A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing: Part Nine

      "Foolish child," she spat. She righted the chair and returned it to its place at the table. Sierra's muscles and head ached from the impact of the metal. She stood up and glared at the Duchess. The Lenny resumed the interrogation.

      "We know about your unique position in the Seekers, as you already know. Why did you temporarily give it up to infiltrate us?" She spat out "infiltrate" as if it was filled with poison.

      "The dream you sent me made me curious. I volunteered to do it, considering you conveniently made other members disappear who did the same thing. One of us was starting to learn the truth, and so you did... whatever you do with those you dislike. Kill them, send them off on a deserted island with no form of communication. Brainwash them and make them forget everything about their former lives. I don't know, but you did one of those things, didn't you? I wanted to learn the truth because we were so close, yet so far."

      "Curiosity killed the Kadoatie, however." The Duchess echoed Norheim's words.

      "But I'm not dead though, am I?"

      "Not yet."

      A shiver ran down Sierra's spine, and her stomach twisted itself into knots. Dear Fyora, don't let that happen to me! She opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn't.

      "What were you doing in the Sway's vaults immediately after you left the battleground Sunday night?"

      "I was searching for a few files on Damien Valius' missing little sister. They haven't seen each other in several years and I promised that I would help reunite them."

      "Ah, that reminds me: much does your friend, Mister Valius or Agent Night, know?"

      "Not much. He's an excellent cryptographer and he decoded a lot of correspondence, but he certainly doesn't know as much as I do." I must keep him safe, for he did the same for me.

      She didn't look convinced. "I know what happened in the vaults. Why-"

      "How?"

      "I am asking the questions here, not yo-"

      "How do you know? The vaults were immediately locked as soon as the alarm went off, only accessible by a special key so the guards can get in."

      "Do not interrupt me!" The Duchess shot her a glare. "Why did you set off the alarm?

      "Sabotage, of course. Why else would I do it? You wanted to test my loyalties, and so I told you where they lay," she smirked defiantly, desperately trying to hide that her whole body was trembling beneath her oversized sweatshirt.

      "How did you do it?"

      "Something a friend made."

      "What was it?"

      "I can't tell you."

      "Let me repeat the question: what was the device that allowed you to remotely set off the alarm, and who made it?"

      "I'm not telling you."

      "There will be consequences if you don't fully cooperate with me."

      "I know."

      "Insolent child! You shall tell me what this device is immediately!"

      "No."

      The Duchess swiftly took out a golden amulet, opened it, and pointed it towards her. Sierra turned her head away, slightly tempted to stare into its hypnotic depths. She closed her eyes and shook her head, chuckling dryly. "If you knew anything about me, you would know that I already know how to resist those things, even yours."

      She heard the amulet close and she opened her eyes to confirm it. The Duchess was no longer holding the amulet.

      "I find your intelligence rather... annoying, Miss Hardingson," she said coldly.

      "Why, thank you."

      The Duchess glowered at her. "Even so, I'm more intelligent than you, and I've had enough of your brash retorts. Now, I still don't believe you on how much Mister Valius knows. He told me the same thing but I believe both of you are lying. He knows full well who you are and what you were doing, and willingly helped you, making him as much as a traitor as you are for assisting a conspirator."

      "He barely knew anything, I swear! He's innocent! It was my fault for allowing him to be dragged into this while he didn't know what was going on!"

      The Duchess dismissed her pleas. "Guards, bring him in and do as I told you."

      "Where is he? Is he okay? What are you going to do to him?"

      "Silence! I am the one asking questions here, not you!"

      "I have a right to know!"

      Three guards walked with Damien as he emerged from the left side of the hallway, one of them with a paw clamped tightly around his arm. His paws were handcuffed in the front.

      "Sierra! You're alright!" He wrenched his arms as hard as he could from the guards and dashed towards the interrogation cell. He stuck his paws through the spaces between the bars and Sierra held them tightly with her own.

      "Damien, I'm so glad to see you!" The guards took his arms and tried to pull him away from her. They held their paws tighter. "Stop it, just let me speak to him!" She begged, only to be ignored. His grip on her paws slipped, and he desperately grabbed onto the metal bars. She grabbed onto his wrists, and looked into his fear-filled eyes. His handcuffs scraped against the metals bars, and made a screeching sound that made her wince.

      "Listen to me, Sierra. I don't know what they're going to do, but I'm pretty sure that both of us will be alright. Just don't lose hope, ever. We will prevail!"

      "I am so sorry I dragged you into this, Damien. All of this is my fault. I never wanted you to get hurt, you know that," tears welled in her eyes. "I just, I just can't believe that this is happening, that it has to come to this... It doesn't have to come to this, whatever this is!"

      His paws slipped again and he grabbed onto her wrists. "No, it doesn't have to come to this!" he repeated her words. Sierra felt a force pulling her back as well. She stole a glance behind her and saw the Duchess calmly holding up a hand towards her and her fingers moving slightly back and forth. She looked at Damien again.

