‘Ok, I’m here. Now, what’s all this about?’ The Colonel looked sternly at Major Musgrove, trying to make him nervous. Three times yesterday the Major had called him to ask for his presence with something urgent. Three times the Colonel had replied that he was too busy and that Major Musgrove should be quite capable of sorting it out himself. In the end he had agreed to come over this morning, if only to stop the Major from calling him.
‘Sir, we have a prisoner whom we felt you should be present while we question him,’ the Major replied in his best parade ground voice.
‘You conduct many interrogations a day, Major,’ the Colonel said, unimpressed. ‘Why do you need me at this one?’
‘Well, sir,’ Major Musgrove said, ‘to begin with, this one walked in through the front gate. He also used your name on some forged orders. Some might think that that would be enough to catch your attention. However, even if that wasn’t enough, the name of the prisoner is Myajes Conjah.’
The Colonel nodded slowly, a little surprised, but refusing to show it and give the Major any leverage. ‘I’ve heard that name somewhere before. What about him; who is he?’
‘He’s one of the Matriarch’s Bodyguards, sir. He was sixth on the most wanted list at the time of his capture. The point is that they wouldn’t send someone like him in here alone unless they had a very good reason. We think he came here to rescue one of the other inmates. We aren’t sure exactly how he planned to do that, but when he arrived he asked to see one of the inmates.’
‘I see,’ the Colonel commented. He looked around the room; with the Major were the three other Guardsmen who were normally stationed in this building. They seemed to be purposely ignoring the conversation between the two officers. ‘Do you have any idea who he wanted?’
‘He led us to a cell that currently contains eleven female inmates. Two of them are wild, the other nine domesticated. One of the wild ones was the cat that was caught off that shuttle the other night. We asked him if it was she, before he realized he had been uncovered, and he told us it wasn’t. Of the nine domesticated cats, we can only find records and documentation concerning eight of them. That leaves two that he might have been after, Amba and Roberta. Considering how important Myajes is to them, though, speculation is that whichever one he was after might even be the Matriarch herself.’
‘We mustn’t assume that is so,’ the Colonel replied, ‘but it is good reasoning. I doubt the Matriarch would get herself into such a predicament, but you never know. It is clear that she is someone important to them, though.’
‘Doctor Kade and Technician Williams are already in the interrogation room. If you will follow me, Colonel,’ Major Musgrove requested. Then, without waiting to check that the Colonel was following, the Major stepped through the door into the part of the prison block that housed the cells.
Every prison block was long and thin. There were five single-occupancy cells on each side of a long corridor with a plain wall at the far end that had a small window to let in a little bit of extra light during the day. Each one of the twenty blocks was built in exactly the same way. Upon leaving the guardroom and entering the cell area there were always two rooms, one on either side of the door that could be converted to almost any use desired. In most cases they had been quickly converted into extra cells in order to deal with the sudden influx of prisoners, but they always had need for an interrogation room in which to question the more interesting of the prisoners.
The room wasn’t really that big, maybe twice the size of a normal cell. The walls had originally been painted white, but they had turned slowly to a dirty gray, and in accordance with an order from Colonel Norton, they hadn’t been repainted. The Colonel felt that dirty gray walls were somehow more depressing for the prisoner being questioned.
The prisoner, Myajes, was strapped tightly into a chair at one end of the room. About two feet in front of him was a table currently being used as a resting place for some papers and a lamp. Resting against this table was a small metal trolley, sitting on top of which was a small white cloth, and sitting on the cloth was a pre-measured syringe containing the truth-agent that was to be used on the prisoner. The last important detail of the interrogation room was another small table in the corner next to the door. This was where Technician Williams sat and monitored the prisoner’s condition through a specially programmed computer. To make his job a little easier, the prisoner had been force fed a liquid that was responsive to radio waves.
Other than the technician, there were two strong guards, one standing on either side of the chair in which Myajes was currently sat, and Doctor Kade, who was hovering over by the technician, watching what that soldier was doing whilst not interrupting him. Occasionally he would look at his watch, a little impatient perhaps to be getting on with the interrogation.
