The Interrogation

Just a quick recap: at the end of "Shepard's Contact," Jason has captured an assassin that was trying to kill him, after he had met with his friend and informant, Miranda.

=We both managed to stop laughing in time to remember the cops were still on their way=

@ Jason- So, any ideas on what to do with this guy?

=I shook my head, still trying to get a handle on the situation=

Okay, I need to get this guy to my ship, fast. But I can't be walking around in my boxers, the cops would arrest me for indecency.

@ Miranda- First things first: we need to get back to your apartment, and get some clothes. Plus, I need to get any I.D.'s I may have left behind, especially if I want to get this guy back to my ship.

@ Jason- Got it. You should stay here, keep an eye on him. I'll head back to the apartment, and get everything we need.

@ Miranda- Okay. Wait, what?

=She gave me a small smile=

@ Jason- The apartment is under a different name, one of my aliases. The cops will want answers, and I don't want to be around to play 20 questions.

=With that, she left me in the alley, while I stayed behind with assassin=

=Miranda came back fifteen minutes later, dressed in her own clothes, a large duffel-bag in hand, and dropped it on the ground in front of me. I opened it, and found a set of clothes, my own personal belongings, and a med-kit=

@ Miranda- Are you sure you want to come with me? I'll probably be heading back to meet with my new friends, and I don't know how they'll respond to me bringing a new face. =I glanced down at the sniper= Or two, if we bring him that far.

=she threw the now empty duffel in the dumpster, and turned back to face me=

@ Jason- Like I said, I don't want to stick around for the cops, and so far as I can tell, you're the only guy I know with free transport off this planet. Besides, if it doesn't work out with your friends, just drop me off at a planet where I can get transport.

=I couldn't argue with that, and besides, it would be nice to have someone else on the ship (hostile snipers not included)=

=we hailed a cab, the unconscious sniper supported by us=

He had too many drinks =was what i told the cab driver. He didn't really seem to care. We got to the docks with no trouble, and I paid the driver what we owed him, and got to the entrance to the docks. The dock-master didn't give us any hassle, and we got on board my ship=

@ out loud- Alright, let me just get the engines running. =I started typing commands on the console= Miranda, if you could, take our guest down to the crew deck, and tie him up in one of the spare rooms.

=she didn't say anything. she just dragged the guy to the elevators, a pistol in her hand, and the doors closed behind her. I got the ship off the ground, and we broke atmo a few minutes later. With that done, I set the ship on a path for orbit with the planets moon. I went to the elevator, and went to go and check on our prisoner=

=I arrived on the crew deck to find Miri sitting at the table, a bottle of water in her hands, and the med-kit she brought with her on the table=

@ Jason- Hey, let me see that wound.

=I looked down, and noticed the bandage I used was getting damp with fresh blood. I looked back at Miri=

@ Miranda- Geez, I almost forgot. =I walked over to her, my arm held out for her. she took it and unwrapped the bandage, wincing a little as she saw the bullet wound= Honestly, it's not as bad as it looks. =She sighed, and decided to just change the dressings=

@ Jason- I know that. It's just better not to ignore these types of things. There, just keep that bandage on for a few days, and your arm will be fine.

=I flexed my arm a bit= Yeah, that's true. So, where did you put him?

=She pointed back towards the rooms= I tied him up in Mal's room. Don't worry, I gave him another sedative, and made sure he was tied down tightly.

= I nodded my thanks, and went to get myself a drink of my own=

@ Jason- A coke? Seriously? I though you were trying to cut back.

@ Miranda- Hey, what was I supposed to do? The guy offered me an entire case of the stuff, and I didn't want be rude.

Besides, this stuff is addicting.

=I sat back down at the table, and took a sip of my drink=

@ Miranda- So, stupid question, I know. But I have to ask: Did you bring him?

=She gave me that "who do you think you're talking to look again," and pulled out the memory crystal from her pocket=

@ Jason- Of course I brought him. Without him, I never would have managed to get you the information you needed. I figured he might come in handy.

=She handed me the data crystal, and I plugged it into the table. The table had at one time served as both a place to eat, and an improvised meeting room for the team, seeing as how it had a built in holotank, which was why I was so careful to keep it clean. Upon plugging the crystal in, the holotank sprung to life, and Argo appeared. His chosen appearance was, honestly, a strange one: It was a spiked sphere that pulsed and changed colors whenever he talked or was working=

=Argo "looked" around for a moment, and centered on me=

@ Jason- Ah, Shepard, how nice to see you again. I assume I am on the Blacklight?

