Friday, December 7, 1989
"You will give me what I want."
His voice was intimidating, she couldn't lie.
"You should know I've endured torture before." It was impossible to say the name of her torturer without giving something away. He would be impressed had she revealed it. "And I've lied successfully."
"Do you know who I am?" he asked.
She couldn't answer that.
"I've been very clear, I won't answer any of your questions."
"If you know who I am, you'll know that you'd be wise to fear me." His tone grew graver and his expression darker but she wouldn't be persuaded.
"Such humility."
"Know that I will get what I want by whatever means necessary."
"Know that I'll keep my secrets by whatever means necessary."
"Then we find ourselves at an impasse."
"We do indeed."
The man sighed, exasperated, knowing what was to come.
"Is there no way I can persuade you to share with me what you know? I am willing to go to great lengths to hasten this process."
"There is no amount of money, power or influence you could offer me that would change my mind. You don't know of any family or friends I may have that you could threaten and I hold the information I hold above the value of my own life… so, no, you won't be able to coerce me into revealing a single thing."
"I could threaten the lives of other people, at random, in the hopes that you'll either know one of them or care about the lives of strangers."
"That would jeopardise the very information you're after. Kill the wrong person and my knowledge becomes useless. It would defeat the purpose, would it not?"
There was silence.
"But you already knew that," she said.
"I had hoped this could be avoided. It seems, however, there is no other way."
"None that I can think of if you are intent on destroying what I worked for my whole life. What countless people sacrificed for the very future you would risk if you continue down this path."
"I don't know that you are on the right side."
"Right or wrong I could not defend my position without putting everything at risk."
"Not necessarily."
"If I declare a side and it happens to not be your side, you'll know I'm trying to ensure your loss. On the other hand, If I declare otherwise, I would be likewise jeopardising a the very outcome you might be hoping for."
"Perhaps what you tell me will be satisfactory and I won't feel the need to act on it."
"Except knowing, anything at all, will change your reasoning, your thinking, and therefore your decisions."
"So my decisions will be important."
"I won't speak for the future, but there is at least one important decision you have to make, and it's the very one before you. At this moment you are attempting to disrupt time and space. I am half convinced my being here, having this conversation with you, has already had an impact on something or another, but it might be insignificant enough to repair itself. However, if you insist on this course of action, there is no doubt that something will change, for something will have changed inside you, that wouldn't have happened otherwise."
"Indeed. Then why, if something will change no matter what, not simply tell me what I want to know?"
"I didn't say something will change no matter what, and you know it. You still have a choice. I don't think anything substantial has changed at this point. If you decide to proceed, then, that is another thing entirely."
He was conflicted, she could tell. An interesting array of expressions crossed his face, most of which she wouldn't hazard to guess what they were.
"Do you not understand that by giving me what I want you could be saving thousands of lives? Potentially even millions?"
"I think you meant to say 'risking thousands of lives... potentially even millions'."
"Will you not agree that you represent an inconceivable security threat? One that I couldn't possibly simply ignore."
"I can only say that it is inconsequential to my purposes. I won't say another word on the matter."
"It's settled, then, you leave me no other choice. I must change your mind… or break it."
