Interrogations

At Phinox's last bit of information, all eyes snap up. Jay's face pales and he puts his head in his hands, having thought that the worse was over... he'd been wrong.

A quietness settles over the room and through the phone too. It is a strange silence... one would question why it was there at all. But the agents knew.

Reese looks around at the faces. They all knew the same information. He glances to Phinox, then lowers himself into a chair, taking a deep breath. "Well.... if everything goes accordingly, the Agency will disarm the bomb themselves, right? In order to make the exchange."

"If it goes accordingly..." Rick grits his teeth, emphasizing the "if." "And what if it doesn't? What if we need to disarm it ourselves?"

Again, there is the same strange silence.

Jason's voice finally comes over the phone. "You have to use him, Reese... We can't afford to bring in an outsider this late in the game, and as risky as this is with the Agency. You know that."

"But we can't-" Reese moans and rubs his aching forehead. He looks to Phinox again. "Around here, most agents are trained with firearms, and many with hand-to-hand combat. Fewer have computer skills... the list goes on. We're a branch made up of bits and pieces of people and skills and...."

Rick intervenes. "What he's saying is that we only have one person here who has the right training for disarming a bomb."

Reese purses his lips grimly. "Scott."

"Whoa guys..." Carson's voice comes again. "Do you know what kind of a risk that is? We still don't know which side his brain is wired for. The Agency could have messed with him good enough that he could betray us without even knowing it. And having him onsite?"

"Well what else would you suggest? Letting Katie get blown up?"

Though Reese's words are harsh, they get their point across. Carson comes back a little less aggressive. "Okay, look... I have got to finish with Scott's interrogation. Let Nate handle Gage, and hope we have enough time before Phinox gets his call."

"Why do you need to interrogate Scott first?"

"Because one, he might have information. And two, I'll be able to see if we can trust him or not. I need to confirm that he was indeed assimilated, I have to study his reactions and see whose side he's on. Trust me... we have to do it first, and I would never trust him in the field without this step first."

"And if you think we can't trust him?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Reese has to think for several moments, weighing their options. It didn't matter which way they turned - no prospect sounded good. Finally, he nods, even though Carson can't see it. "Do it."

"Alright. Wyatt, can you handle watching the monitor?"

Wyatt takes a deep breath. He knew why Carson was asking instesad of directing. But he also knew that probably the worst of the scene was over. "Yeah."

"Good onya. Nate? You should take Con with you and go take care of Gage. Once his sedative wears off, he's gonna be madder than a hornet. He's gonna want a fix, and he's gonna want it bad. If he gives you trouble, just have Con sit on him. Treat him like the peon he is... he will probably think he's big stuff in the Agency's eyes - that's the way they make all their little people feel. But he's nothing. As such, he's probably pretty clueless about this current situation, but it's worth a shot anyway."

Carson stops for a moment, thinking. "Sorry, Phinox. Didn't meant to take over. Carry on. I'm going for Scott."

Once the conversation is over, it's agreed that there isn't much else to be done until Phinox was contacted with more information.

Wyatt is the first to leave, heading bravely for Katie's cubicle. Anything that happened now could be vital to this mission.

Con rises as well, looking to Nate. "Well... let's get this show on the road..."


Scott is quiet, but manages a little nod to Hope. He wanted to believe her so badly. And at one point just recently, he had. He'd really been able to start pulling himself out of this pit. Now he felt like he'd been shoved right back down again, but this time, there were daggers at the bottom that hurt even worse.

The sound of someone entering the infirmary makes him look up. It was Carson. A chill runs down his spine.

Carson approaches slowly, but deliberately. Standing near the bed, he gives Scott a grim look.

Scott swallows hard. "It's time, isn't it?"

"Yes." Carson wasn't going to sugarcoat it. "You need to come with me to interrogation room one."

"Can... can Hope come with me?"

A rare gentleness flashes through Carson's eyes, and his tone is softer if just for a moment. "Without hope, we wouldn't have much of a chance, now would we?" He nods. "She can come."

