there's a spider-fly joke in here somewhere [closed]

[inclothing]

Who: Detective Sherman, Octavia, and Alan.
Where: LCPD police station, interrogation rooms.
When: Oh-dark-thirty, the night of Nov. 11/morning of Nov. 12, but they're being detained from here onward.
What: Alan and Octavia were dumb teenagers flew up to the top of Tuning Towers, trashed the top floors, did some sleuthing, and then got themselves caught.



Finally. Finally. Sherman had leapt out of bed when he'd received the call, had still been pulling his coat on as he ran out the door, had broken a few of the speed limits and made it to the station in record time. He took a moment in his car to compose himself: it wouldn't do to seem excited over an arrest. But leads, leads, live ones! He couldn't wait to get his hands on them.

Alan and Octavia were separated, and their interrogations would take place consecutively. They won't have a very good idea of how long they've been in custody, since their phones and most of their personal effects have been confiscated.

If either of them are familiar with the usual process of police arrests, they'll recognize that this is not it.

Both interrogations begin the same way: the prisoner's hands are in cuffs, and they're seated at a sturdy steel table. There's a camera up in the corner. Sherman opens the door, his manner as crisp as his shirt, and walks up to the table. He does not sit; he rests his hands on the back of the chair opposite the prisoner and leans forward.

"Do you know why you're here?"

Comments

[wirsinddiejager]

This is really not how this was supposed to go. Yeah, it had been a stupid idea, but it had never really occurred to Alan that they'd get arrested.

It's kind of embarrassingly obvious in hindsight.

At least there's not much room for embarrassment right now, what with all the soul-crushing terror. Alan really, really doesn't want to die. He really, really, really doesn't want Octavia to die. He's pretty sure that's what is going to happen, though. And there is no way in hell he's going to tell these people anything before that, no matter how scared he is.

Which is why he's giving the detective his most defiant look that hopefully doesn't betray how hard he's shaking.

"I want a lawyer."

[inclothing]

Sherman's eyes narrow with distaste.

"And what, exactly, would you say to that lawyer when he asked you how you got onto the top floor of Tuning Towers?"

The question is purely rhetorical, and Sherman leans a few inches closer, voice turning from flippant to menacing.

"Lawyers are for humans, boy. Not people like you."

[wirsinddiejager]

Usually having someone question his humanity would be extremely upsetting, but here and now it just pisses Alan off. This guy's working for the aliens. Even if he's not an alien or whatever himself, he still might as well be. Someone who would turn against humanity doesn't deserve to be counted in their ranks.

Getting too angry is probably going to be a really bad idea, but for now it's a welcome change from the fear.

"Fuck you. I am human, and I'm not gonna say anything to you unless I get a lawyer."

[inclothing]

"You're not getting one," Sherman says flatly. He pulls the chair back, and sits down opposite Alan with a longsuffering air. "You aren't even officially here. You think that camera's on? You think we're keeping a record of this? No."

He leans back, and lights up a cigarette. "So there's no lawyer coming to make your life easier, kid. No trial. No rights. It's just me, and you, and what you have to say to me."

Sherman pauses, letting that sink in.

[wirsinddiejager]

This is it, he's going to die. There's no way he's getting out of this. They're going to kill him, and probably torture him for information before that, and he's going to end up as a brain in a jar and his mom will never know what happened to him.

Alan swallows nervously, but the anger's still overriding everything else enough that he's able to cross his arms and fix Sherman with a glare. He's going to make this as difficult as he possibly can, and the first part of that is clamming up completely.

[inclothing]

"But that doesn't mean you don't have options," Sherman goes on, after a moment. "You're still very much in control of your life. For example, you can make your life easier by telling me just how you got up into that building, and why you trashed those offices. Or you can make it much harder, and much shorter."

He takes a drag on the cigarette, and blows the smoke out into the air. Not into Alan's face, but the smell will fill the boy's nose.

"What'll it be, kid?"

[wirsinddiejager]

Alan scrunches his nose at the smell and considers his options. Sure, being stubborn and continuing to not talk at all is an enticing option, but he should try to play this smart. It would be really nice to stay alive if he can. So:

"Okay, fine. You guys already confiscated my gear - that's what I used. You know, grappling hooks."

