Chapter Twenty-Five: Interrogation

Desert. Nothing but sand and dry air surrounded them unless you counted the lonely road that went straight down what looked like the middle. The Prison was far behind them and long gone too. They had seen the bombers overhead soon after they had left. The prison had suffered the same fate and the showgrounds. As far as they could tell, they were nowhere near civilization.

‘Where are we Jason?’ Claire asked.

‘I don’t know. I do know which way we’re going to go though’ Jason replied.

‘How?’ Razim asked.

‘The Sun’ Emilia answered.

‘Exactly. The Sun’s been moving West. So we’re not going to go North because we just came from there. If we go East we’ll most likely end up lost. So we’ll follow the road South. It’s gotta lead somewhere. Then we can figure out where we are, maybe even get supplies’ Jason said. Sarah started coughing.

‘Put her on her side’ Claire said. Emilia rolled Sarah over, who coughed up blood, spilling it onto the sand.

‘Cough it up. It’ll stop soon’ Claire said. Emilia got up and walked over to Jason.

‘A word?’ she asked.

‘Alright’ Jason answered and they moved away from Claire, who was now tending to Sarah, and Razim.

‘She’s dying. You know that right?’ Emilia said.

‘Yeah I know. We’ve kept her alive so far though’ Jason told her.

‘Barely kept her alive. Eventually she will bleed out. If we don’t get to a hospital, she will die. Slowly and painfully’ Emilia said.

‘Who said anything about slowly and painfully?’

‘You think internal bleeding is quick and painless? Look at her! She’s in agony. I know you don’t want to consider it, but she’s in pain-‘

‘I know what you’re going to say. The answer is no’ Jason told her firmly.

‘It’s her decision to make, not yours. Next time she coughs up blood, I’m asking her’ Emilia said.

‘And then what?  Just leave her on the side of the side of the road? Celeste, her sister, will want to see her. One or the other, Sarah comes with us’ Jason said.

‘The rest of us will not be willing to carry a corpse’ Emilia said. Jason stepped around Emilia.

‘Has she finished yet?’ He called out.

‘Yes’ Claire called back.

‘Then let’s get moving. It’s not safe here’ Jason said.

‘Agreed. More Nexus forces are probably searching for us and we don’t have enough firepower to fight them off’ Claire said, carefully picking Sarah up. Together, all five of them moved down the road with no idea of where they were.

Celeste awoke to see the roof of a tent high above her.

‘You’re awake’ said Nathan, sounding a little surprised.

‘Why did I collapse?’ Celeste asked.

‘Low blood pressure. I’m actually surprised that more people aren’t collapsing because of it. We’re barely getting enough food’ Nathan told her.

‘I know. What about… you know?’ Celeste asked. Nathan looked down.

‘What happened?’ Celeste asked again.

‘I had to tell them. I know you didn’t want anyone else knowing, but I had to’ Nathan said.

‘Forget it. Just tell me what happened’

‘They had to take it out. Its lungs hadn’t formed and we don’t have to equipment to help it breathe. I’m sorry, there was nothing we could do’ Nathan told her. Celeste’s face collapsed as the full realisation of what Nathan was saying hit her. The baby was gone. Her hand subconsciously ran itself over her stomach and she felt what would eventually become a scar left over from the surgery. She didn’t even want to think about how Jason would react.

‘I do have good news though. We heard that the Nexus launched an assault on what’s suspected to be a Tallentiri Prison and destroyed it. Apparently, five prisoners escaped. There are whispers that one of them was Jason’ Nathan asked. Celeste turned over, facing away from Nathan. She was numb inside.

‘I thought you’d be happy about that,’ Nathan said. Celeste didn’t reply, a silent tear rolled down her cheek. ‘Well, anyway, I took what I found to the only military person we could trust, Sergeant Carlisle. He had our good friend, the dear old captain, arrested from an “anonymous” tip-off. He put himself in charge until you’re back. The people seem happy about it’ Nathan said. It was now that Celeste spoke.

‘Miles. I want to see him’ she said.

‘He’s being interrogated’ Nathan said.

‘Then I’ll interrogate him myself’ Celeste told him.

‘I don’t think that’s wise’

‘I don’t care’ Celeste said. Nathan sighed.

‘Alright’ Nathan said. ‘I’ll make you a deal. If you can walk, unsupported, I’ll make the arrangements for you to interrogate him’

‘Deal’ Celeste answered. The second she tried to get up she got dizzy, vision blurred and she felt white hot pain across her stomach, which resulted in her collapsing back onto the mattress.