As Scott unfolds his legs and slides gingerly off the bed, Carson throws a warning glance to Hope. "I can't have any interferance," he reminds. "And I can't explain now, but this has gotten a whole lot more dire."

Scott turns, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Not now, Scott. We're gonna get through this first."

Carson leads the way, with Scott close behind, dragging his feet. One arm was tucked around his sore ribs, and he walked slow enough to feel Hope behind him. He was scared. He was scared of what he might remember. He was scared of experiencing yet another interrogation. He was scared of revealing just how bad of a traitor he'd become.


Gage looks up as he hears the door open - finally. His brain still felt a little foggy, but at least all his muscles seemed to be working again. The only thing that hurt at the moment were his hands that were still tied tightly to his chair. He saw two unfamiliar faces.... of two very tall men... one of which looked like a tank. He couldn't help but swallow a lump in his throat. Oh, great.

Con grabs a seat and sits down to the side, casually, making room for Nate. "Well... Gage... how are you?"

Gage narrows his eyes into a new glare. "How would you be stuck in a place like this?" Few would notice that his hands were shaking slightly, the first signs of his addiction coming through.

"I would hope I'd see an opportunity," Con counters.

"For what?"

"To stay alive."

Gage retreats just a little. He stares at Con, then at Nate. He had never been taken away from the Agency before, and he tried to mask the fear behind his eyes. He'd been trained to withstand questioning and brutality, but never having experienced it, he was afraid. "What do you want?"


Carson sets up the other interrogation room, not enjoying the task, but knowing full well how to do it. It was quite a while ago, but he had been in on several sessions during someone's assimilation, and also the extraction of data. The only hope they had to help Scott retrieve information was to rebuild the environment that might trigger the memory of being at the Agency.

Looking at Hope, his facial expression is not a happy one. Switching off the overhead lights, he turns on a warm spotlight that shone brightly on the chair against the wall. "Scott?"

Scott knows what he's being asked to do, and glances at Hope with hesitation. His swollen face just emphasized his feeling of helplessness. But he obeys Carson and goes to sit in the chair. He blinks in the light. Something about this felt familiar. But he'd been instructed by Carson not to reply to anything unless he knew the answer.

Carson leans back against the table, watching Scott for several minutes, remaining completely quiet. Finally he speaks. His tone was not mean, but it was not warm either. "Directive. File zero three one."

Scott swallows hard. It rang a bell. But nothing else surfaces.

Carson speaks a little more firmly. "Report. Removed agent three seventy-two."

Scott blinks. "I..."

"Report!" Carson raises his voice, sensing that Scott knew the answer.

Scott knew he knew.... but it hurt to remember.... the light... the screen... the information...

Carson slips beside Scott, and in one movement, has him on his feet in a rough choke hold. "Report!" he orders again.

Scott struggles, for a moment caught in a brief flashback, unsure if he was fighting off Carson or someone who had held him captive. "I don't know!"

"Removed agent three seventy-two!"

Scott winces and gasps for breath. "Banks... Carson... enforcement division. Security code one one three. Clearance level three."

Carson immediately releases Scott, letting him sink back down into the chair. He closes his eyes for a moment, hating every moment of this. Reaching to the table, he retrieves a glass of water and offers it to Scott.

Scott accepts, his hands trembling. A bead of sweat runs down his face, and he licks his lip where it had started to bleed again. He squints in the light, but can't see Hope beyond the bright beam. His blind eye hurt and he was exhausted. But he knew that each time Carson extracted information, not only was it further proof that Scott did know it, but they could only hope that it took them one step closer to being able to gain the information more readily... if he would only remember. It didn't help any that it had been so long since the assimilation.

Carson stands back again and runs a hand over his face before taking a deep breath. What he'd really like now was a shot of whiskey. But he had a job to do instead. Once he sees Scott is halfway recovered, he starts again. It was testing his own memory... he had to be able to come up with triggers he knew Scott might respond to... and his own recollections were somewhat foggy in a few areas.

"Code sixty-five."

