CHAPTER 54: INTERROGATION (1)

Sarah found the task of handling such a case more boring than anything else, yet she was assigned a mission she was determined to see through.

She spoke, addressing the general:

"General, should I take your departure from this meeting as the Empire’s answer to no longer cooperate?"

The general stopped, just as a soldier had already opened the door for him. He sniffed before replying:

"Send me a director and I’ll—"

"Sit down if you value your head," Sarah said coldly, losing patience.

The general nearly lost it. He wanted to strike this insolent woman, but knowing she represented the Order, he held back. Sensing the tension rising, the mayor stepped in between them, trying to calm the situation without success.

"If it weren’t for your status as a representative of the Order, I would have taught you a lesson for your insolence," the general warned.

"Don’t make me repeat myself. Sit down and let’s resume this fucking meeting."

"You dare?" the general now truly grew angry. The walls began to tremble. Sarah, still seated, had difficulty breathing as if something were pressing on her chest. The two enforcers leapt to their feet and stepped in front of her, ready to act in a heartbeat.

The mayor backed away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

The investigation team, though composed of Initiates and one Intermediate, remained neutral. The general wasn’t just their superior he was a Transcendent.

The general stepped closer until he was face-to-face with Sarah, with only the two enforcers between them.

"Repeat what you just said," he ordered.

Sarah, still seated, stared him straight in the eyes and repeated her words exactly:

"Sit down if you value your head."

Then she added with disdain:

"You’re just a Transcendent. One call from me, and your head will hit the floor before sunset."

The general laughed in amusement:

"Is that a threat?"

"No. A fact. You must know the director of the Bureau of Internal Affairs or at least you’ve heard of him and his feats. I’ve always wondered if he could kill a Transcendent while lazily sitting in his office... So unless you plant your ass in that chair, I’ll get my answer today."

The general, taking the mention of this director seriously, warned her:

"You’d die long before making that call."

Sarah smiled at the threat:

"I’d be thrilled. Do you know what happens when someone touches a member of the Order? The Bureau of Internal Affairs takes over. I’m here because I’m doing that lazy director’s job, and he’s quite grateful for it. So if I were to die, he’d have loads of paperwork to deal with, and let me tell you he hates that. Knowing him, he’d want to know who killed his personal secretary. Once he learns it was you, he’ll come to the Empire, and even if all the Transcendents in your state jumped him at once, he wouldn’t give a damn. When he decides to pass judgment, even His Excellency the one whose name you hide behind would struggle to stop him with mere words. I’ll tell you one last time: sit your ass in that fucking chair."

The general looked at this woman. She was just a human, yet her words, her temperament... made him tremble, fearing the consequences. He had no choice but to sit.

---

Sarah Harley smiled, satisfied by the general’s decision.

Still, she was so bored by the matter that she no longer bothered with diplomacy. Standing up, she turned to the mayor:

"Mister Mayor, please lead us to our lodging. We’ll resume the investigation tomorrow morning, once the general provides the survivors for questioning."

And with that, Sarah left without a glance back, followed by the two enforcers relieved they didn’t have to fight.

As for what the general thought? She couldn’t care less. Her words were facts.

---

The next morning, the delegation sent by the Order was being driven to their first destination of the day: Santa Margherita Hospital.

The mayor and the general were both absent this time.

The mayor claimed to have a busy schedule.

The general, on the other hand, refused to speak further with "a certain woman," especially after receiving an envelope during the night informing him that his position in the high command was terminated. He was to await a new assignment at his residence... one he knew would never come.

---

Santa Margherita Hospital

Sirius woke up after a good night’s sleep. Not that he had much to do since yesterday, but this day promised to be different.

The nurse, after cleaning him up that morning, told him some people were coming to see him.

He was supposed to be transferred, but due to an unforeseen issue, he would instead be taken to a reception room in the hospital.

And so, Sirius, in a wheelchair, rolled through strangely empty hallways.

("They must have cleared the area just for me... Not even a single guard. Odd. Are they waiting for me to make a move so they can pin something on me? No... They must not know anything about me. Unless...")

His thoughts were cut short as he arrived at the room. Three people were waiting for him: a woman, who looked to be nearing thirty, and two men wearing distinctive coats. That was enough for Sirius to identify them.

After all, how could he forget that unmistakable coat?

"Nice to meet you. Sarah Harley, secretary from the Bureau of Internal Affairs, and these are my dear colleagues."

"Sirius," he introduced himself simply.

Sarah looked him in the eyes. Her smile vanished.

"You stink," she remarked.

Sirius, surprised, tried to defend himself:

"Well... in my condition, I need help with... you know. I thought I was clean today."

Sarah chuckled.

"No. You reek. How many people have you killed to smell that strongly of blood?"

Sirius was stunned—deeply unsettled.

("Who the hell is this woman?") he wondered.

It was the first time since Victor that someone could pierce through his true nature with a single glance. And what was even more terrifying she didn’t give off any murderous aura... more like that of a completely ordinary secretary.

"And you? You’re not just an old bimbo," Sirius shot back.

Sarah had to resist wincing. She was nearing forty and worked hard to maintain her body to look younger. Being called an "old bimbo" hit a nerve.

She cleared her throat, then gave a polite smile.

"Shall we begin the interrogation? You should know why we’re here."

"It’s always good to hear it again," Sirius insisted.

"If you must... Two months ago, in Astoria a random city of the Empire an incident occurred. Then nothing. No news. We want to know what happened."

("What’s her game? She says it like she doesn’t know anything...") thought Sirius, noticing how Sarah was watching him, ready to interpret his every move. Although... he couldn’t do much in his current state.

"Sorry, ma’am, but I’m afraid what you’ve been told is a pack of lies."

"Oh really?" Sarah feigned surprise.

"If you’re telling the truth, I’ll scold these two. But of course, that’s after you’ve told me the truth... or what you believe it to be."

The two enforcers scratched their heads, as if blaming themselves for their incompetence.

That’s when Sirius understood.

("She’s a cop. A damn cop. That’s how she saw through me with just a glance. And this pathetic act... She knows that I know she’s playing.")

("Ugh... dealing with women like her is exhausting. Still... my only chance to avoid execution is to be declared innocent in the eyes of the Order. That means in her eyes.")

Sirius understood exactly what the Empire had in store for him. So he had to play the perfect snitch.

"Rest assured, my beautiful lady. I, Sirius, give my word. I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Pinky promise!"

He raised his right hand with a comical accent.

"Now that’s an honest citizen. I’m all ears."

And with that mock-serious atmosphere, Sirius played his best card to avoid prison.

He told the whole story: the embargo on the serum, the parasites, Major Kraft, and his own role in the events. He left out only two things: Victor and Brenda, whom he didn’t mention at all, and the fact that they had infiltrated the fortress to steal the legendary star. Everything else, he reported as it happened.

When Sirius finished, Sarah remained silent.

Some details, especially about the Calamity, were entirely unknown to her.

("I need to alert the Archives and Exploration Bureaus so they can intervene immediately. A Calamity like that can’t be left loose. And more importantly... the Empire hid the fact that it holds an archive. That changes everything.")

"I see you were truthful on most points. But I’m curious why tell me all this so easily?"

This time, Sarah was serious.

Sirius, in turn, became serious as well:

"It’s simple... I want something in return."