Hey everyone, sorry for updating so late. I was developing future storylines, and with all the finals, Spring term, moving out from my dorm, vacation, and starting my new job, I was overwhelmed with work.
FYI if you didn't get this from the last chapter, the Claw of the Wild episode has not, nor will ever happen. In this universe, Wulf has been captured some time after Public Enemies (probably immediately after) and tortured by Walker to the point of devolving. Side note, I have published a one shot on the origins of Wulf called "Peter and the Wulf" if you are interested in reading it. Enjoy!
Chapter 8 Introverted Interrogations
To say Ari Faux was substantially nervous when she entered Walker's office to be questioned was an understatement. The fact that he had a huge, killer dog-wolf... thing, just aggravated the situation more. She had seen enough crime shows to know how interrogation worked. She just wondered how it would turn out. Intimidation seemed to be his shtick. He had a loud, booming voice, with a tough Texan accent to boot, and was armed to the teeth with guards, security tech, and malevolent ghosts that he just seemed itching to release on someone. Her first initial impression of him seemed to label him as the type to want to be in full control at all times. There needed to be rules, regulation, control. That was essential, especially for a man of his position. She decided it was wise to play along. She was roaming around in territory she didn't understand. Also, he scared the absolute shit out of her. But, then again, most authority figures did.
In her mind, she was innocent of all charges, but even the innocent could feel guilt if someone had convinced them they were guilty. That's how prosecution lawyers won their cases. She had felt that way anytime a cop car would pass by on the more public roads of her hometown. She could have been the perfect driver, following all the speed limits and traffic laws, but as soon as the sirens came on, a cold sweat was the knee-jerk reaction. It set her teeth on edge.
She tried to put on a brave face to make up for her moment of weakness in the cell against Wulf earlier, who had just now casually sat down by the door, acting as its guard. She hoped she could somehow steer the situation in her favor, maybe even into possibly making a deal with the warden, but that possibility was a stretch, even for her. She wouldn't really know until she evaluated Walker.
"Have a seat there, girl," Walker said, sounding more like an order than a suggestion. She complied anyways. "Here, I am your judge, executioner, jury, executioner, jailer, and if necessary, your executioner..." he began, pacing proudly at his own authority. Did he just say executioner three times?
"So..." he continued, leaning in real close with a narrowed, calculating scowl. "Why exactly did you wander into my Ghost Zone?"
"I...I..." Ari began, already feeling the strong urge to hide behind her hood and long hair. It was her best defense: hide and appear weak. Maybe then no one would bother you. Usually, this was how she would get sympathy from getting pulled over or if she broke a dish. Drama was her shtick, and she played the act of the victim well. Her meek appearance gave her a distinct advantage. The fact that she rarely ever caused any trouble just added to it, most who had caught her letting her off with a warning. This time, it wasn't working.
"Speak up, girl. Can't hardly hear a thing you say," Walker ordered in a gruff tone, waves of slight irritation coming off of him. The warden had dealt with many 'innocent' prisoners, and this one would be no different. It just meant longer hours of trying to get her to talk. To him, her blubbering wasn't endearing. It was just plain outright annoying. Most prisoners who did this were the kinds that threw their accomplices under the bus to get a shorter sentence or a plea bargain, and he expected no less when he talked to her. He knew he would get the real story out of her. He would get her to crack.
"I... I w-wasn't r-read my rights..." she managed to spit out. This had thrown him for a loop. She had partially backed off of her ignorance routine. Now she was playing by the rules. If the 'ignore me' scam didn't work, she broke out the logic angle. He couldn't keep her here. She had done nothing wrong, and she was going to try and enforce that.
"What did you say to me?" Walker growled as he moved in close towards her face, making Ari crawl back even further. Why had she said that?! Stupid! Stupid!
"Look me in the eye when I'm talkin' to you," he glared, making Ari squirm even more in discomfort as she forced herself to look up at his ghostly green eyes. She wasn't good about confrontation. Clenching hard at the chair's arms, she tried focusing towards the pain in her hands and concentrate more on what she was saying than on where she was looking. She had come this far.
"You... Y-You can't arrest s-someone unless you r-read them the Miranda rights. That's the r-rules," she said a little more awkwardly, breaking her weak stare to quickly glance back down at the floor. "I-I have my rights..."
His eyes, though void of pupils, held a note of confusion in them as he slowly pulled away, lessening the tension Ari could feel building in the room. He didn't seem mad so much as unsure what to say. It was one of the first times a criminal had quoted the law rather than blame someone else or beg for him to let them go. Whoever this kid was, she was smart. Smarter than his other prisoners. Clearly, he would have to handle her a different way.
"That would work except for one small problem: You're not under arrest," he said finally.
"I... I'm not?" Ari gaped.
"Nope. I can't house humans for improbable cause. They're too much work to keep contained and rare to come by," he said, casually pulling out his rulebook and leafing through random sections. "I just couldn't deal with ya at the moment. Most people think that as soon as I'm gone, it's easy for them to break out of jail. But that's where they'd be wrong. No one escapes my prison."
So... she was falsely arrested? That meant he couldn't legally hold her here and question her. Ari thought about pointing this out to him, but she decided against it with her better judgment and just kept her big mouth shut. Best to not poke the beehive more than you had to get the honey.
