32: Interrogation
I had never been arrested before in my life. And after my sole experience of being under the custody of the authorities for what they called malicious intent, I don't think I really wish to be arrested ever again.
-THROUGH HERE! We were pushed and shoved rather roughly through doorways as we entered the incarceration department of the Shoppei Metropolitan Force. -Keep going! MOVE IT!!!
Both Tsukino Usagi and I were forced to de-transform for our quick incarceration. In civilian law, arrests were made using civilian names, not sailor soldier names. Though they could not - or were not supposed to - hold us for more than a specified amount of time, for it is forbidden, unfortunately, they could do whatever they wished with us.
So they did. At least I thought so at points.
-Strip!
-W....what!? I stared, unbelieving. -How dare you! You already searched us!
-I know. The officer looked at me. -Now, strip down to your under drawers so we can search you more, lady.
-You....! How could you!
I brought my tentacle up to smack the officer away from me. It was an insult. It was unacceptable. They were stripping me!
-Auagh! The officer looked frightened. -M-m-ma'am, you don't want to do this!!
-You would strip me!!! I growled. -You little-
-Themis.
I turned and gave a gasp. Tsukino Usagi was stripped. She did not look too pleased with it, but she had stripped. Most of her clothing were all in a pile next to her.
-It's ok.
I stared at her for a moment, unbelieving. She was quite pale, and she turned away from me as she threw her last item, a sock, onto the pile.
Of course, it was not enough that she was pale. Her entire body was dotted with dark marks, bruises, scars, and the remnants of burns all over it, ranging from red to purple to colors I couldn't describe. The sheer amount - I daresay that at least one fifth of her body had these marks - and the size of some of them made what I did to Tsukino Usagi look like a pinprick at best. But I digress.
-You....you should undress. She didn't bother looking back at me after this. In fact, she seemed quite upset for some reason. -Its ok. This is standard. They can't do anything like that to you. They'll be confined if they do.
I did not know until later - for I had never been arrested before - that a body strip was actually standard procedure for all arrests on many planets in the galaxy. It was because they were looking for certain explosives and weapons that could be easily hidden underneath the clothing, some so small or thin that a regular search for unusual bulges on the body could not detect it. Also, the detectors they used to scan the clothing didn't work well with body heat.
-Oook.......good. Somehow relieved that one of us was compliant, the officer clicked a remote towards her clothing. A blinking red light came up. -Ok, you're good to go. Re-dress.
Tsukino Usagi gave a nod, and began to redress herself. When she was done, she finally looked back at me, and motioned her head towards my clothing. Feeling somewhat stupid, I undressed myself.
-
-Hold your tentacles out, please. Just like that.....
I reluctantly put out two appendages to the next man, after we were ushered into the next room after the search. I wasn't quite sure what they were going to do next. The officer who was talking to me seemed nice enough.
-Good.
Without another word, he suddenly took out three long, thick needles and jammed them into my body. Only one of them actually went into my offered appendage. One went into the to of my back and another went into my hand.
-WH-OOOOOOOOOW!!!!!
It was very painful. I wanted to get the needles out, as they were drawing my blood, but when I moved, it caused even more pain. So I kept still. How much they drew, I could not say. But after it was done, I felt somewhat dizzy and unsteady. What was more, they didn't even cover my wounds with any bandage, so the places where I has been stuck were left to bleed profusely.
-Good. The officer turned to Tsukino Usagi with a smile. -You next, sweetheart.
I saw her close her eyes as they gave her the same needles that they had given me. I learned later that the blood they took was used to formally identify us and log us into the criminal blood bank. If we were ever arrested again, or if we were repeat offenders, they could see our whole file.
-Thaaaat's right. Perfect. The officer's voice was no longer comforting as it lowered into a whisper to Tsukino Usagi's ear. But I could still hear. -Your friend here seems to be pretty jittery about this. If she thinks this is bad, I wonder how she'll take what's going to happen next.
I saw Tsukino Usagi shudder at this. I looked at the officer as he looked back at me and laughed.
-Now, now, don't you worry your pretty little head there, sailor! He pointed to me as if I were a dense child. -We're not going to hurt you. If we were serious, you'd be dead by now.
With that, he gave a laugh and walked off, leaving us by ourselves. We were alone for that moment.
-....Ts.....tsk-k-kino? My voice was very unsteady as my body was at that instant. -What...w-w-what did he m-m-mean?
I knew my fear were founded when she did not answer me. She simply looked back at me with a frightened expression.
-
Interrogation was next.
