THE BRIDGE

Following Zach from a small distance, Cammie took in the immense size of the Air Carrier. It had been styled after an Ocean Super Carrier, but it was still so much more spacious. The corridors were wide enough for three people at a time, and the doors were made of ballistic glass that always slid open with a hiss. However, those same entrances also had reinforced titanium doors which would seal off in the event of an emergency. Each section of the carrier was colour-coded, which made navigating a lot easier. The carrier was also split into two wings, left and right, which were further broken down into five sections. These sections served specific purposes with combat operations, mostly working the Right Wing. Maintenance, Research and Engineering worked on the Left Wing and each had their own sleeping quarters and a mess room. The only part where everyone could mingle was the lower deck where the R&R and entertainment was.

Cammie realised she was attracting a lot of unwanted attention, and she already knew why. It was very rare that anyone got to see a ROGUE. They were rare commodities, and usually her true identity was never this obvious. Whenever she completed past missions and was called in for debrief, they would have her secretly escorted to designated locations, usually keeping her face covered during the process. She didn't want to hide though, especially not when she was with Zach. She never wanted to hide herself from him.

"Cammie?" Zach turned to her, an edge of concern etched on his face. She continued walking, only partially registering his comment.

"Hmm? What?" she asked, spinning her head to look at him. His whispered chuckle made her arch an eyebrow.

"Nothing. Come on." He punched in the code for the Bridge, which had only one of a few doors with the glass fogged so no one could see inside. As the doors slid open, Cammie saw the Captain and her squad leader, Grant, arguing with each other. Grant paused when he heard them enter, catching Cammie's eye and looking to her for help. Then saw Zach, and his face contorted.

"What the hell is he doing here?" he grumbled, pointing at Zach who stood there casually.

"I want him here," Cammie replied defensively, but it lacked enough impact to get Grant to take the hint to lay off.

"Coward," Grant fired at Zach, taking an imposing step towards him. "You think because it's been years, I would just forgive and forget?" His words grew dark with a heated anger. Zach could see it was more than that though. He could sense the unforgiving sense of betrayal.

"Enough," Captain Bradford interrupted. His harsh, commanding voice startled Cammie, but Zach and Grant merely stared each other down for a few more seconds.

"He better not be involved in this," Grant added turning to Cammie and pointing back at Zach. Cammie glanced over to Zach who was still standing at ease. She turned back to Grant, rage burning in her eyes, deciding it was time to pull rank.

"If that's how you feel, then you are relieved of duty." Her words struck like a hot iron, and Grant immediately backed down. Cammie watched as Grant gave a reluctant nod in understanding.

"You're the boss," he said, looking between the three of them. "But the Captain here won't let us interrogate our prisoner."

"What?" Cammie asked, folding her arms and turning back to Captain Bradford.

Captain Neil Bradford was a very imposing man with an impressive thirty-year history with the Military. He graduated a Naval Officer and served in both wars. He was a man of experience and authority in every way imaginable. Tall and lean, he actually looked as if he could outdo most guys in a marathon run. Although he was getting on in years, his hair showed no signs of thinning, and only some small grey appeared amongst the black. Overall, he was still quite attractive.

"Why aren't we allowed, Sir?" Cammie pressed. "He's my prisoner. I know him, and I can make him give up information. I know how they all think." Bradford simply held up his large hand and gestured for them to follow him. Cammie allowed Zach to stay at the back while she and Grant flanked both sides of the Captain.

"I'm not excluding you, Agent Morgan. All I'm saying is that for this situation, I felt a professional interrogator was needed."

"Sir, with all due respect, I am a professional at extracting information," Cammie argued. "You have to trust me, Sir."

"I do not doubt your ability, Agent, as I already told your partner here. I know this interrogator personally and worked with her on many occasions. Major Goode was the one who introduced us a few years back while we were tracking stolen soviet nuclear warheads. She's definitely proven herself." He paused as they stopped for a door to open and let some crew members pass. "The interrogator is arriving in five minutes. She's been debriefed on the situation in flight."

