Interrogation Room #3, Project X-COM Base
As the static gives way and the video begins, we see an interrogation room containing a few chairs and a metal table, dimly lit by florescent lights. Ayame sits silently in one of the chairs as a guard types on a laptop, darting his eyes up at the camera recording them from the corner of the room. Seemingly satisfied, he closes the laptop and walks over to the open door, sticking his head out of it and telling someone they are ready. A moment later, another soldier walks in and closes the door behind him.
The guard walks over to Ayame and reaches for her arms. "What are you doing?" the interrogator asks.
"Removing her handcuffs, sir," the guard answers. "She's been completely cooperative, and she couldn't get out of here anyway."
"That won't be necessary. Personally, I think it'd be far safer for everyone if she remained handcuffed, don't you?" The guard steps away from Ayame, flashing her an apologetic look, and takes his place by the door. The interrogator stands next to Ayame and picks up her file from the table. "Interrogation of Kasagi, Ayame, suspect in the assault of an X-COM staff member, April whatever, 1 something in the morning."
"S-sir?" The guard gives him a nervous look.
"Don't worry about it, I'll fix it in post."
"B-but, you can't fix an interrogation video in..."
"Oh, but I can," the interrogator says sarcastically. "Its easy, almost as easy as getting a guard disciplined for insubordination because he doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."
The guard falls silent as the interrogator takes a seat across from Ayame. He folds his hands, and says, "So, Kasagi, why don't we start from the beginning. Tell me where you were yesterday morning."
"You already know where I was," Ayame replies, her face expressionless.
"Humor me," the interrogator says, smiling.
"I was at one of the shooting ranges."
"And did you see Lt. Chapman there?"
"Yes."
"And did you get into a fight with him?"
"No, I just stood there while he insulted me."
"So you didn't threaten to punch him?"
"He offered to let me, and I almost did, but I didn't do it."
"And why not?"
"Because the thought of touching his slimy face made my stomach churn."
"Is that so? And what did you do after this encounter?"
"I went to have lunch with some friends."
"Wrong!" The interrogator yells suddenly, slamming down a fist. "Tell the truth! You followed the lieutenant out of the shooting range and ambushed him, didn't you?"
"No! I went to the bathroom to clean up, and then I went to the mess-hall to have lunch!"
"Ah, so you admit you didn't go straight to the mess-hall, and that you have time unaccounted for?"
"Y-yes, but I didn't assault him."
"It was quite the savage beating. Hell, it took him six hours to wake up, and he could barely remember what had happened that day. You must have been really pissed off. But then, you do have quite the temper, don't you?"
"I'm telling you, it wasn't me! The guy was an absolute asshole, I'm sure there are any number of people on base that would have wanted a piece of him."
"Yeah, and I suppose that the fact that you had an encounter with him within an hour of him being found beaten and unconscious was just a coincidence."
Ayame tries to find an argument, but falls silent, and a large smirk spreads across the interrogators face. He picks up her file again, combing through it. "It says in your file that you're very familiar with the human body, including the nervous system, and the suspect is suffering from some very convenient memory loss. Thing is, I'm not sure where you learned this. According to this, the only military training you have is in various PMCs, and all of them are either unavailable or not in service anymore. Tell me, where did you learn all the things on your application."
"From your mother," Ayame says, a deadpan look on her face. "She's a pretty good teacher."
The smirk drops from the interrogators face. "I doubt that very much. My mother taught me not to trust chinks and japs, so I doubt she'd give you the time of day." He cracks his knuckles loudly. "She also taught me everything I know about interrogation."
"Then maybe you should go and get her," Ayame responds with a slight smile, "I'm sure she's far more intimidating then you, not that that would be hard."
The interrogator lunges forward, grabbing Ayame by the collar, pulling her close to his fuming face. Ayame lets out a soft chuckle, saying, "bigoted, easily insulted, quick to violence, and this close to your ugly mug, you even look like him. Let me guess; the good lieutenant is your brother. So this is personal, huh?"
The interrogator throws Ayame back, almost causing her to fall out of her chair. He gets up and slowly walks behind her. "Why don't you just admit you did it? We both know it was you. You probably waited until he was by himself, and bashed him in the back of the head."
"Tell me," Ayame says, turning her head to look him in the eye. "Are you just looking for a scapegoat and are keeping me handcuffed because you get off on it, or do you actually think I'm guilty and I'm handcuffed because you're afraid you couldn't take someone who beat up your little brother?"
With a growl, the interrogator grabs Ayame's hair, pulling it violently. "You better shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you!"
