Ensign." she again repeated as was standard protocol in an interrogation situation.

The Interrogator smiled, baring grey serrated teeth. "You may relax, Sutherland Katniss, Starfleet serial number CX491176MWP, Rank Ensign. You are among friends here, and no one will harm you." His voice remained soothing as silk, relaxing her, as he projected calm and soothing emotions into her mind.

Katniss let out a sigh of relief. "Among friends, no one will hurt me." She replied as she pictured herself back on the Black Hawk with the people she cared for, at ease, relaxing and having fun, as though not a care in the world, but another image flashed in, just for a moment, an image of mistreatment, the boarding party. "But what about the crew who were killed, not offered medical treatment?" she said confused

"Miscommunication," said the Interrogator. "We do not know your species. You appeared suddenly in our territory, carrying weapons, and have been conducting battle." He projected insecurity in her mind, in an attempt to generate a reaction of sympathy from the woman.

Katniss's mind was overrun with feeling, she wasn't used to all this emotion, she let out a whimper as she felt sorry and sympathy for her captors. "Miscommunication, yes. It must have been scary for you." She replied "Two ships, suddenly out of nowhere, in your space. You were bound to try and protect yourself, find out what was happening. We would have done the same, like when I order coffee and get tea, it's just miscommunication." She said sympathetically.

The Interrogator stepped into the light and was instantly closer to her, his face about six inches from her own. His deep-set yellow eyes gazed deeply into hers, and his mind was now firmly entrenched into her own. Coffee... Tea... Those alien concepts were suddenly known to him. A beverage known for its properties as a stimulant, and another that could be either stimulating or soothing, depending on the herbs involved. But why would this creature bring up the subject of beverage at a time like this?

"You are thirsty?" asked the Interrogator.

Katniss didn't even flinch at the sight before her, instead she smiled, after all her captor was offering her a drink, it was all a misunderstanding.

"Yes, please. It's been awhile." She paused for a moment, trying to remember when she last had a drink. "I don't know how long it's been, we as a species need nutrients to survive, food and water. Without water we die within days." She flinched with a little pain, it was as though she had a headache. But she was at least, relaxed.

The Interrogator produced a flask out of the folds of his robes, which he handed her. It was the most basic of liquids, the one found most abundantly in the universe, and which was essential to all life forms - water.

"Thank you." She said taking the flask.

He waited for her to take a drink before speaking again.

"Better?" he asked.

Katniss gulped the water down without thought or hesitation, she was parched and borderline dehydrated, "Much better, thank you." She replied water dripping from her mouth and not knowing what was to come, so far her captive had been civil to her and she trusted him, it was all just a misunderstanding and she was among friends here.

"Would you like some more?" he asked.

Dana nodded, she had gulped the water down quickly and was still thirsty, she watched as the alien's smile got wider, then suddenly water had started pouring into the room, he stood smiling at her as the water began to rise around her feet, quickly reaching up to her knees.

"The water. I'll drown." She said panic setting it, it was though a dam had burst through the walls and it was rising quickly, at this rate it would fill the room in minutes. "Help me." She said as her pulse began to race, fear setting in. The water was now up to her chest and she was waving her arms amount trying to keep afloat. "I'm not a good swimmer." As she splashing around in the water. "Please, I don't want to drown, I only heal people." She sobbed.

The Interrogator took her hand gently into his own and smiled kindly. "You are a healer," he stated.

Shivers went up her spine as the interrogator took her hand, the water had vanished and she was dry, her heart still racing, adrenaline pumping. She looked around confused, she looked up at the walls, not a trace of water. She glanced back at her captor, barely hearing his question.

"Yes, I'm a healer, but I couldn't help everyone." She said her smile turned into sadness "Before I was brought here, one of your men snapped her neck, she's dead, and I couldn't do anything."

"An unfortunate accident," deplored the Interrogator, pushing feelings of sincerity and regret into her mind. "Tell me about where you are from."