It is probably the worst thing that the law has come up with, ever. It is heinous the way they do it in our parts. It is nothing more than torture. What is worse, they bring such violent means in our worlds even to the most mundane of crimes - taking an illegal turn on a street, for example, can be interrogated using the full force of authority the law has.
The most common form of interrogation - torture - that is used on Kastalle and on many other planets is something that is akin to your kind's electrolysis. But it is far worse than that.
-Strap them in.
Interrogation in our parts are for one purpose only: to extract confessions. I don't know how it works with your kind, but as I said, the law over here uses every means possible to get a confession from their people. It is disgusting.
-Floritiuse. My name was called, and I began to shudder as they stuck more clamps on my tentacles and head. -Sailor class. Planet Themis. First-time offender.
The standard interrogation goes by five levels of torture: pain, bad pain, really bad pain, extreme pain, and completely unbearable pain. To have the highest setting placed upon you is to let the authorities take you near death. Many people do not live past the fifth stage if they receive it.
-This one shouldn't take long. I was trembling as Tsukino Usagi was strapped next to me. The guards fastening us up were talking. -The first-time offenders always take the least time. Its the repeat criminals you have to be really careful with.
-You don't say?
-They like to take their secrets to the grave.
-I'd admire their resolve, the one tightened mine, -if they weren't the scum of the galaxy.
-CLEAR ROOM.
I gave a gulp as the room was cleared of all of the officers. After they were gone, a window to another room popped open, showing two more men. These ones were in masks. It was procedure for the interrogators to wear masks, so if prisoners accused them of being too harsh, they couldn't identify the officers who were responsible as easily. It was a dirty, sneaky tactic, but it was effective to silence the opposition against the civilian law.
-READY. A voice came through on the intercom, controlled by one of the men in the window. -BEGIN.
I suddenly felt a strange pain in my body. It was some kind of electric shock, applied to the points of my body that were clamped. My tentacles were shivering from the shocks, and my head was tingling.
-FLORITIUSE. The speaker echoed in my ears. -YOU WERE IN THE SAILOR SENTINEL BUILDING WHEN THE REPORTED FIRE SPARK APPEARED. HOW DID IT HAPPEN? WERE YOU THERE WHEN IT HAPPENED?
-....i.......i......
I shut my eyes. I couldn't concentrate very well with the jolts going through my body.
-y......yes........
-GOOD. GOOD. The voices seemed agreeable to my reply. -GOOD. JUST ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS AND THIS WILL BE OVER SHORTLY.
I was quite scared. I didn't know what to expect. For all I knew, they were going to bump up my levels just to be mean. After all, there was some resentment to sailor soldiers from civilians.
-NOW. There was a pause. -DID YOU START THE FIRE?
-....n......no.
-DID YOU START THE FIRE?
-YaaaAAA!
I gasped as another, stronger jolt shook me. I was on the next level of interrogation, I realized. It was definitely pain, and it was not exactly the most tolerable for me, either. My appendages are quite sensitive. But I digress.
-NO! I screamed. -N-NO!
-Ok. They turned away from the room, but I could still hear them. -You think she's lying?
-Doubt it. She's having trouble as it is.
-Ok.
I gasped, trying to overcome the pain. My head wasn't so bad, but, again, my tentacles felt as if they were burning.
-NOW. The voice came back again. -FLORITIUSE, DID YOU KILL SAILOR KASTALLE?
-NO!!!
-DID YOU...
This time, it was bumped up to the next level. I was screaming; the pain in my tentacles felt like it was shooting up through my body now, melting it.
-NOOOOOOO!!!!!! I screamed. -I didn't!!! Stop!!! STOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!
-STOP LEVEL.
The jolts suddenly stopped, and I collapsed in the chair. I was winded by the experience; I could barely breathe, and could barely keep my eyes open. It hurt more now that it was over, than it had when it was going on.
-Hmm.... In my throes, I heard a fearful whisper in the intercom. -What about the other one? Look at her file...!
-We'll just do it.
-Are you sure? I mean, she is-
-Don't question me. READY.
-......Tsu....ki......
-BEGIN.
-......no.........
My eyes widened as I saw Tsukino Usagi's eyes widen for a moment. Her body gave a jolt as the procedure was begun on her. She closed her eyes, relaxing her body as best as she could.
-TELL US. The voice boomed. -WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT THE SAILOR SENTINEL?
There was no reply from her. I was recovering much more by this time, and I noticed that, after the initial jolt, she did not seem to respond at all to what was being done to her body. She was very quiet.
-TELL US WHAT YOU.....It's not working. Go to the next level.
There was another, longer shudder from her at this, but again, there was the same response. At first a jolt, but eventually, Tsukino Usagi managed to ignore the pain, or was not affected by it. I'm not sure which.