"Heh heh, do you really want to do that with that camera watching us?"
"Good point," he answers, releasing her hair and opening the laptop. Turning to the guard, he says, "Turn it off."
"S-sir! I can't just..."
"Let me make this nice and FUCKING CLEAR!" the interrogator yells. "If the next fucking words out of you mouth are anything but 'Yes, sir', followed by you turning off the fucking camera, I will see to it that your military career is over, and that you suffer the same fate she's going to! Do I make myself fucking clear?"
"Y...(sigh) Yes, sir." The guard reluctantly walks over to the camera and starts typing. The image jumps slightly from a momentary lapse in footage. The interrogator points at the door, and the guard leaves, glancing at the camera as he goes.
"So," Ayame says as the interrogator walks up to her, turning her chair so she faces him, "what are we gonna do now?"
A broad smile spreads across his face, and he tells her, "Its a good thing we left your handcuffs on, considering how you attacked me even with them on," before slugging her in the face.
Ayame shakes her head, her eyes nearly rolling into the back of her head. She cracks a weak smile, saying, "(Cough) Not bad. Did you mother teach her how to punch women?"
"You really need to learn when to shut your mouth," he says, lifting her into the air by her neck.
"A-and you need to (Wheeze) learn a l-little charm," Ayame says weakly, struggling to breath. The interrogator punches her hard enough in the stomach to knock her body back like a punching bag. He drops her, and she coughs violently, struggling to catch her breath.
"You know, you're a pretty little thing, even if you're a bit too on the flat side. Too bad word on the grape vine is you're a little carpet muncher. They say you have a thing for some commie bitch. You hit that yet?"
"Don't...don't talk about my....." Ayame starts before being kicked in the side. She rolls several feet, her face showing intense pain.
"Your not finished yet, are you princess?" he laughs, "We're just getting started."
"D-do you (Cough) think n-no one is...is going to say something a-about the bruises and b-blood?"
"Well, I doubt they'd believe you over me, so the only reason anyone would say anything," he answers, opening the laptop again, "is if I was as stupid as that guard thinks I am to not check to see if the camera was still on. And what do you know, it is! Once we're done here, I'll have remember to discipline him after I delete this."
He types on the computer for a moment, before waving at the camera with a smile and pushing one last button, and the recording cuts out.
As the static gives way and the video begins, we see an interrogation room containing a few chairs and a metal table, dimly lit by florescent lights. Ayame sits silently in one of the chairs as a guard types on a laptop, darting his eyes up at the camera recording them from the corner of the room. Seemingly satisfied, he closes the laptop and walks over to the open door, sticking his head out of it and telling someone they are ready. A moment later, another soldier walks in and closes the door behind him.
The guard walks over to Ayame and reaches for her arms. "What are you doing?" the interrogator asks.
"Removing her handcuffs, sir," the guard answers. "She's been completely cooperative, and she couldn't get out of here anyway."
"That won't be necessary. Personally, I think it'd be far safer for everyone if she remained handcuffed, don't you?" The guard steps away from Ayame, flashing her an apologetic look, and takes his place by the door. The interrogator stands next to Ayame and picks up her file from the table. "Interrogation of Kasagi, Ayame, suspect in the assault of an X-COM staff member, April whatever, 1 something in the morning."
"S-sir?" The guard gives him a nervous look.
"Don't worry about it, I'll fix it in post."
"B-but, you can't fix an interrogation video in..."
"Oh, but I can," the interrogator says sarcastically. "Its easy, almost as easy as getting a guard disciplined for insubordination because he doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."
The guard falls silent as the interrogator takes a seat across from Ayame. He folds his hands, and says, "So, Kasagi, why don't we start from the beginning. Tell me where you were yesterday morning."
"You already know where I was," Ayame replies, her face expressionless.
"Humor me," the interrogator says, smiling.
"I was at one of the shooting ranges."
"And did you see Lt. Chapman there?"
"Yes."
"And did you get into a fight with him?"
"No, I just stood there while he insulted me."
"So you didn't threaten to punch him?"
"He offered to let me, and I almost did, but I didn't do it."
"And why not?"
"Because the thought of touching his slimy face made my stomach churn."
"Is that so? And what did you do after this encounter?"
"I went to have lunch with some friends."
"Wrong!" The interrogator yells suddenly, slamming down a fist. "Tell the truth! You followed the lieutenant out of the shooting range and ambushed him, didn't you?"
"No! I went to the bathroom to clean up, and then I went to the mess-hall to have lunch!"