It wouldn't do to talk about where he got the gear from, though.

"I built it myself. Based on the Mantis. You know, the superhero?"

This sounds so legit, wow.

[inclothing]

"Where'd you learn how?" Sherman asked, not missing a beat. "It can't be from comic books. Not if you were looking for the mechanics of the thing, how to make it."

[wirsinddiejager]

"The internet."

Yes, that is the answer he's going for. You can find guides for anything on there, so ridiculous grappling hook gear tutorials can't be that far out of the question, right?

[inclothing]

"Bullshit."

That's exactly the kind of blanket answer Sherman would expect from a lying teenager, and the teenager in question looks nervous. He leans in, eyes sharp.

"I know there's a whole bunch of you out there. I know you've got abilities that most people wouldn't believe. I know you just used some of those abilities to do something really stupid. And you are going to tell me why you vandalized Tuning Towers or I'm going to go into that other holding cell and I'm going to hurt the girl."

[wirsinddiejager]

At the threat, Alan's eyes grow wide with fear for a moment. Then, in an instant, his expression darkens and his hands clench into fists.

"Don't you fucking dare. Anything you do to her, I'm gonna do to you ten times worse."

It's not much of a threat when he's handcuffed and alone, but he means it. There's no trace of fear left in his voice, only pure, murderous hate.

[inclothing]

"Really?" Sherman's using his height to his advantage; he's half out of his chair, his body language all dominance and power. "I should just kill her, then. No matter what you do to me, she'll still be dead if you don't talk."

[wirsinddiejager]

Alan stands up from his chair, nearly shaking with anger. He doesn't even care about his own safety right now - this bastard, this despicable piece of shit is threatening Octavia. That's all that matters.

"You can't touch her if I just kill you before you can get to her."

More than anything, he wishes he knew how to turn into a titan already. He wants to crush the detective until there's nothing left but a bloody smear on the floor. Normally that kind of thought would feel frightening, but right now he embraces it. He can't afford to feel scared now.

[drama8om8]

If Octavia's extensive knowledge of action movies is anything to go by, then being tough and stoic is absolutely the best way to go about this. As such, she is trying very hard to look like she's not scared, that she knows what she's doing, and that she hasn't been sobbing non-stop since being separated from Alan.

She is succeeding at precisely none of these things.

"No."

Her voice is shaky and squeaky enough for her embarrassment to briefly overcome her fear, so she tries again. It's slightly less wussy-sounding this time. Slightly.

"No. Is. Is it f-for tea and crumpets?"

That would have sounded so much more badass without the stutter and sniffles. Oh well.

[inclothing]

God, she was just a kid. While other men might have been moved to pity by a crying girl, Sherman just feels disgusted.

"Don't get smart with me, young lady. You'll just make this harder on yourself, and neither of us want that."

He pulls the chair out and sits in it, folding his hands in front of him.

"Now, let's start with your name."

[drama8om8]

She doesn't even hesitate.

"Nicole."

And because 'Nicole Asscage' would be too obvious:

"Nicole Cameron." Another hiccuping sniffle. "Where's Eren?"

She's really, really hoping that Alan was smart enough to use his other self's name as a false identity. It's what she'd have done if Spinneret Mindfang wasn't on the same level as Johnny Fakename, anyway.

[inclothing]

"Nicole Cameron," Sherman says thoughtfully, watching her expression. "All right, Nicole. Why don't you tell me what you were doing in Tuning Towers?"

He ignored the inquiry about Eren -- he asked the questions here, not her.

[drama8om8]

"I was engaging in mindless random teenage vandalism."

She's aware of how ridiculously pathetic the lie is, but telling it makes her feel braver anyway. The more bullshit she throws at him, the more he'll potentially swallow! Right?

"And. And I forced Eren to come with me, because he cheated on a test in school and I said I'd tattle on him if he didn't, like. Join me in my delinquency. Where is he?"