Katniss closed her eyes, the feeling of sympathy and regret. She trusted him, she believed him. "Just a misunderstanding." She repeated. She felt the sympathy and regret, she trusted him and she believed him. "I'm from Earth, a planet in the Alpha Quadrant." she blurted out as though she couldn't stop her mouth from opening.

"The Alpha Quadrant?" he asked. The notion of Quadrants was unknown to him. "Tell me about Earth. About your people."

"Earth, it's a beautiful planet, home of many different species and cultures. It has several continents where the inhabitants speak several different languages. Each region has its own spectacular views, none are the same. We explore space to expand our knowledge and understanding of the universe, we are a peaceful species and race." She replied with a smile on her face as memories of home came flooding into her mind.

"And what of your species? What do you call yourselves?"

"Human, biological entities that have a short existence compared to some species. Seventy, eighty years if we are lucky. Some live much older, others die much younger."

The Interrogator slipped deeper into her mind, and absorbed the images she was feeding him. Earth's beauty was now known to him, and he was absorbing every information he could find on humans. "What do humans fear?" he asked.

Dark images filled Katniss's mind, death, plague, spiders, war, clowns, dolls, people being trapped, drowning. Her mind was racing, she couldn't keep pace with them all. "Nooooo." She yelled as the images overwhelmed her "We fear many thing." She replied grasping her head in pain "It depends on the individual, no one person will be the same. I fear…." She paused as she struggled with the images in her head "I fear that darkness consumes me." She said sobbing "That I don't feel emotion like it's trapped inside and can't get out."

The images of the holodeck came flashing to the front of her mind, her shoulder as it dislocated. "Please..."

The Interrogator took in the images of spiders coming from the woman's mind. They reminded him of similar creatures found on Selam. Clown images, on the other hand, were totally unfamiliar to him - he found them rather grotesque. He pushed aside the notion, which he deemed irrelevant.

"Why are you here?" he asked.

"I told you, I'm a nurse. I'm not even senior staff. I was assigned to the ship to provide medical care."

Her lack of answers was beginning to irritate him. "Why is your ship here?" he asked again, beginning to instill fear in her. He was displeased, and he made her eager to please him.

The images started to return, a darkness chasing her through what looked like a maze. Her heart started to race again, panic and fear setting in again. "I… we were looking for a ship, it had a terrible weapon. It wanted to destroy us, but we destroyed it. Then I don't know, we were here and the next thing I recall is your men boarding our ship."

The Interrogator eyed her suspiciously. "I don't believe you," he said finally.

The darkness began to swirl around her, it had caught her, he made her feel uneasy, scared like a little girl was scared of the dark. "Nooo… I'm not lying, it's the truth. I'm here to heal them and keep them safe."

The Interrogator looked at her, his deep yellow eyes gazing into her own. He could sense her nascent fear, and played with it. "You invaded our territory. What makes you think anything can keep them safe?"

The darkness began to fade and she heard screams, some of them sounded familiar. She turned around and images began to bombard her again "Peeta… Cooper… Jayla." She yelled as she ran through unfamiliar corridors "I'm here."

The images didn't relent, a door opened and Peeta Harrison one of the medical technicians she had met was being mutilated, he's head hanging at an odd angle. "Peeta." She yelled as the door slammed shut in front of her. The darkness started chasing her again until another door opened, this time Jayla was being interrogated before a voice filled her mind.

"I can save them." She said believing her captor "How?"

The Interrogator's eyes narrowed. He knew he had absorbed all he could from this one. She held no strategic information, nothing of significance that would help him. Though she did give him valuable information of another kind. He now knew of human compassion, their willingness to sacrifice themselves for others. It was their weakness, and in the end it would be their undoing.

He was now finished with her. He placed his hand on her forehead, and sent a mental overload, like a sledgehammer hitting her mind. She was instantly knocked unconscious.

He motioned toward the door. One of the Hunters stepped in the cell and picked up her inert form. He carried her back to the cell and tossed her on the ground, like a rag doll, amid her fellow prisoners.

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