"Ah, so you admit you didn't go straight to the mess-hall, and that you have time unaccounted for?"
"Y-yes, but I didn't assault him."
"It was quite the savage beating. Hell, it took him six hours to wake up, and he could barely remember what had happened that day. You must have been really pissed off. But then, you do have quite the temper, don't you?"
"I'm telling you, it wasn't me! The guy was an absolute asshole, I'm sure there are any number of people on base that would have wanted a piece of him."
"Yeah, and I suppose that the fact that you had an encounter with him within an hour of him being found beaten and unconscious was just a coincidence."
Ayame tries to find an argument, but falls silent, and a large smirk spreads across the interrogators face. He picks up her file again, combing through it. "It says in your file that you're very familiar with the human body, including the nervous system, and the suspect is suffering from some very convenient memory loss. Thing is, I'm not sure where you learned this. According to this, the only military training you have is in various PMCs, and all of them are either unavailable or not in service anymore. Tell me, where did you learn all the things on your application."
"From your mother," Ayame says, a deadpan look on her face. "She's a pretty good teacher."
The smirk drops from the interrogators face. "I doubt that very much. My mother taught me not to trust chinks and japs, so I doubt she'd give you the time of day." He cracks his knuckles loudly. "She also taught me everything I know about interrogation."
"Then maybe you should go and get her," Ayame responds with a slight smile, "I'm sure she's far more intimidating then you, not that that would be hard."
The interrogator lunges forward, grabbing Ayame by the collar, pulling her close to his fuming face. Ayame lets out a soft chuckle, saying, "bigoted, easily insulted, quick to violence, and this close to your ugly mug, you even look like him. Let me guess; the good lieutenant is your brother. So this is personal, huh?"
The interrogator throws Ayame back, almost causing her to fall out of her chair. He gets up and slowly walks behind her. "Why don't you just admit you did it? We both know it was you. You probably waited until he was by himself, and bashed him in the back of the head."
"Tell me," Ayame says, turning her head to look him in the eye. "Are you just looking for a scapegoat and are keeping me handcuffed because you get off on it, or do you actually think I'm guilty and I'm handcuffed because you're afraid you couldn't take someone who beat up your little brother?"
With a growl, the interrogator grabs Ayame's hair, pulling it violently. "You better shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you!"
"Heh heh, do you really want to do that with that camera watching us?"
"Good point," he answers, releasing her hair and opening the laptop. Turning to the guard, he says, "Turn it off."
"S-sir! I can't just..."
"Let me make this nice and FUCKING CLEAR!" the interrogator yells. "If the next fucking words out of you mouth are anything but 'Yes, sir', followed by you turning off the fucking camera, I will see to it that your military career is over, and that you suffer the same fate she's going to! Do I make myself fucking clear?"
"Y...(sigh) Yes, sir." The guard reluctantly walks over to the camera and starts typing. The image jumps slightly from a momentary lapse in footage. The interrogator points at the door, and the guard leaves, glancing at the camera as he goes.
"So," Ayame says as the interrogator walks up to her, turning her chair so she faces him, "what are we gonna do now?"
A broad smile spreads across his face, and he tells her, "Its a good thing we left your handcuffs on, considering how you attacked me even with them on," before slugging her in the face.
Ayame shakes her head, her eyes nearly rolling into the back of her head. She cracks a weak smile, saying, "(Cough) Not bad. Did you mother teach her how to punch women?"
"You really need to learn when to shut your mouth," he says, lifting her into the air by her neck.
"A-and you need to (Wheeze) learn a l-little charm," Ayame says weakly, struggling to breath. The interrogator punches her hard enough in the stomach to knock her body back like a punching bag. He drops her, and she coughs violently, struggling to catch her breath.
"You know, you're a pretty little thing, even if you're a bit too on the flat side. Too bad word on the grape vine is you're a little carpet muncher. They say you have a thing for some commie bitch. You hit that yet?"
"Don't...don't talk about my....." Ayame starts before being kicked in the side. She rolls several feet, her face showing intense pain.
"Your not finished yet, are you princess?" he laughs, "We're just getting started."
"D-do you (Cough) think n-no one is...is going to say something a-about the bruises and b-blood?"
"Well, I doubt they'd believe you over me, so the only reason anyone would say anything," he answers, opening the laptop again, "is if I was as stupid as that guard thinks I am to not check to see if the camera was still on. And what do you know, it is! Once we're done here, I'll have remember to discipline him after I delete this."
He types on the computer for a moment, before waving at the camera with a smile and pushing one last button, and the recording cuts out.
