Interviewing the Alleged Alegari (Part 1)

Posted on Tue 2nd Apr, 2019 @ 7:24pm by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran & Lieutenant Commander Andrew Eberstark & Captain Andrus Grax & Lieutenant Adam Keller
Edited on on Tue 2nd Apr, 2019 @ 7:25pm

1,069 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: A Diplomatic Affair
Location: Intelligence Department
Timeline: MD 2, 0945

Damion gave the interrogation room a final look as he gestured for Andrew Eberstark to come in. It wasn't the kindest room of its sort he had ever been in, but it wasn't the unkindest, either. The carpeting was muted blue, the walls beige. The chairs were of black upholstery with steel frames, and the desk where Andrew would sit was stained a warm, honey-brown color, with the look of real wood. To Damion, in fact, the room looked pleasant and cozy, if bare of decorations. He had no idea how the room would feel to their suspect. Isabella Perry had argued against questioning Zelda Alegari in a room designed to intimidate, and this decor was what she had suggested--not comfortable, but not terrifying, either.

Outside, Captain Andrus Grax, the new Chief of Intelligence, and Adam Keller waited. They would monitor through a concealed camera and suggest lines of questioning that Damion and Andrew should take as the interview progressed. Andrew's job was primarily to observe, while Damion conducted most of the interview, but as Andrew was in charge of Tactical, he had some questions of his own to ask their suspect.

"You ready?" Damion asked Andrew as the Chief of Tactical seated himself behind the desk. He was positioned at a 90-degree angle to the seats that Damion and Zelda would take, which faced each other.

Andrew glanced around the room, familiarizing himself with the surroundings, straightened his uniform and nodded, "You bet. I think we've let her stew long enough. I'm sure she'd appreciate the change of scenery."

Adam took a seat in the observation room. This was his forte. He'd use his abilities to follow how the interview was progressing. He would be able to determine if the subject was lying, telling the truth, confident, scared, or whatever feelings she might be having.

"All right, then. I'll go get her," Damion said. He stepped out of the room and into a side corridor where a security officer waited with their suspect. "Miss Alegari? I'm Lt. Ildaran. It's good to finally meet you. If you'll come with me, please, we can get this started."

Projecting calm wasn't hard, because Zelda felt calm ... or, rather, she felt nothing at all. "As you say," she replied. The guard stayed outside when the door closed, but she was surprised to see only one other man in the room. That meant there were probably others watching, but she wasn't sure whether one of the walls was actually one-way viewing or there was a micro-holocam in the room. Probably the latter, and probably several, she thought.

"Where would you like me to sit while you interrogate me?" she asked. She wasn't going to fall in with their fiction that they were just having a conversation. No, they wanted things from her, and it would be interesting to see how far they'd go to get what they wanted. This was the softening up stage, part 2. That woman, Perry, had been part 1, and she had gotten through that. She'd get through this.

In the interview room, Damion ushered Zelda in and closed the door. "Miss Alegari, this is Lt. Eberstark. He'll have some questions later on. That chair between the desk and the wall is yours, and I'll be in this one, facing you." He waited until she seated herself, and then he sat as well.

Forcing herself to relax, Zelda leaned back and folded her hands in her lap, over her crossed knees. "Quite cozy," she said, looking around again. "Before I begin, could I have a glass of cold water. I find talking makes me thirsty."

Andrew remained silent, kept a blank face and nodded to Damion. Rising from his seat, he walked over to the corner of the room with a small table holding a long, narrow carafe and glasses. He poured water into one and, as he brought the glass back, he took note of the woman remaining perfectly still, trying to maintain her calm demeanor. Placing the glass in front of her, still saying nothing, Andrew turned to sit back down and anticipated some sort of sarcastic response thanking him for his efforts.

"You're very kind," Alegari said graciously, taking a sip, and hoping there was nothing in it that would cause her to regret imbibing. Setting the glass back on the table, she said, "I'm ready. You may begin."

"All right," Damion said. "For the record, would you mind spelling your name for me? It's just a formality."

"A-l-e-g-a-r-i. We must really stick to the formalities, mustn't we?" she mocked.

Damion watched her as she answered, and he snickered. "I know. Ridiculous, isn't it? As if it's not already in the computer." He continued, asking her to confirm the spelling of her first name, and then went on. "Where are you currently living now? I mean permanently, not while you've been here."

That made her pause. Where did she live? "Nowhere, I guess. I move from one place to another, but there's no place I call home. I don't have a home." The truth of that shook her a little. She'd had a home once. Hadn't she?

Adam immediately noted a spur of emotion. "He struck a nerve or something." He couldn't quite make out what had happened but there was definitely a spike in Alegari's emotions. "She dropped her guard for a split second but that was it. Something got her though for a second."

Maintaining her exterior calm was easier when Zelda had the inner poise back on track. It didn't matter where she lived. The only thing that mattered was ... she couldn't remember. There was a blank spot where something should be. Well, no mind, she'd figure it out eventually.

"I've felt like that before," Damion said, having heard what Adam told him through his earpiece. "I left of my own choosing, but it was a one-way trip."

"I'm sure it's exactly the same," Alegari half-smiled. Everyone tried to make her believe they related to her, were like her in some way, but she knew better. In truth, they wanted to take her apart, piece by piece, and she'd play along for a while. Eventually, they would reveal themselves fully. For a moment, she was confused. Why were they on opposite sides? She couldn't quite remember ... but the feeling was strong, and she trusted herself above all others.

To be continued...

 

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