"Sir, who's the interrogator? I'd like to speak with my prisoner first." Cammie said, stopping to look between Zach and Bradford.

"I'll let you add the questions you want answered, and you'll also be in communication with Agent Baxter as she interrogates the prisoner. You're just going to be behind the scenes. Like I said, I'm not excluding you, but agent Baxter is someone I trust, and she's very good at her job."

At the mention of Baxter, Cammie saw Grant relax a little. Cammie furrowed her eyebrows, still trying to put a face to the name. No one was coming to mind, and then she felt Zach give her the slightest of touches as he stepped closer to her.

"She went by Bex at the Academy," he whispered. Cammie suddenly remembered her fierce opponent. And also a good friend.

"I wonder if she's still single," Grant mused to himself, but everyone heard and looked at him. "Just curious," he added defensively.

They walked from the Bridge to the flight deck entry bay. When the doors opened Cammie saw Agent Baxter already passing the ID scan. When she had finished, she grabbed her kit and shook the Captain's hand and hugged Zach. Grant had a wide smile, but Cammie was more interested in watching the interaction with her friends. It was different from what she was used to. Bex's eyes met hers, and her smile faded. Cammie noted that she still looked gorgeous and many would probably mistake her for a celebrity if it weren't for the muscular upper body build she had. It wasn't anything extreme, but you could definitely see the muscular bulges where her black uniform contoured to her figure.

Bex walked up to Cammie and stood in front of her, her gaze unmoving as she dropped her kit on the ground. Cammie tensed and made fists with her hands, not sure of what was going to happen next. Bex noticed the small shift in her posture, like a boxer waiting for the starting bell. She smiled and shocked Cammie by giving her a huge hug that nearly squeezed the life from her.

"I've missed you, Cammie," she said, finally letting go so she could breathe again.

"Yeah I've missed you too, Bex." Cammie wheezed.

"Hey, Bax…" the sudden hard slap across his face nearly knocked him out. Grant was left leaning against the bulkhead rubbing his swollen cheek.

"That was for when we were in Manchester, you oaf." Bex fired at him before picking up her kit again. "Now then…where's my prisoner?"

Interrogation

"How long has he been in there?" Bex asked to no one in particular.

"An hour, give or take," Zach replied. "When we brought him in, we had him scanned before bringing him to medical to check for any contagious bacteria or biological hazards. He was clean, though his radiation level was a little more than expected."

"Has he talked yet?" Bex asked as she watched him from the monitor room behind the mirrored window. She, Zach, Cammie, and Grant were the only ones present. Captain Bradford had returned to the Bridge after he had walked with them to interrogation.

"We questioned him only a little," Zach continued, his eyes narrowing to watch the prisoner. They shifted to Bex who was concentrating hard on his reactions. "We got his name, the name of the group within the Rebels that he worked for, and the location where the stolen weapons were going. Other than that he's been quiet." Zach shrugged and rubbed his neck. Walking behind Bex to the screens that monitored his pulse and brain activity, he noticed Cammie had moved up to the window. Her facial expression was angry. An expression he noticed a lot.

"Ok, I'm going in," Bex stated after a few more quick observations. "Cammie, you feed me what you know. Zach, monitor his reactions to our questions. Grant…" She turned to Grant who was hiding in the back of the room. "Grant, you come with me and wait outside the door. I may need you for physical aspects." She noticed a small smile appear on his face, but ignored it.

When Bex entered, she saw the prisoner tense a little. It was a common reaction, especially considering most prisoners were fearful of physical interrogations and torture. Despite its known results, she wasn't a fan of the technique. Although she wasn't exactly opposed to dislocating a shoulder or wrist if necessary either.

