Day 10: In Shangri-La
We left off in the police station....
=====
He was left alone long enough to know they were leaving him alone on purpose, trying to freak him out. Too bad he wasn't going to freak out, because he was already there. He tried to harden himself against the very real possibility that he wouldn’t be leaving the police station. That wasn't the worst of what could happen, but the rest of it…he exhaled, trying not to look too tense. Red had only rumors for the rest of it, and rumors were no good. They didn't prove anything, just that anyone in their right mind was scared to live in The City. People were so scared they didn't even call The City by name anymore. Red didn't even know the name of it: it was before his time. It made him wonder, though, if Wells knew it, if he was telling the truth about his time traveling.
Red snorted. Yeah, right.
The door to the room swung open, and Someone Important came marching in, along with two lackeys. Red recognized the one on the left as the officer who'd split his lip for him. The officer sneered at him.
"This is him," said the one on the right. "The one you've been looking for, Captain."
The Captain gave the officer a mild look, and Red wondered if he was supposed to know they'd been looking for him. He looked the Captain up and down. He was tall, lean, tanned, and had hair as red as his own. They could have been brothers, maybe, except that the Captain carried himself like he was someone important, and Red had spent his whole life trying to go unnoticed. Not that the Captain could go unnoticed, between his looks and the strikingly white uniform he wore.
The Captain's jacket had a high, stiff collar, pure white like the rest of his outfit. Red decided this wasn't the sort of Captain to get dirty out in the city. No, he kept to his offices, and sent his officers out to do his work. Which meant he wasn't the usual sort of police Captain he'd be likely to encounter. Red felt the churning in his gut get worse. Who was he?
The Captain held up a hand. He looked to his left and to his right.
"Leave us," he said.
The two officers flanking him left.
The Captain dragged a chair over and sat opposite Red.
"I've gone to some trouble to bring you here," said the Captain. "I want you to know you're not being charged with anything. I needed to speak with you, though, and here is as safe as I can make it."
"You just want to talk?" said Red. "And I can just walk out of here?"
The Captain nodded. Red's guts twisted. Something was very, very wrong here.
"That's right," he said. "I'd apologize for your rough treatment, but I doubt you'd believe me. It had to look like you'd been trouble, you see, or I'd come under suspicion myself."
"I fix toasters for a living," said Red. "But I guess you'd already know that, if you've read my file or if you've been watching me."
The Captain said nothing, but Red took that as a yes.
"Why don't you tell me about your recent visitor," said the Captain. "What's his name?"
"I have no idea who you're talking about," said Red.
"Of course you don't," said the Captain. "You wouldn't want to sell out your friends, now would you?"
"He calls himself Wells," said Red. "But I don't know anything else."
The Captain looked at him, hard, as if he expected Red to crack and confess the guy's whole life story.
"Would it help if I said he was a wanted man?" said the Captain. "He was trying to break into the Mayor's house."
Red felt the blood drain from his face. The Mayor's house? How suicidal was Wells? Even looking the wrong way at that building could get a person shot. Wells was lucky, that was for sure. He'd gotten away. Red shrugged, faking a coolness he didn't feel.
"I don't have a lot of friends," said Red. "Makes it harder on you, though."
One of the Captain's eyebrows rose.
"And do you consider this man, this Wells, a friend?" he said.
"No," said Red. "I hardly know the guy. We've crossed paths, is all."
"And that would be why you found medical assistance for this criminal?" said the Captain. "Because you would do the same for any person, despite knowing how strong the odds were that we would come to see you afterward?"
Red crossed his arms and tried not to wince at the shooting pain in his ribs.
"Yeah, I would," he said.
The Captain said nothing, but looked at him like he was trying to burn holes in Red with his eyes.
"I see," he said, at last.
Red waited for the other shoe to drop.
The Captain pulled a small remote from his breast pocket. He pushed a button on it, and the cameras in the room shut off. Red only noticed because the absence of running recording lights was strange.
The room was very quiet and very still.
"Here is what you will do," said the Captain.
He handed Red a single piece of paper, folded in quarters. Red unfolded it and looked.
"When Wells shows up again, you will call this number," said the Captain. "And then, within the hour, you will bring him to the address written there."
Red wondered if it was the Captain's handwriting, or just a clever computer printout to look like real handwriting.
"And if I don't?" said Red.
"Then you will disappear, just like your brother," said the Captain. "Because I will inform my superiors that you have a way to block their transporter technology, and they will want to question you themselves."
A cold sweat ran down Red's spine. This whole interview, this whole time, the Captain hadn't said anything, and Red had been pretty damn sure that that's what had gotten him into trouble in the first place, whatever the Captain had claimed.
"Blackmailer," said Red.
The Captain smiled.
"If I must," he said. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, so don't think I won't know if Wells comes again."
"If," said Red. "I don't know a damn thing about him, except that he's nuts."
"See?" said the Captain. "That wasn't so difficult, was it? Now I know two things about your man Wells."
The Captain hit the remote again and returned it to his pocket. He rose from his seat and walked across the room, then opened the door. The same two officers stood there.
"Take him back where you found him," he said.
"Yes, sir!"
They saluted at the Captain's back. Red felt his stomach sink a little further when the officers turned to him, smiling nastily. Crap. He was probably going to need to see Gray after this.
"Right this way, scum," said one.
Red couldn't get out of that room fast enough.