=I couldn't help but grin a little. For a standard Dumb A.I., Argo was certainly ahead it's (his, I reminded myself) time. Miranda still hadn't told me where she got him from=

@ Argo- Yeah, we're aboard the Blacklight. A lot has happened since we last spoke.

=Argo paused to consider my statement, though that was only for an instant=

@ Jason- hmm, I'm sure much has changed, given the trouble that normally follows you and my partner.

=Miranda tried to hide the blush from her cheeks. She was always amazed at how protective Argo was with her. I still remember how, when she and I started dating, Argo had somehow remotely hacked into the cities security cameras to spy on us. She'd never say it, but Argo was almost like a brother to her. They'd been in business for a few years before I showed up=

@ Argo- Yeah, you could say that. Earlier today, a sniper tried to kill me while I was in Miri's apartment.

=That certainly got his attention. He flashed crimson, which I knew was the equivalent of rage, but he cooled to sky blue, his calm face. I continued=

I have the guys picture. =I sent him a copy of the man's face= I want you to check all available archives, sources, anything. Find out who he is.

=Argo flashed twice, his confirmation signal, and disappeared in a flash of light. For an A.I. Argo had a thing for theatrics=

=I turned back to Miri=

@ Miranda- So, what now?

=She gave a little smirk=

@ Jason- Wow, for once you don't have a plan.

=I sipped more of my coke, and then responded=

Well it's not like I was planning for this. I mean come on! A sniper takes a shot at me, right after I learn that Harper is coming for me with the full might of Vigil behind him. So forgive me if I'm at a loss for ideas here, okay!

=She stood up then, a look of disbelief on her face=

@ Jason- I'm trying to help, Jason. There's no need to yell at me.

=Once more, I felt very guilty. I stood up, and hugged her tightly (making sure not to break any ribs in the process)=

@ Miranda- I'm sorry, you didn't deserve that. I'm just really stressed right now: my greatest fear is about to come true, and the one of the few people in my life I actually care about is at the front-lines with me.

=she raised her face a bit, and my guilt grew as I saw a tear trickle down one cheek. I leaned down to kiss her, and she leaned into the kiss, her lips warm, and welcoming. We stayed like that, neither of us breaking the kiss, until almost a minute after, we stopped=

@ Jason- i know you're scared =she half whispered= But I'm right here with you. =she took my hand in hers= I'll always be with you.

=Argo chose that exact moment to come back, but neither of us really felt embarrassed=

@ Jason- Shepard, I have searched all the available archives, and the only thing I was able to turn up was this.

=A set of holo screens popped up in front of him, each one displaying a different piece of info about the sniper, and there were only three screens. that didn't seem to stop Argo from continuing=

As you can see, the sniper is of moderate notoriety. A total of seven high level kills are credited to him.

@ Argo- If this guy was so good, then how the hell did he miss me? He shot at me at least.... =I paused to remember how many bullets were fired= at least six times.

@ Jason- It would appear his specialty lies in close range assassinations. He would get close to his target, and then kill up close, including any personnel the target had.

=Miranda chuckled a little=

@ both Jason and Argo- So what you're saying is that this sniper decided to try a new style, and failed?

=I grinned a little, and turned to face her=

He probably didn't have any sniper training. Any sniper worth the title would know that in a city, even at those elevations, there would be a strong wind stream. Hell, it was a windy day that saved my life.

=The holo screens faded, and Argo continued=

I wasn't really able to get a name, but I was able to find an alias he uses: The Ghost. He manages to bypass security like it isn't even there, kills his targets, and is gone before anyone knows what happened. Hence the name.

So, Harper decided to have a ghost kill me, huh?

=I sat back down=

@ to everyone in the room- Alright, I've made a decision about what to do with him. I'll move him down to the storage deck. From there, I'm going to be the only one who has any contact with him, okay?

=Miranda had a worried look= Why, what are you going to do?

=I chose my words carefully= I'm just going to ask him a few questions.

=she gave an involuntary shudder at those words, and she knew what I was going to do=

@ Jason- I'll just stay up here then?

= I stood up=

Yeah, that might just be the best choice. =I turned to Argo= Argo, if you would be so kind, could you make sure the ship maintains it's course.

