“Who are you?” Williams wondered, blunt.
“My name is Captain David Mercer, of the Imperial Guard,” the man replied. “My colleague, Lieutenant Cox, also of the Imperial Guard, is monitoring the telemetry from your chair with the help of the ICPD staff physician Dr. Martin, on the other side of that window.” He gestured to the one-way glass framed on the side wall. “I’ll be interrogating you.”
“The hell you will. Where’s my lawyer?”
“Your lawyer has already been sent home, Mr. Williams.”
“…The hell?!”
“Counsel is always waived in any case that goes before the Throne, Mr. Williams.”
“Before the Throne?”
“You are being tried in the highest court available, Mr. Williams. The Emperor himself will determine your case.”
“Oh shit,” Williams whispered.
“Now, Mr. Williams,” Mercer said, once he had seated himself and gotten a few things organized in VR. “You are accused of being an accomplice to first-degree manslaughter, as well as with sedition, conspiracy to subvert a government organization, four counts of conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to bomb an Imperial City Police building, and treason against the Throne. We are about to commence your interrogation. I will ask the questions, and you will answer, taking as long as you need to fully answer each question.”
“No.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I’m not answering any questions. Not until my lawyer is here.”
“I’ve already told you, Mr. Williams, your lawyer is not here, nor will he be here.”
“Then I’m not talking.”
“Oh, I’m afraid you will,” Mercer said, growing grim. “I’ve already had my instructions from General Daggert, who had them directly from the Emperor, not half an hour ago.”
“And those instructions are?”
“Resistance to providing the Emperor with the truth of the matter will be considered an additional charge of treason, and grounds for execution. If you – or any of your co-conspirators – refuse to cooperate, the answers are to be drugged out of you. If you die in the process, too bad. Should you continue to resist, somewhere along the way you will lose your mind first, however. This is usually not pretty, and based on my experience as an interrogator, you are likely to consciously realize it is happening, but be completely unable to stop it.”
Williams paled.
“Now, let me say again: We are about to commence. I will ask the questions, and you will answer, taking as long as you need to fully answer each question. Cooperation with the interrogation will be considered by way of possibly mitigating any sentence. Refusal to cooperate is an automatic death sentence on the grounds of treason. Do you still refuse to answer?”
Dumbfounded, and uncertain what to do, Williams simply sat there, mute, gaping. If I don’t, I’m a dead man, because this Emperor won’t hesitate to have me executed. If I do, I’m a dead man, because either this Emperor will have me executed, or the remaining ‘oldies’ will take me out. What the hell do I do?!
Mercer allowed fully three minutes to pass for the accused to process the situation and respond. Williams tried to speak, but still uncertain what to say, nothing would come out, so he offered Mercer a pleading look, but Mercer took no regard of it. Finally the Imperial Guardsman waved a dismissive hand.
“Very well, then. Dr. Martin,” Mercer directed his comment to the microphone near the ceiling in the corner, “would you please come in and facilitate the interrogation?”
In the end, Williams was a lightweight; the first drug administered opened his mouth and mind, rendering him unable to resist the interrogation. Mercer got to work.
“What is your full name?”
“Hunter Allen Williams.”
“Were you a former IPD Headquarters staffer?”
“Yes.”
“What was your rank?”
“Corporal. I was one of the senior beat cops.”
“What is your current rank?”
“it’s still corporal.”
“Military-style rankings don’t exist under the current leadership of the IPD. What is your current rank?”
“I guess it’s just officer, then.”
“How did you survive the destruction of the original Headquarters?”
“I was away from Headquarters on my beat when the Emperor initiated the attack. When I got back, there wasn’t much left of the building except the foundation, and not many people left, either.”
“Were you approached by any of the Imperial Marines securing the area?”
“Yes.”
“Did they ask you what your business was there?”
“Yes.”
“What did you tell them?”
“That I was reporting back at the end of my shift, and didn’t understand what had happened.”
“Was that true?”
“Yes.”
“Did they ask you if you were a legitimate, straight cop?”
“Yes.”
“How did you respond to that question?”
“That I was a straight cop.”
“Did you lie when you told the Imperial Marines you were a straight cop?”
“I was straight enough.”
“Did you ever accept a bribe?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever plant evidence at a crime scene, or on a witness?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever hire enforcers for yourself or your superiors?”
“Yes.”
“Which?”
“Both.”
“Did you lie to the Imperial Marines about accepting bribes, using enforcers, and planting evidence?”
“…Yes.”
“So did you lie to the Imperial Marines about being a straight cop?”
“Depends on your definition of straight, I guess.”
“Did you commit corrupt acts?”
“Yes.”
“Were you a corrupt cop?”
“I suppose.”
“Did you lie when you told the Imperial Marines you were a straight cop?”
“…Yes.”
“Were you sincere when you swore the new Oath to the Throne?”
“No.”
“Why did you swear the Oath to the Throne?”
“To get my job back.”
“Why did you want that job back?”
“I earned that job. I deserved it.”
“Why didn’t you just get another job.”
“Dunno. Liked this one.”
“Who contacted you about this ‘oldies’ gathering?”
“Carr.”
“Could you be more specific? His full name, please.”
“Lieutenant William H. Carr.”
“Who else showed up at this ‘oldies’ gathering? Be specific.”
“Captain Ted Bradly, Inspector Winston Peabody, and, um, Officers George Holland, David Seeger, Noah Warner,