=====
~later
=====
He was left alone long enough to know they were leaving him alone on purpose, trying to freak him out. Too bad he wasn't going to freak out, because he was already there. He tried to harden himself against the very real possibility that he wouldn’t be leaving the police station. That wasn't the worst of what could happen, but the rest of it…he exhaled, trying not to look too tense. Red had only rumors for the rest of it, and rumors were no good. They didn't prove anything, just that anyone in their right mind was scared to live in The City. People were so scared they didn't even call The City by name anymore. Red didn't even know the name of it: it was before his time. It made him wonder, though, if Wells knew it, if he was telling the truth about his time traveling.
Red snorted. Yeah, right.
The door to the room swung open, and Someone Important came marching in, along with two lackeys. Red recognized the one on the left as the officer who'd split his lip for him. The officer sneered at him.
"This is him," said the one on the right. "The one you've been looking for, Captain."
The Captain gave the officer a mild look, and Red wondered if he was supposed to know they'd been looking for him. He looked the Captain up and down. He was tall, lean, tanned, and had hair as red as his own. They could have been brothers, maybe, except that the Captain carried himself like he was someone important, and Red had spent his whole life trying to go unnoticed. Not that the Captain could go unnoticed, between his looks and the strikingly white uniform he wore.
The Captain's jacket had a high, stiff collar, pure white like the rest of his outfit. Red decided this wasn't the sort of Captain to get dirty out in the city. No, he kept to his offices, and sent his officers out to do his work. Which meant he wasn't the usual sort of police Captain he'd be likely to encounter. Red felt the churning in his gut get worse. Who was he?
The Captain held up a hand. He looked to his left and to his right.
"Leave us," he said.
The two officers flanking him left.
The Captain dragged a chair over and sat opposite Red.
"I've gone to some trouble to bring you here," said the Captain. "I want you to know you're not being charged with anything. I needed to speak with you, though, and here is as safe as I can make it."
"You just want to talk?" said Red. "And I can just walk out of here?"
The Captain nodded. Red's guts twisted. Something was very, very wrong here.
"That's right," he said. "I'd apologize for your rough treatment, but I doubt you'd believe me. It had to look like you'd been trouble, you see, or I'd come under suspicion myself."
"I fix toasters for a living," said Red. "But I guess you'd already know that, if you've read my file or if you've been watching me."
The Captain said nothing, but Red took that as a yes.
"Why don't you tell me about your recent visitor," said the Captain. "What's his name?"
"I have no idea who you're talking about," said Red.
"Of course you don't," said the Captain. "You wouldn't want to sell out your friends, now would you?"
"He calls himself Wells," said Red. "But I don't know anything else."
The Captain looked at him, hard, as if he expected Red to crack and confess the guy's whole life story.
"Would it help if I said he was a wanted man?" said the Captain. "He was trying to break into the Mayor's house."
Red felt the blood drain from his face. The Mayor's house? How suicidal was Wells? Even looking the wrong way at that building could get a person shot. Wells was lucky, that was for sure. He'd gotten away. Red shrugged, faking a coolness he didn't feel.
"I don't have a lot of friends," said Red. "Makes it harder on you, though."
One of the Captain's eyebrows rose.
"And do you consider this man, this Wells, a friend?" he said.
"No," said Red. "I hardly know the guy. We've crossed paths, is all."
"And that would be why you found medical assistance for this criminal?" said the Captain. "Because you would do the same for any person, despite knowing how strong the odds were that we would come to see you afterward?"
Red crossed his arms and tried not to wince at the shooting pain in his ribs.
"Yeah, I would," he said.
The Captain said nothing, but looked at him like he was trying to burn holes in Red with his eyes.
"I see," he said, at last.
Red waited for the other shoe to drop.
The Captain pulled a small remote from his breast pocket. He pushed a button on it, and the cameras in the room shut off. Red only noticed because the absence of running recording lights was strange.
The room was very quiet and very still.
"Here is what you will do," said the Captain.
He handed Red a single piece of paper, folded in quarters. Red unfolded it and looked.
"When Wells shows up again, you will call this number," said the Captain. "And then, within the hour, you will bring him to the address written there."
Red wondered if it was the Captain's handwriting, or just a clever computer printout to look like real handwriting.
"And if I don't?" said Red.
"Then you will disappear, just like your brother," said the Captain. "Because I will inform my superiors that you have a way to block their transporter technology, and they will want to question you themselves."
A cold sweat ran down Red's spine. This whole interview, this whole time, the Captain hadn't said anything, and Red had been pretty damn sure that that's what had gotten him into trouble in the first place, whatever the Captain had claimed.
"Blackmailer," said Red.
The Captain smiled.
"If I must," he said. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, so don't think I won't know if Wells comes again."
"If," said Red. "I don't know a damn thing about him, except that he's nuts."
"See?" said the Captain. "That wasn't so difficult, was it? Now I know two things about your man Wells."
The Captain hit the remote again and returned it to his pocket. He rose from his seat and walked across the room, then opened the door. The same two officers stood there.
"Take him back where you found him," he said.
"Yes, sir!"
They saluted at the Captain's back. Red felt his stomach sink a little further when the officers turned to him, smiling nastily. Crap. He was probably going to need to see Gray after this.
"Right this way, scum," said one.
Red couldn't get out of that room fast enough.
=====
~later