"What was it's name?"

Snake was in a testing chamber with Wasp, holding the amulet she'd accidentally used.

It had been decided to standardise calling the objects 'amulets', given the loop of string they all seemed to have, to allow them to be worn.

"Um, 'Redcap', I think," Wasp answered, flinching in expectation of its appearance.

Nothing happened, as they had expected given how Freelancer had only emerged when Snake was holding the amulet.

Snake nodded.

"Redcap," he called out.

Nothing happened.

"Are you sure?"

Wasp brought up the video to check.

"... Impossible object Redcap, or whatever…"

"There's something we're missing," Snake muttered. "Try Freelancer, in case there was some kind of lock the suits organisation applied. I know it isn't likely, but it would be an explanation."

Wasp nodded, switching places with him.

She held up Freelancers amulet, and called out its name.

Nothing, again.

"Why aren't they working? What are we doing different?"

"Try this," Snake called, and Wasp blinked at the sight of Redcaps amulet flying towards her.

She nearly fumbled the catch.

"Okay then. Redcap!"

This time the energy was released, forming into Redcap.

Wasp fell back, dropping Freelancers amulet as she reached for her gun.

Redcaps head turned towards her at the sound, only to recognise her as not being an enemy in some manner, and survey the area instead.

At the sight, presumably, of Snake, it started to prowl in his direction.

Snake tenser, ready to defend himself if needed.

"Stop," Wasp called, and the Redcap stopped.

It looked as though it still wanted to move, straining against its orders to attack Snake, but it wasn't able to disobey Wasps order.

Snake nodded slowly, unthreateningly and keeping his eye on the Redcap.

"So, the amulets do let you control them. Or give them orders at least. Now, can I get Freelancer back?"

It hadn't been long since he'd learned of Freelancers existence, a couple days tops however you counted, but he was already starting to feel uncomfortable without the amulet in his possession.

"Right. Uh, Redcap, give him his amulet back. Uh, please."

Redcap lumbered over to the amulet, Wasp backing away to give herself space, and attempted to pick it up.

Reecaps claws sank into the floor as though it was paper, tearing out a chunk with the amulet.

There was a crack as it tensed its claws, shattering the chunk of floor, and it lumbered towards Snake.

It took an act of will for Snake to hold out his hand for the amulet.

Not as much as if he'd been using his flesh and blood hand, but instincts are hard to shake.

"Okay, so… Redcap, return?"

The Redcap returned to energy, flowing back into the amulet.

By an unspoken signal, rather than proceed with the tests, Snake and Wasp approached the hole in the floor.

"I think we may have underestimated how dangerous these things can be…"

]

While Snake and Wasp conducted their experiments, Ocelot approached their prisoners to learn more.

While Snake made a decent argument for the idea of 'magic' and a conspiracy to hide it, Ocelot was sure there was some kind of rational explanation.

Maybe, if it had been him to come to him with this, Ocelot would have found the idea more credible, but instead…

Regardless, he had given up on the idea of questioning the suits, his talent in that area somewhat self-defeating in the field of gathering information.

Their leader, on the other hand…

During the battle the suits had all fought on the front line, only surrendering when defeat was inevitable.

Their leader, on the other hand, had secured cover, before seemingly trying to get out his over-secured 'amulets', from a thoroughly tied closed bag.

If he had been under the same level of outside influence, it seemed likely that he would have simply fought alongside them, rather than find cover first.

As such, it seemed likely that Ocelot using his 'usual methods' wouldn't wipe his mind of everything he wanted to know.

He faced the man in the same interrogation room as he'd used with the suits, but with a greater degree of precautions.

"Is this really necessary? Haven't I cooperated so far?"

The mans hands were cuffed together, so that if he tried using any of the 'magic' Snake was convinced he possessed, it would only hit himself.

"Cooperation only lasts until it doesn't," Ocelot stated. "And this isn't the sort of situation where cooperation tends to last. Now, what should I call you?"

"Call me Harry, and what about you?"

"... Ocelot. Now, the next question I'd usually ask is who you work for."

"The organisation I work for? We just call it 'the Organisation'. It doesn't need any other name, it isn't as though many people outside know about it. Or our boss? We just call him 'the Professor'. He keeps his name rather close to the chest."

Something about 'Harrys' attempt to act disarming was rubbing Ocelot up the wrong way.

"You're being very informative," he noted.

Harry shrugged, wincing slightly.

"The more I try to keep secret, the greater the chance of you torturing me, right? So, as long as it doesn't matter if I tell you, why keep it secret?"

"And giving the name of your group and boss doesn't matter?"

He laughed.

"And how do you plan to gather information on the Organisation or the Professor? The only people they have meaning to as full names are in the Organisation."

