"Sir, it's for your best interest that you do not go in alone. Perhaps you should wait for the chief-"
"I'll be fine. She's my subordinate."
"Sir, she's a trained assassin and highly dangerous-"
"I'll handle it. Keep watch at your post and wait until I finish my interrogation. That's an order."
"...Yes, sir."
Shi Long Lang waited as the multiple layers of locks clicked open one by one, followed by a grand thud and creak echoing through the iron fortress. It was pitch black. Even as the door swung open, Lang could only see darkness within the cell. A little darkness however, was not going to stop Lang one bit. He raised his chin, and strode into the compound, his footsteps echoing through the darkness along the way. As if on cue, right when he stopped, a dim light flickered above. When the room was finally bright enough to make out shapes, Lang spotted what he had came for. Sitting in the center with her hands on the table was Shih-na, the woman that he trusted with his life, his right hand "man", and one that he called a friend. Upon seeing him, she smiled. However, that smile sent shivers down Lang's spine. It wasn't the smile that he was accustomed to; it wasn't Shih-na's smile. It was someone entirely different; someone he didn't know.
"Lang, how nice of you to come visit. I was just getting settled." She spoke with a sarcastic tone.
"Shih-na. Or should I say… Callisto Yew?" Lang responded.
Shih-na waved his response away and said, "Neither of them are my real name, but since you're so accustomed to Shih-na, you may call me that."
Lang pulled up the chair in front of her and sat down, propping his elbows on the table and making direct eye contact with her. She returned the steely gaze and waited for Lang to speak.
"I ask that you cooperate with this interrogation and speak the full truth." Lang stated, straight to the point.
Suddenly, Shih-na burst out laughing, surprising Lang. She laughed wholeheartedly, and to the point where it may seem maniacal. Lang kept his composure, however, and waited until she was done. Shih-na wiped away some tears from her outburst before saying,
"Oh, Lang… you have always been so naive and I have stated it to you directly yet you still...pfttt-"
She couldn't finish her sentence because she started laughing again. When she finally calmed down again, she continued,
"You came down here alone, too. What did you possibly hope to accomplish?"
"I should be asking you, what you had hoped to accomplish in aligning yourself with a smuggling ring."
The left side of her lip quirked up and she responded,"Well they certainly provided better luxuries. The wine was first class and the food was astounding."
Lang felt his eyebrow twitch in mild frustration, and he decided that the semi-forceful approach that he was going with was not going to work. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was going to have to try to find the Shih-na that he knew and try to appeal to her, if she still exists.
"How's the leg?" Shih-na asked facetiously.
"Shih-na. What has the smuggling ring offered you that I haven't?" Lang asks, ignoring her comment.
"Fun." She responded simply.
"The Shih-na that I know isn't too fond of the general indications of fun." Lang stated.
"Geez, Lang. What's it going to take for you to understand that the Shih-na that you're talking about doesn't exist?"
Lang was surprised at how American Shih-na sounded now. Her speech pattern was almost completely different: incredibly direct, crude, and casual. Still, Lang refused to believe that the Shih-na he knew was gone, despite her saying so herself. He felt that he had to try to bring her back.
"There's no way. You've been my subordinate for three years; I know you. Besides work, I know you enjoy black coffee, prefer bladed weapons over projectile weapons, and that you're fond of snakes. You're Shih-na, my subordinate, my ally, and… my friend."
Shih-na burst out laughing again and this time, Lang was slightly disappointed. He thought he could get a different reaction out of her. Perhaps he shouldn't have added the "friend" part.
"Okay, Lang. You got me. I'll cooperate with you." Shih-na stated.
Then, she smiled. It was one of the rare smiles that Lang was accustomed to. She leaned forward on the table until her face was inches from Lang's. Then, suddenly, Lang felt cool, soft lips plastered onto his. He was confused at first, but once he figured out what was going on, he pulled back immediately. She saw a brief look of disappointment flash across Shih-na's face, and he was speechless. Then, Shih-na said,
"I see. Well, it's awfully hard for me to do anything while these cuffs are still-"
"Absolutely not." Lang interrupted, knowing what her plan was.
"I thought you treated your subordinates well, Lang. I guess I made the right choice after all."
"No. Don't even go there. It's clear that you are not ready to cooperate, so this interrogation will continue another time."
Lang pushed his chair back and stood up. He turned around and started to head out, but then he heard Shih-na say, "Aww, leaving so soon? Don't tell me the mighty wolf was flustered by a little kiss."
Lang felt his face start to burn, out of anger or something else he didn't know, but he did not answer Shih-na and continued to walk to the exit. Following his departure, the dim light flickered off. Once he was out of the cell and everything locked into place again, Lang collapsed against the wall, finally giving in to the searing pain in his right leg. The guard on duty rushed to him out of concern, but Lang held up a hand to signify that he was fine. He used the wall as support for him to stand upright, and the guard, along with another that was called for backup, asked him how the interrogation went. Lang explained the tactics Shih-na attempted to use and one of the guards said,
"Sir, she is dangerous. If you had let her-"
"I'm stubborn, not stupid." Lang responded and proceeded to head to the exit himself, with the guards staring after him.
"What about the interrogation?" One called after him.
"I'll handle it. This is my problem, and mine alone."