Scott closes his eyes. He was trying so hard. But that number didn't mean anything to him.

Carson tries again, sternly. "Code seventy-three."

"Department four security." Scott's eyes fly open. "Level... two."

Though Carson was seeing an improvement and wanted to stop, he knew he couldn't. Not yet. "Report. Deceased agent thirty-four."

"Turner. Ashlyn. Clearance five. Enforcement division." Scott pauses. "Notes. Banks termination."

Carson works the muscles in his jaw, quickly moving on. "Location. File forty-B."

Scott swallows hard, trying to reach down... so far down. A horror had entered his veins as slowly, the fog was lifted and he began to remember gaining the information he was sharing now. But he had to respond. "Secured database three."

"Code two fifty-nine C."

"Division six. Clearance level nine."

"Report. Agent Billings. Ryder."

"Communication division. Enforcement termination." Scott squints a little. "Code seven five five. Security clearance level one."

Carson quirks an eyebrow. Ryder had had higher clearance then he'd had? That was interesting. No matter his interest in what Scott was pulling up now though, he would continue this interrogation. It was obvious they had broken through the memory barrier - a relief to Carson that force would no longer have to be used. He'd seen much worse - thankfully it hadn't taken Scott long. Now he would find out the truth of the circumstances.

"Do you remember?"

Scott frowns, not understanding.

Carson repeats, his tone not quite as harsh. "What did they do?"

Scott hangs his head. He didn't want the memories to come. A tear escapes to roll down his cheek. "They beat on me... they said everyone I knew was dead... they said they would stop the pain... if I joined them."

"And did you?"

Scott nods. Carson's mini-interrogation was exactly what they'd done to him in the Agency, and it had effectively triggered the event, just as hoped. But even so, it was a painful thing to remember. "They... they brought me to the lab... and asked me one more time... and... and I gave in."

"Why didn't they continue to hound you about TJY?"

"They... wanted me to write up a report... after the assimilation."

"And do you remember that process?"

Scott nods again, his lip quivering. "There were computers... and they had things I didn't recognize... and a big screen... and all the information..." He sniffs, feeling like a fool. "Seventy-two hours. They... they forced me to take all of it in... then they ran tests to make sure I'd remembered."

"Like what I just did?"

"Yes."

Carson folds his arms across his chest. He knew the way it worked... just like he'd told Hope... usually after assimilation, the victim wouldn't know how to retrieve the information on their own, so it had to be forced through a series of interrogations, similar to this. Once it was triggered though, it was like typing in a password to a database, and whoever it was could remember the information like remembering their best friend's name. It was just... there... and accessible. "Why did they leave you for dead then, Scott? Why didn't they finalize the process by placing you in a division?"

Scott shakes his head and stares at the floor. There was still a blank. "I... I don't know."

"Was it a trap? For TJY? Did they expect you to come back here and feed them information?"

"I don't know."

"Did you feed them?"

"I... I don't think so."

Carson raises his voice. "Have you given them information since you got back? Yes or no?"

"Um..."

"Yes or no?!"

"No!" Scott's pulse raises. "I... I can't... no... no... I couldn't have."

"Why didn't they kill you, Scott? If you weren't loyal to them, they wouldn't have taken you into the assimilation program to begin with and you know it. You said yourself that you gave in. Why then, did they leave you for dead?"

"I don't know!" All of the memories were swarming around Scott once again. He'd thought he'd gotten past the pain, but everything was resurfacing. Everything from the brutal beatings, to watching that girl die, to sharing a cold cell with rats. Leaning forward, he buries his face in his hands. "I don't know! I don't know!"

One more question. The file names were always the same. "Location and code. File zero zero six. Johnson."

Scott doesn't lift his head. "Database five, pathway six two five seven nine. Code three zero A. Password KJ859."

Carson lets out a long sigh. They were finished. Carson now knew the location of where the Agency stored the information about Scott's assimilation. Scott wouldn't know what was entered into it after the process had been terminated. As far as retrieving information, Scott was far enough along now that once calmed down, he'd be able to compile all of it himself in a form that might be able to help TJY. As far as why he was here though... that question remained unanswered. But Carson was determined to find out what had really happened, no matter how long it took.