‘Let’s get this over with,’ the Colonel said impatiently as he walked through the door. He stepped over towards the table and seemed to be looking for a place to sit down, but the prisoner and the technician occupied the only chairs. ‘I have a lot to do today.’
‘Okay, Doctor,’ the Major said as the door closed behind them. ‘Proceed when you are ready.’
‘Sir,’ Doctor Kade responded sharply. He quickly saluted the Colonel and the Major, and then he took the syringe from the trolley and walked calmly over to the left side of Myajes. Myajes might be one of the most wanted criminals in the country, but to Doctor Kade it was just another day. ‘This will take about a minute to kick in; then anything you ask of him, he must answer.’
‘Anything?’ Colonel Norton asked skeptically.
‘Virtually anything,’ replied the Doctor calmly as he dabbed Myajes’ arm. ‘Sometimes the drug triggers a fantasy world and all we get back is nonsense. And we had one female the other day who actually seemed to be able to fight the effects of the drug. Though to be honest it’s the first time I’ve ever come across that.’
The Colonel watched with interest as the Doctor administered the drug. Myajes thrashed around in the chair, trying to resist, but with his arms and legs strapped in place the Doctor hardly seemed to notice.
‘What is so important about the cat you were trying to rescue?’ The Colonel asked almost immediately, once Doctor Kade had stepped clear of the prisoner.
‘You have to give the drug time to work,’ Major Musgrove said softly, ‘no more than a minute, though.’
Myajes glared at each of them in turn, his eyes glazing over slowly and then clearing only to glaze over again. This time they stayed that way. The drug had won the battle.
‘Okay,’ said the Doctor. He was back near the two officers. ‘You have two minutes before he’ll be unable to answer any more. I suggest you use the time well.’
‘Two minutes?’ the Colonel said. ‘Is that all? I thought the drug was stronger.’
‘In two minutes he’ll be incoherent, and shortly after that he’ll pass out,’ Major Musgrove explained to him. Major Musgrove and the Doctor were both experienced at many interrogations. This was the Colonel’s first one. ‘And you’re using up your time.’
‘Erhm, yes.’ The Colonel straightened himself up quickly. ‘What is the name of the one you came to rescue?’
‘’Ara,’ Myajes replied, sounding drunk. He also sounded as if he was still trying to resist, but the words came anyway.
‘Ara?’ the Colonel said quizzically. He glanced quickly at Major Musgrove and Doctor Kade in turn; both indicated that they didn’t recognize the name. He turned back to face Myajes and asked, ‘Why’s she so important to your fellow cats that they’d be willing to risk you?’
‘Daughter of the Lesser Matriarch,’ Myajes uttered, becoming more coherent as the drug took full effect and he lost all power to fight it.
‘Who!’ The Colonel seemed more than a little shocked at the revelation.
‘It must be Lara,’ Major Musgrove said suddenly; ‘it’s the only name I can think of which even matches the sound patterns. We’re recording this so we can check it carefully afterw
ards. Lara is the most well-known of the daughters of the Lesser Matriarch and the only one thought to be currently alive. If you believe in any of this nonsense about the Lesser Matriarch being immortal, then she must’ve had many, many children throughout the thousand years or so since her arrival on Earth. The fact is that Lara is probably next in line to hold that position. No wonder they would want her back.’
‘We’re holding someone called Lara?’ the Colonel asked. ‘I don’t remember seeing anyone of that name pass through our doors. It doesn’t even sound like a cat name. Though who knows these days? We had a wild cat in here about three months ago that called herself ‘Misty-Welcome.’ I mean, that’s not even a human name.’
‘Lara is the name of the Lesser Matriarch’s daughter,’ the Doctor confirmed. ‘She’s not on the list of the top ten most wanted, but who knows how a cat thinks? They must’ve felt it worth risking him to get her back, but why only him; why not a small group?’ He shrugged. ‘I’ll never understand their thinking. As for her being next in line for the cats’ religious throne, I suppose it’s possible.’
