17 Interrogation

Once our lips touched, it was like Praimfaya all over again. Pure electric heat erupts between our mouths. It felt like there was nothing else existing in that moment except us. I realized long ago that I loved her, and the things I felt when we kissed for the first time only confirmed it without a doubt. I don't know how long we stood in that clearing embraced for but it felt like hours, though it was probably only a minute or so. After separating due to the urge to take a breath became too much, she leaned her head against my chest and we stood in silence.

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It was twilight when Lexa and I finally left Polis, sticking to the shadows. We didn't take anything with us and we moved fast in the direction of Ton DC. One of the main reasons it was so hard to capture a mountain man alive was that the air apparently burned them. It was like their skin caught fire. Lexa said that the mountain man had this suit on him that protected him from the air. I was curious how he was able to breathe if the air could kill him. I suppose we'd find out when we get there, I thought to myself.

We opted to only take one horse for… Stealth reasons. In result, Lexa was laying against my back with her hands wrapped around my middle. I would be lying if I ever said it wasn't the most comfortable ride of my life though.

When we arrived at Ton DC one of Anya's best scouts was waiting for us alongside the road. His name is Lincoln if my memory serves me correctly. "My Heda, Anya has arranged that I will be your escort." Lincoln said, standing at the entrance of the village. He was a very large man and was covered in dark furs and green moss for camouflage. The bottom of his face was covered by a half bone mask. The skin that was visible was painted in dark greens and blacks. I almost didn't even see him when we were riding up.

"Great, the mountain man is still alive I hope?" Lexa asks while we dismount our horse. We rode all this way so the man better still be alive or we will be having some major issues.

"Of course Heda, the man has informed us where to find extra air for him to breathe. The mountain men have stashed supplies throughout the forest in case of emergencies." Lincoln informed us promptly, leading us to where the prisoner was held. It was very sensible that the mountain would leave supplies stashed away for emergencies. A lot can happen in the forest and it's best to be prepared for any of it.

Following him to where the prisoner was located, the scout informed us that his name was indeed Lincoln just as I had remembered. He filled us in on everything that the mountain man has told us. He remained tight lipped about what they do with the reapers and weaknesses of the mountain though. Only really explaining what their outside excursions were for.

Apparently the mountain was very informed on the dealings of what's going on around it. Supposedly there is a security room that shows many cameras, for inside and outside of the mountain. They also send out a squad or two of men at a time to scout out and gather information themselves. The mountain sounds like a very well organized hive. I can only hope that I can make the mountain man talk about its weaknesses.

We approached a guarded, concrete building. Upon entering it, I noticed that there was a stairway inside of it that led down to a single large prison cell. The cell consisted of a large barred iron door and only one small barred window on the upper back wall. Hidden in the corner of the cell, was a man in some kind of dark green protective suit. I could also see a few of what appeared to be canisters laying next to the man. Now that I am here and I see the suit that the mountain man is wearing, I need to figure out how to get him to talk without tearing it.

Under the Heda's orders, Lincoln stayed outside of the building. I didn't need any distraction for this operation. Stopping in front of the cell door, Lexa decided to let the prisoner know who she was.

"Mountain man." Lexa said firmly, getting the man's attention. "I am the Commander of the twelve clans, I have come here today to receive information on the mountain. You will speak the truth." Lexa's words were spoken unwaveringly and strong. The mountain man started to shake at her words and I smiled in response. He was scared, and that was a good thing. Fear was a very powerful tool when getting information.

"Shield, I trust that you can get this man to speak on what he knows?" Lexa asked me with a smirk on her face. She knew full well that I could get him to talk, I always get them to talk.

"Of course, my Heda." I say confidently.

Handing my spear to the guard that is watching the cell, he opens the door for me and I step inside. Now that there are no bars separating us, I can see that the mountain man was more of a mountain boy than anything. He was probably only eighteen or nineteen winters old. This was a good thing, I thought to myself. It'll be easier to intimidate him. Honestly there's not even much more intimidation needed, already looks like he is about to piss his pants.

"Tell me all you know." I demand in a deep rough voice, standing over him with my huge size advantage. I could see the conflict in the young man's eyes. He doesn't want to tell me anything but I know he will soon.

"N-No, I won't betray my people." He says hesitantly, with temporary courage. His show of strength, as little as it was, was humorous to me. I merely showed him a feral smile in response and the little bit of courage he had gathered, visibly left him.