‘That’s what I thought. You’re in no condition to be walking around Celeste’ Nathan said.

‘Don’t make me order you to help me’ Celeste said. Reluctantly, Nathan helped Celeste up and walked her inside. They were stopped by two soldiers.

‘Interrogation is in progress. You can’t go in’ one of them said.

‘Ring Carlisle, tell him that Celeste is back on her feet. She has a right to interrogate Miles, herself’ Nathan said.

‘Well she can wait until the interrogation is over’ the other soldier said.

‘Dismissed’ Celeste told the soldiers.

‘What?’ the soldiers asked.

‘Well, Carlisle put himself in charge I was back. I’m back, so you’re dismissed’ Celeste told them. It took a few seconds for the words to sink in but the soldiers nodded and slowly stalked off. Nathan opened the door. There was a small, brick-walled passage with a concrete floor behind it that led down into an opening. Carlisle met them, walking back up.

‘I told my men-’ he began.

‘I know. I dismissed them. Do you mind?’ Celeste replied.

‘Knock yourself out. We’ve been at him for days and gotten nowhere’ Carlisle said, allowing them to move through. They moved down into the opening. It was a large room with a floor to ceiling wire fence down the middle. Nathan helped Celeste sit down in a chair.

‘What do you want?’ Miles asked. His side of the fence was littered with old things that the racecourse either didn’t need or didn’t use anymore.

‘The truth for starters’ Celeste said.

‘How many times do I have to say this? I am not a spy!’ Miles groaned.

‘Really?’ Nathan asked.

‘Yes. But no one will believe me’ Miles complained.

‘Where did you transfer here from?’ Celeste asked.

‘Northern Territory Army Corps, Darwin Command. I was there for eight years’ Miles answered.

‘I would believe you, except we can’t find any evidence of that. In fact any mention of you begins two years ago’ Celeste replied.

‘What? That’s not possible’ Miles said.

‘So I’ll ask again. The truth’ Celeste said.

‘I just told you the truth’

‘What was your mission, huh?’ Nathan asked. ‘Intel? Warning of attacks? Planning of attacks? Sleeper agent?’

‘None of those because I’m not a spy’ Miles retorted.

‘Not anymore, because we’ve got you locked up in here’ Celeste said.

‘I am not a spy’ Miles repeated.

‘You don’t want to break? That’s fine. But we’ll be back tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that, for as long as it takes’ Nathan said.

‘And each and every day I will tell you the same thing. That I am not a spy, because I’m not’ Miles said.

‘You do that. But sooner or later, you’ll break. They always do’ Celeste said as Nathan helped her up. Together they moved back up the passage.

‘Whatever you say Celeste. But they when they come, and they will, the soldiers won’t follow you’ Miles called out, but they ignored and walked back out into the main lobby of the grandstand.

Waves. Jason saw them in front of him. He was on a beach somewhere, still near Perth he guessed. He looked behind him and a large hotel. The sun setting over the horizon. It would be dark soon.

‘Scarborough’ Jason said to himself. He continued to look around, not moving from his place in the sand until he saw a blonde haired girl crying as she moved down the sand covered stairs. As she drew closer to him, Jason recognised her.

‘Celeste?’ he said, but she ignored him. Jason a hand out to hold her, but it passed straight through her.

‘This isn’t real’ Jason said, as he turned helplessly to watch Celeste walk into the water until her shoulders were covered. Jason realised what was going to happen.

‘Celeste! No!’ he yelled as he ran towards the water, but something held him back.

‘You can’t help her. Not here, not now’ a voice said behind him.

‘Is that you dad?’ Jason asked turning around. The man behind him nodded, his long black hair blowing in the wind.

‘Yes. Please listen, there isn’t much time. Do you have the envelope I left for you?’ He asked.

‘Yes dad. Not here, but yes I’ve got it. What does it mean?’ Jason asked.

‘You’re on the right track. There is a spy inside the walls. Biding his time. I know who he is’ His father said.

‘The who is it?’

‘If you don’t believe me, the last piece of paper will confirm what I’m telling you. The spy is-‘

‘Jason?’ Emilia said leaning over him.

‘What happened?’ Jason asked.

‘We came across Lansdale, started collecting resources, then Sarah started coughing and you just, collapsed.

‘Sarah?’ Jason asked springing up. Sarah wasn’t far from him, coughing up blood. He slid on his knees towards her.

‘Oh no you don’t. I did not break you out of a prison to have you die on me like this’ Jason said, but everything that he did he no effect. He knew that Sarah was going.

‘Don’t blame you-‘ she managed to say with her last breath before her body went limp.