=Argo didn't say a thing. He just flashed once to confirm, and disappeared. No flash this time. I headed for the "Ghost's" room, and saw that he was still sedated. It took the better half of fifteen minutes, but I got him down to the storage area, and tied him to a nearby table. I then checked one of the containers with a medical stamp on it, and found what I needed. I then headed back up to my room, and brought a long my little music speaker=

=Half an hour later, the "Ghost" woke up. He initially started trying to break free of his bonds, but found that he couldn't=

Where am I?!! =was his first question= Who the hell are you people?

=I walked out of the shadows (Argo, you theatrical bastard, eat your heart out) and addressed the man=

Morning =I said rather brightly= My names Jason, and unless this bullet wound is wrong, you tried to kill me.

=I wheeled out the tray that held my tools of interrogation, and came to stand right over the guy=

And believe me man, this is not your lucky day. =As I spoke, I began sticking an IV needle in his arm= See, when I did interrogations, I made sure I had no personal beef with the guy I'd be doing this stuff to. But you sir, are one of those rare exceptions. See, I don't know where I can find a professional torturer on short notice, so that leaves the deed to me. And unfortunately, this is personal. So, first of all, here are some anti-biotics, =I injected the stuff though his IV= so you don't catch any nasty infections while we work.

=I pulled out a big needle of adrenaline= And this, is so you don't pass out, because I want you to see and feel everything, as well as answer any questions I may have.

=I injected the adrenaline through the IV, and the guy just went stiff as a board as the stuff entered his system=

And finally, this I brought for my own entertainment. =I pulled out the music player, and hit the button to play. "Ave Maria" began to play=

So, last chance before I begin: who hired you, and what do you know?

=The guy didn't talk. He just kept silent=

Okay, just remember, if at any time, you want to answer my question =I placed a tiny bell close to his hand= just ring this bell.

=And with that, I grabbed the pliers off the tray, and ripped off his pinky nail. The guy screamed in pain, but he did not touch the bell. I continued to yank off all his nails, even the ones on his toes, but he still didn't talk=

I can go all day you know. =I put the pliers down, and proceeded to break each of digits. With each break, he gave a big grunt of pain=

You know, the last time I did this kind of work was at least two years ago. So forgive me if I seem a little rusty.

=I picked up a knife, and sliced of his trigger finger. That certainly got some screams of pain from him, but he still said nothing=

Okay, well just to let you know, it's been at least fifteen minutes now, so I'm going to have to up the ante here.

=I picked up a scalpel and dipped it in a jar of rubbing alcohol. I then made the first incision along his arm=

=He began shaking with pain, and I couldn't help but feel a little bit afraid: I was becoming exactly what I was running from. But I needed the information, so I decided to try something=

Okay look, we both know that at the end of this, you will die. Quite horribly to. Then how would you be able to spend the money they paid you with?

=He gave me a look that gave away quite a bit: he was close to breaking, but I knew i needed to sweeten the deal=

Listen, tell me everything, and I'll get you to a hospital back on the planet, okay? Does that sound reasonable? Or do I need to start playing "Friday," and torture the both of us?

=He sighed at that, and broke his silence=

@ Jason- Alright, I'll talk. =He rasped, his thoat must have gone dry from screaming= The people that hired me were UNSC, or at least carried themselves like UNSC. They warned me to use a sniper-rifle, saying that up close would be to dangerous. The man that hired me was middle aged: gray hair, white, said his name was...... Harper, I think.

=I started to put the tools back, and turned off the music too=

Okay, you're off to a good start. Anything else?

=He didn't even stop to think, he just let it all spill=

They gave me the coordinates for a rendezvous, for after I killed you. That was where I'd pick up the rest of my pay.

=He gave me the coordinates, and i pulled out another needle=

Don't worry, this won't kill you. It's just a sedative. =I injected the sedative into his IV, and he fell asleep once more=

=I found a blanket in one of the other storage boxes and covered the "Ghost" in it. After that, I took the elevator up the crew deck, and washed up. i found Miri in my room, sleeping under the covers=

Good, at least she didn't have to hear anything.

=I went back to the conference table, and sat down=

Argo, we need to talk.

=the hologram projectors turned on, and Argo once more appeared=

Yes Shepard? What do you want to talk about?

@ Argo- I have a set of coordinates the assassin gave me. =I typed the coordinates into the keypad= I want you to check them out. Find out what system they lead too, and how far away it is. Apparently, Harper is there.

=He flashed once, and went to work. While he didn't say anything, his form began to strobe, a sign that he was working. He was almost finished with all the hues of blue when he stopped=

Shepard, I have located the system the assassin was meant to meet Harper in.