‘She must be using an assumed name,’ the Major offered, taking the paper off the table and handing it to the Colonel. It was a summarized report of the incident that had resulted in Myajes’ capture in the first place, and at the end was a list of the inmates in the cell that Myajes had stopped at. Not one of the names on the list was Lara. ‘It’s unlikely she would’ve wanted us knowing who she was. After all, think of the bargaining power she could be worth against her parents. Especially if they think so highly of her that they’re willing to sacrifice one of their best.’
‘I saw the original,’ the Colonel said and put the paper back on the table. ‘There are eleven inmates in that cell. It seems to me that odds are that one of them is the daughter of the Matriarch. We need to keep them safe until we know how we’re going to handle the situation. I assume there have been no more additions or subtractions from that cell since Myajes paid a visit.’
‘Yes sir,’ the Major replied with certainty. ‘The first thing I did was give orders that the eleven in that cell were to be left together as they were until we knew the implications of what was happening.’
‘Sirs,’ Doctor Kade commented suddenly, ‘Perhaps you should ask some more questions before the drug wears off.’
‘Yes, yes of course,’ the Colonel replied. He approached the figure in the chair. ‘What is the…’
Myajes responded before the Colonel finished speaking. ‘Can I play in goal, daddy?’
‘What?’ said the Colonel, more than a little surprised.
‘Maybe I can go fishing,’ Myajes suggested.
‘I’m afraid we’re too late,’ Doctor Kade interjected. ‘He’s entered the incoherent stage. You’ll get nothing more from him now.’
‘Had we not been analyzing what he had said…’ Major Musgrove seemed more than a little irritated.
The Colonel felt a little awkward at first; this was his fault. Then he brushed the blame to the side. ‘That’s okay. We got what we needed. Isn’t that drug a bit fast, though? I’ve heard of truth drugs that last a lot longer.’
‘A quarter past four, on a Friday,’ Myajes offered.
‘We need to guarantee that the prisoner remembers nothing,’ the Major explained, ignoring the prisoner’s outbursts. ‘It’s more psychological than anything. The prisoner is left unable to remember what he said and so frets about what he might or might not have told us. If we need to question an inmate in more detail, there are other drugs we can use, but it’s rare we have to. Consider that the last thing the prisoner will remember is the injection and maybe a few seconds before the drug takes hold. They don’t know how long we have to question them, they remember none of it, and its effects on the morale of the prisoner can be quite devastating.’
‘He’ll wake up in a cell later and then ponder over what secrets we might have eked out of him,’ Doctor Kade added. ‘Not remembering means he won’t know what we asked or what he told us.’
‘Yes,’ the Colonel said sharply, ‘I got that, thank you.’
‘So,’ said Major Musgrove, putting his hands together, ‘what do we do with Lara?’
‘A nice cold shower,’ Myajes suggested.
‘She can’t stay here,’ Colonel Norton told him simply. ‘We should take her to a more secure area, as this one has obviously been compromised.’
‘I think that’s probably for the best,’ the Major agreed. ‘Any thoughts on where, though? After all, this is the only Cattery in the country, something I’ve regretted more than once in the last few days with all these new prisoners.’
‘A little spice and a lot of…a lot of…’ Then Myajes fell silent.
‘We don’t have the only Elite Guard training facility in the country. I’ll call around. We need to find one in an out-of-the-way place that has the ability to hold prisoners.’
‘Amba and Roberta…it surely has to be one of them,’ the Major agreed.
‘Yes indeed,’ replied the Colonel, ‘but we only really know with about ninety percent certainty that she’s one of those two. Even assuming we are right, it might be better if she isn’t aware that we know which one she is, or even that we know who she is. We might be able to use that uncertainty to our advantage. You see, I’m not thinking so much of offering to swap her to the Matriarch in exchange for whatever we decide. I’m thinking we can get the address of the Matriarch from her, and then we attack.’