There's the tiniest hint of defiance as she asks the question again. It's just occurred to her that while she can't contact Alan directly, she can at least let him know she's alright with her mind control powers. And maybe she can poke someone on the outside, too! Man, Chumpy McPoliceguy is getting less scary by the second.

[inclothing]

"That was some impressive teenage vandalism," says Sherman. "Most kids just write 'fuck' on the side of a schoolbus. Why choose Tuning Towers?"

His tone says he doesn't buy it for a moment, but she's not clammed up, she's talking, and that's more than he got from the boy. The more she talks, Sherman knows, the more likely she is to let something slip.

[drama8om8]

"Uh. Why wouldn't I choose Tuning Towers! It's like. A challenge? Way more impressive than just vandalising a bus. Maybe hella impressive. Because it was guarded and shit."

She turns her head away for a second as if thinking, and grimaces in concentration as she quickly reaches out towards Alan's mind. It only takes a second, and there's no visual trace of it.

Unless you count the giant shit-eating grin she's now sporting. Rebellion, fuck yeah!

[inclothing]

Sherman frowns sharply. He can tell he's lost her fear -- and doesn't know why. What just changed?

All right. Her change in attitude called for a change in tack. He gives her a dark look, a look that held more than a little contempt.

"I don't think you understand your situation. You won't get a trial. You're not entitled to a lawyer, or rights, or due process. All you have is me, and my men, and the call I make. I've been authorized to do whatever it takes to get you to talk."

Sherman leans back again, almost casual -- but not quite. "I don't believe a word you've just told me. And if I don't start believing you very soon -- well, did your rabble ever discover what happened to Miss Rodriguez?" There's a nasty glint in his eye.

[drama8om8]

Candy. The speed with which her smile vanishes is almost comical.

"I dunno what you mean by. By rabble, but. What - what did happen to Miss Rodriguez?"

Her voice is shaking again, and she takes a few seconds to try and bring it under control. She is not going to let this guy scare her. Heroes do not get scared. Even if every torture scene in every movie they have ever watched is now replaying inside their head.

"N-not that it matters because. Because you ain't going to do shit to me, I think. 'Cause whatever you did to her obviously didn't get you nowhere."

She tries to fold her arms, is impeded by the cuffs, and settles for raising her chin defiantly instead. The effect is ruined a little by her being on the verge of tears again, but still.

[inclothing]

That's better. All he needs to do is push a little more.

"Maybe it did. Maybe it didn't. But you're going to tell me what I want to know, or I'm going to go next door into that other holding cell, and what happened to Miss Rodriguez is going to happen to Eren unless you start getting honest with me. Why did you destroy the Tuning Towers offices?"

[drama8om8]

So much for being on the verge of tears. The threat is enough to make them spill over into a burst of noisy sobs. This is not how things were supposed to go.

Still. Her mind is ticking away behind the tears. The detective's use of Eren instead of Alan is enough to remind Octavia that she has a role to play. She's got used to ignoring the violent little impulses she's been having in response to fear and anger since the whole echo deal started - maybe if she just. Lets those in a little, for now?

"If you hurt him, I will. I will make you pay." She's not trying to sound threatening at all. It's not like she could while she's all tearful and snotty like some kind of kid, right? She definitely sounds sure of herself, though.

"You'll all die. All of you. And it will be s-super easy and you won't be able to stop it and I will make sure you aren't the first so you know it is coming! Suck it."

[inclothing]

"I won't hurt him," Sherman says, and his composure has a vicious edge. He forms a sharp contrast to the sobbing teenager. "I'll kill him. If you don't start talking real soon, missy, that boy's going to be dead.

"Now," he says, "let's start again. Why were you destroying property in Tuning Towers?"

[drama8om8]

By this point, Octavia is far too distressed to be able to summon up the concentration required to use any of her mind control powers. Even attempting it would be stupid - if anyone were to feel her failing to mess with their heads, she'll probably be sedated or something. If not outright murdered. And how will they escape then?

She lets out an angry sob, kicking out at the metal table to vent her frustration. "Because fuck you is why. You obviously think you know why we-- why I did it! So. So let's say that's right! I confess. I did it for exactly the reason you think. You are the smartest. It's you. What now!"