=A holo of the star system appeared. Argo continued=

The Knossos system. A small, recently discovered system located in the Artemis Tau Cluster. One of the planets located there, Therum, was discovered to posses rich mineral deposits of both titanium and uranium. Once discovered, the UNSC began construction of massive mining facilities. In addition, a colony was started on the planet, with civilians flocking to the site looking for work. Finally, the UNSC maintains an active presence in the system, despite it being an Outer Colony.

@ Argo- Of course they'd maintain a presence there. The war has practically depleted the UNSC's fissile materials, so the location of a world rich in uranium means more nukes. And titanium of that quality is a key element for making their warships. I wouldn't be surprised if becomes the outer colony version of Reach.

=I enlarged the holo of the planet, and got a look at the surface=

Granted, it doesn't have the same climate as Reach, but another year of terraforming, and colonists won't need masks to breath.

=Argo changed the screen from the planet to a set of reports, and began laying out details=

@ Jason- The geography itself is interesting. A wide range of mountains, moderate levels of vegetation (at least halfway through full plant growth for natural oxygen to occur in large levels). Oceans are present, with surveys showing complex life, and the geological activity of the planet is beginning to settle, with mild earthquakes and eruptions occurring along the plates, and nowhere near any of the refineries or bases.

=I sat back down, and considered my options: on the one hand, Harper might not be expecting me to show up, and I'd be able to stage a surprise of my own. Knowing Harper though, he'd never do one thing when he could do something in parallel to the other. He may have a trap of his own set up=

@ Argo- Alright listen, I don't want to move on this info just yet. Let's see what other info we can gather first, then I'll decide on what to do. For now Argo, plot a course back to the planet we just came from, and land us somewhere just outside the city.

@ Jason- I assume you'll want the stealth systems enabled?

=I grinned a little=

@ Argo- Yeah. We got out of there in a hurry, and I don't want anyone getting suspicious on why we came back so soon.

=Half an hour later, Miri came out of my room, dressed in her casual attire: a pair of slippers, one of my shirts, and jogging shorts. She made herself a coffee first, then came to sit by me=

@ Jason- So, how did it go?

=She didn't show it, but I could tell there was a kind of anxiety behind the question: she wanted to know how far I'd gone in the interrogation=

@ Miranda- It went well enough. He answered my questions, and he's still alive. We're heading back to the planet to drop him off at a hospital. I'd like it if you stayed here. The cops will most likely be looking for someone of your description, seeing as it was your apartment that got shot to hell.

And I don't want you see how bad the guy looks now that I've finished with him.

=She knew what I meant, but seemed grateful that I didn't really say it. We arrived back at the planet in under an hour, and so far, the stealth systems were holding. We landed just outside the city, and I carried the "Ghost" out through the cargo doors. It took us awhile, but I managed to get him to a hospital, and I left him outside by the main door. It then took me half as long to get back to my ship, and once aboard, we took off=

=I plotted a course for the rendezvous point I left with the Trophaeum, and left Argo to handle the slip-space drive, though I was unsure if anyone would really be there. I then headed down to the crew deck to check on Miri=

So.... =she asked as I exited the elevator, two mugs of coffee in her hands= You're heading off to meet with your new friends?

=I walked over to her and picked up my mug=

That's the plan. I may know where Harper is, or at least where his agents will be, but I'm not ready to charge in there and get myself caught in a trap. Besides, our "Ghost," was supposed to meet them at the rendezvous in a week. That gives me time to think of something, and my odds of survival are higher if I'm with my new friends.

=I sat down at the table, and she joined me. We sat there in silence for a bit, until she decided to speak=

Well, if you want me to join you, now's the time to say it. Because honestly, I don't know which choice sound smore appealing: staying with you, and seeing this whole thing through, and maybe live with you after it's all over. =I smiled a little at that thought= Or we just continue with our usual arrangement: I keep moving from world to world, getting you info, and we meet every now and then.

=I had already decided what I wanted to do=

Miri.... =I placed my hand on hers= For the longest time, I was focused on revenge, and making sure that everyone in Vigil paid. But now....... now the only thing that seems to matter to me more than them is you. =I looked in her eyes this time= Miranda, you were there for me when I was on the run, and you've stood by me for nearly two years. I want you to stay. I want you to stay, because........=I struggled with the words= because I love you, and I want you as close to me as possible.

=There were tears in her eyes, and she kissed me passionately, and I returned the kiss. The rest of that night, was probably the best of my life=