She had conducted hundreds of interrogations; everything from controlled to field to rapid to enhanced interrogations. All called for a different approach, and she was always keenly aware which way a prisoner would tick. This one was noble to his cause, but still young and weak. Probably strong in the face of harsh conditions. His belief somewhat solid, most officers with these Insurrectionists lived slightly better than the lower ranks. The Insurrectionists were more than just a fighting force. They offered better living conditions than what they were grouped with.

It was a great tool for recruitment, but she'd made many turn their loyalties in favour of better living conditions. This one might just do the same. If not, then she still had a number of available methods to crack him.

Bex took a seat across from him and handed him a small plastic cup of water. He ignored it, which she quickly made note of. He didn't trust her. She'd usually start with earning trust, but this time she was on a schedule to find out what he knew. Before she could even introduce herself though, she heard Cammie crackle in her ear.

"Ask him who and what the weapons were for," Cammie stated, impatiently shuffling back and forth. Zach watched her from his seat, noting she was still tired. She always walked back and forth when she was exhausted.

"I'm sure you're aware of what we want to know," Bex began in a soft and kind tone. Her dialogue remained formal but she tempered it with a relaxed posture. She focused on his eyes, watching his reactions closely. Her approach was intentionally non-threatening since she needed him relaxed. "I, however, only wish to know your name." She smiled. "You do have a name?"

"I think you already know my name," McAllister said, leaning forward. "Your Intelligence services are good at watching us. Invading our privacy and wanting to control us. You're puppets of your masters." His response dripped with venom.

"He hates me. No surprise there," Bex thought to herself. "You work for a ghost. A man no one has seen or even heard of since the war. Some even say he was killed in the final battle, yet you obey and do what you're told without objection. You partake in brainwashing and swear fealty to someone who's never revealed himself. You condemn and blame innocent people for your own predicament. You believe that a violent past full off death is the right way to live, and finally you do his bidding and die when he commands. You want to tell me again who the puppet is here?" Bex fired at him, her posture switching to challenge his.

"I'm a soldier. I do what I do and obey orders," he defended himself. "I don't expect you to understand. You don't know our world."

"And what exactly do you know of ours?" Bex asked. She decided to switch her questioning to a more political approach. She needed him to open up, and this tactic seemed to be working. With any luck, he'd boast his pride and slip up, giving away the information out of anger.

"I know more than you think. You live a privileged life and deny the horrors that you did to achieve it. You remain blind to the corrupt will and rule of your leaders who are behind everything that has happened since the very beginning. You are unwilling to accept the truth. Instead you imprison and silence those who speak it. You preach false worships and claim hold to the lies that you live." McAllister's words spat out like acidic venom. It was obvious he truly hated her, but Bex merely smiled.

"You sound so sure, and yet we were not the ones who started the war. You were also the ones that lost it."

"The war is not over."

"And there we have it," Bex said leaning back in her chair. "You stick to living a violent life full of hate and death because in your world the strong prey on the weak, dominating and controlling them. You decide what is right and wrong, and if they displease you, you're the ones that ensure they are cut off." Her words were full of disgust.

"YOU LIE!" McAllister spat, enraged as he tried to make a leap for Bex. The cuffs kept him secured in his chair though, and soon he settled back down.

"Bex, stop it," Cammie reprimanded her through the earpiece. "You're getting off topic. We need to know what he knows. Ask him what the weapons were for? Who supplied them?"

"Our undercover Agent told us how you got the weapons and where they were going. We need to know two things, McAllister," she addressed him by name, and he calmed himself again. "What were the weapons for? Are you arming the populace again? What would you need with all the first-grade, high-tech weapons and equipment? Who supplied the information on where to get them?" Bex asked, her voice flat and monotone. She already knew he wasn't going to give her a straight answer.

"I won't betray the cause," he responded before laughing.

Bex had just decided she needed to up the game a little and was about to signal for Grant to enter when the door was suddenly thrown open, and Cammie stormed in holding her sidearm. She made her way to McAllister and pointed it directly at his head. Grant followed, his own hand readily on his holstered Phaser pistol. Bex was taken aback by Cammie's sudden approach. Switching her focus to Cammie, she was about to ask what was she doing, but then she noticed the fear in McAllister's eyes. Was he afraid of dying or was he afraid of Cammie?