He steps forward and lays a hand on Scott's shoulder. "You alright?"

Scott nods and straightens up, though he's really not sure. "Is it... is it over?"

"We're done for now, mate. I won't hound you anymore."

Scott could hear the "but" in Carson's voice. "Then... what? Are they going to turn me in? Am I going to jail?"

"Naw, slow down." Carson shakes his head. He glances to Hope, giving her the signal that she could intervene now, and help calm Scott down. If anything, she was the sedative Scott needed. "There is more though."

Scott swallows hard, afraid. "What is it?"

"There's been a new development with the case. We need your help. I'm convinced that you're not going to purposely sabotage the mission. Technically, you'll still be considered a traitor until we can figure out just why the Agency didn't keep you. But I can see your intentions are only to help. And we need that. We'll have to have someone watch you at all times, but... it's worth the risk at this point."

Scott looks to Hope, worry flooding his eyes. Sweat continues to run down the sides of his face, and his mouth was parched. "What.... what do you need?"

Carson hesitates. But he knows he has to do it. He just put Scott through heck, but unfortunately, there was no time for him to sit and lick his wounds. "Phinox told us that there's a bomb connected to Katie. We may or may not need someone to disarm it."

If Scott's face could get any paler, it would have. They wanted him in the field. Terror seizes him and he finds himself shaking his head. "No... no.... I... I can't.... it.... no...."

"You have to," Carson states flatly. "Unless you're willing to let Katie die."

"I can't do it!" Scott blurts out. "I got put in the field one time, and look what happened! I can't do it!"

"You can!" Carson leans down to look him square in the eye. "You're the only one with the right skills. We may not need you. But if we do, we need you there and ready. You can stay here and be afraid, or you go help save Katie's life. Which will it be?"

Scott's lower lip quivers along with the rest of his body. He hadn't felt this afraid since coming home. And now he had nowhere to run. He was a traitor, he was beat up, and now he had to go back out into the field.

Carson backs away, ready to go check back in with Phinox and Reese. He looks at Hope again, giving her permission to stay here with Scott and do what she could. This was now her department.


Rick enters Jason's office slowly after having knocked. He looks at his young friend for a moment, tired of seeing such despair. But the day was just beginning.

He holds out a needle. "We need to get started."

Jason obediently rolls up his sleeve. "What's going to happen?"

"This isn't a cure from the antidote, but it'll speed up the process. Unfortunately, it's not going to be pleasant."

"Meaning...?"

"Meaning you're gonna lose anything you just ate in the last few hours. You start feeling sick, you better find yourself down the hall and not in here."

Jason grits his teeth as the injection comes. "Not like I've never thrown up before."

"No... but I want you to drink as much water as you can too. You need to help your body flush out as much as possible. Then only time will take care of the rest."


Kyle looks up at Alice wearily. It took all he had just to sit here and not beg for a ride into down to the nearest pharmacy. His jaw muscles work out the tension, but it didn't do much good.

He gives Alice a little nod, knowing he wasn't alone. "I feel like a train ran over me," he admits. "Do I have rail marks on my head?"

Hunter can't help a wry grin. "Still got your sense of humor."

"It's all I got left," Kyle returns. His head had never hurt so much in his entire life, and his insides were churning. If he could just have one dose... just once more... He stares back at Alice, finding her eyes and piercing them with his own gaze. "Don't let me off this bus," he requests quietly. "If I get off, I'll find a way to fall."

Hunter's eyes narrow slightly as he listens. Illegal or not, he knew the signs... Kyle was coming down off of something. Pain meds? Sleeping pills? Now didn't seem the time to ask. But he wasn't going to leave Alice alone with him.


Mick grins. "Yeah, I think we can pick something up for mom too. You think she'd want some flowers?" He points towards a row of bridles. "She did have her eye on a nice set of braided reins down at the tack shop. What do you think?"