Page 28 of Star-Crossed Captive
“Something wrong?” Mace asked, cocking his head.
“We have a traitor in our midst.”
“Ah,” Mace said standing legs braced apart, hands clasped behind his back. “What do you propose we do?”
Grey would need to take the lead on this one. Mace hadn’t been present of mind the last couple of days and didn’t know what had happened to make his friend choose this particular exercise.
“The usual.” Grey continued to survey the tyros. A few of them looked worried, but most appeared confused. It was the cocky ones who had it coming, the ones who thought they knew what would happen next.
“Interrogation techniques,” Grey said, letting his voice ring through the space. “Who thinks they know anything about interrogation techniques?” No one spoke. “Those who think they know one interrogation technique, step forward.”
The whole group stepped forward, a few hesitantly, but there wasn’t one who didn’t take a step.
Grey pointed to the first person in line. “Name one.”
“Torture, sir,” she answered.
Grey cocked his head to the side. “Pretty broad topic. Can you be more specific?”
The girl looked to her left, then her eyes snapped forward once again. “Medical torture, sir.”
Mace raised his eyebrows. Grey gave him a look, then his focus returned to the tyros. He pointed to the next person in line. “Another technique.”
“Deprivation, sir.”
“Be specific.”
“Food, water, time, rights. Take it all away, sir,” the boy replied.
Grey was silent a moment. “Another,” he ordered the next girl in line.
“Weaknesses, sir,” she said quietly, and Mace shifted his weight, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Be specific,” Grey ordered.
She cleared her throat. “Exploit what’s most important to them.”
Silence followed her words. She looked at both Mace and Grey before focusing on whatever spot she’d been previously staring.
“These are all interrogation methods, but do they work? Will they find out the truth when you’re running out of time?”
Grey paced in front of them, his brow furrowed. “Today we’ll find out. All of you will be locked into a room together to figure out who the traitor is. You will have numerous methods at your disposal. Together, you will discover the truth and won’t be released until you do. Is that understood?”
There were no cocky faces left, only the confused and the terrified.
“Sir! May I ask a question?” asked one of the boys near the end of the front row.
“Of course,” Grey answered.
“What was the act of treason, sir?”
“Ah,” Grey replied. “An important question.” He stopped walking and stood front and center. “Upon your arrival as a unit, you were instructed that no one was to leave the barracks during the first six weeks of training. This was disobeyed. One person left yesterday and was absent for fifty minutes and six seconds. I can only assume this person is working for the enemy. Therefore, they are a traitor to their unit.”
“Um, sir.” A boy in the rear row lifted his hand. “There could be a lot of reasons a person left the barracks. They might not be a traitor.”
“Front and center!” Grey yelled at the boy, who jumped and scurried to obey, stopping a few feet in front of him. “Why would you say this? Were you the one who left the barracks?”
“No, sir. I didn’t—”