Major Musgrove pointed to the inert form of Myajes. ‘He probably knows the address too, sir.’
The Colonel nodded. ‘How long before we can risk another truth injection?’
Doctor Kade shook his head. ‘I’d give it a week before using the same drug. The body goes through quite a bit of turmoil, especially if the patient fights the drug, and they always do. Inject him too soon and he’ll die on you. Give him a week for the body to recover.’
‘Well,’ said the Colonel, looking none too happy, ‘I don’t want to keep him with the females, but we can’t keep him here either. The information he holds is too valuable to risk losing him if their people decide to try and rescue both prisoners.’
‘We’d slaughter them,’ the Major replied calmly. ‘I’m sure they know this; otherwise they would already have tried.’
‘Perhaps,’ the Colonel replied, ‘but I’m not willing to take the chance that they might.’
‘So where shall we take him?’ Major Musgrove said blankly. ‘Another training facility?’
‘Sir,’ offered the Doctor suddenly, ‘if I may, might I suggest Mars base?’
‘Mars base?’ The Colonel rounded on the Doctor, a little surprised. ‘Why?’
‘Sorry if I’m out of turn, sir,’ Doctor Kade replied, his voice full of respect for the Colonel’s rank, ‘but a colleague of mine, a Doctor Foster, is working on a chemical spray which he hopes can confuse the cat’s olfactory sense. The upshot is that a human wearing this scent will fool any cat into thinking he or she is one of them.’
‘Which he hopes?’ questioned the Colonel.
‘He needs a subject to test it on, a guinea pig. You can imagine how hard it is to get one at the moment, with even the domesticated cats getting destroyed. And I was thinking that since Myajes Conjah is pretty much the feline equivalent of an Elite Guardsman, if it will work against him, it will fool any of them.’
‘That’s a good thought,’ Major Musgrove offered. ‘This might be an important breakthrough against the cats.’
‘And,’ the Doctor added quickly and excitedly, ‘if Myajes can be convinced he’s with a friend, he might give away more than a little useful information. Such as…’
‘…Such as where the Matriarch is,’ Major Musgrove finished for him, also excitedly. ‘I like it, and the cats would never think to look for him on Mars. But of course the final decision is yours, sir.’
Colonel Norton nodded slowly. ‘Okay, I’ll want a doctor to go with him in order to administer a lethal injection and ensu
re Myajes is dead after this Doctor Foster has finished his little experiment.’
‘I’d be delighted…’ Doctor Kade started.
‘Not you, you’re too friendly with this Doctor. Send, hmm…’ He thought for a moment.
‘How about Doctor Benjamin, sir?’ The Major suggested.
‘Doctor Benjamin, an ideal choice,’ the Colonel responded. ‘See to it, would you, Major? And make sure the prisoner is properly guarded for his journey and for the time he’s up there.’ The Colonel turned back to the Doctor and said, ‘Your friend better have a good holding facility ready for him up there. If he gets out I shall hold both you and this Doctor Foster directly to blame.’
‘Yes sir,’ the Doctor saluted.
‘Major Musgrove, I want you to think carefully on every security measure that you can. Myajes is our prisoner, and he isn’t to be allowed even the smallest possibility of escape. You understand…’ the Colonel started.
‘Yes, sir.’
‘…Look at this from every angle, and if anything seems wrong, we don’t do it. Otherwise your colleague has my permission to use this cat as a guinea pig, Doctor.’
‘Thank you, sir,’ the Doctor replied.
16
Reporting The War
It had been a long morning. Kitty had been practicing with various disguises over and over, mixing flesh tones, and comparing them to her previous efforts. There might be a time when she and February might be parted and she would have to fend for herself.
February had lain on the bed during the morning, watching Kitty mix and apply, giving her advice only when asked, whilst otherwise listening to the sound of the rain on the roof and the hissing it made as it hit the security shields on the windows.
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