-TELL US WHAT HAPPENED. The voice boomed again. -DID YOU OR FLORITIUSE SET THE FIRE? DID EITHER OF YOU KILL KASTALLE?
There was still no response. If she was in pain, she wasn't showing it. Tsukino Usagi was doing a much better job than I. It was apparent, for I could hear annoyance from our captors.
-Still no response.
-Interesting. Looks like we've got a cocky little girl here. A chuckle. -Next level.
The third level, and this time, there was a response. She started to quiver slightly, trying to keep control of herself. She grit her teeth slightly, and her eyes closed tighter. Yet, even so, she said nothing.
-I SHALL REPEAT MYSELF. The voice sounded slightly worried. -WE DO NOT WISH TO HARM YOU IN ANY WAY. IF YOU COOPERATE WITH US, WE WILL STOP THE PROCEDURE AT ONCE. IF NOT.....
But I saw her resist in front of my eyes. Whatever meekness she may have possessed before during the strip search was, at the moment, gone from her. An unusual resolve seemed to come over her as she endured the shocks.
So, in response to their offer, she shook her head defiantly, and opened her eyes briefly, giving a glare towards our captors. It was a similar facial expression to the one which she had given me that one fateful night that I had confronted her.
-Look at her giving you...!
-Damnit, she wants to get it, doesn't she?
-Be careful-!
The police bumped it up to the next level. At this, Tsukino Usagi gave a violent spasm, and a cry. But she would still not repent her behavior or confess any crime. She clamped down even tighter, and was starting to shake rather profusely. From her mouth, I could see blood and froth begin to seep out and line her lips as she kept shaking her head.
-NNNNNNNnnnnnnnnnnNNNNNNN!!!!
-She's crazy! I heard the astonished cries of the interrogators. -She is crazy! CRAZY!
-She's a barbarian. I heard the seriousness in the other officer's voice, and began to tremble at the implications. -Barbarians deserve what they ask for.
I saw the policeman reach for the knob that switched the levels. I tried to give a cry to protest, but I had no voice to protest. My wind had not yet returned. I wanted to help, but I could not. I had no power there.
-She wants trouble.....
I looked frantically back and forth from Tsukino Usagi to the interrogators at this. A single line of blood was tricking down from her mouth, onto the neck of her clothing. She was fighting, fighting hard, but I feared she would lose.
-....she'll get trouble!
No, I knew< she would lose. For those hooligans, it wouldn't have been too much of a loss if she, a weakling, nameless Vika soldier, even one as infamous as she, died under their watch. In her condition, it was all too possible that Tsukino Usagi would go fast if they put it up to the final level.
-So..... I saw him turn the knob. -FINAL LEVEL.
There was a great spark from Tsukino Usagi's chair as the next level was applied. She gave a great scream, and her body arched up abruptly as the jolts surged through her body. For two moments, she simply heaved up and down, screaming.
-Come on!!! I heard the angry shouts from the captors. -Why the hell isn't she confessing?! This is CRAZY!
-Turn down the level NOW! She's going into shock!
-NO! Not until we GET SOMETHING!!!
There was this bickering, there was fighting going on. All while they were killing her.
Then she screamed one final time.
-STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!
*FOOOOOOOM!*
It was again like that night I had attacked Tsukino Usagi. There was a hum, a bright light, and a blast of energy. This blast of energy, however, was much more powerful than the one that had hit me before.
*CRAAAAAAAAAAASH!!*
-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!
I saw laser-proof glass shatter everywhere, and the straps holding us in out seats disintegrated into dust. Even the walls bent as it was slammed by the energy that came from her, and I could hear the foundations of the room moan under the attack.
-AAAAAAH!!!!!! OH NO!!!!!!!!
Then, to my shock, I saw a flame erupt inside the box that the captors were in. The sailor soldier's energy had caused the machine that controlled the interrogation levels of electric jolts to short, malfunction, and finally explode.
-...........You.
I finally got my voice back. It was really all I could say to her. She had slumped back into her seat, clearly exhausted. She, like me, was winded and could not speak. She almost seemed dead, and I would have thought her so if I had not also heard her shallow breathing.
-STUPID BITCH!!!!!! There was anger inside the control box as our captors left the room. -YOU LITTLE FOOL!!!!!
-We'll kill you for this!!!!
They then stormed into the room and grabbed us out of our seats. I gave a cry wen I saw the look in their eyes. They wanted to kill us for what had just happened. I was sure of it.
-You will be punished well for this. They took Tsukino Usagi by her hair as they dragged her out in front of me. -You WILL be punished!