"What is your primary objective? WHAT IS YOUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE?" Cammie yelled at him.

"Kill me. Go on, do it, Ella. You UEG whore," McAllister growled venomously.

"You think I won't?" Cammie leaned down near his ear. "You think I care what you shits want? I know you're afraid of me. You know what I've done and what I am capable of doing. Look into my eyes and see if I'm bluffing. LOOK!" Cammie screamed, and McAllister turned away nervously. What he must have seen, Bex didn't want to know.

"I… I won't betray the cause," McAllister barely whimpered out. Cammie stood up and pulled out an electronic data pad. She placed it on the table in front of him. His eyes widened as he turned on Cammie, trying to break out his restraints. "I'll kill you, Ella. Don't you dare touch her. I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU IF YOU TOUCH HER!" McAllister screamed.

"Give me the information I want, and she'll be safe, McAllister. I want a name, a target, and a date. Give me something now, or else. If you make me kill you, know this: you'll never know what will happen to your sister."

"You can't do this…' McAllister began to weep. "She's innocent. You can't."

"Don't assume I can't do it. After all…we're evil, remember?" Cammie tapped her pistol to his head for emphasis. "Tell me something now," she warned and started to count down from three.

"Ok, ok, ok," McAllister relented, gathering himself with a sniff. "When we got to the city, I was being bumped up for promotion. It was my job to lead a special team, handpicked from the best of the best infiltrators. You know how we deem promotions. An impossible mission in which we must pass. If I managed it, I would receive my promotion to the high ranks and lead my own army group."

"What was the mission? Why did you need the weapons?" Bex cut in, making brief eye contact with Cammie.

"I honestly don't know what the mission was. I was due to find out sometime tomorrow. And as for the weapons, they were essential for the mission. To help us pass security and strike a blow at the UEG. The other weapons were to be issued among our armies to help us combat more effectively."

"Cammie," Bex said softly, gesturing for her to lower her weapon. Cammie reluctantly complied, taking a few steps back until she was beside Bex.

"That's how you get them to talk," she whispered in Bex's ear before turning and walking out the room. Grant looked at Bex before followed Cammie out.

Bex watched as McAllister cried some more. "I know nothing else," he confessed, but Bex already knew she had the information she needed. She'd pieced the clues together even with very little from McAllister. She knew their target. A strike at the UEG indeed.

She exited the interrogation room and joined Cammie and Grant in the observation room. They stood watching the prisoner, content with themselves while Zach stood in the back, eyes wide in shock. Bex could definitely relate.

"What the hell was that, Cammie?" she asked, enraged and pointing at McAllister through the mirror.

"You weren't getting anywhere, Baxter," Cammie threw back in her defence. "I got the information we needed. Be thankful, and let's figure out what it means."

"I was softening him up. We don't need him to hate us more and close down. If we develop a relationship, he'll willingly cooperate without overthinking everything. What if he'd refused to talk in there, and why did you threaten his sister? She's an innocent girl, Cammie," Bex yelled.

"Well he's damn well softened up now," Cammie yelled back as Bex glanced at the still sobbing McAllister. "You don't know these people like I do. They always have something they're fighting for. Something more than just their dumb cause. More personal. I knew his because they open up to each other. Their weakness is that they care. What I did wasn't wrong. It was necessary." Cammie looked over at Grant who nodded his approval, but when she turned to Zach, she noticed how distant he seemed. He was obviously disgusted.

"It was necessary. I'm not evil," Cammie thought to herself, but even then she realised the truth. She really had changed.

"Well…," Bex said, breaking the awkward silence. "I know what their target is. It's the Citadel."

They all stood in silence a moment before the questions came.

"The Citadel?" Zach repeated.