"Frankly, you're more of a liability than an asset to this here prison, so you're free to go," he finished, closing his book coolly.
"...That's it?" Ari deadpanned.
"That's it."
It was that easy!? It couldn't have been that easy... could it? Was this a trap? Why would he do that? He was a cop. But Johnny had called him a 'crooked cop'... She couldn't tell if he was lying. He was harder to read than most. She stood up and hesitantly picked up her bag on the table, wary of the Wulf in the corner, but he made no notion or hint of aggression towards her. He just looked like a dog at the feet of his master.
She paused at the door, turning back in confliction. She was released. This was what she had wanted, only... now what? What would she do now? She had no map, no ride, and no clue as to where home or Desiree was. Once again, she was back to square one.
"Somethin' the matter?" Walker asked, noticing the hesitation in her stride.
"No... it's just... I have no way back home now. Y-You kind of arrested my ride," she stated with an awkward note of embarrassment.
"Not my problem. Just go back the way ya came," he replied shortly, glancing back at his with a dull expression. Was he ignoring her now?
"But... But that's the problem," Ari argued back, turning so she was facing the warden. "I have no way back 'cause I wasn't supposed to be here. I got here by accident!"
"...Did you now?" Walker asked with a smile, sitting up with real interest. "Why don't you tell me about that then?" Suddenly, she felt like his smile was that of a cat that had just eaten the canary.
"I-I... I e-ended up h-here by accident..." Ari mumbled, slowly trailing off into her usual bit of stuttering. "I s-sort of wished to be here, and one thing lead to another..."
"Then why were you associating with criminal ghosts?" Walker asked pointedly.
"J-Johnny was j-just giving me a r-ride back to the S-Storage Room to f-find Desiree. She's the one wh-who sent m-me here, so she c-could be the one w-who c-could send me b-back..."
"Hmmm... so Desiree's been out causing trouble again? Interesting..." Walker said mostly to himself. "I'll take your testimony into consideration. I've already questioned young Mr. Cade, and he confirms your story, so either he's lying and you're in cahoots, or your story is true. And since this is your first offense, I'll let you off with a warning, just so long as I never have to see your face around here again. Someone will make arrangements to escort you back to your-" Walker stopped, his eyes finding an item of interest as Ari began going through her satchel. "What's that?"
"Umm..." Ari began to blush furiously, shyly looking around for something more interesting before she managed to squeak out, "T-Tampons?"
"No, not that. This!" He growled, thrusting a high tech, food container in her face.
"Uh...a s-soup thermos?" With a short whistle from Walker, Wulf pounced onto Ari's chest, knocking her to the ground and the canister out of her hand. Wulf growled menacingly at her face, the smell of blood, rotting meat, and standard halitosis dog breathe searing through her nostrils as she reeled back from the ferocious beast. Walker's boot stopped the silver thermos from rolling any farther.
"I don't like being lied to, missy. So here's what you're goin' to do," he scowled, picking up the thermos with an ironclad grip. "This time, you're gonna tell me who you're workin' for and why you're here spyin' on my Ghost Zone. I was being nice at first, but now I want answers."
"What!? I-! I'm not spying on a-anyone! I ended up h-here on accident, I s-swear!" Ari cried out in protest.
"The innocent don't stutter," he sneered, her mouth gaping slightly at the statement. It wasn't her fault that she stuttered. She couldn't help it! She couldn't help any of this! Why was this happening? She had been home free! She had Johnny's testimony and everything. What had went wrong? Johnny... Oh, why had she agreed to ride with Johnny? Why had she listened to Sidney? And why, oh dear god why, did she make that stupid wish?
"You must be workin' with the Phantom kid. This is his equipment," he said holding up a green and silver thermos she had put into her bag. Danny Phantom again? He's all that she's heard about since she got here. Why was he so important?
"That's just a s-soup thermos! I was saving that in case I needed food or water!" Ari explained. Walker frowned slightly before he uncapped it and shot a blue, electronic beam at one of the nearby ghost guards, effectively capturing him.
"I..! I had no idea it could do that, I swear!" she sputtered.
"Hmm, you know, I would have let you off with a warning if you had admitted to your guilt. But since you've chosen denial, your sentence of one hundred years still stands-"
"-One hundred years?!" She exclaimed. That was profound, even for prison. That was like having a life sentence.
"Take her into custody," he ordered, motioning for Wulf to remove his paw and allow the two guards nearby to escort Ari back to her cell. "Have a nice evenin'."
"N-No! Please! Stop! I d-didn't do it! D-Don't I get a phone call?" She tried to spit out in defiance, but it fell on deaf ears. The guards already began to pull her back down the hallway that lead to her cell. Now, she was angry. No, she was outraged at this... injustice! How dare he! He dare he ignore the law like that! How dare he ignore her!
"What kind of prison warden are you?!" She screeched, creating the first real, loud, clear argument she had made all day. He stopped for a moment before tipping his hat and looking back at her with a smug grin.
"One of the best." And with that said, he turned and left, leaving Ari to hopelessly struggle against the guards escorting her to her cell.