"We'll see about that." I whispered with my voice full of warning. Grabbing the front of his suit roughly, I slammed him into the wall. I was mindful of where the air canister on his side was located so it wouldn't get damaged.

Considering how much precaution they took with extra air, I assumed that they'd carry some kind of repair adhesive to patch up tears and cuts in the suits. Getting an idea, I grabbed the front of his suit again, lifting him up. "P-Please…" He stuttered out, now more scared of me than before. I took out one of my daggers slowly and obviously with me freehand, building up his anxiety.

"If you do not talk by the time I finish counting back from five, you will die by the very air you're surrounded by." I tell him threateningly. He was paralyzed with fear at this point but my voice snapped him out of it. "I don't kn-" Cutting him off, I started counting.

"Five."

"Come on m-man, please." He begged desperately.

"Four." My gaze was unwavering and held no sympathy for the boy in front of me.

"PLEASE!" He screamed in desperation.

"Three." I wasn't moved by his show of cowardice begging. He started crying, nearly full blown sobbing.

"Two." The boy squeezed his eyes shut, trying to steel himself for the pain that was surely to come.

"One."

Taking the dagger I held, I cut a small gash into his suit. Hearing the sound of air escaping, the boy began to panic anew. "Let me go! I'll tell you everything I know, please!" He cried out, thrashing against my grip.

Hearing his words brought a cruel smirk to my face. Holding him fast, I waited for his screams of pain to start before I let him go so he could repair his suit. The pain was more incentive to tell me what I wanted to know, a reminder that if he lied to me or withheld information, he would experience the same pain once again.

Letting him go, he scrambled to retrieve the repair adhesive I knew that he'd have. He was moaning with pain by the time he finished patching up the gash. "What are the mountain's capabilities?" I demanded, getting straight into it.

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I left the prisoner's cell after close to probably two hours. Lexa had long since gone to go and see Anya, leaving me alone with the prisoner and the guard. During those two hours, I only had to cut the prisoner's suit twice. The second time, I let him suffer longer than the first as punishment for withholding information. I had asked him what they do with the people they kidnap and he was very hesitant to tell me what becomes of them. I learned that the reapers are the product of "Project Cerberus." Apparently the reapers were created with conditioning and getting them addicted to a drug that is produced inside of the mountain. As a reward for retrieving men and women, the mountain men would give the reapers the drug which kept them going and getting more. The men and women that weren't used for making reapers, were used for blood transfusions. Apparently the mountain men's bodies have not evolved to handle the levels of radiation on the outside like we have. That is why they need the suits every time they leave the mountain.

The thought of my brothers and sisters in arms being drained of their blood like some kind of animal made my blood boil. If we were ever going to raid the mountain, the tunnels would definitely be the way to do it, but it would have to be a stealth operation. The mountain man had also given me all of the mountain's defensive capabilities. That information was probably the least helpful, there wasn't anything there that was necessarily new knowledge. The only useful piece of information about their defensive capabilities that I received was that they can lock down sections of the mountain via the control room. What that means is that if we were ever to try and take the mountain, the control room would need to be the first location to take control of.

The prisoner had given me a lot of useful information to work with, it would not save his life though. He had given me everything, and that meant he is not useful anymore. The fact that he is a mountain man, the people that had terrorized Trikru and the surrounding clans for decades, coupled with the information on what they actually do to our people inside the mountain… Heda will have him killed for sure. Not that I have any sympathy for him though, if it was up to me, I would have just torn his suit up and be done with it.

Entering Anya's hut, I see that she and Lexa seem to be catching up. Standing near Anya I see A dark skinned woman with short hair. She had tribal tattoos on one side of her face and scars on the other side. There was a serious vibe emanating from her and I knew she wasn't someone to joke around with. She was Anya's second in command, Indra I believe her name was. Due to my position I am familiar with the names of most of the clans hierarchy.

Seeing me enter, Lexa greeted me professionally. "My Shield, was your interrogation successful?"

"Yes, my Heda..." I informed her, explaining all of what the mountain man had spilled. Telling them of what became of the kidnapped villagers and warriors, I saw their faces flash with anger more than once. Once I was finished relaying everything I had learned, Heda looked more furious than I had seen her in a long time. She turned to Anya and said something I couldn't quite hear. I see a look of satisfaction form on Anya's face and she calls out to her second in command. "Indra, go and… thank our guest for his generous information." She orders calmly.

"With pleasure." Indra say's with a smirk, walking off to deal with the mountain man.