"And I suppose you'll be more secretive about why you were in Afghanistan?"

"Why would I? You already know about amulets and Titans by now, even if your men didn't have any idea at first. You are in charge right, and not just a hired interrogator? Still, your team leader back there was something else. Convincing me he had no idea about anything, then that he was an independent Seeker, then awakening as a Seeker in the middle of the fight! That was… really… Urgh, is there a problem with the air in here?"

"Focus on my questions. What were you doing in Afghanistan?"

"We'd tracked down a reliquary of some ancient Seekers of course! Or maybe prison, somewhere for them to store the amulets of Titans they couldn't bond with, whose personality was too opposed to their own. But every Titan has a Seeker out there, just waiting to find them. Why leave them lying around for another few hundred years when they could be out and about again?"

So Harry believed the amulets were ancient artifacts rather than modern science.

"How did this 'Professor' recruit you anyway?"

"I was an independent Seeker, one of the best if I do say so myself. I'd gathered quite a haul of rare amulets, Gigadrines, some Kreutalk, even a Kilthane! Well, I couldn't bond with them, so I put out some feelers into the Seeker underground, looking for buyers. A representative of the Organisation responded, giving me a good offer, and led me to the Professor to finalise the deal, and…"

Harry cut off, trying to clutch at his head.

"... And… and… I joined? A salary, bringing in more and more rare Titans for less than when I was independent, gathering common Titans like Redcaps and Mindrones, and…"

He finished breaking through whatever mental manipulation he had been placed under.

"That bastard!"

"What are you-"

"The Professor, he did something, used a power, a Titan power I think, through the amulet, made it so I was no longer myself!"

Harry panted, breathing heavily from his bout of shouting.

He seemed to calm down a bit.

"Hey, you're going after the Organisation right?"

"We might be," Ocelot hedged, not wanting to give anything away.

"I'll tell you everything I know if I can join the assault," Harry stated, more serious than Ocelot had seen him.

"Why would you change sides so easily?"

Harry laughed, almost hysterically.

"Easily? That bastard took over my mind, stole my free will! And the Titans I secured! I, the real me, was never on his side! Want some information before you accept? Fine, he's based in Prague, the lowest ranks of the Organisation are the suits, who are always led by one or two officers, like I was. The Titans the suits are assigned depend on their officer, mine were given Redcaps, Mindrones and Strix, while officers get to keep their prior selection of Titans. Oh god, how many of the officers are like me? Or the suits? I thought they were just loyal, what if…"

The realisation of just how the Organisation had gathered recruits seemed to strike him suddenly.

"Each of the suits I interviewed seemed to have been completely brainwashed, artificially implanted with English," Ocelot noted. "It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case for all of them."

"They broke free too? Oh," he laughed in realisation, "you're the reason I broke free, some kind of hypnosis? And I'm guessing I won't get free of you so easily… Well, as long as I get revenge on the Professor, he's the reason I'm even in this position."

"It… it isn't…"

Ocelots wasn't able to finish his attempt to defend his actions.

It was true, wasn't it, that he was simply giving the prisoners a nudge, making sure those who were going to sign up would sign up quickly?

But… had there been a single prisoner who didn't end up joining them?

It could have simply been the case that they would have chosen to join sooner or later, but he had no way to prove it, to be sure.

And then there was the matter of…

Ocelot shook himself.

"Explain what you mean by 'Seeker'?"

"It's the word for those who can call Titans from amulets and learn to use powers. The Foundation Seekers I've encountered claim it's a matter of willpower, anyone with sufficient willpower who runs into an amulet capable of bonding with them will awaken as a Seeker, but there's more to it than that. I mean, how much will the suits have left? No, there's something else that marks us."

Ocelot nodded slowly, considering.

"In exchange for sharing everything you know about the Organisation and training the Seekers we've already discovered amongst our ranks, I'll recommend letting you join the assault on the Organisation. After that…" Ocelot hesitated, coming to a decision, "after that, I'd like to keep you on a retainer as an expert Seeker, and source of information on such matters."

"You're going to let me go?"

"I've had experience with a shadowy group controlling the course of my life, they are the main reason the Diamond Dogs exist. Maybe we can get you to join one day, but until then trying to force you would just sting of hypocrisy. I can live with you being a freelancer."

Harry flinched back, trying to cover himself before realising nothing was happening.

He chuckled, briefly, from embarrassment.

"Yeah, Seekers tend to be careful with their wording. I learned that the hard way, before I sold my Freelancer on. Well, traded really. I wasn't using him any more, and in return I managed to track down a small haul… but you don't need to hear about that. The main Titans I know of in the Organisation are…"