      "They're all trying to separate us, her too."

      "I know, I can feel it. Just..." He lowered his voice as best he could. "Don't let her break your spirit. She'll do everything in her power to destroy your determination. She's done that to everyone who opposes her. You're stronger than her, I know it."

      "Don't let them destroy you, too. You're stronger than I am. We can make it, can't we?"

      They suddenly lost grip on each other's wrists and they staggered back. The guards kept Damien from falling, and then wrestled him to his feet. They half-dragged him down the hall to a door. Sierra rushed back to the interrogation room door and peered through the bars as best as she could. "Damien! Damien!" she shouted, her voice cracking.

      "Don't lose hope, Sierra! Stay strong!" he shouted back.

      "Damien, no!" They led him into the room at the end of the hallway and closed the door behind them. She heard a slight scuffling noise, then a loud blaster shot partially muffled by the walls. Everything went quiet. She gripped onto the metal bars of the door, trying to keep her balance as her brain struggled to put together what happened, the room spinning. Realization suddenly hit her like a brick to the face.

      "DAMIEN! NO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice suddenly hoarse. She shook the door, the rattling hinges echoing. She stared, fixated on the door for a moment, knowing one of her closest friends was in there lying on the ground.

      "Nooooo! Nooooo! Damien! Noooooo..." Her screams turned into sobbing. She slowly lowered herself to the ground in the corner, crumpling defeatedly. She buried her paws in her face until her tears dripped onto her jeans and the floor. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and wiped her paws on her jeans. She glared at the Duchess and gritted her teeth. She slowly stood up, her legs wobbly. Everything spun around her and her vision refused to focus but she kept her gaze locked on the Lenny.

      "So this is your way of getting me to talk, huh?" Sierra staggered towards her, her paws balled tightly into fists. "Is that it, you villainous, murderous monster! You-"

      "Continue to disobey me and your best friend will be next. I have her in custody along with your owner and brothers on the other side of the complex. I am incapable of killing your owner for it would create... problems, but I can arrange so she cannot have custody of you and you will never see her again," The Duchess interrupted, seeming unfazed.

      "No!" She charged and took a swing at her. The Duchess merely grabbed her wrist and sat her down in the chair. Sierra hung her head.

      "Don't hurt them," she croaked quietly.

      "Excuse me?"

      "Don't hurt them, please, I beg you," Sierra repeated. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She brought her feet up onto the chair and hugged her knees tightly, her claws digging into her jacket and into her skin, as if clinging to herself would help her cling onto her sanity. Don't lose hope, Sierra. Stay strong. She gasped as his last words echoed in her mind.

      "He's... he's... I can't believe... But... He's... He can't be..." She dug her claws deeper into her arms.

      "Yes, Damien Valius is dead." The Duchess' words were like a knife to her heart and her stomach. She couldn't stand the way the Lenny said it so plainly and coolly, like she was remarking about the weather.

      She shook her head slowly, then violently, not entirely sure why but half-hoping it would fling the truth away, or that it would wake her from a horrendous nightmare.

      A blue Draik walked up to the room and knocked on the wall next to the door as the Lenny stood up, Sierra assumed, to continue.

      "My Lady?" Sierra turned to look at her, and she looked at Sierra sympathetically.

      "What is it, Bamforth?"

      "I don't believe Miss Hardingson is in any mental condition to be interrogated further, she is clearly in shock by the... series of events. I believe it would be in her and your best interest to have her return to her cell and let her get some food and rest for a few days before the interrogation is continued. What do you think about this, my lady?"

      "Fine, but the interrogation shall be continued tomorrow afternoon."

      "But, my lady-"

      "Tomorrow afternoon."

      The Draik sighed. "Very well, my lady." The guards let her in and she gently escorted Sierra out of the room back to her cell. Sierra sat on her cot and hugged her legs, resting her jaw on her knees. Bamforth sat down next to her.

      "Who are you?" Sierra asked quietly.

      "I'm a psychologist who works here. I'm very sorry about what happened."

      "No, you're not."

      "What do you mean?"

      "You're not sorry, you're just putting on a show to make me feel better so you can get me to talk. You're not sorry, no one is here," she shrank away a little.

      "I really am sorry. I don't agree with some of her Ladyship's interrogation tactics, but I still respect her." The Draik paused. "What's your name?"

      "Sierra Hardingson."

      "Damien's friend."

      She turned to look at her. "How did you know?"

      "I helped Damien a lot when he first joined. He was going through a rough time, you know. He came to my office like he used to a lot last Monday and he talked about you."

      "What did he say?"

      "He said he found one of the few people that he could truly trust that wasn't me. He really appreciated your friendship, and he was so happy that you were helping him locate his sister."

      Tears welled in Sierra's eyes again. "I never wanted him to get hurt. I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I just wanted to learn more, a typical Seeker who took things too far. It's all my fault that he's, he's gone now. Oh, Fyora..." She began sobbing again.

      Bamforth handed her a handkerchief. "It's okay, really. You know what, I might have something to help you. I'll be right back." Sierra dried her eyes and blew her nose and watched her walk out and close the door. She returned a few minutes later with a small glass bottle and a ceramic mug of water and sat down next to Sierra again. She dispensed a small pill into her paw. "Sleeping can be hard when you're under extreme stress, and I know that firsthand, not just from those I help. This a sleeping pill that will knock you out in three minutes so you can get a good nine to ten hours of sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow," she placed the pill into Sierra's paw. She hesitated, then took the pill and drank the water from the mug.

      "Thank you." She paused. "Why are you so nice to me, a traitor?"

      "Damien would have wanted it." With that Bamforth left, and Sierra laid down on her cot with a small, mournful smile before drifting off to sleep.

      ***

      "So, Miss Hardingson, are we going to be cooperative today or will there continue to be issues?"

      "No, there will not be issues."

      "Good. Let's start off with an easy question. Where do you get your sources for your weapons reports?"

      "I use the wide variety of books in the Brightvale University Library and sometimes the Neopia Central public library. I've also referred to resources at the Defenders of Neopia, depending on the specific subject matter I'm writing about."

      "Let's remember that you willingly submitted your article to the Neopian Times. Why?"

      "Because I knew that it would cause issues for you since you need it so badly. I remember having a conversation with Norheim and him telling me that having exclusive access is one of the keys to your success. If I allowed everyone to have access to it, then it would no longer be helpful for you."

      "I see. So you decided that was the time to blow your cover?"

      "I had received hints that people were beginning to get suspicious of me, especially when Norheim assigned Damien and me to help look for the spy. That's when I first realized."

      "Were you aware of the consequences that traitors faced when you joined?"

      "I believe I had a vague awareness, but I didn't think it would be this bad."

      "How so?"

      She better not not be going where I think she is with this and hurt anyone else. "Multi-day interrogations, physically and psychologically tearing me apart, piece by piece, until you think there's nothing left except the inner truth and a destroyed creature?" Spite built up in her voice with every word. Her mind raced. "You already know the truth, why are you interrogating me? To see if I lie to save face and then you have incentive to tear me apart anymore?" No no she can't hurt anyone Lily Zane Tyler Isobel I can't let her.

      "Miss Hardingson, I will not have you speak to me in such a manner-"

      I gotta stop her. How? "You know what? No matter how hard you try, you won't completely destroy my spirit. There's just enough fight in me left to keep me going. You can't take that away from me, no one can." I must stop her.

      "Mister Valius is gone. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"

      She bit her lip to deter the tears threatening to fall. I can stop her. "I... I want a deal," she blurted, trying to keep her cool.

      The Duchess cocked an eyebrow. "What kind of a deal?"

      Revenge? Think, Sierra, think. "I'll fight you in the Battledome, with our usual weapons. If I win, then I shall be able to return home unharmed, and with everyone that I care about unharmed. I won't say a word about the interrogation or anything, I'll just return to normal life."

      "And if I win?" she inquired.

      "Then... you can do whatever you want with me. Just whatever you do, don't hurt my family, my friends, anyone I care about."

      "You have a deal."

      They cautiously shook to seal the deal, and the guards returned her to her cell. They murmured among themselves at the proposition of them fighting. They closed the door behind her, and she heard someone coughing loudly then promptly being shushed. She peered through the bars suspiciously, then shook her head and walked back to her cot and ate the meal waiting for her on it. She unfolded the small, black cloth on the tray to find a white pill identical to the one she took yesterday and a note signifying who it was from. She inspected the pill, took it with some water, set the tray aside, and laid down on the cot. What did I get myself into? She stared at the ceiling trying to answer her own question, her mind swimming and her thoughts twisting into incoherent, tangled messes. She curled up and quickly fell asleep, silently thanking Bamforth once again.

      ***

      "Sierra? Sierra!" The hoarse, low voice that woke her suddenly sounded so familiar, but she struggled to figure out who it belonged to. One of the guards attempted to shush the voice, but it paid no attention. She trembled and wiped the dried tears from her face as the memory of a horrific nightmare returned, then slowly faded away. She tried to steady her breathing but failed. The voice called out to her again, and she noticed it was weak yet determined.

      "Sierra?"

      Her eyes widened. Don't be ridiculous, you're just hearing things. It's a figment of your imagination, no one's really there. Part of her wanted to listen to the nagging voice in her head that wasn't her own, part of her wanted to shove it aside.

      "Sierra, if you can hear me, if you're there, please say something." She slowly walked to the center of the cell, shaking again.

      "...Damien?"

To be continued...